The British Steelies Society

I play a ten string E9th steel and have encountered problems moving the A,B and C pedals comfortably. I gather that wearing Cowboy boots with the height that the heels give you would be an advantage and make the left foot action easier. I don't get on with wearing Cowboy boots. Can anyone out there make a suggestion or offer any advice?

I like wearing a pair of old sneakers. I tried a pair of Cuban heel boots which are probably the forerunner to cowboy boots but they didn't work for me.

Hi Karol, as a quick trial, you could find an old bit of floorboard or plywood and put it under your feet, but far enough back so it doesn't stop the pedals reaching the floor - it may give you the same effect as wearing Cuban heels but without the discomfort of wearing cowboy boots!

Thanks for that Simon...I had been thinking along those lines, and thought that I couldn't be the only person around to experience this problem. I had been fiddling around on a Carter starter for a few years and got hooked. I now have a GFi single neck E9th which is totally different feel wise, especially the pedals! Thanks again!

Hey Karol,
tell me about it.
I have tried different shoes, even bought some.....tried different thickness of books under my feet......and what sorted it out for me is lowering the pedals as far down as possible so that they would work, and adjusted the A pedal higher than the B(trial and error to find the most comfortable position). This has worked for me a treat as I just cannot bend my ankle so much.
BTW, I have a Carter Magnum. I had tried taping pieces of metal onto the deals to make them like a piano pedal set up. Try adjusting the pedals at different heights, it worked for me.
Graham
I

Karol,
I don't think there's a quick fix for this, or a 'one size fits all' solution. Why there's even a young girl in America who posts videos on here that plays barefoot! and without picks!
I reckon it's an obstacle you have to jump. I used to lift my left foot off the floor and am only now managing to keep my heel on the floor, just because my ankle was too stiff.
So, doing this, along with getting used to finger picks, blocking unwanted strings, resisting pumping the volume and remembering which pedal and lever combinations are which It's like being in the Grand National.

Danny makes some good points, there is no "One Size Fits All" solution to anything pedal steel, it is a very individual thing, although there are common obstacles which we overcome in our own ways.

I like to have a shoe with a soft sole as it gives me a better feel of what I am doing with the pedals. Getting used to twisting the left ankle one way or the other takes time and I found my ankle eventually loosened up as I played more. Finding a comfortable "off" position helps, I lightly rest the right side of my left foot on the B pedal and the left side of my left foot on the A pedal, being careful not to apply enough pressure to raise the tuning. The left side of the left foot is then free to press down on the A pedal when required, with the right side ready to press down on the B pedal. A common bend is pressing down on the B pedal then pressing down on the A pedal, having your left foot in the "ready" position helps to react quicker for a number of combinations.

Gwmpy makes a good point about lowering the pedals. I like to have my pedals as low as possible, I found that it works best for me when both the A & B pedal are at the same height when both pedals are pressed down, likewise B & C pedals. I set up the B pedal first, then set up A & C appropriately. In practice, (on my steel in any case), this leaves the A & C pedals slightly higher than the B pedal and this feels natural to me but maybe I have just got used to it over the years.

To reiterate Danny's advice, it all takes time to find what works best for you, a lot of patience and trial & error, but it eventually all starts to come together and all the pain and hard work turn into pure pleasure, maybe that's why it's so addictive

Came across this discussion on the US forum, gives a bit of insight on different preferences on shoe type,

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... a3aa920a32