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I got (to play) the blues so bad.
Xaquin
Right behind you!Registered User regular
Right behind you!Registered User regular
So, I have many many many many free nights from 8pm to midnight, and while DayZ is fun, I feel like I should be more productive with my time.
As such, I have decided to take up an instrument!
The Lap Steel to be more precise.
My cousin (in law I guess?) had one that he never played and he tuned it to 'open G' for me and sent it my way.
Now, I have never played ANY instrument and I'd like to do it correctly. I want to pretend I'm in school and my one assignment is to learn the ins and outs of this instrument.
I know I'm not going to be playing like Hendrix in 1 month (or probably even 6 months).
Where should I start? I got a properly sized slide for my no good sausage fingers as well as the finger picks (I need a new thumb one since the only one they had was non adjustable). I figure the proper equipment is a good place to start, but now I'm not sure. Should I first learn to read music? Proper picking technique? Notes? Chords?
these are foreign to me.
I've scoured youtube for tutorials, but the majority don't seem to be tutorials so much as showing off.
I guess what I'm asking is what order I should be looking at things, if there is anything I should know before hand, and if there are any bad habits I should try to avoid.
As such, I have decided to take up an instrument!
The Lap Steel to be more precise.
My cousin (in law I guess?) had one that he never played and he tuned it to 'open G' for me and sent it my way.
Now, I have never played ANY instrument and I'd like to do it correctly. I want to pretend I'm in school and my one assignment is to learn the ins and outs of this instrument.
I know I'm not going to be playing like Hendrix in 1 month (or probably even 6 months).
Where should I start? I got a properly sized slide for my no good sausage fingers as well as the finger picks (I need a new thumb one since the only one they had was non adjustable). I figure the proper equipment is a good place to start, but now I'm not sure. Should I first learn to read music? Proper picking technique? Notes? Chords?
these are foreign to me.
I've scoured youtube for tutorials, but the majority don't seem to be tutorials so much as showing off.
I guess what I'm asking is what order I should be looking at things, if there is anything I should know before hand, and if there are any bad habits I should try to avoid.
+1
Posts
It is to steel guitar what PA is to games, but more so. There's a whole board dedicated to instruction & lessons.
There are 101 ways to tune a steel guitar, depending on what music you want to play, but the bar technique and right hand technique don't change too terribly much. I'd get a lesson or two to get those fundamentals down, as to avoid starting bad habits early on.
I've tuned mine to C6th (C-E-G-A-C-E). I know there was some wisdom behind this but it's escaping me. And I've used "Basic C6th Nonpedal Lap Steel Method" by DeWitt Scott to get started, which I'll probably start over with again. I have considered picking up Jerry Byrd's "Instruction Course for Steel Guitar" that everyone pretty much says is the bible for lap steel - but it's 60 lessons and runs about a hundred bucks, so, you know. There's that. I've sampled some of the Georgeboards video lessons too, which look promising, but I'm not there yet.
I also grabbed some basic chord charts on PDF and printed them blown up. I've also considered some Skype-based lessons because there's no instructors around here, but no idea how good of a process that would really be. I figure if I could just get some basic technique down my musician-type friends could help steer me to the more fun parts.
If you run into any good resources or ideas or something, post or PM me. And good luck!
money allowing, that is exactly what I'd do.
money being what it is ....
When I see "decent" I think a very specialized person. Getting to the point where you can perform a particular style of music with a certain instrumentation within the group is one thing. Being a musician who can perform or become proficient in all styles of music in a limited time is what I am defining as being a musician.
I play in a band with some percussionists who I am loathe to call musicians. They can't read music notation, can play three different types of percussion in about two or three different latin styles and learn all music by ear. They are perfectly adequate for performing the music in public. The problem is that rehearsals take an inordinate amount of time to accomplish anything. You can only memorize so many 4-8 minute songs per week. If I have a chart, I can sight read it on a gig for the first time and be successful enough that people will pay money to hear it. This skill is what you pay for in a professional musician. The time to get performance ready is cut drastically.
I think there is something to be said for the cathartic nature of music and self expression. From the perspective of someone who wants to play a lot of really cool music, working with someone who is disciplined and efficient is preferable. Music is a very cut throat profession. As much as I hate competition, you will be ignored in favor of someone who can work up the music quickly. I regularly see people not get called back for the next show or rehearsal if they cant cut it. I really want people to be successful at playing music because I find it to be an enjoyable experience I want to share with others. I foresee frustration on the part of someone who has struggled independently to become proficient only to see that their work is not appreciated by those they wish to perform with. This is not to say that you should give up going it alone if you can't afford lessons or there isn't anyone good to teach you yet. I just want to make clear the expectations that a professional musician has and will expect from you before you get paid.
Also, I noticed that no one else has talked about getting paid or playing professionally yet, so maybe this isn't useful. I know some people that played music in high school and have a small rock band that performs occasionally at venues around town. There appears to be room in the market for both approaches but I think respecting your time and others is how you get to play in multiple groups and experience other types of music. Also, getting called up to play a show and get paid is an intensely satisfying experience for me.
END RANT!
not looking for money, I just lucked into the instrument and really really like the sound.
I got the feeling you might be doing this for personal entertainment...
Sorry for the extensive rant about something non relevant!
hey, no hard feelings