Joe Dochtermann - Learn to Play C6 Lap Steel Guitar: For Absolute Beginners To Intermediate Level

Learn To Play C6 Lap SteelGuitar

For Absolute Beginners ToIntermediate Level

by Joe Dochtermann Copyright 2014

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed foryour personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold orgiven away to other people. If you would like to share this bookwith another person, please purchase an additional copy for eachrecipient. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, orit was not purchased for your use only, then please return to yourfavorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you forrespecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Part One: Theory And Technique

Part Two: Musical Examples

1. Introduction

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The lap steel is a versatile instrument,most often associated with Country, Blues, Western Swing, andHawaiian music, but often making surprise appearances in pop, rock,and other genres. The lap steel is available as both an acousticand electric instrument, and in a variety of tunings, and thiseBook focuses on the six-string Lap Steel, tuned to the "C6 tuning"(C-E-G-A-C-E).

You will find that the C6 tuning is quiteflexible - we will learn to play pieces in a variety of styles fromblues to country, western swing, and even blues/rock. Additionally,switching to other tunings and instruments with more strings is notdifficult once you learn your way around the C6 tuning. You'lllearn a bit of applied music theory as we go, which also applies toinstruments beyond the lap steel. These concepts will help youbecome a tasteful player, communicate with other musicians, andcompose your own pieces, as well.

This eBook (and the matching DVD, if youhave ordered it) will teach you all the left- and right-handtechniques you need (chord grips, using the bar, slants, vibrato,bending, and more), all the basic chord and scale forms, how tofollow chord progressions in any key, chord voice leading,melodic/solo licks, and a variety of tips and tricks to help you onyour way to becoming an adept player. We'll also work throughseveral songs and chord progressions that focus on specific aspectsof playing the lap steel. Learning by doing, you might say.

There are also audio examples available,which you may download from our website. I cannot post the linkhere, since it would appear in numerous eBook previews, so yousimply need to follow the link in Chapter 6.

If you have ordered this eBook and areinterested in adding the DVD, please contact us atwww.joedocmusic.com with your order receipt, and we will send youan invoice with the price you paid for the eBook credited towardsthe DVD.

Thank you for your support, and I hope youenjoy the musical journey of learning to play this versatileinstrument!

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2. About The Instrument

The C6 lap steel is a six-stringedinstrument, with the lowest string (the string closest to your bodywhen playing) tuned to the C below middle C, and the followingstrings tuned to the next higher successive E, G, A, C, and Enotes.

As the name suggests, the lap steel isplayed with the instrument lying on the player's lap, on a smalltable, or supported at a similar height by legs or a stand. Thestrings are plucked using the fingers or finger picks, and moving asteel bar horizontally along the strings changes the pitches of thenotes.

Image: Dunlop FingerPicks

I personally prefer to pluck the stringsusing the fingers of my right hand, but this is a personalpreference and varies from player to player. You may want to try aset of finger picks and see if that appeals to you. You willachieve a different tone with picks than fingers, and this choicewill contribute to your "sound".

As we go, I will often refer to parts of theLap Steel for orientation. It's important to know all the parts ofyour instrument for many reasons, from ordering a replacement orupgrade part to communicating with other musicians. Here is apicture of a lap steel guitar, with major parts labeled:

Unlike a regular guitar, the lap steel isheld (not surprisingly) on your lap.

You should sit so that your thighs areparallel to the floor (that is, straight out from the waist to theknee). This way the lap steel will not slip down as you play. Thenplace the lap steel so that the middle of the instrument - aboutwhere the neck joins the body - is centered across your legs. Theheadstock of the lap steel should be off to the left, the pickupand bridge off to the right. Oriented this way, the lowest pitched(and thickest) string, the low C-string, will be closest to yourbody. Like this:

We change the pitch of the open strings byusing a steel bar, which you hold in your left hand. By placing thebar on the strings, you shorten the length of string that isvibrating, thus raising the pitch. Almost all the notes the lapsteel produces are played in this way; there will be just a fewexceptions, which we'll cover later (bending strings).

Note: If you are left-handed, you may chooseto string the instrument in reverse, and turn it so that you holdthe bar in your right hand and pluck the strings with your left.This is how some left-handed guitarists, for example, adapt theirplaying style. It is simple mirror-reversed from how right-handedplayers play.

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3. Tuning

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Unlike fretted or keyed instruments (guitar,piano) the lap steel requires that you control the bar accuratelyto produce the proper pitches, much as a violin or viola playermust seek the proper position to be in tune. This may seem dauntingat first, but it's not as difficult as you think. First, there areguide markers, which I call "frets" to help you visually find thepitch you need. I also recommend that you buy a digital tuner (the"Snark" tuner, for example) that you can refer to for checking theintonation of your playing, especially at the outset. You may findit difficult to hear if you are playing sharp or flat (too high ortoo low) from the pitch you need, and the digital tuner will tellyou what the problem is!

As I mentioned in the previous section, theC6 lap steel is tuned to the notes (from low to high) C, E, G, A,C, E.

If you're at all familiar with music theory,you may recognize that this tuning consists of a C major chordfollowed by an A minor chord. Don't worry if this is not familiarto you, we'll cover the music theory you need in the nextchapter.

So, if you play all the open strings of theC6 lap steel - that is, without placing the bar anywhere on thestrings - you will hear a C6 chord.

The notes C, E, G, A, C, and E all playedtogether make up a C major chord with an added 6th, "C6". This iswhere the name of the tuning comes from, not because there are sixstrings on the instrument (some lap- and pedal steels have morestrings).

Let's get started - I'll assume that youdon't have any experience at all tuning an instrument and we'll gothrough the stringing and tuning process step by step.

The first step is to get the proper stringsfor C6 lap steel! String sets vary widely for different tunings, soyou can't just grab any old set that says "Lap Steel" and put themon your axe. Here is a picture of the set I prefer: