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Topic: Horizontal Lever |
James Quillian
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 17 Mar 2018 9:32 am |
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Six years ago I started playing the pedal steel. In that amount of time, I have never used the horizontal lever. Also, I have never witnessed another steel player use it. I have never seen it indicated in a piece of tab.
Who uses this lever and for what?
_________________
Curbside Jimmy's New Act
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlzieFLE5no |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 17 Mar 2018 9:48 am
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Can we assume you are lowering your B-strings a half-step on that lever?
If so, when this question has come up before, the most-used consensus from forumites seems to be to do this particular 7th chord lick. Actually, it's a partial 7th chord, since you're not playing all 4 notes in the chord. Why I mention that will become clear in a second.
If you slide 2 frets back from open, and step on the A-pedal and hit strings 4 and 5, that's a couple of notes from a 7th chord. A ridiculously useful position.
So, here's the move; it just fancies up that 7th. You hit that A-pedal position, then while still ringing, release the A-pedal and engage the B-lower lever. You can stop there, or keep going and do the move in reverse: release the lever and step on A-pedal again.
It's still a partial 7th chord. You're just taking out one of the 4 tones from the chord and replacing it with a different one (taking out the 5th of the chord and putting in the 3rd). This bending movement as you toggle between the tones within a chord sounds cool -- but you couldn't do it if you just hit all 4 notes of the 7th chord at once.
If you include the 6th string (or 3rd) in all this, you're playing 3 out of the 5 tones in a 9th chord. A 9th chord can often work well over the band's 7th chord and it adds a little color. The "toggling of tones" move within the chord works the same way, though. |
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John Poston
From:
Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Posted 17 Mar 2018 10:51 am
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I use it to lower by 6th string G# t F# but honestly I'm thinking of a new guitar and skipping having a vertical at all.
I lower Bs to Bb on RKL and it's a very heavily used change, mostly for what Tucker just described.
Also, I've had vertical on 3 different guitars and never really liked the ergonomics of it. |
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Chance Wilson
From:
California, USA
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Posted 17 Mar 2018 6:19 pm
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| Together Again |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 18 Mar 2018 12:33 am Re: Horizontal Lever
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| James Quillian wrote: |
Six years ago I started playing the pedal steel. In that amount of time, I have never used the horizontal lever. Also, I have never witnessed another steel player use it.
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 James, you need to get out more !
I personally do not use the traditional drop 5 and 10 on X lever , like others instead I raise 7 on LKL and drop 6 on the X lever. For anyone who's counting, I use it in every song somewhere !
As stated many times, it's not a question of the LEVER but rather , what does it do . If it's an important part of your playing you will use it often, if not, well, it's just one more thing to carry around !
Learning to use this lever physically is just another part of our Pedal Steel journey but I suspect that those that don't use it are just not experienced enough to execute the motion with comfort, be it drop 5/10 or drop 6, whatever.
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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