The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm more of a pedal player but do play the Dobro as much as I can squeeze it in on my gigs. I'm just wondering where do all of the non pedal players like lap steel play and what kind of stuff do you play? Is it Hawaiian, rock, rockabilly or just what?

I play in an alt-country/Americana band, so a lot of bluesy, rootsy material. I play banjo 40% of the time (we used to be a newgrass band. Now we're louder). I'm going for a David Lindley sound -- maybe in a few more centuries, I'll get there. We're doing some clubs, but prefer playing county or privately sponsored events.

Peter

I have a group of three that I gig with: Slack Key guitar, ukulele (2), steel and bass. We all sing. We have an agent that keeps us pretty busy in the summer. We do corporate gigs mostly, cosktail parties ,weddings and such.

We have a Wednesday night group of 50 or so ukulele players and I normally take my steel. The group also performs.

Jack

I played in a pretty good variety of clubs with my last band, playing original instrument jazz/rock. The one I'm currently in (playing old time Hawaiian) has played coffee houses only.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Hello Frank. I'll throw in my two-bits worth. I've been playing for a long time both lap steel and Dobro. The latter, I play with a bluegrass gospel band but we do some secular stuff too. On the lap, I play old Eddy Arnold stuff in the Roy Wiggins "crying steel guitar" style such as I'll Lold You In My Heart, Bucket of Roses, and old pop stuff like My Happiness, and Hawaiian stuff. I play mostly in the A Major tuning from the dinosaur age (some people think). The Dobro is in G Major.

I play mostly Beach Concerts and Tiki Bars. I do a solo act - I sing and play 1/2 Steel and 1/2 Guitar. I do 95% originals and use my own backup trax.
Here and here are ShowPics with audio.
These 2 pages work best with high speed connections.

Rick Alexander
Big Steel

I played lap steel in a band. the singer was a talented song writer; pretty good vioce...sounded like Tom Petty.
we, another guitar player in standard tuning, bass, keyboard, and drums, played his originals and some covers.
characterize the music as rock/alt/ country.
I tuned to open E and G. sometimes A6.

we played small clubs around town and out state.

now I jam with friends every week. we record every thing.

now I am band less. looking for another project in the Minneapolis area.
I should post something as a steelplayer for hire; lap, pedal, resonator, acoustic and electric standard tuning guitar too.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Randy Reeves on 09 December 2005 at 12:57 PM.]</p></FONT>

whatever the gig calls for. Pop standards,ctry, haw etc. CC

That's just too cool guys. I get bored at what I do sometimes and always look for alternatives. I came from a rock/jazz type background when I played the drums so country and bluegrass is not my only interest. Taking up the lap steel would be something new for me and it would put me into some different music too. Sounds great to me. Americana is catching my ear a lot more these days too.

Well, I play in a Hawaiian Cowboy Jugband!! You can see our website at www.kahunacowboys.com and if you Google "Kahuna Cowboys", you can see some of the venues we've played. Depending on the gig, I may take a National Tricone, my Schoonover Reso, or an electric steel. I used all three on our soon to be released 2nd CD. It's a blast because we can fit into a lot of different venues--Hawaiian themes, to Cowboy Poetry Festivals, to Bluegrass/Blues Festivals, etc.
DD

I usually play dobro with some friends that like to do ole timey country, gospel and bluegrass tunes. On our last gig I got to break in my Fender Deluxe 8 on some Christmas tunes, had a great time and everybody liked the steel.

Shoot man I'm still wood sheddin at my house. When I do play out its acoustic for now. But so far as the kind of music I play on lap steel, I play it all. Sometimes blues/rock, country, some jazz, and some good old southern gospel. I haven't really found anything yet that my MSA Super Slide doesn't sound good on. My picking doesn't sound that great but it ain't the guitar.

Rick

George Rout, you have a bad ear for regional accents. That song you play is not "bucket of roses". If you heard it in eastern Canada, then it is possibly an acoustic bass instrumental called "bow kay of roses".

Frank, 98% of my playlist is country, bluegrass, and country-rock, using dobro in high bass G. The other 2%, but growing, is western swing and honky tonk in the same basic tuning on a 6 string lap steel with the 4th string raised from D to E, for a G6 tuning.

For dobro I wind up playing coffeehouses, tea houses, bluegrass shows, theatres, barns, etc. with bluegrass bands and singer/songwriter acts. I am fortunate.

cheers,
Drew

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<font size=1>Drew Howard - website - Fessenden guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.</font>

Most of my gigs these days are on bass, but I play dobro solo for a local community center acoustic show once a month. The audience is mostly in their 70s, but that is the population of the area also. I also play dobro with a bluegrass band at various festivals. I play my Dual Pro and Gibson Console with a female guitarist who does a lot of 40s & 50s country and show tunes. We play small bars and restaurants. I know another guy locally who uses a Fender Champ on legs to front a rock / rockabilly band. Sort of like Jerry Lee Lewis on steel guitar. He plays bigger, louder bars and parties. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Aaron Schiff on 11 December 2005 at 09:41 AM.]</p></FONT>