Pedal Steel & Lap Steel: I Have Questions ...
DriftingByTheStorm
Posts: 8,684
Hey all you super smart PJ Gear Heads...
I know a few years back asking about pedal \ lap steel guitars in the PJ forum would have seemed a bit peculiar. However given the recent release of songs like Thumbing My Way and MOTH i figured what the hell. If PJ aren't afraid to show their ultra-slow folk side, neither am i.
So ...
I am considering buying either a pedal or lap steel. Mostly it is due to my strong affection for several songs of The Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" album -- the song "Candyman" in particular.
I assume that this is a pedal steel. I watched this pbs documentary "From Anthems to American Beauty" (or something like that) about the Dead, and they mentioned how Jerry was heavy in to his "pedal steel experimentation period" during the recording of American Beauty ... especially for the song Sugar Magnolia.
Anyhow, my most basic question is
What are all those pedals on the pedal steel for exactly?
I just don't get it.
Further questions would be
how poorly will a lapsteel function and sound in comparision to a full Pedal Steel, and what features will i be sorely missing?
Also ...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=621&item=3770446145&rd=1
That is an auction for a double pedal steel ... but both are 8 EIGHT strings.
What is the configuration of these 8 strings? extra B strings? Hrrm.
And why 2 seperate necks? Would one be run through effects? Or is it common for them to be in alternate tunings?
If anyone has any information,
or can send me on my way to some informative websites on pedal \ lapsteel resources i'd be appreciative.
Also if anyone has any experience learning these instruments, i'd like to know how you found the transition from standar guitar to the horizontal counterparts.
THANK YOU and
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
Oh please let me sleep
-Nick-
"can you please take that spot light off of me!?! ... Thank You"
- E.V, Santa Barbara Bowl, during McCready's NAIS solo.
"ROCK OUT WITH YOUR COCK OUT!!!"
- Invigorated Fan, SB Bowl, after Immortality
I know a few years back asking about pedal \ lap steel guitars in the PJ forum would have seemed a bit peculiar. However given the recent release of songs like Thumbing My Way and MOTH i figured what the hell. If PJ aren't afraid to show their ultra-slow folk side, neither am i.
So ...
I am considering buying either a pedal or lap steel. Mostly it is due to my strong affection for several songs of The Grateful Dead's "American Beauty" album -- the song "Candyman" in particular.
I assume that this is a pedal steel. I watched this pbs documentary "From Anthems to American Beauty" (or something like that) about the Dead, and they mentioned how Jerry was heavy in to his "pedal steel experimentation period" during the recording of American Beauty ... especially for the song Sugar Magnolia.
Anyhow, my most basic question is
What are all those pedals on the pedal steel for exactly?
I just don't get it.
Further questions would be
how poorly will a lapsteel function and sound in comparision to a full Pedal Steel, and what features will i be sorely missing?
Also ...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=621&item=3770446145&rd=1
That is an auction for a double pedal steel ... but both are 8 EIGHT strings.
What is the configuration of these 8 strings? extra B strings? Hrrm.
And why 2 seperate necks? Would one be run through effects? Or is it common for them to be in alternate tunings?
If anyone has any information,
or can send me on my way to some informative websites on pedal \ lapsteel resources i'd be appreciative.
Also if anyone has any experience learning these instruments, i'd like to know how you found the transition from standar guitar to the horizontal counterparts.
THANK YOU and
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
Oh please let me sleep
-Nick-
"can you please take that spot light off of me!?! ... Thank You"
- E.V, Santa Barbara Bowl, during McCready's NAIS solo.
"ROCK OUT WITH YOUR COCK OUT!!!"
- Invigorated Fan, SB Bowl, after Immortality
If I was to smile and I held out my hand
If I opened it now would you not understand?
If I opened it now would you not understand?
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
The main difference between the two is that a lap steel is stuck in the tuning you have it in... pedal steels have pedals so you can be flexible about what tuning you're playing in... the reason for all of those pedals is so that you can change the tuning on it to compensate for the steel bar that you play with... this means that the notes don't necessarily appear in the same places as they would on a normal guitar... for instance, C appears in four different spots on the same string... you just have to use your own theory for the pedal steel... the reason a pedal steel is used less these days in place of the lap steel is because the pedal guitar requires two hands, two feet and two knees to play, and there's no feel to the guitar so you have to use visual markers... it's not an easy thing to do...
There aren't always 2 necks on a pedal steel either... you can have 1 to 3 necks, its just about what you want... it's like any other double guitar in that people tune the two differently or run effects through another like you said... and as far as tuning, there are SO many different ways to tune it that its pointless for me to give you a few, so here's a site for you with a bunch of different ones... http://www.b0b.com/tunings/index.html
And let me emphasize that lap steels and pedal steels just shouldn't be compared.... a lap steel has a GREAT sound, but you're just not getting the same thing if you have a pedal... you have more resources with the pedals...
That dude plays a 13-string pedal steel, and he fuckin' ROCKS OUT!
Check it out sometime...
http://www.robertrandolph.net/
Seen him live twice... amazing...