D to Db Knee Lever Uses

Casey Saulpaugh · From: Asheville, NC

Recently started using the D to Db knee lever that lowers string 9 a half step on the E9 neck - have had it for almost 10 years and never really experimented with it until the last few months or so.

I’ve been finding a lot of great uses for it, and would love to hear how other players use and apply it for playing. I know it isn’t found on every copedent, does seem like it’s a fairly common change though on many pedal steels.

Here are a couple uses I’ve been finding very practical and helpful:

-Creates nice single note pentatonic patterns at the Open position, where the bar doesn’t need to be moved at String 9 - for example, in key of C at 8th fret, can easily play major pentatonic scale on strings 10-3 with little pedal use or bar movement. Can apply this similarly at the E Lower and AB positions.

-Creates nice 9th and 6th chord voicings when playing strings 10-6 (and more). Reminds me of similar voicings on the C6 neck.

I like how it turns the lower strings into intervals more similar to some on the C6 neck, which can be a nice break from strings 9-6 being a whole step apart on the E9 neck as far as moving along the neck with single note runs goes especially.

I’m sure there are a bunch of other great uses for it, would love to hear more!

-Casey
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

It's quite a traditional change which is usually combined with the 2nd string lower. I find it easier to think of it as a C# rather than a Db
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Brett Lanier · From: Madison, TN

Play strings 4, 6, 9 open -then press B pedal and lower 9. It’s a nice five dominant to one change with counterpoint motion. Also a great way to kick off America the Beautiful.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

It makes a low root when combined with the E raise lever for C#7 (no A pedal).

Assuming string 2 goes to C# on the same lever as string 9, it makes for kind of a cool sus7 single string run (3-1-4-2-5-6-7-8-9-10, or ascending) in that raised E’s configuration, too. I call it the George Harrison riff.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

It's been a while since I played a straight E9 with a 9th string D, but I seem to remember that where the change kicked in was also the half stop for the 2nd string D#-D-C#
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs

Casey Saulpaugh · From: Asheville, NC

Yep, I usually think of it as C# too, or the major 6th in key of E. I’m going to start exploring more ways to use the 2nd string application of this too, have always utilized the lower to D on that string more often. Really nice change Brett, I like that voicing a lot. Those are awesome Fred, never noticed those!

Does anyone know when this change started becoming more standard or incorporated into the build of a lot of pedal steel guitars?
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Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

Lower it and play C6 sounding stuff (in B6) - universal concept.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

The ninth as the root along with A and B or B and C for maj 7s/maj 9s.

Lowering 9 and engaging the B pedal gives a lovely inversion with the 3rd scale-tone as the bass note. You can retain that low 3rd, but still use the A pedal and/or KLs for all sorts of applications.

Thanks, Jimmie Crawford, for explaining all this stuff to me thirty-plus years ago while we toured together. That was an elysian moment for me.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Try it as pedals down resolve 6, 8, 10 but instead of raising the 10th string, first 6th string B pedal, let ring then lower 9th string instead of 10 string A pedal.

As mentioned earlier there's all kinds of good stuff with 4, 6 & 9 and use your C pedal there.

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