Playing Pedal Steel Verses Other Instruments

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 12 May 2004 3:18 pm

I have been wondering about how everyone feels about playing the pedal steel compared to other instruments. We have both hands, both knees and both feet not to mention watching the fretboard and hearing that the notes are accurate. Do you believe the steel is harder to play? I realize several steelers play lead guitar, fiddle and other instruments as well, but where does the steel compare to playing the other instruments? There is enough to keep any steeler busy and playing clean and smooth to me is a must. I am just wanting to see how all you guys and gals felt about playing the steel. I have played guitar before I purchased my first steel in 1979 and I feel like the steel is more fun and rewarding for me to play than any other instrument.

John Wiesner · Post by **John Wiesner** » 12 May 2004 5:03 pm

Hello Paul. and Members, It is all good ,any musical inst. that you play is all great for setting the foundation for the pedal steel.I have played organ, Piano and electric guitar for 40 years. I can remember the early years of playing the organ and how exciting it was,How you're mind was open to learning new things. The pedal steel is only the same as any other musical inst. If you love it you will get the job done no matter what it takes. Don't Think of as easy or hard, that will only bias you in the way you think. keep you'r eyes on the goal post.

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 12 May 2004 7:09 pm

I play several instruments including guitar and piano. Pedal steel is the hardest to learn... So many different things to think about at the same time. Playing guitar first was a help because you are familiar with a fret board and have some understanding of chords, and how they relate to each other in different keys. I can play a gig on bass and hardly think about what I am doing. Pedal Steel however, requires your constant attention and concentration.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 12 May 2004 7:38 pm

I think fiddle is harder than steel. I tried for 2 years to learn to play it and failed.

It is easier to carry around though.

Winnie Winston · Post by **Winnie Winston** » 13 May 2004 3:32 am

hate to harp on spelling, but this one took me a while to figure out what word was left out-- "Playing Pedal Steel Verses [on? with? without?] Other Instruments."
Then I had to figure out what "Pedal Steel Verses" were....
The purpose of spelling accurately is to avoid ambiguity i9n the understanding of the context.
The "Verses" you are meaning is "VerSUS" and is usually abbreviated as "vs." which would have made the whole thing clear.

JW

William Peters · Post by **William Peters** » 13 May 2004 3:36 am

I think pedal steel is harder to learn. In my life, I started out on the trumpet, picked up 6 string and bass guitar, learned the flute, and then oboe. I played the wind instruments in our towns orchestra.

Second to steel for me was oboe, which has no tuning capability built into the instrument, and requires about 75 psi of lung pressure.

Flute was my favorite wind instrument as it puts so little strain on the body.

But all instruments have their own peculiarities, their own skills to be mastered, and their own hurdles to be jumped. So, I think desire and how much work a person puts into it is the key.

Bill
http://www.wgpeters.com

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 13 May 2004 3:48 am

Well the Steel certainly has more logical motor skill issues to deal with but I'm with Mike..I was attempting play my daughters fiddle years back ..the result was all the mice left the house..which I guess is a good thing...

t

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 13 May 2004 4:31 am

Bill - I wonder how many other ex-oboe playing PSGer's there are out there. I played oboe (started on clarinet) in high school. Found the it to be most uncomfortable to play. Hard on the mouth and I hated the taste and feel of the reed. Yechh! Besides that, I couldn't impress anyone with my oboe version of "Black Dog", so I dropped it to focus on guitar.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 13 May 2004 5:24 am

Hey Winnie,
My spelling ain't great, but it could be verse!

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 13 May 2004 6:48 am

I played piano, organ, guitar, slide guitar, harmonica and sax before taking up Dobro and pedal steel. The pedal steel is by far the hardest. The sax is by far the easiest (excluding the harmonica). Having said that, talented professional musicians push each instrument to its limits, and it becomes very difficult for beginners and amateurs to chase the pros licks, no matter what the instrument - even a harmonica.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 13 May 2004 7:25 am

I have been wondering about how everyone feels about playing the pedal steel compared to other instruments.

I assume that by playing you mean "playing it well, correctly, nicely, attractively...".
That's been a moving target.
What keep this instrument so interesting is that for the past 50 years the Grand Masters keep raising the bar. I'll start to thinking I've gotten somethings down real nice then I hear something new on the radio that makes me realize that I still ain't gonna be a pro for a while. I'll probably find a golf swing sooner. Best keep my day job.

As for rewarding, their ain't nothin' sweeter than layin' out a lick, phrase, intro or solo that makes you feel good and catches other peoples ears.

The most unforgiving "instrument" I've ever found is that noisemaking harp that you put between your teeth and "twang" the spring. If you miss, it rattles the dickens out of your teeth.

The PSG has several "rights of passage". One is getting your left foot to rock without pain, and the other is holding that heavy bar in the left hand without hand cramps. We won't even mention right foot volume pedal coordination whilst doing RKR.[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 13 May 2004 at 09:21 AM.][This message was edited by Ray Minich on 13 May 2004 at 09:54 AM.][This message was edited by Ray Minich on 13 May 2004 at 02:53 PM.]

William Peters · Post by **William Peters** » 13 May 2004 7:53 am

Tim,

No, I doubt there are too many oboe players who took up pedal steel. I did it for the challenge, but I spent at least as much time making reeds as I did playing the darned thing. Now I spend my time trying to keep my pedal steel mechanics working.

I think a harp would be a hard to learn instrument. They don't fit well in a car either.

If anyone wants to learn a woodwind, I have a copy of "Guide To Teaching Woodwinds" which is just full of useful information.

Bill http://www.wgpeters.com

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 13 May 2004 8:30 am

I once heard a music dealer in Ft Lauderdale, Fla say that the "Sitar" was the world's hardest instrument to learn to master. I have not a clue to the rightness or wrongness of that statement. But I do believe that the Pedal Steel Guitar ranks way up there in difficulty to master.

It appears to me that playing an instrument that can only produce one note at a time would be easier than one that can play multiple notes. Not sure.

The difficulty with the pedal steel guitar is, as some have said, soooo many things going on at one time. That being said, it is interesting to note how effortless greats like Buddy Emmons and Paul Franklin, etc, make it appear.

Once again reminding me of how wonderful our precious Lord is. The human brain is and incredible creation. And what a blessing,

carl

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 13 May 2004 8:48 am

I can play pedal steel verses on guitar and even bass, sometimes faster and cleaner. Steel is definitely harder.

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Cal's Corral

Jim Hankins · Post by **Jim Hankins** » 13 May 2004 8:48 am

Someone offered that steel was easier to play than 6 string because you did not have to "finger" notes which I had forgotten is a typical difficulty when BEGINNING to play. Correspondingly, I think the steel is a fairly forgiving instrument, then gets more challenging the more you play.

Ben Slaughter · Post by **Ben Slaughter** » 13 May 2004 8:52 am

In order, I learned sax, trumpet, guitar, mandolin, bass, banjo, and PSG. Somewhere in there I tried fiddle, and that was a disaster!

Today, PSG is the most challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable. But I'm not sure if it's the most difficult. I know that I really struggled with sax when I was 9yrs old and guitar when I was 12. I believe the instruments and music I learned prior to PSG were building blocks (especially guitar), and I probably could not have tackled PSG without that foundation.

Now, if someone were to start their musical journey on PSG, there would be no question that it would be one of the most difficult instruments to begin on.

Just my perspective.

(PS: ran through spell check since my brain works to logically so spell the English language flawlessly.)

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Ben
Zum D10, NV400, POD, G&L Guitars, etc, etc.

Winnie Winston · Post by **Winnie Winston** » 14 May 2004 3:50 am

I really should say something, other than comment on spelling....
As to the comparison with other instruments... there is no way to make a comment other than from one's personal perspective.
Doing ANYTHING that requires manual dexterity is a challenge-- turning on a lathe, flying a plane, playing any kind of game, rock climbing, cooking, and even playing musical instruments.
There are some who try and fail, some who try and become OK, and some who try and excell.
Pedal steel is no harder or easier than anything else. Just because it uses all of you, doesn't fit in to the equation-- drums do too. Irish pipes requires two hands, two elbows, and a whole arm.
Some people find it a whiz, and some don't.
I( could never figure out violin. I stank at playing piano, gave up on anything that you had to blow into. Guitar was ok, banjo was easy-- once I "grokked" it, and steel was a bit of work-- and a breeze. I know a bunch of musicians who are really good at many instruments who tried steel and gave up-- it was just not the way their internal circuits worked. I started it, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
So...l the answer is: "It all Depends...."

JW

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 14 May 2004 5:10 am

I play lead guitar in my main band and sometimes steel when the steelman needs off. I also play steel only with another band a couple of times a month. Neither band rehearses so a lot of accents and such need to be triggered on the fly. I find that on lead guitar you can look at a drummer or other player and make motions with your guitar neck or what ever and do some things that you can't with the steel as you're stationary and your guitar doesn't move. I think if I was the band leader I wouldn't play steel.....Have a good 'un, JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Robert Porri · Post by **Robert Porri** » 14 May 2004 5:34 am

<<(PS: ran through spell check since my brain works to logically so spell the English language flawlessly.)>>

Ben, you were doing so well too (and to).

Back to the topic. I can't speak for learning the PSG "well", because I haven't been playing long. I do think though, how someone relates to a certain instrument or type of music is often experienced as a part of how difficult they find the instrument to play. This sounds like a "natural ability" factor. If someone has the magic natural ability on PSG, they probably won't find it too difficult to begin learning. The same person might have a difficult time on violin. You could have that situation flip flopped also.

Bob P.[This message was edited by Robert Porri on 14 May 2004 at 06:37 AM.]

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 14 May 2004 6:50 am

For me the physical issues of playing the pedal steel havnt been as difficult as just trying to visualize the instrument's patterns vs the overall paterns of musical harmony and theory. I find it's alot more about memorization than common sense. To really grok this axe requires quite a bit of abstract thinking.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 14 May 2004 7:40 am

I think that the lack of pedal steel guitarists who can sight read well enough to play any part on any session, and the lack of pedal steel guitarists who make a living covering hundreds of jazz tunes on the spot, helps clarify this. Buddy Emmons, Doug Jernigan, and Jim Cohen can piece out jazz tunes, and the best session players can find parts that work in a variety of situations (I'd like to hear what Earnest Bovine plays for fun) but this thing is HARD to play a lot of stuff in all different keys on. For me, the varying intervals between the strings in the C6th tuning make it harder to play melodies consistently across the neck, at least as compared to regular guitar with only that one half-step irregularity. Heck, electronic keyboard players now get to finger everything in "C" and transpose with a switch. Of course, at the upper level, the best always BREATHE music - it's hard to imagine that John McLaughlin worked harder than Ravi Shankar, who worked harder than Isaac Perlman, who worked harder than Buddy Emmons etc.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 14 May 2004 11:47 am

Several posts have spoken of "mastering" various instruments. I play several instruments, some with a degree of confidence, but I have yet to master any of them. I doubt if Buddy, Lloyd, Chet Atkins, Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, or even Myron Floren would say they'd "mastered" their respective instruments. Are the peculiar physicalities of ANY musical instrument easy for any beginner? Think about a trumpet---you go PFFFFFTHTHFFFTT in the mouthpiece, press three valves, and you're making music, right???
OK, what about a piano? Both hands playing, sometimes doing contrary things, working those pedals (What does the B pedal do?)---all there is to it, right?
My point is, the mechanics of PSG ARE difficult--but so is any other physical activity. It took me a year before I ever learned to take a step, and probably another 18 months before I could run.
So why worry about how "hard" playing an instrument is, unless it's to brag about it? Concentrate on making music, and the physical challenges become second nature! The pedals are ALWAYS gonna change the same string(s), same with the knees---Let's PICK!!!!
But spelling IS easier than PSG. I won a spelling bee at Ware Shoals Elementary when I was in the 5th grade!

Nate LaPointe · Post by **Nate LaPointe** » 14 May 2004 5:48 pm

I feel pretty comfortable playing pedal steel on the verse OR the chorus of a song. What about you?

Only kidding. Yes, the coordination and tuning on steel challenges me daily, but having a strong 20+ years of guitar behind me, I am able to transfer that knowledge to the steel and actually make people believe I can play it!

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 14 May 2004 9:36 pm

All of the other instruments seem harder than pedal steel to me. I can't play anything else very well. I'm trying to learn bongos, and I keep dropping the beat. My guitar playing is on a par with your average chick singer. Forget about piano - my brain just isn't wired to play a different musical line with each hand.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
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Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 15 May 2004 12:53 am

I wished I could play the piano, would making figuring things out on steel easier, although.. for me

Johan