Slide guitar...
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Re: Slide guitar...
I just picked up a slide about a month ago. I'm using a simple glass one, but they also come in metal. Be sure to get the right thickness, because it can affect your tone depending on how you like to play. Also the correct size is important--nothing sucks worse than having a slide stuck on your finger.
As for playing with a slide, always apply light pressure to the strings with the slide; it acts like a movable fret and it can press the strings down and give you fret buzz. If you're going to set your guitar up for sliding, it's good to raise the action of the strings significantly. Additionally, open tunings are often used in slide gutiar playing. When you have an open tuning, you get a chord when you strike all of the strings open. When you use the slide, you change the key of this chord as you move along the fretboard. I suggest open D Major tuning. This sounds really great. If you would prefer not to retune your guitar, however, you may want to use a shorter slide to use on only some of the strings that sound good with one another, like the E, B, and G strings.
Be sure to place the slide right on top of where the fret is when you use the slide. Don't place it behind the fret as though you were using your fingers to fret the strings. Lastly, you can move the slide out as far as you want--even past the neck into the 28th-or-so fret zone. Pink Floyd has done this before and sounded amazing: check out "Shine on you Crazy Diamond." If you do this, don't move the slide past your pickup, or it won't work. The main point is, just mess around with the slide till it sounds right.
Hope all this helps!
I just picked up a slide about a month ago. I'm using a simple glass one, but they also come in metal. Be sure to get the right thickness, because it can affect your tone depending on how you like to play. Also the correct size is important--nothing sucks worse than having a slide stuck on your finger.
As for playing with a slide, always apply light pressure to the strings with the slide; it acts like a movable fret and it can press the strings down and give you fret buzz. If you're going to set your guitar up for sliding, it's good to raise the action of the strings significantly. Additionally, open tunings are often used in slide gutiar playing. When you have an open tuning, you get a chord when you strike all of the strings open. When you use the slide, you change the key of this chord as you move along the fretboard. I suggest open D Major tuning. This sounds really great. If you would prefer not to retune your guitar, however, you may want to use a shorter slide to use on only some of the strings that sound good with one another, like the E, B, and G strings.
Be sure to place the slide right on top of where the fret is when you use the slide. Don't place it behind the fret as though you were using your fingers to fret the strings. Lastly, you can move the slide out as far as you want--even past the neck into the 28th-or-so fret zone. Pink Floyd has done this before and sounded amazing: check out "Shine on you Crazy Diamond." If you do this, don't move the slide past your pickup, or it won't work. The main point is, just mess around with the slide till it sounds right.
Hope all this helps!
Bludave
New member
Re: Slide guitar...
I play a lot of slide, and consider myself a fair slide player. Here is what I would recommend.
GUITAR SETUP
Raise the action high enough to wear it is comfortable to fret and place the slide without bouncing the slide off the frets. I also like to have a new nut cut so I can raise the strings up a little at the nut.
TUNINGS
Most slide is played in open G, open D, or dropped D (some players do play in standard)
Open G: (6) D (5) G (4) D (3) G (2) B (1) D: The triad od a G chord is on the first 3 strings.
Open D : (6) D (5) A (4) D (3) F# (2) A (1) D: The triad for the D tuning is on strings 2 ,3, and 4.
MUTING
In my opinion muting the unwanted strings is one of the largest challanges to master playing slide. I wear my slide on my ring finger, this allows me to use my middle and index finger behind the slide to mute the strings very effectivley. Muting with the right hand is the real key. I finger pick when I play slide, and the way I pick is I use 3 fingers Thumb, Inde, Middle. My index finger does most of the picking and I place my thumb and middle finger on the strings on either side of the string I have picked to mute them. This allows me to slide up and down the neck and yet only get the sound from one string. There are times that you want to slide into a whole chord, when I want to do this I strum all 6 strings with my thumb and mute very lightly with my index and middle finger behind the slide to get the desired effect.
Learning to play in other tunings is like learning to speak a different language. All the chord shapes the you use now don't really work any more so be patient and practice a lot. Once you get the hang of it you will have a lot of fun with it.
TEACHERS
Finding a good teacher can be challanging. I was fortunate that I had a local guy who happens to be one of the most amazing finger style players I know. I took 4 lessons from Howard and he changed so much in my approach in regards to right hand tecnique.
Investigate your teacher to make sure he will teach what you want to know and what you need to know. Go hear him play and make certain he id the right teaher for you. Good Luck and keep on sliding
I play a lot of slide, and consider myself a fair slide player. Here is what I would recommend.
GUITAR SETUP
Raise the action high enough to wear it is comfortable to fret and place the slide without bouncing the slide off the frets. I also like to have a new nut cut so I can raise the strings up a little at the nut.
TUNINGS
Most slide is played in open G, open D, or dropped D (some players do play in standard)
Open G: (6) D (5) G (4) D (3) G (2) B (1) D: The triad od a G chord is on the first 3 strings.
Open D : (6) D (5) A (4) D (3) F# (2) A (1) D: The triad for the D tuning is on strings 2 ,3, and 4.
MUTING
In my opinion muting the unwanted strings is one of the largest challanges to master playing slide. I wear my slide on my ring finger, this allows me to use my middle and index finger behind the slide to mute the strings very effectivley. Muting with the right hand is the real key. I finger pick when I play slide, and the way I pick is I use 3 fingers Thumb, Inde, Middle. My index finger does most of the picking and I place my thumb and middle finger on the strings on either side of the string I have picked to mute them. This allows me to slide up and down the neck and yet only get the sound from one string. There are times that you want to slide into a whole chord, when I want to do this I strum all 6 strings with my thumb and mute very lightly with my index and middle finger behind the slide to get the desired effect.
Learning to play in other tunings is like learning to speak a different language. All the chord shapes the you use now don't really work any more so be patient and practice a lot. Once you get the hang of it you will have a lot of fun with it.
TEACHERS
Finding a good teacher can be challanging. I was fortunate that I had a local guy who happens to be one of the most amazing finger style players I know. I took 4 lessons from Howard and he changed so much in my approach in regards to right hand tecnique.
Investigate your teacher to make sure he will teach what you want to know and what you need to know. Go hear him play and make certain he id the right teaher for you. Good Luck and keep on sliding
Wattage
High Voltologist
Re: Slide guitar...
Excellent tips. Personal preference is glass, I like the Dunlop 218, fairly short and thick, it can really sing and it is very easy to control. Also try a Big Heart aluminum slide, they're pretty nice to work with since they have a lot of surfaces and edges you can kind of find what works best for you.
Get the action up a bit, use 11's and listen to Rod Price and Muddy Waters.
Excellent tips. Personal preference is glass, I like the Dunlop 218, fairly short and thick, it can really sing and it is very easy to control. Also try a Big Heart aluminum slide, they're pretty nice to work with since they have a lot of surfaces and edges you can kind of find what works best for you.
Get the action up a bit, use 11's and listen to Rod Price and Muddy Waters.
Dave
New member
Re: Slide guitar...
Heavy gauge strings will also give better tone with a slide.
Check
out this guy's stuff. K. Lorange-a great slide player. Watch his right hand and that's the muting technique mentioned above.
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=20135
Heavy gauge strings will also give better tone with a slide.
Check
out this guy's stuff. K. Lorange-a great slide player. Watch his right hand and that's the muting technique mentioned above.
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=20135
Last edited:
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Slide guitar...
Listen to wattage...he has some pretty damn hot slide chops!
Wattage said:
Listen to wattage...he has some pretty damn hot slide chops!
Jeffrec
New member
Re: Slide guitar...
I used to play slide a lot years ago, but it's like riding a bike. If I were you, I'ld start by using open tuning and just mess around with the slide to get a feel for it. You'll always be hitting a chord and it'll sound good. Listen to Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, but don't be intimidated, just get a feel for the music. Find some old Mississippi Fred MacDowell records. He was a great slide player and the stuff isn't that hard to pick up.
If you have specific questions, PM me and I'll see if I can help you out.
Jeff
I used to play slide a lot years ago, but it's like riding a bike. If I were you, I'ld start by using open tuning and just mess around with the slide to get a feel for it. You'll always be hitting a chord and it'll sound good. Listen to Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, but don't be intimidated, just get a feel for the music. Find some old Mississippi Fred MacDowell records. He was a great slide player and the stuff isn't that hard to pick up.
If you have specific questions, PM me and I'll see if I can help you out.
Jeff
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