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PEDAL
STEEL BASICS
QI recently acquired
a single-neck, eight-string pedal steel guitar. I am hoping that
you can direct me to some information about how to tune and play
it.
Timothy Flint
Worcester, Massachussetts
A The first fundamental
of pedal steel is its tuning. There are basically two—E9 (or E9
chromatic) and C6. E9 is commonly called the Nashville tuning because
it’s used for most straight-ahead country sounds. C6 is what you
hear in swing-style songs, as well as Hawaiian and old non-pedal
country music, exemplified by Don Helms’ work with Hank Williams’
Drifting Cowboys.
The standard in either tuning is ten strings, although 12- and
14-string instruments also exist. The good news for an eight-string
player is that, according to L.A.-area session whiz and studio owner
Marty Rifkin, you can successfully use either of the above tunings
on an eight-string, by simply eliminating the ninth and tenth strings.
The E9 tuning for an eight-string would thus be E F# G# B E G# D#
F# (the third string is tuned higher than the second and first),
and C6 would be A C E G A C E G.
The trick to tuning a pedal steel is properly setting the screws
that govern the movement of the pedals and therefore the pitch of
the strings when the pedals are depressed. It’s generally agreed
that E9 requires a minimum of three pedals and one knee lever. Opinions
vary regarding C6 tuning. Teacher and Internet vendor Joe Wright
recommends five pedals and one knee lever, while Marty Rifkin points
out that with even no pedals and levers, you’re set up just like
pre-pedal steelers, such as Don Helms.
One other caveat: you didn’t say what make your instrument is.
There were a lot of early eight-string instruments made by Fender
that are pedals-only—no knee levers. Seek out the assistance
of a professional teacher to figure alternative strategies. Southern
California steel maven Blackie Taylor advises that for the cost
of installing two or three knee levers ($500–600), you can buy a
good used ten-string instrument.
There are many books, tapes, and videos available that teach pedal
steel guitar. The classic book is Pedal Steel Guitar, by
Winnie Winston and Bill Keith (Oak Publications/Music Sales). Mel
Bay Publications offers several book and video methods of its own
and distributes others by Texas Music and Video. Hal Leonard distributes
Homespun Tapes. Mel Bay carries several titles by DeWitt Scott,
who plays, teaches, and sells pedal steels, as well as coordinating
the annual Steel Guitar Convention held in St. Louis.
The Internet also has a wealth of information and sources for pedal
steel merchandise, intelligence, discussion, and debate. Here are
a few: Carter Steel Guitars' extensive information site, www.steelguitarinfo.com;
Steel on the Internet, www.sonic.net/~quasar;
Steel Guitar Mall, www.pedalsteel.com;
Pedal Steel Guitar Products, www.songwriter.com/~bradshaw.
You can also try contacting the International Pedal Steel Guitar
Association at www.psga.org,
(516) 616-9214, and check out the bimonthly magazine Pedal Steel
Guitar World, www.russraskpublishing.com/sgwmag,
(509) 292-9061.
—Ben Elder
LEFTY
THUMBPICKS
QWhere can I get some
left-hand thumbpicks?
David Schwan
Shirley, England
AJim Dunlop makes left-hand
plastic and metal thumbpicks in several sizes. Other manufacturers
offering thumbpicks for southpaws include ProPik and ACRI. Several
mail-order shops, including the Janet Davis Music Co. (www.janetdavismusic.com,
[501] 933-5362), and Elderly Instruments (www.elderly.com,
[517] 372-7890) carry a selection of left-hand thumbpicks as well.
—Paul Kotapish
BALANCING
SMALL GUITARS (Tip Sheet)
Got any great guitar tips or discoveries that you’d like to
share? Send them to Tip Sheet, Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767,
San Anselmo, CA 94979. If we print your tip, we’ll give you a year’s
free subscription, gift subscription, or subscription renewal.
Here is this issue’s winner, submitted by John Bauman of Warsaw,
Indiana.
I have a small-bodied guitar that I dearly love, but I have always
found the neck to be disproportionately heavy—the guitar wants
to do a nosedive when I’m playing it. For aesthetic reasons, I recently
replaced the big chrome buttons on the Schaller tuners with ebony
replacement keys. I liked the change in looks, and more significantly,
the weight problem is virtually gone! The ebony keys weigh 18.5
grams compared to 72.5 grams for the chrome, and that difference
in weight at the end of the neck solved a long-term problem.
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