Steel other names

John Cox · From: Texas, USA

Well,
It happened again last night, some guy was telling me he enjoyed our music and the piano or organ I play. At that point strated to tell him it was a Pedal Steel Guitar but, I don't think he heard me. Funny this happened when we were just talking about this here not to long ago.

J.C.

Dale Bessant · From: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Yes,John its happened to me numerous times too,all you can do is try and tell them if possible what it is you are playing, if they listen...

Rick Jackson · From: Carson City, Nevada

I was at the Rocking Rodeo in Bakersfield a couple of weeks ago listening to Larry Petree play. You could barely hear the steel. The sound man eventually got his volume up and we could hear him play. About that time the power went out and the club went dark. Larry came over and sat with my wife and I and the sound man came by and said if he hadn't turned the sound up on that "Slide" guitar the power wouldn't of gone out. I couldn't believe the sound man didn't know what a pedal steel was. I thanked him for not calling it an electric egg slicer. Larry told me later he was a rock and roll drummer. Go figure...rj

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Hank Penney once told an inquiring soul that it was an electric steam-heated African Zither. Jody.

Gene H. Brown · From: Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

I just tell them it's a sophisicated Cheese Slicer and they just walk away, kinda like they're hurtin inside or something, LOL.

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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!
;)

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

If anyone asks me what it is, I'll just say "It's a twenty string horizontal electric guitar."

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

I have been told the same thing.I have also had people ask what the volume pedal did,and i would explain it like the gas pedal on thier car how when pushed down the car went faster.When i wanted to play faster i pushed the volume pedal down.What was funny,they bought it.lol.Tracy

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

I have been told the same thing.I have also had many people ask what the volume pedal was for.I would first say,you know what the gas pedal on your car does,right?This works the same way on the guitar.When i want my playing to speed up i push down on the pedal and let off to play slow songs.What was funny,they bought it.lol.Tracy

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Rick at least the soundman/drummer got it mostly right.
Technically it IS a slide guitar,
but he missed the pedals part.
Still better than calling it an organ.
Even the clueless like it!

But blaming the steel being raised up in the mix as the reason the power went out is pure nimrod.

David Doggett · Posted 15 Oct 2003 12:21 am

As I carried my pedal steel off the stage in a rock club last Saturday night, one guy said, "Nice ah...xylophone playing." He was completely sincere, so I thanked him.

Another time a guy helped us carry our equipment out. He picked up my pedal steel in its case and said, "Man, this is heavy. What is it?" I said, "It's a steel guitar." He said, "Why do they have to make it out of steel?"

Wayne Brown · From: Bassano, Alberta, Canada

are you guys making fun of my ironing board, bread slicer, cheese slicer or k-tel wak-n-pac again...hehehehe...

it's been called all of thee above

Allan Thompson · From: Scotland.

Knitting Machine, I think Bobbe plays one.

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

Once again I see ignorance is still at an all-time high. I consider it an insult for a steel to be compared to an organ. One guy asked me if the pedals done the same thing the ones on an organ did. I explained the difference, other than sound and he just walked away speechless. I play a lot in church and am very happy we do not have an organ. We had a boy playing a French horn for a while and I sure was happy to see that horn go. Like the one guy said, "How do a steel and a French horn go together"? My reply was "THEY DON'T".

Paul Polish · From: Concord,NC,Usa

Johnny,
Surely that didn't happen here in Texas!!!!

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

I just call it a piano
That way nobody gets confused

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Tony Rankin · From: Land O’ Lakes, FL

I play with a southern gospel quartet and am used to people asking me what my instrument is. A month or so ago I had just set up my steel and was doing a sound check number. When I stopped playing, an older gentleman who had been sitting on the second row walked up to the stage. He asked me if "it" worked like an accordian. I must have looked surprised, because before I could answer he said that he was watching me "pushing pedals" and he thought I must be pumping air into it.

John Steele (deceased) · From: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada

Paul, how could ignorance not be at an all time high, if the players of the instrument take pleasure out of telling people incorrect information as a joke ?
It doesn't matter to me, but you can't have it both ways.
Once I watched Al Brisco, who's played steel since before I was born, very patiently explain his instrument to a curious onlooker. As I watched him, I supposed how many times he'd done that in the past, and wondered at his gentlemanly patience.
-John

Jim Eaton · From: Santa Susana, Ca

Back in 76' I was playing in a casino lounge with the Collins Kids. When we finished our show, I came out front on my way to my favorite video poker machine and was approached by a very sweet little old lady.
"you must be very good friends with the band" she said to me. I said "yes they are a good bunch of guys". She said " I think its so nice of them to let you sit at that little table on stage with them during the show!"
JE:-)>

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

The true purpose of the funny looking horizontal guitar is to provide certain members of society hours and days and weeks and months of frustration, joy, pain, pleasure, happines, anxiety, hope, despair, excitement and euphoria.

Sometimes we can make thru the whole list in the first 20 minutes.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

John,
You may have misunderstood me -- I WAS KIDDING.
(perhaps my post was a bit smilie challenged)

I have spent countless hours explaining what it is and how it works and have often been known to flip it over at a moment's notice to blow a guitar player's mind.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

a Musik Shredder ?

Winnie Winston · From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.

Bruce "U. Utah" Phillips once called mine "a cross between and egg-slicer and a sewing machine"

Ok with me.

And if anyomne ever ask, I explain it to them. Have them watch the changer finger move when I press a pedal.

JW

Smiley Roberts · From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075

About a year ago,I did a jazz gig in Atlanta.
The bass player was a 25 yr. old,black guy. (who,I might add,was a "KILLER on that "doghouse"!) After I had set the "thing" up,he came over, checked it out for a couple of seconds,& then said,"Is that what they call a dulcimer?"

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