playin' around…
…making noises…
we all need hobbies…
…and sometimes taking up old hobbies may be
better than coming up with entirely new ones.
I may not have high thoughts about all the sonic stuff some call “music”, but I've always been able to find something worth listening to. Through the years I've even wanted to play some, and, apart from having played trumpet for half a decade when I was young, my instruments of choice have always had strings. So, I literally dug up an old steel guitar of mine that had been kept out of view and out of mind for much too long.
At the time of writing it is almost exactly 30 years since I started playing steel guitar. Haven't touched this 30 year old Dekley for more than 4 years though, so both the steel and I are rusty. Time to get serious and do something about that.
10 strings, 3 picks and a bar…
This old pedal steel guitar definitely has seen better days, but
it's a robust instrument and has survived being alienated for
years.
Now it has become the most vital part in a project with the simple aim of bringing the joy of music back into its owner's life.
In time I hope practicing, practicing and more practicing will bring my playing-skills back up at a level I'd be comfortable with, and what follows then is anybody's guess.
type of music…
Can't say, really, as I usually don't categorize music. I grade musical performances and reproductions from “interesting” down to “let me out of here”, and see no reason to bother with anything but the former. Personal preferences can be complex and are not always suited for writing, so I won't go too deep into the matter.
I really do like Lloyd
Green's tone and style, but apart from enjoying listening to
a selection of his many old and new recordings and trying to borrow an
expression here and there, I'm not trying to copy him or anyone else. Not
that I think I would have much success…
Back in time when I did play on stage now and then, there was always someone in the bands who wanted me to imitate some other steel guitar player. I never did learn to play steel like anyone but myself though, and I'm not sure if I want to start now – can't really see the point.
Got no plans for a career in music. Only time will tell what I'll do and if I'll ever play steel in public. It's the joy of music that matters in the immediate future, and I do need time for practicing … plenty of time.
We all know that the joy of music tends to grow in good company. Thus, I'll definitely take care of opportunities if/when they arise, and also seek out and try to create some as soon as I'm more comfortable with my playing.
the other side of it…
Being only a hobby musician, my “other” (professional) life was spent designing and building various contraptions in the field of “mecatronic automation”. To the uninformed, that covers all sides of “automated, mostly computerized, integrated mechanical and electronic units”.
This background did give me an advantage when I redesigned my old Dekley, and I would like to take it a bit further now that I no longer have to work for a living. Being retired does have its own advantages…
In time I want to take my knowledge, experience and investigations with me into designing and building a pedal steel guitar from scratch. One that has just the right tone and mechanics to suit my preferences and playing styles.
I only want to build one for myself, so won't have to bother with established conventions. Thus, apart from making it look somewhat like a regular PSG it will be a different construction altogether. Gonna be fun…
sincerely 
Hageland 05.jul.2009
07.jul.2009 - major update.
19.dec.2010 - removed whole sections.
26.dec.2010 - updated revised version with new info.
05.jan.2011 - added some thoughts.
last rev: 05.jan.2011
playin' around…
