| Do You Use Slants on a Pedal Steel Guitar ? |
| Yes, all the time |
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12% |
[ 13 ] |
| Occasionally, when needed |
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62% |
[ 67 ] |
| Never |
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25% |
[ 28 ] |
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| Total Votes : 108 |
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| Author |
Topic: How Many Pedal Steelers Use Slants ? |
Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 5 Jun 2009 12:07 pm |
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| Most Non-Pedal Steelers use slants. How many Pedal Steelers do ? |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 5 Jun 2009 1:40 pm
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| Sometimes I use them, but not very often. |
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Rich Gilbert
From:
Freeport, Maine
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Posted 5 Jun 2009 3:32 pm
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| Same here. I use them sometimes, but not all that often. I will say however, that I do like the sound I get from using the slants, it definitely has a different texture than when I use the pedals. But I haven't really put a lot of time into exploring slants on the pedal steel, otherwise I would probably use them more. |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2009 6:40 pm
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| I use them pretty frequently. Now matter how many pedals,levers,strings and changes you've got there's always something you're gonna want to play that you can't get to quickly enough any other way. And even if the interval in question is available without a slant in 9 other places on the neck,sometimes it's just easier and more flowing to just grab a slant.The more you do it the easier it becomes. I started on pedals and after about 20 years I got a Stringmaster and shedded slants for around 10 years. Now it's all just one big toolbox and whatever's easy that's what I'll go for. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2009 7:16 pm
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I use slants a lot on slow songs, but not on anything else. They just sound prettier, even when a pedal or lever is right there. My most common E9th slants are instead of the knee levers on the 8th string.
_________________
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2009 11:28 pm
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I have just begun on pedals. So I'm rather more acustomed to slants. As I gain knowledge and facility on the pedals I'll probably use them less and less. I'm having alot of fun. I couldn't imagine going back to non pedal.
_________________
Amor vincit omnia |
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2009 6:59 am
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I use one fairly often: to play diatonic 6ths on strings 4 & 6 I often slant the bar instead of either using B&C pedals or lowering the 6th string 1/2 tone.
That's about the only one I use, though. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 6 Jun 2009 5:55 pm
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The one I use most is playing strings 3 and 5 with no pedals then pressing the A pedal and slanting the bar so the 3rd string stays the same and the 5th string raises 1-1/2 steps to D (open position) to give the moving sound of the 5 to the flat 7. Great for slow songs. Just pick the first set of notes and let it sustain while pressing the pedal and slanting the bar. I've seen some players with a lever that raises string 5 from a B to a D and assume this is one of the reasons why.
| Tab: |
3__3__3_____
4___________
5__3__3A__4A
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On C6th, although I have a raise from A to Bb on string 4 (a half stop along with a raise to B), playing songs doing the vamp like you hear in the song "Memphis", I get tired of hitting the knee lever (using it a lot in succession makes my leg hurt) and will slant the bar while playing the 7th string C and the 4th string, slanting the bar forward on the 4th string 1 fret to get the flattted 7th note.
| Tab: |
4_______3__3__4__4__3__4~~3___
5__3 3_______________________3
6_____________________________
7__3 3__3__3__3__3__3__3_____3
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For those new to tab, the first column of numbers are the string numbers. ~~ means to slide the bar while letting the notes sustain. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Nic du Toit
From:
Milnerton, Cape, South Africa
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Posted 7 Jun 2009 11:28 am
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I like Mike P's slant on the matter. 
_________________
1970 P/P Emmons D10 flatback 8x5, BJS Bar, J F picks, Peavey Session 500, Telonics pedal. Boss GX700 effects.
Skype : nidutoit |
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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2009 12:34 pm
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I used them last night 'cause my #3 pedal on my C6 neck broke!  Rough night!
_________________
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2009 3:50 pm
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| I will use a slant now and then, but I also play non pedal so it feels natural. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 7 Jun 2009 4:11 pm
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I used one at one point in one song before I had a guitar with tunable splits. Now I can play the song by using 2 different knee levers.
The tunable splits open up all sorts of possibilities. I never realized what I was missing till I had them.
_________________
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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Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2009 4:29 pm
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I still play a Multi-Kord that I bought new in the early sixties from Jay Harlin the inventor of the first patented pedal steel guitar.
I use the original low bass tunings for the Harlin Bros. 4 & 6 pedal 6 string Multi-Kords and I use a lot of slants, especially when playing with the E tuning pedal down. |
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Dave Manion
From:
Boise, Idaho, USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2009 8:45 pm
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| Very useful info guys. I'm gonna try some of these things! I like the 5 up to b7 idea. So simple, yet I would of never thought of it..... |
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Rick Winfield
From:
Pickin' beneath the Palmettos
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Posted 8 Jun 2009 3:23 am slants
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I often use the aforementioned slants as b0b & Mr. Sinkler have suggested, and in some cases use a reverse slant on strings 1&5,saving the X lever for triple note passages.
Rick |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2009 8:52 am
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I'd like to point out that every two-note harmony can be played on a pedal steel without using the pedals, once you open your mind to the potential of bar slants.
When you combine pedals with slants, the possibilities are infinite. The ideas in this topic are just scratching the surface of what you can do.
_________________
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Fred Glave
From:
McHenry, Illinois, USA
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Posted 9 Jun 2009 11:39 am
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Good point bOb. Many pedal and lever changes are only a 1/2 step one way or another, thus making slants very do-able. When you add the pedal/lever to a slant, there are a lot of things that open up.
_________________
Zum Encore, Zum Stage One, Fender 2000, Harlan Bros., Multi-Kord, |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 9 Jun 2009 9:12 pm
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Thanks Rick W.
I don't have the B to Bb lever and that slant could be very useful. I just never thought of it.
Another trick is is to play strings 3 & 5 and slant so string 5 is up one fret to give you an augmented chord (well, a partial anyway). Works with strings 5 & 8 also. Works good if you are playing a melody type solo and need to play against an augmented chord the rest of the band is playing. It's all about moving notes within a chord where some notes aren't moved.
Of course, those who are real good at half-pedaling pedal A can do this without slants. I use both methods, but some days, that half pedal just won't cooperate.  |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 9 Jun 2009 9:52 pm
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| Richard Sinkler wrote: |
| Another trick is is to play strings 3 & 5 and slant so string 5 is up one fret to give you an augmented chord (well, a partial anyway). |
And continuing along that line (literally!), the 7th string gives you an octave below the 3rd string for a fuller sound. What a grip! |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 9 Jun 2009 10:35 pm
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b0b...
Do you grip all 3 strings? Interesting thought. |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2009 6:15 am
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Yes, it's a fairly common skip grip. I do a lot of 4 string grips that skip strings, too. It's necessary if you want to play the good jazz chords on E9th.
Back to topic - 3 note chords with slants are pretty tricky on any steel guitar. Part of what made players like Jerry Byrd and Little Roy Wiggins so great was their ability to play 3 note slants in tune.
With the above mentioned back\slant on strings 3, 5 and 7, it's fairly easy to position the octave on 3 and 7 by ear. The middle note on string 5 is a tri-tone ("the Devil's interval"  ) which has musical tension no matter how it's tuned. It will definitely be in the ballpark, though, if your guitar's in tune.
_________________
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Fred Glave
From:
McHenry, Illinois, USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2009 9:20 am
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Slants are easier on steels that have wider string spacing too, and less strings. i.e.; 8, and 6 strings with wider spacing. That's one reason I went back to the D10 from U12. On my old Harlan Multi-Kord 6 string slants are easy.
_________________
Zum Encore, Zum Stage One, Fender 2000, Harlan Bros., Multi-Kord, |
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