Play Pedal Steel & Keyboard On A Gig

Gary Shepherd · From: Fox, Oklahoma, USA

My band just canned the keyboard player and his wife, the female vocalist. They want me to add a keyboard by my steel and play it on a few tunes. Do any of you do that?

I'm just wondering what keyboard to get. I have a Fatar 88 key controller but I'd rather leave it in the studio. I was thinking maybe one of the Yamaha PSR keyboards with sounds already built in. (My fatar is only a controller and would need a sound module attached via MIDI.)

Any suggestions what keyboard to add for around $150 or less?

I figured that if I do this, I'll put it on the right end of my steel, in an L-shape. Then I can just turn and play. Possibly, I could even add some keyboard parts WHILE I'm playing steel (for a few measures anyway).

I'm interested in any comments you guys might have about this. Personally, I wouldn't mind playing steel all night but we do a few rock songs and the steel doesn't exactly fit on those songs. They could use a Hammond B3 or maybe a rock organ.
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Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10 & Peavey Nashville 1000

www.16tracks.com

Dave Todd · From: Jonestown, Tx.

Gary

Get hold of Mike Smith here in Phx. He does it and does it well Very Happy

He's a forum member

Regards

Dave

Gary Shepherd · From: Fox, Oklahoma, USA

Would that be Miguel E. Smith, of the Larry Gatlin band?
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Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10 & Peavey Nashville 1000

www.16tracks.com

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Two friends I can think of: The great John Ely used to do both with a band around Austin years ago called The Lotions. They were a full-tilt reggae band! Yes, that's right... John played steel in a reggae situation.

Also today, the most excellent Marty Muse plays both with Texas singer/songwriter/icon Robert Earl Keen.
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Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Gary,I did that for a while.I used an old Korg CX-3 organ in an L configuration as you mentioned,and also played guitar.The band that I play in now wants me to bring a Keyboard but that's a lot of stuff to drag around,I have one of those 4 octave M-audio midi controllers that is really small and I was thinking of using a "Classic Keys"module it would small and effective.there might be a way to put the M-audio keyboard hovering over the steel?
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b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I use an H&K Rotosphere to get the essence of a B3 sound. Organ and steel are both sustaining instruments. No need to carry a keyboard just to get that sound.
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David Doggett · Posted 15 Apr 2007 11:54 am

I could alternate pedal steel and keyboard in some of my groups. But it would just be too much stuff to haul around. It is a good combination to alternate between for a single player, because a keyboard is the one instrument that I find clashes most with pedal steel. I don't mind the ET tuning so much as the fact that all keyboard players play all the time on every song. And their chord comping very much parallels steel chord comping.

Larry Behm · From: Mt Angel, Or 97362

I use a Korg Micro X on a stand right in front of my right hand the same height as the steel pickup. It has 680 different sounds and unlimited tweeking. I run it through a Boss VF-1 (would not have to) into an a/b box to my Hilton and then to my Webb. When they first came out they were about $650, I tried one and bought it on the spot.

Larry Behm

Dave Todd · From: Jonestown, Tx.

Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

Gary,
The picture I attached is of when we played a gig at The Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA in 2004. You'll notice I'm on my own riser, have a double stand for keyboards to the side, and I also have my 6-string guitar on stage that I run through an effects processor, through either my steel or keyboard amp.
When playing gigs with smaller stages, I sometimes use only one keyboard which is placed in front of the steel guitar, so I'm not taking up much more room than if I was playing a double-neck. I switch back and forth bewteen instruments, even within the same song, as I can play some keyboard parts even with fingerpicks on, and some steel parts without any picks on.

-- Marc

Duane Becker · From: Elk,Wa 99009 USA

I play keyboard and steel in my band. Been doing it for 5 or 6 years now. I want that old piano sound, like Floyd Cramer stuff. Since we play all the traditional country songs it works well. I would suggest to find a keyboard to fit the sound that you want and the sound that the band wants too. For me that was a straight old fashioned piano sound. For you it may be something different. I spent several weeks looking and playing different keyboards to find the sound that I wanted. I dont think that you should get just any old keyboard. Most all of them sound like organs to me-remember the old organ sounds from the 1960's? But spend some time shopping and spend some money to get a good one that fits your band. Duane Becker

Marc Friedland · From: Fort Collins, CO

Gary,
I like playing 2 keyboards because I can use one for piano, and the other for organ. It's very difficult to get one inexpensive keyboard that sounds good for both. I think Nord makes a decent keyboard that's pretty good for both organ and piano, but costs over $1,200. I do have a suggestion though.
The Korg X5, a 61 note keyboard. They don't make them any more, but you might find them on Ebay for a couple hundred bucks or so.
For the price, they have a decent selection of organ sounds. The piano sounds aren't authentic enough to use for country ballads, but for rock stuff, they're sometimes acceptable.
Hope this helps,
Marc

Tor Arve Baroy · From: Norway

I would say the best choice is a Nord Elektro, from Clavia. The key player in my band uses it and it sound amazing on orgen, piano, clavinette, rohdes and wurlitzer. Highly recomended

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

The pro guys here in Atlanta have been buying some Casio product that sounds very nice. I don't know the model. I think they are in the $500 range. Very compact with a nice weighted action feel without being heavey.

If you are wanting something small, why not try just a small midi controller mounted in front of your steel hooked up to a rackmount sound box with a small little sustain pad right next to your vol pedal.

Tom Mossburg · From: AZ,

Gary you can probably pick up an old Alesis QSR KB rather inexpensively. They sound great for organ and piano. Even some decent Electric piano patches. Even better, get a QSR rackmount and use the fatar. you should be able to pick one up for about $200 or less. Another option is to check out the stuff Native Instrumenmts has to run on a pc. If you have a laptop this is a very good way to go.

Terry Gann · From: Overland Park, Kansas

Gary

Here in the Kansas City area Chuck Abend has built a MIDI PICKUP for his 12 string Zum. He triggers a single rack space synth module (korg M3R). It's very effective and compact, two single space rack units and a switchbox on the steel's leg. I thought his tracking was suprisingly fast. I have an M3R as well and it has any sound a keyboardist might need. At one time Chuck had a MIDI setup for sale. You might consider that and contact him.
chuck is at
countrysteel@hotmail.com
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psgs: Fessenden SD-10, Nashville LTD SD-10, lapsteels: Fouke Indy Rail, OAHU Tonemaster, Roy Scmeck. amps: Fender Steelking, Boogie Nomad, Marshall TSL, Bogner Alchemist, POD Pro, Boogie Studio Preamp. Pedals... lots and lots of pedals!

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

When I need serious Keys I use a Triton Extreme at right angles to my Steel, as seen here:

When only a little bit of piano/organ is needed I use an old Kurtzweil Micro Piano module with a MIDI keyboard, like this:

If you want more info about my small setup, read this post on the old Forum:
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum12/HTML/001891.html

Tim Marcus · From: San Francisco, CA

in one of my bands I play steel on half of the songs, and I keep a keyboard next to me to control the G-Force Mellotron plugin. Steel and mellotron - its a pretty neat combo (some songs I switch over from one to the other)

Simon Stephenson · From: Hampshire, England

Hi there,

I'm only worried about getting a reasonable piano sound so I can use pretty much any half decent keyboard. If you want to get a decent Hammond sound then your only options are a real one (and you thing pedal stealers have a raw deal) or Nord Electro.

Anyway, this is a photo of me and my setup - an L configuration...

Ron Fitzgerald · From: Port Charlotte Florida

Gary , I too use the right angle with the double neck. For smaller jobs , I bought one of those square type piano stands and it wraps perfectly around the SD10. The keyboard sits in front, a hair higher than the steel.It's like having a double neck with the keyboard in the E9 position. My problem is that I will never get used to
PICKS ON PICKS OFF. I always feel uncomfortable on the first song back on steel. Maybe that should be a separate thread.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Let the guitar player do the piano parts. I have a Roland GR33 that has a bunch of realistic piano sounds in it, as well as lots of other sounds. Godin and Brian Moore make some nice guitars with the synth driver built in, or you can add a Roland pickup to any guitar (but a steel). One of my Godin guitars is a nylon string and it tracks as well as the steel string guitars, and I can go to a real nylon string sound with the flip of a switch.

Just another option.

The Roland won't replace the girl singer though.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Geoff Barnes · From: Sydney, Australia

Another vote for the MIDI pickups here! I have used them since Roland sponsored me briefly back in the Eighties…. Currently I have a couple of Axes with MIDI pickups, but my favorite is a Gibson Les Paul standard fitted with an Axon Mk II system.
I can run it through a Roland gr20 floor module which has a bunch of nice sounds…(someone said it is basically the same sample set as used in a jv-1010) the Axon voice module has a (small) fistful of usable sounds…and I also control my Korg Triton and Yamaha MU100R rack module with it…. And blends of the above if needed
The Axon is a lot more responsive than the Roland setup…. and can be programmed to give patch changes and velocity blends from nominated strings, fret position, pick position and pick strength…. It is far and away the best pickup of this type I have used.
It has to be said that whilst the piano sounds are fantastic, it requires a “shift” in headspace to pull off a believable piano part using this system…. I am basically a studio beast and do my left and right hand parts as separate passes… ditto accordion and organ etc…. but for basic vamping and riffs I have no problems, and it has the advantage of outputting notation, which when edited can be presented to a real player for the recording of the final product.
Cool

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Too much equipment....I think I need help.

Miguel e Smith · From: Phoenix, AZ

Heyya Gary,

Piano (well...actually accordian) was my first instrument (w-a-y before I knew what a steel was). I picked keys back up in the early 80's and became the proverbial "utility musician". Although I love to play steel on non-country stuff, I default to keys on a lot of it. I use a very simple setup live and typically just carry a Motif 6 keyboard. On the rare occassions we play more than one night someplace, I'll maybe throw in an XV-3080 module or an older MR-61 keyboard or something else classic just to have other options but the Motif is a really great sounding axe.

If you're interested, our band demos (low res) are located at http://www.mikeandt.com/music_samples.htm (the two demos are the links in red). I played both keys and steel on all the samples listed. When I used to work full-time with the Gatlins, I typically did B-3 sounds, synth and string parts (and of course...steel). I did play all of the synths and piano on several of their albums as well.

I think the midi idea is great for steel and if I didn't already play keys I would definately consider it. Pulling the keyboard card also helps to keep me fairly busy here in Phoenix as some of gigs I work are strickly rock, pop and/or R&B (and those gigs usually want me to bring steel as well for a few tunes here and there).

Mike
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"Mike & T's House Of Steel" (band)
www.houseofsteelband.com

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