Lap steel ukulele
Encyclopedia
The lap steel ukulele is a type of and method of playing the ukulele
There are three main types of lap steel ukulele:
Lap slide and resonator ukuleles may also be fitted with pickups, but do not depend on electrical amplification to produce their sound.
s set up for steel playing fall into this category. Ukuleles which are made exclusively for slide playing may have a "square" profile neck.
Lap steel ukuleles generally have four strings, in keeping with their ukulele heritage.
The strings are not pressed to a fret
when sounding a note, rather, the player holds a metal slide called a steel in the left hand, which is moved along the strings to change the instrument's pitch while the right hand plucks or picks the strings.
This method of playing greatly restricts the number of chord
s available, so lap steel music often features a restricted set of harmonies (such as in blues
). Alternatively, the lap steel ukulele player can play the melody
or another single part
.
Ukulele musician James Hill commissioned a square-neck raised action resonator ukulele from Beltona Resonator Instruments
in order to develop his lap steel ukulele style. Similarly, Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya designed a four-string lap steel guitar, or "slide ukulele" which he calls the anandi.
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
There are three main types of lap steel ukulele:
- Lap slide ukuleles, simply a ukulele with high action played with a slide
- Resonator ukuleleResonator ukuleleA resonator ukulele or "resophonic ukulele" is a ukulele whose sound is produced by one or more spun aluminum cones instead of the wooden soundboard...
s, particularly those with square necks. - Electric lap steel ukuleleElectric ukuleleAn electric ukulele is a ukulele which is electrically amplified. If not plugged in, it can still play acoustically.-Electric vs. Electro-Acoustic:...
s, generally solid-body instruments.
Lap slide and resonator ukuleles may also be fitted with pickups, but do not depend on electrical amplification to produce their sound.
Description
The distinguishing feature of a lap steel ukulele is that the strings are raised at both the nut and bridge ends of the fingerboard. This makes the frets unusable, and they may be replaced by markers on some ukuleles. Other lap steel ukuleles are designed to be adapted between lap and conventional playing, or are modified versions of conventional ukuleles, and the only difference may be the action height. Round-necked resonator ukuleleResonator ukulele
A resonator ukulele or "resophonic ukulele" is a ukulele whose sound is produced by one or more spun aluminum cones instead of the wooden soundboard...
s set up for steel playing fall into this category. Ukuleles which are made exclusively for slide playing may have a "square" profile neck.
Lap steel ukuleles generally have four strings, in keeping with their ukulele heritage.
Playing
The lap steel ukulele is typically placed on the player's lap, or on a surface in front of the seated player.The strings are not pressed to a fret
Fret
A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck. On most modern western instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard...
when sounding a note, rather, the player holds a metal slide called a steel in the left hand, which is moved along the strings to change the instrument's pitch while the right hand plucks or picks the strings.
This method of playing greatly restricts the number of chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
s available, so lap steel music often features a restricted set of harmonies (such as in blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
). Alternatively, the lap steel ukulele player can play the melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
or another single part
Part
Part may refer to:*Part *Part , a relation in mereology*Part , the music played or sung by an individual instrument or voice*Parts , a 1997 children's book by Tedd Arnold...
.
History
The lap steel ukulele appears to be a very recent development, with only a handful of professional musicians and large-scale manufacturers addressing the style and instrument.Ukulele musician James Hill commissioned a square-neck raised action resonator ukulele from Beltona Resonator Instruments
Beltona Resonator Instruments
Beltona Resonator Instruments is a manfucturer of resonator guitars, resonator mandolins, and resonator ukuleles, based in Whangarei, New Zealand. Beltona Resonator Instruments was founded in England in 1990 by Steve Evans and Bill Johnson, later moving to New Zealand in 1998....
in order to develop his lap steel ukulele style. Similarly, Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya designed a four-string lap steel guitar, or "slide ukulele" which he calls the anandi.
Tunings
The lap steel ukulele may be tuned to the standard ukulele tuning, or to an open tuning.External links
- James Hill: ukulele... seriously: a description of the ukuleles owned by musician James HillJames HillJames Hill may refer to:*James Hill , former professional American football tight end*James Hill , British film and television director...
, including his Beltona resonator ukulele lap steel, including photographs and video.