Lap steels were among the first guitars to be electrified, in the 1930s, simply so they could be heard above the other instruments in the band and their first association, outside Hawaiian music, was with Western Swing, with the likes of Leon McAuliffe, guitarist with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys being an early adopter of the instrument. Early Lap Steel guitars were simple wooden constructions but, as they gained popularity, many producers started to make resonator-style instruments, with a metal cone under the bridge to act as a loudspeaker. Although lap steels look like they have frets these are usually faux markers and the neck of the instrument is smooth, allowing the bar to glide across the strings producing the shimmering, swooping sounds associated with the instrument. It’s a little like fretting a guitar with a single finger (the bar) so the guitar has to be tuned to an open chord, making it difficult to change key on lap steel and this gave rise to the popular twin necked lap steel guitars that could be tuned to two different keys, making them a more versatile instrument. Lap steels are played by laying the guitar flat across the upper legs of a seated player and the pitch of the instrument is changed by pressing a steel bar against the plucked strings. The lap steel guitar first shows up as a Hawaiian instrument in the 19 th Century, hence its alternate name, the Hawaiian Guitar. But – could we have real country music without them? Well, arguably yes, because the pedal steel guitar only came into existence in 1940 and there was plenty of country music prior to that date but you wouldn’t have the same distinct sounds that we’ve come to associate with some aspects of country and Americana music and a lot of the music we love would be a lot less interesting without this weird, and often wonderful, instrument. There are no marching bands in the future of a pedal steel player. You are, at least, guaranteed that you’ll always be able to perform sitting down, since operating the instrument requires both hands, both feet, and both knees. The musical equivalent of patting your head while rubbing your stomach, or of flying a helicopter in formation. It takes a different level of masochism to decide that you’re going to become a pedal steel guitar player.
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