The Steel Guitar Forum

Reece, yesterday I took delivery of a milling machine. The two guys that delivered it were both machinists. They didn't know a pedal steel guitar from a horse's behind.
I told them it was a pedal steel guitar and explained why: You play with pedals and knee levers and a steel bar, hence the name. I then demoed a pedal raising a string and a lever lowering it. Then I turned it upside down and showed them what made the mechanism raise and lower the strings(tighten and slacken the strings I said) I am confident that they came away understanding what a pedal steel is all about. Why then try and invent another "better" name for our instrument?

People who don't have the slightest interest will never understand. Let's not waste our breath. An example would be this guy I know who calls my steel a keyboard. Why? Because of the tuning keys! I explaining as best I could why it is a pedal steel, but lost him halfways through. He interrupted me in mid-sentence and said: To me it will always be a keyboard. For a person like that it wouldn't help if you called it a slide, pedal steel or anything. To them it will always be whatever name they put on it

Bent…..I suspect most all machinists would be interested in closely examining and understanding the steel guitar because of the uniqueness and the machining aspect, therefore it’s understandable why you had their attention,

Although many people may be interested in steel guitar, it would be rare they would have the time or inclination to listen to an extended explanation of the instrument like you made to your machinist associates.

People who don’t have the slightest interest can indeed make an association to the word “ Slide” which provides a perception of both the sound and the way it’s played. Just as you experienced with the machinists, telling someone it’s a pedal steel guitar or a steel guitar requires a long and sometimes confusing explanation, whereas the simple word “Slide” makes the mental connection and tells them what they need and want to know to recognize the sound and how it’s played.

I never consider it a waste of breath to spread the word about steel guitar, and usually we have the attention of those who inquire about it for only seconds, which is not long enough to explain the implication of the words “steel guitar “or “pedal steel guitar”.

The person who calls your guitar a keyboard is as you said, likely making a mental connection with the keys…..but I can guarantee you, his perception of your guitar would immediately disappear if you asked him when was the last time he saw a “sliding keyboard”. Use of the name “Slide” creates a quick and lasting impression of both the sound and the way steel guitar is played and would form a lasting perception of the difference between your steel guitar and a keyboard.

I’m not suggesting inventing another name, actually many, especially the younger generation, already consider it as being a Slide. I believe it to be important to the instrument, that as many people as possible have a clear perception of what steel guitar sounds like and the way it’s played. If they already associate the sound with steel guitar, that’s great, but all the ones who have not yet made the “connection” are the ones that need a quick and non-confusing introduction to our instrument.

To those familiar with steel guitar or pedal guitar, I refer to it as such, but when someone who is clearly interested and not familiar with the instrument, I know I only have seconds to explain it to them, and all I have to tell them is…….it’s a "Slide", the mental connection is complete, we are both on our way, and they have an idea of not only what our instrument sounds like, but how it’s played.

Reece, Long and confusing? No...it took me all of 3 minutes.
Those whose attention you cannot hold for that short a time, are not worth the 3 minutes it takes explaining because, like the other example I showed you, he wanted to call it a keyboard no matter what.
I disagree with using the word "slide" to use as a more understandable way to name the steel.
Slide works only so far - say you are trying to explain the pedal steel to a 19 yr old guitar player. If I called it a slide then the first picture he would get in his head would be a rock guitarist with a bottleneck guitar. You are then duty-bound to expand on that and explain to him the difference between a slide and a pedal steel. If you just leave it at "slide" you have short changed the Pedal Steel Guitar. You have left it more or less at the point of reference like my friend who calls it a keyboard.

Slide makes too many mental references to a bottleneck guitar, a hawaiian, , resonator guitar, but does not home in on the unique build of the pedal steel guitar,with the main difference being the pedals. The word pedal just has to be included. Therefor anything less an amputation.

Edited to add:
You wrote:
"I suppose if we called it a “pitch altering slide” most everyone would have a clear mental image of the instrument we’re playing."

Do you really believe that this name would give the average person a clear mental image?

For one thing, the word pitch is not in the average mind as anything to do with music. Joe the Roofer or Jack the asphalt layer will connect pitch with that hot sticky black stuff that runs off a roof or into a crack in the pavement. Joe would also equate the word with the slope (pitch) of your roof.
Reece, I cannot agree at all with that handle.
Please reconsider than one

Bent.....I appreciate your willingness to exchange your view respectfully. There's certainly nothing wrong with our agreeing to disagree.

All my playing life I've referred to it as an "Hawaiian Guitar-with pedals"
Here in Europe the sound of the Hawaiian Guitar has been promulgated by groups since the mid 1930's.. With great success in the United Kingdom, Holland, France and most of the central European countries.
Felix Mendelssohn in the UK, the Kilima Hawaiians and also George de Fretes in the Netherlands, and Various soloists in France like Marcel Bianchi Harry Hugassian et al.

Most people that would attend the venues and gigs that I would play at are from the age-group that would remember the "Hawaiian Era" in Europe and consequently I RARELY get a blank look from my description, that's not to say that people below the age of virtual senility, walking frames and "Blue Rinses" would also understand my semi colloquial name..

Reece, I do believe you're correct in the descriptive vernacular you're employing.. It talks to those "Youngsters" in a language they seemingly understand, though for the life of me I can't seem to understand them.

basilh wrote:All my playing life I've referred to it as an "Hawaiian Guitar-with pedals"

Baz, that I can agree with. The majority gets an instant mental picture when you mention Hawaiian guitar. Then you(and I as well) add: with pedals, the description and mental picture is complete.

But "pitch altering slide"? No, sorry.

I recently played with a covers band for a few months. None of them had ever seen a pedal steel before and were intrigued. They asked all the right questions about the pedals and levers. I even explained that bar movement is often quite minimal unlike slide, and they'd see me using the pedals and levers to alter the pitch of strings. I think they got it.

But months later they all still insisted on calling it the 'slide guitar'. Annoying but I gave up correcting them in the end.

Steve...annoying: THAT'S the word for it. IMHO it minimizes our instrument by calling it only a slide

Great post. Many of my gigs are in front of audiences who have never seen a steel guitar. To me, what you call it is not the issue, but the fact that they are so moved by your playing that they feel that they have to find out what that thing is.
You have truly connected with your crowd. To see the folks who know what it is and love it is nice as well. I enjoy being the first steel someone sees. I allways go above and beyond to answer questions, and put the listeners at ease. It`s good for business. I generally use my breaks to interact with anyone who wants it. The steel guitar makes people happy, and they want to know more about it.
There is alot about this instrument you wouldn`t know, just from watching for the first time. Often, when I explain it, and show them how much is going on, the listener is even more impressed. Do you think any other instrumentalist knocks someone out with an instrument they`ve never seen? Never heard of? It doesn`t matter what we call it or why, the big deal is that they want to know all about it.

basilh wrote:All my playing life I've referred to it as an "Hawaiian Guitar-with pedals"

I like "Hawaiian guitar with pedals."

Given the common identification of "slide guitar" with such as Duane Allman, Bonnie Raitt, or Sonny Landreth (excellent musicians all), who play bottleneck slide on standard guitar, "Hawaiian", in addition to being essentially "genealogically" accurate, establishes the instrument's distinct identity, without the confusion of people thinking it's made of steel.

Years ago i have had people ask me what the volume pedal was and what did it do. I asked one lady if she knew what the gas pedal was in a car and she answered yes. I then went on to explain the V.P. did the same on a steel. To play faster you pushed down on the pedal. She believed me and so did many others i told the same thing. It's been a fun ride. Tracy

Musicians who play the pedal harp have exactly the same recognition problem. They generally ignore it, on the assumption that anyone genuinely interested will eventually ask about it. I think that that's the stand to take re the pedal steel guitar. The average musical listener can't tell the difference between a kettle drum and a tubs. Let's face it, the average person is a complete idiot: if that were not the case, why would the people, in a democracy, who outnumber the big corporations thousands-to-one, not take control of the government ? Your approach should be to musicians, not to the public. The public don't give a damn. They just want to hear music that's pleasing to their ears, and they don't care how it's produced.

A few years ago we decided to have some fun,with our slap together group . Myself on 6 string and a steeler had Roland guitar synths in use,also a friend on keys . We kept switching parts during night .Steel sounded like keys @ first , keys like acoustic guitar , guitar like fiddle & sax .We had a blast confusing everyone .

Let's not forget "Steel Pedal". I can't tell you how many times I've heard that one. It certainly lends creedance to the misname/misrecognition theory.
Jerry Douglass tells the story of a woman asking him about his dobro - "Is that one of those things you rub?"

I would propose the name pedal slide guitar. However, steel guitar is perhaps too engrained now to change it.
If a German had named it, it would be something like the following:
horizonalguitarwithstringpitchchangingmechanism-exhibitslongsustainusesseperatehandheldbarrather-thanfingeredfretsfindsuseincountrybluesjazzhawain-musicgreatfortransitioncordslousyforattractingthe-oppositesex.

I just hold up the slide and tell them its a tonebar.

Clete

I teach guitar (6 string) in my hometown here (have over 40 students now), and almost every one of them has asked about it. I think at least half of them have called it either a keyboard or a piano; but I don't blame them because I keep a cover over my steel. I usually them answer by saying, "no it's a pedal steel guitar, see it has strings" (and then I proceed to show them the top side). It's all foreign to them until I explain that it's "that soft sound you hear in both hawaiian and country music".

PS. Every time someone calls your PSG a "slide guitar", reply by saying, "but it's a slide guitar on steroids"!

At every gig my band gives a quick introduction to the thingie in my lap. Everyone is interested. There are always a few that come up between sets to see it closer.

Here's a question for all of you ...

If the sound of an instrument is new and not recognized to an audience, do they hear it?

Consider that the brain does not multi-task well. We tend to focus (if at all) on one thing at a time. The general public recognize bass, vocals, drums and guitar. I suspect many in an audience are focusing in on those instruments more than on some unfamiliar sound.

I read a story once about the first ships coming to the American shores. The natives had never seen a ship before and could not see it at first. They had no way to relate it to their paradigm. The story goes that the medicine man could suddenly see it and when he pointed it out and explained to others then they could see it too. Bizarre.


Reece, I've also had the best luck with calling it a slide guitar. Some times I only have seconds to explain to a client what I play and that works fine. Yes some think of a bottleneck, but at least there is some connection with the other persons world. If time allows I'll mention it's played horizontally using finger picks on one hand and moving the slide on the other.

I like playing an obscure instrument.