Is Steel Guitar Fading Away?

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

The pedal steel with it's distinctive sound has always been associated with Country Music. Even in the heyday of Country Rock (late 60's to early 80's) it had that sound "twang" that instantly caused people to think He-haw, Yippie yi yay!

The new country seems to want to distance itself from that rural sound. Hence the fat processed drums, Hip Hop dippity flipity vocals, Distorted guitars and the lack of pedal steel intros, fills and solos.

Yes there are exceptions, but Country was the real home of the pedal steel and now it is being pushed out.
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Kristen Bruno · From: Orlando, Florida, USA

People appreciate it when they hear it live. But then its done. Over. They don't go running around saying "Wow I heard a steel guitar".
If a young person has a choice between playing with their cell phone or spending more than 10 minutes to learn an instrument, most usually go for the phone.
There will always be some people who will spend the time learning, but I think many go for the easy way to appreciate music, surf the web and listen to music on youtube.

K
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Landon Jarrel · From: Space

Ross Koeberl · From: Minneapolis, MN

Another millennial steel player here, can confirm that most folks my age are only familiar with the steel through Spongebob. One roommate even referred to the instrument as â€œSpongebob guitarâ€ whenever asking me about it. When I finally had a houseguest see it and ask if I knew how to play â€œDire Wolfâ€ I was so happy I coulda wept.

Barry Blackwood · Posted 6 Apr 2019 9:10 am

Larry Carlson · From: My Computer

Tastes in music change with time.
If an instrument or a style doesn't change with it, it will slowly die.
I was first chair trumpet in the youth symphony in my home town.
If I wanted to find a job playing trumpet now it would be a dead end.
Times change.

I love classical music. We have one station in our entire state that plays classical music.
Thank goodness I can receive it at our home.
I would stream it on bluetooth with other stations but doing that ruins the quality and depth of the sound.
I don't think the majority of the next generation listens to music anyway.
If they do they are happy with somebody beating on drums and screaming while listening on those horrible earbuds.
They wouldn't recognize music coming from a quality sound system or a live performance and live performances are also dwindling.
It is now a business designed around a catchy phrase and electronic noises and money.
Unless a group has backing with deep pockets that is becoming difficult to sustain.
Hard to make a living playing 3 hours a night twice a month at a tavern.
In 50 years or so everything will be electronic anyway.
I have a Roland GR-55 and a GK-3 installed on my Asher.
I can play the violin, cello, oboe, just about anything I want on my Asher now
and I'm just a goofball in my music room playing with what basically is an electronic toy.
Think what it will be like in 50 years.

I think music and it's presentation is always evolving.
Either evolve or die. We will always have steel guitars just like we will always have theremins.
Someone somewhere will be always be playing one.
A few will make a living at it. Most will be playing for the joy of it.

All of the above nonsense it just my opinion. It matters not what I think.
However it would be nice to be able to come back in 50 years and see what happens....... Very Happy

I'll be dust, hopefully someone is playing my guitars.
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Maurice Daulton · From: Kentucky, USA

I watched the ACM's last night. My opinmion was the music was for anouther generation. But ther were about 6 steel guitar p[layers on stage. A far cry for the about 2 yrs ago there was none. I did not hear but 1 and was on George Straights segment. He was a Zum player. Reba had Mike Johnson and his Emmons and u could not hear him. He was so far down in the mix. No good steel leads. He would be better off staying in Nashville. Also Miranda Lambert had a guy on a GFI.Could not hear him unless he was playing with a Boss tone. Chris Stapleton did 2 songs. The first with only piano and guitar. But the second gdid have a steel. Don't know what kind. And really Jason Aldean had one. Could not hear him either. Mabe there is hope but it will be used in a different kind music. No George Jones or Bucvk Owens kind of stuff. This does make me feel better towards its future. Thanks. If anyone wants to add to this feel free. I'm so old I do not know many new players.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I haven't watched the CMA awards since they totally abandoned any pretense that the music they were playing was indeed country music.

C'mon now, are we REALLY supposed to have hope for the pedal steel becoming once again a viable instrument in country music? There were six steel players, ok I guess thats good.. However, what the HELL good are six or sixty steel guitars when they can't be heard??. Why even bother?. Cause they LOOK cool??
Thats like saying you saw a band with a world class guitarist with a fabulous look , and great equipment.. however, his guitar was not plugged in.. But man, did he LOOK cool!!!!

Wake me up when the great steel guitarists playing with these ""artists"" can actually be heard again... bob
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

The music business has made it all about the singer. Or maybe vice-versa.

A band only gets acknowlegement when the singer is also a great musician and doesnâ€™t hide it. There are no famous country bands now, so there is no sharing of spotlight or relationship between other band members and 99% of the audience. For example, everyone knew Emmylou Harris traveled with the Hot Band, and many of her fans (if not most) could name at least 3 band members and would go to concerts to see them as much as her.

Steel guitar players like Rusty Young, Buddy Cage, Hank DeVito, JayDee and others were household names for fans of the groups they were in. The music business paradigm that made them and the bands they were in popular no longer exists. The irony is that there are probably more great pedal steel players now than ever before.

This may not be a very direct answer to the OP question, but I have already taken several shots at it here as the discussion expanded and should probably just stop...ðŸ˜´

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I guess you could say that there aren't many "known" country bands these days, let alone those with a steel guitar. Two that come to mind are Marty Stuart's group and, of course, The Time Jumpers. But neither of these are big on the charts. Those of us fortunate enough to have lived through the "golden age" of steel guitar (abt. 1955-1975) know that steel was fairly prominent. But even then, it was not a given.

I came up with a list (in no particular order) of famous country singers in that period who either never had a steel guitar, or never really featured one prominently on any of their records. This is all just from memory, so I welcome any additions or corrections. And looking at this list, though some might disagree, it would be kinda hard to argue that a steel guitar was ever really considered as "necessary" to play country music.

Here goes:

Johnny Cash
Roger Miller
Glen Campbell
Bobby Goldsboro
Alabama
Jim Reeves
George Hamilton IV
Dave Dudley
Ferlin Husky
Jimmy Dean
Sonny James
Tom T. Hall
The Statler Bros.
Roy Clark
John Denver
Dolly Parton (after "Dumb Blond")
Charlie Rich
B.J. Thomas
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Bobby Bare
Kris Kristofferson
Tompall (& The Glaser Bros)
Hank Locklin
Claude King
Kenny Rogers
Narval Felts
Crystal Gayle

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

Well, I want to try to connect a particular dot here:

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Maybe if we just keep adding more strings, pedals, and levers, the pedal steel will be popular again?

A Cmaj13(#11) might do wonders for "Mansion On The Hill".

Mr. Green

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

There ya go.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

GaryL · From: Medina, OH USA

There has been a huge change in the market, being the line-dancing clubs. The music extremely loud and simplistic. When the clubs are not selling beer they're selling lessons. It's about audience participation, like karaoke. Contemporary radio caters to it. One of the local FM deejays admitted to me that his station got their playlists from an internet provider, not a producer. When four people amplified beyond the threshold of pain fills the safe, why bother with steel? We used to have a lot of country-music venues here, (and it seems to be coming back a little) but now it's all line dancing clubs with music written by a robot with loop station. My two cents, anyways.
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Larry Ball · From: Airdrie, Alberta, Canada

MY TWO CENTS:

Most of us trying too comment on the "Steel Guitar" in Country Music are probably like me "A Traditionalist". Meaning that Country Music has taken a turn in a different direction. Since young artist's have taken the stage in recent years there has been a focus on "New" everything. For me that was when I saw Taylor Swift opening up a show for Brad Paisley. All the guitars were using effects to no end, no more clean sounding licks. Just stretch the swings as far as you can and hold the stain of the vibrating strings. Lloyd Green made some recent comments about today's Producers and what they want to hear and the PSG is not necessarily one of them.

I was speaking to a couple from Australia, who are professional players, (Patty Long you know them.)Stuie French and his wife Camille, Michel Rose plays steel with them. Their concern was Country Music and the changes that are effecting record sales etc. I mentioned that there is still an audience out there that will purchase traditional country music. That seemed to make their day hearing that comment. Australia has a bigger audience for Traditional music than the US. They all love the Steel Guitar, that's why Paddy is so busy in session work.

Another big factor that is effecting Country Music is Smart Phones, Ipad's etc. where everyone has their face down in text's, Facebook, video games etc. and not listening to music per say.

Most of us who play music, love to listen too the great players out there "Past and Present" I learned to play guitar from listening to the "Ventures" now I am learning "Steel" from all the great Steel Players on the Forum etc.

The Steel Guitar will always have a place in Country Music. If you listened to Sarah Jory in Dallas you heard the Steel Guitar being played in so many styles.

The street sign when entering Nashville, Tenn. should read "HOME OF THE STEEL GUITAR AND TRADITIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC'
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Glenn Suchan · From: Austin, Texas

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

I'm going to admit that I haven't read every word of this thread before responding, but one point that stuck out was that kids now expect instant gratification and don't have the patience to learn any instrument, let alone PSG. Of course there are exceptions, and those who have the intellect to lose themselves in musical study will tend to succeed. So maybe we can hope for quality of steel players in the future if not quantity.

I have a friend who is old like me. He flies planes and laments the fact that all the other fliers he meets are old guys too and no youngsters seem to be taking it up. You have to study hard to get a licence, and you have to put in the hours to keep it.

So maybe this is not just a musical problem.
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

its not the music or the Steel guitar, it's the generations that followed "OUR" generation.

When was the last time we heard a Blues Harp on the AM radio , like Paul Butterfield ?

I happen to know a 33 year fella, who never even saw a Rocky Movie, or Back to the Future. He also has no clue who Mark Knopfler is.

We are connected to the hip with Steels, we look for it each day, all day.

I've been playing over 40 years, nobody knows who I am either !

We are not mainstream because our music is not mainstream, it's barely any "stream".

Cellphones , texting, YouTube, Facebook, internet games has taken over the younger generations. They barely have any interest in any music when they get past 18 years old ! Adele included. People can only do so much in the course of a day or week. They go where their interest lie.

BUT, we still have our place, and we still play. I still play regularly. One band I am with, 4 years now, they created their own outlet 7 years ago. The leader hooked up with a restaurant, scheduled a show every other Thursday. he runs a newspaper add and a Facebook add for each show as well. People came , slowly at first, now its a staple in the area. We draw approx 100 or more each show in the restaurants overflow room. Not only is it good for us but the restaurant says it's their busiest night of the week. A win win. Ok so don't expect a $150 pay check. Expect fun, an outlet to play and some money.

No place to play ? Go create one. Wine Rooms, small restaurants, Craft Beer joints etc, the landscape has indeed changed but it didn't die out, it just changed.

Use the advertising tools we have right in front of us, forums, facebook, blanket emails, etc...If people are hooked on FB and Email, well hell, send them a note ! Go get them from where they are hanging out ! Smile

Several years ago my friend in Florida got let go from some sort of show venue, he plays Steel and Guitar. He then hooked up with another group of players who now run a weekly show , they rent the venue and sell tickets, its sold out each show. It took a few minutes to get it together but now its a staple in his community. Its probably way more prep work then expected for each show. He created a "WAY" rather than waiting for a "WAY" to find him.

I think so many of us thru the years didn't have to do anything, our phone rang with a gig offer. The business was hot for us. Not anymore. It appears we are still just waiting for the phone to ring which most likely is not going to happen.

Create a "WAY"
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Bob Ricker · From: Nashville Tn

I think culture in general changes. Think about when you were about 18-21 years old in past generations. There were Bars, Beer Joints, dance halls that had music, with bands and some pedal steel. I grew up in a rural county but there were still 5-6 clubs that hired bands and some with steel. Today none of those exist. In the mid-1990's there were big country music dance halls, with higher paying gigs, national acts came in from time to time. Smaller clubs tried to emulate that best they could. TV shows that show country dancing and played music. Those mostly seem gone also. I think a lot of culture has changed where people spend time relaxing and having fun. My mom and dad would have gone dancing to a band, people today go to University/Professional sports and party and drink there. Children's activities such as sports, music, scholastic utilize a lot of family time.

I live in Nashville and there is a lot of steel guitar and places to play/record. There are lot of young steel and guitar players that are great. I realize that not the norm.

I know several country music fans that come to Nashville to have fun a couple times a year. People travel to fun destinations now.

Like someone said above you have to be inventive and create spots locally and create interest or go to where steel is happening. Quite possibly this has always been the case.

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