The Endless Potential Of The Pedal Steel Guitar, An Odd Duck By Any Measure

An anchor of the classic mid-century Nashville sound, the pedal steel guitar has been a trusted part of the broader pop palette at least since Jerry Garcia added affable, if primitive, pedal steel to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Teach Your Children" in 1969 and B.J. Cole provided atmosphere on Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" in 1971. But over the past decade and change, a vibrant new generation of players have taken up the unusual instrument, directing its microtonal bends and aching cries towards more modern expressions.

"I think it's an instrument that begs to be used texturally, and outside the way it was originally designed to be used," says the California-based Chuck Johnson, whose 2017 album and subsequent have used pedal steel as a tool to generate glowing, complex ambient music. "You can pluck a chord and use the pedals and levers to move some of those voices in different directions, which is something no other instrument can do," he says of its ability to limitlessly bend notes. "Without even moving the bar, you can do really interesting counterpoint. Add to that all the microtonal possibilities.