From Robert Randolph to C/B/A copedant (like Jimmy day setup), or simply add or remove action on a knee or foot change That's what steel players called copedant. Copedant is a term coined in 1970 by Tom Bradshow in an Guitar Player article. It means conciseness "Chord Pedal arragement". Each player has his own copedent or use a standard like Emmons, Sho-bud...
Overall tuning of the strings:
8,10,12,14 strings (it depend your pedal steel model) ,the custom models may be more or less. For a standard pedal steel either a double or a single neck 10
strings is the most current setup. The gauge for each strings. Specifying if the strings are used Wound (denoted W) or plain strings (denoted P).
Actions of pedals and kneelever:
Create different alterations on strings . These alterations could be noted on the copedant like this: (+) halftone fitted by a pedal or a knee (+ + for a tone)
and (-) By halftone semitone lowered by pedal or kneelever (- for ton declined).
Exotic actions:
like half/stop are of course also noted on his copedant.
We also note the frequency of every strings with and without alterations on the chromatic tuner. Generally it will be reported in Herz (for example 336.5 for
a F).Some prefer "cent" notation instead of HZ.