[MusicTlk] Playing Lap Steel - slide guitar

[Mike Jolls]

Hi everyone.  This post is about playing slide guitar (actually lap steel) as a visually impaired / blind person.

I’ve been practicing the instrument in C6 tuning.  Unlike a regular guitar, this instrument has no physical metal frets.  Instead, fret lines are pained on the fretboard.  They are very narrow lines.  The strings are raised above the fretboard about an inch and aren’t close to the fret board/metal frets as on a traditional guitar.  A metal slide bar is moved along the strings to select the notes/chords you want to play (you have to visually line up the bar with the painted fret lines to do this).  For non-visually impaired people this is no problem.  Of course given my vision, this just can’t be easy (I’m not surprised one bit).

Given my extreme nearsightedness, this isn’t easy.  Traditionally the instrument lays in your lap and you’re looking down on the guitar as you move the bar.  Even at this short distance, it’s visually challenging to see those small painted fret lines on the fretboard.  It doesn’t help that my left hand, which holds the bar on the strings above the fretboard, obstructs my view of the fret lines.  It’s therefore hard to see exactly where the bar is placed, and that means it’s difficult to exactly play the note I want.  I’m often a bit sharp or flat and that’s really frustrating.

I have found that placing the guitar on an X brace stand puts the guitar a little closer to my eyes.  That helps, but it doesn’t completely solve the problem.  I’m still sharp/flat because again, it’s hard to visually see to line up the bar and the fret lines.

Therefore, I’ve run out of ideas on my own to conquer this problem.  I’m wondering if anybody has any experience with this instrument?  I HATE being sharp and flat.  In my mind, it comes down to being able to see to line up the fret lines and the bar, and so far that just hasn’t worked for me.  I’m hoping there are other blind players who have found a way to do it non-visually.  Perhaps someone might say this is similar to a violin (non-fretted instrument) where you just have to do it enough times to mentally learn where the notes are located and you eventually get to where it’s muscle memory.  I do understand that, because I’ve used that technique with the piano successfully.

OK, enough.  If anybody has experience with this sort of instrument and can give me some advice, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Mike Jolls

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