The Foundations 1 course is designed to give beginning and intermediate players a start-from-scratch method to learn how to play the E9 pedal steel guitar. All of the basics you'll need to play songs are here. Paul shows you the essential skills, techniques and musicianship needed to get you onstage and playing.

Foundations 1 is a streaming video course hosted by Modern Music Masters. Your enrollment includes 12 months of 24/7 access. Review the materials by watching the videos over and over, use the video player to slow things down, and print out TABs and other relevant lesson materials.

You’ll have all the necessary close-up shots of Paul’s bar hand, pick hand and the pedals and levers, perspectives you simply could not get all at once at a private lesson.

The Course is comprised of video content, downloadable PDFs, TABs and Practice Tracks.

The Paul Franklin Method is Paul’s comprehensive online 'academy' that covers everything you need to know to master both the E9 and C6 tunings.

The Foundations 1: E9 Pedal Steel Guitar Basics uses material selected from the PFM that covers the necessary skills you'll need to begin playing play music on the E9 tuning.

You can also refer to each Course's syllabus to see the difference in Lessons taught.

Foundations 2: E9 Pedal Steel Toolbox was formerly titled "Applications: E9 Pedal Steel Toolbox". It is the companion course to Foundations 1 and goes deeper into expression, technique and musicianship.

It is the "next-level" course once you have completed Foundations 1.

Yes! You can get either course separately, or both courses at once for $149 for 12-months access.

The Foundations 1 course is one single payment of $99. For that you get a 12-month long enrollment, 24/7 access to the lessons.

Foundations 1 is great for beginners, but players at all levels can benefit from the materials presented. The technique and musicianship essentials taught in the Course are what Paul still works on to this day in his practice sessions. If you also complete the Foundations 2 course, you can go from beginner to pro-level once you have mastered the materials.

Steel Guitar and Musician's Hall of Famer Paul Franklin is a master of the instrument player and teacher, with decades of experience both playing and teaching.

Learn from one of the greatest players in pedal steel history who can be heard on thousands of recordings and live performances. Decades of playing on the road and in the studio give Paul a unique perspective that translates into deep knowledge he shares in his lessons.

All Paul Franklin courses are available online 24/7 on any device with an internet connection.

The Course can be viewed on desktop computers and most mobile devices – phones, tablets, laptops – as long as they have a compatible browser on them and they are connected to the internet. Chrome and Firefox browsers are recommended.

You will need to keep your OS and browser fairly current, as how browsers display items changes over time. For example, in the Mac world, you may need iOS 16.x or higher.

Paul teaches using the standard pedal setups as used by Buddy Emmons, Jimmy Day, Lloyd Green, Rusty Young, Tom Brumley, etc.

Pedal placement is your personal preference, so Paul refers to them as “A”, “B” or “C” pedals. Wherever you have those changes on your guitar is your call.

On the E9 tuning, you should have the two basic knee levers that raise and lower the 4th and 8th strings a half-tone (E to F and E to Eb)

The Foundations 1 videos are not available for download.

However, other course content such as PDFs and MP3s are. Your enrollment allows you access to view the videos online 24/7 for 12 months.