Practise - how much do you put in?

[Ken Byng]

One or two of the guys responding to this thread have hit on an important point. You are going to be more inclined to sit behind a pedal steel and practice if it happens to be already set up rather than if it is put away in its case somewhere. So it really does depend if you have room to leave a guitar and amp (or headphones) permanently set up.

I'm fortunate that these days I can have one or two steels set up permanently in my studio with 2 or 3 amps. Back in the day when I was gigging every day and leaving home around 3.00pm or 4.00pm to get to my gig and had just one guitar, I had no choice. I had to set up my guitar and amp first thing in the morning and try and get a few hours of concentrated practice in before the next gig that day. But, I did it.

These days I buy a lot of sheet music so that I can get close to the right chords, bass line and melody of whatever piece of music I'm learning. I don't only play country things, and love playing old standards from the 30's and 40's. That on it's own gives me a whole smorgasbord of music to learn on C6.

[Haddock]

Ken makes a very good point. Always have your steel set up so that you can just fit in a wee play anytime you feel like it, even if it means tripping over it the rest of the time. I would add one more thing. Pick a nice view. Nothing like staring at a wall to put you off.....
Here’s mine this morning accompanied by exercises in diminished substitution.....

[hickenjr]

I always have mine set up which is vital for motivation. I couldn't imagine wasting 10 minutes everyday setting up. Unfortunately this now also includes a pedabro so space is limited in my room .

[Danny Mitchell]

Calum, can I ask where you obtained that large grip tuning wrench?
That's what you call a view! The only thing that's missing is The Waverley, with me and the Mrs raising a hip flask to you from the upper deck.

[Haddock]

Quite glad the Waverley is nowhere to be seen. It seems to have a habit of hitting things and my boat is still out there! The big wrench came with my MSA but I’m sure I’ve seen them for sale somewhere. Will try and remember....
Cheers

[Gary James Peters]

Regarding Calum's inspirational marine vista, hip flasks, boats and all: it's worth remembering that Emmons practised in a windowless room with the lights out, that's right, in the pitch dark. I tried that once after a few drinks...couldn't find my steel, so gave up on it. I now practise with a small torch (under the bed covers).

Regarding practise: it's not so much how much but WHAT you practise. Witnessing young players on this and the US forum spending hours and days mastering other player's solos is deeply depressing to me. Often the result is knowing how to replicate more and more things while the actual level of playing remains on a virtual plateau. To use a horrible contemporary cliche, we all need to 'take ownership' of what we play, and not constantly occupy the property of others.

Again, watching Emmons practising is a revelation...pure exploration, inspiration and risk (even after he had officially 'retired.'). That, I presume, is why he remains the 'best.'

G

[Ken Byng]

Calum, can I ask where you obtained that large grip tuning wrench?
That's what you call a view! The only thing that's missing is The Waverley, with me and the Mrs raising a hip flask to you from the upper deck.

Danny
Michael Yahl sells some superb tuning wrenches. I have a couple that look like exquisite aluminium sports car wheels.

[Danny Mitchell]

Danny
Michael Yahl sells some superb tuning wrenches. I have a couple that look like exquisite aluminium sports car wheels.

Thank you for the heads up, Ken
It looks like he might be out of stock, but I've sent an emailing, just in case his site isn't updated.

[Gary James Peters]

OK, maybe this thread needs re-naming: "how much practising do/should/could/would you do with your wrench"? At least I didn't miss-spell the last word of that sentence!

In the meantime, I'll get on with practising on my PSG in the knowledge that no one has ever mentioned the wrench clearly visible in my world-famous YouTube videos. Maybe it's a size thing.

G

[Danny Mitchell]

Apologies, fellow forumites for the off piste direction!

Back on topic It's been three and a half years since the birth of this topic, and my, how things have changed. I now only practise parts for some recordings I am doing with my sons, this is very sporadic and might consist of 1 or 2 hour sessions, and if these are fruitful it will be followed by the actual recording, before it all gets dumped from my memory. My memory, these days, is now a barn door made of Teflon