Information needed

[Richard Nelson]

I am beginning A Masters Degree in Music (Jazz performance) this month . Has anybody done any academic research on Steel Guitar ? I hope to do my thesis on the development and use of the C6th tuning in Jazz . Can anyone help with books or articles on these ,or related topics . Has anyone done any academic studies in this field . Rich

[Allan Kirby]

Hello Richard,

What an interesting topic for your Master's thesis!

I am long-time working pedal steel player with an academic background. My PhD (Canadian Studies) thesis focused on the history of rural Canadian folk music. I continue to have an interest in academic research concerning music history and the relative cultural influences.

When I was a teaching assistant at Carleton University (Ottawa Canada), I lectured on the history of popular music. I included, in the course, an element on the history of the steel guitar and the improvisational styles that evolved from it. I have since considered authoring an academic paper on the topic.

I still gig regularly with the steel guitar. However, as I age, I am looking to spend more time writing. If you are interested in exchanging some thoughts, please send me a private message through this forum.

All the best,

Allan Kirby (PhD, Carleton University)

[Mark Carlisle]

I think this site would be a great resource:
http://steelguitarjazz.com/home.html

Forum member Jim Cohen plays amazing jazz on C6, and his CD sports none other than jazz guitar legend Jimmy Bruno sitting in.

[Jim Robbins]

There was a guy at York University (Toronto) in grad studies in the Music Department who was doing a thesis or dissertation on pedal steel. I don't know whether he finished but you could get more information from Prof. Robert Witmer there (who is an ethnomusicologist, jazz bass player and pedal steel player himself). Good luck with your studies.

[Bill Plemmons]

Look up Dr. Dan Jones, Standard Deviations band. He is a music professor at The University of Colorado Boulder, and is a superb jazz steel guitarist. Some of his work can be found on you tube and the steel guitar forum.

BILL

[Richard Nelson]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions , I'll look into them all . Rich

[David Mason]

Golly I didn't even need to change my cached line!

Forumite Andy Volk wrote a MARVY book about lap steel guitar called, amazingly,
"Lap Steel Guitar."
https://www.amazon.com/Lap-Steel-Guitar ... 1574241346

This digs some ways into history, not obsessively detailed but as a narrative history. It could surely help figuring out who to ask stuff of, because they're all in there! Are you onto Brad's page of steel yet?
http://www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html

And, and.. just the LINKS here:
http://b0b.com/wp/?page_id=121

And, and; once you formulate very specific questions, just firing up the "search" function on this site and it'e earlier interation -
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/google.php
There a HUGE amount of information locked up in here, again, asking the right questions will be key. And a lot of members have certain pet brands, certain pet topics, exhaustive knowledge about totally obscure little corners...

[Jack Aldrich]

A "must read", and a good source of information can be found in the book "Kika Kila" by John W. Troutman. Kika Kila is "steel guitar" in Hawaiian, btw.

[Mike Holder]

I know Ron Dann studied at Humber in the Jazz program using his pedal steel as his major instrument and Ron Haldorson who played bass with Lenny Breau would most likely have much to contribute on this subject being such a milestone musician on bass, guitar & steel. Doug Jernigan is also a wealth of legitimate information. Love to see the pedal steel explored like this, nothing will take it's place in country music but it is only as limited as the person playing it. Hope you make your thesis available on the forum.

[Daniel Neill]

There was a guy at York University (Toronto) in grad studies in the Music Department who was doing a thesis or dissertation on pedal steel. I don't know whether he finished but you could get more information from Prof. Robert Witmer there (who is an ethnomusicologist, jazz bass player and pedal steel player himself). Good luck with your studies.

Hey All,
That guy was me. I've finished my MA at York in Toronto and I'm working on a PhD in Ethnomusicology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. My focus is on PSG builders and the PSG community. I've been travelling a lot in the US and Canada talking to and working with different steel guitar builders and I'm about to ask a whole bunch of questions and probably post some surveys here on the forum. I've heard rumblings about Richard Nelson's thesis on the steel guitar as a jazz instrument and I'm dying to read it. So Richard, please get in touch either here or at dwn527@mun.ca.

[Jack Hanson]

I, for one, would love to read both Richard's and Daniel's theses.

[Kevin Fix]

The "Big E" was a jazz bassist in his early years. He was the master of C6 as far as I am concerned. No one any better on C6.

[J R Rose]

Very interesting topic Richard. As for searching out early day builders don't forget Zane Beck. He has been giving credit for installing the first knee levers on a guitar, at least that is what I have been told. Plus he played a 12 string jazz style. Super Picker. Good luck on your journey. J.R. Rose

[Dustin Kleingartner]

Another thread brought me to this page:

http://nmmusd.org/Collections

And they cite this:

Timothy D. Miller, The Origins and Development of the Pedal Steel Guitar, M.M. Thesis (Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 2007).

Good Luck!

[Ross Shafer]

Watch out for that Daniel Neill guy eh! And be patient, he is a drummer after all.