A letter to the uninitiated
Posted: 21 Apr 2004 7:30 am
I recently sent some video clips of a psg jam to my sister who lives several states away. Prior to seeing the video, she didn't even know which sound in a country tune was the psg. To help bring her up to speed, I wrote a long-winded email, which follows. I was wondering what y'all though of my efforts at describing our strange and elusive instrument.... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>Pedal steel guitar, just like the country music genre it is often found in (but certainly no limited to), draws mixed reactions from people. Some folks think it is one of the most wonderful instruments in the world, others think it sound like a cat in heat. Of course, these responses can vary depending on who the player is, which guitar is being played, and which related equipment (such as the guitar amplifier) is being used. So I'm not surprised if you or anyone find it interesting but not necessarily winsome.
It is a very difficult instrument to play. Instead of well-defined frets such as a 6-string guitar has, one has a sliding steel bar whose precise position on the neck is determined only by the skill of the player. If you're off even a little, you're obviously sharp or flat. Very
unforgiving. But the same unconstrained nature of the bar position allows for melodic slides (portamento), vibrato, bar bounces, "hammer-ons", slants, and other unique techniques impossible with other instruments. So the latitude allowed by the bar (and pedals--see below) demands great skill but it is also because of this very same lack of physical
constraints that one is allowed a great deal of freedom of expression.
As for the pedals (a pedal steel guitar, or PSG, may have as few as 3 and as many as 12; mine has 7) change the pitch of one or more strings. Some raise the pitch, some lower. These pitch changes include half-steps, whole steps, and one-and-a half steps, depending on the desired change in tuning (or open chord) one wants at any given time. My PSG is tuned to an open E-9th, which is typical of PSGs. As an example, if I pick a certain group of strings, I will get an E triad chord. If I then push down the two left-most pedals (called "A" and "B" pedals), the G# string will raise by one half step and the B string by one full step, resulting in an A chord. Many other chords are available based on pedal combinations. Note also that in addition to the pedals, there are knee levers on either side of each leg that allow for yet more string tuning changes. My guitar has 4 knee levers and one wrist lever. I've see PSGs with as many as 12 knee levers. Some levers are for sideways pushing, some are for vertical pushing. Because the pedals/levers move some notes and leave others alone, one can freely change chords or voicings. And when using the pedal and levers, just as when using the bar, note or chord changes can be made rapidly or gradually, allowing for expression or stylization. Add to all this controllability yet another mechanism--a volume control pedal, just like electronic organs have. So, this ability to change some strings independently of others, or all together, and to make the changes as quickly or slowly as on desired, and to fade or swell the loudness, is what gives the PSG its characteristic sound. (For example, when listening to the "Teach Your Children" demo, note that some of the notes I'm playing stay in place while others bend a half or whole step. I also slide the entire chord sometimes, and fade or boost the volume as needed. That's the PSG sound.)
On the DVD, all the instruments you saw were PSGs. (The other back up band instruments you heard were coming from a computer through a set of bookshelf speakers.) PSGs are all 4-legged animals with one or two horizontal "necks" whose flat surface faces up and along which strings are stretched. Some have one neck, others have two. (Some have more, but that's rare.) The number of strings may vary, as well. Mine has one neck and 12 strings, many PSGs have two necks with 10 strings on each neck. Are they all tuned the same? There are standards, but there are a lot of variations. Do all the pedals and levers do the same thing? Again, there are some standards out there, but many variations exist.
So you can see how complex an instrument this is. It takes both hands, both knees, and both feet to play. Very involving! And the people who do play it are very devoted to it. That's probably because those who are only moderately committed to it get discouraged by its difficulty and give up. Plus they are not inexpensive ($800-$6000). So only the most committed stay with it. That makes PSG players a rather select, very interesting group, and a lot of fun. They also come from all walks of life, from brick layers to doctors. (Most players enjoy and play country music, but many play swing (Texas style), jazz, pop, rock, even classical.) I was very pleasantly surprised when I first began relating to the PSG community. I got lots of help (one local player who barely knew me lent me one of his PSGs for two months in 1999, giving me my first experience with the instrument). The online PSG forum in which I participate is characterized by a civility and camaraderie (with exceptions, of course) I've seen nowhere else in cyberspace. Also, the average age of a PSG player is 50. I guess it's because it takes so long to get "good" at it. Since I started in '99, I'm very unlikely to get particularly proficient. But I am having fun.
There.... did I ramble too much for you?</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
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<font size=-1>Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?</font>
It is a very difficult instrument to play. Instead of well-defined frets such as a 6-string guitar has, one has a sliding steel bar whose precise position on the neck is determined only by the skill of the player. If you're off even a little, you're obviously sharp or flat. Very
unforgiving. But the same unconstrained nature of the bar position allows for melodic slides (portamento), vibrato, bar bounces, "hammer-ons", slants, and other unique techniques impossible with other instruments. So the latitude allowed by the bar (and pedals--see below) demands great skill but it is also because of this very same lack of physical
constraints that one is allowed a great deal of freedom of expression.
As for the pedals (a pedal steel guitar, or PSG, may have as few as 3 and as many as 12; mine has 7) change the pitch of one or more strings. Some raise the pitch, some lower. These pitch changes include half-steps, whole steps, and one-and-a half steps, depending on the desired change in tuning (or open chord) one wants at any given time. My PSG is tuned to an open E-9th, which is typical of PSGs. As an example, if I pick a certain group of strings, I will get an E triad chord. If I then push down the two left-most pedals (called "A" and "B" pedals), the G# string will raise by one half step and the B string by one full step, resulting in an A chord. Many other chords are available based on pedal combinations. Note also that in addition to the pedals, there are knee levers on either side of each leg that allow for yet more string tuning changes. My guitar has 4 knee levers and one wrist lever. I've see PSGs with as many as 12 knee levers. Some levers are for sideways pushing, some are for vertical pushing. Because the pedals/levers move some notes and leave others alone, one can freely change chords or voicings. And when using the pedal and levers, just as when using the bar, note or chord changes can be made rapidly or gradually, allowing for expression or stylization. Add to all this controllability yet another mechanism--a volume control pedal, just like electronic organs have. So, this ability to change some strings independently of others, or all together, and to make the changes as quickly or slowly as on desired, and to fade or swell the loudness, is what gives the PSG its characteristic sound. (For example, when listening to the "Teach Your Children" demo, note that some of the notes I'm playing stay in place while others bend a half or whole step. I also slide the entire chord sometimes, and fade or boost the volume as needed. That's the PSG sound.)
On the DVD, all the instruments you saw were PSGs. (The other back up band instruments you heard were coming from a computer through a set of bookshelf speakers.) PSGs are all 4-legged animals with one or two horizontal "necks" whose flat surface faces up and along which strings are stretched. Some have one neck, others have two. (Some have more, but that's rare.) The number of strings may vary, as well. Mine has one neck and 12 strings, many PSGs have two necks with 10 strings on each neck. Are they all tuned the same? There are standards, but there are a lot of variations. Do all the pedals and levers do the same thing? Again, there are some standards out there, but many variations exist.
So you can see how complex an instrument this is. It takes both hands, both knees, and both feet to play. Very involving! And the people who do play it are very devoted to it. That's probably because those who are only moderately committed to it get discouraged by its difficulty and give up. Plus they are not inexpensive ($800-$6000). So only the most committed stay with it. That makes PSG players a rather select, very interesting group, and a lot of fun. They also come from all walks of life, from brick layers to doctors. (Most players enjoy and play country music, but many play swing (Texas style), jazz, pop, rock, even classical.) I was very pleasantly surprised when I first began relating to the PSG community. I got lots of help (one local player who barely knew me lent me one of his PSGs for two months in 1999, giving me my first experience with the instrument). The online PSG forum in which I participate is characterized by a civility and camaraderie (with exceptions, of course) I've seen nowhere else in cyberspace. Also, the average age of a PSG player is 50. I guess it's because it takes so long to get "good" at it. Since I started in '99, I'm very unlikely to get particularly proficient. But I am having fun.
There.... did I ramble too much for you?
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<font size=-1>Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?</font>
