  steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. developed in hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use of a bar or slide called a steel (generally made of metal, but also of glass or other materials). the term steel guitar is often mistakenly used to describe any metal body resophonic guitar. steel guitar can describe: * a method of playing slide guitar using a steel. resonator guitars, including round necked varieties, are particularly suitable for this style, yet are seldom referred to as "steel guitars", but rather referred to generally as a dobro, acoustic slide guitar, or square neck resonator guitars. dobro is also a brand name of one of the leading manufacturers of resonator guitars. * a specialized instrument built for playing in steel guitar fashion. these are of several types: ** lap steel guitar, which may be: *** lap slide guitar, with a conventional wooden guitar box. *** the square-necked variety of resonator guitar. *** electric lap steel guitar. ** electric console steel guitar. ** electric pedal steel guitar. ==technique== steel guitar refers to a method of playing on a guitar held horizontally, with the treble strings uppermost and the bass strings towards the player, and using a type of slide called a steel above the fingerboard rather than fretting the strings with the fingers. this may be done with any guitar, but is most common on instruments designed and produced for this style of play. the technique was invented and popularized in hawaii. thus, the lap steel guitar is sometimes known as the hawaiian guitar, particularly in documents from the early 20th century, and today any steel guitar is frequently called a hawaiian steel guitar. however, in hawaiian music, hawaiian guitar means slack string guitar, played in the conventional or spanish position. bottleneck guitar may have actually developed from steel guitar technique. it is similar, with the exception that the guitar is held in the conventional position, and using a different form of slide to accommodate this playing position. ==instruments== a steel guitar is one designed to be played in steel-guitar fashion. historically, these have been of many types, but two dominate: * resonator guitars, particularly the square-necked variety which can be played only in steel guitar fashion. * electric instruments, starting with electric lap steel guitars and developing through the console steel guitar to the pedal steel guitar. ===lap steel guitar===  the lap steel typically has 
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