electric zither

Joel Paterson · Post by **Joel Paterson** » 28 Aug 2006 10:46 am

I played a gig last night and a very creative drunk asked me if I was playing the "Electric Zither" which I thought was better than the usual "keyboard" comments. I'm sure you all have similar stories. Any other good names for the steel?

Joel Paterson · Post by **Joel Paterson** » 28 Aug 2006 10:52 am

I meant to post this in pedal steel but hit the wrong button. I guess I don't know what I'm playing either. Oh well, the non- pedalers have the same problem, too. Every time I play lapsteel somebody calls it a "dobro". Try explaining that difference to a chick or a drunk at a gig.

Bob-
you can move this to pedal steel, leave it here or start a Zither section.

Mark Ardito · Post by **Mark Ardito** » 28 Aug 2006 11:21 am

Joel-

A few months ago I played steel at the Big C. Some crazy drunk guy made it a point of telling me that he liked my zither playing abilities. I kind of chuckled and informed him that I played a pedal steel guitar. He then tries to correct my knowledge of the instruments and then informs me that I am indeed playing a zither. Then told me that my zither playing was very well executed. Maybe we have run into the same guy? I haven't been back to a Big C lately, but I can definitely point this guy out. One doesn't forget these conversations

Cheers!
Mark

Gareth Carthew · Post by **Gareth Carthew** » 28 Aug 2006 12:36 pm

Anyone else getting déjà vu?

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 28 Aug 2006 12:49 pm

It's a harp....

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 28 Aug 2006 1:28 pm

I keep telling you guys, TIFKATPSG.

(The Instrument Formerly Known As The Pedal Steel Guitar.)

Nobody ever listens to me.

I'm gonna go eat some worms.

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I've had it up to here with these (Michael Fredrick) snakes on my (Michael fredrick) steel!!!!
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My web site

[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 28 August 2006 at 06:47 PM.]

Marc Weller · Post by **Marc Weller** » 28 Aug 2006 3:13 pm

One of the things I enjoy about this instrument is the "what is that?" factor. It's fun explaining the workings of a pedal steel to the people that are interested enough to come up to the bandstand and inquire. Most people are familiar with the sound of a pedal steel but have never seen one or do not understand how they work. BTW, the first person to explain pedal steel to me was Mike Perlowin. About 4 years ago I went over to his house to look at a Country Gentleman which I ultimately did not purchase. Mike took the time to show me his steel (Sho Bud S10 as I recall) and to explain the workings of the various pedals and knee levers. I got the bug and this is how far I've gotten in 4 years http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBS-GxBj85I

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 28 Aug 2006 5:54 pm

BTW, the first person to explain pedal steel to me was Mike Perlowin....Mike took the time to show me his steel (Sho Bud S10 as I recall)

Wow, I made a convert. My missionary complex has paid off.

BTW Mark, it was an MSA S-12 universal. And I eventually did sell the country gent, but not for as much as I hoped to get. Oh well....[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 28 August 2006 at 06:55 PM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 28 Aug 2006 6:13 pm

I had mine been called a Zither,back in the 50's . The band called it a Harp as it was named Electra-harp back in 1948 to 1950's....al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

David Morgan · Post by **David Morgan** » 28 Aug 2006 6:59 pm

Yes, I got the same thing from a lady who came up to the bandstand and with great enthusiasm told me, "I've been watching you play all night and finally figured out what your playing, It's an electric zither." I just congratulated her on her insight.
My other favorite, "Could you turn up the electric table?"

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 28 Aug 2006 7:14 pm

Oh, I've heard the 'zither' thing a lot of times over the years...

Marc Weller · Post by **Marc Weller** » 28 Aug 2006 8:06 pm

In the film noir classic "The Third Man" the entire sound track is performed on a zither and it is just incredible. I can't ID the musician but he would have been a monster steeler given the chance.

MW

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 28 Aug 2006 9:07 pm

I was once complimented on my "xylophone" playing (it was an S12 uni). Even earlier, a drunk offered to help me carry my equipment out and grabbed my Maverick S10 in its case. "Man, thish is heavy," he said, "Whut's in it." I told him it was a steel guitar. He said, "Why'd they have to make it out of steel?"

Vern Wall · Post by **Vern Wall** » 29 Aug 2006 4:19 am

Every time I play lapsteel somebody calls it a "dobro". Try explaining that difference to a chick or a drunk at a gig.

Easy - A dobro has a hub cap under the strings.

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 29 Aug 2006 5:39 am

Marc,
That was Anton Karas on the concert zither playing the Third Man theme.

Jay

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 29 Aug 2006 7:38 am

One of my favorite stories comes from Forumite Mike Johnstone...
It seems he was playing a gig at a bar, and had broken a string, so he stayed up on the bandstand on the break to put on a new string. While he was up there by himself, some guy - half in the bag - comes up to the guitar player and points to Mike, sitting up there at his D10, and says,
"You guys are good, but that guy up there in the wheelchair is really good!"

Joel Paterson · Post by **Joel Paterson** » 29 Aug 2006 9:22 am

That's hilarious to me that the zither thing is so common. I'm not sure why the zither is in everyone's subconscious for unknown instruments. The Third man theme might have something to do with it. Chet Atkins does a couple great versions of that, by the way.
I think Hank Williams referred to Don Helms playing the "Electric Bisquit Board" on the live Health and Happiness radio shows.
I think the wheelchair story takes the cake. I'm going to start using that line. I think we all should because pedal steel players could use some more sympathy in this world.
And we deserve credit for bringing back the electric zither wheelchair table.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 29 Aug 2006 12:51 pm

Tell them anything,By the time they sober the next A.M. they won't even remember talking to you.

Jon Kostal · Post by **Jon Kostal** » 29 Aug 2006 2:24 pm

Years ago I played at a picnic for medical doctors. A nice Indian Doctor (from India) asked, "what is this instrument you are playing?". I told him it was a steel guitar. He said, "a STEEL GUITAR! Is this what you use to play the blue music?". Another time at a photographer's studio we were shooting a band photo and I had my Emmons D10 set up. The photographer wanted me to stand and hit the strings with mallets, just as if I were really playing. And the worst description of the instrument was from a friend who said,"he plays the thing that at the end of the country song goes 'ta dah....'." wow.

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Jon
Uncle Jons Music

[This message was edited by Jon Kostal on 29 August 2006 at 03:25 PM.]

Marc Friedland · Post by **Marc Friedland** » 29 Aug 2006 2:39 pm

One time at a gig, a club owner asked the band leader if he would ask the guy playing the "table top stringy thing" to turn the volume down.
-- Marc

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 29 Aug 2006 3:00 pm

Here ya go.

Gary Steele · Post by **Gary Steele** » 29 Aug 2006 4:30 pm

Think about what some of these better Halves call it??????????????????????????

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 29 Aug 2006 5:59 pm

The public has no idea what a zither is. Technically, a zither is any instrument where the strings pass over the body and are stopped from above. Historically, the instrument is acoustic, and this brings in the Appalachian Dulcimer, the Germanic Hummel, the French Epinette des Vosges, the German Scheitholdt, etc.

The problem from our perspective is that the steel guitar IS played from above. I've been building fretted zithers for 40 years. During that time I designed the removable fingerboard, so you could take a "Dulcimer" and change its usefullness by changing the fingerboard and replacing it with one in a different key, so you could play in any key. I also added a pickup.

Take it to the next stage. If you remove the fingerboard completely you end up with a lap steel.

The steel guitar owes no birthright to the guitar. It could be argued that the steel guitar is an electric zither. Certainly the Appalachian Dulcimer, which has origins in the Swedish Hummel, once electrified, is EXACTLY a lap steel.

Joel Paterson · Post by **Joel Paterson** » 30 Aug 2006 11:16 am

Thanks for the zither insight, Alan. You brought the whole thing full circle. And judging from public perception zither is a way catchier name than pedal steel anyway. Lets change the name to electric zither (which is properly played in a wheelchair).
The whole "steel" terminology is endlessly confusing to people- and I usually have no good explanation for it at a gig. I just give up and say Hawaiian guitar, or "the thing you hear on country records". I play a National resonator out a lot and this is what most people consider a "steel" guitar. Or a Dobro. Or a banjo.
I thing Marc's term, "table top stringy thing" is the most accurate name so far. But don't say table to people- they'll start putting their drinks on it.[This message was edited by Joel Paterson on 30 August 2006 at 12:18 PM.][This message was edited by Joel Paterson on 30 August 2006 at 12:19 PM.]

Manfred Schall · Post by **Manfred Schall** » 30 Aug 2006 1:28 pm

Hi Joel,

2 years ago I played on a birthday party and had a few colleagues hangin' around.
One of them is trying to fool on my all the time calling me the "table guitar player".
I have heard the zither thing also but I think nothing can beat the wheelchair description.

Cheers,
Manfred