I am very honored and humbled by being asked to conduct a pedal steel guitar seminar at the show in Lakeland, Florida this coming February. Even though this will be my first attempt at a large (hopefully!) group instruction effort, I have been teaching and giving private lessons for many years. I have been playing professionally for over 40 years and have had the opportunity to share the stage with some of the finest musicians alive. I truly feel like a blessed man.

It is always difficult to answer the question "Am I going to learn anything if I come to your seminar?" I asked Jeff Newman many years ago that same question when I was contemplating going to one of his seminars at Scotty's in St. Louis and he simply said "Yes, unless you already know everything about the pedal steel guitar, and music, then you don't need to come!" I can't tell a beginner that we might not discuss certain things a little more advanced than someone at his level will comprehend, or a more seasoned veteran player might be slightly bored with some of the basic information presented, but I will try to cover enough indepth material that your time with me will be beneficial. This seminar program will cover 3 major areas:

1. How to hear, find, and play the melody

This topic will be all about “hearing the melody ” of an unfamiliar song, helping you understand how to better know what chords are in the background, and how to predict which chords are likely to come next. This is an invaluable tool to any player, at any level, and something you will use all of your life as a musicain. 

2. Communicating with other musicians (without formal training or theory)

This topic will cover primarily the Nashville number system. Where it came from, what it's based on, how to use it, and when you can't (or shouldn't try) to use it will be discussed. This is a system for communicating what you hear in a song by writing it down so as to convey this to others. Once you can hear the chord changes of a song, the next important step is being able to write some type of chord chart, and Nashville numbers are the easiest and most precise way to go.

3. How to get more work as a struggling "steel guitar picker"

With over 40 years of playing experience I can honestly say I've not gone for very long without opportunities to play and make money with my guitar. I will tell you why I've been very fortunate that way. And how.

This seminar will have both live demonstation on the steel guitar and instructional material presented in writing. Therefore, it is not necessary for you to bring a guitar. If you choose to do so, please provide some type of headphone system for yourself since amplifiers can not be used in this environment.