Beginners
The beginners section is for brand new steel players, though some of the exercises here might be good daily warm ups for the more advanced players.
All of the exercises heere use my simplified notation system for the pedal steel guitar.
You can find the legend for that system here:
NOTATION LEGEND
For an in-depth explanation of my notation system, click here:
NOTATION FOR PEDAL STEEL GUITAR
Sitting Position
The best sitting position is towards the center with your body at about the 12th fret. The back should be straight and the arms should make 90 degree angles at the elbows. The forearms should be parallel with the ground. The upper arms should be in line with the torso. The seat should be adjusted so the thighs are either parallel with the ground or slightly angled towards the floor.
The feet should rest on the floor in the relaxed position. In the playing position, the left foot should hover over the A and B pedals (usually the first two at the left), with the heel touching the ground. The heel should be in front of the B pedal, to allow easy pivoting between the AB pedals and BC pedals. The right foot operates the volume pedal - more on that in a later lesson.
The hands should rest comfortably on the instrument in the relaxed position - more on the hands below.
The Right Hand
Much of the skill involved with playing the steel guitar is in the right hand. The legs and the left hand are important too, but the right hand requires more quickness and precision. As a result, it is important to start out with a good foundation in right hand technique.
The right hand picks the strings with finger picks. Most players use 2 metal finger picks on the index and middle fingers and a plastic pick on the thumb. Some players include an extra pick for the ring finger.
Here is what the metal finger picks look like when they are shaped and worn correctly:
Some players use plastic picks on the fingers as well as the thumb. However, they are shaped and worn in the same fashion:
When placing the hand on the strings, the shape of the hand and picking technique is the same for either metal or plastic fingerpicks:
The thumb picks the strings away from the body; the fingers pick the strings toward the body.
There are some players who don't use finger picks, but without picks the attack is not as strong, and the bell-like ring is absent. Using finger picks is a little uncomfortable at first, but the more you use them the more they will feel natural. In fact, even after a few months of playing you will find it more difficult to play without them.
Try to pick as close to the pickup as possible, with the right hand palm hovering just over the pick up.
Right Hand Exercises
The fingers are abbreviated as follows:
Thumb - t
Index - i
Middle - m
One and Two-Finger Picking
Here are some 2-finger picking exercises. Always use a metronome. Start slow and gradually work your way up to a faster tempo.
In exercise 1a, use only the thumb.
In exercise 1b, use the thumb and index on strings 6 and 5 and then thumb and middle finger on strings 6 and 4.
Both of these exercises are at fret 0 with no pedals or levers used (open).
Three-Finger Picking
In example 2a, use only the thumb. In example 2b, use thumb for string 6, index for string 5 and middle for string 4. All of these exercises are at fret 0 with no pedals used (open).
Blocking
The most unique fundamental technique used by steel guitarists which isn't used by most other string players is blocking.
Blocking is the only way to keep unwanted strings from ringing together.
Blocking is absolutely necessary and must be learned before proceeding to more complicated maneuvers. Without blocking the strings would just ring out and mix with each other, causing an atonal and muddy sound. At times you may want the strings to ring out, but for now exercising control is what's important. You want to get to a point where you can either mute the strings or let them ring without any difficulty.
There are three basic blocking techniques.
1. Palm blocking
2. Knuckle blocking
3. Finger blocking
However, there are other ways to block as well. In my private lessons, I will show you all the best ways to block and when each blocking technique is most appropriate. Email me at patrick@steelguitaracademy.com to learn more about taking a few lessons with me.
Palm blocking. To palm block, the pinky is kept in line with the palm, the wrist, and the arm. The strings are plucked then the palm and pinky, still straight, come down on the strings to mute them before the next string(s) are picked.
Knuckle blocking. Knuckle blocking is the same as palm blocking except you fold your pinky and ring finger under your hand and use the top of them to mute the strings.
Knuckle blocking may be used if one wishes to let some strings ring out while others become muted. Though there are other methods for this technique as well. Knuckle blocking is also useful for controlled pitch harmonics.
Pick blocking. Pick blocking (also called "finger blocking") is using the finger picks or thumb picks to block the strings. The strings are picked and then immediately stopped by the same finger or, occasionally, by a different finger. This method is tricky at first, but offers many advantages for speed and accuaracy. This is the method I use most often to block.
Those are your 3 basic blocking techniques. Focus on getting these down with the exercises below. Once you master blocking the rest of the instrument will be much easier to learn.
Blocking Exercises
Now that we know how to block we can practice playing our notes with more precision. Exercises 3a and 3b below are the same exercises from the previous section on the right hand (exercises 1 and 2). This time let's try to play them with more control.
1. First play it ringing out like before with no blocking.
2. Then play it "staccato." That means to play the note and immediately block it leaving empty space between the notes.
Try it with all three types of blocking.
3. Finally play the note and let it ring. Then, right before striking the next note, block the string.
Try it with all three types of blocking.
Single String Picking
So what if we are playing a piece that has two notes following each other on the same string? Well in that case we use we can either use repeat strikes or alternate picking. Different circumstances will require one or the other technique. Try the exercises with and without blocking. Exercise 4 uses only string 4. It is played at fret 0 with no pedals used (open). Exercise 5 uses only strings, 6, 5, and 4. It is played at fret 0 with no pedals used (open).
In example 4a use the thumb only. In exercise 4b, alternate the thumb and index.
Now let's try it crossing strings. Do both exercises starting the pattern with the thumb then do them again starting with the index finger.
In example 5a use the thumb only. In exercise 5b, alternate the thumb and index.
Remember to use a metronome and build up your speed gradually.
The Left Hand
The left hand holds the steel bar, sometimes called a "tone bar". The tone bar may be round, sometimes called a "bullet bar." The tone bar may be grooved as well. In either case, the technique for holding the bar will be more or less the same. The bar is held perpendicular to the strings and right over the fret line. Make sure it doesn't slant or your playing will be out of tune.
The middle finger rests in the corner of the bar and the strings on the left side of the bar. The ring finger and pinky rest on the strings behind the middle finger. This is important because if the ring finger and pinky are lifted, the strings will buzz when picked. The index finger rests on the top-center of the bar for a round bar and in the center groove for a grooved bar. The thumb rests against the right side of the bar. Avoid letting the thumb touch the strings to be played.
Round Bar:
Front View:
Side View:
Top View:
Grooved Bar:
Front View:
Side View:
Top View:
Make sure the fret line is directly under the bar in order to achieve the note at that fret. Of course, the bar will not be over the fret when sliding from one fret to another.
There is a tendency to have the bar a little to the right of the lower frets and a little to the left of the higher pitch frets. This is due to the player's perspective of where the fret line is. Avoid this. Use your ears or a tuner to determine if you are flat or sharp. Try to find your frets without looking at your hands. All this will take some practice at first but will become natural with time.
Left Hand Exercises
Here are some finger-picking exercises with bar movement. Always use a metronome. Start slow and gradually work your way up to faster tempos.
In exercises 6a and 6b below you start at fret 1 with no pedals used. You strike string 5, then block, then move the bar to fret 2 and strike string 5 again. The pattern continues from there up to fret 13 and back down to fret 2.
Notice the finger picking pattern in each part of exercise 6 is different. Try the first one with just your thumb. Practice it slow until you become precise with the bar movement. The bar should be exactly over each fret as you move up and down.
Once you can move the bar accurately, try exercise 6b which require alternate picking. Remember to block after each note in these exercises. We don't want to hear the bar slide from one note to the next at this point. Each note should sound distinct like you were playing it on a piano. Remember to use a metronome.
In exercise 7 below, you start at fret 3, play string 6, block, play string 5, block, then move the bar to fret 4 and repeat. Continue to fret 6 and return down to fret 4. Exercise 7a uses the thumb only. Exercise 7b uses the thumb and index alternating.
In exercise 8 below, you start at fret 3, play string 5, block, play string 6, block, then move the bar to fret 4 and repeat. Continue to fret 6 and return down to fret 4. Exercise 8a uses the thumb only. Exercise 8b uses the thumb and index alternating.
Exercise 9 combines exercises 7 and 8. You play strings 6 and 5 going upward in the frets and 5 and 6 going downward.
Notice in exercise 9 below that you have to use the middle finger in the third measure of the exercise and then use your index and middle finger to start on the 5th measure. This ensures that you are always alternate picking rather than double striking the same note with the same finger. There will be times, particularlly in fast passages, when you will not want to have the same finger strike the same string twice in a row.
Pedal Movement
Portamento Pedal Movement
The most characteristic sound of the PSG is the portamento created with the use of the pedals pulling and pushing the strings.
This can mean raising the pitch or lowering it. To perform this, strike a note with the pick and engage the pedal or knee lever.
Try this exercise. No bar for now; let's just use the pedals in the fret 0 position. The slur connecting the notes means to use the pedal to connect them. This is also marked below the staff in the fret number box. First you play open [o] with no pedal and then engage the [b] pedal. The parentheses mean to let the pedal movement acquire the second note without striking it. If you don't remember how these pedals are tuned, click HERE.
Now try the same idea at the 3rd fret.
You can find more examples of portamento pedal movement in this section: PSG Notation.
Non-portamento Pedal Movement
Just because we can play a note and keep it ringing while we engage a pedal, does note mean we have to.
In fact, we may want to use a pedal to play a note but don't want to hear the note "bend." This requires non-portamento pedal movement.
Just as with finger picking, the point is to exercise control. Sometimes we may want the note to bend. Sometimes we don't. Here is an exercise to build your control. Notice there are no slurs or parentheses because each note is sounded individually. You also will find the fret boxes and string numbers written under each note, further indicating that these notes are to be restruck and not pedaled. Strike string 6 at fret 3, block, then press the [b] pedal, then strike string 6 again, block, etc.
Slides
Slides are the same as pedal moves except they use the bar to change to pitch instead of the pedals. Strike a note and raise or lower the pitch with the bar. These are harder to control than pedal moves, but you can move as far as you want from the origin note.
In exercise 13 you strike string 6 at fret 3 and then slide to fret 4, block, repeat, block, then return to fret 3, strike string 5 and slide to fret 4, block, etc. This should sound similar to exercise 11 above, but sliding and pedaling are definitely distinct sounds and one may be desirable over the other in different circumstances.
Now try exercise 13. The [b] pedal remains down through the whole exercise. Don't block between the notes, let each one ring out until you strike the next one. You want the bar to slide in one fluid motion from fret 3 to fret 7 and back. Pick the string as the bar moves over each fret. This is kind of like a glissando effect on a normal guitar. Keep your timing with a metronome.
Here's another slide exercise. This one is to improve wide bar movement accuracy.
Grips
Gripping is the primary way steel guitarists play two-note "dyads" and three-note "chords". In each case, the notes are struck simultaneously. Dyads and chords are discussed in more detail in the dyads and chords sections of this website. For now, developing dexterity is our primary purpose.
Gripping is performed by plucking away from your body with your thumb and towards your body with the index and middle finger. This is done simultaneously. For 3-note grips, you will use all three fingers. For 2-note grips, you can use ti, im, or tm depending on how close the strings are to each other and what the music calls for.
Here are some exercises.
Exercise 16a uses thumb and index and 16b uses index and middle.
Exercise 17a uses thumb and index and 17b uses thumb and middle.
Exercise 18a uses thumb, index, and middle and is a "full grip" meaning all 3 fingers strike at the same time. Exercise 18b is a broken grip. You strike the thumb first then strike the index and middle together after.
That's all for now. Once you have mastered all the exercises in the beginner section, you will be well prepared to move on to the other sections of this website.
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NOTATION
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Section:
SCALES
HISTORY
CONSTRUCTION
TUNING
COPEDENTS
LEGEND
BEGINNERS
DYADS
CHORDS
COMPOSITION
IMPROV
TECHNIQUES
EXERCISES
CLASSICS
TIMELINE