Pedal steel guitar
|
Pedal steel guitar with two 10-string necks |
The
pedal steel guitar is a type of
electric steel guitar incorporating a stand and pedals. The pedals are used to change the tunings of some of the strings, and depending on model may be assigned functions at the discretion of the player.
While there are some fairly standard pedal assignments, many advanced players devise their own setups, called
copedents. The range of copedents that can be set up varies considerably from model to model. Aftermarket modifications to make other copedents possible are common.
The pedal steel was developed from the
table steel guitar and
lap steel guitar. Like the table steel, the pedal steel may have multiple necks, but the pedals make even a single-neck pedal steel a far more versatile instrument than any multiple-neck table steel.
Many musicians specialize in performing on both pedal steel and some form of lap steel. A particularly popular second instrument for pedal steel players is the
resonator guitar played in steel guitar fashion (i.e., played face-up on the player's lap).
The pedal steel guitar is the latest development in a story that started with the invention of the
lap steel guitar, probably in
Hawaii in the late 1800s. Several persons have been credited with the innovation. The lap steel was very popular in the
United States during the 1920s and 1930s. It was the first
electric instrument to achieve commercial success.
The limitations of chord shapes imposed by the use of the steel slide led to the addition of multiple necks, resulting in the
table steel guitar. Later musicians experimented with adding rods and levers to change the tuning within a neck while playing, resulting in the pedal steel guitar.
Several pioneers of the
electric guitar were first famous for their work on the then more popular electric steel guitar, among them
Adolph Rickenbacher,
Paul Bigsby and
Leo Fender.
Both lap and pedal steel guitars were closely associated with the development of
country music,
western swing and
bluegrass. However the pedal steel's liquid, yearning sound has begun in recent years to be coveted by many modern musicians, beginning in
jazz and
blues. In particular the rising popularity of
alt.country has brought this instrument's beautiful sound to a much wider audience, and it has been used in many different
musical genres.
Jùjú music, a form from
Nigeria, uses pedal steel extensively.
A
Concerto for Pedal Steel Guitar and Orchestra has been written by
Los Angeles composer
Michael A. Levine. It was premiered on
April 16 2005, in a performance by the
Nashville Chamber Orchestra, with
Gary Morse (of
Dierks Bentley's and
Dwight Yoakam's bands) as soloist, and
Paul Gambill conducting. The piece is believed to be the first concerto ever written for the solo steel.
|
Underside of a 12+12 string showing the knee levers and mechanism |
A pedal steel guitar is typically rectangular in shape, and has no
sound board but only one or more
guitar necks, each together with its head and
machine heads, and heavily modified. These are mounted on a stand equipped with foot pedals and usually knee levers. Many models feature two necks, the nearest to the player most often using a
C6 tuning and the farther away using an
E9 tuning. The most common configuration is one or two necks of ten strings each, but eight-string and twelve-string necks are also popular, and even 14 strings on one neck can be found. Three-neck instruments are less common than those with one or two, but are not uncommon.
The pedals and/or knee levers (engaged by moving the knees left, right or vertically) on the underside allow the performer to tighten or relax one or more strings in combination, changing the instrument's tuning during performance.
|
A 13-string single-neck pedal steel set up for playing. |
A performer typically sits on a stool or seat at the instrument. The right foot usually is used on the amplifier's volume pedal. The left foot usually is used to press one or more of the instrument's foot pedals. The knees are positioned under the instrument's body so that by moving them left, right or even vertically, they can push levers that hang from underneath it.
The strings are positioned high above the neck of the instrument. Rather than being pressed to a
fret on the neck, the player's left hand holds a polished metal bar called the
steel on the strings. The steel can be slid up and down the length of the neck, while still touching (effectively fretting) the strings. This raises and lowers the pitch of the notes heard when the strings are played. If the bar is kept perpendicular to the neck (in the orientation of a fret), all strings touched have had their effective length changed equally. The right hand plucks the strings, usually with a set of thumb and finger picks.
The pedals and knee levers are also used to control the tightening and loosening of certain strings and thereby control the pitch of the notes sounded. Engaging one or more pedals and/or knee levers will alter the pitch of any string controlled by those pedals or levers.
Characteristic effects are obtained by changing pitch of one or more strings while other strings' pitches are static or change at differing rates. Melodic lines are composed primarily of diads (two note chords). Also, single note octave
harmonics are used to provide
countermelody. In the E9 tuning, many characteristic clichés involve
tonic-
dominant and
tonic-
subdominant harmonic relationships.
Mastering the pedal steel guitar can take time due to its harmonic complexity and unusual physical technique required. In country music, where the pedal steel guitar is most commonly used, talented players are highly esteemed.
For a table of one tuning of the pedal steel guitar, see
copedent.
Most pedal steel guitars are produced by smaller makers, and many are custom-built to player order.
This list is incomplete. Please add to it if you can.*
Bigsby*
Carter*
Derby*
Emmons*
Fender*
Fessenden*
Fulawka*
GFI*
Market-Rite*
MCI*
Performance Steel Guitars [
1]
*
MSA*
Mullen*
Pedalmaster*
Sho-Bud*
Sierra*
Williams*
Zumsteel*
Rickenbacher*
ZB Custom*
Gibson*
WBS*
Al Brisco*
Jeff Bradshaw*
Bobby Black*
Jerry Brightman [
2]]
*
Tom Brumley*
Noel Boggs*
Buddy Cage*
Toy Caldwell*
Chuck Campbell*
Curly Chalker*
BJ Cole*
Buddy Emmons*
Dom Franco*
Neil Flanz*
Chris Funk*
Santo Farina*
Paul Franklin*
Jerry Garcia*
David Gilmour*
Jon Graboff [
3]
*
Lloyd Green*
Doyle Grisham*
Eric Heywood*
Steve Howe*
John Hughey*
Bud Isaacs*
Shot Jackson*
Doug Jernigan*
Sarah Jory*
Bruce Kaphan*
Ben Keith*
"Sneaky Pete" Kleinow*
"Evil" Graham Lee*
Barbara Mandrell*
Jay Dee Maness[
4]
*
Lloyd Maines*
Ton Masseurs*
Leon McAuliffe*
Gary Morse[
5]
*
Jeff Newman*
Jimmy Page*
Al Perkins*
Butch Peters[
6]
*
Robert Randolph*
Alvino Rey*
"The" Mark Spencer*
Vance Terry*
Herby Wallace*
Speedy West*
Ron Wood*
Rusty Young*
Steel guitar*
Bottleneck guitar*
Hawaiian guitar*
Steel Guitar School and Instruction - Visit Doug Jernigan at DignDoug.com listen to free clips.
*
The Pedal Steel Pages - Where to start.
*
Jeffran College - Jeff Newman's instructional website.
*
Performance Steel Guitars Performance Steel Guitar, LLC
*
Brad's Page of Steel - Discusses lap steel guitars in more detail.
*
Steel Guitar Forum - A discussion board for steel guitarists.
*
SteelGuitarInfo.com - Information on the pedal steel guitar, provided by Carter Steel Guitars.
* http://groups.msn.com/thebritishsteeliessociety - For steel guitar enthusiasts.
*
Photographs of one pedal steel guitar model.
*
Jerry Brightman Home website for Jerry Brightman formerly with Buck Owens.
