The pedal steel guitar is an extraordinarily complicated instrument, but almost any guitar player could play something that sounds good if pointed in the right direction.
Sitting down at the pedal steel for the first time can be quite daunting but simple steel is just that - a piece of cake. It's addictive like cake, too so beware. When you've mastered a few simple licks and chord transformations you'll be wanting to learn more about how far this instrument can go.
Pedal steel guitar for dummies
Sitting at the steel, position the bar over the third fret. Hold the bar firmly but not too tightly and let the fingers of your left hand lightly damp the strings between the bar and the nut. Your right foot is on the volume pedal but don't worry too much about it right now. Grip strings 6, 5 and 4 (numbering strings from the highest in tone to the lowest) and pluck all three at the same time. The result should be a clear, and very pretty, G major chord. Adjust the pressure on the bar if you're hearing some rattle. Your left foot should be ready and waiting, poised over pedals A and B. Press these pedals to the full extent of their travel and play the same strings again. You'll hear an equally pretty C chord. Now join the two in one smooth transition from G to C. Congratulations, you have played your first pedal steel lick.
The second pedal steel guitar lick
Well it's sounding nice enough but you're currently left hanging at the C chord, A and B pedals to the floor. Rock your foot off the A pedal (the one on your far left) but leave it on the B pedal. This can be a bit tricky but it's nothing compared to the sort of contortions you'll find yourself doing in a few months. Move the knee lever to the right of your left knee its full travel. If you're doing this right the C chord will morph into a D7 when you pluck the same group of strings. To complete the cycle release the knee lever, keeping the foot on the B pedal and then slowly release the B pedal. You'll hear a beautiful transition from the D7 back to G major. Repeat ad infinitum and try it with some other string groups. It's easy to tell when you've chosen the wrong strings. The cat will get upset.
A couple of minor chords
There are many ways to play minor chords on the pedal steel guitar but here are the three easiest, and the ones you're likely to use most. Still on the third fret, depress pedal A by itself. You'll hear an E minor, very handy for the key of G. Push the knee lever you used earlier by itself (left knee right) and you've got a B minor. Press B and C pedals together their full travel and you'll hear an A minor.
Don't call it a slide guitar
In fact - at any given fret position you can play all the chords and scales for pretty much any song you'd like with a bit of ingenuity, but steel players generally move the bar around a bit. What they tend not to do as much as non pedal steel players would imagine, is slide to notes. Pedal steel players sometimes get annoyed when their instrument is referred to as a "slide guitar". They're a prickly lot, most likely because they sit down all night and get none of the attention the singer and guitar player do.
