By
eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Tune your guitar to an open tuning. The most common tuning for a steel guitar is open G. You can also experiment with different tunings to achieve the sound that you like the best. You can change the tuning for each song or use regular guitar tuning.
Step2
Lay your guitar across your lap with the bass strings closest to you.
Step3
Use a steel, also known as a slide, on the fret instead of using your fingers. There are several varieties of slides so you might need to try several out until you find the one that best fits your style.
Step4
Pick the strings using a plastic thumb pick and two metal finger picks on your right hand. You can use the thumb to play melody in Hawaiian style music or to play faster notes in other music styles by alternating between the thumb and the other fingers.