Chords for Modification Tips for Your Lap Steel Guitar Bar to Help Make You Sound Like a Pro

Tempo:
71.425 bpm
Chords used:

E

B

A#

G

D#

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Show Tuner
Modification Tips for Your Lap Steel Guitar Bar to Help Make You Sound Like a Pro chords
Start Jamming...
One of the essentials in playing the lap steel properly is being able to master the bar.
This is the bar.
This is a Stevens [E] steel.
Made by the Stevens Corporation.
I bullnose these.
I don't know if you can see what I've done.
I use it on a belt sander or a grinder or whatever and I polish the little round nose on here
other than having both edges flat and sharp.
[B] Compared to this, that's a regular Stevens.
That's a regular Stevens.
Mine has a bullnose on it.
Here we have what are called steel bars that are used primarily for use on resonator guitars,
dobros, and lap steel guitars.
A lap steel is different from [N] a pedal steel guitar in that the lap steel has no pedals to change the pitch.
If we're using a pedal steel, we would be using a bullet slide, which is a lot different.
It looks like a big tube.
These are predominantly used by people who use lap guitars.
The difference between this and the bullet is you'll see these have a finger groove.
They're also made with a semi-circular surface here that will ride across the strings as you're playing.
The difference between these, this is made predominantly for use on resonator and lap guitars.
However, you can see it has a sharp edge on both sides.
This is also a variation of it.
You can see it's a little bit different, but it also has sharp edges.
This is a standard Stevens steel, which I bullnosed.
Bullnosing means that I put some tape on it.
I used a belt sander and a grinder.
I put a little bit of a round edge on it and I polished it on a buffer so there weren't any scratches
because the scratches will catch on the strings.
It helps me to glide across the strings a lot better.
There are copies of this being made today by various slide bar manufacturers.
They are making them with a little bit of a rounded edge.
[E] It helps you to glide across the strings a lot better because the round edge doesn't catch in the strings.
The sharp edge, on the other [A#] hand,
[E] it catches.
You have to use a lot more control using [G] the sharp edge bar than you would with one [D#] with a bullnose.
[E] It works great as [B] far as I'm concerned.
These are a bit heavy.
They're probably over a pound.
Once you learn how to manipulate this properly, if you're a right-handed player,
of course you'll be actuating the [F#] bar with your left hand.
You put this finger groove here on your index finger and cradle it.
The other grooves on the middle finger and the thumb.
[F] This will ride across the strings.
Mine allows me to move [E] across the strings without binding [Bm] with the bullnose.
If you use the sharp edges, [Gm] you bind.
[E] I do this on all the steels that I get.
There are companies that make them with bullnoses already,
but I prefer to take the Stevens and I do it myself.
I polish them down so there are no sanding marks.
Nice and smooth.
It allows me to navigate the neck a little bit better.
[C#] [C] [B]
Key:  
E
2311
B
12341112
A#
12341111
G
2131
D#
12341116
E
2311
B
12341112
A#
12341111
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_ _ One of the essentials in _ playing the lap steel properly is being able to master the bar.
This is the bar.
This is a Stevens [E] steel.
Made by the Stevens Corporation.
I bullnose these.
I don't know if you can see what I've done.
I use it on a belt sander or a grinder or whatever and I polish the little round nose on here
other than having both edges flat and sharp.
[B] Compared to this, that's a regular Stevens.
That's a regular Stevens.
Mine has a bullnose on it.
Here we have what are called steel bars that are used primarily for use on resonator guitars,
dobros, and lap steel guitars.
A lap steel is different from [N] a pedal steel guitar in that the lap steel has no pedals to change the pitch.
If we're using a pedal steel, we would be using a bullet slide, which is a lot different.
It looks like a big tube.
These are predominantly used by people who use lap guitars.
The difference between this and the bullet is you'll see these have a finger groove.
_ They're also made with a semi-circular surface here that will ride across the strings as you're playing.
The difference between these, this is made predominantly for use on resonator and lap guitars.
However, you can see it has a sharp edge on both sides.
This is also a variation of it.
You can see it's a little bit different, but it also has sharp edges.
This is a standard _ Stevens steel, which I bullnosed.
Bullnosing means that I put some tape on it.
I used a belt sander and a grinder.
I put a little bit of a round edge on it and I polished it on a buffer so there weren't any scratches
because the scratches will catch on the strings.
It helps me to glide across the strings a lot better.
There are copies of this being made today by various slide bar manufacturers.
They are making them with a little bit of a rounded edge.
[E] It helps you to glide across the strings a lot better because the round edge _ _ doesn't catch in the strings.
The sharp edge, on the other [A#] hand, _
[E] it catches.
You have to use a lot more control using [G] the sharp edge bar than you would with one [D#] with a bullnose.
_ [E] _ It works great as [B] far as I'm concerned.
These are a bit heavy.
They're probably over a pound.
Once you learn how to manipulate this properly, if you're a right-handed player,
of course you'll be actuating the [F#] bar with your left hand.
You put this finger groove here on your index finger and cradle it.
The other grooves on the middle finger and the thumb.
[F] This will ride across the strings.
Mine allows me to move [E] across the strings without binding [Bm] with the bullnose.
If you use the sharp edges, [Gm] you bind.
[E] I do this on all the steels that I get.
There are companies that make them with bullnoses already,
but I prefer to take the Stevens and I do it myself.
I polish them down so there are no sanding marks.
Nice and smooth. _
It allows me to navigate the neck a little bit better.
_ [C#] _ _ _ [C] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _

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