Ok, I've been playin' guitar for over 50 years now and have never got it totally down, but now in my old age I think I'll take up the pedal steel. That way I can be guaranteed that I'll die frustrated.
@@captainmoretokin2172 I mostly play old-time now and one of the reasons is that we all get to sit down while playing. I even have a tall chair for playing the upright bass :-)
@@nealmont Try a Hammond B3 sometime.....left foot bass, right foot volume, left hand comping bass, right hand lead and chords, and throw in the Leslie on and off. ....40 years later and I can't still make it all happen.
Mike, I was in White Lake, N.C. way back in my late teens. Three of us were walking around town checking out the ladies. I suddenly heard someone absolutely wearing out a pedal steel. It was coming from a tent revival with a Gospel Band, so I wandered over to check out the player. I stuck my head around the tent flap, and I shit you not, it was a kid playing a ShoBud, and his feet barely reached the pedals.Some people are just gifted. The bastards.
Mike Jervis. An old gent that's been around since the stone age, in my home town, plays the best steel in 10 county's, says the only way to get really good is to play it all the time. By the time you've mastered the steel, you'll be dead. Pretty much sums it up to me. There are few young players worth a hoot -- most seem to be old farts that can barely walk, like ol' Louie Amantero, Livingston, MT
You got that, man. I guess you could play any type of guitar with a pedal steel - from bluegrass to folk and country to twang-banging hard rock. (Imagine that through distortion and wah!)
@@CernanCDengaRight?! I have a MIDI Pedal Steel plugin I can use my keyboard with… I’m definitely building a song around a pedal steal through a wah and Orange Rockerverb.
Despite its immense popularity in country and western music, the pedal steel is still a tremendously underrated instrument. Fascinating instrument with an amazing sound.
+Nicolas.T +DerDa OK, here's the thing: 1. The history of this insurtment, is not unknown. It's a couple clicks away. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_steel_guitar 2. It was developed throughout the decades by several people (as most instruments usually are). All of them men, as far as a quick search has confirmed. 3. I still like DerDa's point: it's a good thing to check your assumptions that men are responsible for everything. Women have contributed many advancements, technological and not, to human culture (they were pioneers in electronic music, for instance). We're still, unfairly, often taught mostly about men. But maybe, after that point was made, it would have been a good thing to just check the actual available facts?
Unlike guitar where most people just learn where to put their fingers when beginning it seems like you would need a basic concept of music theory and how chords are built before even beginning on pedal steel.
Ive played pedal steel for a few months...put I also play guitar,bass,drums,keys,....other insturments too but im not the best.......lets say jack of all trades
Uh, that's a lie. I am a very beginner. Self-taught, only know like 6-7+ chords that I learned over the course of a few months. Got to try a pedal guitar out and it was so much easier to play than having to do the chords my self. All I had to focus on was which string I played and then it was just off and play..
Knee levers! There are knee levers as well?!? I was just thinking I might be able to handle it then you tell me about knee levers! And then there's the C6 neck.
Jonathan Reynolds I don’t play but it looks like it gets more complicated than that, how many strings on these things, hats off to those that master this monster.
Music is a language and once you understand the grammar and vocabulary, it begins to make sense. What’s really tricky is once you begin to analyze music it is hard to simply enjoy it. That’s what turned me off from music school. Keep your mind and ears open!
@JM Coulon I'm with both of you . The more I've learned the more I appreciate even genres of music I wouldnt normally listen to or even care about, but it's also discouraging analyzing and knowing that I'll never get to the level playing through my limbs and fingers what's in my head. Music, when you start understanding it and your own shortcomings and lack of skill and creativity compared to others , becomes like madness .
@@Tonetwisters That why I took up mandolin and listen with my mouth hanging open to Ms Molly Tuttle play guitar AND mandolin. They call Jerry Douglas " flux" and for good reason. Don't know what Molly will get for a nic-name. Garcia gave great nic-names, so maybe it will be up to Peter Rowan to hang something appropriate on this phenomenal picker lady.
Pretty basic concept really. Had no knowledge of pedal steel´s but would be cool to try one. Only thing is, i hate using banjo-style thumb picks. Is like what happens if you put tape on the beans under a cats paws
Nah a 3 stick Mack single stack mack with a window in the back Pulling 1/2 loaded double shotgun tanks on old US 41 Nashville to Atlanta hitting Atlanta at morning rush hr.
I knew this old cowboy for about 4 years and one day he mentioned to me he played pedal steel, me being a guitar player said get the hell out, I thought well he is probably pretty bad. Then one day he invited me to his house to jam around, when I got to the door he was playing and my mouth dropped, he was awesome.
Not only do the strings have to be in tune but the pedals and levers have to be properly adjusted, too. Just because the string is in tune open doesn't mean it will be when your feet and knees start working.
The guitar from an engineering perspective design wise is a compromise it's always at of tune which is why there's the old saying, " as guitar players we spend half our time tuning and the other half playing out of tune!"
Put in an evertune bridge mechanism and they'll always be in tune even after months of wild bends... it goes for like $400 dollars or so.... only downside it's not compatible with a tremolo
That was totally sick. I'm a jazz guitarist and I've always found steel guitar kind of mystifying thanks for taking some of the mystery of of it. I find the sound of a steel guitar intoxicating. I could how if I ever got my hands on one of those things I'd get sucked into the abyss. I like the Brian Blade release Perceptual. Steel guitar all over it in a jazz setting. I don't know who the player is by I dig it.
According to Wikipedia, the pedal steel is played by a guy named Dave Easley, but Daniel Lanois is on there as well, and he's a pretty mean pedal steel player himself. I've seen him just jam spontaneously on the instrument a few times, and it always takes you right off to dreamland. Thanks for the CD recommendation, by the way. I will pick this up. Blade is an amazing drummer.
@@raymarks7430 I just typed "Adios to Calf" into Spotify so I can check this out. D'oh! I listened to it now, and you're right -- the pedal steel's nice. My all-time favourite pedal steel playing is on the first few Mike Nesmith solo albums -- OJ Red Rhodes. Genius. Listen to 'Wax Minute' on the album 'Tantamount to Treason'. It's jaw-dropping.
From this demonstration, you can really see how the pedal steel is the perfect instrument to simulate one of the instrument choirs in a traditional big band, as is done in Texas-style Western swing. Texas and Kansas city aren't that far apart, after all. The cross-pollination was there right from the beginning.
Thank you! Not only do you have to be a musician...you have to be a technician as well. All the wiring and leads..this is much more complicated than the average audience can fathom. Kudos!! We should all learn to appreciate the finesse involved.
@@sir_john_hammond -- technically you're right but I think the original commentor was speaking to the drastic pitch change to another note rather than the slight pitch change that comes from the bending or tightening in this case of the string: The pedal does of course change the pitch but so drastic it is changing the note but the slight verbato as the man in the video spoke of is just a softer pitch like bending on standard body guitar.
What I took from it was , the pedals only change certain strings , so if you want to just bend a certain string, you use the pedals because the bar would bend all the strings at once . But I could be wrong
@Martin G That would depend upon which god you are referring to. The one you pray to, or the one you kneel to when you are puking. I don't think the porcelain god should get an upper case g. That's my opinion, and everyone has one.
How convenient it is for one of the most beautiful sounding instrument to require a expert level coordination of hands, feet, knees, and music theory at the same time. Damn.
What I find funny about this, is that so many people stereotype country music as being a genre for less intelligent people, but yet this instrument is one of the most complicated damned things in existence. I am a multi-instrumentalist, and I can’t even imagine where to begin with this. God bless those who have mastered it.
As a banjo picker, I find the same attitude regarding Bluegrass music...just a bunch of dumb hillbillies, doing a Buck and Wing! I agree with you about those pedal steel folks. Heck, I have a bad enough time working with only 5 strings, and I don't even have to worry about pedals and knee levers.
I think that stereotype is aimed more at the general consumer than the actual musicians. And in my albeit somewhat limited experience I'd say that it does have its merits.
Right! Cuz only steel guitars, banjo's, and fiddles are limited to only country music. I have heard all of these instruments used in rock songs, blues tunes and other genres. Oooo, lets not forget harmonicas, also only country music. I know you only talking about the stereotype of "country music as being a genre for less intelligent people", but many people think these instruments are only for country music. Sad thing is though, country music isn't really country music anymore. All these kids doing "country music" now-a-days, are really only playing "twangy" rock music.
UncleFestersWorld You make a really good point. I’m not too keen on the use of steel guitar in rock music, but one of the most successful applications of that came from an Australian band from the 1980s called the Triffids. This is a really beautiful song from them: ua-cam.com/video/OGkJONhkBgU/v-deo.html
having owned several pedal steels, since 79. I will say on thing It takes a lot more knowledge than most 6 string guitarists know ! You've gotta play a lot of "fill ins", that you wouldn't play as a 6 stringer, It comes with time BTW: Great "intro" video It takes lot mot of how relative minors apply to you basic 1-4-5 than most jammers realize/ It requires a level of exact picking, and feeling Good luck to any aspiring players
Rick Winfield sounds like it could be fun . You theoretically could make sounds that nobody has ever heard ! Seems to me that the chord/ note/ key variations are almost endless
@@djf2918/ guitar horizontal in capability of reaching your favorite inverted chord,isn't as rough or technical as a standard 6 string acoustic, as I found. After 63 years, I still find this most difficult instrument to master, as the best pedal steel players were dobro masters first.This my dear companions is how I observed it. Its the guitarist who duplicate steel players better than steel players can reproduce a guitar.Exceptions even here exists..." if they can do it so can you..." my secret sentiments since1957.Don't quit, retreat...but get back to this, carry-on...♡ Old Grandpaw will smile,& God too! Shalom& and pass a harmony of Concord... thanks for your help 👍
What an amazing video. I was totally absorbed throughout and learned so much. Steve Fishell is a master in his art - the only other pedal steel guitar player I know is Paul Franklin and these two guys are just maestros. Thank you so much for posting.
I finally learned how a lot of country songs get "that" sound. That sound that sounds like its from a guitar. But its from this. Never would've guessed. Awesome instrument though!
It's interesting how David Gilmour of Pink Floyd almost completely changed the feeling of that instrument. Used to hearing as the backing of a country song, he used it to add sort of a spacey feel to their music.
its firstgrade Wise Guy. Pedal Steel has been used for country for a long time and no matter which group uses it, it sounds the same. A whiny country song. Gilmour changed that.
Brings back memories visiting my uncle in Nashville ... his friend was Shot Jackson ... he played and I recall built steel guitars. Shot was very Nice !!
Yeah , like driving a 4WD, while upside down with 3 or 4 mirrors in different locations to see if your going forward,. Amazing, I would need another 2 lives to get the hang of it
2 роки тому
I adore the sound of a pedal steel guitar. For some reason it sounds to me like a warm summer evening and I can't tell why.
Hi Steve a good friend of mine back in the seventies stepfather was a pedal steel guitar player. His name was Curly Chalker. Curly did a lot of session work in Nashville. He was also the steel guitarist for the house band on the HeeHaw show. He was a cool guy and interesting to talk with. He passed away in 1998. I figured you knew of him and may have known him. He was considered one of the best.
Yeah, but it could NEVER EVER substitute for the multiple myriad sounds/insanely bent chords a master player could get out of one of these. (But old Clarence, and Gene Parson knew that! ;) )
My brother, Will Rogers from Chugwater, Wyoming, is a very good steel guitar player. Just putting that out there. He wrote the song Coal Train, accompanied by The Chugwater Band. He has writren seceral songs. Sings well, too
If you're familiar enough with how the pedals and levers work, when a B goes to a C# on the page you'll know which pedal to step on to make it happen. It just takes a lot of familiarity with the instrument to sight-read. But I think the majority of steel players just improvise as most people do when they play country and western music.
Most accomplished pedal steel players do bar slants, look at how many Lloyd Green does. The pedals simply make chords that aren't possible from slanting on a lap steel.
This is the best sounding instrument ever made if you ask me. It can work in any mood of song. Its especially good in sad songs, but it works in happy ones too. For some reason i have a hard time finding enough sad country songs using this instrument though. I have a good amount on my playlist, but there can never be enough!
Renowned guitarist, pedal steel player and Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia once opined that he hoped reincarnation was real -- then he could have another lifetime in which to learn to play the pedal steel!
Playing this instrument is my main goal one day, but man does it look complicated. It's like your whole lower body needs to be in rhythm with your fingers. Just amazing.
I used to sit at a table at one dance hall or another, by myself, and when it came time for one of the guitarists to have to make a bathroom run, they'd call me up to the stage to fill in for them, while they were gone. When I would get back to my table, there would be at least one girl, sitting there waiting for me to get back. I tried, several times, to play the steel, but it's SO DIFFERENT than playing something like a dobro, with all the peddles; I had to limit myself to just the guitars. I, in no way, was professional quality...but I enjoy-joyed helping the various bands out, and I never would accept any type of payment. I just had a good time doing it, plus the added companionship that came from it. I did try to figure out what all that stuff did, when there wasn't anyone there but the bar out front. I'm saying all that to just say this...IT LOOKS SO SIMPLE, when someone that's GOOD, does it...but when you sit down at even the peddle steel that just has the 2 peddles at floor level and a Volume lever for one knee and I never figured out what the other knee lever did, on the other side...it's as complicated as trying to fly a helicopter, if all you can fly is a paper airplane! You fellows, that are Steel Guitarists, are WAY UP THERE in importance to me! You're so advanced above a regular guitar player, I remain in "aw" of y'all !!! THANK YOU for sharing this information with us! Bill, from Tennessee, 🇺🇸
Ok, I've been playin' guitar for over 50 years now and have never got it totally down, but now in my old age I think I'll take up the pedal steel. That way I can be guaranteed that I'll die frustrated.
Amen brother! I tried this for a while. All consuming and way too much going on.
its not hard. and you get to sit down when playing.
@@captainmoretokin2172 I mostly play old-time now and one of the reasons is that we all get to sit down while playing. I even have a tall chair for playing the upright bass :-)
@@nealmont that's good. at our age standing up is hard on the ''ol dogs'' LOL
@@nealmont Try a Hammond B3 sometime.....left foot bass, right foot volume, left hand comping bass, right hand lead and chords, and throw in the Leslie on and off. ....40 years later and I can't still make it all happen.
I played with a pedal steel guy years ago who said 'it takes ten years just to get shitty.'
That just made my day!!!
I just laughed out loud at this! It sounds very complicated!
I believe it.
Mike, I was in White Lake, N.C. way back in my late teens. Three of us were walking around town checking out the ladies. I suddenly heard someone absolutely wearing out a pedal steel. It was coming from a tent revival with a Gospel Band, so I wandered over to check out the player. I stuck my head around the tent flap, and I shit you not, it was a kid playing a ShoBud, and his feet barely reached the pedals.Some people are just gifted. The bastards.
Mike Jervis. An old gent that's been around since the stone age, in my home town, plays the best steel in 10 county's, says the only way to get really good is to play it all the time. By the time you've mastered the steel, you'll be dead. Pretty much sums it up to me. There are few young players worth a hoot -- most seem to be old farts that can barely walk, like ol' Louie Amantero, Livingston, MT
3. Rocket Scientist
2. Brain Surgeon
1. Pedal Steel Player
Helicopter pilot, as well!
It took me 10 years to understand how a pedal steel works.You have to be able to chew gum and walk @ same time.
Just like Buckaroo Banzai.
Amaizing, i can't believe how complicated this instrument can be.
WORD!
I'm not sure humans could invent a more beautiful sounding instrument love it.
You got that, man. I guess you could play any type of guitar with a pedal steel - from bluegrass to folk and country to twang-banging hard rock. (Imagine that through distortion and wah!)
The glass harmonica
@@CernanCDengaRight?! I have a MIDI Pedal Steel plugin I can use my keyboard with… I’m definitely building a song around a pedal steal through a wah and Orange Rockerverb.
A steel and a pipe organ....most beautiful instruments ever created.
Or a harder one to play!
Despite its immense popularity in country and western music, the pedal steel is still a tremendously underrated instrument. Fascinating instrument with an amazing sound.
If you can't rub your tummy while patting your head, this may not be the instrument for you.
no instrument will be for you if you can't do that
Jayo Caine well you could play percussion
Okay, so... feet petals, knee levers, pizzicato, and the occasional use of a finger bar... this is some high-level wizardry.
+Meat Machine Clearly haha, just imagine the guy who come with it and invented it :O
I can listen to him jamming all day long
+Nicolas.T who said a guy invented it
*facepalm*...
let me rephrase just for you... "imagine the PERSON who come with it and invented it"
Happy ?
+Nicolas.T better
+Nicolas.T +DerDa
OK, here's the thing:
1. The history of this insurtment, is not unknown. It's a couple clicks away. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_steel_guitar
2. It was developed throughout the decades by several people (as most instruments usually are). All of them men, as far as a quick search has confirmed.
3. I still like DerDa's point: it's a good thing to check your assumptions that men are responsible for everything. Women have contributed many advancements, technological and not, to human culture (they were pioneers in electronic music, for instance). We're still, unfairly, often taught mostly about men. But maybe, after that point was made, it would have been a good thing to just check the actual available facts?
My first thought: Ooooooh, I wanna learn how to play that
My second thought: Man, would I be in over my head
Pedal steel= 13 ways to bend a chord
Only 13? 😂
Been hearing it for years never realised how complex this instrument was.
Unlike guitar where most people just learn where to put their fingers when beginning it seems like you would need a basic concept of music theory and how chords are built before even beginning on pedal steel.
No doubt! This thing is way over my head.
Offcourse, but i'm a professional guitarist and musician.
Ive played pedal steel for a few months...put I also play guitar,bass,drums,keys,....other insturments too but im not the best.......lets say jack of all trades
Joe Huffman n
Uh, that's a lie. I am a very beginner. Self-taught, only know like 6-7+ chords that I learned over the course of a few months. Got to try a pedal guitar out and it was so much easier to play than having to do the chords my self. All I had to focus on was which string I played and then it was just off and play..
The old SpongeBob.
SilverMoon actually, spongebob music just has slide guitar with no pedals. A Hawaiian steel
@@AECEntertainment isnt it a Guit-Steel? Junior Brown.
@@samking73 c6 tuning lap steel I believe
SilverMoon 88 Fingers Edward
@@AECEntertainment actually there are some pedal steel guitar licks
Knee levers! There are knee levers as well?!? I was just thinking I might be able to handle it then you tell me about knee levers! And then there's the C6 neck.
4 or 5 knee levers to work as well.
Jonathan Reynolds I don’t play but it looks like it gets more complicated than that, how many strings on these things, hats off to those that master this monster.
The fun part is stringing them and tuning them ...
lmaooooo brooo same.
@@gary23jag Hats off to the tech that keeps it running. Doubly so if that's the musician.
thinking about chords in terms of 1-4-5 like Steve here is really helpful when learning music E=1 A=4 B=5 in this case!
Oh look! A wild wintergatan!
Weird Seeing you here. hello martin
Hello!
Music is a language and once you understand the grammar and vocabulary, it begins to make sense. What’s really tricky is once you begin to analyze music it is hard to simply enjoy it. That’s what turned me off from music school. Keep your mind and ears open!
@JM Coulon I'm with both of you . The more I've learned the more I appreciate even genres of music I wouldnt normally listen to or even care about, but it's also discouraging analyzing and knowing that I'll never get to the level playing through my limbs and fingers what's in my head. Music, when you start understanding it and your own shortcomings and lack of skill and creativity compared to others , becomes like madness .
I have a new respect for pedal steel players. The precision with which they play is amazing.
Guy: I really like slides and barre chords, but guitar is getting boring...
Inventor: BOY DO I HAVE
Hah! Been playing guitar for 57+ years, and I'm only now finding out just how much I DON'T know ...
PompousKatfish. BOY DO I HAVE THE INSTRUMENT FOR YOU (IF IT DON'T KILL YA, FIRST). LOL, LOL
@@Tonetwisters That why I took up mandolin and listen with my mouth hanging open to Ms Molly Tuttle play guitar AND mandolin. They call Jerry Douglas " flux" and for good reason. Don't know what Molly will get for a nic-name. Garcia gave great nic-names, so maybe it will be up to Peter Rowan to hang something appropriate on this phenomenal picker lady.
Sweetest sounding instrument you've ever heard.
...maybe when accompanied by a good fiddle player.
I played electric guitar for 21 years but now I feel dumb. This looks so much more complicated. o_0
It's not nearly as bad, once you get going on steel. It's just a steep early learning curve
It tkaes a year to corindate everything. Bigest mistake people make is trying to play Danny Boya wek after getting your steel and won't learn scales
right?
yes i see what you mean.. i play slide guitar... and this does look more intense
Pretty basic concept really. Had no knowledge of pedal steel´s but would be cool to try one. Only thing is, i hate using banjo-style thumb picks. Is like what happens if you put tape on the beans under a cats paws
"a bit like driving a 4-wheel drive"? Maybe more like learning to drive a semi truck with 18-speed transmission!
While juggling and knitting a sweater. 🙂
driving an 18 speed truck on the open road is easy
Flying a helicopter?
Nah a 3 stick Mack single stack mack with a window in the back
Pulling 1/2 loaded double shotgun tanks on old US 41 Nashville to Atlanta hitting Atlanta at morning rush hr.
Both of those are easy, especially to folks who like steel guitar
The hardest and most underappreciated instrument in the world.
I knew this old cowboy for about 4 years and one day he mentioned to me he played pedal steel, me being a guitar player said get the hell out, I thought well he is probably pretty bad. Then one day he invited me to his house to jam around, when I got to the door he was playing and my mouth dropped, he was awesome.
My favorite instrument, that sound and that emotion that it gives to a song
"Don't rub salt in the wound Eddy, you know how much I detest this instrument"
After 40 years on the guitar, the hard part of this instrument to me looks to be keeping all of those strings in tune. Six is enough of a pain!
Not only do the strings have to be in tune but the pedals and levers have to be properly adjusted, too. Just because the string is in tune open doesn't mean it will be when your feet and knees start working.
The guitar from an engineering perspective design wise is a compromise it's always at of tune which is why there's the old saying, " as guitar players we spend half our time tuning and the other half playing out of tune!"
try 36 strings on an autoharp,and the tuners aren't geared.
Put in an evertune bridge mechanism and they'll always be in tune even after months of wild bends... it goes for like $400 dollars or so.... only downside it's not compatible with a tremolo
If you have a good guitar and a good set of strings it actually stays in tune.
I wish more people would talk about pedal steel guitar. I'm absolutely fascinated by it.
loved this instrument the first time i heard it used in "To Be Over" on the Relayer album
steve howe is the best
That was totally sick. I'm a jazz guitarist and I've always found steel guitar kind of mystifying thanks for taking some of the mystery of of it. I find the sound of a steel guitar intoxicating. I could how if I ever got my hands on one of those things I'd get sucked into the abyss. I like the Brian Blade release Perceptual. Steel guitar all over it in a jazz setting. I don't know who the player is by I dig it.
Agree! listen to the pedal steel section in Adios to Calf by John Hiatt .. amazing.
According to Wikipedia, the pedal steel is played by a guy named Dave Easley, but Daniel Lanois is on there as well, and he's a pretty mean pedal steel player himself. I've seen him just jam spontaneously on the instrument a few times, and it always takes you right off to dreamland. Thanks for the CD recommendation, by the way. I will pick this up. Blade is an amazing drummer.
Brian blade is the fuckin man
@@raymarks7430 I just typed "Adios to Calf" into Spotify so I can check this out. D'oh! I listened to it now, and you're right -- the pedal steel's nice. My all-time favourite pedal steel playing is on the first few Mike Nesmith solo albums -- OJ Red Rhodes. Genius. Listen to 'Wax Minute' on the album 'Tantamount to Treason'. It's jaw-dropping.
From this demonstration, you can really see how the pedal steel is the perfect instrument to simulate one of the instrument choirs in a traditional big band, as is done in Texas-style Western swing. Texas and Kansas city aren't that far apart, after all. The cross-pollination was there right from the beginning.
Thank you! Not only do you have to be a musician...you have to be a technician as well. All the wiring and leads..this is much more complicated than the average audience can fathom. Kudos!! We should all learn to appreciate the finesse involved.
I always thought the bending sound was made with a slide, not with a pedal. Interesting
You weren't listening carefully then... cause it's both.
@@sir_john_hammond -- technically you're right but I think the original commentor was speaking to the drastic pitch change to another note rather than the slight pitch change that comes from the bending or tightening in this case of the string: The pedal does of course change the pitch but so drastic it is changing the note but the slight verbato as the man in the video spoke of is just a softer pitch like bending on standard body guitar.
What I took from it was , the pedals only change certain strings , so if you want to just bend a certain string, you use the pedals because the bar would bend all the strings at once . But I could be wrong
Frickin gorgeous.
Ed Edd and Eddy brought me here
Why
+Mysterious Internet Guy 88 fingers Edward
Lol same. Listening to some 88 fingers Edward
Me to
Jajaja
These are what made country music god i love them
@Martin G That would depend upon which god you are referring to. The one you pray to, or the one you kneel to when you are puking. I don't think the porcelain god should get an upper case g. That's my opinion, and everyone has one.
This guitar separates the men from the boys.
That would have to be some rather vigorous knee lever action.
That looks like it would take about 20 years to master.
It takes 20 years to become a beginner
John Doe,. It takes 20 years just to tune it -- then another 20 to figure out how it works. Better stick with a Dobro,. HA HA HA
All I know about guitars is that the sound of a steel makes me happy.
I swear every cartoon from the '90s used this instrument. Instantly-recognisable sound.
Looney tunes at 3:33 I hear bugs bunny
remember seeing this in ed edd n eddy
I was completely lost by the end of minute 2. I have nothing but admiration for anyone who can play this thing.
How convenient it is for one of the most beautiful sounding instrument to require a expert level coordination of hands, feet, knees, and music theory at the same time. Damn.
What I find funny about this, is that so many people stereotype country music as being a genre for less intelligent people, but yet this instrument is one of the most complicated damned things in existence. I am a multi-instrumentalist, and I can’t even imagine where to begin with this. God bless those who have mastered it.
As a banjo picker, I find the same attitude regarding Bluegrass music...just a bunch of dumb hillbillies, doing a Buck and Wing! I agree with you about those pedal steel folks. Heck, I have a bad enough time working with only 5 strings, and I don't even have to worry about pedals and knee levers.
I think that stereotype is aimed more at the general consumer than the actual musicians. And in my albeit somewhat limited experience I'd say that it does have its merits.
Right! Cuz only steel guitars, banjo's, and fiddles are limited to only country music. I have heard all of these instruments used in rock songs, blues tunes and other genres. Oooo, lets not forget harmonicas, also only country music. I know you only talking about the stereotype of "country music as being a genre for less intelligent people", but many people think these instruments are only for country music. Sad thing is though, country music isn't really country music anymore. All these kids doing "country music" now-a-days, are really only playing "twangy" rock music.
Ever heard of the Chapman Stick? Only an octopus could master it, although, the almighty Tony Levin comes close...
UncleFestersWorld You make a really good point. I’m not too keen on the use of steel guitar in rock music, but one of the most successful applications of that came from an Australian band from the 1980s called the Triffids. This is a really beautiful song from them: ua-cam.com/video/OGkJONhkBgU/v-deo.html
having owned several pedal steels, since 79. I will say on thing
It takes a lot more knowledge than most 6 string guitarists know !
You've gotta play a lot of "fill ins", that you wouldn't play as a 6 stringer,
It comes with time
BTW: Great "intro" video
It takes lot mot of how relative minors apply to you basic 1-4-5 than most jammers realize/ It requires a level of exact picking, and feeling
Good luck to any aspiring players
Rick Winfield sounds like it could be fun . You theoretically could make sounds that nobody has ever heard ! Seems to me that the chord/ note/ key variations are almost endless
Rick, DjF; ANY clue where to start? Just can't find a good instructor.Thx
@@djf2918/ guitar horizontal in capability of reaching your favorite inverted chord,isn't as rough or technical as a standard 6 string acoustic, as I found. After 63 years, I still find this most difficult instrument to master, as the best pedal steel players were dobro masters first.This my dear companions is how I observed it. Its the guitarist who duplicate steel players better than steel players can reproduce a guitar.Exceptions even here exists..." if they can do it so can you..." my secret sentiments since1957.Don't quit, retreat...but get back to this, carry-on...♡ Old Grandpaw will smile,& God too! Shalom& and pass a harmony of Concord... thanks for your help 👍
Love the sound of the pedal guitar!
There's also a lever in the middle, but you have to be a real man to use it.
As opposed to, say, an imaginary man. A little acid will take care of that, man.
I think this joke will go over most readers' heads
😂😂
@@d.e.b.b5788 wooooooosh
Only women get to use mine, xD lol
A really great introduction by a true master of the instrument. I hope he does some sequel videos.
This is what much of modern “country” is missing. Bunch of soft rock pop top 40 type stuff these days
Thank god we have so much recorded country music The new Nashville sound? finger snap drum machines???? Go to blazes.
Yea..I agree!!
had no idea this was so complicated an instrument much more respect for pedal players now
It's like a mixture of Country Bluegrass and Hawaiian Aloha music lol
What an amazing video. I was totally absorbed throughout and learned so much. Steve Fishell is a master in his art - the only other pedal steel guitar player I know is Paul Franklin and these two guys are just maestros. Thank you so much for posting.
this is a monster, i never knew they were so complex! amazing!
That is SUCH a specific sound. Love it
I finally learned how a lot of country songs get "that" sound. That sound that sounds like its from a guitar. But its from this. Never would've guessed. Awesome instrument though!
Country and Blues accented and defined with pedal Steel guitars. Great video.
It's interesting how David Gilmour of Pink Floyd almost completely changed the feeling of that instrument. Used to hearing as the backing of a country song, he used it to add sort of a spacey feel to their music.
Also, most bands have guitars, yet they all sound a little different! Crazy world we live in
its firstgrade Wise Guy. Pedal Steel has been used for country for a long time and no matter which group uses it, it sounds the same. A whiny country song. Gilmour changed that.
Gilmore used a lap steel most of the time. Big difference between that and a pedal steel.
Dave Skowron Point. Didn't Ron Wood use Pedal Steel on 'Far Away Eyes'?
Steve howe did it first
Brings back memories visiting my uncle in Nashville ... his friend was Shot Jackson ... he played and I recall built steel guitars. Shot was very Nice !!
I never realized how complicated that instrument was.
I could listen to this everyday. Such a talented musician
that thing sounds a-ma-zing! what a tone he gets!
I never realised it was such a versatile instrument.... Fantastic piece of kit.... 👍🏻.... Great playing too...
You won the olympics! Now step up to the pedal steel!
Thanks for the explanation. I had no ideas about the foot pedals and knee levers. And I appreciate that you said "suspended" rather than "sus." :)
Man! I thought the triangle was complicated!!
Very interesting and looks very complicated. Thank you for the demonstration!
Yeah , like driving a 4WD, while upside down with 3 or 4 mirrors in different locations to see if your going forward,. Amazing, I would need another 2 lives to get the hang of it
I adore the sound of a pedal steel guitar. For some reason it sounds to me like a warm summer evening and I can't tell why.
Fantastic, I love the sound of them. I think it's lost in some country music these days.
Wow, never realised these were such a complex instrument. I want one!
KNEE LEVERS! How do I get my les Paul knee levers?
The Pedal Steel Guitar ist the Queenmother of all guitars! I Love this Sound so much❤
Time for the weekly 88 fingers Edward comment.
Found it quite fascinating...even BEFORE you started to play some licks. Well done.
My god that's complicated. This gives me all the more respect for those who can make this box of black magic play so beautifully.
Hi Steve a good friend of mine back in the seventies stepfather was a pedal steel guitar player. His name was Curly Chalker. Curly did a lot of session work in Nashville. He was also the steel guitarist for the house band on the HeeHaw show. He was a cool guy and interesting to talk with. He passed away in 1998. I figured you knew of him and may have known him. He was considered one of the best.
If Heisenburg shaved, this is where he would be.
I always wanted to see one of these things work. Thanks!
I only came here cause of 88 Fingers Eddward :)
I would really enjoy it if someone made a cover of the music double d played.
That would be insane, plus my childhood fulfilled 😄
WOW.
So...even harder to explain than to play! Thanks! it is am amazing instrument.
Ok..back to the Ukulele👀
Amazing. Such a commitment to learn. Such a cool sound. Grew up around it and have never really understood it. Now I do. Thx!!
I admire the daylights out of anybody who can keep all that straight and create the art form of playing pedal steel!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸😉👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Sounds absolutely beautiful
This has to be what Clarence White had in mind with his B-bender.....
Yeah, but it could NEVER EVER substitute for the multiple myriad sounds/insanely bent chords a master player could get out of one of these.
(But old Clarence, and Gene Parson knew that! ;) )
beautiful, Steve Fishell you are wonderful. most grateful. peace.
And that right there ladies and Gentlemen is Talent.
Wow! I never knew what a sophisticated instrument this is.
Jerry Garcia played a mean pedal steel. If you’ve heard CSN’s “Teach the Children” you’ve heard Garcia play.
Yeah...well Pete Kleinow played steel and is in the Gumby Hall of Fame...
That made the song
Buckhorn Cortez ....ok...?
'Captain Trips' also played it on the first NRPS album, before they picked up Buddy cage full time on the break machine. ;)
My brother, Will Rogers from Chugwater, Wyoming, is a very good steel guitar player. Just putting that out there. He wrote the song Coal Train, accompanied by The Chugwater Band. He has writren seceral songs. Sings well, too
I was confused when i saw the foot pedals, never mind knee pedals...when you tune that baby up you need a mechanic and some spark plugs..dear god man😄
With all this tuning changing going on is it possible to play from or write sheet music for this mind boggling insturment??
If you're familiar enough with how the pedals and levers work, when a B goes to a C# on the page you'll know which pedal to step on to make it happen. It just takes a lot of familiarity with the instrument to sight-read. But I think the majority of steel players just improvise as most people do when they play country and western music.
I always loved Pedal Steel guitar. I could mess about with that thing for hour's! 🤗❤️🤗
As opposed to the lap steel, where you have to know how to slant the bar to get a bend. Much more difficult than pressing a pedal.
+radiant1ful SHUT UP YOU STUPID PIECE OF WASTE!!!! SHUT UP
Most accomplished pedal steel players do bar slants, look at how many Lloyd Green does. The pedals simply make chords that aren't possible from slanting on a lap steel.
This is the best sounding instrument ever made if you ask me. It can work in any mood of song. Its especially good in sad songs, but it works in happy ones too. For some reason i have a hard time finding enough sad country songs using this instrument though. I have a good amount on my playlist, but there can never be enough!
Less like driving a 4 wheel drive and more like driving a starship.
Steve Fishell - Thank you for opening a whole new instrument to me. I might buy one and give it a whirl. It always looked too complicated for me.
Renowned guitarist, pedal steel player and Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia once opined that he hoped reincarnation was real -- then he could have another lifetime in which to learn to play the pedal steel!
Well, I guess he did OK with what he WAS able to accomplish. As you are probably aware, Jerry was also an accomplished banjo picker.
Playing this instrument is my main goal one day, but man does it look complicated. It's like your whole lower body needs to be in rhythm with your fingers. Just amazing.
Thanks for sharing your know how with so many of us.
I found this so inspiring that I put a pick-up and an effects pedal on my pair of maracas. Sweet!
video or it didn't happen
I used to sit at a table at one dance hall or another, by myself, and when it came time for one of the guitarists to have to make a bathroom run, they'd call me up to the stage to fill in for them, while they were gone. When I would get back to my table, there would be at least one girl, sitting there waiting for me to get back. I tried, several times, to play the steel, but it's SO DIFFERENT than playing something like a dobro, with all the peddles; I had to limit myself to just the guitars. I, in no way, was professional quality...but I enjoy-joyed helping the various bands out, and I never would accept any type of payment. I just had a good time doing it, plus the added companionship that came from it. I did try to figure out what all that stuff did, when there wasn't anyone there but the bar out front. I'm saying all that to just say this...IT LOOKS SO SIMPLE, when someone that's GOOD, does it...but when you sit down at even the peddle steel that just has the 2 peddles at floor level and a Volume lever for one knee and I never figured out what the other knee lever did, on the other side...it's as complicated as trying to fly a helicopter, if all you can fly is a paper airplane! You fellows, that are Steel Guitarists, are WAY UP THERE in importance to me! You're so advanced above a regular guitar player, I remain in "aw" of y'all !!! THANK YOU for sharing this information with us!
Bill, from Tennessee, 🇺🇸
James Hetfield brought me here.
Same brother
Amazingly cool
Great description of this beautiful instrument.