Practise - how much do you put in?

[Ken Byng]

Back in 1972 when I got my first decent pedal steel, I was putting in around 5 hours practise a day. These days I am putting in even more hours each day. 45 years later, I find myself spending between 5 and 8 hours a day practising. My time is mainly spent trying to work out new and original moves. Funnily enough, last year I worked out a move that I was so pleased with on E9 - it involved the using the B pedal and a ½ pedal on pedal A at the same time. Then I was listening to a track with Buddy E on pedals steel behind an early recording by Ray Price. I couldn't believe it when he did the same move!! Over 50 years earlier - it put me right in my place.

My question is - how much practise do you guys manage to get in? It's always a difficult task when you are working full time.

[Danny Mitchell]

I aim for at least 20mins a day and 2 hours on a good day, but at the moment the youngest fruit of my loins is back in the family home and the steel is languishing under the bed. So my playing's going backwards
If it's a short session I work on simple chord exercises, and on longer sessions I'll start with exercises and then try to work out whatever songs have been picked for the monthly Gartcosh meet. These meets have been the best motivation.

Great post Ken, and I was wondering, if, when you manage an 8 hour block do you spend 1 hour on each instrument

[Ken Byng]

I aim for at least 20mins a day and 2 hours on a good day, but at the moment the youngest fruit of my loins is back in the family home and the steel is languishing under the bed. So my playing's going backwards
If it's a short session I work on simple chord exercises, and on longer sessions I'll start with exercises and then try to work out whatever songs have been picked for the monthly Gartcosh meet. These meets have been the best motivation.

Great post Ken, and I was wondering, if, when you manage an 8 hour block do you spend 1 hour on each instrument

Ha. I didn't say I did a block of 8 hours Danny. The maximum that I do these days in one hit is a couple of hours and then take a break before the next session. I sometimes spend some practice time on my pedal resonator, and also a bit of time on one of my 6-string guitars. Pedal steel wise I tend to use my push pull Emmons, because that guitar makes me think a bit more laterally than my more modern guitars. I also spend at least an hour on my picking technique - mainly on pick blocking.

[Danny Mitchell]

Such a demanding instrument Ken

"Pedal steel player".....should be the new definition for "A Masochist"

[mick hearn]

Who said practice? - it's a bloody desease. Also what does one mean by practice. I have a lap steel in two rooms plus others and pedal steel in the shed. Something goes through my head and i am reaching for the steel. It's madness.

At the moment my daughter and I are recording backing tracks. She is doing her list and I am working on mine as we have a show coming off in an old folks home in two weeks. Have not done a country gig for years as have been doing 50's and 60's for the past few years - so its a headache deciding what to do and what licks do I use and if it's lap steel or pedal or guitar. I must like punishment.

When thats over I shall get back to messing in the lap steel again - in total anything up to 5 hours a day. Thats playing and listening and picking up licks. I really must polish up on scales though - neglected.

As I said - it's a desease - but if anyone has a cure - don't send it to me - I'm loving it.

Oops - nearly tripped over my lap steel on the floor.

[Zebedee]

I just noodle when I feel like it, I don't bother perfecting specific techniques such as pick blocking etc, life's too short, and I've got too much to do elsewhere, so playing pedal steel mostly takes a back seat.
I probably mess around with it for 20 minutes a day on average

[Paul Brennan]

In the last few years I have become much more disciplined about running through some picking patterns and scales with a metronome. It's just for a few minutes but it's every day without fail. It has made a huge difference to my command of the instrument. I spent years just aimlessly messing about which while enjoyable did waste a lot of time and that's a commodity of which most of us are very short!

[Nick Bidmade]

Great topic, Ken.
I try and put in at least an hour every day, sometimes two. Like others, it's mainly 'indisciplined' - playing tunes from tab and practising tunes for our next steel guitar meeting.
I do have some tabbed out exercises but they are either too difficult, too dull or downright boring! My attention wanders and I'm back to playing from tab or tunes I've learned.
I do run through the Winnie Winston book from time to time and this I use as a way of measuring progress - either by being able to play tunes I had previously struggled with, or playing some of the tunes quite well!
I would like some exercise pointers and some examples of exercises that have some educational as well as musical merit.
Any suggestions?

[Ken Byng]

Great topic, Ken.
I try and put in at least an hour every day, sometimes two. Like others, it's mainly 'indisciplined' - playing tunes from tab and practising tunes for our next steel guitar meeting.
I do have some tabbed out exercises but they are either too difficult, too dull or downright boring! My attention wanders and I'm back to playing from tab or tunes I've learned.
I do run through the Winnie Winston book from time to time and this I use as a way of measuring progress - either by being able to play tunes I had previously struggled with, or playing some of the tunes quite well!
I would like some exercise pointers and some examples of exercises that have some educational as well as musical merit.
Any suggestions?

I'm not sure that I can give you the definitive advice of exercises Nick, but maybe others here can offer you help in that direction. I don't use tab much - apart from some given to me by Buck Reid of his stuff that could be considered to be extremely advanced level. To be honest I struggle to piece together much of his up tempo stuff, but bearing in mind that Buck is one of the best players on the planet, it's no wonder that I find it a struggle.

Rule number one for me when practising is NEVER go over stuff that I can already play. I find it is pointless as I am not learning anything. As I said previously, working out moves - especially on the bottom strings, form a big part of my practise time. Two other things that I do from time to time is (1) to play along with different chord progressions that I put into Band In A Box, and (2) go through my music books and check out bass lines that I can use on C6.

Scales don't provide my with a lot of pleasure, but major, minor and diminished scales can be fun. My old mate Ron Mawn spent some time with Jimmy and Elsie Crawford in Nashville years ago, and Jimmy would sit Ron down behind his Emmons guitar and ask Ron to show him a run in a minor key. He had a thing about playing minor scales.

[Dave Nutt]

Yes Ken this is an interesting one, I havent gigged in many years so playing now is purely for my own pleasure, I tend to pick along with a 24 hour country radio gospel channel, it challenges because I have never heard a lot of the material before. But I notice more and more how I use the same licks/fills etc, also any speed (never was the fastest picker) has slipped, I blame arthritis but think there is an element of lazziness in there also I keep telling myself that I will get into a strict practise regime improving on speed and accuracy but it never happens. I guess not having the gig application after practising doesnt help. One thing is for sure my playing has gone backwards over the last 10 years, health hasnt been brilliant but thats a convenient excuse
I admire you guys who get it together.
Dave.