Most
people refer to pedal 8 as the "Boo-Wah" pedal (because that's what it
sounds like when you pick the strings and then press the pedal). But no one
else refers to the other pedals as anything, but they should, because they
do things too. First, I don't call pedal 8 the "Boo-Wah" pedal. It is the
"Dominant 7th chord pedal," because that's what it does. If you press the
pedal first and then pick the strings, you WON'T hear the "Boo-Wah" sound.
So it's only the "Boo-Wah" pedal if you pick and then press. But it's always
going to give you a 7th chord. It is the same as using a C# on the C6th lap
steel on the 6th string. Jerry Byrd almost always used a C# on string 6, and
I do too. You can get this on your C6th pedal steel by pressing pedal 8.
Cool huh? Plus you have an additional low A, E, and another A on the bottom
(a wonderfully full 7th chord).
Here is
the equivalent lap steel positions for the function of pedal 8. Notice
strings 3,4,5 and 6 on the 3rd fret. These are all Dominant 7th chord
positions on the C6th lap steel. This gives you a good idea of what pedal 8
does on the C6th pedal steel...
E___0_______________8___12________________________________________
C___0_______4___7_________________________________________________
A___1___3_______7___7___13___7____________________________________
G___0___3___5________________7____________________________________
E___0___3___6___6___6________6____________________________________
C#______3_________________________________________________________
On C6th lap steel, let's say you play a C6th open (no bar). If you
place the bar up 3 frets (3rd fret) and pick strings 3,4,5, and 6,
then you'll have a C7th chord (because you're raising the A to A#).
Notice that A# is the same as Bb, used by myself and a bunch of
Hawaiian steel musicians. I like using a Bb on my 6th string. It is
interesting and worthy to note that BOTH the C# and the Bb on the
6th string produce a Dominant 7th chord. The difference is in the
voicing and the chord key. Using a C# on the 6th string produces a
Dominant A7th chord open (fret zero). So if you want a C7th, then
you need to move your bar up to fret 3. Note that you can also rake
across all 6-strings on a lap steel for this 7th chord. Now using a
Bb note instead on the 6th string will produce a C7th open (fret
zero). So depending on the chord voicing you want, and the fret you
want it on, will determine whether you like the C# or the Bb. I like
both, depending on the particular song. Here I play
Beyond the Reef using a C#,
and here I use a Bb.
In the
open position, it is string 3 (the A note) that gives you the distinct 6th
sound). Your major C chord is constructed of the 1-3-5 notes in any scale,
or C-E-G. And then the A note gives you the 6th chord. Raising A to A# (Bb)
gives you a dominant 7th chord. To understand what
dominant 7th means, check this out. The
Dominant 7th chord is one of the most used, important, and beautifully
sounding chords on the steel guitar.
You don't
need to understand what a Dominant 7th is to play the things I'm teaching
you, but I had wondered for years what the difference was between a Major
7th chord verses a Dominant 7th chord, and couldn't grasp the concept until
I read this article.
I finally understand why it is called a Dominant 7th chord, and it only has
to do with the relationship between the different scales musically. Ok, back
to basics...
So if you
slide up 3 frets and press pedal 8, you'll have a Dominant 7th chord.
Example: Let's say you're playing on the 5th fret of your C6th neck. The 5th
fret would then be a F6th chord. If you slide up to fret 8 and press the 8th
pedal, then you'll have an F dominant 7th chord (same as on a lapsteel). All
of the same chord positions on your C6th lapsteel with a C# on the 6th
string will transfer over 100% to your C6th pedal steel if you simply press
pedal 8. So I refer to pedal 8 as the "Dominant 7th pedal."
Please
also notice that strings 4,5, and 6 on the C6th lapsteel with a C# on string
6 will give you a wonderful Diminished chord. The same is true on your pedal
steel. So pedal 8 can also be thought of as a Diminished pedal, but I prefer
to call it a Dominant 7th chord pedal because that is what you get when all
the strings are strummed.
Pedal 5: The 9th Chord
Pedal
This pedal is what I call the "9th
chord pedal" because it gives you a 9th chord. In particular, I consider it
the "D9th pedal," because that is exactly what it gives you. If you press
just pedal 5 on your C6th pedal steel, you will have a D9th chord.
I learned to play "Moon of
Manakoora" by Jerry Byrd in the D9th tuning. It is a beautiful tuning. The
only difference between the D9th and the C6th tuning is lowering string 4
from G to F#. Hence, from treble to bass on the D9th lap steel tuning is":
E-C-A-F#-E-C. Here's the tablature for
Moon of Manakoora in D9th. Press pedal 5 on your C6th pedal steel and
play Moon of Manakoora in D9th. Go ahead and check it out.
I love pedal 5, which is
undoubtedly the most used pedal on C6th pedal steel (especially for Hawaiian
music). Here are the equivalent chord positions on a C6th lap steel as the
5th pedal gives you on a C6th pedal steel (but a much richer chord voicing
because of the awesome thicker and more numerous strings on the pedal
steel).
These are all 9th chord positions
on the C6th lap steel. This gives you a good idea of what pedal 5 does on
the C6th pedal steel...
E___10____________________________________________________________
C___10___14___2___________________________________________________
A________13___1___________________________________________________
G___9_____________________________________________________________
E________12___0___________________________________________________
C#________________________________________________________________
You can rake across the
entire 10 strings of your steel guitar with the 5th pedal down. The
only odd note would be the D on string 1, but if you use a high G
instead (as Jimmy Day did), then you can rake across all 10-strings.
Really nice!
Also notice that strings 3,4 and 5
on the C6th pedal steel produce a very nice Diminished chord with pedal 5
pressed. Using pedal 6 expands the Diminished cord even more.
Pedal 6: The Dominant 7th Chord Pedal
Pedal 6
gives you the same chord as pedal 8, but in a very different chord voicing
(and quite beautiful I might add). Here is the equivalent tabs on a C6th lap
steel for the function of the 6th pedal. These are all Dominant 7th chord
positions on the C6th lap steel. This gives you a good idea of what pedal 6
does on the C6th pedal steel.
E___0_______________8___12________________________________________
C___0_______4___7_________________________________________________
A___1___3_______7___7___13___7____________________________________
G___0___3___5________________7____________________________________
E___0___3___6___6___6________6____________________________________
C#______3_________________________________________________________
Notice in particular the following chord, which is picked on strings
2,3, and 5, by doing a forward bar slant. You can see that the back
of the bar is across string 6. On lap steel you would do a forward
slant; whereas on the C6th pedal steel you would simply press pedal
6 instead (which lowers the E to Eb)...
E_________________________________________________________________
C___7_____________________________________________________________
A___7_____________________________________________________________
G_________________________________________________________________
E___6_____________________________________________________________
C#________________________________________________________________
I'll guarantee that you've never heard the C6th pedal steel
explained so simple before. Isn't it all great stuff!!! I never
heard this stuff from anyone. I had bought thousands of dollars
worth of C6th tablature, and played from memory, but no one really
tied the C6th pedal steel in with the lap steel tuning. It wasn't
until I seriously learned the C6th lapsteel that it all came
together and my eyes were forever opened about the C6th pedal steel.
C6th pedal steel is difficult for new players to grasp, because you
have to understand chord theory to know what is going on.
In sharp
contrast, you can play an entire song on one fret on the E9th pedal steel
(without ever moving the bar even once). This is because you literally have
all 12 notes of a chromatic scale available on one fret by use of all the
pedals and knee levers on the E9th tuning. On the C6th you cannot do this,
but must move the bar around to find the necessary notes to play a song.
I
strongly encourage you to learn to play C6th lap steel. It's good to know
anyway. You can't lug a pedal steel everywhere, but you can toss a lapsteel
over your shoulder, in your car, and carry it effortlessly just about
everywhere you go. They're light and versatile, and it's incredibly amazing
what you can do with just 6 strings. You can get a cheap lapsteel for $100
at Musician's Friend just to learn. But don't make the mistake that most
people do and try to learn the lap steel without tabs. I have
plenty for free on this website to get you
started. Here's a bunch of cool stuff to
get you started on C6th lap steel. Here's some
more. Here's a bunch of scales that you
NEED to learn.
Every
single bit of this will transfer over and work on your C6th pedal steel.
Don't be afraid to use bar slants on your pedal steel. Bar slants have a
whole different sound and are therefore an important addition to pedal steel
players. Don't miss out. I have seen quite a few older non-peddlers who
don't even use bar slants on their non-pedal steels. They move the bar
back-n-forth to the desired note, and never perform any bar slants. I
absolutely must use bar slants. That's where so many awesome sounds come
from. I could never play lap steel, non-pedal, nor even pedal steel without
doing bar slants. Even on my E9th pedal steel, I always do a bar slant to
raise string 2 a half tone. I don't like using a knee to raise string 2. The
forward bar slant sounds great going into the slide. But to each their own
preference.
|
Note |
pedal 4 |
pedals 5 |
pedal 6 |
pedal 7 |
pedal 8 |
LKL |
LKR |
RKL |
RKR |
|
D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E |
|
|
F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C |
|
|
|
D |
|
B |
C# |
|
|
|
A |
Bb |
|
|
B |
|
|
|
Ab |
A# |
|
G |
|
F# |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E |
|
|
Eb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C |
|
|
|
|
C# |
|
|
|
|
|
A |
Bb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F |
|
F# |
|
|
E |
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
A |
|
|
|
|
Pedals 5 and 6: The Diminished Chord
Pedals
Together
these pedals produce a very nice Diminished chord.
Pedal 4: Bb is Great
Instead of B for Hawaiian
I love using pedal 4 as an
expression pedal, producing a nice Major 7th sound. However, I like what
Jeff Newman does with pedal 4, only raising his A notes to Bb instead of B.
If you've ever used a Bb note on your C6th lap steel, then you know the
awesome value and benefit of doing so. The Bb gives you a Dominant 7th
sound, just as the C#; but a different voicing and different fret.
For Example: Raking across all lap
steel strings, using a C# on the 6th (bass) string, gives you a Dominant
C7th on fret 3. To play a C7th using a Bb on string 6 would require playing
the chord open. Using a Bb on the 6th string, 5th fret, would be a Dominant
F7th chord.
Having said all that, I like
raising the A's to Bb on strings 4 and 8 on the C6th pedal steel. It gives
you a nice Dominant 7th chord. The A note would be your 13th note (but is
missing). Thus, using a Bb on C6th lap steel actually gives you a C13th
open, because of the A note. Bb is the 7th note, and A is the 13th in the C
scale. The most popular Hawaiian tuning for non-pedal steel guitar is the
C6th tuned (treble to bass: E-C-A-G-E-Bb-C-C). So you can see the benefit of
raising the A's only to Bb instead of B (as is standard on the C6th pedal
steel). Raising A to B is the standard for Texas C6th pedal steel. For
Hawaiian, you definitely want the Bb's.
| Note |
pedal 4 |
pedals 5 |
pedal 6 |
pedal 7 |
pedal 8 |
LKL |
LKR |
RKL |
RKR |
| D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
D |
|
B |
C# |
|
|
| A |
Bb |
|
|
B |
|
|
|
Ab |
A# |
| G |
|
F# |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
Eb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
C# |
|
|
|
|
| A |
Bb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| F |
|
F# |
|
|
E |
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
A |
|
|
|
|
Pedal 7: An Awesome
Expression Pedal
In this brief study, I've tried to
explain the connection between C6th lap steel and C6th pedal steel. Pedal 7
is unique to pedal steel. It'll work great for Hawaiian, but it doesn't
replace any bar slants like pedals 5,6 and 8 do on the lap steel. I
primarily wanted you to see how pedals 5,6 and 8 take the place of doing bar
slants. If you understand this, then you'll be able to make much better use
of these pedals because now you fully understand their original purpose and
why they are still used today.
| Note |
pedal 4 |
pedals 5 |
pedal 6 |
pedal 7 |
pedal 8 |
LKL |
LKR |
RKL |
RKR |
| D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
D |
|
B |
C# |
|
|
| A |
Bb |
|
|
B |
|
|
|
Ab |
A# |
| G |
|
F# |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
Eb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
C# |
|
|
|
|
| A |
Bb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| F |
|
F# |
|
|
E |
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
A |
|
|
|
|
LKL: The Major 7th Chord
Pedal
This knee will work great for the
song UNFORGETTABLE and many others. It's great for playing melody lines in
songs, which is true of all these simple knee changes. Notice that all these
knees raise and lower strings 3 and 4 a half tone (which would be equivalent
to strings 2 and 3 on the C6th lap steel).
LKR: The Dominant 7th Chord Pedal
This knee
change does what pedal 8 does, but only to string 3. If you move up 3 frets
with your bar, then you will have the same chord, but a 7th instead. For
example: Playing strings 2 through 8 on fret 5 (no pedals or knees) is an
F6th chord. If you engage the LKR to raise C to C# on string 3, and slide up
3 frets to fret number 8, then you'll have an F Dominant 7th chord. You're
still in the key of F, but you've gone from a 6th chord to a Dominant 7th
chord. This change works great for a passing chord, and very well for
modulating from one key to another.
RKL: The Augmented Chord
Pedal
A very practical and pretty pedal.
Augmented chords repeat every 4 frets.
RKR: The Diminished
Chord Pedal
A very practical and pretty pedal.
Diminished chords repeat every 3 frets.
Closing Thoughts... I
smell wood a burnin'
I'm no expert, just an ambitious
amateur who loves the steel guitar. Life is too short and I only wish I
could play more, learn more, experience more, try more, but I cannot do it
all. I wish I could try every steel guitar, every pickup, every amp, every
setup; but I have to wait until the good Lord takes me home. My only humble
request to my God and Savior, Jesus Christ is that one day in eternity that
He will allow me to experience and learn everything there is to know about
steel guitar. I have only scratched the surface. There are so many
techniques that I haven't even begun to master; but I desire to learn.
My health is not good. I have
damaged nerves in my neck that make me tired quickly from the meds and
burning/tingling in my limbs. Bummer, huh? Still, I'm very thankful to God
that I can play at all, which many cannot. I want to learn to play better.
I cry when I hear Stu Basore's
beautiful split-picking technique. He plucks at the strings from a distance
which gives them a unique and unequalled sound in my humble opinion. Stu is
unique, and a wonderful man. His music is so simple, yet profoundly
complicated.
Lloyd Green's playing is the same
way. His playing is amazingly simple, yet mind-boggling complicated when you
try to copy and repeat what he is doing. Lloyd's music is incredible simple,
upfront, no secrets; but he has mastered making something with very little
in a special way. No one else can do it like he does. It is him, his gift
from God. Jimmy Day was the same. No one could play and sound like Jimmy. It
was his soul, his touch, his coordination. It was just him as a person.
I used to ask myself what equipment
are they using, or what gimmick, or what model of super guitar? Then I saw
them in person, with no special amp nor effects, just a little reverb. Stu
Basore played beautifully. I was awestruck. It's in his mind and hands.
People play music as uniquely and differently as do people who sing.
Everyone thinks, feels, works, applies, rests... very differently than
others. Lloyd Green and Stu Basore, and ole Tommy White are amongst my
favorites; but there's too many to list I'll tell you. I've never met a
steel players who I didn't admire for his effort to learn the instrument.
I am confident that if you'll spend
some time studying the similarities between the C6th lap steel verse the
C6th pedal steel that you will be warmly encouraged as with a toasty cup of
whipped hot chocolate and marshmallows on a cold winter's day. Hawaiian
music is not about a place. I've spent plenty of time in the Hawaiian
islands and I can tell you that most of the locals don't appreciate steel
guitarists at all. Tourists on the other hand love them, but you've got to
buy a license for everything there.
There are many unpaid opportunities
to play steel guitar in Honolulu. I don't care about the money, and never
will; but I simply cannot afford to live on Oahu or else I'd be there
playing steel guitar every day Lord willing if I could. Jerry Byrd said...
If you can just play Sand, Beautiful Kahana, and the Maui Chimes, then you
got a job in Hawaii. That was 40-years ago. Today you have to juggle, dance,
play steel, and do dishes until midnight too. I'm still working on Maui
Chimes...lol.
Maybe someday when the Lord
returns, and He gives to me a new glorified body fashioned in His likeness
(Amen); then the Lord will grant my steel guitar dream come true, to have
the opportunities to perform and learn to play all the things I have always
tried, but failed to figure out. I'd love to play music with others on a
regular basis, not for money; but just for the love of making music to cheer
the hearts of others and move hearts. There is so much I want to learn from
other musicians, many of whom have died. Thankfully some of them are in
Heaven and I eagerly look forward to meeting them and hopefully becoming
friends up there in the glory land with our Lord Jesus. Amen.
No doubt there will be many who
will want to learn from me as well, because I am a patient teacher and God
has given me the love of sharing knowledge and teaching others what I have
worked hard to learn and acquire. That's my gift from God. That's why I
published this website, so you can learn many helpful things. There are many
sources of learning on the internet, but many lack information. I'm sharing
with you things that took my 20-years to figure out. I hope to teach you
much sooner so you can progress quickly and start playing some awesome
Hawaiian steel guitar music. I'm not into jazz, blues, nor reggae; I like
Hawaiian and slow pretty Country (and Gospel that fits into those 2 venues).
I like many standards such as UNFORGETTABLE and STARDUST,
which would be from the Big Band era, songs a like MOON GLOW and
SWEET LEILANI.
I hope this has been a bit helpful
to teach you a thing or two. If you don't get nothing else out of this
lesson, just know that my goal is to get you to view each pedal and knee (or
a combination of them) for what they do; rather than call them for their
location (such as, "pedal 6"), or calling them for what they sound like
(such as, the "Boo-Wah" pedal). I'd much rather refer to my right-knee-left
as the "Augmented lever." And My 5th pedal gives me a D9th chord. And my 8th
pedal gives me An Dominant 7th 3 frets up.
This is a great passing chord. So
going from say, your I-IV-V, I being a C chord. IV chord is F. Then your 5th
chord position will be G. You could move back from the 5th to home position
using a Dominant G7th chord, found at fret 10 using a C# on the 6th string.
I was able to figure this out simply because I know that the function of the
8th pedal is to give me a Dominant 7th chord (equivalent to raising string 6
to C# on a lap steel tuned to C6th). Notice below on the copedent chart how
pedal 8 raises the C to a C#. That's exactly the same as the C# on your
lapsteel. That's really neat!!!
Strings 3, 5 and 7 with pedal 8 down
give you a fantastic Diminished chord, which repeats up or down every 3
frets. Nice!
| Note |
pedal 4 |
pedals 5 |
pedal 6 |
pedal 7 |
pedal 8 |
LKL |
LKR |
RKL |
RKR |
| D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
D |
|
B |
C# |
|
|
| A |
Bb |
|
|
B |
|
|
|
Ab |
A# |
| G |
|
F# |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
Eb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
C# |
|
|
|
|
| A |
Bb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| F |
|
F# |
|
|
E |
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
A |
|
|
|
|
I don't claim to be an expert
at anything. I know enough about music theory to scare myself away if
I'm not too careful. I struggled through learning what the story was on
those Dominant 7th chords... whew! I'm just a humble sinner, trying to
do the right kind of steeling, trusting the Lord day-by-day to watch
over me (and He has done that, amen). I love the steel guitar, steeling
for my Lord. I want to learn so much more and will give it my best as
long as my less-than-perfect health allows, and the Lord tarries His
return. One day at a time...
| Note |
pedal 4 |
pedals 5 |
pedal 6 |
pedal 7 |
pedal 8 |
LKL |
LKR |
RKL |
RKR |
| D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
D |
|
B |
C# |
|
|
| A |
B |
|
|
B |
|
|
|
Ab |
A# |
| G |
|
F# |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| E |
|
|
Eb |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
C# |
|
|
|
|
| A |
B |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| F |
|
F# |
|
|
E |
|
|
|
|
| C |
|
|
|
|
A |
|
|
|
|
Prepare to be amazed my musician friend. If you play C6th pedal
steel, I encourage you to learn to play Hawaiian music on your C6th. You
have a whole world of opportunities right in front of you that very few
players ever take advantage of simply because most Hawaiian steel guitar is
played on lapsteels or non-pedal steels; therefore, hardly any tablature
exists for Hawaiian music on the C6th pedal steel.
