The Steel Guitar Forum

I am looking for help for a friend. He is a Marine who suffered a surfing spine injury that left him quadraplegic. He has amazing grit. He has regained some use of his hands and arms; he drives; he lives a very independent life.

He played some acoustic guitar before his injury, but now he wants to play electric blues on the lap steel, probably 6 string. He does not have a pinch on the right hand, but he could hold a modified flat pick. He would be able to move a bar with the left, but it would need quite a bit of modification. If anyone has experience in setting up adaptive accessories for disabilities, I would appreciate your input and resources.

I would also like to hear from you about the number of strings and some tunings that might work for blues. I don't know if we will be picking or strumming, or some combination. We are just in the brainstorming stage now. Thanks in advance for your help, although we may be a little slow in responding to your posts. size=12][/size]

I’d suggest starting simple. So six strings and open E, which is a good blues tuning AND will be instantly familiar to him from his guitar playing.

EBEG#BD low to high.

David, I've had hand issues in the past so I can shed just a bit of light on the subject. With regard to picking, most steel players use finger picks that are attached to the thumb and first two fingers so no pinch of the right hand is required. He would need to be able to strum or pick with the attached picks however. If not some other solution would be needed. Holding the steel bar with the left is another matter. When I could not hold the bar I had a custom Stevens type bar made that I held between my first two fingers and that worked very well. If that idea doesn't work I envision a bar strapped to the first and second fingers. I also agree with 6-strings and open E tuning.

here is a slide for guitarists. might be able to be used also for a 6 string lap guitar. finger goes in and you press down. might work.

Thanks for the hints, especially the tuning. We will update when we are further along on our project.

Has he thought about just taking up bottleneck, slide guitar? Slides fit over a finger, so (I believe) they are easier to hold and control, and much lighter because they are hollow.

Also, it is a very blues-friendly instrument.

I've seen threads here and on the dedicated reso forum about adapting tonebars/stevens bars for people with injuries/medical conditions. I think the simplest is running a velcro band thrua slot in the bar. At Wintergrass last week I saw a couple people with dobro bars attached to left hand in different ways and Michael Hillman has been making grooved bullet bars, he has pics in the Accessories/amps for sale forum

https://www.resohangout.com/archive/43460

https://www.resohangout.com/archive/43191

[edit to add] https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=2752215

I have some hand issues, not like your friends, but I often play just using a thumb pick and use it like a flat pick, and I can get away with sticking my first or second finger through a Dunlop glass slide so I don't have to hold it, and I can damp the strings behind the slide. That means no pinch control in either hand, just stick the pick on, slide on, and play. I play lap style dobro that way, and I use a low G dobro tuning, mostly. I tune low to high EGDGBD, so the low E is same as flat top guitar, as are the DGB strings. You have roots for major chords on the G string, and minor chords on the E string.

Herco makes a thumb pick that is shaped just like a regular guitar pick but with a loop over for your thumb. They don't dig in as bad as a regular thumb pick so it might be a good option, especially if he played with a regular guitar pick before. He could also try a glass or metal hollow slide from Dunlop and put it on his first finger. Drag his other fingers behind to deaden strings.

John McFee of the Doobie Brothers plays a resonator with a cylindrical slide (not a solid tone bar) on his index finger, palm down.

Continued thanks to members who have sent links to some very inventive solutions. Tentatively we are planning a thimble type thumb pick, and a bar with a strap. I will post photos of prototype and progress.