Lap Steel Guitar: Accessibility and Design Questions

Paul Strojan · From: California, USA

I think the way music is taught makes lap steel hard. Ergonomically the lap steel is one of the easier instruments to play. The problem is that conventional musical instruction doesn't work. In school, I played recorder and then violin. The point of the class was to teach us to perform individual pieces at a recital rather than learn how to be competent musically.
The Lap steel guitar is set up very well to teach the basics of music theory. With most instruments, notes are arranged linearly. With a steel guitar the strings are tuned according to their position in the scale while the bar position determines the root note.

Lloyd Graves · From: New York, USA

I am no scholar, and I agree with all that has been said already. But I also think it is interesting to note that, while it still exists and people play it, the lapsteel guitar can also be viewed as an evolutionary stepping stone:

In the 1890s Joseph Kekuku set a Spanish guitar across his lap and showed the world. Someone gave the guitar a thicker neck. The Dopyera Bros created the resonator. Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker electrified the frying pan. Several people added strings and necks. And then pedals and levers were added, leading us to the Bakersfield sound, which still seems to be prominent.

That's an oversimplification, but there's some truth in there, I think. There are lots of old lapsteel kicking around, but all of my fellow musicians that play steel have picked up the pedal steel or the dobro and play country or bluegrass, respectively. For better or worse, it is sort of like the non pedal steel was just a way to get from acoustic to the PSG.

As for current lapsteel players, don't forget Ben Harper and Los Hermanos Guiterez. But both examples use the non pedal steel as a way to fluff out their armpit guitars, which is what I've seen talked about on YouTube videos from various sources.

I'll sit back and read the disagreements that are bound to be set forth now. Laughing

Daniel Flanigan · From: Oregon, USA

I submit that, while the lap/console steel was an important phase of the evolution of steel guitar, pedal steel is the pinnacle of steel guitar. Lap steel was largely left behind after the pedal steel was advanced between the years of 1957 and 1960 by pioneers like Buddy Emmons, Shot Jackson, Jimmy Day and others. From 1960 on, pedal steel has been the main avenue for steel guitar, and non-pedal has had a more niche appeal. I myself learned to play steel on a cheap '59 or '60 Supro 6-string lap steel because I couldn't afford a Sho-Bud or an Emmons. But from the very beginning, pedal steel was the sound I was after. I think that the popular use of non-pedal steel mostly ended with the great players of the pre-pedal days, such as Jerry Byrd, Don Helms, Little Roy Wiggins, Smokey Lohman and all the rest.

Ever since the pedal steel was perfected, the lap steel has mostly had a narrower appeal, and understandably so. Most people figure; "Why limit yourself by forgoing the pedals?" And the answer is; "If you prefer the sound of non-pedal steel". Which some people certainly do, however, that's always going to be a smaller subset of an already small demographic, that being those who appreciate and play steel guitar.

And the reason that interest in steel guitar as a whole, pedal steel included, has declined in recent decades is that people don't hear it in new music.
It used to be that nearly every country track had steel in it, as well as a fair amount of rock and popular music. You had Dan Dugmore's steel parts with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, Jerry Garcia and later Buddy Cage with NRPS, Bernie Leadon played steel on the early Eagles records, Toy Caldwell played steel on every MTB record, Tom Brumley played steel with Rick Nelson for 10 years after he left the Buckaroos, Ben Keith with Neil Young, there were steel parts from various pickers on some of the Starland Vocal cuts, Jimmy Page even played pedal steel on a couple of tracks off Zep III, Skunk Baxter played steel with Steely Dan and later The Doobies, I could go on all day. But now? You'd be lucky to hear any pedal steel at all in the awful, modern pop-country, and a steel part in a modern, computerized pop song would die of loneliness. Most young people seem to only listen to the new music, so when they don't hear steel in the music they listen to, they have no initiative to spend $2000 on an instrument and take years to become proficient playing it.

Dan Campbell · From: Florida, USA

I recently bought an old Miller pedal steel that was made in the early 60’s because there is some music ( classic country) that you can only do well on pedal steel. One of the reason I bought this old Miller, however, is because it sounds better than the fancy modern pedal steels. That is primarily because as they added more and more pedals they had to add more steel to keep the guitar in tune (pedals put a lot of stress on the guitar).
That said, however, my lapsteels sound a lot better than this Miller. The difference is resonance primarily. You can also use tone woods to effect different sounds. You can make a pedal steel out of plywood and put Formica on it. Also in modern country and blues the pedal steel is not such an advantage— sound is more important. It is also cheaper and now it is also mobile. Add to this the fact that 6 or 8 strings is a lot easier to learn than a pedal steel with 3 pedals and a knee levers ( not to mention 12 strings, 8 pedals, and 5 knee levers). All this to say that an argument can be made that lapsteels may have a brighter future than pedal steels.

Daniel Flanigan · From: Oregon, USA

Mr, Campbell, I do agree that with pedal steel good tone is more, finnicky I'll say. Just about any vintage lap steel will sound great, but certain pedal steels can have less than stellar tone. MSAs come to mind, they have a tendency to be somewhat dark/muddy and kinda lifeless tone-wise.

That said, there are certain pedal steels that just about always have a great tone, like the Rack and Barrel Sho-Buds, Pull-Release Marlens, ZB Customs and Push-Pull Emmons, these guitars all sound excellent, I've never heard one that sounded bad. The Miller guitars can be hit or miss, I've seen some good ones, and I've also seen some that were not so great. It is generally true that simpler mechanisms give better tone, that's why Sho-Bud Mavericks sound so good. However, the number of pedals & knee levers doesn't really have any negative effect on the tone, it's the mechanism itself that effects tone. Same goes for the Pull-Release Marlens, they sound far better than the later All-Pull guitars Marlen started making around '79 or so. For me, tonally speaking it's tough to beat a Rack & Barrel Sho-Bud. The mechanism gives great tone, as does the lacquer finished maple cabinet. I've never had any first hand experience with any modern pedal steels, but I can't imagine they sound anywhere near as good as these older guitars I've mentioned.

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

Fundamentally, steel with and without pedals are different instruments.
Buying a lap steel because you want to play pedal steel is like buying a clarinet because you want to play tenor sax.
Sure, a clarinet is much cheaper, somewhat similar, and develops somewhat transferable skills, but then again they have very different strengths, sounds, and traditional uses.

You should buy the instrument you actually want to play, though if you really can’t afford it, I guess getting the cheaper one is better than nothing.
But as someone who also plays clarinet, I am similarly insulted when someone views an instrument I love, not only as a cheaper stepping stone saying “from the very beginning, (tenor sax) was the sound I was after”, but that the instrument is “understandably” less popular Laughing

This beautiful post from Mr. Michael Johnstone from 2006 is something I return to often and is the best explanation I’ve ever read on the pedals vs. no pedals topic:
“I don't mean to talk down to anything or anyone or take cheap shots. It's just that if you have halfway sophisticated musical ideas you want to express,pedal steel is easier to play them on.
The pedals let you get to things quickly and easily. Once you take a few days,internalize what the pedals do and practice some basic moves you'll just be playing music and not be thinking: "Let's see - now I have to push the 5th pedal to get a 7b5 chord".
It gets instinctive real quick believe me - and when it does you can see what a labor saving device pedals are. One potential downside to pedals and Jerry Byrd and I, thru handwritten letters,discussed this to death for 10 years - is not that pedals are any harder to play but that everyone mostly has the same pedal changes and the morphing between relative chords and the licks and lines derived thereof tend to make a lot of players styles sound similar.
"The pedals play the player" to quote Jerry. Add to that the "Lemming Factor" where a lot of players slavishly attempt to cop their hero's entire schtick lick-for-lick,pedal-for-pedal,guitar-for-guitar,etc.

In contrast,on a straight steel, a player can't step on a pedal to get a 4 chord - he must go fetch it, or something an awful lot like it,somehow with his left hand - he must think for himself. He is instantly outside the stricture of a copedant and is at the mercy of his own manual dexterity and tuning limitations.
Therefore the musical fishing expedition,all the connect-the-dots stuff involved in fleshing out a piece of music is bound to be a more personal invention which leads to a more individual style of playing and it's quite difficult to achieve that. That's what Jerry Byrd thought and that's what I've come to believe as well.

I play non-pedal because it's a challenge, not a lot of guys can do it well, I like the way the classic non-pedal instruments sound, and I like the kinds of music that tend to feature those sounds. For an all purpose ax to cover all bases on any gig tho, I'll be taking my pedal steel. I just don't have the chops to do otherwise.”

Daniel Flanigan · From: Oregon, USA

Mr, Roberts, I believe you misinterpret my original post. I meant no insult to you or the lap steel as an instrument. I was referring to the fact that non-pedal steel, for the most part, has not been the popular, mainstream steel guitar sound since roughly 1960, and I believe that's why it's less popular. I myself have a great love for an expertly played non-pedal steel in the hands of a great player like Jerry Byrd, Don Helms, Roy Wiggins or any of the other lap steel masters and have tried for many years, with varying degrees of success, to emulate those great players. I also agree with Mr. Johnstone that the non-pedal steel is marvelously beautiful when played well, and that it's much more difficult to play well. I love the smooth, flowing sound of well played slants, and there are certainly days where that sound suits me better than pedals.

And my reference to pedal steel being the sound I was going for when I first started, I was giving that as an example of the mindset of someone first showing an interest in steel guitar, and the fact that, at the time anyway, I was more inspired by seeing and hearing Tom Brumley on "The Buck Owens Ranch Show" than I was by Jerry Byrd. It wasn't till I settled for a Supro because I couldn't afford a pedal steel as a 17 year old kid, that I decided to learn slants and how to play the classic non-pedal stuff that I grew up hearing on Hank Williams records and the like. By the way, I still have that Supro, and play it at least once a week. And I think there are still many people who buy a lap steel even though pedal steel is the sound they're after, based on the countless post on this forum asking how to emulate pedal steel on a lap steel. My point is, that ever since pedal steel "replaced" non-pedal steel in popular music around 1960 when the pedal steel left it's infancy and became the mainstream steel guitar sound, naturally a larger number of people gravitate towards pedal steel, and the people who gravitate toward non-pedal steel do so because they prefer that sound to pedal steel. And I'm not counting the overdriven, blues/rock lap steel in this discussion, because that's really a whole different animal.

Dan Campbell · From: Florida, USA

Excellent advice from Daniel and Joe. I think they do not fundamentally disagree. I agree with both of them.

I believe the best pedal steel players like Paul Franklin combine skills that both instruments teach. Take, for example, Paul Franklin's solo on the Bakersfield album with Vince Gill- "Together Again." As he comes down from high on the neck he combines pedals and also slants the bar to give a truly memorable solo.

I also think Daniel is correct when he states that "overdriven, blues/rock lap steel is a whole different animal." The point I was trying to make is that this direction gives young players somewhere to go and can expand the popularity of lap steel. Many of them would probably not pick up the instrument otherwise.

In the end, music is music and I would caution against making absolute, hard distinctions between either instruments or music. Don't misunderstand me, I don't think either Joe or Daniel want to imply that -- they are more sophisticated than that.

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

This has been a fascinating discussion and I don't think I have much to add. I believe there will always be people who want to play string instruments of all stripes but the size of this population does seem to be be shrinking. The lap steel had a surge about 20 years ago but the curve has been flattening again. Only time will tell if our instrument will speak to future generations or not. Now, where did I put my Hurdy Gurdy ....
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com

Bill Groner · From: QUAKERTOWN, PA

Now, where did I put my Hurdy Gurdy ....I think I saw Donovan have it.
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40

Bill Groner · From: QUAKERTOWN, PA

Here is a road not taken by many. I always liked the smooth playing of Rich.......this is a steel re-do of an old 50's hit song..........very nice playing of a great song, by Bobby Darin I think? I never really thought of playing some of the songs Rich does, but they really work well with steel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwljfyFyHUM
_________________
Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40

Daniel Flanigan · From: Oregon, USA

Mr. Campbell, I love it when pedal steel players incorporate slants. That's one of the reasons I disagree with the sentiment which I sometimes hear that learning non-pedal first doesn't make you a better pedal steel player. The way Buddy Emmons would sometimes use slants in combination with pedals to get unique chord voicings on the C6 neck, or the way Tom Brumley would occasionally slant and slowly straighten the bar, then quickly press and release a pedal to get a sort of "flutter" effect. Techniques like this are something players who learn on pedal steel miss out on.

I also think that one of the reasons the great players like Buddy Emmons, Tom Brumley, Lloyd Green, Jimmy Day and others had such a smooth, elegant, flowing sound with pedals is because they learned without them. I think players who learn with pedals tend to have a, for want of a better term, "stiff" sound, sharply pressing and releasing pedals. Of course, sometimes you want that sound, but sometimes a smoother sound is preferred, especially on slower songs. Listen to Tom play "Waltz of the Roses", or Buddy play "Blue Jade" and you can distinctly hear their non-pedal roots.

I think the takeaway from this thread is that steel guitar, of any kind, is the most beautiful instrument in the world.

Nelson Checkoway · From: Massachusetts, USA

Lap steel just won a Grammy.

That’s right: tonight Larkin Poe, which prominently features Megan Lovell on lap steel (and who got many a shout out in the responses above) took Grammy honors for best contemporary blues.

Tim Toberer · From: Nebraska, USA

Maybe if we wore this people would notice us? https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/style/miley-cyrus-gold-dress-grammys/index.html

Gary Meixner · From: New York, USA

Sawyer,

I am not sure I understand exactly what you are asking or where this thread is going but I won't let that stop me from expressing an opinion.

I honestly believe the lap steel is here to stay. Like anything in popular culture, interest will rise an fall. The instrument is not that old - it is probably one of the newest instruments used in popular music (a point I will only argue in person over a bottle of good Irish whisky)

It origins: invented by a school boy in one of the most remote parts of the world, to being the medium through which musical wizards such as Sol Hoopii, King Benny and so many others cast theirs spells is an story almost to improbable to be true. Ad those who followed on none-pedal: Bob Dunn, Joaquin Murphey, and the later pedal steel giants - you simply can't make this kind of stuff up. The world was overwhelmed by the steel guitar and popular music changed forever.

It gave the world the first resophonic guitar and first electric guitar. It has seen endless variations and innovation. It has had a profound influence on nearly every style of popular music in America and in countries around the world.

Practitioners of the steel guitar have been, musical giants, visionaries, free thinkers and thrill seekers. Don't let anyone convince you the lap steel is a quaint relic of halcyon days long past. Sooner or later someone will come along with their own crazy exploration of the instrument and the musical world will capitulate as it has done before.

As to why it is not more popular today I will say: it seems simple enough to play at first yet is deceptively hard to play well. It is not a instrument you can easily use to accompany yourself while singing. It is not inherently a rhythmic instrument like the standard guitar - you are not likely to lead to a sing-a-long with your friends at a bon fire on the steel guitar. I believe it is hard for some to overcome the physical separation from the instrument they feel while holding a bar in one hand and picks in the other. And finally, knuckleheads like myself and others post endlessly about tunings, scale length, 6 vs 8 vs 10 strings, etc. and so on, all technical matters which have nothing to do with making music. Someone with a casual interest is scared away with what seems like an overwhelming amount stuff they need to master before even starting to play music. This is all important but be mindful of the message being sent and who is is listening.

Gary Meixner

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