How to start a song (C6th lap steel)?

[Roger Draper]

I have not figured out how to start a song on the C6 Lap Steel. There are plenty of instructions on how to play cords, but I have yet to find instructions on how to start a song.

[Brad Bechtel]

Moved to Steel Without Pedals from Pedal Steel.

It depends on the song, but a good way to start any song in my opinion is to play the melody, either the chorus or verse depending on what you're trying to achieve.

Do you have a specific song in mind?

[Jack Hanson]

I have not figured out how to start a song on the C6 Lap Steel.

1) Purchase one of Doug Beaumier's song books and the corresponding recording.
2) Do what he does.
3) Voila!

[Joe Cook]

Jack is correct!

[Nelson Checkoway]

Great advice from Jack. Doug Beaumier has a wealth of songs on YouTube where you'll hear great playing: melody, tone and touch.

Also, listen to legendary country and western swing masters like Hank Williams (Don Helms on non-pedal steel) or Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys (Leon McAuliffe on steel). You'll hear that the steel plays a vital role in song intros, endings and "turnarounds" - the 2 to 4 bar figures that bring you from the end of one verse to the beginning of the next. These are usually simple progressions that end on the tonic - the chord of the song's key - or the 5th. Examples in the key of C would be 4 bars of C-G-C-C or C-F-C-G.

An easy way to build a melody line intro to a song is to decide on a chord pattern, like one of the above, with each chord lasting 4 beats, and then play the open strings of each chord in a pattern that sounds good - those are broken chords (or arpeggios). Then add some notes between those chord notes to create mini-scale runs (for example, C major chord = C E G, so play the notes C-E-F-G) Then find notes common to the next chord (G is in the C and G chords) and link these patterns. Voila - you've written a coherent melody line that leads into the song.

Most important is to listen, listen, listen to what's been done before and emulate. And listen to the way other instruments start a song too - often you'll hear that fiddle and steel intros use the same figures. A great example is Crazy Arms by Ray Price -- the fiddle intro is 1-5-1-1 (C-G-C-C) and a steel version of that intro would sound almost identical.

Good luck and happy steelin'

[Michael B Scott]

If you can use your steel to “sing” the last line of the chorus, it can kickoff a lot of tunes…