Pedal Steel Guitar Rules of Thumb

Tommy Gibbons · Posted 8 Jul 2011 6:50 am

Are there any "Rules of Thumb" for PSG?

I just saw a matrix of a Pedal Steel Guitar chord chart that had about 175 open/pedal/lever chord combinations. This was an E9 neck with only 3 pedal and 2 knee levers.

Can a player EVER learn all the chord combinations? How many ways can you make an C# minor...and why would you want to?

What if there were 4 pedal and 5 knees?
What if there were 2 necks with 10 pedal and 10 knees?

Is the PSG being over-complicated to make simple changes/chords?

Some of you can make more music with a 3/2 setup than I could ever imagine. Look at as example Bobbe, Lloyd, Buddy....

Can any "ONE" ever learn it all?

Just too big to get my arms around!!!

Thanks, TommyG in Tennessee
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Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

this is exactly why i think ideally you should start on a non-pedal 6 string (exploring the 3 standard tunings) - then move to D8 and then on to a 3x1 pedal steel, and then "graduate" to a fully equipped 8x5(+) steel. which surprisingly is how 90% of the great steel players developed - you'll never see this again simply due to the fact that no one is going to go this route anymore. most new steelers probably start in their 30's+ (these days) and there is little time in an adult life to explore it all - of course, this could be said for any skill really. i see the fully loaded steels as a newbie trap for beginners, there is just too much info to try and absorb (like you mention) and it ends up becoming a monster that you cant control - there are just too many variables that end up masking the basics of....playing music - even simple country tunes. i've found the less you have, the more music you wind up playing.

so, you have to just tackle it step by step and try to grow day by day and be happy with any meaningful progress. its a very demanding instrument, you have to REALLY pre-hear your moves in your head (and know how to execute them) - much like a good pool player will plan out every shot before he even hits the first ball.
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Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Whilst it is not written in stone the general consensus is that a pedal steel(E9) should have 3 pedals and 4 levers.
If You are really serious about playing why buy an instrument with less? You will devolp fairly quickly and find that You need the extra bits.
You do'nt have to use all the pedals and levers.
My first steel had 3 and 4 and I probably only used 2 and 2 for a long while,very gradually I learned what could be done with the other pedals/levers and I am now settled with a guitar which has 4 and 5.
best regards
Billy

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Tommy, one of the really beautiful and evocative things about pedal steel is the ability to morph from one chord in a progression to the next in various places on the guitar for different sounds, and to flow smoothly between several positions for any one chord. So the more places you know and can play any given chord, the better.

Bill Miller · From: Gaspe, Quebec, Canada

Don't let your nerves control your vibrato. It took me years to learn this. In front of an audience I would tense up and my vibrato would be much too fast for the tempo of the tune. I've often heard other players doing the same thing. With much practice and concentration I've learned to remain calm and match my vibrato to the song. It sounds more professional and a well managed vibrato is a huge part of the instrument's expresive nature IMHO.

Christopher Woitach · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

here's another rule of thumb, to go along with everyone else's:

After you've played for a while, you will start to "see" the chords, and the various ways to make them, and you will start saying to yourself "if only I could get that C#min here - I'd just need to lower that one string, maybe another knee lever?"

I've been playing almost exactly a year and a half, and I've gone the full range from "why are there so many freaking pedals" to a U-12 Bb6 with 8 pedals and 5 knees... Trust me, you"ll need every C#min chord you can find, before long.

And listen to my buddy Pete - he's right (if only you could hear him say it with a twang...)
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Joseph Barcus · From: Volga West Virginia

I feel yes you should know where all the Cm are and every C or D chord or the notes that makes them work. so yes sit down sometime and go over the why is it like this and where else is it. in the open position go over every chord possible, for instance open no bar you have E,B7,A,C#,C#m,f#7th,f#min,Esus,Emaj7th,G#m thats right its there. all on the open fret of E using your pedals and knees together in one way or the other,
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Bo Legg · Posted 8 Jul 2011 12:19 pm

I really don't see a necessity for a chord chart.
Of course this assumes that you have good grasp of chord theory.
Most of your ever day maj, maj7, maj9, maj13, 7th, 9th, 13th, sus4, 11th, aug and dim chords are easy to find in your normal ever day chord positions.
If you just have to use a 13b9b5 or some form of a chord with a b9 b5 just play the a 7th chord built on the b5 of the chord root which would be if you were in an A13b9b5 you would substitute an Eb7 and those 7th chords are easy to find all over the neck.
This is just one off the many substitutions that bring these &$%*^ big chords down to an E9 useable size.

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