Learning to play the pedal steel guitar takes a different kind of commitment and time. So, for someone like Slash, who has already made a name for himself as the guitarist of Guns N’ Roses, to dedicate hours to learning such a complex instrument intrigued the former Steely Dan ve the Doobie Brothers guitarist Skunk Baxter. He recently shared with Appetite for Distortion that when Slash wanted to learn pedal steel guitar, he was excited to teach him one of his favorite instruments.
“Slash is a good friend,” said Baxter before explaining how he ended up teaching the challenging instrument to the GNR icon. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and I’m helping him learn pedal steel. He asked me some time ago that he wanted to learn to play pedal steel.”
He continued, “That’s, first of all, that’s a hell of a commitment in terms of time and effort. Well, I don’t know if you’re familiar with the pedal steel guitar, but it’s a fairly complex instrument. It’s an instrument that you can alter the tuning while you’re playing. You have foot pedals that raise the lower strings; you have knee levers that raise; the lower strings, you have up levers that raise and lower strings. It’s the difference between driving a car or flying an airplane.”
“To me, it’s the most beautiful instrument ever,” Baxter exclaimed before explaining why he was so excited to teach Slash. “I love how it sounds, and I love what you can do with it. So when he asked me if I’d help him, I said absolutely. Slash is a very talented player. I love his acoustic guitar playing; a lot of people don’t have as much probably knowledge of that. He’s a well-rounded player and the fact that he wanted to take on pedal steel absolutely. He’s going to be a great steel player.”
Baxter praised Slash for having a well-rounded knowledge of guitars, so the pedal steel will be another instrument under his belt once he finishes the lessons. Skunk Baxter is also confident that the GNR icon will be a great steel player once he gets the hang of it and will rock the stage in no time.
