Alternative volume controller?

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 3 Nov 2002 12:58 pm

I believe that those who have sought to perfect their copedant are always left with the feeling that compromise is inevitable (eg. "if only...then...").

It is apparent that the full integration of the right foot in the copedant would provide an order-of-magnitude increase in copedant possibilities.

However, there would need to be a different way to control volume, which is actually a simple function, by comparison.

I can think of two possible methods -

a) fingerwheel on tone bar (using an integrated RF device rather than being wired up?)

b) breath controller (I have heard that Midi instruments offer this device as an extra control device?)

Comments / other ideas?

Tom

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 3 Nov 2002 1:14 pm

I agree. But think of this: if folks think we're all weird now, just wait till they see us all with hoses hanging out of our mouths when we play!

(better pursue the fingerwheel idea instead... of course, I think sphincter control is the wave of the future...)[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 03 November 2002 at 01:16 PM.]

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 3 Nov 2002 1:19 pm

How about a volume pedal with an on/off button?...
Then you only use the volume pedal on the few songs that require that effect.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 3 Nov 2002 1:32 pm

Jim,
Peter Frampton had one of the biggest selling albums in history, and he had a hose hangin out of his mouth while recording and performing it !!!.. Jim

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 3 Nov 2002 2:00 pm

It would be nice to first establish for the sake of the readership, the tuning, number of strings on the instrument referred to, and to dismiss any such notion of breathing exercises, due to the natural, and rhythmic occurances that could result in too little or too much oxygen in the body. It smacks of pedal rack clutter, and is contrary to the consolidation effort.
I hope that my feelings on the idea are not misconstrued as anything but innocent statements of opinion.
Bill H.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 3 Nov 2002 3:26 pm

A bagpipe bag, help under the right arm, could be used to control the volume of the instrument.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 3 Nov 2002 3:28 pm

A volume pedal doesn't need an on/off button, Pete. Just take your foot off of it!

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
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Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 3 Nov 2002 3:58 pm

In a fashon similar to using A+B to get leverage to enguage LKV, the volume pedal off position could be used to provide leverage to enguage RKV (as your toes would be flooring the v-ped at that time).
An easy on/off click.

Edit: I think my original thought, with regard to the topic, was to use right hand technique as your primary volume control.
[This message was edited by Pete Burak on 03 November 2002 at 04:52 PM.]

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 3 Nov 2002 6:04 pm

Peter Frampton had one of the biggest selling albums in history, and he had a hose hangin out of his mouth while recording and performing it !!!

Sure, but in Frampton's case, it was the only weird thing he was doing at the time. For a pedal steeler, I'm afraid it would be the straw that broke the camel's back!

("Mommy! I saw this really strange-looking man sitting at this weird contraption. He was staring at his hands all night and the thing was flat across on legs and he pushed pedals with his feet AND with both knees, and rolled this little bar around on top and had shiny things on his fingers, ...AND! He had a hose hanging out of his mouth, Mommy! Mommy!? Is that man an alien, Mommy??!")[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 03 November 2002 at 06:09 PM.]

Larry Clark · Post by **Larry Clark** » 3 Nov 2002 6:30 pm

Jim, First of all you could explain that the tube is a "DCD" (Drool Collection Device). Secondly I sincerely hope that "sphincter control" becomes a wave of the present not the future.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 Nov 2002 6:36 pm

A "breath-controlled volume pedal"???

I can just see the warning label on it now...

WARNING! Sneezing or coughing while using this device may shatter windows, damage your speakers, and deafen your audience.

Tony Dingus · Post by **Tony Dingus** » 3 Nov 2002 8:11 pm

I was told that Lew Houston had the volume pot mounted where he could use his pinky to control the volume. I could have used that a couple of years ago when I broke my left ankle and I moved my pedals so I could use them with my right foot.
Tony

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 4 Nov 2002 7:15 am

I think we need to keep this in perspective. I'll bet when the steel was first discovered no one saw a need for pedals.
My thought would be something like the drum pads on my Alesis drum machine, where if you hit them easy the volume is low and if hard the volume is loud. If we could develop a pressure sensetive device on the bar when you press on it hard the volume would increase and decrease with lower pressure. Again it would have to be wireless. As far as electronics go if they can make a hearing aid small enough to fit in you ear this should be a no-brainer.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 4 Nov 2002 8:43 am

A bagpipe bag, help under the right arm, could be used to control the volume of the instrument.

If the steel guitar could be made any less commercial than it already is, I believe combining it with a bagpipe would get the job done!

Assuming, of course, that combining a steel guitar with an accordion would be too daunting of a task.

Has anyone cosidered incorporating the best features of the banjo with either the bagpipes or the accordion? I believe Zamfir tried merging a banjo with the Pan flute but international law prevented any company from manufacturing one.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 4 Nov 2002 8:46 am

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 04 November 2002 at 08:52 AM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 4 Nov 2002 8:50 am

Back about 50 years ago, I was playing a Gibson Electra-Harp just like the one Alvino Rey had.

It had 6 pedals mounted across the left side with solid rods pulling the changer bars, and it was NOT the portable one.

I used both feet on the pedals so I could cover 4 pedals that way, without changing the position of my feet.

I tried to figure out how to use a volume pedal. It did have a big tone control and volume control right by "Your pinky finger", and worked quite well. But it still interfered with your picking some of the time.

So I put a lever underneath the guitar for my right knee, and when I wanted a swell, I moved the lever to the right, had a spring on it so it came back to normal position when I wasn't using it.

It wasn't a bad idea and worked ok, but still not good enough. So I went back to using the top mounted Tone Control, And bought a Rocco Tone Expressor, volume and tone pedal for those effects.

Incidently, I have seen Buddy and Jimmy Day both take their foot off the volume pedal and use both feet on the pedals on the C6th neck and then back to the volume pedal when you need it.
It can be done, with practice.My 2 cents worth, and that's what it is worth,....al

Joerg Hennig · Post by **Joerg Hennig** » 4 Nov 2002 11:34 am

For a pedal steeler, I'm afraid it would be the straw that broke the camel's back! ("Mommy! I saw this really strange-looking man sitting at this weird contraption. He was staring at his hands all night and the thing was flat across on legs and he pushed pedals with his feet AND with both knees, and rolled this little bar around on top and had shiny things on his fingers, ...AND! He had a hose hanging out of his mouth, Mommy! Mommy!? Is that man an alien, Mommy??!")

Ever heard of Pete Drake?[This message was edited by Joe Henry on 04 November 2002 at 11:37 AM.][This message was edited by Joe Henry on 04 November 2002 at 11:46 AM.]

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 4 Nov 2002 12:01 pm

As much as we may have loved Pete, I have it on good authority that he scared little children.

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 4 Nov 2002 12:20 pm

Why not a Pac-a-seat with a built in volume pedal? Simply rock forward (or back, if you prefer) to boost volume. I hope I haven't pre-empted Mr Hankey....

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 4 Nov 2002 2:20 pm

We have to stop running to Hankey everytime we need something. I must admit, when I first saw this thread, the first thought that raced into my mind was----"HANKEYYYY!!!"
But that would be wrong-horribly wrong. HAnkey's busy with his Ionic De-generator, which automatically switches off the TV of anyone over 40 who thinks bad thoughts whenever a Britney Spears video comes on. The best volume controller I ever saw, was this big ol' guy in Baltimore--as tall as me, weighed about 375, owned a little C&W joint, said I'll warn you guys ONCE...
You guys ever notice how much louder you play when you've got to pee?

Wayne Cox · Post by **Wayne Cox** » 4 Nov 2002 3:52 pm

I have posted this before,but here goes again! I have a very good friend who is a very good steel player. For many years,he has used a knee-lever volume control, successfully. His is set up just like a volume pedal,with string,spring,and pulley.
This setup gives him even tension and control. If you close your eyes and listen to him play,you would never guess he doesn't own a volume pedal. The best part is that he does use both feet on the steel guitar pedals. He does all of this quite well,I might add! I won't post his name without his permission. He is one of those great innovative talents that most people never heard of,simply because he chose to remain a local talent.~~W.C.~~

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 4 Nov 2002 4:08 pm

OK, but he's giving up a regular knee lever to do this. Ideally, I think we'd like something that doesn't require you to sacrifice anything else. Of course, maybe if we all started using Bobbe Seymour's magic Z-lever, we wouldn't need so many KLs to begin with and we'd have a spare knee to donate to the volume control.

No, I'm sure this is a 2-Hankey problem!

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 4 Nov 2002 4:21 pm

OK, but he's giving up a regular knee lever to do this.

Actually, he's giving up all the available changes for the whole knee. Since the knee volume control is spring loaded, anything else he goes for with that knee will turn off the volume. At least a volume pedal will stay at the volume it is at, allowing the use of knee levers AND pedals.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 4 Nov 2002 4:30 pm

Red Rhodes told me that he put a volume control pot (straight, not rotary) on a bar for left hand operation. Of course it wasn't wireless. He tried it and gave it up.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 4 Nov 2002 4:53 pm

You guys can toss this around as much as you want, but I'm tellin' ya, in the end it's gonna come down to sphincter control.