Waiting for my first PSG

[Coy Wylie]

Hi there. This is my first post.

I live in Fort Collins, CO and have been playing guitar all my life. I also play mandolin and have a good knowledge of music theory although I'm primarily an ear player. Like many, it's always been my goal to learn pedal steel. Now at 60 I think it's time.

After a lot of research, I ordered a Growler guitar that will be delivered in a few months. In the meantime, I have a modern lap steel in C6. I've been working through some basic instruction but my PSG will be in E9 10 string with 3/4 set up.

I'm enjoying learning the lap steel although those bar slants are rough. My QUESTION is what is the best way to use my lap steel to prep me for when my PSG arrives?

[Bill McCloskey]

Welcome to the mad house.

With a lap steel you can work on your right hand, getting used to different grips, getting used to using a bar, work on muting and tone.

But pedal steel is it's own thing. Welcome aboard.

[Jim Pitman]

Not a bad way to start I must say.
I played dobro GBDGBD for years before eventually getting frustrated with complex chord limitations the simple tuning didn't offer. However, the woodshedding on the dobro set me up well for pedal steel. Pick or palm blocking, attack, dynamics, it's all there. I got so I used slants regularly but keeping them in tune was/is a challenge.
The chord transitioning one can accomplish on a PSG has no match with other instruments, well ok, maybe organ. This is what I was looking for with a PSG.
Arlen Roth published a book "slide guitar" that I picked up before I started on dobro. It had one example of "country" playing in it, a medium to fast tempo, cute little melody that indeed sounded country. I hammered that tune home until it was real clean.
You can certainly practice clean picking on a lap steel.
Keep in mind Buddy Emmons really didn't need pedals to execute some of the cleanest and most complex melodies for example. In fact, Buddy made himself a practice board lap steel that he would sit up in bed and play.

[Coy Wylie]

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement and ideas. I keep working on lap steel C6 everyday and it's getting better. I'm just anxious for the real deal and must wait.

[Rich Ertelt]

I started on C6 non pedal.

One of the differences for me was the bar/vibrato. I was using a 3/4 on non, and went to the standard 7/8 for pedal. Non I would use the back and forth vibrato, pedal, usually the rolling vibrato. So the whole feel was completely different. Lots of guys use the sliding vibrato on pedal, too, though. Just something to keep in mind.

[Bobby D. Jones]

Playing a pedal steel you need a bar that fits your hand.
The diameter of your fingers and length of fingers, Determine the length and diameter of bar you choose. You want the bar to feel like part of your hand.
It helps a lot choosing a bar. If you can find someone who has several , Diameter and length bars to handle and try on a pedal steel guitar's strings.

Check here on the forum in posts by Franklin (Mr. Paul Franklin's post name) about choosing a proper fitting bar.
Good Luck on your pedal steel guitar journey.

[Jim Pollard]

When I was waiting on my first pedal steel to arrive I had an 8 string C6 lap steel. I bought Joe Wright's Wright Hand lesson from his website and found that to be enormously useful for learning grips, improving blocking. Basically all the right hand technique that's already been recommended in this thread. These days you can get Joe's wisdom for free at https://www.pedalsteel.com/joe/Members/ ... thand.html