How the lap steel guitar makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the lap steel guitar belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a
traditional acoustic guitar, in which the performer's fingertips press the strings against frets, the pitch of a steel guitar is changed by pressing a polished steel bar against strings while plucking them with the opposite hand. The steel guitar's name is derived from this steel bar. Though the instrument does not have frets, it displays markers that resemble them. Lap steels may differ markedly from one another in external appearance, depending on whether they are acoustic or electric, but in either case, they do not have pedals, distinguishing them from pedal steel guitars.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does a lap steel guitar sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the lap steel guitar?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q644440 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Lap steel guitar – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by brad_bechtel – CC BY 2.0