New member from Cheshire

[davidcotton]

Hello everyone,

I've just joined the forum and look forward to sharing and learning. I began playing music on a semi-pro basis when I was around eight years old, and played full time in my 20s. I've continued to play ever since (I'm 64) and six years ago reformed a band I played in as a student in the early to mid-70s. Three of the original members have got back together with a fourth person and we have been gigging, playing small festivals and recording. We released an album earlier this month. I'm a multi-instrumentalist with a vast collection of instruments (around 70 at the last count). More than anything I play banjo, mandolin and dobro and some lap steel, too. I'm about to buy a pedal steel, and can't wait to start learning it.

I edit a specialist magazine called BMG, which has been running on and off since 1903, and is primarily for players of banjo, mandolin, guitar and kindred fretted instruments. It includes a music supplement and we always include a piece for lap steel, arranged by Maurice Hipkiss.

David

[Danny Mitchell]

Welcome David,
Good luck with your pedal steel adventure, given that you're already a lap steeler, I'm sure you'll find the transition smooth. If not you'll find plenty of good help and advice on here.
70 instruments! Crivens! That puts my 6 (comb and paper included) to shame.

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

welcome aboard David, I used to buy that Mag about 60 years ago! Did not know it was still going.

[Uncle Roy]

Welcome to the forum David, best of luck on your adventure in pedal steel land.
I wrote several articles for the BMG magazine back in the late 70s, one being on Bristol based Hawaiian style lap player by the name of Bill Hemmings.

[coolsteel]

Welcome to the Forum David, with your wealth of playing experience on Dobro and Lap steel you will soon get to grips with the PSG. Like John I also bought and enjoyed the BMG magazine for many years.

[Tony Russell Davis]

welcome aboard David, I used to buy that Mag about 60 years ago! Did not know it was still going.

Hey - me too! I was actually featured in it in the mid-seventies; concentrating on mando & banjo but my Northumbrian pipes got an honourable mention too, I was a folkie then .
So - welcome to the madhouse.

[davidcotton]

Thanks to all for the warm welcomes. Yes, BMG is still going. It ceased publication for a number of years, when Clifford Essex Music Co. folded. The company was bought by Clem Vickery around ten years ago and BMG started up again. I've been editor officially for a little over a year but contributed to the magazine for the last nine years. Currently, I write tunes for the lap steel and Maurice Hipkiss arranges them. He uses an E13 tuning.
I am hoping that the transition to PSG will be reasonably smooth. I've been studying YouTube videos voraciously for the last few weeks and I'm raring to go. I play dobro in standard G tuning and also (for jazzy numbers) with the bass string dropped to E. I've experimented with a number of lap steel tunings, including a straight G chord like the dobro and C6. I think the answer is to have to lap steels, tuned differently!

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

David I could fix that, I have a 1962 D8 Conchord Lap steel going cheap I think one neck is C6th and one is E13 but I am a pedal pusher and will never master the plank......

[davidcotton]

Hi John,
Not sure I could justify that, given I am about to acquire a PSG! But thank you, anyway.
David