Steel and piano

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 4 Mar 2020 5:10 am

This may be considered heresy but, I sometimes find it a help to work out a confusing passage on the piano.

I want to state right off that I am by no means a good piano picker. However, the linear layout of the keyboard for me helps to see some chord and note progressions a little more clearly. Of course, I usually start learning a new piece by single noting, but, even then, I occasionally find it helpful to look to the keyboard.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 4 Mar 2020 5:43 am

Bill I agree with you. For me as a long time guitar player, I often try the same by working it out on 6 string guitar 1st. I have slowly gotten less dependent on this method. I believe over time our ear can detect more of the tones associated with the string groups, and the pedal and lever choice. That is using standard tuning and stock changes. Those added changes are not easily discovered.

Dennis Montgomery · Post by **Dennis Montgomery** » 4 Mar 2020 9:49 am

I was a keyboard player for many years before picking up guitar, and many more before picking up pedal steel, and I do the same thing. When I'm working up a new solo pedal steel arrangement of a song, I'll play the chords and vocal melody on a keyboard. Helps me clearly see what notes the vocal line requires related to the supporting chord underneath. Most importantly, does the vocal melody contain notes not found in the underlying chord and if so, are they in the scale implied by that chord or the key of the song? If neither, I know I'm in for a fun ride trying to find them

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 4 Mar 2020 2:54 pm

Dennis said what I tried.

Dennis Montgomery · Post by **Dennis Montgomery** » 6 Mar 2020 9:25 am

Cool ^ I think the wonderful thing about keyboards is they're visual music theory machines. It's so easy to apply theory concepts to a keyboard and easily see exactly what's going on because the notes are all there in front of your nose

I actually think applying advanced theory concepts like substitutions, extended chord voicing or modes is much more difficult on pedal steel. Why? Because my brain has to convert the position of the bar and pedals/knees to notes then convert those notes to whatever theoretical concept I'm trying to achieve. Even using the Nashville Numbering System, I still have to memorize the bar/pedal/knee positions and convert them to chord qualities...then...figure where I'm at. On keyboards, I can instantly see the notes and intervals I'm working with so my brain gets to skip the translation step and go straight to analysis. Or it could just be because I started playing keyboards at 4 yrs old and the first instrument you learn on becomes the foundation for other instruments you later play