Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Resource of the Week: Bobbe Seymour's Newsletter

Bobbe is a pedal steel legend. I met him at his shop in Nashville and he was kind enough to give me a lesson. It was such an honor to learn from one of the best players in the world. Because Bobbe has so much experience touring and recording with country and pop music's biggest stars, he has accumulated a tremendous amount of wisdom and anecdotes, which he reveals weekly in the Steel Guitar Nashville newsletter. Being someone with such a long history playing music professionally, it is extremely interesting to hear his analysis of musical trends and the current state of the industry.

His newsletters are available here.

Plus a bonus video:

Monday, May 30, 2011

Featured player: David Hartley

I have followed this talented musician's YouTube channel for many years. Mr. Hartley is one of the UK's premier pedal steel players (and a world class player in his own right). He has performed and recorded as a professional and semi-professional musician for decades. He plays with drop-dead-gorgeous tone and the tastefulness of a seasoned veteran. I do not know Mr. Hartley personally, but he is very friendly and responsive to questions or comments made on YouTube. A complete list of his videos can be found here.

Resource of the Week: steelguitar.com

Although Carter Steel Guitars is no longer an active manufacturer of instruments, the company website remains online and is an excellent guide for maintenance of Carter and non-Carter steel guitars. String care and changing, lubrication, cleaning, restoration, pickup replacement, adjustments, and rodding are all overviewed in straightforward guides and videos. There is also information for beginners, including assembly instructions, an introduction to tunings, and a guide for prospective pedal steel buyers.

Carter may reopen someday. Until then, I hope the company's former website will continue to be available to the pedal steel guitar community worldwide, as it is a repository of valuable information for players as well as a tribute to Carter co-founder John Fabian.

steelguitar.com