Open offer: Pedal steel

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Sober
Grok
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Instruments: Pedal steel, mandolin, etc etc
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Location: Midcoast Maine

Open offer: Pedal steel

Post by Sober »

Now that I've done a Songfight entry focused heavily on pedal steel, I'd like to keep up my practice by offering steel to anyone wanting it (for non-commercial use).

Solo chops are currently about as advanced as you hear on that recording, and I can definitely deliver all the atmospheric steel whine you might want. Happy to brainstorm together if you want crazier sounds.
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Lunkhead
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Re: Open offer: Pedal steel

Post by Lunkhead »

Not to derail this thread but do you have any good resources for how to learn to play pedal steel? I bought one many years ago and found the learning curve of just trying to teach myself to be so steep that it's been sitting in my close the whole 4 years since I moved to Oregon. I got a 10-string single neck in I think E9 with 3 pedals and 5 knee levers. Trying to understand the tuning at the same time as the 8 ways I could change the tuning on the fly while also playing slide with a volume pedal was causing my brain to shut down. :lol:
User avatar
Sober
Grok
Posts: 1714
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 10:40 am
Instruments: Pedal steel, mandolin, etc etc
Recording Method: Pro Tools
Submitting as: Sober, I'm Steel Learning
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Midcoast Maine

Re: Open offer: Pedal steel

Post by Sober »

I definitely watched a ton of youtube videos when I was getting started. This guy has a lot of good ones, though they tend to move a bit slowly for my tastes. This book tends to be the most-frequently recommended, but I found this one to be more immediately accessible.

The first big hurdle for me was understanding that this is not a strumming instrument. You play groups of 1-3 strings, and some of the most common positions (commonly called "grips") have you skipping a string or two, which is an adjustment (on top of wearing thumb and finger picks).

Once you start to associate certain combinations of pedals/levers with what they accomplish musically, you'll start to have little "aha" moments constantly. The easiest one is your A&B pedals. Pressed together, you're basically turning your open groupings from a I chord to a IV chord (or a V to a I, depending on context). Now, if you keep the B pedal pressed and roll the side of your foot on and off that A pedal - that's your classic steel sound. You could cut an entire album with just that.

As with learning guitar, every pedal/lever combination is just a matter of "how do I make this sound I want" and then committing that to muscle memory.

A 3x5 single neck E9 is a great setup. I am absolutely in the market to upgrade from my Carter Starter, so if you wanna clean out your closet... 😬
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