The pedal steel is such a versatile instrument, and it is nice that it provides so many musical ways for a player to play notes. When creating single note melodic lines, riffs, solos, etc., it can be nice to utilize the major scale on certain positions of the fretboard that also incorporate the foot pedals.
Here are some major scale tabs for the E9 neck. These positions relate to the “Open Position” and “AB Pedal Position” that is commonly used in E9 pedal steel playing. You’ll notice that the last diagram is a two-octave scale, that ties both of the positions together.
Feel free to click on an image for an enlarged view! These are all in C Major, and the D lever denotes lowering that string a half step. Enjoy!
AB Pedal Position
Open Position
Both Positions
Continue Learning
If you’d like to explore these ideas further, here are a few ways to continue working with them.
Instructional Materials
I’ve written several instructional books that explore technique, fretboard understanding, and musical application in much greater depth.
→ Explore the instructional materials
Private Lessons
Many students I work with are players who feel stuck or overwhelmed by scattered information and aren’t sure what they should actually be practicing.
If you’d like help applying these concepts directly to your own playing, I work with a small number of pedal steel students each month through remote lessons.