New Member and Player

[Dan Witt]

Hello everyone. I'm a new member and hope to be a new player. I'm 70+ and been playing some guitar about as long as I can remember. Got a lap steel during covid and managed to learn a few songs. I just bought a new pedal steel and anxious to start learning. I'm hoping some of you seasoned players can give me some advice/suggestions on the best way to start. Do you recommend any online lessons, etc. Should I just start trying to learn some songs. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Larry Jamieson]

Hi Dan, Welcome to the madness... There is a beginners page here on the Forum under the Steel Guitar on the Internet section. There are some good free lesson videos on Youtube, including some Jeff Newman lessons. If you can find a teacher in your area, that would help a bunch. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Forum members freely share information to help beginners and experienced players alike. Learn the Nashville number system, then on your guitar learn where to find I, IV, and V Chords, and minor and 7th chords. The neck in E9 tuning is like a guitar neck. The open chord on the 3rd fret, no pedals or levers, is G. Push A & B pedals and you have C. Move up two frets and you have D. That is I (G), IV (C)
and V (D) in the key of G. E minor can be played with just pedal A. It is the relative minor chord (vi) in the key of G. The 11 minor chord in G is A minor. Using pedals B and C, you will find A minor (ii). This is just a small sample of what you need to start learning. The are also different "Grips" or groups of string that you play together to form the chords. You have to find these grips, and learn to play those string to find the right notes for the chords. When I started, I would put on slow, 3 chord country songs and try to keep up on my pedal steel. By sliding up and down on the open E (4th string) you can find out what key the song is in. Good luck, and have fun!

[Dennis Belt]

Hi Dan, and welcome. I was in your position about a year ago. I also was a long time guitarist, like a lot of the guys here.
I fully agree with Larry; start with the Jeff Newman series available on YouTube. Go with the ‘Up From The Top’ to start with. It will get you going in the right direction. I’ve been through the series, and it has helped me immensely.
The other thing you can do easily is learn some of the TAB solos available on this site.
This year I feel ready to start playing with others. It’s been a blast learning, and I can’t wait to get deeper into this great instrument.
Good luck and happy picking!

[Bobby D. Jones]

If your steel guitar is setup E9th tuning, And you already play guitar, And understand chords and moving around on a 6 string neck.
I suggest getting Mel Bays E9th chord chart. They sell them here, In the Steel Guitar store, At top of Forum page. Or just Google it. It is a road map of the E9th steel guitar neck. It is a great piece of reference material to have available, On your steel guitar journey.

If there is someone local that plays steel, Get with them to help you. Make sure the guitar is setup and working proper. And learn to properly tune, The open tuning, Pedals and knee levers, Raise and lower tunings.

There are many classes and help on the internet.
Jeff Newman's videos, Mickey Adams, Steel Picking,
Paul Franklin has classes you can take online.
Good Luck in your steel guitar journey, Happy Steelin.

[Dan Witt]

Thanks everyone. I've already started on the videos and am learning a lot. I really appreciate all of the other advice. Can hardly wait until I can actually play something.