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Topic: Volume pedal technique |
Emery Kapples
From:
Jacksonville, Florida
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Posted 7 Jun 2007 5:48 pm |
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| I've been playing for about a month and a half now. I've been reading tabs and working with chords behind some original tunes. I've just begun working with the volume pedal. Any tips out there for a beginner? |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 7 Jun 2007 6:07 pm
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Here's my take...
The volume pedal can be a crutch at times.
All you want to do is, as the note you are playing dies out well the volume pedal should help sustain it, thats really it in a nut shell.
Learn some really slow songs to help with this. |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 7 Jun 2007 6:08 pm
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| Do you by any chance have a low profile volume pedal? |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 7 Jun 2007 8:14 pm
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Good volume pedal technique is deceptively difficult. On long notes you have to jerk back to soften the attack, then increase slowly to exactly match the die-off of the natural string sustain. It has to become second nature and automatic, because you can't really be thinking about it while you are concentrating on getting the right notes and having good intonation. On fast passages you just have to find the right spot and hold it there. For the sustain stuff, practicing slow ballads and hymns helps. You want to try for a solid, even sustain, rather than erratic swells.
Last edited by David Doggett on 8 Jun 2007 10:07 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2007 4:37 am
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David's right...deceptively simple.
As to placement...while sitting at you steel, if you were to place you foot on the floor like you normally would when sitting in a chair with your legs spread, put the pedal at the same position and angle...so your foot is most comfortable on the pedal. It will be easier to control this way.
Be careful not to develop the habit of quickly dropping (ducking) the volume between each note or chord to silence the strings. That's what blocking is for. Good volume pedal technique is, for the most part, unnoticeable.
_________________
Best regards,
Mike |
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Emery Kapples
From:
Jacksonville, Florida
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Posted 8 Jun 2007 11:15 am
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| Thanks for the tips. Evidently, sustain is the primary role of the volume pedal. Should the attack be at about 50% pedal depression, more or less? It sounds like it will take some practice to perfect the technique. I appreciate your help. By the way, A.J., this is a pedal that belongs to a '70's MSA D-10. It's not a low profile pedal. The sound is very clean, though. |
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Whip Lashaway
From:
Monterey, Tenn, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2007 11:59 am
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Emery, The best way to learn good volume pedal technique is to plug your guitar straight into your amp. Work the volume pedal as you play just as if it were plugged in. Sounds crazy but it works. Most of the volume control should come from your hands not your pedal. Also, when using the pedal, place a 9 volt battery under the back side of your pedal so you can't shut it all the way off. Most of your playing should be with the pedal almost full open. (That trick came from Jeff Newman) Volume swells and not playing are when you use the full off side. It will come. It just takes doing it awhile. Good Luck and stay with it.
_________________
Whip Lashaway
Sierra E9/B6 12 string
Sierra E9/B6 14 string
Excel S12 8x9 blue
Excel S12 8x9 black |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Jun 2007 3:19 am
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| I find that I want my ankle and foot to be at a comfortable angle when I'm playing at a normal volume for my solo. I want to have some room for sustains, but if my amp volume is too high then my ankle will be at too much angle and it's hard to control the blend with the rest of the band through a whole gig. If the amp vol is too low then I can't sustain very long. That's the biggest thing for me, since I only use it for expression. To get more advanced with the pedal I suggest studying Curly Chalker or David Wrights playing. |
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Jeff Hogsten
From:
Flatwoods Ky USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2007 6:10 am
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| the best thing you can do is unhook it for another couple of months at least I didnt have one when I first started and it is the best thing that could have happened to me. you need to learn hand control before you start using the pedal. you have enough to worry about starting without adding learning volume pedal technique just my opinion |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2007 9:49 am
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whenever this question comes up, and Ive asked it here myself, the answer is invariably "it's used for sustain only" and yet every player Ive ever seen or heard on record uses it for swell at the beginning of notes as well as for sustain. 
I'm not asking you guys to suggest you should pump it like a broken accordian, but just to acknowledge that it is used for swell, not just sustain, and that that sound is one of the core sounds of the pedal steel. |
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Jeff Hogsten
From:
Flatwoods Ky USA
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Posted 15 Jun 2007 10:28 am
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| I totally agree Ben which is why I suggest not using one untill you are familiar with all of your string groups and have developed a good deal of control with your hand then you can concentrate on learing to use the pedal |
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Jamie Lennon
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 15 Jun 2007 10:52 am
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whats the differnce in a low profile ???
_________________
Mullen Guitars, Little Walter Amps, Benado Effects, D'Addario Strings
www.georgettejones.net |
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