This was absolutely fascinating. You are an amazing players and really great at explaining the whole thing. Those are two skill not after found together. Do you have a YT Channel? I would LOVE seeing you as a regular guest on Tyler’s channel, maybe a limited series where you continue the explain the pedal steel and then jam together a bit at the end of each epi. Fascinating stuff.
As a British man who knows nothing about country, I had to put down my tea and listen to his impromptu arrangement of Amazing Grace because it evoked something in me that was so expressive and vocal that I couldn't tear away from it.
So simple yet, so powerful. An old ukelelle I bought at a garge sale years ago I later noticed the fretboard wear it had. I played some chords on the worn spots and found Amazing Grace must have been the tune this old uke played decades earlier. Everytime I pick it up I play that song. I may never know what was played before on it but the wear pattern kind of fits.
The Steel Guitar has always been the instrument that makes you feel the music in your bones. Country is not country without a Steel Guitar and a Fiddle.
Well in Hank Sr's time, country wasn't country if you had a drum kit, or anything electric. I mainly agree with you though, love a pedal steel on a country song.
I know plenty of amazing country without Steel Guitar or fiddle. In fact I know more amazing songs without it than with it. Your comment is objectively wrong lol
That rendition of amazing grace is legitimately one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard in my life! Amazing video and instrument. Thanks Tyler!
A great pedal steel player can subtly add so much emotion to a song. I just can’t image the point where someone sits down at one of those contraptions and decides, yep, lead guitar is too damn easy to play and carry around, I want to become a master of this guitar version of a cathedral organ and decides on a path moving forward. Amazing stuff.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play upright bass alongside some of the greatest up and coming pedal steel players alive. Thank you for covering this incredible instrument! As a good friend and phenomenal pedal steel player said to me, “it takes at least ten years to suck at this.” I gave it a shot, and was completely lost.
Good on you... I hope you just crush it in the years to come. I feel like pedal steel is a dying form of expression... and it definitely needs to hang around.
I worked for a company that made pickups for MIDI guitar, and at the NAMM show, I met a group of people that were in the process of making MIDI pedal steel instruments. Talk about, right down the rabbit hole!
Robert Randolph was the first person who introduced me to non-country steel playing. For those unfamiliar, he plays a bluesy shred style with gain. There are clear gospel influences, but he plays a lot of guitar style licks, just in a way very few could pull off on guitar.
Back in the ‘70s Stephen Stills had a rock band called Manassas. Most of the heavy lead work was done by his pedal steel player Al Perkins. Killer leads.
I've seen Robert Randolph a couple of times and was absolutely blown away with his playing style... for anyone who hasn't seen him him check him out you won't regret it
Holy Cow!! I was never a big fan of steel guitar in the way it was played in traditional country songs. But this guy just changed my mind with his ability to take the instrument into a whole new atmosphere. WOW!!
same im not into country. and steel guitar always feels kinda cheesy but wow the precision required to do what he does is really impressive. its always fun watching someone who is really good at their craft :). ive never heard of pedal steel guitar. its like all the difficulty of an organ plus guitar on top of that XD.
David Gilmore plays steel guitar on some Pink Floyd songs and it works beautifully. Yes, it has a lot of potential far beyond just country. Hope to hear more creative musicians using it in the future.
I went to a show at a club in Boston. Two bands from Nigeria. The powers that be thought the headliner would be the next "Bob Marley". The "big name band was King Sunny Ade. The show was incredible. They played with a mix of traditional and "rock" instrument. Talking drums,gourds covered with shells,etc... The instrument that got my attention was a steel guitar about 6 feet long. The musician playing it was very tall. He could reach the entire length of the guitar. This guy knew how to make talk,cry,etc...I recommend giving King Sunny Ade a listen. Start with "Synchro System".
It brings your heart and soul down home every time you hear the steel guitar, especially songs like Amazing Grace. It surrounds your body in comfort. Banjo does the same thing.
My grandfather used to hand build pedal steel guitars. I was all of 3 or 4 when he stopped, I only barely remember the last one he made. I do remember getting in trouble for going near it, though. I grew up hearing stories of my mom and aunts having to hand wind the pick-ups for him, and him dissappearing into the shop for days on end. I don't know how many he made over the years. That info is lost to time. I do know that the very early Porter Wagner recordings were done on one of my grandfather's pedal steel guitars. And that one went for quite a lot of money at an auction in Michigan. For whatever reason, he stopped hand crafting steel guitars in the late 1980s and switched over to hand crafting ridiculously accurate benchrest .22LR target rifles.
There’s something about witnessing greatness that sometimes brings tears of joy to my eyes… Travis is definitely a great musician, we can grasp that from this short video..
I attended the Convention from Scottys for almost 30 years. I also went to others in various States. Now I only get to a few each year. The fire is still burning.
@@picker63028I was blessed to be the staff lead guitarist for the last 5 years of Scotty's ISGC after Bobby Caldwell passed away. I sure miss it! We've started a new show here in Branson, Mo. this year. July 13th -14th. Sarah Jory from England is our headliner for this first show. Going to be held at Wrangler's Star-Studded Honky-tonk.
The sweetest sound in music is a pedal steel in the hands of a master; no other instrument can bring you to tears or fill you with total euphoria like a pedal steel; great video!
How many people just got inspired to go learn this instrument thank you I'm not going to got enough instruments trying to learn but man what a great again thank you
I really enjoy this sort of video, showcasing perhaps lesser known, less "glamorous" than mainstream instruments. But being shown by a passionate professional with heaps of talent, skill, and experience. Thank you both.
Literally saw Slash play on one of those yesterday and got confused as to what that instrument was. Great video and great timing for it to get recommended to me
My friend's father was Rusty Young of Poco fame. Steel Guitar Hall of Fame inductee 2013. If you haven't heard him play, I highly recommend it. RIP Rusty.
@@VidarLund-k5q as far as I know he stayed local. Greenville I think. During his set he told stories as he played and he said people are stunned that he just kept his iconic steel guitar set up in his garage.
Hey, thanks guys. I’ve always loved the steel guitar. Yes guitarist Steve Howe was a player of the steel that caught my interest in it beyond its country home. The tutorial was excellent!
Jerry Garcia also played one for a while. I think he was the original impetus for me to pick up the instrument. Now, after many years away from it, I'm just getting back into it.
Gilmour didn't really use the pedals he played it more like a lap or console steel. There's lots of Howe playing his on Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer, and his early solo albums.
@@NavelOrangeGazer Right; he plays a non-pedal instrument, and he processes it through an overdrive of some sort. Gets a great tone. I don't know much of Howe's playing outside of Yes; will check him out more.
Not only do I marvel at Travis and his skills, but I've got to scratch my head when I think of the genious who created the pedal steel. The instrument itself is a marvel, but the skills to make it sound so great is off the chart. It's akin to going to the moon sonically when Travis plays.
The pedal steel is one of those instruments that, when you tell someone you play it, there is one of two common responses: 1) What's that? or 2) Oh, I LOVE that sound! There really aren't many others, at least not that I've gotten. A friend of mine years ago sold me hers when she decided she wasn't going to be playing it anymore. It's a double neck MSA Classic, and it's the most intimidating thing I've ever sat down next to, behind, in front of, or really, anywhere near. I've been working at it for a while, and can make some basic chord licks with it, but I must admit, soloing is still beyond me. I'll get it, but it's a chore. I honestly believe that this is the hardest instrument around to actually master. The slide is the least of it. You are using both hands, both feet, AND your knees to make this thing work. I always find it funny that they show the player's hands when they show a pedal steel on a video, when it's BELOW the deck where all the important stuff is happening. Oh, and there is also the issue that all the serious players do their own things with the pedals and levers, so good luck trying to steal licks off of songs. You may get close, but you won't be able to do exactly what they do. This is a great instrument, find yourself one and start the journey. It's a wide open field, you can do whatever you want to with it.
I inherited my grandfather's lap steel many years ago. I occasionally open up the case, look at the 8 - string left handed beauty and close the case and pick up my strat....lol
I worked in a guitar shop, where we had a couple of pedal steel guitars on consignment, and customers would always ask, "What is that?!" And I would tell them, "You know in that Eagles song, there's those licks between vocal lines, '...to comfort an old friend who's feeling down...' THAT'S the thing that makes THAT sound!"
Except that the effect on that song was from the equally fascinating B-bender guitar. Crazy how much they sound like a pedal steel in the right hands. See Clarence White (Byrds), Marty Stuart, Jimmy Page, Nick Lowe for a few other folks who have slayed the B-bender.
Ralph Mooney was the legendary Steel Guitar player for Waylon Jennings and many other country artists. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar hall of fame in 1983. I love listening to him play. This video was fantastic. I learned a lot about the iconic instrument.
This is so cool! My dad's a huge Dire Straits fan and I just associate these lap steel sounds with them. Calling Elvis, Walk of Life, On Every Street (live from On The Night). And I was thinking, what about our left handed brethern and sisters? Are there left handed pedal steel guitars? Edit: Yes, they exist, but apparently a proper pain in the ass to find and even more expensive.
I'm not the biggest fan of country music but I could listen to you and your pedal steel all day long. Such a pity that we don't get to hear the instrument much in other genres of music. It has so much potential, it could catch on.
David Lindley passed away last year, not properly been recognised by the guitar community how important of a string player he was. Why not buy an old 6 string Supro/Oahu/National/Silvertone etc (they all had Valco pickups in them) lap steel and try some of the licks from Jackson Browne's classics? I mean Lindley pushed Dumble to develop his amps to master that sound and was therefore an important guy in the development of speakers and sound as a whole. I mean, the guy played EVERYTHING with strings on it, so the best string player ever - Absolutely. And he also helped Cooder create the Coodercaster, remember? Hot tip for anyone with a Tweed Deluxe. Use two pedals : Catalinbread Topanga and a Moore Ana Delay.... and suddenly your sound is in Ry Cooder territory!
Oh he is missed and he is recognized very well. Go over to the steel guitar forum and you will see. OK he didn't play pedal steel but we all know him as a master of the lap steel. None better. It is true that a lot of listeners to the music would not be aware that they are listening to lap steel guitar. They do need educating.
Thanks for making this video! When I was a kid in the 60’s, it was the pedal steel that made me HATE country music. Also, twangy Teles made me sick. Now, the Tele is my favorite instrument, and I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the skill and complexity of the pedal steel. It is such an interesting instrument, but I’m afraid it is on its way to musical extinction. There are fewer and fewer players, and today’s version of “country” music (pop with an accent) rarely uses the pedal steel. Let’s hope someone keeps it alive!
This is how tapped into the algorithm we are now. I literally just mentioned to my wife how cool the steel sound is in country music. I thought about looking to purchase a steel guitar to play with and this video comes upon the feed. All I have to do is think it and it manifests
I bought an Emmons SD10 a few years back, but haven’t found the time to learn anything on it. It’s still my main goal in life though. It makes me happy just seeing it every day to be honest. Hopefully some day I can take my foot off the gas at work, and get to learn it and do it justice
@Official_Musiciswin-on-Tel not me lol I started off on guitar. Lots of people I see in interviews. Off the top of my head, Toni iommi from black sabbath has a similar story.
Every musician wanted to be a drummer first? That sounds like something a bass player would say. You may want to rethink your statement, it’s 100% incorrect.
@@NukelarTomatoessame man.. I wanted to be Jimmy Page and David Gilmour. My parents put me in lessons at 12 and my mom put up with a LOT of impromptu jam sessions though my teens. Thanks mom.
Such a cool instrument, man. Someone out there really needs to make a sub-$500 beginner model pedal steel. I’ve wanted to play one for so long but I just don’t trust myself to stick with it enough to spring on a $1500 instrument lol. I mean yeah, I first learned drums and then taught myself guitar and have become semi-pro at that, but I’ve never really been able to fully stick with any other instruments aside from learning a few songs here and there. I know a few songs on piano and banjo, but nowhere near my guitar abilities lol. Who knows, though; I could see myself getting hooked on pedal steel for sure. One day!
No way. I've played one of these. I went with a friend to a party at his sister's place. One of these was in the corner of a room all night. As the party is winding down, the host, who I didn't know, came over to me and said, "I noticed you've been eyeing that steel all night." I said, "Yeah, I play guitar but I've never tried one of those." She said, "Give it a shot." An hour later after I had played a few things on it, no one believed me that I had never played one. I wasn't perfect at it or as good as this guy, but it's not _that_ hard. If you can play a guitar, it isn't a huge leap. If you've ever used a slide with your guitar, it's an even smaller jump. I've always wanted to get one but they're so expensive and every time I think I might pull the trigger, I end up buying a new guitar with that money instead. Lol. I love the sound of a pedal steel. Awesome video.
I saw a C&W TV show in the 60s where the steel guitar player made it sound like a voice saying "We'll be right back", just before the commercial break.
Glad to see all the Robert Randolf love in the comment section. I honestly didn't know much about how this instrument worked until this video. Thanks Travis for the educational and fun video. Really great chops you have. I certainly enjoyed the non traditional chords thrown in! :)
Love country music, I'm an 80's 90s and some 2000's country fan. I caught myself smiling several times when those steel notes started to drop. Amazing Grace on the pedal steel is the American version of the Scot's Amazing Grace on bagpipes.
My grandfather built a double neck pedal steel from raw materials. every piece on it was made on his manual vertical milling machine and metal lathe. He even got one up on ZUM STEEL by putting tiny ball bearings in the tensioner levers so they don't wear out from lots of pedal and knee lever use.
that glimpse of super mario was great, the face while doing it made it even better XD I feel like a full cover of the song on steel would sound pretty amazing
This guy is a gent and a joy. Great dude, and amazing instrument. Jacob Collier needs one of these. It's a choral ensemble. They should make this pedal collection for synths.
If you want to hear the pedal steel being played outside if it's typical country genre the last Dire Straits album On Every Street has some very nice playing.
I’m seeing more pedal steel in various genres of music these days, and they’ve been showing up with some of the more prominent modern bluegrass bands. For anyone willing to explore this, you can find the simpler lap steels to start with at very affordable prices. Pedal steel is an ultimate goal of mine to learn, and watching this video just inspires me that much more. Tyler, thanks for making this plug and posting this, I truly hope to see the pedal steel make a comeback!
Man Tyler you have a lot of connections. Pls talk to someone to produce an affordable steel guitar. I want to play this instrument SO bad but I don’t have thousands to shell out on one and probably won’t anytime soon.
The second I learned about Tommy White, this became my absolute favourite instrument. It sounds so clean, clear and gorgeous. I play mostly fretless bass myself, but it's so high on my list to have an attempt at pedalsteel. They're already expensive enough, but having to import one from America just adds to the cost hahaha. Maybe one day there will be a really affordable entry level one. Or maybe if I can ever simply find the changer... then I could have a shot of building my own... Such a great video
Thanks for having me Tyler! So much fun!
Sorry bro thats prob not the hardest instrument
It’s was really fun being there with y’all! I hope to be back soon
I'm dying to know, and I've always wondered... what's that second board closer to you for? No one ever seems to touch it!
This was absolutely fascinating. You are an amazing players and really great at explaining the whole thing. Those are two skill not after found together.
Do you have a YT Channel? I would LOVE seeing you as a regular guest on Tyler’s channel, maybe a limited series where you continue the explain the pedal steel and then jam together a bit at the end of each epi.
Fascinating stuff.
@@thismasonkidddon’t be a dick.
As a British man who knows nothing about country, I had to put down my tea and listen to his impromptu arrangement of Amazing Grace because it evoked something in me that was so expressive and vocal that I couldn't tear away from it.
Thank you!
So simple yet, so powerful. An old ukelelle I bought at a garge sale years ago I later noticed the fretboard wear it had. I played some chords on the worn spots and found Amazing Grace must have been the tune this old uke played decades earlier. Everytime I pick it up I play that song. I may never know what was played before on it but the wear pattern kind of fits.
Put down my tea?! lol Britishness checks out.
@@GuillermoSmyser I wasn't even making that up. I was literally having my breakfast with a mug of tea while watching this.
Country music gets a metric ton of hate, but the real stuff speaks to your very soul. And it don’t matter where you’re from. God bless you brother.
Dude, this is mind-blowing: literally YESTERDAY I was thinking I wish there was a good video on the concepts of pedal steel guitar!
Synchronicity
Same bro (I been tapping the strings on my guitar lays flat)
The AI is listening
Same
The Steel Guitar has always been the instrument that makes you feel the music in your bones. Country is not country without a Steel Guitar and a Fiddle.
Amen brother
"Switching it over to AM
Searching for a truer sound
Can't recall the call letters
Steel guitar and settle down"
- "Windfall", Son Volt
Well in Hank Sr's time, country wasn't country if you had a drum kit, or anything electric.
I mainly agree with you though, love a pedal steel on a country song.
Some of my favorite rock songs have steel or at least a slide sound.
I know plenty of amazing country without Steel Guitar or fiddle. In fact I know more amazing songs without it than with it. Your comment is objectively wrong lol
That rendition of amazing grace is legitimately one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard in my life! Amazing video and instrument. Thanks Tyler!
Agreed. If you can't feel that, you are not alive.
The whole thing was beautiful, but that jazzy, tinpan alley feeling suspension at the end was 🤌
I could listen to the steel guitar being played all day
not I
I’m with you. I don’t even like country music much but I could just listen a guy playing steel all day too. It’s a great instrument.
AMEN !!!!
I do
The big “ E “. Never been a better player..
That second to last chord on Amazing grace gave me goosebumps, so cool
A great pedal steel player can subtly add so much emotion to a song. I just can’t image the point where someone sits down at one of those contraptions and decides, yep, lead guitar is too damn easy to play and carry around, I want to become a master of this guitar version of a cathedral organ and decides on a path moving forward. Amazing stuff.
I play pedal steel in a psychedelic rock band in Knoxville TN called Chameleous. So glad to see steel represented!
No you don't. *I* play pedal steel in a psychedelic rock band in Knoxville TN called Chameleous. WTF man??
@@michaelhaydenbell ??
@@michaelhaydenbell😂
@@brianwooten5022he’s missin’ with you, brotha. 😂
Well I can't find any evidence of said band on UA-cam so I am not convinced until I hear some music!
"When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar... You're listening to the sound of the American heart..."
- George Strait
Actually, that was Steve Dorff and John Bettis. GS just sang it.
you bet!!!!
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play upright bass alongside some of the greatest up and coming pedal steel players alive. Thank you for covering this incredible instrument! As a good friend and phenomenal pedal steel player said to me, “it takes at least ten years to suck at this.” I gave it a shot, and was completely lost.
4:50 When you jam together it sounds soooo good!! Could listen to it all day!
Travis your mission is good, to get people into steel. I got one a year ago I’m 21.
Good on you... I hope you just crush it in the years to come. I feel like pedal steel is a dying form of expression... and it definitely needs to hang around.
I’m 22 and I really wanna learn. My uncle plays so I’d have good mentor. That being said I’ll have to save up quite a bit for even a cheap one…
I worked for a company that made pickups for MIDI guitar, and at the NAMM show, I met a group of people that were in the process of making MIDI pedal steel instruments. Talk about, right down the rabbit hole!
"That's the sound we love!"
That's right! We do 😁
I keep coming back to the Amazing Grace performance at 8:23, the multi-layered voicings this instrument is capable of are unreal
Travis is the man! I’ve been playing for a little over a year and learned basically everything from the online course that Travis teaches.
I love watching the absolute joy you two take in playing together.
Steel player out of Fayetteville, AR here. Thanks for showcasing this awesome instrument!
Robert Randolph was the first person who introduced me to non-country steel playing. For those unfamiliar, he plays a bluesy shred style with gain. There are clear gospel influences, but he plays a lot of guitar style licks, just in a way very few could pull off on guitar.
Back in the ‘70s Stephen Stills had a rock band called Manassas. Most of the heavy lead work was done by his pedal steel player Al Perkins. Killer leads.
I've seen Robert Randolph a couple of times and was absolutely blown away with his playing style... for anyone who hasn't seen him him check him out you won't regret it
Used to love him too bad his new stuff is commercial crap.
Rusty Young (RIP) from Poco was doing it starting back in 1969. Saw them in concert in 1980 and he shredded.
Check out sacred steel. Those players are awesome.
Holy Cow!! I was never a big fan of steel guitar in the way it was played in traditional country songs. But this guy just changed my mind with his ability to take the instrument into a whole new atmosphere. WOW!!
same im not into country. and steel guitar always feels kinda cheesy but wow the precision required to do what he does is really impressive. its always fun watching someone who is really good at their craft :). ive never heard of pedal steel guitar. its like all the difficulty of an organ plus guitar on top of that XD.
Check out Robert Randolph.
David Gilmore plays steel guitar on some Pink Floyd songs and it works beautifully. Yes, it has a lot of potential far beyond just country. Hope to hear more creative musicians using it in the future.
My mind and face are both melted. Travis is a monster player
hes probably the best in the world on the steel
Probably the best thing you’ve featured on this channel. Really cool to see another perspective.
I went to a show at a club in Boston. Two bands from Nigeria. The powers that be thought the headliner would be the next "Bob Marley". The "big name band was King Sunny Ade. The show was incredible. They played with a mix of traditional and "rock" instrument. Talking drums,gourds covered with shells,etc... The instrument that got my attention was a steel guitar about 6 feet long. The musician playing it was very tall. He could reach the entire length of the guitar. This guy knew how to make talk,cry,etc...I recommend giving King Sunny Ade a listen. Start with "Synchro System".
Travis is a great ambassador for the steel. He’s also one of the best playing the instrument today.
It brings your heart and soul down home every time you hear the steel guitar, especially songs like Amazing Grace. It surrounds your body in comfort. Banjo does the same thing.
2:39 the moment when you just have to stop the video and just look at how many GOAT's are on the stage
It was an extremely powerful gathering of musical wizardry.
Was trying to think of some kind of country/goat joke... but it would have been too baaaaaaad.
Please share, can't id any
Lovely stuff! Great to see both Travis and our instrument get the exposure they deserve.
My grandfather used to hand build pedal steel guitars.
I was all of 3 or 4 when he stopped, I only barely remember the last one he made. I do remember getting in trouble for going near it, though.
I grew up hearing stories of my mom and aunts having to hand wind the pick-ups for him, and him dissappearing into the shop for days on end.
I don't know how many he made over the years. That info is lost to time. I do know that the very early Porter Wagner recordings were done on one of my grandfather's pedal steel guitars. And that one went for quite a lot of money at an auction in Michigan.
For whatever reason, he stopped hand crafting steel guitars in the late 1980s and switched over to hand crafting ridiculously accurate benchrest .22LR target rifles.
My great grandfather played steel lap/table guitar and even though I never got to hear him play it, I heard he was a hell of a musician.
Great video. Just watched Chris Stapleton play last night and he had legendary Paul Franklin on the steel! Holy smokes what a great show
There’s something about witnessing greatness that sometimes brings tears of joy to my eyes… Travis is definitely a great musician, we can grasp that from this short video..
Pedal steel does that to u it’s ok to cry
Scotty’s music in Overland, Mo was the place to go for me. I started with his book and a C6 lap slide. I still miss the annual conventions.
I attended the Convention from Scottys for almost 30 years. I also went to others in various States. Now I only get to a few each year. The fire is still burning.
@@picker63028I was blessed to be the staff lead guitarist for the last 5 years of Scotty's ISGC after Bobby Caldwell passed away. I sure miss it! We've started a new show here in Branson, Mo. this year. July 13th -14th. Sarah Jory from England is our headliner for this first show. Going to be held at Wrangler's Star-Studded Honky-tonk.
Travis is the best! He’ll make anybody that plays anything, want to work on their chops!
I never knew how one of these sorcery machines worked. Thanks, it's ever way more complicated than mere sorcery could even explain.
The sweetest sound in music is a pedal steel in the hands of a master; no other instrument can bring you to tears or fill you with total euphoria like a pedal steel; great video!
How many people just got inspired to go learn this instrument thank you I'm not going to got enough instruments trying to learn but man what a great again thank you
There is something about a steel guitar that just goes straight to the heart. Love it.
Wow.. this guy is incredible
I really enjoy this sort of video, showcasing perhaps lesser known, less "glamorous" than mainstream instruments. But being shown by a passionate professional with heaps of talent, skill, and experience. Thank you both.
This was cool. Great run-down of how it works.
As someone who has been messing around with pedal steel for years got to say this is inspirational.
Literally saw Slash play on one of those yesterday and got confused as to what that instrument was. Great video and great timing for it to get recommended to me
My friend's father was Rusty Young of Poco fame. Steel Guitar Hall of Fame inductee 2013.
If you haven't heard him play, I highly recommend it. RIP Rusty.
I got to meet Don Helms. The steel player for Hank Sr’s driftin cowboys. Fantastic man. Traditional country and pedal steel is something special.
Didn't Don Helms move to Hawaii after Hank Williams passed away to start teaching? I believe I read that somewhere.
@@VidarLund-k5q as far as I know he stayed local. Greenville I think. During his set he told stories as he played and he said people are stunned that he just kept his iconic steel guitar set up in his garage.
Thanks a lot.
Hey, thanks guys. I’ve always loved the steel guitar. Yes guitarist Steve Howe was a player of the steel that caught my interest in it beyond its country home. The tutorial was excellent!
This was great! I think of Steve Howe and David Gilmour both play one in the rock genre. Both masters at it as well. Great video!
Jerry Garcia also played one for a while. I think he was the original impetus for me to pick up the instrument. Now, after many years away from it, I'm just getting back into it.
Gilmour didn't really use the pedals he played it more like a lap or console steel. There's lots of Howe playing his on Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer, and his early solo albums.
@@NavelOrangeGazer Right; he plays a non-pedal instrument, and he processes it through an overdrive of some sort. Gets a great tone. I don't know much of Howe's playing outside of Yes; will check him out more.
Not only do I marvel at Travis and his skills, but I've got to scratch my head when I think of the genious who created the pedal steel. The instrument itself is a marvel, but the skills to make it sound so great is off the chart. It's akin to going to the moon sonically when Travis plays.
The pedal steel is one of those instruments that, when you tell someone you play it, there is one of two common responses: 1) What's that? or 2) Oh, I LOVE that sound! There really aren't many others, at least not that I've gotten. A friend of mine years ago sold me hers when she decided she wasn't going to be playing it anymore. It's a double neck MSA Classic, and it's the most intimidating thing I've ever sat down next to, behind, in front of, or really, anywhere near. I've been working at it for a while, and can make some basic chord licks with it, but I must admit, soloing is still beyond me. I'll get it, but it's a chore.
I honestly believe that this is the hardest instrument around to actually master. The slide is the least of it. You are using both hands, both feet, AND your knees to make this thing work. I always find it funny that they show the player's hands when they show a pedal steel on a video, when it's BELOW the deck where all the important stuff is happening. Oh, and there is also the issue that all the serious players do their own things with the pedals and levers, so good luck trying to steal licks off of songs. You may get close, but you won't be able to do exactly what they do.
This is a great instrument, find yourself one and start the journey. It's a wide open field, you can do whatever you want to with it.
this video is a perfect example of how someone can take control of an instrument and really give you a show you can feel
I inherited my grandfather's lap steel many years ago. I occasionally open up the case, look at the
8 - string left handed beauty and close the case and pick up my strat....lol
My mind was already blown by the complexity of this instrument...then he talked about the knee levers!
I didn't know those things were there!
Gentlemen, that was a cool listen. Thanks!
my dad played steel guitar. I fondly remember him playing all the old school country/western songs. He's been gone a few years now.
I worked in a guitar shop, where we had a couple of pedal steel guitars on consignment, and customers would always ask, "What is that?!" And I would tell them, "You know in that Eagles song, there's those licks between vocal lines, '...to comfort an old friend who's feeling down...' THAT'S the thing that makes THAT sound!"
Except that the effect on that song was from the equally fascinating B-bender guitar. Crazy how much they sound like a pedal steel in the right hands. See Clarence White (Byrds), Marty Stuart, Jimmy Page, Nick Lowe for a few other folks who have slayed the B-bender.
I have been blessed to play bass in a few bands with an awesome steel guitar and fiddle player and man it is heaven on earth 🙂
What a crazy instrument. Great video. Thank you.
There is an older gentleman on UA-cam who goes by David Hartley he rips the steel. Discovered him years ago and I’ve been intrigued since.
Double D all grown up! Glad to see he doesnt hate it anymore.
Haha... Bravo! 👏👏 05:56 Overlapping of minds and scales
Ralph Mooney was the legendary Steel Guitar player for Waylon Jennings and many other country artists. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar hall of fame in 1983. I love listening to him play. This video was fantastic. I learned a lot about the iconic instrument.
Now that's some great playing 🤙
Love it, and am so enamored with the possibilities of pedal steel
This is so cool! My dad's a huge Dire Straits fan and I just associate these lap steel sounds with them. Calling Elvis, Walk of Life, On Every Street (live from On The Night).
And I was thinking, what about our left handed brethern and sisters? Are there left handed pedal steel guitars?
Edit: Yes, they exist, but apparently a proper pain in the ass to find and even more expensive.
I'm not the biggest fan of country music but I could listen to you and your pedal steel all day long.
Such a pity that we don't get to hear the instrument much in other genres of music. It has so much potential, it could catch on.
David Lindley passed away last year, not properly been recognised by the guitar community how important of a string player he was. Why not buy an old 6 string Supro/Oahu/National/Silvertone etc (they all had Valco pickups in them) lap steel and try some of the licks from Jackson Browne's classics? I mean Lindley pushed Dumble to develop his amps to master that sound and was therefore an important guy in the development of speakers and sound as a whole. I mean, the guy played EVERYTHING with strings on it, so the best string player ever - Absolutely. And he also helped Cooder create the Coodercaster, remember? Hot tip for anyone with a Tweed Deluxe. Use two pedals : Catalinbread Topanga and a Moore Ana Delay.... and suddenly your sound is in Ry Cooder territory!
Oh he is missed and he is recognized very well. Go over to the steel guitar forum and you will see. OK he didn't play pedal steel but we all know him as a master of the lap steel. None better. It is true that a lot of listeners to the music would not be aware that they are listening to lap steel guitar. They do need educating.
I had to put the other earbud in. This was worth listening to with both sides of my brain.
Thanks for making this video! When I was a kid in the 60’s, it was the pedal steel that made me HATE country music. Also, twangy Teles made me sick. Now, the Tele is my favorite instrument, and I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the skill and complexity of the pedal steel. It is such an interesting instrument, but I’m afraid it is on its way to musical extinction. There are fewer and fewer players, and today’s version of “country” music (pop with an accent) rarely uses the pedal steel. Let’s hope someone keeps it alive!
Four kinds of music, now including honky and tonk.
This is how tapped into the algorithm we are now. I literally just mentioned to my wife how cool the steel sound is in country music. I thought about looking to purchase a steel guitar to play with and this video comes upon the feed. All I have to do is think it and it manifests
A little too Conway Twitty for me but when he went Frampton (2:04) I was all in.
Yea. You were feeling like I was
Hello darlin'
While I love any guitar playing, the two I can't get enough of is the Dobro and a Steel. Most beautiful sounds come out of them like no other.
Double D from Ed Edd n Eddy is having some PTSD flashbacks.
I bought an Emmons SD10 a few years back, but haven’t found the time to learn anything on it. It’s still my main goal in life though. It makes me happy just seeing it every day to be honest. Hopefully some day I can take my foot off the gas at work, and get to learn it and do it justice
every musician worth his chops started off wanting to be a drummer before being kicked off and told to play something less noisy
@Official_Musiciswin-on-Tel not me lol I started off on guitar. Lots of people I see in interviews. Off the top of my head, Toni iommi from black sabbath has a similar story.
I’m lucky to have had supportive parents who put up with my loud amps and power chords
Every musician wanted to be a drummer first? That sounds like something a bass player would say. You may want to rethink your statement, it’s 100% incorrect.
Some of us never left percussion 😉
@@NukelarTomatoessame man.. I wanted to be Jimmy Page and David Gilmour. My parents put me in lessons at 12 and my mom put up with a LOT of impromptu jam sessions though my teens. Thanks mom.
DUDE, thank you for having this guy on!!! I loved this video
If you don't have steel guitar, you dont have country music.
or spongebob
Such a cool instrument, man. Someone out there really needs to make a sub-$500 beginner model pedal steel. I’ve wanted to play one for so long but I just don’t trust myself to stick with it enough to spring on a $1500 instrument lol. I mean yeah, I first learned drums and then taught myself guitar and have become semi-pro at that, but I’ve never really been able to fully stick with any other instruments aside from learning a few songs here and there. I know a few songs on piano and banjo, but nowhere near my guitar abilities lol. Who knows, though; I could see myself getting hooked on pedal steel for sure. One day!
No way. I've played one of these. I went with a friend to a party at his sister's place. One of these was in the corner of a room all night. As the party is winding down, the host, who I didn't know, came over to me and said, "I noticed you've been eyeing that steel all night." I said, "Yeah, I play guitar but I've never tried one of those." She said, "Give it a shot." An hour later after I had played a few things on it, no one believed me that I had never played one. I wasn't perfect at it or as good as this guy, but it's not _that_ hard. If you can play a guitar, it isn't a huge leap. If you've ever used a slide with your guitar, it's an even smaller jump. I've always wanted to get one but they're so expensive and every time I think I might pull the trigger, I end up buying a new guitar with that money instead. Lol. I love the sound of a pedal steel. Awesome video.
Life’s short . Get one
I see pedal steel, I click. One of my favorite instruments to listen to. A while back I watched a video of Paul Franklin showing off his pedal steel.
Ai could never replicate
A.I. will replicate and make better. It will take all styles of the best songs ever and put then together in new ways.
😂
I saw a C&W TV show in the 60s where the steel guitar player made it sound like a voice saying "We'll be right back", just before the commercial break.
That probably was Pete Drake with his "talking steel guitar", Jim Reeves' go to pedal steel player.
Pete Drake on the Jimmy Dean show, 1960's. He played on a LOT of records.
Glad to see all the Robert Randolf love in the comment section.
I honestly didn't know much about how this instrument worked until this video. Thanks Travis for the educational and fun video. Really great chops you have. I certainly enjoyed the non traditional chords thrown in! :)
Love country music, I'm an 80's 90s and some 2000's country fan. I caught myself smiling several times when those steel notes started to drop. Amazing Grace on the pedal steel is the American version of the Scot's Amazing Grace on bagpipes.
One of the best Steel Players to interview!!! One of the best Steel Players Period!
My grandfather built a double neck pedal steel from raw materials. every piece on it was made on his manual vertical milling machine and metal lathe. He even got one up on ZUM STEEL by putting tiny ball bearings in the tensioner levers so they don't wear out from lots of pedal and knee lever use.
Travis is the bomb. One of the fastest set of hands in the trade and he keeps it musical. Love to watch him go at it.
My grandmother told me she played steel guitar when she was young. Now that I watch this, I wish I had some video of her playing
that glimpse of super mario was great, the face while doing it made it even better XD I feel like a full cover of the song on steel would sound pretty amazing
I used to live in New Mexico. This is the most respected instrument in any band there.
Excellent video,Tyler.Appreciate what you do,Travis.Thanks to both of you.
Wow! As a 6-stringer myself, that was incredibly enlightening! That instrument is amazing. And so is Travis! Great vid Tyler.
This guy is a gent and a joy. Great dude, and amazing instrument. Jacob Collier needs one of these. It's a choral ensemble. They should make this pedal collection for synths.
What an OUTSTANDING video. Other than loving the sound of the instrument, I know NOTHING about them. Now I know a tiny bit.
Thanks for this!
If you want to hear the pedal steel being played outside if it's typical country genre the last Dire Straits album On Every Street has some very nice playing.
I’m seeing more pedal steel in various genres of music these days, and they’ve been showing up with some of the more prominent modern bluegrass bands. For anyone willing to explore this, you can find the simpler lap steels to start with at very affordable prices. Pedal steel is an ultimate goal of mine to learn, and watching this video just inspires me that much more. Tyler, thanks for making this plug and posting this, I truly hope to see the pedal steel make a comeback!
Man Tyler you have a lot of connections. Pls talk to someone to produce an affordable steel guitar. I want to play this instrument SO bad but I don’t have thousands to shell out on one and probably won’t anytime soon.
Welp, there's a reason Daniel Lanois uses the pedal steel for his ambient electric stuff. Such nice textures.
I can barely wrap my mind around the normal guitar.. this is other worldly.. and it sounds amazing...
I've seen some used pedal steels in some music stores, and he ain't a lyin', they are pricey!
The second I learned about Tommy White, this became my absolute favourite instrument. It sounds so clean, clear and gorgeous. I play mostly fretless bass myself, but it's so high on my list to have an attempt at pedalsteel. They're already expensive enough, but having to import one from America just adds to the cost hahaha. Maybe one day there will be a really affordable entry level one. Or maybe if I can ever simply find the changer... then I could have a shot of building my own... Such a great video