any of you guys play lap steel?

[friendship]

I don't know anything about it at all, but I love the sound. Where did you start? What do you play? idk:

[Chankgeez]

Start by getting a lap steel and a bar.

Where you really start depends on where you wanna end.

[Derelict78]

Where do you start? What do you play? idk:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ohBMozCzI[/youtube]

[friendship]

Where you really start depends on where you wanna end.

*huge bong hit*

[Derelict78]

Where you really start depends on where you wanna end.

*huge bong hit*

Well than Pink Floyd is a good place to start.

[Chankgeez]

Where you really start depends on where you wanna end.

*huge bong hit*

Well than Pink Floyd is a good place to start.

[friendship]

Where you really start depends on where you wanna end.

*huge bong hit*

Well than Pink Floyd is a good place to start.

I was thinking it might be fun to learn since I have no experience with slide playing of any kind, and it's always nice to have a new texture. I probably wouldn't use it for country or Pink Floyd stuff. I'd like to try to find my own voice on it.

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, it's fun to mess around on lap steel with effects pedals.

There are plenty of people playing ambient music or playing with loops and stuff like that. Obviously, most of the effects that work well with regular guitar also work well with lap steel. You can just start playing with all the pedals you currently use, since that'll already be familiar. Sometimes certain pedals won't work well, but you'll quickly be able to figure that out and adapt.

Sliding power chords is fun too.

[jrmy]

There was a dude around here with the username lapsteel. I'm guessing he might play one.

I have a friend who's a really good lapsteel player - he gigs around with a bunch of bands. He's also got really wide tastes - even though most of his gigs are of the folk/blues/roots variety, he does crazy glitchy electronic stuff on his own, and used to front a skronky/math-y/no-wave punk band. I could see if he's got any suggestions next time I talk to him.

[AxAxSxS]

I just rebuilt/ fixed up an old gibson Lap steel a while back. very cool. Really the sky is the limit to what you can do with one. tunings and effects are fun to experiment with. Using it in non traditional ways is a lot of fun.

[lapsteel]

Heyyyoooh!

Lapsteels can be super expressive cause your notes are not limited by frets. However, people always want you to play 12 bar blues crap or mimic some country pedal steel... which can be fun but it gets a bit redundant. I find myself playing lots of dark ambient stuff, I think lapsteels are a good approach to this kind of sound.
Check out blooghost stuff. The bandcamp blueghost factory.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

Bl00ghost plays lapsteel. Ask him.

[friendship]

There was a dude around here with the username lapsteel. I'm guessing he might play one.

I have a friend who's a really good lapsteel player - he gigs around with a bunch of bands. He's also got really wide tastes - even though most of his gigs are of the folk/blues/roots variety, he does crazy glitchy electronic stuff on his own, and used to front a skronky/math-y/no-wave punk band. I could see if he's got any suggestions next time I talk to him.

That's very awesome, thank you!

I'll check that blueghost stuff when I get out of work. Any manual technique-type things a beginner should look out for?

[lapsteel]

beginners often sound scratchy... so learn how to mute with the fingers behind the tone bar and even with the picking fingers. playing lapsteel clean does take some practice. Of course fingerpicking technique will help with this. learn to use the volume knob or even better a volume pedal to clean up your playing. You want to be able to play dirty when it counts, but you should be able to play clean

[friendship]

beginners often sound scratchy... so learn how to mute with the fingers behind the tone bar and even with the picking fingers. playing lapsteel clean does take some practice. Of course fingerpicking technique will help with this. learn to use the volume knob or even better a volume pedal to clean up your playing. You want to be able to play dirty when it counts, but you should be able to play clean

Excellent advice. Thanks so much.