?'s about playing slide

[54stratlover]

I was wondering if any of the slide players on the forum had any tips for playing slide. Some of them would be 1. what kind of strings do you recommend? Do flatwound strings strings have an advantage in a rock setting? 2. what are the advantages/disadvantages of using the 3rd or 4th finger for the slide? 3. What are good muting techniques? 4. what tunings do you like to use? 4. what "flavor" of slide do you like? 5. How do you like a slide guitar set up? (action, string height) 6. do you have any tips?

I have been working on Zepp's "In my time of Dying" and was wondering what some of your tips are.

 

[RushOfBlood]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

i like DADAAD i use my third finger so i can dig in more.

 

[john5959]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

go to the tips and clips there is a guy named kirklorange he's a master on the slide and he has a web site called "that'llteachya" .right now he's got a cool little stairway to heaven slide thingy goin' on

 

[Bludave]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

I was wondering if any of the slide players on the forum had any tips for playing slide. Some of them would be 1. what kind of strings do you recommend? Do flatwound strings strings have an advantage in a rock setting? 2. what are the advantages/disadvantages of using the 3rd or 4th finger for the slide? 3. What are good muting techniques? 4. what tunings do you like to use? 4. what "flavor" of slide do you like? 5. How do you like a slide guitar set up? (action, string height) 6. do you have any tips?

I have been working on Zepp's "In my time of Dying" and was wondering what some of your tips are.

1. I would recommend heavier strings than you normally use... For 2 reasons You will not be bending agressivley when playing slide, and you will be dropping the string tuning down which will make the strings a little sloppy. I use 12's on my slide guitar (Electric) 13's on the Acoustics

2. Which finger you useto wear the slide is a matter of what feels best for you. Wearing the slide on your pinky frees your other fingers to fret notes as well as mute some unwanted notes. But many people use the middle and the ring finger. Experiment and see what works best for you.

3. Muting is best accomplished by using both hands to mute the strings. I wear the slide on my ring finger, but I use the middle and index fingers to dampen the strings behind the slide. The most important tecnique I can recommend is learn to pick using your fingers. I like to think of my hand as a claw. I pick with my index finger, but I use my thumb, and middle fingers to rest on the two strings on either side of the string I am picking. This allows you to pick a single note and slide without sounding any other notes if that is what you want.

4. Ry Cooder is my all time favorite slide player, but I also love Dwayne Allman, Robert Johnson, Dereck Trucks, Sonny Landreth, Son House, Warren Haynes. The list can go on and on. The bottom line is you should listen to as many different players as you can to get influence from a lot of variety of players.

I really don't do anything drastic on setting up a slide guitar. I play with pretty High action as it is (about 3/16" at the 12th). The real key is heavier strings as I said earlier I us 12's on my electric slides, and 13's on my acoustic slides. I also use 11's on my regular guitars, so the transition is very easy. I use Open "D" tuning (6=D 5=A 4=D 3=F# 2=A 1=D) and I also use open "G" Tuning (6=D 5=G 4=D 3=G 2=B 1=D). As well as a few lesser known tunings. Open D and G are considered to be the standards for slide. The primary difference is Open D has the triad on the 5,4,3 strings. where open G has the triad on 1,2,3 strings. You should experiment and see which techniques and tunings work best for you.
Someone else here mentioned Kirk Lorange. He is an amazing slide player and he plays mostly in standard tuning and dropped "D". Check out his clips on this forum. or visit his website. You will learn a lot. Good Luck!!

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

I haven't played slide in years, but I used to do all the Duane Allman stuff in any bad I was in back in the day. Justto reiterate waht the guys have said:

1. Use heavier gauge strings (.011 or higher)
2. Raise your action to get clearer notes and less knocking against the frets
3.I used to use an old Coricidan bottle, but a heavier gauge glass slide will give better sustain and tone
4. Open tuning ( I always preferred D, but it doesn;t matter)
5. Use your palm as well as the none slide finger on your fretting hand for muting.
6. Most folks use their pinky (Johnny Winter), ring finger (Duane), or middle finger (I think I saw Mick Taylor using this) for slide.
7. Listen to old and newer slide stuff to get a feel for it.

Good luck,

Jeff

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

I tend to like glass and ceramic the best, although brass masks more string noise.
I always had a problem finding a slide that would fit on my pinky without being too loose. I buy mine at Sam Ash. They're blue or red glass that's closed/domed on the end, and are a bit thinner than others. I also had a problem of where to put the slide, when not using it, so I can grab it quickly. When I was playing more slide, I made a slide holder out of drum hardware parts. I used the bracket for attaching a tambourine to a cymbal stand, then made a metal finger, so I could put the slide on my mic stand when I didn't need it. Another idea is to attach a cufflink clip to your strap. I tried to patent this idea, but ran into a trademark with Dunlop. They don't sell it, but own the idea.

 

[Wattage]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

Well all good stuff. Bludave is an excellent slide player so really take a lot of that to heart, easy to play slide on those little tiny guitars though isn't it Dave? :laugh2:

I like a glass slide best but I have gone through about 25 slides before Ifound the right one. I finally started getting the hang of it a few years ago using a Big Heart aluminum slide, then I tried some ceramics but I find them too heavy. The slide I really use most is a Dunlop #218 glasdsslide, it is fairly thick and short. I wear it on my ring finger and it is very easy to control. I like collecting them and I must have a dozen of them. My friend just got me one of Mick Mars slides, whoohoo,the king of metal slide

My fav slide players are Rod Price from Foghat and Muddy Waters but there are some many cool ones out there. Chris Rea is great, the cat that played with the old Climax Blues Band was really good, Mississippi Fred McDoweel and his steakbone will kill ya! Not repeating the great players already mentioned.

 

[Curly]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

I've taken a few stabs at playing slide, going back to Duane's day.
I think it takes commitment to learn well, like a lot of things

for tone, I like a Dunlop 215, which is a medium size Pyrex slide with heavy walls ... also fits my pinky well (are you listening, Joneser?)

I also have a bunch of small Coricidin bottles ... kinda short and thin, but it works well for picking out single notes, which you have to master to play slide well

things fell together for me a little when I started using open G - the notes seem to fall off the strings a little more naturally for me

slide players I like: Sonny Landreth, Ry Cooder, Lowell George, and all those country blues cats

 

[skh515]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

Oh so many questions in a single post.

To me one of the keys to playing slide is muting everything with my right hand, palm and/or fingers. Most of the time, every string I'm not playing is being muted.

Another one is to mute everything behind the slide. I use the third (ring) finger a la Duane Allman. To me it's more comfortible and I mute everything with my middle finger.

There are advantages to using the 2nd (****ey Betts) or 4th finger. It's easier to form bar chords with the slide on your finger. But if you can use you pinky, then it's all good.

On electrics I use GHS Boomer 11s. I normally don't make any changes to the set up. But then again, I look for guitars with high action to use for slide. It grates on my soul to raise the action on a sweet playing guitar. On acoustics and resonators I use 13s.
Decent action allows me to play open chords, like the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, Black Crows, etc.

I play slide in open D (Elmore James) and open G (Lowell George) almost exclusively.
I have played on flat strings. It works, but I think the tone is better with regular strings.

Brass is my favorite type of slide, especially on acoustics/resonators. The weight of a brass slide on low action can be problematic. So I tend to use Glass slides on electrics. I like large slide that flop around on my finger, as opposed to one that fits like a ring. This way my finger doesn't get hot and sweaty. I bend my finger inside the slide to hold it in place.

I use a pick for some songs (Dust my Broom), but I tend to fingerpick which makes right hand muting easier. I mute the three low string with my palm/thumb and use a finger per string for the top three. I use my pinky like a placeholder. I set it on the pickguard or top of the guitar so I always know where my hand is in relation to the strings. I can shift my hand up or down e.g. My thumb muting the two low strings, my index stuck between 3rd and 4th string and my middle and ring fingers on the top two strings. I know this is probably confusing, but I think muting is one of the most important aspects of playing slide guitar.

I think I answered all your question.

One last thing, I think listening to Elmore James is a must for all slide players. I believe rock slide guitar began with Elmore.

 

[rhmcfarland]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

I've gotten to where I mainly use standard tuning. Its cool once you get used to it, and you don't have to have a dedicated slide guitar.

Strings: DR 13/16/18/26/36/46

I like playing slide on Fenders more than Gibsons. Something about the scale length/fret spacing works better for me. An SG could be an exception, but I haven't had time to check it out.

I use a glass coricidin bottle, and will fold up a paper towel to keep it tight and soak up sweat.

Dunlop's Mettalic Mudslide is great if you can find one. Also, the Dunlop White Lightning is really cool, too. They are basically smooth, with some interesting harmonics when you slide across a wide space quickly.

 

[Wattage]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

I forgot I tune DGDGBD most of the time. I just do it on the fly. I have a few tunes I play that way anyhow.

How did I forget Elmore? Pete Wells from Rose Tattoo is a killer and I recently heard a cat named Eric Sardinas and wow he has got it going on!

 

[skh515]

Re: ?'s about playing slide

Glass or Brass
- No One Slides for Free -
:banana: