I have run across several blind steelers in my lifetime. I have often thought about the same question, and I believe some kind of "touch" system of marking frets would be of help to a beginning steel player. However, I know it is possible for a sighted person to learn to play without looking at the keyboard because Joe Wright does it, and I have been learning somewhat how to do it because of the motivation Joe has provided. Joe said the way to do it can be explained with three words: "Practice, practice, practice." To me, the real challenge would be to play like a young man I knew years ago in Louisville, Kentucky; he was born with no arms and did a great job playing a non-pedal steel with his toes. Put the "bumps" on it and encourage your friend to go for it.

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When I do picking excercises on my steel I use a CD with sustained major/minor chords traveling chromatically and I wear the blindfold. Then the only thing you have to rely on is your ears. You learn very quickly where you are on the instrument.

As a side note, I am also a watercolor artist and when I wear the blindfold it lets me picture the sound in terms of colors which is cool for me. Now, if you were blind from birth then you don't have a sense of color. But, when I associate a color with a sound I truly have begun to learn to paint a picture with my instrument.

Try practicing with a blindfold sometime. You might be amazed how quickly you gain a feel for where you are based on your ears and not on your eyes.

Don

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Try practicing with a blindfold sometime. You might be amazed how quickly you gain a feel for where you are based on your ears and not on your eyes.

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I totally agree. I practice playing with my eyes closed now and then, and it's easier than one might believe.

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

I have met and heard a totally blind person play the nonpedal steel guitar.

Name: Dr Robert L Garth
70 Stanhope Rd,
Sparta, NJ, 07871 2237

He has played at the HSGA Joliet convention the past three years. As I recall he became blind at very early year and does quite well with his playing -- I do not know his background on his learning but you can write to him and his wife (Barbara) will gladly respond with any info he has.
Bob is a retired chiropractor, and I am sure would like to establish a dialogue with other steel players -- I believe he even plays with a group in his local area.
I don't think that they have e-mail.

Warren

In the past I have thought that "braille" frets and fret-markers could be made for blind Steelers by fashioning small blocks of wood at each fret that were about 1/4" shorter than string height; And thin flexible plastic rods (like heavy fishing line) could be mounted into those blocks to protrude up between the strings just above the top of the strings plane. Single rods on center could mark each fret while multiple rods could be used for fret position markers much like our visual markers are. The Tone bar would simply bend the plastic rods with no effect upon the tone bar but the fingers behind the bar would be able to feel the markers. The plastic rods have to be mounted on blocks so that their bending radius will not reach their adjacent strings during bar-bends (otherwise longer rods coming in contact with a slanted bar would ride down the bar and come in contact with the string).

I have also thought that a raised thin platform could be mounted on the players side of the neck equal in height to the top of the string plane, upon which different tacks or nail heads could be arranged to be felt by the heel of the hand. I think the distance the platform should be mounted from the bass string, should be slightly more than the Steel's string spacing, to get the platform close yet guarantee at least as much room for picking clearance as the string spacing. ------- Along that same line of thought, a simpler method to try the theory, might be a threaded rod ran between a modified bridge and nut as though it were an additional bass string; Upon which small twin-nuts of varying thickness could be locked into place (or number of nuts or washers locked together) along the threaded rod to represent frets and position markers.

Good luck,
Drew

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Fessenden D-10 8+8 / Magnatone S-8 (E13)