How can I slide without the strings rattling?

[Sune]

Yes, when i play the "mainriff" or whatever you want to call it, in the song "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, I have a problem..I can't slide from the two frets to the other without getting a little rattling sound, and Iommi can do it without any noise at all.. Just to show what I mean, this is the riff:

e|---------------------------------------------
B|---------------------------------------------
G|---------------------------------------------
D|-----7--7/9--9--12\11--12\11-12\11-7--7/9-9-
A|--9--5--5/7--7--10\9---10\9--10\9--5--5/7-7-
E|--7------------------------------------------

It's when I play this part of it that it makes friggin noises:


D|--12\11--12\11--12\11--
A|--10\9---10\9---10\9---
E|------------------------

How can I make my sliding better so I can do it without any weird noises?

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

Yes, when i play the "mainriff" or whatever you want to call it, in the song "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, I have a problem..I can't slide from the two frets to the other without getting a little rattling sound, and Iommi can do it without any noise at all.. Just to show what I mean, this is the riff:

e|---------------------------------------------
B|---------------------------------------------
G|---------------------------------------------
D|-----7--7/9--9--12\11--12\11-12\11-7--7/9-9-
A|--9--5--5/7--7--10\9---10\9--10\9--5--5/7-7-
E|--7------------------------------------------

It's when I play this part of it that it makes friggin noises:


D|--12\11--12\11--12\11--
A|--10\9---10\9---10\9---
E|------------------------

How can I make my sliding better so I can do it without any weird noises?

Can you be more specific about what you mean by "rattling"?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

It's all in the way you touch the strings... Sliding your fingers on the strings will make noise anyway but you can do it a little quieter... Just Experiment. Tony had fake finger tips because of the accident.... Makes me wonder if they were quieter

 

[Sune]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

Well..It's hard to explain, but when you slide, and your finger is right above the metal fret, and you have the string pressed down against the metal fret, it gives a kind of rattling sound or whatever, which you can't really hear when Iommi does it, but maybe the tabs are wrong, I don't know..

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

Well..It's hard to explain, but when you slide, and your finger is right above the metal fret, and you have the string pressed down against the metal fret, it gives a kind of rattling sound or whatever, which you can't really hear when Iommi does it, but maybe the tabs are wrong, I don't know..

When you fret the notes, are you placing your fingers just behind the frets (i.e., just to the side of the fret closest to the headstock) rather than directly on top of the fret?

 

[tone4days]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

are you just referring to the sound like a metallic scraping sound you get from running your fingers over the wound strings? ... or are you talking about some kind of string buzz? ... does the sound come through your amp, or do you only hear it when you play unplugged?

it could be that your action needs to be raised a little, or otherwise have the guitar set up ... have you changed string gauge , maybe from 10s to 9s? ...

good luck
t4d

 

[Sune]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

I know how to play correctly (place the finger just behing the fret, on the fretboard, towards the head), but I'll try to explain what I mean..

When I want to slide from 12 to 11 for example, I need to slide the finger on the string towards the head, and to be able to play 11, I of course have to run my finger over the metal fret, and since I'm pressing the string down when sliding, it'll be pressed down and hit the metal with my finger on top of the string, before it slides in position just behind the metal fret.

 

[Sune]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

are you just referring to the sound like a metallic scraping sound you get from running your fingers over the wound strings? ... or are you talking about some kind of string buzz? ... does the sound come through your amp, or do you only hear it when you play unplugged?

it could be that your action needs to be raised a little, or otherwise have the guitar set up ... have you changed string gauge , maybe from 10s to 9s? ...

good luck
t4d

It is not the sound that comes from running my fingers over the wound strings, I know that sound..but it's a sound which is only there when I'm pressing the string down on the metal fret, and it can be heard both unplugged and through the amp. And the guitar came stock with 10's, which I have used since.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

It is not the sound that comes from running my fingers over the wound strings, I know that sound..but it's a sound which is only there when I'm pressing the string down on the metal fret, and it can be heard both unplugged and through the amp. And the guitar came stock with 10's, which I have used since.

I agree with t4d: You may need to have your action adjusted.

 

[tone4days]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

hmmm ... hard to say then ..... perhaps a loose fret? ... but that would be very surprising ... does the fret move when you tug at it between your thumb and firs finger? ...

good luck
t4d

 

[Sune]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

Hmm, no, my frets aren't loose..but maybe it's normal that they it make a kind of noise when you play like that?? I don't know, since I only have 1 guitar.

 

[Sune]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

I agree with t4d: You may need to have your action adjusted.

Since this is my first guitar, I don't really know much about doing that.. :smack:

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

Since this is my first guitar, I don't really know much about doing that.. :smack:

I suggest taking it to a reputable guitar shop and showing a tech what's happening. That way he can see it, hear it and try it himself then offer advice regarding what can be done to fix it.

 

[Sune]

Re: How can I slide without the strings rattling?

Yes, but we don't have any guitar techs here, or even shops.. The nearest shop where I can buy strings for example, is like 30 kilometers away, and it's just a normal music store, with alot of different instruments and things, so I don't think they are specialized in doing it unfortunaly..This sucks. I hope it's just me playing badly, and that it therefore will dissapear with more practice..but if it's the guitar then I can't do anything about it :smack: