Pinky
and The Brain...
After watching that video it's clear to me that while I was able to make reasonably pleasing noises on the pedal steel, I was by no means "playing a pedal steel".
Should you buy a pedal steel guitar
- Thread starter rob aylestone
- Start date
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
Cool effort. I like the bass part and the PSGs. All of the esses are clear, but in the "And I still miss you" bit, it sounds like you're saying "mith." A similar thing used to happen when I'd put the vocal through a compressor, so I stopped using them on vocals. Backing vocals, no problem. Leads, not any more.
By the way, you look pretty perky for 71. You look younger than some people I know in their 50s.
dogooder
Well-known member
That is about five years ago. I don't play or practice the PSG much but have been doing so more lately.
dogooder
Well-known member
I don't know how many are reading any of this and if they play the contraption or not, so I try and relate it to guitar. This morning at 6am I found
that the extra knee pedal (#5) on the guitar, which you push up with your knee instead of to the side, will, when holding down the A&B pedal and pushing the knee lever up, give me minor four chord.
To put it in guitar terms, with no pedals or levers used it is like playing a barred E chord where ever you lay the bar across the neck (if you don't hit the wrong strings).
Staying on the same fret and pressing down the A&B pedal is like now playing the double barre "A" chord, giving you the IV chord in that key. So if you are on the third fret say, you are playing a G chord, hit the two pedals and now you are playing a C chord. Now, with the A&B pedal down and one lets up half way on the A pedal, you are flatting the third to get a minor chord, in this case a C minor. It is a pain doing it that way. If you are just a little bit off with the A pedal, the chord is out or tune. When holding down the A&B pedal it isn't that difficult to let the A pedal up halfway and get it right. To come from any other position or pedal and knee combination to holding the A pedal halfway down and the B pedal all the way down and getting it right is so far, beyond me. This knee lever solves that problem. I guess when you really know your PSG and are a good player you would get it down right eventually. The pedals an levers have stops on them so you don't raise or lower the notes more and you have it set for.
that the extra knee pedal (#5) on the guitar, which you push up with your knee instead of to the side, will, when holding down the A&B pedal and pushing the knee lever up, give me minor four chord.
To put it in guitar terms, with no pedals or levers used it is like playing a barred E chord where ever you lay the bar across the neck (if you don't hit the wrong strings).
Staying on the same fret and pressing down the A&B pedal is like now playing the double barre "A" chord, giving you the IV chord in that key. So if you are on the third fret say, you are playing a G chord, hit the two pedals and now you are playing a C chord. Now, with the A&B pedal down and one lets up half way on the A pedal, you are flatting the third to get a minor chord, in this case a C minor. It is a pain doing it that way. If you are just a little bit off with the A pedal, the chord is out or tune. When holding down the A&B pedal it isn't that difficult to let the A pedal up halfway and get it right. To come from any other position or pedal and knee combination to holding the A pedal halfway down and the B pedal all the way down and getting it right is so far, beyond me. This knee lever solves that problem. I guess when you really know your PSG and are a good player you would get it down right eventually. The pedals an levers have stops on them so you don't raise or lower the notes more and you have it set for.
rob aylestone
Well-known member
If you look at this page, your brain starts to fry - all these players each with their levers and pedals doing different things. Crazy stuff!
dogooder
Well-known member
I am using what is basically called an Emmons set up. The two extra pedal and knee lever I have give me more options. I also took the "Franklin" pedal which is normally set up to drop two different strings, one being one of the G# strings, a whole step. I reset mine to drop both G# strings a half step so I can get a Minor I chord. It would be the same as holding a barred E chord anywhere on the neck of the guitar then lifting your middle finger to get the minor chord. You are flatting the third by lifting your middle finger on the guitar and you are flatting both thirds by pressing the Franklin pedal on the way I have my PSG set up. If I press the Franklin pedal and the A pedal I have the 5 seventh chord. I don't know what other chords I can get out of it, I haven't played with it enough yet.
Just about anything you need to know you will find here