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Topic: What to do with that pesky third pedal |
Kenny Rolling
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 4 Oct 2016 5:53 pm |
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I've been messing around with 6-string pedal steel for some time with 2 pedals. I'm playing open E tuning with one pedal pulling the high B up to C# and the other pulling the G# up to A. Now I'm trying to add something useful in this tuning but not finding it. I've tried having the third pedal lower the high and middle E's to D# but this really isn't doing much for me.
What would you find most useful to do with the third pedal? |
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Pat Chong
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 4 Oct 2016 6:54 pm
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If you were to have your 3rd pedal drop the Es to D# then you'd get 3m chord at the your bar chord. Press your 2nd and 3rd pedal, you'd get a V7th at the bar (a common move with B pedal and a knee lever.)
You also mentioned: drop the G#s to G. That pedal by itself will make your bar chord into a minor, but used along with the A pedal will make a diminished chord AND a 7th cord missing the cord note (learned that from THE b0b).
I am sure you were familiar with some of the results, but I wanted to show that there are more ways to play with chords.
................Pat
Last edited by Pat Chong on 4 Oct 2016 7:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 4 Oct 2016 7:04 pm
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If you have no knees, I'd drop the Es with the pedal next to the one raising the G#(s) to A.
BTW, as I've seen a few different 6-Shooter tunings, what do you have yours set to?
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 4 Oct 2016 7:21 pm
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Actually, if you can already think pedal steel, you have half the battle won. With only two pedals, here's something that I did: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YAvEXw4-I
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
Last edited by Lane Gray on 5 Oct 2016 12:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Stephen Williams
From:
from Wales now in Berkeley,Ca, USA
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Posted 4 Oct 2016 11:20 pm
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| You have 1 and 4. why not make 5 with 3rd pedal? |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 5 Oct 2016 2:12 am
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E to Eb is one of the "standard" E9 changes and gives you a 7th in conjunction with the B pedal - if you're at the 5th fret you have A open, D with both A&B down and E7 with the B and the lower. Without moving the bar.
Also, if you ere playing a chord with A&B down, go up a fret, release the pedals and drop the Es and you have the minor version of that chord.
I was in a similar position to you but my six stringer can only do a single raise per string so I raise my Es a semitone (on a knee lever). In conjunction with the A pedal , 3 frets up from open I get another inversion of the major chord (as used on the intro to D.I.V.O.R.C.E). Let off the A pedal and there's a 7th. Drop the Es back insteadcand you go from the major to the minor of that chord. You can also get some nice augmented and diminished chords.
As has been mentioned - if you keep the semitone lower, make sure it's on the pedal next to your B pedal. If it's the semitone raise you'll probably want it next to the A.
Another possible pity is E to F# but to make maximum use of that,you may have to use both feet on the pedals! |
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Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Posted 5 Oct 2016 8:41 am
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I wouldn't add more pedals just for the sake of having more pedals. Wait 'till you try to play some music that can't be done with your current setup, than you'll know what to add.
_________________
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JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 5 Oct 2016 11:39 pm
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Now that you've got your feet wet, perhaps you might want to move up to a 10 string steel with 3 pedals and 4 knee levers.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Richard Alderson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 6 Oct 2016 4:30 am
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Time to get a 10 string !
_________________
Derby SD-10 5x6; GFI S-10 5x5; GFI S-10 5x5; Zum D-10 8x7; Zum D-10 9x9; Fender 400; Fender Rumble 200; Nashville 400; Telonics TCA-500. |
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Kenny Rolling
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 6 Oct 2016 7:02 am
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| Marco Schouten wrote: |
| I wouldn't add more pedals just for the sake of having more pedals. Wait 'till you try to play some music that can't be done with your current setup, than you'll know what to add. |
That's sort of where I am...I've played this thing so long with just the 2 pedals that I have figured out the tricks to cover the lost pedals. With the 3rd pedal, I find that it's more in the way and messing with all my other tricks. A good example of this is the G#>A pedal...I added a connection to lower the low B to A on this pedal and that one really gets in the way. Having the root of the IV chord is nice but that's what we have bass players for  |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 7 Oct 2016 3:46 am
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| Stephen Williams wrote: |
| You have 1 and 4. why not make 5 with 3rd pedal? |
That was my thinking for six-string. My P1 lowers G#'s to F# (and LKL lowers E's), but could lower the hi G# and hi E.
P2 raises G#'s, so P1+P2 gets G natural (handy I minor, using an extra pull rod).
The OP seems to have enough pedals and levers without moving 'up.' |
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Pat Chong
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2016 1:41 pm
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Hi Ken,
From what you said, there may be something you would want to ask yourself:
When you received the 6-shooter, were you intending to learn on it and then move to another, or just continue with what you have?
If you wanted to move on, yes, a 10-shooter would make you have to re-learn some of your licks, but I can assure you: It's got more bullets!
.........................Pat |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2016 1:57 pm Re: What to do with that pesky third pedal
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| Kenny Rolling wrote: |
I've been messing around with 6-string pedal steel for some time with 2 pedals. I'm playing open E tuning with one pedal pulling the high B up to C# and the other pulling the G# up to A. Now I'm trying to add something useful in this tuning but not finding it. I've tried having the third pedal lower the high and middle E's to D# but this really isn't doing much for me.
What would you find most useful to do with the third pedal? |
I would put the next pedal to the left of the B to C# pedal (we call it the "A" pedal for some odd reason). The new pedal would raise both E notes to F. Combined with the "A" pedal, this gives you a C# major chord on the open strings. More importantly, the "A+F" position completes the system by giving you all 3 voicings of every major chord.
I have a Sho-Bud Maverick with two pedals and one knee lever. The two pedals are the same as yours. The knee lever raises the E's to F. Some people disagree with me, but I've always felt that the F lever is the 3rd most important change on a pedal steel. If I don't have it, I end up doing a lot of bar slants to emulate it.
_________________
-𝕓𝕆𝕓- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video |
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Kenny Rolling
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 2:20 pm
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Don't know where the 6-Shooter came from... but anyway.
As far as the theory of this being a transition instrument, it's not. I have no intention of downgrading to an 8 or 10 string I play this in a 3-piece band with a bass player and drummer. Adding more strings would get in the way of the rhythm parts and that is where I'm finding the third pedal to be more of a hinderance than a help. I've found ways to make most of the chords I need and I haven't found a thing to add with the third pedal that is very useful.
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Pat Chong
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 4:33 pm
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Fessenden makes a steel guitar like yours, called the "Six-Shooter".
Anyway, if you are wanting to stay with what you have, any pedal addition would change some of your practiced licks.
A suggestion is to set the 3rd pedal to raise both Es to F#. It would help on scale runs, and add to chords available at the bar. You might want to try it....
..............Pat |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 9 Oct 2016 11:13 pm
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I'd be interested to hear more about your guitar and see some more pictures of it.
Who made it? |
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Kenny Rolling
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 6 Apr 2017 10:51 am
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| Jeff Mead wrote: |
I'd be interested to hear more about your guitar and see some more pictures of it.
Who made it? |
This is the second generation prototype of a lapsteel I make. The three black buttons off the bass side of the bridge are the pedals. Inside is a pull-release mechanism. It can do a single raise or a lower on each string (either/or, not both).
Currently it is set up with the "pedals"...
Far left lowers high and middle E to D#
Middle raises G# to A
Far right raises B to C#
I had the middle pedal also lowering the low B to A but the times it was useful was overshadowed by how often it was a hindrance.
I also find myself almost never using the 1st pedal that lowers the E's... with the middle pedal it makes a nice V7 chord but the only thing I really find myself using it for is getting a full Imaj7. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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John Goux
From:
California, USA
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Posted 6 Apr 2017 9:54 pm
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Lower your G# to G. This will allow you to play parallel 6ths and 3rds like a regular 6 string guitar, same frets.
J |
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