Even without frets, a steel lap guitar can still be easy to make; there are plenty of You Tube videos available to guide the process.
Lap steel guitars first made an appearance in Hawaii during a country music craze, but have become part of folk, bluegrass, and Hawaiian music ever since. This instrument can be both fun and challenging to play; plus its construction should not prove too daunting a task!
Basics
The steel lap guitar is a stringed instrument similar to dobro and pedal steel guitars, featuring strings suspended approximately an inch above a board known as the 'tone bar". When played, this instrument requires left-handed control with left hand playing technique being employed while using left hand for playing left hand chords on tone bar held with left hand holding left hand fingers on strings for control and tone bar for left hand support while holding chords from underneath tone bar board for sound output. Lap steels have become widely used instruments for Hawaiian music as well as country Western swing honky-tonk blues music recordings by Brian Eno in his soundtracks for his movies/TV/shows/etc.
Learning lap steel takes practice, but once you master its essential skills it can open up an enormous range of musical genres and styles. Lap steel technique requires significant coordination and pitch acuity; nevertheless, players of various genres and backgrounds find the instrument rewarding and captivating as an instrument challenge.
If you're new to lap steel guitars, consider starting off by investing in an inexpensive starter model such as Rogue's imported 6-string steel or one from Morrell Music or Reverb. There are also high-end steel lap guitars from boutique builders such as Asher & Duesenberg that feature premium tonewoods, hardware, and electronics; or convert your standard electric guitar into one using an easy conversion process.
Before beginning to play lap steel, it is necessary to first tune it. While there are various tunings that may work for beginners, many newcomers begin with C6 tuning (C-E-G-A-C-E), which features both major and minor chords in its notes. This can provide an ideal foundation.
Once you've tuned your guitar properly, it's time to start practicing lap steel. In general, starting out by working on chord shapes and scales will provide the foundation needed for learning solo licks or melodies on this instrument. As soon as this becomes second nature to you, try exploring melodies or solo licks too!
Your grip of the tone bar will have a major impact on how you play lap steel guitar. Most lap steel players employ a palm-like grip with one thumb on top and two underneath, and all four fingers resting against strings behind to stabilize it as you slide the tone bar around.
Gear
Lap steels are versatile instruments, capable of being played both seated or standing up on your lap or using a stand. Some players even utilize straps to enable walking around while performing. Notes are produced using light pressure from a tone bar made of metal that's held by your hand, with notes played off the string's fretboard by sliding this tone bar up and down it. Lap steel technique makes for some fun songs while providing flexibility that regular guitar may lack in terms of playing styles that would normally require complex fret work or playing techniques which otherwise impossible.
Begin your journey on the lap steel guitar by purchasing or converting an instrument designed specifically for this style of play, although standard guitars can also be converted. There are many high-end builders such as Asher and Duesenberg that produce beautiful lap steel guitars made from premium materials; you may find some used models at reasonable prices online as well. Alternatively, convert a standard guitar by simply replacing its saddle with a curved piece of metal instead, as this will prevent its bars from muted strings which would cause dull and lifeless sounds to result.
A lap steel guitar needs to have a shorter scale than traditional guitars to accommodate heavier gauge strings without creating buzzes or impossibilities of fretting. Furthermore, your choice of bridge and pickups can affect overall tone so it is wise to research all available options before making a decision.
Once you have the appropriate gear, practice is key to learning lap steel. Through regular practice sessions you'll develop the moves and techniques that enable you to produce different sounds such as Hawaiian, Western swing, honky-tonk and Brian Eno-inspired soundtracks. Furthermore, learning lap steel not only broadens your musical vocabulary but will also sharpen coordination and pitch acuity as well as work out any kinks in your playing.
Tuning
Lap steels differ from regular guitars in that they do not use frets to produce notes; instead, a string is held above the fretboard and pressed against a tone bar to create chords - this allows players to play them more effortlessly while creating new sounds not possible on other instruments.
While many musicians use beer bottles and lengths of pipe as tone bars, for optimal results it is wiser to purchase an actual tone bar designed specifically for this task and capable of easily being held between your first and second fingers of your fretting hand with its rounded end touching strings. Proper use takes practice; YouTube lessons from experienced players can provide invaluable assistance.
Open G, also known as G6 tuning, gives the lap steel an incredibly bright sound and is well suited to rhythm parts - DeWitt "Scotty" Scott uses this tuning in his Basic C6th Nonpedal Lap Steel Method.
Other tunings can also be utilized on lap steels. Some players might prefer open A, which raises each string by half a step from standard guitar tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E). Others might opt for G minor tuning which provides minor chord shapes while leaving lower strings untouched and ready to be played as open strings.
Some players also like to experiment with using more than six strings on their lap steels; using seven, eight or even four necks gives them access to an array of tunings and chord voicings to experiment with.
Building a lap steel can be quite a difficult challenge for beginners, yet once conquered it offers immense rewards. Once comfortable with tuning basics and chord voicings, explore different sounds and chord voicings as the possibilities for creativity open up before you. Discover why Hawaiian music players love it so much.
Getting Started
Are you searching for ways to add depth to your guitar playing? Lap steel may be just what's needed! A versatile instrument, it is great for inspiring creative sparks as well as providing unique ambient soundscapes. Furthermore, lap steel adapts beautifully with pedal effects - something many modern guitar players rely on heavily.
Lap steel guitars are based on Spanish-style instruments that lie across a player's lap instead of against their body like traditional instruments. A polished metal bar known as a tonebar (or just "bar") is used to press strings against inlayed frets, using its butt end with concave thumb grip support for easy forward/backward chording movement. Other shapes or materials may also work, though cylinder bars tend to work best. A pickup using piezo disk technology commonly found in smoke detectors and alarm clocks produces weak signals which must then be amplified further before producing decent sounds.
Once popular in Hawaiian music, lap steel soon made its way onto mainland American culture via slack key and country styles. From there it evolved into merging into other musical genres including blues and rock music genres - its impressive skill of lap steel players being anything from elegant traditional melodies to the hard hitting blues or rock music genre.
Learning a lap steel guitar takes much practice, and many beginners will experience frustration as they struggle with its basics. While some may give up and switch back to conventional electric guitar playing altogether, others may persevere and discover they possess natural ability for lap steel playing.
If you want to become a steel guitarist, we strongly suggest investing in either a book on the topic or finding an online resource as your guide. A quality book or website will teach all of the left and right-hand techniques required for playing lap steel such as chord grips, using the bar, slant moves and more. These resources also teach how to follow chord progressions with chord voice leading techniques as well as use various scales for melodic solo licks.