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

The 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

Examples 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

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above