previously on the martini shaker*
Respect: Pedal Steel Guitar
I love the pedal steel guitar. Whether it’s in lounge music or in classic or alternative country music, the pedal steel mellows me out. I wish I could get one and learn to play it, but it looks pretty difficult and at this point would probably take more time than I have to become minimally proficient. Therefore, I admire pedal steel players wherever they are.
This also means that I have to find some good samples of pedal steel to get it into my DYI music. While searching for samples, I found this little gem online that immediately gave me a craving for a dark, smoky room and a cocktail. Enjoy.
Baxter says:
Pedal steel is wickedly, notoriously, insanely difficult to master. Lap steels, on the other hand, are fairly simple. Easier to store and cheaper too.
Of course that could be equivalent to saying you love clarinet and me suggesting a recorder…
Submitted 03/27/08 at 6:46 pm
John Dowdell says:
Do you have any experience with other plucked stringed instruments? A lot of guitar can carry over. Can you sing the parts you hear?
The pedal steels can be approachable, but they’re often idiomatic too… the tuning you use can influence a lot of the things that are under the hand and easy to play. It can be an achievable goal. Depends on the habits you grow.
Ditto Baxter on lap steels though… here are two good links to the subculture:
http://www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
http://steelguitarforum.com/
jd
Submitted 03/28/08 at 12:46 am
Jeremy Fuksa: Creative Generalist says:
I’ve got years of experience with guitar and can easily sing the parts I hear.
I guess it all comes down to an intimidating looking instrument coupled with a friend who once said “Dude, pedal steel is crazy tough. Unless you plan on being a serious performer, I’m not sure why you’d pick it up.”
That’s my take on it.
Submitted 03/31/08 at 1:43 pm