Paul Musings

“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good – Malcolm Gladwell FOCUS ON TODAY’S WEAKNESS…

HEY, WHAT HAPPENED? Anytime I miss something that I am going for on a gig or session, it is caused by not having a physical move or…

Here are the intervals derived from the Harmonized Major Scale chords that made the 60’s steel guitar styles famous. From John Hughey . . .

I continually practice playing any new idea or problematic issue until I can sit back down to the guitar day after day and never mess it…

What I play onstage in any situation goes towards “How do I arrange my role for what is played onstage” The more musicians that are…

The Nashville Number System (NNS) uses the formula of the diatonic harmonies. It is a shorthand system which does not follow exact textbook

Let’s look at how to learn to play a part from a popular song. We can get the notes right, but sometimes it still does not sound exactly …

Everyone that wants to play fast or slow starts out copying their heroes (as I did) in my early teens. Most players that learn this way …

Becoming a good backup musician depends on knowing where the “holes” are located. We either pad or layout until those holes appear.

When I played the 1 & 2 & 7 raise lever and the PF4, many said they were just “lick pedals”. That’s not how I was looking at it, and . . .

The pedal steel often can not invert every chord type like a piano can, so you’ll need to learn as many inversions as you can find.

Steelers were never really taught the importance of volume dynamics while it seems like all other instruments are taught to master this …

When I listen to Buddy Emmons, Robert Randolph, Lloyd Green, Tommy White, Curly Chalker, or other pedal steel guitar legends, I hear . . .

A question about the challenges of playing fast was recently posted on the Paul Franklin Method Facebook Group. Many students joined . . .

I don’t limit myself to one side or the other. If I did my career would have ended years ago. There are many valid approaches to recording

One of the best things about The Paul Franklin Method is the students-only Facebook Group that gives active students the ability to have …

Many of our students tell us the private Facebook Group is their favorite part of the Method. Here’s an edited excerpt from a question a …

The key to unlocking great technique is to find the fingerings that work best for you. Some players who are having issues playing clean .,,

Learning where all of your chords are on the neck is an essential skill for all musicians on any stringed instrument. Applying that . . .

The difference between a pedal steel and guitar has to surface for students to realize a one-size-fits-all approach is not necessarily . , ,

I improvise thinking in 3 and 4 note combinations. I learn everything this way. Thinking in small amounts frees my mindset to rearrange …

The Christmas album I recorded many years back, began as a test of sorts. I had three DA-88 digital recorders (24 tracks) and a 32 . . .

A Method student recently asked for comments on a common practice and gig issue: tension felt in his neck and shoulders after playing . . .

Here’s the late great Dawn Sears, backed by Time Jumpers Kenny Sears, Andy Reiss, Joe Spivey, Ranger Doug, Paul Franklin, Rick Vanaugh, . .

In the first Course Section called “Getting Ready To Play”, Paul introduces several things you will need to know (and commit to memory) …

hey say “practice makes perfect”, but what they mean is “perfect practice makes perfect”. We’ve all been there: we’re working on a new . . .

Several students have asked about my constant emphasis on memorization. It’s my belief that internalizing these concepts is vital to . . .

First off, let me say thanks to the hundreds of students who have signed up for the Course! Throughout the length of this method, . . .