The Steel Guitar Forum

I have both a 6 string and 8 string lap steel. what are techniques to make a lap steel sound more pedal like?

1. Good accurate slants with sustained notes.
2. Fast bar moves.
3. A quick, clean right hand with good pick and palm blocking.
4. A tuning with a thin string on top.
5. Lots of practice!

6. Pulling the string behind the bar using the fingers of your left hand. (Billy Robinson is a master of this technique and can really make it sound like a pedal steel.)

I once created a tuning specifically for this purpose. I can't remember what it was exactly, but the first 4 strings were:
1. B (lower than string 3)
2. G# (lower than strings 2 and 3)
3. E
4. C# (I think)

I had to really play around with the gauges, but when I got it right I could use my middle finger to grab those strings and pull them and it would be in tune every time. I could also push the nose of the bar down on the top strings causing them to raise in pitch. It was all very effective. I abandoned it, though, just because....
There were a lot of possibilities, though.

Roy Thomson and Bill Hatcher with his Leavitt tuning can play some really cool pedal steel soundin stuff on lap steel. Click here and scroll down to Bill's three links to hear some. Click Here

Ditto on all of the above.

James, I recently posted a "speedpicking" clip on C6 lap steel that you might find interesting. It sounds kind of 'pedal steel-ish'

Audio ---> Click

Tablature ----> Click

here you go. you can get some great pedal sounds from the non pedal

http://www.mediafire.com/?59jtbwwdmj4

thanks!!!!

7. a volume pedal (for adding "endless" sustain)

As Mike said ... the master ....

http://www.mikeihde.com/brobinson.htm

Be sure to check out Mike Ihde's book while you"re there!

Indeed, lap steel sounds like pedal steel.

How do I make my E9 pedal steel sound more Hawaiian?

Chris Scruggs in Nashville. He is one of the best!

Doug, that's wonderful, superb!

Some great posts..
Bill, could you elaborate on the tuning and string gauges in your clip..
very nice!
Thanks!

Bill, that is absolutely stunning. Do you use 2 necks and what is your tuning?

Here's Chris Scruggs proving it can be done effectively...

Just need to work out what he's actually doing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H88ENMGmWQc

Cindy does it, too.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xm7vpFCfBk

This is an interesting thread. I'm recording an original country song right now which has a prominant pedal steel part and I'm finding all of the comments above to be true. Fast right and left hand technique, accurate slants, etc, and along with that I find pick attack/volume pedal timing and technique is important. I use a guitar compressor to gain a bit of sustain along with a reverb plugin for effects. The one thing I haven't quite got yet is that sweet pedal steel tone so any advice on that would be welcome.

Wow! I was looking for a pedal steel thinking its necessary to get this sound! I now stop looking for a pedal steel and keep learning non pedal, this instrument is amazing!

... now you could make a donation to the Forum with some of the lots of money you just saved!

After watching all the links, I think I would like to give the slants a try. The Billy Robinson one was the eye opener.

Is it easier with a bullet bar or can I use a Stevens type? I tend to slide the bar a lot instead of raising it anyway.

Thanks, Bill

Thanks Keith, I'm glad you like my lap steel speedpicking demo. It IS possible to play this style on 6-string lap steel, but the licks and options are much more limited than on pedal steel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... AeYTrj9rj4 i am a new player and was wondering is this lap steel or pedal it was recorded in 1955

Dito Jim C.
On a particular song or two I used to de-tune the high B a whole step down to A on my GBDGBD Dobro and yank it up to B with my ring finger to get the most used PSG lick.

JW Adams wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... AeYTrj9rj4 i am a new player and was wondering is this lap steel or pedal it was recorded in 1955

No pedals on that... sounds like a Fender Pro. C6.