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Guitar 101: Steel Guitar Blog

Apr 13, 2022

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If you're a lover of country music You've probably experienced the distinctive, tear-jerking wail of a steel guitar. Perhaps you've thought about taking up the instrument by yourself.

In this post, we'll briefly go over the background of the steel guitar and the various types and what you need to get started with playing.

 What Is an Steel Guitar?

The steel guitar is an stringed musical instrument that is famous for its unique ability to create smooth notes as well as rich vibrato music.

Steel Guitar Origin

Steel guitars are believed to have been created by Joseph Kekuku in the Hawaiian Islands in the late 19th century. He became known for playing his conventional guitar by placing it on his lap while moving a bar of metal along the strings. This method gained a lot of traction across the islands and eventually was a distinctive feature in Hawaiian music.

By the early 20th century, Americans were captivated by the instrument, which they called "Hawaiian steel guitar." The 1930s were the time when, the it became the first instrument ever to be electrically amplified and evolved to become what we recognize today as the lap steel guitar.

 Guitar Types: Steel Guitar Types

Technically speaking, any guitar can be played like steel There are two kinds of instruments designed to be used for this purpose only such as lapping and pedal.

Lap Steel Guitar

The initial version of steel guitars is this one, which has a single neck with six strings. It is played on the player's lap.

Pedal Steel Guitar

The pedal was designed to address this issue. It utilizes knee levers to bend or change the tone of strings. In this way, musicians can compose different chords with their feet and legs as well as making melodies by using their hands.

Pedal steel guitars also tend to come with at least two necks each with 10 strings, giving players more freedom and variety.

 Types of Steel Guitar Music

 The most famous Songs With Steel Guitar

For a chance to hear the instrument live, check out the following fans' favorites

  • "Teach Your Children" - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  • "Breathe (In the Air)" Pink Floyd - Pink Floyd
  • "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John
  • "Tangerine" - Led Zeppelin
  • "You Aren't Going Anywhere" The Byrds
  • "Dire Wolf" - Grateful Dead
  • "Torn and Frayed" - The Rolling Stones
  • "Going in the right Direction""Going in the Right Way" Robert Randolph and the Family Band
  • "Out on the Weekend" Neil Young - Neil Young
  • "Crying Steel Guitar" (Remix) Tammy Wynette

 Learn to Play a Steel Guitar

What You Are Looking For

Tone Bar

A tone bar is a flat cylindrical piece of metal that you press against the steel guitar's strings to produce sound. It's usually made of stainless steel (hence the term), though you can be able to find glass or ceramic versions.

Finger Picks

Though some steel guitarists prefer to play with just their fingers, many utilize a thumbpick as well as three or two finger picks in order to achieve a greater volume and clarity and sound.

Amplifier

Similar to any other electric guitar it is necessary to have an amplifier for hearing what you're doing. A majority of players will also include the volume pedal as well as a small amount of reverb into their signal chain, to create the distinctive sound of steel guitar.

Tuning

The first step in playing is to set the tone of your instrument.

If you're able to play the guitar in a traditional way, you're likely already familiar with the standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning. But, since there's no chance to put individual fingers against the fretboard in order to alter to create various chords Steel guitars are typically performed in open tuning. In other words, whenever all strings are played together, they produce an octave.

You can tune it to any open tuning you like, but there are a number of popular choices: open G and open D open E, and C6.

How to Play a Lap Steel Guitar

If you want to play the lap steel guitar place the instrument in your lap. If you're a right hander, your right hand is the one that picks and rests just to the left of the guitar's pickup. Your left hand is the fretting hand and will be holding the tone bar over the fretboard.

Make use of your thumb and the third finger to hold the tone bar as you lift and slide it across the fretboard. Rest your index finger on its top, and you can use it to apply a small bit of pressure on the bar--you'll know you're not pressing hard enough if the strings start to create an eerie sound.

Keep in mind that when you're playing individual strings, you need to be pressing the upper inch of the tone bar, in order to play one of those lower strings you'll have to move the tone bar to lower it until you get the perfect pressure.

To produce the wonderful vibrato sound you've likely heard on steel guitars play the bar of tone from left to right once you've landed on the note.

If you are using the finger of your hand, its task is not much more difficult than what you do when playing conventional guitar. Pick individual strings, or multiple strings at the same time. It is also possible to utilize your fingers or palm to block the strings in case you don't wish they to last.

Learn to play a Pedal Steel Guitar

Playing pedal steel guitar involves many of these methods, but there's something else to keep in mind--the pedals as well as the levers for knees.

When you push a pedal or pull the knee lever and it changes the pitch of specific strings by up to two semitones. It is possible to make new chords, or create glissandia soundssimilar to the ones is possible with the tone bar.

Paying attention to the pedals and knee levers, while simultaneously playing the tone bar or fingerpicking can be challenging initially, but eventually you'll get the hang of it after some practice.

Learn to Play Steel Guitar

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