When practicing pedal steel, learning some go-to fills or licks can be a great way to develop your playing. However, certain licks can also be very useful for practicing your right hand blocking.
Many licks that sound good on the pedal steel require you to have efficient and accurate right hand blocking. This way, only the strings or notes that you are playing are sounding as you pick them – the other strings usually need to be blocked or muted so that only the notes you are playing are sounding at that time.
One of the best ways to improve your right hand blocking (and picking) is to have particular patterns to practice so that you can build your muscle memory and accuracy with your right hand.
Certain licks are often great for this because they provide a playing context that you can use to develop your right hand technique. Better yet, you can use them in most songs and your playing almost instantly.
Here are 10 tabs that contain licks for the E9 tuning, which are great for practicing right hand blocking and also sound great while playing. Click on any image for a larger view…
Tab #1
One of the most useful aspects of these licks is that some employ the use of the 1st string, and also that some use runs on strings 8 through 4. These patterns are often found in many single note fills on the E9 neck, and require you to block well in order to play them accurately and up to speed.
Tab #2
Practice these licks slowly until you gain a better ability to play them, then slowly increase the tempo as you practice over time. With patience and persistence, you’ll notice your right hand technique improving steadily if you practice licks like these consistently over time.
Tab #3
For most of these, use any finger pattern that works best for your particular right hand playing style – if you commonly use all three fingers (thumb, index, middle) for your picking then find ways to play them comfortably this way.
For some players, using only two fingers like the thumb and middle in alteration (or thumb and index) can be an easier way to play single notes for licks.
Experiment and see what works best for you, remembering that you if you find a certain fingering pattern that works well for you to stick with it somewhat consistently so that you develop your muscle memory.
Tab #4
Tab #5
Tab #6
Tab #7
Tab #8
Tab #9
Tab #10
Thanks for checking out this page, hope it is helpful and makes playing more enjoyable! If you’re interested in diving deeper into playing E9 pedal steel, check out these resources and guides…
The Chord Guide for E9 Pedal Steel (E-Book, Digital Download)
Learn the chords on the E9 neck in a way that makes playing simple and enjoyable…
- Almost Every Chord You’ll Ever Need for E9
- Intuitive and Easy to Use
- Make Use of Pedal and Lever Combinations
- Example Tabs of Chord Movements
- Easily Utilize the Nashville Number System
- Great For Any Key and Style of Music
Includes a bonus section of over a hundred pages of extra chord charts, key references, and more!
You may also like…
200 Country Riffs & Licks for E9 Pedal Steel
- Easy to Read Format
- Includes Rhythmic Notation
- Playing Over Chord Changes
- Great for Traditional Country, Alt-Country, & Honky-Tonk Styles
Right Hand Blocking & Picking Guide
A simple, straightforward, and intuitive approach to right hand technique.
Learn the best ways to block and use practice exercises that quickly improve your playing.
The Scale Book for E9 Pedal Steel
A handy and easy way to reference scales, positions, and more for practicing and playing E9 pedal steel. Includes BONUS tabs and diagrams…
With over 1,000 pages this reference is great to use while practicing and playing