Dave Magram’s Blocking Guide

[Dave Magram]

Hello fellow steel guitar players,

A few updates:

• As of today, 104 SGF members have requested a copy of my "Blocking Guide for Pedal Steel Guitar"!
  These members range from beginners to full-time professional players.

• Based on their feedback and additional content contributions, the Guide is now 40 pages long!

• As of December 20, 2025, it now includes a dozen advanced blocking exercises contributed by a SGF member who has toured nationally with several well-known Nashville artists! "It takes a village to explain blocking!"

• Shoshanah Marohn (Bob Lee's daughter who kindly took over ownership of the SGF) is very appreciative of the donations to the SG Forum from recipients of the Guide!

• Many thanks to those who have already donated to the SGF because they found the Blocking Guide useful! (I heard from one Forumite who contributed $200; that is the spirit that should help keep the lights on at SGF HQ! )

BOTTOM LINE:
The Blocking Guide is free of charge, all I ask is for you to please provide some feedback if it is helpful or not, and any suggestions you may have to improve it.
● I do not preach any "The One Way" to do blocking; I simply analyzed the techniques used by the major-league players and suggest you choose whichever one (or combo of techniques) works best for you.
● I did an extensive analysis of the five major variations that major-league steel players (including Jeff Newman, Lloyd Green, Emmons, and many others) use to palm-block, and also how Paul Franklin and a couple of others "pick block".
● I list over 30 YouTube videos that show those top players in action, along with several instructional videos, and include step-by-step explanations of how to palm-block and "pick block", with exercises to practice these skills.

If you want to receive a copy of my Blocking Guide, please send me a Private Message with your email address (because the SGF email system cannot attach PDF files).
● To send me a PM, just click on the little green bubble next to "Contact" under my name on the top right side of this post.
● For your protection from the evil info-scraping web-bots, do NOT post your email address in plain sight on this (or any) Forum thread!

- Dave

[Dave Magram]

I just noticed this feedback in another thread where I had first mentioned my Blocking Guide:

This is no doubt The Most Comprehensive guide on right hand technique that I have ever come across. Now just to put it all into my practice routine. Thank you Dave

viewtopic.php?t=412292

Dave Morrison, you are most welcome and thank you for your kind words.

- Dave

[Dave Magram]

Happy New Year to everyone!

As of today, 122 SGF members have requested (and received) a copy of my "Blocking Guide for Pedal Steel Guitar"!

These members range from beginners to full-time professional players.
● Based on their helpful feedback and additional content contributions from an SGF member who has toured nationally with several well-known Nashville artists, the Guide is now 40 pages long!

If you want to receive a copy of my Blocking Guide, please send me a Private Message (PM) with your email address (because the SGF email system cannot attach PDF files).
● To send me a PM, just click on the little hollow green thought bubble next to "Contact" under my name on the top right side of this post, and then click on the solid green thought bubble that appears.
● For your protection from the evil web-bots trying to steal your personal information, please do NOT post your email address in plain sight on this (or any) Forum thread! Instead, send it to me in a PM.

- Dave

[Pete Martin]

Thank you so much for all the work you put in. It has helped me and some friends very much!

[Brian Lee]

Additional kudos to Dave Magram for putting together his excellent right hand blocking guide!!! I've been working my way through an earlier edition from a couple of months ago, and it's been really a tremendous help! Now there's even more excellent info in the latest edition.

Dave, I especially like the way that you have captured the range of approaches used by great players, as it really helps in examining what I'm currently doing and figuring out what works best for me personally to improve my playing. The video links sure make it efficient and easy to study the nuances of great players approaches.

You've done us all a great service. I am one of many who have contributed to the forum and referenced your guide as a way to thank you, Shoshanah Marohn, and all the moderators who are keeping SGF moving forward. Thanks so much!!!

[Dave Magram]

Pete and Brian,

Thank you very much for your kind words; I'm glad that are finding the Blocking Guide helpful!

And thank you for donating to the SGF--it is the best music forum I've seen on the web!

- Dave

[Dennis A Brown]

Thanks to Dave Magram for sending me a copy of the Blocking Guide. I've made a donation to the SGF. Got some serious study ahead of me.

[David Wren]

Dave, sent you a PM.

Thanks in advance!

[Don Mogle]

I sent you a PM

[Christian Pacifico]

Ive sent you a PM Dave

[Dave Magram]

Dennis B., thanks for your donation to the SGF!

David W., Don M., and Christian P., I sent the latest revision of the Blocking Guide to you yesterday--please let me know if you did not receive it.

Based on feedback and suggestions from several Forumites, I have added a Table of Contents and more information on how to overcome The Forgetting Curve with a "spaced-repetition" practice schedule to the most recent revision sent yesterday.
****************************************************************************************************
The Blocking Guide has gone from a 12-page document a few months ago to a 46-page booklet, thanks to your feedback and the contribution of thirteen Advanced Picking & Blocking Exercises from a top-notch steel guitar player.
Thank you, all!

As of today, 146 steel guitar players have requested and received a copy of the Blocking Guide, and there have been a number of positive reviews of it.

And the SGF has received a number of large donations from the recipients, helping Shoshanah to "keep the servers running" at SGF HQ (which I believe is her family's living room).
Thanks very much for your support!

I'm sure that Bobby Lee would be proud to see how the great Steel Guitar Forum he established is continuing to thrive with his daughter's help!

- Dave

[Glenn Stanfield]

Dave I sent you a PM. TIA so much for making this available!!!

Brand new player. In fact so new I have yet to hold a Lap Steel as I'm waiting for it to be completed. I'll definitely provide some feedback from a beginners perspective.

[Roger Fletcher]

Another grateful recipient of Dave Magram’s blocking guide. I’ve made a donation to the Forum and given Dave some feedback.

I have only just acquired a pedal steel but still play Hawaiian music on a non-pedal. I have a beautiful Clinesmith Joaquin D-8, which I play on a stand at a height that makes my right arm horizontal. Contrary to Dave’s advice to keep the elbow close to the body, I find the most comfortable position is to hold it a little out, so that the forearm is at a slight angle to the fret lines and with the wrist straight.

I have naturally also looked at videos of non-pedal players and notice that my position is very similar to that used by Herb Remington, while Jerry Byrd rotated his wrist to the right. I believe this difference is due to how high the instrument is, and I find that if it is lower than my elbow, bending the wrist upward until the back of the hand is horizontal and simultaneously rotating it to the right feels most comfortable.

Whatever position is used, I am in full agreement with Dave that the hand must be comfortable and relaxed.

[Dave Magram]

Thank you, Glenn and Roger, for your kind words.

I’m glad that so many Forumites have found it helpful!
● As so many of us have learned: “ 'Blocking' ain’t as easy as it looks!"

The Blocking Guide has gone from a 12-page document in 2025 to a 46-page booklet, thanks to your feedback and the contribution of thirteen Advanced Picking & Blocking Exercises from a top-notch steel guitar player.
● Thank you, all!

There are currently 58 videos listed with close-ups of the hands of master steel guitar players performing or teaching: Buddy Emmons, Jimmy Day, Lloyd Green, Doug Jernigan, JD Maness, Paul Franklin, and many more; plus a number of step-by-step exercises for palm-blocking and “finger-tip” blocking.

As of today, 170 steel guitar players have requested and received a copy of the Blocking Guide, and there have been many positive reviews of it.

And best of all, the Steel Guitar Forum has received a number of large donations from the recipients, helping Shoshanah to "keep the servers running" at SGF HQ (which I believe is her family's living room).
● Thanks very much for supporting the SGF!

If you’d like a copy of my Blocking Guide at no charge…
Please send me your email address via PM (Private Message):
● Click on the hollow green bubble with three dots shown after "Contact" next to my name on the upper right corner of this posting,
● Then, click on the solid green PM thought bubble that is displayed on the left--because the SGF email doesn't allow attachments such as a Word document or PDF.

Don’t forget to include your email address in your Private Message to me!

There may be a delay of a couple of days, so please be patient.

For your own protection, please do not post your email address in a public SGF thread—there are lots of nefarious web-bots looking for personal info to steal.

Thanks.

-Dave

[J Fletcher]

Thanks Dave for the fast delivery ! Just skimmed through so far , looks like there's a ton of valuable information there . Forum donation forthcoming. Jerry

[David Wren]

Just saw your post above from Jan. 15. Sorry, I never did receive your guide. Just sent you a new PM.

[Dave Magram]

Hi David,

My apologies for the oversight!

I just sent you a copy, and I chewed out the idiot that runs the shipping department here (Uh-oh, that's me!)

Please let me know if you do not receive it.

- Dave

[David Wren]

Got mine yesterday, and read through the entire guide last night. Folks, this is incredibly detailed.... with several blocking methods explained, and exercises for the various types of blocking as well.

There is a wonderful section towards the back on the "Forgetting Curve" (the science of why we quickly lose what we try to learn, if we let too much time go by before the next exercises).

Also, Dave has included many, many links to videos of great players, and their individual blocking techniques.... my, my, I love this technology. When I was first learning, the most advance tech around was playing Tom Brumley at 16 1/2 RPMs on the record player.


Thanks Dave!

[Dave Dube]

Thanks to Dave Magram for donating his Blocking Guide to the site.
Lots of folks have already gotten a copy from Dave and now, going forward it will be available on PSGBeginner for anyone who wants a copy.

Dave Dube
https://dhdube.wixsite.com/PSGBeginner