The Steel Guitar Forum

Where would I find a cd by steel guitar artists who use a flat pick only ? And I'm presuming that using a flat pick exclusively would not be feasible on a pedal steel, or has that been done by someone, too ?

There are a ton of recordings available by Tut Taylor, playing a dobro exclusively with a flat pick. I don't know of a pedal steel equivalent.

KP

Tut Taylor, Steve Howe, Junior Brown all flat pick non-pedal steel.

Andy, are you sure about Junior Brown? Seems to me when I've seen him play he uses at least a thumbpick if not fingerpicks on both necks of his guit-steel.

Hey Orv,
Just saw Junior a couple of weeks ago. Definitely playing with a flat pick.
Dave

I stand corrected. I haven't seen him for a long time and my memory is cloudy. If only the sky around here was as cloudy! D*mn its hot!!

Yeh, what's going on here? Are we in Texas or something? We're not built for 95 degrees.

I am a lifetime of experience and talent away from some of the above mentioned players, but for the record, I sometimes have to resort to playing with a flatpick. I play in a track duo, and some songs that require a bit of steel require that I use whatever I'm playing at the time for steel...usually a nice .73 Dunlop. I of course prefer the thumb/fingerpicks approach, but sometimes, you have to do what you have to do.

I saw Rusty Young last weekend with Poco and he used a flat pick on Dobro for an entire tune before reverting to thumb and fingerpicks for a few more steel and dobro tunes.

David Gilmour's another flat picker. And Steve Howe like Andy said - even on PS. OK, now I've outed myself as a prog rocker

James Burton plays dobro with a flatpick and one fingerpick on his middle finger. You can hear a lot of it on his "Corn Picking and Slick Sliding" album with Ralph Mooney.
Nick

Here are some pictures of Junior trying out the newest Guit-Steel from Michael Stevens...clearly playing with flat pick and fingerpicks. And if its good enough for Junior and James Burton...there must be something to it.

I can't remember his name but there was a guy who used to show up at some of those MASGA events who played pedal steel with a flatpick, mostly on C6th. Also, Sid Hudson who was Barbara Mandrell's lead guitarist for many years is a very accomplished pedal steeler. On steel he uses a flatpick and two metal fingerpicks. He was the steel player on the Williamsburg Opry in Virginia a few years back. Years ago there was a steel player with Rose Maddox named Lucky Rogers. If I remember right, he used a flatpick and fingerpicks. I've tried it but I block a lot with my curled under index finger so it doesn't work for me.........JH in Va.

I feel all too lightweight to all the names mentioned, but I happen to play the pedal steel and lapsteel with a flatpick and two metal fingerpicks. I started playing the steel guitar too late after 30+ years of regular guitar playing to be able to relearn my picking style. My attempts with the flatpick can be heard on my recent CD (link below).

-- Jan

Ah, but you're not flatpicking unless you use a flatpick and only a flatpick. When you throw in the fingers to pick with it's a hybrid form of flatpicking. Nothing picks the strings but a flatpick when you're flatpicking.

Jude