More Pedal Steel Licks on Lap Steel

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 15 Feb 2021 9:33 am

Inspired by Doug Beaumierâ€™s excellent post and track showcasing PSG style playing on a lap steel, here is a brief sampleâ€”a double chorus of a country track Iâ€™ve been working up with a classic fiddle-style feel.

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/s5jCovzjgixmegbi9

John Sluszny · Post by **John Sluszny** » 15 Feb 2021 9:38 am

Awsome !!!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 15 Feb 2021 9:57 am

Thanks John. Playing it brought me some bounce and cheer on a cold gray winter day!

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 15 Feb 2021 11:32 am

Great job,

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 15 Feb 2021 12:21 pm

Well done Nelson!

G Strout · Post by **G Strout** » 15 Feb 2021 1:44 pm

Excellent. Good blocking!!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 15 Feb 2021 1:45 pm

Thanks John. Playing it brought me some bounce and cheer on a cold gray winter day!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 15 Feb 2021 1:52 pm

Thanks Bill, Roy and G. I used a combination of palm and pick blocking. Also I used my Emmons lap steel (later model with their 8-string pedal steel pickup, not the DeArmond style) for more of a PSG and less vintage lap tone.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 15 Feb 2021 2:05 pm

Really nice and clean and slippery.

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 15 Feb 2021 3:46 pm

Thanks Mike! â€œSlipperyâ€ indeed!!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 15 Feb 2021 5:03 pm

Wow, that's really cool, Nelson... very pedal steel-ish. I'm sure a lot of steel guitarists would assume you're playing a pedal steel!

I was also impressed with the C6 recording you played for me when I visited you a couple of years ago. It sounded exactly like C6 pedal steel to my ear, and I was surprised when you told me it was played on a lap steel! Well done.

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 15 Feb 2021 5:46 pm

Thanks, Doug, for your kind words! I hope that youâ€™ve been doing well during and in spite of the times weâ€™re in. Hopefully weâ€™ll be turning the corner and music will get back to the clubs and streets in 2021!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 16 Feb 2021 1:05 pm

Iâ€™m posting a link to the C6 track Doug refers to above (that I posted a few years back on the forum). Its an exercise where I attempted to reverse engineer for 8-string lap steel a pedal steel solo from Charlie Parkerâ€™s â€œYardbird Suiteâ€ played by the great Jim Cohen. (My take is running at about 75% of Jimâ€™s tempo). Hope you enjoy!

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4GBcMAfQtkv2gBgM8

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Feb 2021 12:15 pm

It's great to hear that again. Thanks for posting it.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 17 Feb 2021 12:56 pm

Nelson Checkoway wrote:Iâ€™m posting a link to the C6 track Doug refers to above (that I posted a few years back on the forum). Its an exercise where I attempted to reverse engineer for 8-string lap steel a pedal steel solo from Charlie Parkerâ€™s â€œYardbird Suiteâ€ played by the great Jim Cohen. (My take is running at about 75% of Jimâ€™s tempo). Hope you enjoy!

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4GBcMAfQtkv2gBgM8

Hey Nelson! I missed that a few years ago when you posted it so thanks to Doug B. for drawing my attention to it now. I'm flattered that you would find my solo worthy of study and reverse-engineering. That's a tough job, especially changing from pedals to nonpedals, and ya did well with it! Bravo!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 17 Feb 2021 8:03 pm

Thanks, Jim, for the thumbs-up! And thanks, Doug, for passing the word along!

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 18 Feb 2021 9:52 am

This is great! Love the lick at 0:23

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Feb 2021 1:28 pm

It reminds me of Tom Brumley (Buck Owens)... west coast style pedal steel. Snappy and clean with kind of a mid-range of tone.

Cliff Swanson · Post by **Cliff Swanson** » 18 Feb 2021 6:06 pm

Wow that's cool!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 18 Feb 2021 7:00 pm

Thanks guys! Hey Doug you wonâ€™t believe this but I was listening to old live Buck, Don and Tom for the past hour! Together Again. My Heart Skips a Beat. And one of my favorites: Loveâ€™s Gonna Live Here Again. Such superb playing and singing and great songs!!!

Joe Cook · Post by **Joe Cook** » 18 Feb 2021 8:43 pm

Bakersfield vibe for sure! Excellent technique, Nelson.

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 18 Feb 2021 9:07 pm

Thanks Joe. And yes Doug, I dig that sound. In fact I came THIS close to buying a Zane Beck built Scranton era ZB Custom D-11 fixer upper a few years ago. No knees 6 pedals 650 bucks. Whew. One that got away, but I knew I didnâ€™t have the time or dinero to make it play. Iâ€™ll stop now before this thread gets kicked over to the PSG section. LOL!!

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 19 Feb 2021 7:22 am

Sounds great!

Iâ€™ve been trying to get pedal steel sounds on a non pedal 6th tuning as well. Still searching for all the pockets.

I only listened once to your track. Iâ€™m guessing you were not pulling strings behind the bar, right?

Thanks for sharing! ðŸ‘

Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 19 Feb 2021 8:07 am

Please share your secrets!

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 19 Feb 2021 8:10 am

Hey Dave - thanks and good to hear from you. I enjoy the tracks Iâ€™ve heard you onâ€”very tasteful stuff and I dig you on the ZB!! Youâ€™re right-no string pulls on that track. All slides for the single note bends and you the final G to C tag â€” GBD to GCE â€” is a severe slant on strings 234 from frets 7-7-7 to 7-8-9.

BTW I saw you did some work with Commander Cody Band in the Northwest a while back. I played a show with them in New England back 7-8 years ago. Good to meet you on the Forum.