Poll: The E Lower Lever Letter Abbreviation Enigma

Clete Ritta · From: San Antonio, Texas

Lane has brought an interesting topic to mind in another thread, so I thought I'd run a little poll to see what the consensus is on letter usage for this knee lever.

I'll assume most folks don't have too much confusion or issue with calling the E raise lever an F Lever, which raises strings 4 and 8 a half step from E to F. Then again, I really shouldn't assume anything for objective purposes, haha.

The E lower lever however, is abbreviated by some as the D Lever, and others as the E Lever. Still others would rather not abbreviate at all, or have another letter in mind. Given the choice of E, D or Other, what would you call the lever which lowers E strings on 4 and 8 a half step (to Eb or D# enharmonically).

Is it a D lever, an E lever, or Other?
(If Other, please explain).
Im used to calling it an E lever, but thats just me.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

If you call it the D lever, what do you call the one that traditionally lowers 2 & 9?

Calling it E is unambiguous.

The lack of logic comes from some levers being named after the note before it changes, and some after.

Historically, the first guitars with one lever named it D because it was the 4th appendage after pedals A,B&C. It lowered 2 and 8 and it would appear that the name has stuck in both places.
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Ollin Landers · From: Willow Springs, NC

I started out calling it the D Lever because that's what Jeff Newman called it. He said it was the next change after ABC to be added so it was the D Lever. I've since changed terminology and call it the E Lever.

Better yet I just call it my E Lower and I call the F Lever the E Raise.

It makes more sense to me to describe what it does rather than give it a name. My uni's have a change that raises 9th string B>D and lowers 2nd string D#>D.

Now D Lever accurately describes that Lever on the Uni. Again I prefer to call it the lever that gets my D's and it also get's me the 7th scale tone in E9 so I also tend to call it my 7th lever. Again describing what it does.
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Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

I started with D and F for lower and raise because of Jeff Newman's vids. I now say E-lower/raise. That way I'm not conflicting with where the lever is, or what it's called by someone.
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Dave Bertoncini · From: Sun City West, Arizona USA

I agree with Rick

Dustin Rigsby · From: Parts Unknown, Ohio

E lower or E lever for short. Now the kicker is what to call the lever that lowers G# to G ? Is that called the G lever ? That lever also has the F# to G# raise on it as well... I always thought of the D# to D as the D lever,but, that lever also lowers D to C# ! What a cunundrum ! I also remember Jeff calling the lever that lowers B to Bb the X lever,but some steelers named it the Jeff lever after he passed .....
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Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

My take on pedals and lever names

Emmons setup
PEDALS. ABC. D, if you have a 4th pedal on E9th, if not skip D, if on outside, would be DABC, if inside, would be ABCD

LEVERS. E. E LOWERS
F. E RAISES
G. G#. Lowers, usually, RKL, top to a G #
H. 2nd half tone
V. Vertical

Just makes sense to me, if Day setup, pedals reversed to CBA, levers same letters
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D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
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Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Copedents have gotten a lot more complex with a lot more player personalization since these levers came into existence.

I think E and F will hold on, but everything else is at risk.

Scott Duckworth · From: Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies

Shhhhhhh... it's a SECRET!
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Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I either use "E lower" or "D# lever" (I like calling them by what they do).
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Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

it would greatly benefit the instructional process to standardize things - but even the pedals are "backwards"...the A pedal raises the B (to C#) and the B pedals raises (G# ) to A
i think after the initial learning curve, it doesnt really matter what they are named but its hard to explain to another player what is going on otherwise.
people use to learn more by ear, so they quickly got it, but in this day of TAB reliance, its a problem.
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Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

The Jeff Newman pedal/knee lever naming convention was probably the most widely used in its day.

Now, for knee levers, I would prefer to see "L" or "R" (with an added ++ or -- for two fret change) to denote raising or lowering a string. Then it doesn't matter where the lever is that raises or lowers the string.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

I don't assign letters to knee levers. When talking to another steeler, I refer to them by what they do. E lowers, E raises, 6th string lower, etc...
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CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

i adopted this " standard " :
D lever lowers 2 Eb to D ( C# as well ) & D to C# on 9
E lowers 4 & 8 E to Eb
F raises 4 & 8 E to F
G raises 1 & 7 F# to G or G# - raises 2 Eb to E - ( option 6 G# to F# )

nevertheless i agree w: stating the harmonic moves such half step or whole step raise & lowers since most of us do not use the same refs, names or letters

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