Raise on 7th string

[Dale McPherson]

Who raises the 7th string? What knee lever are you using? I think I would like it.

[Ian Rae]

If you're talking E9, plenty.
It's quite common to raise 1&7 to G on a lever. Which one depends on your existing setup.
On my uni12 I have it on a pedal.

[Dale McPherson]

Yes on the E9. I saw a tab with it being used with pedals AB. Not sure what chord it makes. Is there another way to get the same results without the raise?

[Dale Rottacker]

Yes on the E9. I saw a tab with it being used with pedals AB. Not sure what chord it makes. Is there another way to get the same results without the raise?

Dale I have it on RKR where I lower 2 and 9... I raise 7 both a half and a whole... with AB down raising it a half gives you a Dom7th and raising it a whole a Maj7th... very nice change... I use the whole raise much more than the half part of it

[Ron Pruter]

Do it! A whole step. Along with string 1.(I raise the second 1/2 also) I have a feel stop at the half which makes it even more usable. You will love it. It's a lick in itself. Jay Dee uses it. Enough said. RP
To answer Dales question: The Chord is a seventh with it raised 1/2 and a Major7 raised a whole step.

[Fred Justice]

I raise first string a whole, the second string a half, and the 7th string a half and a whole, on my LKL staggered.

[Ricky Davis]

[Larry Bressington]

I am passionate about minimalism, personally I wouldn’t do it just because of a tab writing. I would replace the lick with something else just as complimentary or possibly search out another way to find it, it might not be a three string lick it might now be a two string lick, use subs, the E9 can get anything done using 2 notes. Tab is typically written by somebody who has a guitar set up to their liking, and eventually you will find you have nine pedals and nine levers chasing tabs, anyhoo that’s how I go about it, but I know that’s a controversial and individual outlook.

[b0b]

I used to raise the middle F# to G on the same lever that lowered the second string D# to D. No longer. Now I get that note by lowering G# to F# plus the B pedal. Tuneable splits - gotta love 'em.

[Skip Edwards]

I raise 7 a whole tone, on my RkL. Movements that you might usually do by lowering 6 just sound a bit different, and I like that.
I'm also able to use a wound 6th, since I don't have to worry about lowering it. The wound 6 string sounds better to my ears.

[Bengt Erlandsen]

All my pedal-steels (D10, S10 and S12extE9) have both strings 7 & 1 F#-G# on RKR

(my RKL does 2 D#-D-C# and 9 D-C#)info only

From Open strings (root note = E) RKR raise the note into a major 3rd

From Open Strings (Root note = B while E's to Eb) RKR raise from the 5th to a 6th

From Open Strings A+B pedals (Root note = A) RKR raise from 6th to a maj7th

Those are the 3 most obvious uses, but there are some other uses for that change as well during certain melody runs.

I dont raise the 2nd string from D#-E on that same RKR lever, altho many others do and find it useful as well.

This RKR lever does very much the same as the A pedal if you view the 10th or 5th string as your root note instead of the 8 or 4th string. Having the 2nd string raise at same time would be like adding the B pedal raises to your A pedal imo. Thats why I do without the 2nd string raise.

If I want to play more in a blues type setting I might change the stop-feel on RKR so it only does a half step raise F#-G but most of the time I keep it as a full step raise F#-G#

B.Erlandsen
S12extE9 7+7

[Jack Stoner]

I had the 7th string raise a half tone (F# to G) on a PP Emmons and then the 82 Franklin I bought new and played to early this year. The raise on the Franklin was put on by Johnny Cox, who told me Buddy Charlton called it his "Ernest Tubb lever". I don't have it on the used GFI Ultra I have now but intend to add it to the RKR.

[Dick Sexton]

Left knee right on all of my steels.

[Paul Wade]

had it for years. took it off and put on the 6th string lower going to switch back to 7th raise G/G# a long with
1st string raise....LKR

p.w

[Dale Rottacker]

had it for years. took it off and put on the 6th string lower going to switch back to 7th raise G/G# a long with
1st string raise....LKR

p.w

I have them both... 6th whole lower on a Vertical and and the 7th whole raise on RKR where I also lower 9 a half and 2 a half and a whole... I had the 6th whole lower where I was also raising 1 and 2, but there were way to many conflicts with it there.

[Ian Rae]

...eventually you will find you have nine pedals and nine levers...but I know that’s a controversial and individual outlook.

No it isn't, it's common sense. There are so many different ways of doing the same thing on this instrument that you don't need all of them.

[Pete Burak]

Is the Tab telling you to raise string-7 a half-step while you have AB down, to get a 7th chord?
Fwiw if you don't have that lever, it is really easy to do with a behind-the-bar bend.
Press AB down and grab string-7 with your left index finger and raise it a half step.
Raising string-1-F# a half-step with a behind-the-bar bend is really easy too.

[Dale McPherson]

Pete, I am not that coordinated. LOL

[John Swain]

1,2+7 raise on LKR, with a G feel stop! "Don't leave home without it"!

[Tony Prior]

1,2 + 7 raise on RKL( like John above)

5+6 lower ( whole tone) on the vertical

[Ryan Bramlett]

very interesting thread. As a rank amateur on my BMI E9 with a ho-hum copedent, i'm surprised to hear about a change to lower the 6th string. I've never heard of that.

anyway, here's my question: for those of you who have the common raise of strings 1 and 7 from F# to G (mine happens to be on RKL), what kind of chords are you making with that? it's probably the change i use least, because i haven't learned any chords that employ it. I'm not playing a bunch of scales or single string runs so i'm not needing it there either...

thoughts about this change for the "chordy" player?

[Ian Rae]

With pedals down, that change turns the A6 chord into A7, or Edim if you miss out the 6th string. With pedals up you can get Em.

Personally, like b0b I prefer to lower 6 a whole tone and split it with the B pedal. That way you have a choice of 4 notes all on one string - A, G#, G and F#.

Pedal steel is all about movement, and even if you mostly play chords you still have to figure out how to get neatly from one to the other. I have a running joke with the bass player.
"Give me an E minor" he will say.
"Not till you tell me what's next."

[Tony Prior]

anyway, here's my question: for those of you who have the common raise of strings 1 and 7 from F# to G (mine happens to be on RKL), what kind of chords are you making with that?

Not everything is about chords , it can be , but it can also be about expression.

Perhaps Unison notes, We bend strings on guitars, its not about chords, its about "expression". The B Bender guitar , we don't create chords, we create expression. OF course we CAN create chords but we may be missing the big picture. Keyboard players have an expression wheel, it bends notes up or down.

The 1st string raise is about expression, treat the 7th raise in the same manner, work it into your bag of tricks.

1,2 and 7 raise are excellent "adds" to what we may already do.

good luck

[Jack Hanson]

I pull the string (either the 1st or 7th) behind the bar with my ring finger.

[Norman Evans]

I don't have the 7th string raise. I have a real bare bones setup. I get the half tone raise two frets back of pedals down position by raising the 6th string from pedals up position. You can see BE using it here about 0:44 seconds in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Iv63oF6HUY