Is pedal steel dying? No.

[Brooks Montgomery]

Every now and then somebody asks or opines that pedal steel is dying:

I’m in an Idaho band of geezers; we’re music hobbyists, enthusiasts. We play little gigs, little bars, breweries, and local (anything within 150 miles is considered local) fairs and such.

Yesterday we played at our local fair. The rural country audience was what you’d expect….in rural Idaho. Now I’ve played blues harp for more almost 60 years. I’ve played dobro/lap steel for about 25 years. I’ve played pedal steel now for, I think, only seven or eight years.

After the gig, people thanked us for playing, and did they compliment me on harp? No. Dobro? No.
But some went on and on about how much they love hearing the pedal steel—I mean enough to make me blush. And trust me, to call me a sub-intermediate player would be WAY too generous.
I eff’d up enough notes that my playing could be officially called a “clam bake”.

Is pedal steel dying? No way. And if any of you guys and gals that really know how to play pedal steel should show up in Idaho, you’d slay and get the keys to the county.

[Tucker Jackson]

That's a good report, Brooks.

And I'm happy to point out it's not just rural Idaho, over here in hipster Portland it's the same: people regularly coming up after the clam bake to say they love the steel. I imagine it's the same everywhere. Something that sounds this cool isn't going away, at least not completely.

[Dale Rottacker]

Every time I play someone always comes up with wonder in their eyes and joy in their voice, cause steel isn't seen or heard as much as it should be at least in this area, (Walla Walla WA). My concern for the demise of Steel isn't near what it was a few years ago, when it seems it was just us old guys playing, but today we may be in a bit of a renaissance. There's a BOATLOAD of really good young guys playing today whose strings I'm not worthy of changing and they seem to have the same love of the instrument we all had when we were younger.

I think Pedal Steel is gonna be Okay!!!

[John De Maille]

I recently did a gig for the Cooperstown Hall of Fame players in Cooperstown,NY.
We play mostly dated country music from the 80's - 90's and it was well received.
One of my biggest fans was The hall of famer George Brett from the Kansas City Royals. He stood right next to me watching my every move. And, then wanted to know all about the instrument. It was quite inspiring to say the least! Johnny Bench was another huge fan of mine also. Our band, The Driftwoods, play several gigs a year and we're always well received, especially the steel guitar. Some people really crave it and love to hear it. The steel is alive and viable in upstate NY.

[Fred Treece]

One of my biggest fans was The hall of famer George Brett from the Kansas City Royals. He stood right next to me watching my every move. And, then wanted to know all about the instrument. It was quite inspiring to say the least! Johnny Bench was another huge fan of mine also.

That’s really cool, John!

[Dave Grafe]

A few months back I was invited to a steel guitar jam at the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn. One or two other older pickers like myself were there, but also over a dozen younger folk who were seriously getting on it. The pedal steel guitar is a relatively new instrument which requires a significant amount of time and money to pursue but it is clearly not going away any time soon.

[Brett Day]

I started playing the pedal steel in 1999 when I was eighteen years old, after a long process of figuring out what instrument would work for me due to cerebral palsy in my left hand. I've always loved the sounds and looks of the steel guitar since my aunt Denise told me about it when I was a kid. I played keyboards for five years, but I felt like I couldn't get a country music sound on the keyboards, so I switched to the pedal steel and have been playing for twenty-five years. When I was thirty-six, I added dobro just to have an acoustic instrument in addition to the steel guitar, and people would ask me, "What happened to the steel?" and I'd tell them the steel is still there-I was just adding dobro to it. I actually play dobro as an acoustic lap steel, so I now have my pedal steel set up at home where I can play at home when not playing acoustic jam sessions with the dobro. I love both instruments, so I'm not a one over the other type guy when it comes to pedal steel and dobro, and also because I use polymer bars on both instruments

[Craig Stock]

That's great John, wonder if either of those two guys asked if you have good pitch?

[Bob Carlucci]

I would never say pedal steel is dying.. Its a wonderful sounding instrument, and it inspires those that hear it... However, the French Horn inspires me. So does the Harpsichord, the Hammer Dulcimer, Bagpipes, and even the Oboe.. Love each for their unique voice and timbre. However in the modern day, how relevant are these great instruments??.. They are all still viable, still loved by those that play and listen to them, and are still used worldwide,,However they are mostly relegated to niche' or ensemble music for the most part.. To this day, MOST people still don't know the proper name of a pedal steel guitar. Yes, they recognize it when they hear and and most will smile,and some will be awestruck at the sound.. Doesn't mean its going to be heard by them much in most popular music.

I listen to XM radio a lot these days, and its still mostly heard on retro stations.. Yes there are those bands and artists that still feature it as part of their sound in the modern day, and I applaud them... However, I still have yet to see a resurgence of the pedal steel in any significant way. It had its day, and it was great but personally I don't see big revival... When some of the greatest steel players that ever lived are giving lessons online, or doing sessions remotely for local unsigned singers/songwriters, it gives me pause, and I start to think that although the pedal steel is not dead and never will be, it will probably never enjoy the popularity it had in its "best days"...

[Brooks Montgomery]

>>To this day, MOST people still don't know the proper name of a pedal steel guitar. Yes, they recognize it when they hear and and most will smile,and some will be awestruck at the sound<<

Bob, you make a good point. That’s probably why I got compliments: nobody knows what it’s really supposed to sound like!

If any of you guys that really play should show up, I’m doomed

[Jerry Overstreet]

I don't worry about it dying. If it dies, it dies. I can't do anything to change that. All I can do is try to play it the best I can and answer questions when people show interest, try to encourage them. Maybe if interest wanes, then I'll be able to buy one at reasonable cost.

There will always be a niche group of steel players and enthusiasts no matter what. Just like accordian, oud, balalaika or other instruments. It doesn't have to be an international sensation to be successful.

[Bob Carlucci]

>>To this day, MOST people still don't know the proper name of a pedal steel guitar. Yes, they recognize it when they hear and and most will smile,and some will be awestruck at the sound<<

Bob, you make a good point. That’s probably why I got compliments: nobody knows what it’s really supposed to sound like!

If any of you guys that really play should show up, I’m doomed

Brooks,,, I have been saying that same thing now for close to 50 years.. I can honestly say that if the average Joe hears me, he might think-"wow this guy is really good".. by the same token, if a real pedal steel player hears me the first thought in his mind would be "hack"... If you can play somewhat in tune, you can fool a lot of untrained ears with a pedal steel,,I made a lot of money with that concept!... Now if a steel player is a hack and has a tin ear like me, then the whole world notices!.. However,. I guess if people think its good, it IS good! Pedal steel guys are a forgiving bunch anyway. Even if you had a night when you were not at your best, very few steel players would think less of players like you or me..Even those that aren't hacks generally, have had their fair share of nights on stage where they performed like one, so they can relate!

[Don R Brown]

Brooks,,, I have been saying that same thing now for close to 50 years.. I can honestly say that if the average Joe hears me, he might think-"wow this guy is really good".. by the same token, if a real pedal steel player hears me the first thought in his mind would be "hack"... If you can play somewhat in tune, you can fool a lot of untrained ears with a pedal steel,,I made a lot of money with that concept!... Now if a steel player is a hack and has a tin ear like me, then the whole world notices!.. However,. I guess if people think its good, it IS good! Pedal steel guys are a forgiving bunch anyway. Even if you had a night when you were not at your best, very few steel players would think less of players like you or me..Even those that aren't hacks generally, have had their fair share of nights on stage where they performed like one, so they can relate!

Man, this is something! This quote (other than the 50 years experience part) is me to a T. I'm a hack, any experienced steel player would cringe, the audience doesn't know how bad I am and somehow loves what I do. BUT the amazing part is it's written by Bob, who I know personally, have taken several in-person lessons from and who I regard as far, far above my skill level!

Last week I was exchanging texts of a very similar nature with a friend in Texas. 50 year player, the guy has toured with some big names, multi-instrumental musician, and a You-Tube of him playing some years back was what actually planted the seed in my brain I wanted to learn to play pedal steel. Yet he says he often thinks of himself as not very good compared to others.

Two nights ago at a VFW, a woman came up during a break with 2 kids, about 8 and 10 or so. She asked what this instrument is called, how it is played, and how it made all those various sounds. They were fascinated when I showed a few basic things to them, and they left happy and - I hope - enlightened. It's just possible one of them will someday sit down and put on picks.

So I guess we all need to remember that it's the journey, not the destination, and if we can make someone else happy along the way, it doesn't matter what our relative skill level is compared to each other. We must be doing something right.

[Bob Carlucci]

" it's the journey, not the destination"

Exactly Don! perfectly stated.... btw, I was up right around the block from you in Penfield a couple weeks back for a baseball tournament my grandson was playing in.. had to make the drive Fri, Sat, Sun,-ugh-.. nice area though. Hope all is well!.. Glad you are getting some seat time these days!... bob

[Don R Brown]

Bob, tomorrow I'm playing just outside Bath, so we're visiting each other's general areas anyway.

[Barry Yasika]

I don’t think steel’s ever gonna vanish from the music world completely. It’s got too much soul baked into it. So yeah, it’s here to stay—just not front and center like it used to be. What’s happening to steel kind of reminds me of what’s been going on with the saxophone. Both had their golden runs, layering sound with grit and texture, and now they’re hanging around the edges, still kicking, just not getting the spotlight.

Back in the day, I never thought either one would get pushed aside. But here we are. They’re still out there, though—being played by folks at all levels, tinkering, working, keeping the flame alive.
Even guitar doesn’t seem to hold the same magic it did when I was younger. It used to rule the world. Now studios are packed with loops, drum machines, and AI that can whip up something wild in seconds. Makes you wonder where the whole scene’s headed—the one I used to be buried deep in.

Still, no matter what the business does, it’s a damn good time to pick up an instrument and play. Even if it’s just sitting around with a few friends, trading licks and stories. That’s why I started playing in the first place. And maybe that’s all it’s gonna be from here on out. But you know what? That’s enough.

[Dave Grafe]

As long as we have live music someone is going to be bringing a pedal steel guitar, and a koto and an oboe and a french horn and a bass clarinet and a hundred other instruments most people don't know the name of or how to play. So what if it's not on the radio? That just means it will stand out all the more and insipre more people to learn about it when an artist or producer decides to use it.

I have seen so many younger folk take up the pedal steel with awesome enthusiasm that I have no fear for it's future. As for feeling like a hack, all the truly accomplished people I have ever met - and I have been blessed to have worked with more than a few - don't think about being great, they're too busy thinking about what isnt working and what they can do about it. No matter your skill level the pedal steel WILL humble you at times and usually when another steeler is watching, it happened to me just tonight, Remember even the great Buddy Emmons would occasionally miss a note, laugh and keep on going. That's a lick well worth learning.

[J D Sauser]

It will depend on newer generations of players.
While our heroes like Jerry Bryd, Speedy West, and the Buddy Emmons generation of players have given the steel guitar and PSG quite a kick start, it will take players which do not remain stuck in nostalgia over long gone times to take it to a new level, new musical market and new AUDIENCE. And I say that counting myself into the nostalgia players even if I believe that I've change a lot lately... but still while playing into music which is many Decades past it's heydays.

Eventually, some people will come along and become as influential as Buddy Emmons and many of his generation ever was. I tend to say that Paul Franklin is the last influential PSG player and he's laid his style out Decades ago too and was in sort a musical descendant of the Buddy Emmons legacy too, but did take it further. And then there's Robert Randolph... and I don't seem to see that he's lit a brush fire... and that worries me because I felt that HE could have given the instrument new traction.

New singers will likewise not sing in the tradition of Frank, Elvis or Whitney... and we've seen greats come out like Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga (in Jazz)...

But as long as new players learn the instrument by trying to play "I Just Destroyed The World (Again)" and "A Way To Survive (It)" we'll have to keep waiting for our Messiah.

... J-D.

[Fred Treece]

Instruments don’t die. Musicians and musical styles do.

[Dave Mudgett]

I think we worry too much. Pedal steel ain't goin nowhere. It's always been a niche instrument, and probably always will be. Vive la niche.

[Brett Lanier]

If anything, pedal steel is maybe more popular than ever before, and the thing to worry about is when the pendulum swings back the other way. Besides most country acts these days, you’ll also see steel guitar being played on stage with Post Malone, Lana Del Rey, The Flaming Lips, Sabrina Carpenter, Dijon, Shaboozey. A friend told me recently that he played an indy band festival in Brooklyn and every band had a pedal steel.

[Dave Grafe]

Brooklyn has a a lot of young steel guitar players who have been doing their homework.