Chords for C6th Lap Steel Getting Started
Tempo:
92.85 bpm
Chords used:
Gb
D
G
Abm
C
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Hi there, Dan Thompson here.
We want to talk today about the C6 Lap Steel.
This is a rogue lap steel.
It costs less than $100.
It comes with a set of legs.
It's not maybe the best lap steel in the world.
The paint tends to chip a
little bit over time, take some dings, but it's a perfectly serviceable first instrument.
It comes with a fine set of strings and a fine pickup.
I've upgraded those.
We'll
talk in a minute about what those are.
The first thing you need to do with the
lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a rogue
I'm sorry.
The first thing you need to do
with the lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a reverb tuner, [Gb] which has five settings
for guitar, violin, ukulele, bass, and then the C setting.
So you want to have it in
C, otherwise it'll try to tune it like a guitar.
You need to [C] tune this to the
following notes.
[D] C, E, [G] G, A, [Gb] C, and E.
Those are the notes that make a C6 tuning.
Okay, I talked a little bit about the upgraded strings.
I went to the clear
tone strings [N] and actually had them make me a custom set of strings.
I've got 15
17 20 26 30 and 36 on this lap steel.
I think the heavier strings really help
with the tone and I just like it a lot.
The other upgrade is the pickup.
So I've
got a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker in here.
The lap steel comes with a single
coil, which is a fine, you know, for getting started, but it tends to hum when
you go through an amplifier.
And so we just want to maybe kill that hum.
Get a
humbucker.
Over at 920D Custom, which is another custom shop, they
actually make replacement pickup [Gb] and tone and volume.
It's an upgrade, about
120, 130 bucks.
So you can do that as well.
Just lift the whole plate up, put in a
new electronics and you'll get better tone.
You'll get the humbucker.
Okay, let's
talk about the next step, which [Ab] is a tone bar.
You have to have a tone bar to play
[N] a lap steel.
This tone bar is a Stevens bar.
They come in two
different types.
There's a round bar with a bullet end.
I don't use those.
Those are
mostly used, I think, for pedal steel.
You can do different techniques with them.
For a lap steel, you want this Stevens bar.
It's got this nice groove across the
top where your index finger lays in and your thumb lays in and you get good
control over it and it can slide up and down.
So that's the bar, the tone bar.
The next thing you absolutely have to have is a thumb pick.
So I use a Dunlop
large thumb pick, but they come in all sorts of sizes.
You have to have a thumb
pick just because of the angle of your hand you need to be able to pick those
[Fm] strings.
Some people also use finger picks.
I do not use finger picks.
The
heavier gauge strings [G] can be hard on your fingers and you just have to
develop calluses.
At least that's what I do.
So either stick with the lighter gauge
strings that it comes with or work your calluses with the heavier gauge
strings.
But [Eb] those are the basics.
You've got the bar, the thumb pick, [G] the tuning,
the upgrades.
One last thing is I like to use a volume pedal.
I use an Ernie Ball
[D] VP Junior, volume [F] pedal junior, to get these kind of [Abm] sweeping
these [A] sweeping sounds.
[B] [Abm]
So to get that just kind of a nice, you know, [D] volume swell, I would
recommend getting a volume pedal of some sort.
So those are the basics of the lap
steel tuning and the types of bar and picks you need.
And that's it for the
first lesson.
We'll
We want to talk today about the C6 Lap Steel.
This is a rogue lap steel.
It costs less than $100.
It comes with a set of legs.
It's not maybe the best lap steel in the world.
The paint tends to chip a
little bit over time, take some dings, but it's a perfectly serviceable first instrument.
It comes with a fine set of strings and a fine pickup.
I've upgraded those.
We'll
talk in a minute about what those are.
The first thing you need to do with the
lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a rogue
I'm sorry.
The first thing you need to do
with the lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a reverb tuner, [Gb] which has five settings
for guitar, violin, ukulele, bass, and then the C setting.
So you want to have it in
C, otherwise it'll try to tune it like a guitar.
You need to [C] tune this to the
following notes.
[D] C, E, [G] G, A, [Gb] C, and E.
Those are the notes that make a C6 tuning.
Okay, I talked a little bit about the upgraded strings.
I went to the clear
tone strings [N] and actually had them make me a custom set of strings.
I've got 15
17 20 26 30 and 36 on this lap steel.
I think the heavier strings really help
with the tone and I just like it a lot.
The other upgrade is the pickup.
So I've
got a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker in here.
The lap steel comes with a single
coil, which is a fine, you know, for getting started, but it tends to hum when
you go through an amplifier.
And so we just want to maybe kill that hum.
Get a
humbucker.
Over at 920D Custom, which is another custom shop, they
actually make replacement pickup [Gb] and tone and volume.
It's an upgrade, about
120, 130 bucks.
So you can do that as well.
Just lift the whole plate up, put in a
new electronics and you'll get better tone.
You'll get the humbucker.
Okay, let's
talk about the next step, which [Ab] is a tone bar.
You have to have a tone bar to play
[N] a lap steel.
This tone bar is a Stevens bar.
They come in two
different types.
There's a round bar with a bullet end.
I don't use those.
Those are
mostly used, I think, for pedal steel.
You can do different techniques with them.
For a lap steel, you want this Stevens bar.
It's got this nice groove across the
top where your index finger lays in and your thumb lays in and you get good
control over it and it can slide up and down.
So that's the bar, the tone bar.
The next thing you absolutely have to have is a thumb pick.
So I use a Dunlop
large thumb pick, but they come in all sorts of sizes.
You have to have a thumb
pick just because of the angle of your hand you need to be able to pick those
[Fm] strings.
Some people also use finger picks.
I do not use finger picks.
The
heavier gauge strings [G] can be hard on your fingers and you just have to
develop calluses.
At least that's what I do.
So either stick with the lighter gauge
strings that it comes with or work your calluses with the heavier gauge
strings.
But [Eb] those are the basics.
You've got the bar, the thumb pick, [G] the tuning,
the upgrades.
One last thing is I like to use a volume pedal.
I use an Ernie Ball
[D] VP Junior, volume [F] pedal junior, to get these kind of [Abm] sweeping
these [A] sweeping sounds.
[B] [Abm]
So to get that just kind of a nice, you know, [D] volume swell, I would
recommend getting a volume pedal of some sort.
So those are the basics of the lap
steel tuning and the types of bar and picks you need.
And that's it for the
first lesson.
We'll
Key:
Gb
D
G
Abm
C
Gb
D
G
Hi there, Dan Thompson here.
We want to talk today about the C6 Lap Steel.
This is a rogue lap steel.
It costs less than $100.
It comes with a set of legs.
_ It's not maybe the best lap steel in the world.
_ The paint tends to chip a
little bit over time, take some dings, but it's a perfectly serviceable first instrument.
It comes with a fine set of strings and a fine pickup.
I've upgraded those.
We'll
talk in a minute about what those are.
The first thing you need to do with the
lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a rogue_
I'm sorry.
The first thing you need to do
with the lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a reverb tuner, [Gb] which has five settings
for guitar, violin, ukulele, bass, and then the C setting.
So you want to have it in
C, otherwise it'll try to tune it like a guitar.
You need to [C] tune this to the
following notes. _
[D] C, E, _ [G] G, A, _ [Gb] C, and E.
Those are the notes that make a C6 tuning.
_ Okay, I talked a little bit about the upgraded strings.
I went to the clear
tone strings [N] and actually had them make me a custom set of strings.
I've got 15
17 20 _ 26 30 and 36 _ on this lap steel.
I think the heavier strings really help
with the tone and I just like it a lot. _ _
The other upgrade is the pickup.
So I've
got a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker in here.
The lap steel comes with a single
coil, which is a fine, you know, for getting started, but it tends to hum when
you go through an amplifier.
And so we just want to maybe kill that hum.
_ _ Get a
_ humbucker.
Over at 920D Custom, which is another custom shop, they
actually make replacement pickup [Gb] and tone and volume.
It's an upgrade, about
120, 130 bucks. _
So you can do that as well.
Just lift the whole plate up, put in a
new _ electronics and you'll get better tone.
You'll get the humbucker.
Okay, let's
talk about the next step, which [Ab] is a tone bar.
You have to have a tone bar to play
[N] _ a lap steel.
_ _ This tone bar is a Stevens bar.
They come in two
different types.
There's a round bar with a bullet end.
I don't use those.
Those are
mostly used, I think, for pedal steel.
You can do different techniques with them.
For a lap steel, you want this Stevens bar.
It's got this nice groove across the
top where your index finger lays in and your thumb lays in and you get good
control over it and it can slide up and down.
So that's the bar, the tone bar. _
The next thing you absolutely have to have is a thumb pick.
So I use a Dunlop
large thumb pick, but they come in all sorts of sizes.
You have to have a thumb
pick just because of the angle of your hand you need to be able to pick those
[Fm] strings.
_ Some people also use finger picks.
_ I do not use finger picks.
The
heavier gauge strings [G] can be hard on your fingers and you just have to
develop calluses.
At least that's what I do. _
So either stick with the lighter gauge
strings that it comes with or work your calluses with the heavier gauge
strings.
But [Eb] those are the basics.
You've got the _ _ bar, the thumb pick, [G] the tuning,
the upgrades.
One last thing is I like to use a volume pedal.
I use an Ernie Ball
_ [D] VP Junior, volume [F] pedal junior, to get these kind of [Abm] sweeping_
_ these [A] sweeping sounds. _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ [Abm] _ _ _
So to get that just kind of a nice, you know, [D] volume swell, _ _ I would
recommend getting a volume pedal of some sort.
_ So those are the basics of the lap
steel tuning and the types of bar and picks you need.
And that's it for the
first lesson.
We'll
We want to talk today about the C6 Lap Steel.
This is a rogue lap steel.
It costs less than $100.
It comes with a set of legs.
_ It's not maybe the best lap steel in the world.
_ The paint tends to chip a
little bit over time, take some dings, but it's a perfectly serviceable first instrument.
It comes with a fine set of strings and a fine pickup.
I've upgraded those.
We'll
talk in a minute about what those are.
The first thing you need to do with the
lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a rogue_
I'm sorry.
The first thing you need to do
with the lap steel is tune it.
I'm using a reverb tuner, [Gb] which has five settings
for guitar, violin, ukulele, bass, and then the C setting.
So you want to have it in
C, otherwise it'll try to tune it like a guitar.
You need to [C] tune this to the
following notes. _
[D] C, E, _ [G] G, A, _ [Gb] C, and E.
Those are the notes that make a C6 tuning.
_ Okay, I talked a little bit about the upgraded strings.
I went to the clear
tone strings [N] and actually had them make me a custom set of strings.
I've got 15
17 20 _ 26 30 and 36 _ on this lap steel.
I think the heavier strings really help
with the tone and I just like it a lot. _ _
The other upgrade is the pickup.
So I've
got a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker in here.
The lap steel comes with a single
coil, which is a fine, you know, for getting started, but it tends to hum when
you go through an amplifier.
And so we just want to maybe kill that hum.
_ _ Get a
_ humbucker.
Over at 920D Custom, which is another custom shop, they
actually make replacement pickup [Gb] and tone and volume.
It's an upgrade, about
120, 130 bucks. _
So you can do that as well.
Just lift the whole plate up, put in a
new _ electronics and you'll get better tone.
You'll get the humbucker.
Okay, let's
talk about the next step, which [Ab] is a tone bar.
You have to have a tone bar to play
[N] _ a lap steel.
_ _ This tone bar is a Stevens bar.
They come in two
different types.
There's a round bar with a bullet end.
I don't use those.
Those are
mostly used, I think, for pedal steel.
You can do different techniques with them.
For a lap steel, you want this Stevens bar.
It's got this nice groove across the
top where your index finger lays in and your thumb lays in and you get good
control over it and it can slide up and down.
So that's the bar, the tone bar. _
The next thing you absolutely have to have is a thumb pick.
So I use a Dunlop
large thumb pick, but they come in all sorts of sizes.
You have to have a thumb
pick just because of the angle of your hand you need to be able to pick those
[Fm] strings.
_ Some people also use finger picks.
_ I do not use finger picks.
The
heavier gauge strings [G] can be hard on your fingers and you just have to
develop calluses.
At least that's what I do. _
So either stick with the lighter gauge
strings that it comes with or work your calluses with the heavier gauge
strings.
But [Eb] those are the basics.
You've got the _ _ bar, the thumb pick, [G] the tuning,
the upgrades.
One last thing is I like to use a volume pedal.
I use an Ernie Ball
_ [D] VP Junior, volume [F] pedal junior, to get these kind of [Abm] sweeping_
_ these [A] sweeping sounds. _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ [Abm] _ _ _
So to get that just kind of a nice, you know, [D] volume swell, _ _ I would
recommend getting a volume pedal of some sort.
_ So those are the basics of the lap
steel tuning and the types of bar and picks you need.
And that's it for the
first lesson.
We'll