Any lap steel players here?

[BluesHowler]

I have a lap steel guitar and I love the sound but I have not found any good tabs or instructions for the lap steel.

If I would want to play a song that is done in regular slide guitar I should be able to play it with my lap steel right?

How do I find the right tuning? I've looked at most of what I can find on Google but it is more confusing than what I find on regular tunings.

How do you lap steel players play/learn songs?

 

[wingsdad]

First, I'm assuming you mean a 6-string lap, cuz they CAN come as 8's.

It's frustrating and limiting because most stuff for the lap seems to be in terms of the common C6 tuning. I could go back to that, but first I decided to string & try it as an electric dobro (open G dobro tuning), but while the dobro technique makes loads of sense in how to approach it, but I decided to stick with the dobro in G and with open D or E on the lap and treat it like a horizontal slide guitar. Those options pretty much opens you up to anything for dobro or slide.

I've gone back & forth with the lap steel

Here's a good place to start for explanations for tunings...

brads' Page of Steel - Tunings

and for tabs & tab resources...

Brads' Page of Steel - Tablature

This spot has tabs, clips and videos you can download:

Rob Anderlik

 

[Brick]

i play a lap steel guitar...absolutely love it...you got a pic of yours?

 

[BluesHowler]

Thanks wingsdad! Those sites are a good start for me.

I decided on Dobro open G tuning and found some starting licks and stuff.

Brick, I don't have any pictures right now. It is a cheap Galveston 6 string lap steel guitar which is good enough for me to learn on right now.

One of my local pawn shops has a Fender 6 string lap steel from the 60's for $1400. It is in great condition and I might buy it if I win the lottery soon.

 

[wingsdad]

...
One of my local pawn shops has a Fender 6 string lap steel from the 60's for $1400. It is in great condition and I might buy it if I win the lottery soon.

Without knowing the model and year, that price might be a bit steep for a 60's Fender Lap 6, but pawn shops will try to get ya. Do a little homework and offer them about 1/2 that and see what happens.

I scored this '57 Fender Studio Deluxe (basically a Champ with screw-in legs)at a pawn shop for a crazy-lowball price. (I might as well have stolen it.) I needed to do some restoration (new tuners, a bunch of cleaning, clean the case). I sighted similar ones sold on e-bay a few months ago and it's not quite that high in price range.

 

[piebaldpython]

+1 what Wingsdad said in BOTH of his posts.

I have one lap set up for Open E, the other for Open High G (Dobro tuning). If I want Open Low G, then I can take the Open E lap and tune it to Open A (which is Open Low G tuned UP 2 frets).

As to instruction......any DOBRO DVD (there's tons of them, Cindy Cashdollar's are really good) are a great start. Bob Brozman did a great 2 DVD instructional on Lap Style playing. While he plays acoustic/resos, the technique is pretty much the same and he is a MONSTER player. His DVD's are mostly Open D with some Open Low G.

HTH and if you have any questions, fire away.

If you eventually get to some honky-tonkin' or Western Swing, then you may want a lap dedicated to Open C6 as the tuning is way different as are the string gauges.

 

[mrmudcat]

Wings got it covered!!!............. the.fender is way to high priced IMHO......without seeing the model or condition it is hard to say though.:whatever: Lastly My Supros FTW .........:rotflmao:

Wings blondie is sweet looking though.Also Pie's suggestion on B.B.;s dvd is a great must have dvd.Mudcat approved (not that it matters)

I dabble in slide and lappy's a little

 

[msteeln]

For all thing's steel...

...go to www.steelguitarforum.com $5 to join, but free to peruse.
The current and former SGF archives may give you more info then you'll want, even if you get serious about the steel.

There are inumerable tunings for the steel and all are worthy, but the more sophisticated tunings like C6, E13, A11 are top picks for good reasons and you'll want to get into the one(s) that suit you the best asap. The notes are all there in any tuning, but some tunings fit certain songs better and strum chording will be enhanced by particular tunings.
I found a glorified E major tuning - G# E C A G# E B E (top to bottom) to work best for me. This is one of the few tunings to allow a full 8 string strum, while some tunings will allow much less strumming (without jumping strings).

Check out this tutorial page (pg. 4) on my web site - www.hwnsge.5u.com for getting the basics correctly, finding lot's of other sites, and the best available steel music.
Get the Jerry Byrd steel guitar course, book w/CD, it's costly but worth every cent. His video is also available and can help fill in some blanks that can occur from just reading and tring to visualize.

The steel can confound and confuse, but it's well worth the bloody journey, and soon you'll wonder why it once seemed so difficult.
I'm still waiting for that day...

 

[piebaldpython]

Hey BluesHowler,
Check this E-bay site out. This guy's books/CD instructional material is excellent. I have all 3 books and they are chock full of good info IMO.
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/dow207_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ