Better feel for the pedals without shoes

[Jim Pitman]

If I play barefoot sometimes I don't push the pedals all the way to the stops especially pedal B down rocking onto A - it can hurt.
I prefer "Deck shoes". I tried water shoes the other day successfully. Both of these have flexible soles.
To me I loose sensitivity if the sole is too stiff.
Never could where a cowboy boot and be comfortable. My foot doesn't fit a typical cowboy boot for some reson.

[chris ivey]

jim, that made me realize why i do like boots. with a stiff sole i can be firmer and stronger on my pedal action without either hurting my foot 'or' having to have my foot placement on the pedal too precise, as the action spreads across the stiffer sole. all this stuff is a matter of preference but that's how i like it. and i've always loved cowboy boots since i was a young kid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG_YTwpF ... lpage&t=62

[Curt Trisko]

Of the shoes I've tried so far, which is limited to the shoes that I happen to be wearing on any given day, the best are my dress shoes that I wear for work some days. I think it's the narrower toe that makes the difference. So far, with shoes on, doing the changes with pedals is more of an on/off thing than the more variable activation of the pedals that I can do barefoot.

For example, in going from IV chord to a I chord where all you're doing is de-activating the A and B pedals, I may release them at a slightly different rate. Releasing the A brings you down a whole tone while releasing the B bring you down a half tone, so there's some musical room in there. Even if you're wearing thick-soled shoes, the two pedals are likely not at the same height, so you wouldn't be releasing the pedals at the same rate anyway. In fact, the extra control I have playing barefoot may help me correct for this issue.

I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of my musical sensitivity to what I'm playing and that others probably can't tell the difference, but it feels good to have that amount of control over the pedals and the sounds I'm making.

[John Gilman]

I'm still a newb, but it seems that learning to play with just about anything on your feet is probably a worthwhile idea. I've always seen this as an inspiration for that thought.




Not to mention how delightful all the videos from that show are.

Grabbed from http://youtu.be/Km9VVgc7YVc

[chris ivey]

that's a nice look, john. and you're right...you want to be prepared if they want big bird to play steel on an episode!

[Donny Hinson]

When playing barefoot, I have extreme control over the pedals because I can change the shape of my foot and use my individual toes.

Please learn to play with some kind of shoe. We steelers are already generally thought to be kind of hickish and backward by a lotta people. No need to give them another reason to snicker at us!

[Howard Steinberg]

My preference is to play in my stocking feet. On gigs where there is a reason to wear shoes, I wear shoes from China that are black cloth and have thin red soles. The cloth shoes do not inhibit ankle movement and there is enough flexibility in the soles to "squeeze" the pedals.

I started playing in my stocking feet because the steels that I had were too low for my height. Now it's just a preference.

[Clete Ritta]

If you are wrestling with the pedals, I bet these would work great. Ultra flexible, uber thin-soled wrestling shoes! Great for those complicated suplex to full nelson into the gogoplata for the tap-out!

[chris ivey]

is that bigfoot??

[Richard Damron]

Curt Trisko -

Yes - I'm dead serious about the ballet slippers. I used to really enjoy playing in stocking feet but the edges of the pedals began to eat up my tender feet. The ballet slippers are thin leather have a very thin leather sole which takes the edge off of the mild, but aggravating, pressure of the pedal edges. They're cheap enough. Try a pair - if they don't work for the steel then you have another pair of slippers to pad around the house with.

Richard

[Curt Trisko]

Thanks for all the responses. After reading them all, I've decided to get both a pair of moccasins and ballet slippers. I'll return the set I like the least (after only light use while wearing socks).

I think I have unusually flexible and strong feet. Some of this comes from being a runner. Maybe I should pick footwear that will let me keep that advantage. Has anyone tried these before:

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/produc ... ity=casual?

[Lane Gray]

Funny. I was about to suggest playing in tabi.

[Rick Contino]

Are you guys serious? The pedals hurt your feet?!

I much much prefer playing with no shoes. My feet are on the large side, so any shoe tends to feel clumsy on the pedals and a cowboy boot would be like trying to draw with an armored glove on. I don't know how all you southern boys do it!

I'd say don't sweat shoes vs no shoes. Playing with no shoes has never been a problem for me in my brief 10 years at steel.

[Curt Trisko]

I just received a pair of black leather ballet slippers that I ordered off of Amazon. They set me back a little under $30 including shipping. I tried them out and it seems like they're almost exactly what I'm looking for. I still have the touch with the pedals that I get from using my toes and changing my foot shape. But now with the small sole, I also can fully depress the A pedal simply by rolling my ankle, which I couldn't do before.

The downside: even the most tolerant people who've seen them so far have made fun of them. I figure I can fix that problem by getting an open-carry permit for when I play in public

[Curt Trisko]

I just received a pair of black leather ballet slippers that I ordered off of Amazon. They set me back a little under $30 including shipping. I tried them out and it seems like they're almost exactly what I'm looking for. I still have the touch with the pedals that I get from using my toes and changing my foot shape. But now with the small sole, I also can fully depress the A pedal simply by rolling my ankle, which I couldn't do before.

The downside: even the most tolerant people who've seen them so far have made fun of them. I figure I can fix that problem by getting an open-carry permit for when I play in public

[Russ Tkac]

Try white shoes and a jumpsuit... yea baby!

[Daniel Policarpo]

I am nicking Mr. Arnett's look. That is fantastic! Just get a matching hat to the shoes or boots, and I'd be set! Now, where to find a jumpsuit of appropriate color?

To answer Mr. Rick Contino's query, when you have the right western style boots, they feel very comfortable. You can even run in them and the pointy toes make for great grabbing into chain link fences on the fly. (no need to get into particulars there). Almost as comfortable as some $12 slipper/moccasins I found at Target. Now these are comfortable to play pedals on.

[Curt Trisko]

Update from the original poster:

I think this problem took care of itself. I now feel mostly comfortable playing with my boots on. Every now and them I'll still not have good feel for the pedals and mush the B pedal when I only intend to hit the A pedal.

Regarding the original topic of having more feel when playing with bare feet, that's probably still true, but I think that it's probably not noticeable for all but the slower changes. If I'd play in a band, I bet it would be even less noticeable.

It feels good to be progressing. My goal is to be competent enough to play on a band within 2 years of beginning to learn. I started in March/April of 2012. I probably won't join a band, but I am interested in the idea of contributing pedal steel tracks to all the young amateurs around the Twin Cities who make their own music. What a great hobby and what a beautiful and interesting instrument.

[Erv Niehaus]

Moccasins for me.

[Jack Hanson]

Like Erv, I prefer my Minnetonka Moccasins (although I can't afford those expensive moosehide models). Haven't been able to wear cowboy boots since I was a kid growing up in the Mohave. Mom made me wear 'em because she thought they'd help deter snake bites!

[Jim Williams]

I use a pair of slippers similar to Daniel's. You can feel the pedal, but doesn't hurt your foot.

[Per Berner]

I used to play my Swedish-built AVM at home without shoes, but it had rubber-clad pedals (probably sourced from a manufacturer of large industrial machines). That worked perfectly, but modern steels like my previous LeGrande and my present Zum are impossible to play that way – the pedals are very narrow and sharp, and my feet just cannot take the pain. Seems like nearly all manufacturers use similarly flawed designs for production economy reasons.

So I sacrificed an old rubber mat, cut off four pieces, beveled the edges and glued them to my Zum's pedals. Now I don't need to put on a pair of shoes, and the rubber surface provides a better grip when I do play with my shoes on.

[John De Maille]

After 38 yrs of playing steel, I'm most comfortable in cowboy boots. I can play in almost any foot wear, but, my boots are the best for me. I did have an interesting experience, though. I had to do a session right after my day job as a carpenter. I packed everything in my truck, steel and seat, and went to work as I normally did. Only one thing..... No cowboy boots. I had forgotten them. So, I had to do the session wearing my steel toed work boots. I was extremely nervous about that and had my mind set, that, it wasn't going to be good. But, guess what? I pulled it off without a hitch. After a few minutes of playing, everything felt almost normal. So, we CAN adapt to adverse situations when needed. Everyone was happy, the producer, the engineer, the artist and me. Having said all that..... around the house, I usually just play wearing moccasins. It's what I wear when I'm at home.

[Joachim Kettner]

This thread has become wide, so have these boots. Not recommended for playing steel, although.

[Erv Niehaus]

Jack,
If you look closely, those moccasins aren't moose hide they're "woose" hide!