lap steel
noun
variants
or lap steel guitar
plural lap steels or lap steel guitars
: an electric steel guitar that is held and played in a horizontal position across the lap and has usually six to eight strings which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar
The lap steel is an electric adaptation of the resophonic, commonly heard in Hawaiian and traditional country music.—
Elzy Kolb
Elzy KolbThe band [Uncle Tupelo] incorporated both banjo and lap steel guitar to give their standard rock instrumental configuration (bass, guitar, drums) more of a traditional country sound.—Rick Anderson
compare pedal steel, hawaiian guitar
Rick AndersonExamples of lap steel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ever-reliable Ron Wood — who covered many bases during the evening’s performance — moved to lap steel and the band gave Dopsie the solo spot; Keith Richards seemed to just barely graze his guitar strings (not that the song needed more) while beaming at their guest.
—Caryn Rose, Variety, 3 May 2024
Hadlock captured the takes on tape and loaded them into ProTools, layering in lap steel, upright bass, and a spare drum.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023
The group, which signed to Dead Oceans in September, is comprised of Karly Hartzman (vocals), Jake Lenderman (guitar), Xandy Chelmis (lap steel) and Alan Miller (drums).
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2023
The award-winning blues singer-songwriter is also a galvanic guitarist on both electric and lap steel.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 Apr. 2023
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Caryn Rose, Variety, 3 May 2024
Hadlock captured the takes on tape and loaded them into ProTools, layering in lap steel, upright bass, and a spare drum.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023
The group, which signed to Dead Oceans in September, is comprised of Karly Hartzman (vocals), Jake Lenderman (guitar), Xandy Chelmis (lap steel) and Alan Miller (drums).
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2023
The award-winning blues singer-songwriter is also a galvanic guitarist on both electric and lap steel.
—BostonGlobe.com, 19 Apr. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near lap steel
Cite this Entry
“Lap steel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lap%20steel. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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