Pedal Steel Guitar vs. Lap Steel Guitar

[evanmcgill]

Hey everyone,

Just curious if someone could please explain the difference between Pedal Steel Guitar and Lap Steele Guitar AND which is being used more in comptemporary Country music (Easton Corbin, Chris Young, etc.). Thanks!

Evan

[llama]

Hey Evan. I'm not a country writer. My older brother is a pedal/steel/lap steel/guitar playing genius so I know this from watching him. Pedal steel is a fairly large instrument that sits on legs. It has levers and pedals to change the tuning of various strings as the instrument is being played. The number of pedals and levers varies from instrument to instrument....anything from 3 to ...well.. lots.. Beautiful sounding instrument. Has a nice sustained, rounded sound.
Lap steel just sits on the lap of the player. There's no pedals etc. The strings tend to be high above the neck. Of course in both cases the player uses a metal bar/slide on the strings to get the wanted notes..... To my ears boths are fantastic sounding instruments....
As far as contemporary country songs using either instrument. I don't pretend to be a country expert. I don't write it but I listen to my local country station and from what I hear both instruments seem to be used in today's songs. Even to the point of both being on the same track... An example being Easton Corbin's "A little more country then that".
anyway. Hope this helps..and like I said I'm no expert....Maybe one of the country writers can chime in for a better explanation. Best to ya Evan.

Derek.

[cameron]

Pedal steel developed from regular steel guitar in the 50's. Here's some useful info about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_steel_guitar

Just last week we went and saw Asleep At The Wheel in concert, and my girlfriend asked what kind of guitar it was the guy was playing as she had never seen a pedal steel without pedals, and played standing up. But that's the way it was back in the 30s and 40s when Bob Wills did it.

Great concert btw! I love western swing, and I actually get choked up watching The Wheel do San Antonio Rose and Faded Love the way Bob Wills did it.

Cam

[evanmcgill]

Thank you both!

Cameron, see you in Nashville in May!

[mojobone]

You can play lap steel (formerly known as Hawaiian steel, C6 is the most common Hawaiian tuning, but there are many) seated or standing, with or without a volume pedal, though the volume pedal is more common to pedal steel; it produces the familiar 'crying' sound by diminishing the attack of the thumb and (usually) two fingerpicks. There was an absolute craze for Hawaiian music in the late twenties that left a mark on American culture that's still heard today. Here's my favorite pedal steel player:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AVav92u0gU

[t4mh]

I hate fingerpicks...(blech)...Geezz I guess I'll never be a famous steel player