| LAP STEEL 101 
Many people have heard the sounds of a Lap Steel guitar,
and maybe didn't even realize! Lap Steels can be heard in
many classic Hawaiian melodies, country songs, and more recently
in movie sound tracks, TV commercials, and a variety of musical
genres such as rock, gospel and world music.
Some may have never even seen a lap steel. So for those of
you who are wondering, here is a little bit of information
weve put together...
So lets start with the basics: what is a lap steel?
The term lap steel is pretty much self-explanatory. It's a
guitar (electric or acoustic) that is held on your lap and
is played by running a steel bar across the strings to change
the pitch. The strings on a lap steel are raised slightly
higher above the fret board than a regular guitar, and instead
of steel frets, it has fret lines for positioning. Lap steels
are usually tuned in one of several "open" tunings rather
than standard guitar tuning, which gives the player the opportunity
to create their own.
Many new to lap steel guitars may also wonder what's the
difference between a lap steel, slide guitar, steel guitar
and pedal guitar? Here are some basic guidelines:
Lap steel guitar: a square-necked acoustic or electric
guitar that is held on your lap and played by running a steel
bar across the strings to change the pitch.
Slide guitar: usually referred to as a method of playing
a standard guitar in its usual position (not on the lap) and
is played with a piece of metal or glass, usually a tube worn
on one finger.
Steel guitar: a general term used to describe a guitar
whose steel strings are "twanged" while being pressed with
a movable steel bar for a glissando effect.
Pedal steel guitar: a stringed instrument with feet
that is played while sitting down, much like when one is sitting
at a table. It usually has pedals at the feet used to control
and bend harmony and pitch.
There are many other styles and variations of steel-string
guitars.
Brad's page of Steel is a great place to find out more!
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A LITTLE BIT OF LAP STEEL HISTORY[Did
you know...the very first electric guitar was a lap steel?]
 Lap
Steels have been around for quite awhile...legend has it that
back in 1885, an 11-year-old Hawaiian school boy named Joseph
Kekuku was walking along railroad tracks when he picked up
a metal railroad tie and began sliding it along his guitar
strings - creating that characteristic singing voice of a
steel guitar that we are familiar with today. He was so intrigued
by the sound, that he began exploring his newly discovered
method on his guitar by experimenting with other objects.
Using the back of a knife blade (we don't recommend trying
this at home), little Joseph Kekuku began teaching himself
to play.
For the next 7 years he learned how to master producing the
unique and sweet sounds with a hair comb, a tumbler and finally,
a smooth steel bar that is still widely used today. Little
did he know that his imaginative methods would spark a revolution
in guitar technique and instrument design.
In the years passing, Joseph Kekuku began spreading and teaching
the then radical techniques of playing a lap-style guitar.
Some say however, that it wasn't until the San Francisco
Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915, that this
Hawaiian style of playing guitar really took off - reaching
even more musicians and guitar players who became intrigued
and fascinated with this soulful and expressive musical instrument.
 The
lap steel became tremendously popular on the mainland U.S.
and continued to thrive in popularity until the 40s. The introduction
of electrical amplification in the mid 1930's had a great
impact on the history of lap steel guitars. Rickenbacher's
aluminum "Fry Pan" electric steel guitar became a huge success
among professional musicians of the time and some herald it
as one of the most fertile periods in the history of steel
guitar design.
Although the roots of the steel guitar had been somewhat
established in Hawaiian music by the 1900's, and later in
country music as well, there was a lacking of teachers to
educate others how to play lap steel. Early legendary steel
players were in so much demand to play and record that they
had no time to teach others. By the 1960's the art and technique
of playing Hawaiian steel was almost lost.
A few dedicated musicians, however, fought to keep the art
of lap steel playing alive. Jerry Byrd, a Country Music Hall
of Famer, Barney Isaacs, Billy Robinson, David Lindley, Greg
Leisz, Cindy Cashdollar and more!
Lap-style guitar can be heard today in so many different
types of music ranging from country, hawaiian, rock, blues
and American Roots.
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WONDER WHO'S PLAYING A LAP STEEL TODAY?
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LAP STEEL LINKS
***Special thanks to the following for their vast resources
and information on lap steel guitars!
Andy Volk, Brad's Page of Steel, and the Hawaiian
Steel Guitar Association.
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INTERNATIONAL LAP STEEL TEACHERS INDEX
Want to learn to play lap steel guitar? Here's a partial
list of lap steel teachers with varying styles and abilities.
Feel free to contact them to see if they suit your needs,
or possibly they can refer you to someone else in your area.
If you would like to be added to the list, please email us.
IN
THE UNITED STATES:
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Alabama
TONY LOMBARDO
Birmingham, AL
(205) 328-1128
(205) 427-2255
lombardo56@hotmail.com
Arizona
JOE BETHANCOURT
Boogie Music
Pheonix, AZ
(602)978-6688
www.whitetreeaz.com/lessons
California
JOHN HOWLAND
Berkeley, CA
(510) 693-2416
www.johnhowlandtrio.com
JOEL HARPER
Folk Music Center
Claremont, CA
(909) 624-2928
Folkmusic.center@verizon.net
BOB BROZMAN
Los Angeles, CA
(831) 336-0304
MICHAEL WITCHER
Los Angeles, CA
(818) 554-4424
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Chicago
DAN PHELPS
The Player's Bench
Crystal Lake, Ill.
(815) 459-8614.
Private lessons available
(815) 262-1358 (cell)
www.danphelps.net
STEVE DOYLE
Old Town School of Folk Music
Chicago, IL
(773) 728-6000
www.oldtownschool.org
ROB ANDERLIK
Old Town School of Folk Music
Chicago, IL
(773) 728-6000
www.robanderlik.com
Georgia
MARK VAN ALLEN
Music Farm Recording Studio
Loganville, GA
(770) 972-9013
www.markvanallen.com
Massachusetts
EARLE PUGHE
The Minor Chord
Acton, MA
(978) 264-0299
www.theminorchord.com
New Hampshire
STEVE LATANISION
Guitar Gallery
Amherst, NH
(603) 672-9224
www.guitargallery.com
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SETH AUSTEN
Vintage Fret Shop
Ashland, NH
Serth@sethausten.com
www.sethausten.com
Upstate NY and NYC
DAVID YANNUZZI
Nyack, NY
(845) 558-1978
dyannuzzi21@hotmail.com
Oregon
BEN BONHAM
Portland, OR
(541) 386-5904
www.benbonham.com
MARY FLOWER
Portland, OR
www.maryflower.com
Philadelphia
MIKE BRENNER
http://heyslomo.com
South Carolina
MIKE BAGWELL
Greenville, SC |
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OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED
STATES:
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Canada
JOHN HIGNEY
Song Bird School of Music
Ottawa, Ontario
Lesson Hotline (613) 355-2146
www.songbirdmusic.com
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Canada
ERIC GOLDING
Eric Golding Studio of Guitar
Hamilton, Ontario
(905) 383-7875
egolding@mountaincable.net
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India
PANDIT DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA
**The only steel guitar training institute in India
for students from the country and abroad
www.debashishguitar.com
hindslide@hotmail.com
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LAP STEEL LEARNING RESOURCES
www.well.com/user/wellvis/books.html
Brad Betchel's Page of Steel is one of our favorite, not to
mention comprehensive, sites regarding the lap steel guitar.
This site is a great wealth of information on builders, players
and of course learning. Please visit!
www.georgeboards.com
A great resource for quality instrument, instructional DVDs
and books! Get started here, no experience required, these
are fun and easy to follow DVDs!
www.homespuntapes.com
Many instructional DVDs and videos for lap steel and slide
guitar with a variety of playing styles.
www.melbay.com
www.guitarschool.net
www.guitarseminars.com
The International Guitar Seminars is a wonderful way to learn
from some of the best players out there. Check their site
for dates and locations.
*** More lap steel learning links to come soon!
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