The Steel Guitar Forum

What's with the rediculous recent influx of misusing/abusing/ignoring/forgetting the simple time-honored term of STEEL GUITAR by some?
On this forum we have bOb's proprietary use of Steel without Pedals, and pedal steelers coining 'non-pedal steel' increasingly as common verbage.
WTF, are we needlessly attempting to reinvent the wheel here?

I like to needle dobro players by calling it Hawaiian guitar.

There are times when steel guitar is not specific enough. If I'm talking to someone who really doesn't need to know the difference, I'll call it steel guitar. If I say steel guitar to a room full of steel guitarists, most will immediately think pedal steel. It's just the way it is.

Everyone puts some kind of designation in front, like "straight steel", "non-pedal", "lap steel", "Hawaiian steel" etc. Doesn't bother me in the least--actually, in some cases I think it helps a player to clarify where they're coming from stylistically. I wouldn't tell someone I play Hawaiian steel guitar because they'd get the impression that I play only Hawaiian music.

Ron Whitfield wrote:What's with the rediculous recent influx of misusing/abusing/ignoring/forgetting the simple time-honored term of STEEL GUITAR by some?
On this forum we have bOb's proprietary use of Steel without Pedals, and pedal steelers coining 'non-pedal steel' increasingly as common verbage.
WTF, are we needlessly attempting to reinvent the wheel here?

Ron
No wheel is being reinvented here. The reinvention took place back in the 1930s, probably.

"Steel guitar" encompasses everything from 6 strings stretched across an unfinished board to 24-string D-12s with mega-pedals/levers and 14-string single necks with the same number of appendages. Simply, the instrument has evolved to the point where more qualifiers are needed to clarify just what instrument to which the speaker is referring.

I think we should call it a "zirconia" guitar because that's the kind of bar I'm using at the present.

Fan- "What do you call that little instrument you're playing?"
Jethro Burns-"I call it Bruce."

David Matzenik wrote:I like to needle dobro players by calling it Hawaiian guitar.

Ha,Ha Are you not aware that we can not call them "Dobro" anymore. Gibson put the squash on that, copyright infringement don't you know. Kind of like John Pearse and Weissenborn. Now they are Resonophonic guitars or TIFKAD Translation for those unfamiliar with this "the instrument formerly known as dobro" I think a the pedal steel is more of a Hawaiian guitar than the Reso. BTW I play or attempt to play both along with some Oahu's and a Bronson acoustics. I don't play Hawaiian music either.

Yea, I can't STAND it when someone calls it a "slide guitar"! We're talking about a BIG BAG OF MIXED TRICKS here. I've heard the mis-termed references thru the years like everyone else. I have been amazed though, by people who I wouldn't think knew anything of it, but correctly called it a STEEL GUITAR. Also, someone mentioned the dobro--I can't STAND it when a dobro player plays the steel guitar(non-pedal or pedal), in style & technique, the same way a dobro is played!!!

Ron: You're a good man. I've been savagely flamed for saying much the same thing over these several years. Hope much better for you....

What mystifies me are the players that will carry extra rigs and weight to a performance......so they can play lap steel on some Hawaiian songs.

I've always found that I can play ANY song I wish on my Emmons Dbl-10 with standard pedal set-up.... I simply don't smash the pedals on the Hawaiian songs.
I have E7th, A6th and C6th to choose from. Certainly enough variety for me.

Personally, I play the electric Hawaiian steel guitar.

Butch Pytko wrote:Also, someone mentioned the dobro--I can't STAND it when a dobro player plays the steel guitar(non-pedal or pedal), in style & technique, the same way a dobro is played!!!

Now that is where I am lucky. I have no set style of technique. Really I play all my instruments differently. The Reso, Wessie, Lap Acoustics and Lap Steel. Maybe because of the music I want to play on each. They all have their own voice, YMMV

I play lap steel. Mine just has two necks, four legs, and it's own lap...

Let me see if I can understand what we are talking about we have an insterment that can be played on the LAP,however you can place it on a stand, some have legs [3 or 4] this would allow one to stand to play so it nolonger becomes a lap steel, right? some have as many as [4] necks, some have pedals [3 to 8] some have no pedals, some have knee levers [1 to 5] or more, some have no knee levers. some have 6 strings although some have 12 to a neck. Sone are Electric [amplified] some are acustic, some have resinators some do not. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

But hey all have something in common, They are all played with a Bar, Steel, Glass, or Ceramic, They are all played with 2 Finger picks, some brass, some steel, and some plastic, also they are played with a thumb pick, some brass, some steel and some plastic, Am I right, I think so, at least that is what I have observed. SO MAYBE WE SOULD REFERR TO IT As [ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING INSTERMENTS PLAYED WITH 1BAR, TWO FINGER PICKS, AND ONE THUMB PICK.

Also let us remember according to the story some young person in Hawaii many years ago picked up a [what ever] made of steel and just happened to lay it across some guitar strings and strued the insterment and WALA A Steel Guitar. The only change since that time is, various tipes of bars, picks and thumb picks, Stands, Legs, Strings, Pedals, Knee Levers, Pickups and Amplification ect,ect,ect. SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM ? PEOPLE COME TO HEAR THE MUSIC, NOT A DISCUSSION ON WHAT THE INSTERMENT IS CALLED.

YES I HAVE BEEN ASKED [and I tell them that depends on who you ask, but presently I'm playing a....] AND THEY WALK AWAY SHAKING THEIR HEAD WONDERING HOW ON EARTH ANY ONE CAN LEARN TO PLAY SUCH A THING, [Whether a 6 string acustic Lap Steel or a D12 with 9 pedals 6 knee levers and a Foot Pedal, Pedal Steel] BUT THEY SURE LOVE THE SOUND. Have you ever notice the repsinse when the Steel Guitar Play does a lick or two. Sure you do. and doesent it hake you feel good, sure it does.

I see nothing wrong in using pedals and/or knee levers, when playing Hawaiian music, to extend the voicings and chord ranges for tunings other that the Country style E9th. Back in the 30's, what was called "Hwaiian Players" were also playing a lot of the Pop Standards of the era and actually getting into Jazz on the old six string Steel Guitars.

2 necks, 4 legs...I'd call it a Console Steel Guitar.

No legs? A Lap Steel.

Any number of pedals, with or without levers...Pedal Steel Guitar.

Resonator of any type in an acoustic, any number of strings. I'd either call it a Resonator Guitar, or a Triolian if the name fits the guitar, or a Dobro if it's a Dobro.

They are all played with a Steel...They're all "steels" to me, and many folks generally. I guess.

That's the way I see it Rick, after all my blabbing, call it what it is. They all have some of the same DNA.

How about a giant Cheese Slicer ?

I wouldn't call it recent, as I'm 99% sure this topic came up many, many years ago...

doesn't matter how many strings, necks, legs, levers, pedals, or the absence of the last two.......when I state that I play the steel guitar......the only thing I have to qualify is the word "play"......

Good one Howard, That is important, If the owner can't do that it becomes a prity pricey piece of furniture, that only feature is looks & conversation.

Wayne D. Clark wrote: PLAYED WITH 1BAR, TWO FINGER PICKS, AND ONE THUMB PICK.

Uh oh. I use three finger picks.

Howard me too "when I state that I play the steel guitar......the only thing I have to qualify is the word "play"......" I always qualify with the word "attempt"

Now I know how to settle this whole thing. I am going to call my buddy Ron Popeil and ask him his opinion on what to call it. Who better? It slices, it dices, set it and forget it. I got a lunker on my pocket fisherman. Oh my.

I've been calling it simply "steel guitar" for the past several years... for both pedal and non-pedal. I've discovered that any further qualification, any additional adjectives only add to the confusion for the average person, and then I have to explain to them exactly what I'm talking about. It's more than they need to know... it's more than they can handle! Simply saying "steel guitar" always works better than saying "pedal steel guitar" or "non-pedal steel" when talking to the average person.

That's true Doug.......many times when I say "steel guitar"......the average person thinks that I'm speaking of a steel string guitar as opposed to a nylon string......and when I state that it's played with a bar, they still don't comprehend until I make horizontal gestures with my hands and then say "Hawaiian steel guitar"......

It's easier to just wear the T shirt......

I recently told a guy I play "steel"... and he said "Oh, I love steel drum!"

Erv Niehaus wrote:I think we should call it a "zirconia" guitar because that's the kind of bar I'm using at the present.

Erv, I'm curious to see if that zirconia tone bar wears your strings out any faster.

I call it a knitting machine.