| Author |
Topic: Question from a steel nerd |
Gary Hoetker
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 3 Feb 2018 8:17 am |
|
| I have no formal music instruction.There so many options out there for this thoroughly confusing but wonderful instrument . How does one know which strings to play singly, or in combination using and not using the A B C pedals and knee levers; and what frets to use with the bar? The instruction videos that I've watched tell you where to go and what pedals and levers to engage but not why? Any advice will be appreciated and thank you. |
|
|
 |
Don R Brown
From:
Rochester, New York, USA
|
Posted 3 Feb 2018 10:36 am
|
|
Gary, I am far from an expert but since you ask for input here's my 2 cents worth. Sorry if this isn't what you were asking, but the Cliff Notes brief answer to what you ask is "It depends". There is far less "right" and "wrong" than you may think.
You don't say whether you have a steel now or not. I'm going to guess not. I suggest you either find someone who will let you try out theirs, or if you are really enthused, take the plunge and get your own.
You can't really give a one-size-fits-all instruction on what strings to play, etc. Genres of music are different, individual songs are different, different versions of the same song are different, and most importantly our own likes, dislikes and skills are different.
you can't learn to swim unless you are in the water. Once you hit that very first string for the very first time, you will start learning, and you will find what works best for YOU. Advice is good, theory is good, reading is good, but actually playing is going to answer more of your questions than we can do here. And believe me, it will also raise even more questions as you go.
_________________
Many play better than I do. Nobody has more fun. |
|
|
|
Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 3 Feb 2018 11:20 am
|
|
The how is easier to explain than the why, but the how makes more sense when you understand the why. Am I making myself clear? Of course. Not.
Why are there chords? To make melodies less lonely.
Why are there melodies? To keep the chords from getting bored.
Why are there scales? The musical equivalent of asking, “why are there moms?â€
Go here. http://steelguitaracademy.com/
There is some pretty good information in the Scales / Dyads / Chords sections. You will see how the Do-Re-Me’s lay out across the strings as well as up and down the E9 neck of the pedal steel.
This will begin to explain why you play a single string or multiple strings at such and such a fret and engage this pedal and that lever, make the notes last for this many beats before blocking it and moving on to the next combination of elements on the instrument in order to play My Darlin Clementine. |
|
|
|
Karlis Abolins
From:
(near) Seattle, WA, USA
|
Posted 7 Feb 2018 6:41 pm
|
|
Gary,
Fred and Don offer good advice about the issue. I will add my two cents worth coming from the perspective of someone who has been in your shoes.
When I first fell in love with the pedal steel, I had no music knowledge. I took lessons and got learning material but I didn't "get it". Your questions resonated with my experience. What happened to change my perspective and understanding? I "grokked" the diatonic scale.
Your questions about why do you play in such and such a position using such and such pedals can be answered by knowing the diatonic scale.
You probably know the diatonic scale as "do re mi fa sol la to do". A song (any song) is laid out such that EVERY note that you play or sing will be one of the notes on the scale. This true of folk music and most country music.
The diatonic scale has a starting point. If the song is in the key of C, for example, the do re mi... notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. If the song is in the key of G, the do re mi... notes are G A B C D E F# G. You can figure out the do re mi scale for any key (or look it up on the internet).
When you play more than a single note at a time, you are playing harmonies and chords. The harmonies and chords again are made up of notes on the diatonic scale. A typical folk song in the key of C will be marked for the the following chords: C, F, and G7. The C chord will have the notes C, E, and G. The F chord will have the notes F, A, and C. The G7 chord will have the notes G, B, D, and E. So, if the measure in a song (songs are divided into measures or bars) is marked with a C chord, every note that you play open or with a pedal on the "beat" MUST BE a C or an E or G and so on. You can slide or pedal between beats but the end point must be one of the chord notes.
This is it in a nutshell.
Once you have figured out every place on the fretboard that you can find the notes for a scale, you have the freedom of playing in multiple position and octaves and still blend in with the rest of the music.
I can see the more experienced folks rolling their eyes at my statements because these rules are so basic as to be almost absurd. There are going to be more times when you break these "rules" once you "grok" the diatonic scale and venture out into the worlds of the chromatic scale or the blues scale.
Karlis |
|
|
|
Nathan French
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 7 Feb 2018 8:33 pm Re: Question from a steel nerd
|
|
| Gary Hoetker wrote: |
| I have no formal music instruction. |
This is your primary problem. I don't think it needs to be formal instruction, but some background in music is pretty much necessary to appreciate what's happening. I hesitate to say that pedal steel isn't a good first instrument... but it's at least not the easiest instrument to pick up.
You need to know what a chord is and what a scale is to understand what's happening when someone is playing. The most straightforward thing to explain is that pedals can change one chord into another by shifting which notes are under the bar.
I haven't gone thru any of the paid instruction videos but if the ones on youtube are representative, they're not teaching basic music on pedal steel to a beginner but basic pedal steel on pedal steel to someone who understands music concepts and probably already plays guitar.
If you don't have any musical background it might make more sense to buy a guitar or maybe a lap steel and learn to play chords and scales. It's a lot less daunting. In a year or two you'll be able to analyze a pedal change in a video and understand what's happening in musical terms. |
|
|
|
Pat Chong
From:
New Mexico, USA
|
Posted 7 Feb 2018 9:19 pm
|
|
Hi, Gary.
Others have hinted at it, but I would ask: Do you play anything else? Is the pedal steel your first instrument? Do you play by ear?
I also would add, that there are people who play an instrument, and very good, too, but do not understand the WHY of what they are doing. You say you have no formal instruction, and it can hinder learning. But to give advice, it helps to know "where you stand", so to speak.
........................Pat |
|
|
|
Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
|
Posted 8 Feb 2018 10:41 am
|
|
Karlis wrote a program called "Guitar Map" that helps you find chord locations and scales. When I started using it (years ago) , it helped me considerably. I was able to find various variations of where to find the scales and chords. Learning what notes were the same in the chord I was playing and the chord I was going to helped me figure out the "why" players use a certain inversion, certain pedals, certain strings for what they want to accomplish.
The program allows you to set up different copedents (open tuning and the pedals and knee levers). I even had setups for dobro and lap steel.
I have Karlis' program available to download on my website. I even created a user manual for it. Go to my website (link below in my signature) and right now, the link is in the body of the home page. Today I will put a button in the menu for the link.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
|
|
|
