pedal steel

noun

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Definition of pedal steel

: a box-shaped musical instrument with legs that has usually 10 strings which can be altered in pitch by the use of pedals and which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar — called also pedal steel guitar

See pedal steel defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of pedal steel from the Web

He's joined by longtime bandmates Val McCallum (guitar), Mauricio Lewak (Drums), Jeff Young (keyboards), Bob Glaub (bass), Alethea Mills (Vocals) and the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz (guitar, lap steel, pedal steel).

— ed masley, azcentral, "Summer concerts in Phoenix: Eagles, Post Malone, Logic, Panic! at the Disco, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa," 15 June 2018
Earlier this week, Newscaster and pedal steel player Bobby Martin were at Rubinowitz’s Springfield, Va., house practicing.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "Tex Rubinowitz is back: The ‘Hot Rod Man’ takes his music out for another spin," 16 May 2018
With mandolin legend Sam Bush, Russ Paul on pedal steel and Matt Smith on cello (of all things), the record just exudes vintage.

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "John Oates, pal Daryl Hall, join Train for a night of power pop at The Q," 15 May 2018
The Revivalists on the Gentilly Stage at 3:40 p.m. - Powered by an odd pedal steel guitar, organ and sax blend, these dudes can really bring it.

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "7 shows not to miss at Jazz Fest 2018, Saturday (May 5)," 5 May 2018
Bob loved music and enjoyed playing keyboards, pedal steel guitar, and guitar.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Robert May," 8 Apr. 2018
Wall’s records are starkly elegant: twanging guitar, dampened percussion and bass, and the occasional pedal steel.

— benjamin shapiro, The New Yorker, "Colter Wall, the Canadian Cowboy," 7 Apr. 2018
Timberlake set us up to expect twang and pedal steel.

— zach schonfeld, Newsweek, "The Justin Timberlake Backlash: A ‘Man of the Woods’–Era Guide," 2 Feb. 2018
An incurably curious musician, Black has taken pedal steel far beyond its usual contexts.

— andrew gilbert, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bobby Black — for decades, at the pinnacle of pedal steel," 6 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pedal steel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of pedal steel

1965

in the meaning defined above

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PEDAL STEEL Defined for English Language Learners

pedal steel

noun

Definition of pedal steel for English Language Learners

: a musical instrument that has strings which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar and a pedal that can change the pitch of the strings