The Steel Guitar Forum

(I have never played a psg yet. I'm waiting for my first one today.)

It appears to me that, by use of pedals and knee levers on an E9 neck, one could play 1,4,5,6m, and 2 chords without ever moving the bar. Most of those at least.

How does one decide when to move the bar for the next chord, and when to pedal / knee? Is it strictly a musical / melodic / sound decision, or are there technical (ease of execution) reasons too?

Jerry, with a 3x4 setup on E9, all 7 diatonic chords are playable on one fret in 2 keys. Choosing to play them at certain frets depends on what voicing you are looking for in the chord. Some voicings are easier to grip at one location rather than another, but the more difficult grip might be more convenient at a particular time depending on what you have played right before and what you are going to play right after it.

Also, sliding around is just plain fun

Jeffrey McFadden wrote:
How does one decide when to move the bar for the next chord, and when to pedal / knee? Is it strictly a musical / melodic / sound decision, or are there technical (ease of execution) reasons too?

That's the million dollar question. As I learn a chord progression, I try as many positions & pedal/lever combinations as I can. Then I whittle away until I find what makes things sound best to me.

Eventually it will become a matter of (mostly) expression- the “feel” you want to project by moving from where you are to where you’ll be next. The more experience and exploration you have in will inform your choices, and the journey is one of the best things about playing! I would recommend that a beginner learn a couple of “go-to” moves for each common situation, say a 1-17-4 progression, and once you own those, spend some of your practice time expanding on the basic lick or position palette, and some on letting your ear and taste guide your choices.
I have found that with backup playing, I often lean toward the opposite of what else is going on- if the melody is ascending, I’ll play a descending line or chord phrase, sparser when it’s busy, etc.
The instrument itself presents so many ways to achieve a given result- some are kind of obvious, and then you will hear a lick or phrase from one of the masters that obviously took a lot of thought and exploration to develop.
Your question itself really points toward one of the definitions of personal style. Have fun!

I move the bar when I require a different place on the neck to get the OTHER notes I want (you can find the notes of the chord anywhere). There's no right, wrong or goofy; just the artistic decision of where to voice the notes in your head.

Should the Poster's progression be

1, 4, 5, 6m, 2m

Don't think I've ever played a '2 chord' at original position fret.

but maybe I'm having a density attack

Ron Funk wrote:Should the Poster's progression be

1, 4, 5, 6m, 2m

Don't think I've ever played a '2 chord' at original position fret.

but maybe I'm having a density attack

I don't think he is referring to a chord progression, but rather just the chords that are available without moving the bar. And I use the 2m chord often using B&C pedals.

Don't forget that there is a 3m chord there too (E to Eb lever, or 2nd string).

Ron Funk wrote:Should the Poster's progression be

1, 4, 5, 6m, 2m

Don't think I've ever played a '2 chord' at original position fret.

but maybe I'm having a density attack

Actually I was kind of guessing... I just got my PSG Wednesday of this week, so it would be beyond stretching to say I had this figured out.

"When to move the bar" is an artistic choice. Take the intro to Hank Junior's "Whisky Bent". On my guitar, the initial 5-note run up can be played pretty much without moving the bar, but the phrasing isn't the same as when you move the bar.

Jeffrey McFadden wrote:(I have never played a psg yet. I'm waiting for my first one today.)

It appears to me that, by use of pedals and knee levers on an E9 neck, one could play 1,4,5,6m, and 2 chords without ever moving the bar. Most of those at least.

How does one decide when to move the bar for the next chord, and when to pedal / knee? Is it strictly a musical / melodic / sound decision, or are there technical (ease of execution) reasons too?

in the pedals open position you can pay a 7dim chord on the first 3 strings using the B pedal. The diatonic 7dim chord can also be played in the pedals down position.