Hip young bands embracing steel guitar...the future?

Joel McCoy · Post by **Joel McCoy** » 22 Jun 2014 8:17 pm

Jon Alexander wrote:Talented artists like to hear their music in different contexts.If they use steel it is to embellish,compliment,etc. that muse. They are not constrained by "traditional" perceptions of how pedal steel was utilized in the past.Scott's statement that people love the sound of it and are fascinated with its function is very real.I would only add that this cuts across age,ethnicity, and genres.As for the future,players are going to do what they will.Nobody saw Robert Randolph coming any more than they foresaw Hendrix.Good musicians will be in demand as long as people are interested in good music.

good point. Robert Randolph exploded out a niche among niche's in the sacred steel/gospel world with a sound big enough for the largest festivals. I'm really glad there is so many young cats getting their rule breaking hands on a steel guitar and making it do what they hear in their head. Would they benefit from learning the finer points of this complicated instrument? Sure, I would too. I happen to be one of those "Rock Kids" who never even saw a steel guitar growing up in NY but was cut to the bone by the sound and when I got my chance to own one, I jumped at it despite needing other things at the time. It was the same with the B3 organ. I learn by playing the thing, and my playing is band based instead of solo accompaniment which like "Chord Melody" style jazz is very hard to do. Unlike most other instruments, the Steel resides almost exclusively in most peoples minds as a Country thing...I for one would like to change that a bit.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 23 Jun 2014 7:53 am

Different types of music demand different skill sets. When people critique others using what they are good at as a template just ignore them. "Real musicians ....can read, can
Improvise, know the night life intro....." . All that goofy stuff.
I will say that you will have more success branching into different forms of music if you can play in tune. Really work on that. That out of tune twangy sound loved by the alt country guys does not work outside of that very limited context.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 23 Jun 2014 8:23 am

Very good advice, Bob.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 23 Jun 2014 9:10 am

Last weekend I took part in an open potluck/jam at a friend's barn near here. A couple hundred folks showed up in the course of the day/evening, and at least four young steelers spent significant time on my Emmons, including one for whom this was a first time playing in public. Out here on the Upper Left Edge at least, the pedal steel is winning the hearts and minds of the youth...

Daniel Policarpo · Post by **Daniel Policarpo** » 24 Jun 2014 12:12 pm

One area I can really see the pedal steel working is in certain strains of border and Latin music. I grew up on this stuff so I work on it at home, mostly taking the string arrangement as a template...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFgWzj5iZsk