Uploaded May 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
This is a cover play along with Marty Robbins singing a medley of "Return To Me" and "Beyond The Reef" (two of my favorite songs to play). I change to a bit more Hawaiian style for Beyond The Reef. By lowering strings 4 and 8 a half tone with a knee lever (which is a standard E9th guitar change), you have the C6th tuning on strings 4 through 10, minus the 9th string. By lowering those strings you can play your pedal steel just like a lap steel using bar slants and all.
My pedal steel guitar is fairly standard E9th tuning. But I also have a knee lever that raises string 1 a whole tone. I also have Tommy White's awesome setup that allows me to lower strings 5 and 6 a whole tone separately. I lower string 6 a whole tone with my vertical knee lever. I lower string 5 a whole tone with my RKL (right-knee moving left). It's a beautiful change to have to lower strings 5 and 6 separately. Most older guitars can't do it due to mechanical limitations, so I always recommend buying a new guitar for new players. Never buy a student model, which is like learning to bake with a toy oven.
I had a 4th pedal, but removed it because it was getting in the way when I went to depress the C pedal. For all you steel guitar players, I have always used the Buddy Emmons pedal setup (that is, ABC, same as Lloyd Green). Tommy White, Weldon Myrick and Jeff Newman use the CBA pedal setup (reversed). I only use a split-tuner on string 6. I don't lower string 10 due to tight knee tension. I like easy knees.
For this song I'm recording through a Fender G-DEC 30 amp with a 10" speaker. Goodrich volume pedal. I hung up my green screen just to have a nice background.
One guitar lick that I really enjoy playing on the 5th string is to start out on fret 8 with no pedal. Then slide down to fret 6 while pressing the A pedal. Keep sliding down (with the A pedal still down) to fret 5 without picking the note again. Once at the 5th fret, let off the A pedal. If you do it seemlessly it sounds really nice, like you're getting a free double note in there. I do it in the song at 45 seconds into the song. You can use this lick at any fret and it really adds what I call "mystic" to your playing.
Lloyd lowers his 8th string (from E to Eb) with his RKR, which I'm seriously thinking of doing myself. Presently I use my LKR, which puts a lot of physical stress on my left leg while also trying to work pedals A and B combined. By using the RKR instead, it takes a lot of stress off of the left leg. It makes good sense to separate the most used knee levers and pedals. .
This is a cover play along with Marty Robbins singing a medley of "Return To Me" and "Beyond The Reef" (two of my favorite songs to play). I change to a bit more Hawaiian style for Beyond The Reef. By lowering strings 4 and 8 a half tone with a knee lever (which is a standard E9th guitar change), you have the C6th tuning on strings 4 through 10, minus the 9th string. By lowering those strings you can play your pedal steel just like a lap steel using bar slants and all.
My pedal steel guitar is fairly standard E9th tuning. But I also have a knee lever that raises string 1 a whole tone. I also have Tommy White's awesome setup that allows me to lower strings 5 and 6 a whole tone separately. I lower string 6 a whole tone with my vertical knee lever. I lower string 5 a whole tone with my RKL (right-knee moving left). It's a beautiful change to have to lower strings 5 and 6 separately. Most older guitars can't do it due to mechanical limitations, so I always recommend buying a new guitar for new players. Never buy a student model, which is like learning to bake with a toy oven.
I had a 4th pedal, but removed it because it was getting in the way when I went to depress the C pedal. For all you steel guitar players, I have always used the Buddy Emmons pedal setup (that is, ABC, same as Lloyd Green). Tommy White, Weldon Myrick and Jeff Newman use the CBA pedal setup (reversed). I only use a split-tuner on string 6. I don't lower string 10 due to tight knee tension. I like easy knees.
For this song I'm recording through a Fender G-DEC 30 amp with a 10" speaker. Goodrich volume pedal. I hung up my green screen just to have a nice background.
One guitar lick that I really enjoy playing on the 5th string is to start out on fret 8 with no pedal. Then slide down to fret 6 while pressing the A pedal. Keep sliding down (with the A pedal still down) to fret 5 without picking the note again. Once at the 5th fret, let off the A pedal. If you do it seemlessly it sounds really nice, like you're getting a free double note in there. I do it in the song at 45 seconds into the song. You can use this lick at any fret and it really adds what I call "mystic" to your playing.
Lloyd lowers his 8th string (from E to Eb) with his RKR, which I'm seriously thinking of doing myself. Presently I use my LKR, which puts a lot of physical stress on my left leg while also trying to work pedals A and B combined. By using the RKR instead, it takes a lot of stress off of the left leg. It makes good sense to separate the most used knee levers and pedals. .
