I have to laugh

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dragonworks

dragonworks

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maybe you will get a chuckle out of it also whosoever you may be.

Anyways after buying the pedal steel and never owning a steel of any kind
before, I decided to take the first shot at it. I had taken the strings off but didn't pay attention, to measure them. So I go ahead and throw new guitar strings on it, some bronze acoustic, some electrics, etc, and start to play it with large 1/2 drive socket. I tuned the middle six strings to an E chord and the low and high I just picked a pleasant harmonic. I get the book in the mail to day, I have the strings on backwards and the tuning all screwy and I guess I will have to replace that socket with a real slide.
But I did have fun and I can see that if I stick to it this can be some real fun.
 
dragonworks said:
maybe you will get a chuckle out of it also whosoever you may be.

Anyways after buying the pedal steel and never owning a steel of any kind
before, I decided to take the first shot at it. I had taken the strings off but didn't pay attention, to measure them. So I go ahead and throw new guitar strings on it, some bronze acoustic, some electrics, etc, and start to play it with large 1/2 drive socket. I tuned the middle six strings to an E chord and the low and high I just picked a pleasant harmonic. I get the book in the mail to day, I have the strings on backwards and the tuning all screwy and I guess I will have to replace that socket with a real slide.
But I did have fun and I can see that if I stick to it this can be some real fun.
Click to expand...

Drive socket's a great idea! I've used a screwdriver to play slide on a regular guitar before. (I needed a lighter touch than a socket! :D)
 
dragonworks said:
I tried a guitar slide, to light. I think the ones they use are solid steel, chrome plate. I will be ordering one soon.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't know if they make wider ones for the 8 string pedal steels, but I recently got a regular 6 string lap steel too. My glass guitar slide was too light, but you also hold it differently.

Anyway, here's what I got and I love it. Like I said, I don't know if that's what you'd use for 8 strings or not:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Shubb-GS1-Dobro-Steel?sku=364028
 
Hey, guys don't need no stinkin' instruction manual.

I almost bought a pedal steel earlier this year (a local music shop had a relatively cheap one in stock). I looked it over, read the manual, tried some riffs..............I then realized the learning curve would be soooooo steep that I would be in a nursing home long before I got good enough to actually record the damn thing (and that's not even counting learning how to string/tune the thing).

That being said, I could see how you could get things ass backward - but your story did give me a laugh!
 
by backwards I actually mean upside down?

Looks to me you do whatever works for you on it. I dont see any reason why not get to know what is tried and true first.?
I have an advantage of playing guitar for over 40 years and a good grasp on basic theory. I have played some slide on the guitar, and I have always been able since childhood to pick up any instrument and figure out basic melodies. Maybe
I can get this down?
 
Good luck - I respect your desire to learn a new axe. Like you, I've always been able to pick up most instruments and within a short time be able to get some basic melody lines (except for horn instruments - I can barely get a sound and achieve little more than spitting all over the instrument:D)

I do play guitar, bass, some banjo, a little violin and I can play some basic ryhthem patterns on a mandolin. I've played some slide guitar and own a 6 sting lap steel (thus a move to a pedal steel seemed logical). Even though I have a high level of confidence as a multi-instrumentalist.......the pedal steel just seems to intimidate the hell out of me.

My wife is very cool about me owning waaaaay more gear than I really need.....but she looked at the pedal steel - and watched my pathetic attempts to bend notes with my knees, etc......and she simply said "no way will you ever learn that....you ain't buying it" While I normally ignore her......in this case I had to agree:D
 
I had a pedal steel and I became a convert to the bullet nose steel for it. The string spacing makes it easy to use (and makes sockets and whatnot hard to use).

If you didn't know, you can buy 10-string E9 sets of strings. My local (small town) music store stocks 'em.
 
As a lifetime guitar/key player, I picked up the steel about 6 years ago. Its really not that complicated to learn some easy but classic sounding rides. Speed picking and deeper play DO require years to master. My advice........ see if you dig it on the multikord, then upgrade to a nice modern student guitar(carter starter or Zum) and get deep with it.

PS you really need a bullet nose bar(check ebay).
 
WhiteStrat said:
Drive socket's a great idea! I've used a screwdriver to play slide on a regular guitar before. (I needed a lighter touch than a socket! :D)
Click to expand...

I taught myself slide guitar on a nylon string with a beer bottle half full of Jack Daniel's.

And when I say "taught," I mean "annoyed the piss out of everyone else at that party." :D
 
I'd need a whole additional lifetime to learn how to play one of those fuckers.
 
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