Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992 12:27:01 EDT
From: <DVAN@auvm.american.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: LargeBoring SteelGuitar iFAQ

Steel Guitar inFrequently Asked Questions list
a metamorphisizing compendium of information about Steel Guitar
prepared by David Van Allen, BitNet: DVAN@AUVM.AMRICAN.EDU
Compuserve ID: 72627,526; US Snail: 10503 Procter St, Silver Spring,
MD 20901.
Any part of this may be reproduced by any means available for
distribution to as many folks as are interested.
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This is a list of resources for historical and commercial info about
steel guitars, including lessons, video, tablature, tapes, vinyl,CD's
etc...
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Some Pedal Steel Manufacturers, past and present:
Manufacturer:                          Status:
Emmons Guitar Co.                    Current
Excel                                Current
Franklin                             Current
JCH                                  Current?
Kline                                Current?
MCI                                  Current
MSA                                  Out of Business
Sho-Bud                              Out of Business?
Sierra                               Current
ZB Custom                            Re-inCorporating?

For information about current availability, models, customization,
pricing, used steels and the like contact one of the steel shops listed.
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GENERAL INFO AND LEARNING MATERIALS
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The Country Music Foundation   (Not Steel Specific but great)
4 Music Square East
Nashville TN 37203
615-256-1639
Publishes The Journal of Country Music, Quarterly; one of the most
scholarly publications available on the C&W scene... not a Fan-zine,
but not all dull discography either.

=========================================================================
Herbie Wallace Productions      615-453-7476 phone
521 Dolly Parton Parkway
Sevierville TN 37862
 Cottage industry steel guitar stuff; tapes, records,instructional materials
from one of the best.  Herbie worked the road with Donna Fargo, and his right
hand is a killer!  Good recordings with Thumbs Carlille (the late great)
=========================================================================
The Pedal Steel Guitar Association, Inc
P.O. Box 248
Floral Park  NY 11001
A membership organization dedicated to the promotion of steel guitar; Largely
made up of players of all stripes- Hawaiian, country, jazz, professional and
amateur.  Publish a newsletter monthly ( or almost monthly )
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steel Guitar International(association)..Annual Dues $20.00
Enquirer (newsletter)....................Quarterly,
P.O.Box 2413                          News and reviews and interviews
St. Louis, MO 63114                   covering the world of steelers

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STEEL GUITAR SALES, SERVICE, INFO:
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Billy Cooper's Steel Guitar Shop
Rte 2 Box 525
Orange, Virginia 22960
703-854-5960
Sales, Service, Lessons & related Materials - Great east coast
resource! Billy and Wanda are real nice folks.
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**** The premier Steel Resource = sales, info, learning materials !!! ***
SCOTTY'S MUSIC
9535 Midland
St. Louis, Missouri, 63114    .
===publishes====
Steel Guitar InternationalEnquirer (newsletter)..Quarterly,
P.O.Box 2413                          News and reviews and interviews
St. Louis, MO 63114                   covering the world of steelers

Most recordings are on cassette or vinyl, but what might be on CD
Scotty's should have it... they have their finger on the pulse of
steeling in the US and elsewhere!
========================================================================
Ronnie's Steel Guitar Shop
879 Park Ave.
Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901
The first and probably last source for info on
MIDI interfaces for Pedal Steel!

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  Some Steel Guitar Tunings
=========================================================================
Standard 6 string tunings for steel guitar:
.
C 6th - classic      "Low Bass" A       E7th
country/western,      one of the       The WarnerBrosToon
hawaiian tuning       earliest         "Beowiiip" tuning...
string  gauge        Hawaiian tunings  old Hawaiian tuning
1. E    .014plain     1. E  .014P       1. g#    (I'm pretty
2. C    .017p         2. C# .017P       2. e     sure about
3. A    .024wound     3. A  .024W       3. d     this one...)
4. G    .026w         4. E  .030W       4. b
5. E    .030w         5. A  .042W       5. g#
6. C    .038w         6. E  .056W       6. e
.
in the low bass A tuning lowering the 2nd string to C or B
creates novelty and unusual chord voicings...
.
Ten String Pedal Steel Tunings:
On a modern double-neck 10 string Pedal Steel both of
these tunings are likely to be standard.  You may customize
with additional knee levers, etc.
Pedals A thru C  work on the front neck E9th tuning,
D thru H on the back neck (closest to player) C6th tuning.
Knee levers perform the same function as pedals and
can work on either or both necks (consolidation)
.
"Nashville" E9th Chromatic - the one you hear most often
on country radio.  Chromatic because of the intervals of
the open tuning, it is an "inside out" tuning in that the
first two strings are tuned lower than the next two strings-
a descending run would be played on strings 3,1,4,2,5;
Don't ask why - it evolved that way with the instrument
in the late '50's/early '60's
These are the "Standard" pedal changes; every player has
more and different knee lever changes to achieve unique
chord voicings.
Nomenclature:
  +.5 = raises a half step(one fret) by stretching string
  +1 = raises a whole step (two frets)
  -.5 = lowers by loosening string tension
           Pedals
Open           A      B      C     Knee1  Knee2
 1. F# .014p
 2. D# .017p
 3. G# .010p        +.5
 4. E  .014p                +1     +.5     -.5
 5. B  .017p  +1            +1
 6. G# .024w        +.5
 7. F# .026w
 8. E  .030w                       +.5     -.5
 9. D  .034w
10. B  .038w  +1
.
C6th Ten String - evolved from the above 6 string tuning thru
an 8 string version (no pedals,minus lowest 2 strings) to the
modern C6th.  Used primarily for Western Swing, Pop, Jazz(!),
and other musical idioms not usually associated with steel guitar.
.
               Pedals
open            D     E      F     G    H    Knee
 1. G .012p                +.5
 2. E .015p
 3. C .018p                       +1          -.5
 4. A .022p    +1                 +1
 5. G .026w                -.5
 6. E .030w          -.5
 7. C .038w                            +.5
 8. A .042w    +1
 9. F .056w          +.5               -.5
10. C .072w           +1               -1.5 (yes, to a LOW A)
.
There are single neck pedal steels with as many as 12 or 14 strings
that attempt to combine both of these tunings into a "Universal"
tuning, with varying degrees of success.
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 Q & A E-MAIL EXCHANGE FROM THE NET
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Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Friday, 20 Mar 1992 13:55:26 EST
From: <DVAN@auvm.american.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Learing Pedal Guitar...(?)

In article <123150001@hpindda.cup.hp.com>, unit@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Tom
Engleman) says:
>
> I have had a sort-of backround desire to learn how to play the
>"pedal" guitar. Now I realize that the answer may vary, according to one's
>own inate skills, but, I was wondering....

I assume you mean Pedal Steel Guitar?

>How long would it take to say, get up my skill levels well enough to
>start playing in local bands. (pretty open question, huh?)
>
very open... do you play anything now?

>What's the best way to start..  Should I go into classic guitar first,
>and then switch, to capitalize off of what I'd already learned?
>Or, should I just go for the Pedal, right out of the chute?

There is such dissimilarity between Pedal steel and guitar that even
quite experienced guitarists are baffled by the Pedal  Steel...
If your interest is in the steel then start on the steel - what you
will want is some grounding in music theory (NOT reading music but the
BASICS of chords, intervals, scales etc...)  The pedal steel guitar is
initially harder to play than LOTS of other instruments, and the
difficulty and expense put a lot of folks off continuing with it...it is
a labor of love/addiction to an incredible sound....very rewarding to tho
te few who stick to it....
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REALLY COOL VIDEO AVAILABLE- MUSICOLOGICAL/JEST PLAIN AMAZING THAT IT
EVEN EXISTS:
=========================================================================
To all and sundry who might be interested, I have finally tracked
down a source for video of some incredible film from the Fifties:
"Classic Country: Stars of the Grand Ole Opry" are repackaged
COLOR (NOT COLORIZED!) LIVE film from a TV show produced between
1954 and 1956.  These amazing shows document a critical period
in country music, and show some stars at the height of or beginnings
of their careers: Ernest Tubb, Carl Smith, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Marty
Robbins, Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Kitty Wells, Li'l Jimmy Dickens,
Goldie Hill, The Carter Family with Mother Maybelle, Faron Young,
Chet Atkins, Lonzo & Oscar, Lew Childre, Rod Brassfield...as well as
THEIR BACK UP BANDS !  With legendary steel guitarists such as
Jimmy Sievert, Buddy Emmons, Bud Isaacs...at the transitional
period from lap steel to Pedal Steel.... true historical value!
There are 12 1-hour VHS tapes available, either singly or as a set,
and I have listings of material included on most of the indvidual
tapes.
.
THIS IS NOT MY MATERIAL. It is from a third party and is definitely a
commercial endeavour; but it has been a labor of love on my part
to try & dig up apparently the only commercial source for this stuff.
.
The Classic Country: Stars of the Grand Ole Opry videos are available
through:
.
            CLASSIC COUNTRY CLUB
            P.O.Box 618246
            Orlando, Florida 32861-8246
            Phone: 1-800-638-8762
.
 The deal I have is outlined in a letter from "Brenda"(no last name
 given) outlining an introductory offer:
.
        Each Tape, 1 hour VHS = $19.95 + $3 S&H = $22.95
         These can be sent one a month, with "payment due
         when you receive your video"
        The whole set of 12 1-hour VHS tapes goes for a discount price
        of $199.95.  I'd say call Brenda at the 800 number to clarify
        and verify the pricing.  She's real nice.
        There is a P.S. on the letter that says:" We now accept credit
        cards!"
        I can only hope the quality of these videos is up to the
broadcast tapes I have such fond memories of from PBS.  I have yet
to have ordered any of these tapes myself due to the economy, but I
intend to get the whole set eventually.  The musicological value alone
will make it worth it to me, much less the COOLNESS FACTOR!
.
Just to whet your appetites this is the listing
for volume one of the Classic Country Club tapes.
Volume 1 - "Faron Young"
Faron Young       "They Made Me Fall In Love With You"
                  "Forgive Me Dear"
                  "Just Married"
                  "I Got 5 dollars"
Ray Price         "Sweet Little BLue Eyes"
                  "I Saw My Castles Fall today"
Bill Monroe       "My Little Georgia Rose"
George Morgan     "Room Full Of Roses
Moon Mullican     "New Moon Over My Shoulders"
                  "Twelfth Street Rag"
Salty & Mattie    "Harmonica Boogie"
Grandpa Jones     "That New Vitamin"
Lonzo & Oscar     "Hole in the Bottom of the Sea"
Carter Family     "It's a Lazy Day"
Goldie Hill       "Say Big Boy"
Justin Tubb       "You Nearly Lose Your Mind"
Old Hickory Q'tet "Sweet Mama,Tree Top Fall"
Comedy by Rod Brassfield and Minnie Pearl
Square Dancers
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