Buddy sounds amazing regardless..

Band leaders..most of them just have the title and don't or can't control the band..they just get the $$ at the end of the night and split it up...

Ok, what ever Tony in Texas is charging for playing guitar on a gig, I'll do it for $2 less...unless it's zero and I have to pay the $2...then he can have the gig...

Whats important here is that the guitar players name is TONY...

tp

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 22 May 2003 at 03:47 AM.]

Just between us, I think Nashville is the live music capitol. Austin is the Mexican resaurant capitol.

Right from day one of rehearsal he made it clear what he wanted - space, clarity, sympathy with the material and rigid control of the overall volume level.

His songs were wonderful, and he's a fine guitarist - I've played with some monster musicians in my time, as well as in some exciting situations, but I don't think I've ever played in a better 'band'...

I don't suppose Sonny will get to read this, but I thank him for the experience - and the music lesson - anyway.

For the record it was: Sonny, me, Gerry Hogan on guitars and stuff, Brian Hodgson on Bass, Mike Bell on piano and Gerry Conway on drums - the BEST drummer I ever heard!

Last I heard, the best players in town were earning $35-40 a night. 25 years ago I was earning $50-60.

On bright side: I played a party the other night for a co-worker who said she couldn't afford a DJ but had no trouble paying us $400 for three hours.

What's with these "K" guys anyway? Think they're artists or something?

It's not new. I knew of a couple of brothers back in the late '70s who assembled a massive sound system with fog machines, expensive lights and thousands of watts of power to play top 40 rock music on tape. These guys booked out for big bucks, used local "talent" agencies and toured the state. It was a lot of hype and hustle, about a 3-hour setup and tear down.

That mentality of more is better will never die. Several "country" acts around here do pretty much the same thing, only they actually play instruments. These bands mix George Strait, ZZ Top and rap in an entertainment package that is quite popular in the smaller towns between here and Houston. It doesn't really fly here in Austin, thank God though there are some fans.

I began playing guitar at age 5, and was playing in bands at age 10. I had the same problem of hogging the fills and over playing only by human nature. I have never been selfish person by nature, so why was I doing this? It is a natural response. I was fortunate enough to have a mature caring musician figure in my life to beat this concept into my head. I believe it take mentoring to fix this problem.

Most of you guys on the forum are seasoned mature musicians. I challenge you to have critical discussions with your co-players. If I did not have that type of guidance, I could very well be one of those guitar HOGS still today. I would like to think I could discover it on my own, but who knows.

You can learn all you want about music and technique, but you are not acceptable in the market if you don't know when NOT to play.

I scanned in the text from the last page of the "Roy Wiggins Steel Guitar Course" from 1948. Please read this and note its simplistic wording. Over a half century has passed, but it is advice every musician should know up front.

PRACTICE - This is something most everyone falls short on. But is is very important. Especially as a beginner, practice is very necessary. I would suggest at least an hour or two a day so as not to forget what you have learned and to learn new things. A good way to learn about new things and improve your tone is to listen to records that have steel guitar players on them. The most of these fellows are good. And it will help you considerably. Another thing of importance is, as you proceed along, do not get ahead of yourself. Take one thing at time till you get that one thing down, then proceed along to another. This is very hard to do, because it is human nature for a person to overestimate his or herself . Thus trying to do something they are not quite capable of doing quite so fast. Now that doesn't mean they are not to progress, but to do so according to your own ability. So many of our steel players do try to play beyond their ability. Remember to proceed slowly and patiently, because the steel guitar isn't as easy to play as it looks.
No matter how simple you play, play that good.

TOUCH - This is where your ability really shows up. Remember to touch the strings lightly and easily. Always playing softly.

FILL IN - Remember when backing up a singer do not drown them out but to play in the vacant spots. Also, if you play with a group, do not let everyone a back up the singer at once. Let another instrument play one chorus and you another. Play softly, or not at all during the other instruments fill in. This prevents' the clashing of instruments.

Tone, volume, equipment, practice, touch, and the ability to fill-in are the most important things to remember in the playing of the steel guitar.
I hope this book in some way has helped you. And I thank you very much.

Your Steel Guitar Friend,
ROY WIGGINS.

BILLY BYRD!!!

Nice bright, single string melody lines, like country guitar outta be.

BILLY BYRD!!!

Nice bright, single string melody lines, like country guitar outta be.