The Steel Guitar Forum

I always tell that too 😆😆😆

"Lap slide player seeks accomplished armpit guitarist to form really smart duo."

Not quite "Both Barrels" as you have to be careful in PC world.
He should get my point though...

I can tell by the thousands of comments on my videos that 99.9% of the viewers are Not steel guitarists, and probably not musicians at all. So I'm not surprised by the "lap slide" reference, but this guy seems especially clueless.

A recent commenter said that I was faking... not actually playing the pedal steel because he could hear notes changing, but I was "not moving the slide". He said FAKE!!! THUMBS DOWN!!! So I explained to him how a pedal steel works and how notes can change while the bar remains on one fret. The next day I deleted his comment and banned him from my channel.

Another guy said I was faking because... Where was all the other music coming from? (the drums and the bass) A steel guitar can't make all those sounds! So I had to explain to him what a backing track is.

Doug, you must have nerves of steel and a very thick skin while reacting to this nonsense.

An entire army of people couldn't correct all the stupid and inane comments on YouTube that happen in a days time.

Many you tube comments i read are proof positive that intelligence and respect are no longer traits many humans possess.

I think this is what a lot of people think, as if it is the Magnus Chord Organ of guitars (get an autoharp). Personally, I find steel guitar to be considerably more difficult than playing guitar. I still struggle daily.

Joachim Kettner wrote:Doug, you must have nerves of steel and a very thick skin while reacting to this nonsense.

I guess so. I realize that the average person has little or no understanding of the steel guitar, but it's the misinformation that is often posted that irks me. I have to either correct it or delete it.

Direct them to Fish's video explaining how the Cheese slicer works.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=st ... &FORM=VIRE

Jeff Evans wrote:"Lap slide player seeks accomplished armpit guitarist to form really smart duo."

Over the years I have made quite a bit of extra income buying and selling pedal steels that were originally purchased by "amazing" (according to their friends and fans) six string players who believed that learning should be a "Piece of cake". Most were basically in as new condition with few playing hours.

...six string players who believed that learning should be a "Piece of cake"

I know exactly what you mean, David. A couple of years ago I bought a like new Gold Tone Beard dobro for less than half of it's original price, from a guitarist who thought it would be easy play "slide". He had played it for about an hour and realized it "wasn't his cup of tea".

Like this steel player? 😆

https://youtu.be/xBv4HnWj2l8

Wow,I am half giving up on my lap pedal steel.I really am a loser!!! maybe I could work with unknown Hinson, hear there is an opening.

Fiddle has to be even easier than lap steel --only four strings and no frets!

Ha! And no chords and stuff to memorize, just slide your fingers up the fingerboard!

Not to mention how easy the piano must be. All the notes lined up, all in tune – you just have to press a "button"...

"People are not as stupid as you think they are – it's much worse"

Jack Hanson: "Ingorance is bliss..."

Oh, I get it now.
Like Pee Wee Herman, "I meant to do that." ;>))

That statement couldn't be further from the truth. Playing the pedal steel is a lot more complicated than that. In the first place it's not just "sliding the bar around on the strings." And yes, there are chords, many of them. You have to used both hands, both feet, both knees.

I am a guitar player of 55 years, never thought the PSG would be easy, had an idea of how they worked, but I never thought it would be this difficult. Not only two hands, but two hands, two feet, and two knees. Most guitar players have no clue. That Unknown Hinson video was pretty funny.

All I can say, is try to play it.

As a relatively new PSG player, I can say without a doubt it is the most difficult instrument I’ve attempted. Fiddle came pretty easily for me, at least to get to a decent level of competency. Dobro wasn’t too bad. Most instruments I can figure out on my own but this is the first time in along time I’ve needed formal lessons.

Haha! That's a good one, Doug. After I had been playing 6-string guitar for nearly 20 years, I decided that I wanted to add to my repertoire the pedal steel guitar. So, I bought a student model and took it home (Seems like almost yesterday). I played the finger/thumb style of Chet Atkins on the 6-string guitar and I thought playing the PSG would be a breeze since I had acquired great command of my right hand. I thought that playing an instrument that required the use of that said hand should be easy. Ha! Boy! Was I wrong! I finally got it, but not after many, many hours of practice and live playing and I have to tell you playing pedal steel guitar is nothing like playing the 6-string guitar. Also, the Dobro was finally added to my repertoire about ten years ago, and it's even different than the PSG. Playing wise! Even the strings are spaced wider than the PSG!
Oh, and Doug..., let's not forget the famous double-neck pedal steel guitar. Learning to play that other neck and tuning can be quite a chore! Add that to your list of some of the easiest (Haha) things to learn on the PSG!
One of the things I failed to mention was that the student model I acquired was an MSA red baron! My first ever PSG!

Bob, no, it’s not me on the dobro.