Lap steel guitar
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The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, from which other types developed.
There are three main types of lap steel guitar:
- Lap slide guitars, the first developed, which use a similar sound box to a spanish guitar.
- Resonator guitars, particularly those with square necks.
- Electric lap steel guitars, which include the first commercially successful solid body instruments.
Lap slide and resonator guitars may also be fitted with pickups, but do not depend on electrical amplification to produce their sound.
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Description
The main feature of a lap steel guitar is that the strings are raised off the fretboard a lot higher than on a regular guitar. Like regular guitars, there are electric and acoustic lap steels. An electric lap steel guitar is typically rectangular in shape, and features only the guitar neck. A photograph of one model is available here: [1]
Acoustic lap steels vary and can be just a traditional looking acoustic with raised strings, or a variation such as a hollowneck acoustic lap steel. A photograph of a hollowneck lap steel is available here: [2] Template:Seealso
Playing
The lap steel is typically placed in one's lap or on a stool while seated; it is not held upright like a standard guitar. The strings are placed much higher above the neck than on a standard guitar, and are not pressed to a fret when sounding a note. Rather, the player holds a metal slide in one hand, which is moved along the strings to change the instrument's pitch while the other hand plucks or picks the strings. Due to this method of playing, the instrument can play a limited number of chords, and is thus better suited to playing melodies.
The pedal steel guitar - and to a lesser extent, the dobro -are usually played in similar fashion.
History
The lap steel probably began in Laie, Hawaii in the late 1800s. Several persons have been credited with the innovation. [3]. The instrument was rather popular - perhaps a fad - in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s.
The lap steel, dobro and pedal steel guitar are associated most closely with Hawaiian music, country music and bluegrass, though some players have used them in rock music, jazz, blues, and other musical genres.
Notable lap steel players
- Al Perkins
- Jerry Byrd
- Darick Campbell
- Cindy Cashdollar
- Jerry Douglas
- David Gilmour
- Ben Harper
- Sol Hoopii
- Steve Howe
- Robert Rich
- Troy Van Leeuwen (of Queens of the Stone Age, formerly of A Perfect Circle)
- David Lindley
- Denny Mathis (of Two Tons of Steel)
- Kelly Joe Phelps
- Xavier Rudd
- Jordan Rudess
- Freddie Roulette
- Vance Terry
- Brock Smith
- John Butler (of The John Butler Trio )
- Gavin Hayes (of Dredg )
Manufacturers
This list is incomplete. Please add to it.
See also
External links
- Brad's Page of Steel - Discusses lap steel guitars in more detail
- Steel Guitar Forum - A discussion board for steel guitarists.
- Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association An organisation which promotes the development of lap steel guitar with worldwide membership.de:Hawaii-Gitarre