Take a trip out West with Paul Franklin as he explores the exciting sounds of West Coast pedal steel guitar!
The “Bakersfield Style” of pedal steel guitar as pioneered by Ralph Mooney was an immediate influence on players everywhere.
In this course I teach the key techniques I rely on to get that sound. To demonstrate them in actual use, I selected twelve tracks from the “Bakersfield” album that I did with Vince Gill.
That record was our tribute to Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and all of the great artists and players who created or were influenced by that unique West Coast Country sound.
- Paul Franklin
GROOVES
Shuffles
Ballads
Honky-Tonk
Snaps
Trills
Squeezes
Volume Pedal
Picking Dynamics
Partial Bends
FROM THE COURSE
TESTIMONIALS
"Thank you so much for bringing this guys! One of my favorite records of the last 10 years." - BM
"The course is worth every penny, thanks a lot!" - WW
"It's awesome, I love this course. Thank you Paul for contributing to the joy of others not only through your music but your gift of being able to teach." -JC
"If you are a fan of west coast style and/or Vince and Paul's Bakersfield album like I am, this course is going to knock your socks off." - JM
"It's pretty amazing! Just the intro and discussion of pick and pedal technique is worth its weight in gold. To be able to have this info is priceless." - BB
COURSE PRICING
TWO PRICE PLANS
Welcome!
Pedal Techniques
Pick Techniques
Intro
Solo
Intro
Solo
Solo
Intro
Licks
Intro
Solo
Outro
Solo
Intro
Solo
Solo
Intro
Solo
Intro
Solo
Intro
Solo
Intro
Trading Solos
How to Navigate The Course - PDF
Lesson Notes Template
Suggested Listening - LINKS
The Nashville Number System
How To read TAB - PDF
This course is an in-depth exploration into the West Coast/Bakersfield pedal steel styles pioneered by Ralph Mooney. Paul teaches many of the Intros, Solos and Licks (w/practice tracks) from the "Bakersfield" album he did with Vince Gill
Questions? We can be reached at: [email protected]
West Coast Country is a streaming video course hosted by Modern Music Masters. Unlike a private lesson, you can review the materials by watching the videos over and over, use the video player to slow things down, and print out lesson materials.
The course is composed of video content, downloadable pdfs, and Practice Tracks. The course videos are available to stream online 24/7, and can be paused, fast-forwarded, or slowed down.
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.
You will need to keep your OS and browser current as how browsers display items changes over time. For example, in the Mac world, you will need iOS 16 or higher.
The course is one single payment of $259 or 2 payments of $130. For that you get 24/7 access to 27 lessons and materials, with no enrollment expiration.
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)
Copyright: Modern Music Masters, Inc. 2025