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Topic: pedal steel vs lap steel? |
Calvin Walley
From:
colorado city colorado, USA
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Posted 22 Sep 2003 9:00 pm |
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| i am not trying to start anything, i was just wondering.....was the pedal steel meant to replace the lap steel ??? |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 2:35 am
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| If it was--it has not. |
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 3:54 am
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I don't think so. It's just a variation on a theme.
Was the 5 string Bass intended to replace the 4 string? No!
Was a U12 intended to replace the D10?
well..... it hasn't  |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 3:58 am
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No, It was created to solve a problem that all non pedal steel guitars have, IE the inability to get certain chords and phrases that most other instruments have little or no difficulty with; regardless of the myriad of tunings that are tried.
It has done a magnificent job in that department. But because there are always things in life that make us want things from "the good ole days", I suspect the lap steel will never go away nor be replaced with the pedal steel guitar.
I will say this. IMO, if PSG had been first, I doubt it would have ever "advanced" to the lap steel. We will never know the validity of that statement.
Thanks for asking and may Jesus bless you and yours always,
carl |
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John McGann
From:
Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 4:14 am
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| They will probably always exist side by side, as you get sounds on the non-pedal that are different from the pedal guitar and vice versa- even from a basic tone standpoint, part of the fun is the raw tone difference. Slants sound different from pedals (and some players like Lloyd and Buddy combine the two techniques)... |
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James Winwood
From:
New York, New York
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 8:29 am
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| It depends on the Tone your looking for and your style. Pedals, to me, have more to do with resolution, getting your 1357 and scalar at the fret with the bar. Keeps things easier to understand at a conceptual level, sounds inside, things are more proper and pretty. No-pedal means you have to know your tuning....really |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 10:51 am
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I've gotta say that with lap steel, I am now enjoying just being able to show up and sit in at jam sessions and friend's gigs without having to go through the big production number required to play my pedal steel...i.e. carrying it in, finding room to set up, setting up, tuning up, packing up... etc. etc.
Since I recently got serious about playing lap steel (after 30 years of PSG), I now actually can get excited to just go sit in with friends on the nights I'm not working, & not have to expect to get paid for all my trouble....something I would NEVER think of before. I'm not quite the jaded mercenary that I once was. 
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 12:22 pm
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| Quote: |
| I will say this. IMO, if PSG had been first, I doubt it would have ever "advanced" to the lap steel. We will never know the validity of that statement. |
Good point, Carl, but my own feeling is that if the pedal steel had been developed first, they would still have later developed "practice steels" that were indeed, nothing but "lap steels". As to whether or not you could call that an "advancement" might still be an issue, though! In a similar circumstance, I don't think you could call the bicycle an advancement over the motorcycle! |
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 1:48 pm
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"Without progress there can be no extravagance."---Clifton Chenier
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 5:41 pm
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| A popular misconception by some newbies is that with PSG you don't have to do all that bothersome and difficult SLANTING. Many folks in the younger generation (I'm not knocking younger people!!!) seem to want to start new projects somewhere near the TOP rather than starting like most of us did, at the very bottom and working our way up to the TOP. I'm glad I did it right! I'm not very good on lap steel or pedal steel but at least my playing was founded on the necessary BASICS of steel guitar. It made it all so much easier. |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 23 Sep 2003 6:29 pm
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I would think that, if the pedal guitar was indeed meant to replace the "lap" (Hawaiian) guitar, Jerry never received the "message". While very similar, they differ just as much as the keyboard accordion to the full chromatic button accordion. Button accordionist in general seldom, if ever play the keyboard models. While I love the pedal guitar, (when in the proper hands), I have never had a burning desire to play one. I would think Jerry shares similar sentiments in this regard.
They are two DIFFERENT instruments, each with a beauty of their own and each have their loyal devotees. JMHO |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 24 Sep 2003 3:32 am
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I believe that it was simply a case of "building a better mouse trap" as opposed to a conspiracy of elimination.
(I must be reading too many Bill Hankey posts ) |
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Chuck Halcomb
From:
Lubbock, Texas
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Posted 24 Sep 2003 6:29 am
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When I started playing steel guitar again last spring after not having played since 1958, one of the first things I did was to address the question, "should I start back with the 8 string lap steel I played before, or should I purchase and learn to play a Pedal Steel?"
After some serious soul searching, I decided that for me, the best thing was to start back where I started with the lap steel and if I could relearn that and learn some music theory to go with it, then in 3 years or so when I retire and move back to Texas, I could buy and find a teacher to learn pedal, if I felt like that would be something I would like to do.
Now after four or five months I am enjoying learning once again to do forward and backward slants and cord substitutions, for me I know this was the best way to go. Whether or not I ever want to move (and I would consider it a move not unlike moving from sax to flute) to a pedal steel at some later time is a question for a later time. |
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Nicholas Dedring
From:
Beacon, New York, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2003 8:18 am
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Playing lap steel (in a muddled, undirected way) for a while helped me understand what the heck you needed pedals for.
Sure, there are slants that can be done to obviate the need for pedals, but there are also combinations and moves that are not feasible on a lap steel, without really complex gymnastics. I would echo the idea above, though, that it's really nice to just show up with something you don't need a handtruck to carry, and a quarter hour to set up and tune... |
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Dirk B
From:
Harrisburg, MO, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2003 12:39 pm
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James,
What do you mean by
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| getting your 1357 and scalar at the fret with the bar |
Do you mean intervals? |
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John Bechtel
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Sep 2003 10:28 pm
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Pedal Steel and Non-Pedal Steel are two (2) seperate and distinct 'animals'. I don't think one will ever replace the other completely, only substitutions for the proper ocassions!
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“Big John” {(<< Uh~
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels |
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James Winwood
From:
New York, New York
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Posted 25 Sep 2003 8:10 am
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| Dirk, yes I do mean intervals. Being able to have full chords and harmonies at the bar, tritones included. Most lap steel tunings don't have tritones in them, not as adept in the chordal department. But for single line stuff -(not just distortion), they take the cake. For my tastes. Don't forget the tubes either. JW |
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2003 11:02 am
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Of course the tri-tone (6 half-steps) interval is available using bar slants on almost any non-pedal tuning. I don't shy away from it at all.
Here's a short article I wrote about the subject many years ago: http://b0b.com/sgwest/pp7809p6.htm
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 Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax |
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