Paul Franklin Steel Guitar Course

Gary Cooper · From: Atmore, Alabama

I have viewed several video samples of Paul’s guitar course but I did not see any reference to Paul teaching a specific song. What I saw was intervals, a lot of theory, and licks. For those who hate taking the course what are your thoughts?
Thank you
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GFI Ultra SD-10; Nashville 112; Hilton pedal, George L Cables; Pearse bar; Live Stings;Walker seat by Billy Knowles.

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

I love it. well worth the money.
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Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

I feel the E9th side is VERY well structured and takes players parts only few have ventured into.

The C6th side is intersting but also challenging because of how PF at times seems to stuggle to explain it to a non-genius. The inteoduction to ii-, V, I and thei modulation inside a key or tune off different degree chords is a bit a head-scratcher. There are other subjects that I had to watch thru several times to only realize it was a kniwn concept to me, but the way it was presented I went “whaaaat” for an hour.

Nomenclatue: PF alludes to Lloyd Green knowing his “intervals” (which I am sure he knows… too) but really referring to DEGREES. The difference may seem subtle, but it can cause confusion when the terms are confused.

PF is a PSG genius and beyond that an artist. Unlike the Jeff Newmans, Maurice Andersons and others, his musical career wasn’t based in teaching and understanding the thinking of students who need help or at least a nudge every now and then. Still, I think it is the ONLY course that starts with badics but goes into intermediant and even advanced, and even on both tunings.
Amd it is a world of knowlege which is being GENEROUSLY shared without any holdbacks.

$499.oo still today may seem an exagerated risk to many still today, but for a dedicated student who doesn’t have access to a teacher willing and capable to take him to that level, I would say that it is a bargain.

Now that being said, iRealPRO is a necesity in my opinion to work in all keys what is being taught.
I would also suggest learning form guitar players and other instrumentalists iff records and you tube videos. Specially on subjects like ii, V, I, just like our heroes DID.

… JD.
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Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"

A Little Mental Health Warning:

Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.

I say it humorously, but I mean it.

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

JD has it right.

One thing I've found is that he often explains the same thing from different angle in different videos. So what might be a headscratcher (and I spent many an hour scratching my head trying to figure out what he was doing) I found by watching the full course, while closely studying a small bit, helped me get a great overall sense of where the course was heading and helped make all the lessons clearer when you saw them as building blocks in an overall method. He makes mistakes as he talks as well and they are corrected in text overlays.

As for the song thing. I don't want to speak for Paul but my understanding of his method is that playing songs and using backing tracks is detrimental to purpose of the E9th neck which he sees as a lick machine designed to support the singer: intros, fills, short 4 bar licks between verses, creating a pad to support the singer: this is the territory you need to focus on. If you learn a 4 bar lick over a 2 5 1 progression, you can play the lick in any song with a 2 5 1 progression.

Which goes to his MAIN goal in the course: to get you actually playing in a band situation as quickly as possible using his method to help you get there with only the things you will need and none of the things you would like to do but won't make money at. He is showing you how to make money being a pro at the instrument. Anyway that is my interpretation. YMMV.
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Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall

Bob Shilling · From: Berkeley, CA, USA

The "Foundations" course is perfect for beginners and as a review for more experienced players. It costs $100 for a year and is an E9 course. He doesn't teach specific songs like Jeff Newman's Woodshed Workshops, although the Foundations course does include a couple of chord-melody versions of some simple songs like Goodnight Ladies and House of the Rising Sun.

He covers all the basics, and I highly recommend it.
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Bob Shilling, Berkeley, CA--MSA S10, "Classic"

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

“Move the bar to fret 8 and press the A pedal while picking strings 5 and 6, then release and slide down to fret 5 and press Pedal B….”

I would not want to learn a whole song with somebody showing me that.

This is the old “teach me a song” versus “teach me to play the instrument” debate. If you learn the instrument and some things about music, you’ll be able to play a thousand songs. If somebody shows you how to play a song, you’ll be able to play one, maybe.

Great teachers know how to do this balancing act, of taking the practical and technical knowledge they impart on their students and applying it to songs they can play at a given level of comprehension and ability. It’s the Karate Kid method.

Gary Cooper · From: Atmore, Alabama

Thanks everyone for your responses. I erred in my initial post. I meant to say “for all who HAVE taken the course…”. My apology
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GFI Ultra SD-10; Nashville 112; Hilton pedal, George L Cables; Pearse bar; Live Stings;Walker seat by Billy Knowles.

Michael Hill · From: Arizona, USA

I'm enrolled and it is the best course I've taken. It's not all roses though. Here are a few things I didn't like:

- Holy moly the vibrato. Too much for me
- Overly sweetened tuning can make some voicings sound sour
- Some videos are extremely short
- Expensive

Positives far outweigh the negatives. Highly recommended.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Overall, I thought it was excellent. It's too expensive for me these days but still fairly priced.

I found I needed to adapt to Paul's choice of musical terms but I grasped that immediately.

I wish I could have stayed longer. His C6th instruction was particularly absorbing.
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Detlef Webert · From: Europe - DE

I do agree what JD and Bill said. I've got both the C6th basics and toolbox and it*s just full of theory.
I didn't gave up and hammered it into my brain.
The practical part and examples -sound clips- comes way too short - and from my point of view, quite a bit too expensive.

Gary Cooper · From: Atmore, Alabama

Roger, what do you mean by wishing you could have stayed longer?
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GFI Ultra SD-10; Nashville 112; Hilton pedal, George L Cables; Pearse bar; Live Stings;Walker seat by Billy Knowles.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Gary:

Suddenly finding myself retired (against my will, for medical reasons), I'm now on a fixed income and I have to be cautious about incurring regular outgoings.

That's all I meant. The price is reasonable but beyond our household budget. We're just fine, but guard our savings carefully.
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Gary Cooper · From: Atmore, Alabama

Roger, my prayers and well wishes for you
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GFI Ultra SD-10; Nashville 112; Hilton pedal, George L Cables; Pearse bar; Live Stings;Walker seat by Billy Knowles.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

You're very kind, Gary, but we're just fine. In fact, I'm pretty lucky, all things considered.

Not having an incentive, I find my playing is regressing. I sit at the guitar a lot but the results aren't what I'd like. I seem to have lost the touch I once had.

I have never taken a proper lesson in my life (it probably shows!), yet now I found myself experimenting with online tuition. To be honest, it was more a way of attempting to stay in touch with some semblance of the music world.

Travis Toy's approach is very different. I'm doubtful about adopting pick-blocking at 80 years old (the main thrust of both Paul's and Travis' method) but I enjoy the interaction with other players that TT's weekly Zoom meet provides.

Once again, I stress that it's because I miss the stage/orchestra pit/bandstand - other musicians - that I've reached out to these options. Both courses have their pros and cons but TTT is a little more affordable. It's early days; we'll see how it goes.
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Paul's Method is the best money you could ever spend on Pedal Steel Guitar !!
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14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases.

Bruce Bouton · From: Nash. Tn USA

Paul's course is designed to teach steel guitar properly, not just show you another way to play yet another steel guitar instrumental.
There is so much valuable, subtle info ,that he shares with the students. Personally I've learned a lot from the course and become a better player as a result. Yes it's expensive but alot cheaper than a private lesson. Most pro's that I know charge at least 75.00 an hour.
I know someone commented on the sweetened tuning that Paul uses.I'd say most of the recording players I know, tune the same way. Regardless, Paul is considered one of the most in tune players in the recording world. I'd say his massive discography speaks for itself.

I've seen unbelievable growth in young players that have started and stayed in Pauls course. In my opinion it's a bargain , considering his sixty years of experience.
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www.brucebouton.com

Michael Moore · From: Bellevue, Washington, USA

I’m on year 3 of Paul’s course, and feel fortunate to have access to the incredibly wide, deep, and detailed information that he presents (with the attitude that “we’re all students “, including him). The information is presented in a friendly and completely unpretentious way, and his whole focus is on giving students the tools needed to find their own voice on the PSG.

Paul is accessible through the Facebook group and offers both encouragement and detailed analysis of everything that’s posted there. He puts in the work to be responsive and timely when asked something on the FB group. His posts are often long and quite detailed. His approach is the opposite of “phoning it in” - he’s passionate and committed to students making progress. His explanations are not all perfect, but given the sheer quantity of the information (over 400 separate videos) the quality is amazingly high. As you can tell, I’m a fan. If you can afford it and are willing to put the time in, your playing will be much the better for it.
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Carter S-12, GFI S-12, Emmons S-12, Fender Deluxe 8 non-pedal, Scheerhorn Dobro. Plus banjos.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Deleted
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Tom Spaulding · From: Tennessee, USA

Paul uses “pick blocking” (3-element blocking) in his own playing, but in the beginning sections of the course (when introducing Blocking as a concept), he presents both choices. He demonstrates palm blocking and pick blocking and recommends that beginning players should try both and chose what works best for them.

Advanced players that already have their technique sorted out can benefit from nearly everything in the course, but there are some “pick blocking”-focused lessons that palm blockers would need to adapt.

Lary Marshall · From: Green Oak Township, Michigan, USA

I started out with the Foundations course, then signed up for the Tool box course, and finally pulled the trigger on the full Method course. It’s been a great journey so far that I plan to continue.
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MSA Legend XL U12, Collings SoCo, PRS Custom 24, Taylor 810, p2p Bad-Dawg, Victoria Silver Sonic

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

You're right, Tom. Paul does briefly address palm-blocking but it's logical that his demonstration is fairly brief. It's not his method and, as he says, he found it didn't work for him. I wouldn't expect him to demonstrate that right-hand technique as fluently as he can play in his inimitable style.

The key for me is to use my current technique but the course encourages the student to examine his results; are we truly blocking everything, regardless of which approach we use? There's no room for self-deception here!

I'm struck by the consistency with which he hits the strings; whatever the phrasing or fingering, each note is struck with such authority. He's a highly accomplished and complete player.
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Gary Cooper · From: Atmore, Alabama

I do not have a C6 neck. My interest is only in the E9. I would get the course but I don’t want to have to buy the C6 part of the course.
What are your thoughts? Thank you.
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GFI Ultra SD-10; Nashville 112; Hilton pedal, George L Cables; Pearse bar; Live Stings;Walker seat by Billy Knowles.

Bruce Bouton · From: Nash. Tn USA

There are plenty of E9 opyions from Paul. I'd suggest going to the Modern Music Masters website https://www.mmmlearn.com

There are plenty of options for E9.
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www.brucebouton.com

Fred Martin · From: Phoenix, Az

Paul’s course has kept me entertained for a few years. I may be a lifer. When I go back to an older lesson I still pick something up.

He teaches you to play, not just copy someone else. Constantly adds new material.

Price comes down a little for repeat students. You can add a few modules that teach songs also.

He makes you think !

Tom Spaulding · From: Tennessee, USA

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