Bar Techniques - Bar Types - Reviews

Method for Grooved Bar

Grip the bar gently by placing your thumb and middle finger in the grooves on the side of the bar...

Rest your index finger along the top of the bar, this helps with accurate control, as you can effectively use your innate "pointing reflex" to target the position of the bar.

Use your remaining fingers to rest on the strings behind the bar, to mute unwanted string noise.

Method for Bullet Bar

The method is very similar to holding a grooved bar, except the index finger is more relaxed, applying a little pressure with the fingertip for guidance rather than having it laid flat along the top of the bar.

Again the little ("pinky") & ring-fingers are used for behind-the-bar damping.

With either bar, the key is to have a relaxed grip!

Thanks to Steinar Gregertsen for the photos!

Playing Techniques

Open Strings

One of the simplest techniques is to draw the bar back towards you, leaving the higher strings to ring "open" ie: unbarred.

This easy method gives access to more varied chordal playing.
this is explained further on the "Chords" page.

Sliding the bar forwards to rebar the higher strings is easier with a bullet-bar's rounded nose.
With a Stevens bar just tilt the nose up slightly by increasing pressure on the rear of the bar, to avoid the bottom edge "hooking up" on the strings.

Single-string playing & "double-stops"

By angling the bar so it's higher at the back (the end closest to you) and just using the tip/"nose" end of the bar, you can play one string at a time.

This is easier on the 1st string, on the lower strings be sure to not catch the bar on the string above.

If you're crafty & practice well you can bar two adjacent strings without affecting any open strings.

Bar "blocking"

By lifting the bar off the string you can mute or "block" the note, leave your finger/s on the string/s behind the bar so it stops ringing.

Just as importantly this technique can be used in reverse...
Let your bar-hand's muting fingers touch down an instant before the bar, to avoid unnecessary bar-chatter caused by a vibrating string rattling against the bar as it is applied.

Vibrato

This is the technique which is employed to add a "wavering" quality to the pitch of the note being played.

With "regular" acoustic or electric guitar, vibrato is applied by alternately pushing & pulling a fretted string up & down with a repetetive motion, in line with the fret.
On a classical guitar this motion is applied in line with the string ( as it is with a fretless instrument such as a violin. )

With Steel Guitar, vibrato is achieved by oscilllating the bar left & right along the string, thus varying the length ( & pitch ) of the note being played.
The advantage that Steel Guitar has over Regular Guitar is that it's much easier to apply vibrato to multiple strings / chords.

There are basically two differing methods of applying vibrato on Steel Guitar, by sliding or rolling the bar.

The sliding technique is pretty self-explanatory. The bar is simply slid left & right (or in small circles) at the required speed & amplitude to get the desired effect.

Rolling vibrato is applied by letting the bar rotate using it's contact point with the strings as a pivot-point.
This requires a subtle grip, almost letting go of the bar and using the index-finger along the top as the main holding-point.
The diameter of the bar ( or, in the case of a grooved bar, the radius of the playing surface ) has an effect on the nature of the vibrato achieved when using this "rolling" method.

Vibrato is a very personal thing which, along with control of intonation, gives steel guitar it's distinctive vocal-like emotive sound.

Playing with no vibrato can sound "dead" and any innacurracy in intonation will show up like a sore thumb... But don't overdo it or use it to hide a lack of correct intonation!

Pull-Offs

A "Pull-Off" is a note which isn't sounded by plucking the string with the picking hand, but by removing the bar during the previously ringing note.

The nature of steel guitar playing means that the note pulled-off to will be an open string...

Non-bullet bar users can get a snappier, louder sounding pull-off by using the end of the bar.
Without lifting the bar, draw it towards you, so the end comes off the string.
The more pressure is applied during the pull-off, the louder the note will sound.
Used subtly, this technique can give the pull-of the same timbre as a picked note.
This only works with a bar that has an edge on the end, not a bullet or rounded nose.
Bullet-bar players can bounce the nose a little to sound a pull-off note.

Hammer-Ons

A "Hammer-On" is a note which isn't sounded by picking, but by having the bar placed with authority onto a still-ringing previous note's string.

Playing Behind the Bar

When playing notes where the bar is at one of the open strings harmonic "nodes", (ie: 12th,7th,5th,etc) a "shimmering overtone" effect can be acheived, to hear the full effect pick or strum the string/s behind the bar halfway betwwen the steel & the nut.

Ensure that no part of your bar-hand is in contact with the desired string or strings behind the bar.

Use your left middle finger to pull a string behind the bar to raise the pitch.

This technique gives a nice simulation of a pedal-steel guitar sound and can open the door to more complex and varied chords.

Slants

Crafty trick to access different chord voicings by placing the bar at an angle to the fret-lines instead of parallel...

These can be forward or reverse, using adjacent strings or by crossing strings.

This advanced technique is considered easier to perform with a bullet-bar, although Dobro players like Stacy Phillips executes even tricky reverse-slants with a grooved bar.

The trick is to use the tip of your index-finger as the pivot-point.
It helps to "arch" the finger slightly in this case, rather than having it laying flat on the top of the bar.

Bars & Steels

The "Stevens" or grooved steel is easy to hold and as such it's a good bar to get started on.

It most suits playing styles where the bar is lifted or tilted during play, so is good for music involving hammer-ons & pull-offs, rapidfire licks or a "Bluegrassy" flavour.

The "Bullet" bar is a plain cylinder with a rounded tip or "nose".
This style of bar is favoured my many seasoned players, and is the bar of choice for most electric steel players.

Some players find this bar makes advanced techniques such as slants more attainable.
Often there is a small indentation in the end opposite the nose that aids the grip during this manouevre.

The steel bar which gives Steel Guitar it's name has it's origins in the "found object".

Various commonly used items were pressed into use, and purpose-made steels were developed from these.

Many variations in timbre and sustain can be achieved through the ingenious use of found objects, a plastic "Clipper" or "Swan" cigarette lighter being a good example, for an interesting tone with fast decay.
( think "banjo crossed with steel-drum" or psycho toybox if fingerpicked high-up. )
This sounds slightly less bonkers than the "Oink-Tone" bar.

Bar diameter
The diameter (or radius of the playing area in the case of a grooved bar ) has an effect on your vibrato.
A bar with a larger diameter will have a more pronounced vibrato than a smaller one, when using a "rolling vibrato" technique.