The Importance of The Sound of Steel Guitar in Music

By Cole Miller

No matter what kind of music one listens to, the steel guitar is a sound that can be widely recognized through many genres. Though heard through out many genres, country music is notoriously known for its usage of the steel guitar. Many people have their own idea of what makes country ' country, but for me, I always think of the distinctive sound of the steel guitar and the way it enhances many songs in country music. Though the steel guitar might have become popular because of country music, the origin of it might not be what you think. Even so, the steel guitar is a unique sound that can be widely recognized through its popularity in country music as well as recognized for the lengths you must go in order to assure that you get the perfect sound when recording the steel guitar in the context of music.

As mentioned before, the history of the steel guitar is not what many would think. Contrary to popular belief the steel guitar did not originate in the south. According to The Instrument Behind Country's Signature Sound, author Jake Eshelman states "Music historians have traced the pedal steel guitar back to the Hawaiian Islands, way back before country music even existed." There has been many talks of legends about a young boy on the island of Oahu developing the steel guitar and helping it spread among the other islands of Hawaii. The steel guitar was originated by modifying classic 6-string guitars brought over by European sailors. They were played by using medal fingerpicks and a steel bar sliding them up and down the neck. Eshelman also states "It wasn't until some 50 years later that this style guitar made its debut in country music and other genres as well (even inspiring blues artists to play their guitars with glass bottle necks and knives). With this new style came a wave of musical experimentation and innovation, which gradually produced the pedal steel guitar we know today." Though most popular through being played by country music artist, all evidence points to the steel guitar originating outside of the south.


Though it did not originate in the south, the steel guitar is arguably most recognized through its rise to fame through the playing of country music which tends to be most popular in the south. Though it did not originate even remotely close to the south, the steel guitar started showing up in country music in the 1920's. Jimmie Rogers was the first country singer to use steel guitar in his famous song called "Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues" in 1929. Then in the 1930's, the first electrified steel guitar made its debut when Bob Brown and His Brownies, a Western swing band, used it to play in some of their songs. Though Bob brown and his brownies used the steel guitar in the 30's, the steel guitar did not rise to fame in country music until the mid to late 1950's. "Pedals and knee levers were added to a steel guitar in the 1950s, allowing the performer to play scales without moving the bar and also to push the pedals while striking a chord, making passing notes slur or bend up into harmony with existing notes." Though it rose to popularity in the 1950s steel guitar is still prominent in country music today if not more popular. Some of the most popular country music artist today still depend on the steel guitar to give their music the classic country feel you heard in the 1950s. Popular artist such as Jamey Johnson still use the steel guitar regularly in his songs. The steel guitar can still be distinctly heard in his songs "High cost of living", "Women"and "Between Jennings and Jones".

Though the steel guitar has a distinct sound, if not recorded correctly it could lose its charm. Worries of music losing its charm through the use of technological recordings has been a concern through many decades. As stated in our reading titled Soundscapes: Toward a Sounded Anthropology written by David W. Samuels, Louise Meintjes, Ana Maria Ochoa, and Thomas Porcello, there are concerns expressed about how sound can be affected through the use of technology recordings. Schafer explains that "presentation performs a recurrent worry about technology’s dismantling of the natural sound- scape. This concern manifested in two ways: First, Schafer often returned to a discussion of technology’s ability to drown out the human scale of the natural soundscape—“noise” is represented as the enemy of “sound”; second, his desire for the holism of the soundscape led him to critique the ways in which sound recordings could time- and place-shift the sources of a sound’s natural context—from a specific “here” and “now” of natural occurrence to a multiplicity of “heres” and “nows” through the aegis of mediation." Schaffer is not the only person who has expressed concern about the way technological recording can affect the actual sound of what you are recording. As stated in our reading Music Mediated as Live in Austin: Sound, Technology, and Recording Practice written by Thomas Porcello, he explains that ""rationalized" recording process (Theberge 1997) in which each instrument and voice is recorded on its own track—often outside the context of a real-time ensem- ble performance—enables sound engineers to obtain fine-grained control over the placement and balance of instruments in a musi- cal mix, a process essential to achieving the contemporary sound of popular music. Thus, a well mixed record is usually one that is recorded in a way that devalues, and often outright discourages, live performance in the studio." As you can see, many have expressed concerns on how technological recordings can affect the way the instruments sound in the recording, there are steps you can take to make sure your instrument has the best sound possible. Steel guitar virtuoso Lloyd Green goes into detail about how he ensures that his steel guitar always sounds crisp. He mentions things such as the guitar make, amplifier make and type, player skill, size of room, vibrato, pick attack pressure, direct or live recording, bar, technique, cables as some things that help make your steel guitar sound the best. He also goes on to detail that temperature and humidity, wind also have a big role to play when it comes to the sound of your steel guitar recording.

As you can see, the steel guitar can be widely recognized not only in the south, but all over the United States of America. Through its extreme popularity in country music to its humble beginnings all the way across the country, there will always be a place for the steel guitar across all types of genres of music. Though there will always be concerns about how the steel guitar may sound live vs being recorded through extensive amounts of technology, its unique beginning in Hawaii and distinct sound which can be heard through many genres will always have a prominent place in music.