“I would love to teach you the pedal steel guitar. It is a beautiful instrument to play and to listen to. When I first considered buying one, many musicians tried to discourage me by saying that it is the most difficult instrument to play. It is a challenge, but I’m here to tell you, it can be done. You can make beautiful sounds with practice and technique. A little reverb helps too!”
Dr Nathan Guilford has had a passion for music all his life. Starting with private piano lessons as a child and then progressing in saxophone and marching in the Pride of Oklahoma. He then graduated from the OU College of Dentistry and has had his own private practice in Warr Acres/OKC that he just recently sold and retired from. All the while, through high school, college, and beyond, he played electric and acoustic guitar, bass, and drums in praise teams and local bands.
“I was with bands that played rock, pop, gospel, and country. But when I was playing guitar in a country cover band, I realized that I was consistently imitating a pedal steel guitar. I’ve always loved that sound even before I knew what it was. Why not just learn to play it? I bought my first pedal steel guitar in 2007 and began playing it out in bands very quickly. That’s another great thing about playing pedal steel. Most groups are thrilled to have a steel player sit in, and very simple phrases sound epic!”
These last 18 years Nathan Guilford has been playing steel guitar almost exclusively, in bands such as Diamond Grit, Buddy South, and Modulated Spiral Groove at venues like Tower Theater, Diamond Ballroom, The Blue Door, Mercury Lounge, and many others in Oklahoma and Texas. He has also found that many singer-songwriters enjoy having him play as well. He’s played with Carter Sampson, Buffalo Rogers, Bryon White of the Damn Quayles, Megan Marlene, Ben Brock, Ben McKenzie, Josh Palousek, Jimbo “Big Train” Madsen, and a fun little acoustic group called the Snakeskin Cowboys with Aaron Wall and Ben Carter. He has also gotten to gig with many, many others by playing with the Seventh Day Rebellion group organized by Blake Langford and other song swap shows.
The pedal steel guitar has recently seen a revival in popularity in Red Dirt Country, and in Americana, as well as a growing trend in Norteño music.
“Frankly, there is a real shortage of pedal steel players. I’d love to build a community of steelers here in OKC”