pedal steel guitar
A horizontally mounted guitar played with a bar and foot pedals that change string tunings in real time.
In Depth
The pedal steel guitar is the signature sound of country music. The player uses a metal or glass bar to stop the strings while foot pedals and knee levers alter string tensions, enabling smooth pitch bends and chord changes impossible on a standard guitar. The instrument sits on legs and is played from a seated position. Pedal steel requires coordinating both hands, both feet, and both knees simultaneously, making it one of the most physically demanding instruments to master.
Buddy Emmons, considered the greatest pedal steel player, could play jazz bebop lines on the instrument with the fluency of a saxophone player, stunning audiences who associated it only with country music.