The Epic Slide Thread

[Securb]

I am wondering what you slide players use, and what finger you pit your slide on. I prefer glass but I break them all the time. They take a tumble off the amp and if there is a hard floor in the club the slide is gone. I typically use a brass slide on my pinky finger. I like being able to fret chords with the first three fingers. I don't play a lot of slide but there are a couple of songs we do that call for it.

 

[JOLLY]

I'm not a slide player by any means, but I prefer brass for my resonator, and glass for electric. I use my ring finger.

 

[GuitarStv]

Tried glass and ceramic ones, which are fine . . . but I like heavy brass slides the best. Always use my pinky because I want to be able to chord or occasionally play some single note lines.

 

[PFDarkside]

I’ve got one of these that I use on acoustic and electric. I’m horrible at slide, but at least it gives me a fighting chance.

https://www.bigheartslide.com/legacy.html

 

[ErikH]

I've got all the different materials; glass, steel, brass, porcelain. I like the porcelain followed by brass. Depending on what I'm using the slide for depends on the finger. I get better control with it on the ring finger. For a mix between chords and slide, the pinky. Ultimate control is with it on the middle finger. Slide is not a strong technique of mine but I keep working at it.

 

[Blille]

Steel, a few times brass. Middle finger. It allows me to control the slide and mute better.

 

[Securb]

I’ve got one of these that I use on acoustic and electric. I’m horrible at slide, but at least it gives me a fighting chance.

Not my strongest technique either. The reason I have slide on my mind is my bass player asked me if we could do a couple of songs with slide in them. I told him I could do it but if he is expecting Gary Rossington or Duane Allman he is going to be greatly disappointed.

 

[Mincer]

Steel, and I use my ring finger. I am not much of a slide player, since I didn't grow up listening to that stuff, but it is fun.

 

[PFDarkside]

Not my strongest technique either. The reason I have slide on my mind is my bass player asked me if we could do a couple of songs with slide in them. I told him I could do it but if he is expecting Gary Rossington or Duane Allman he is going to be greatly disappointed.

The heft of the brass gives me the best shot at getting a good tone and I heavily mute with my picking hand fingers.

 

[LLL]

I use brass. pinky or ring. You get good at it just like with anything else: with practice.

 

[Securb]

The heft of the brass gives me the best shot at getting a good tone and I heavily mute with my picking hand fingers.

Love the heft of the brass on my acoustic but my electrics are all low action so I need to manage the slide a lot more on those guitars.

 

[solspirit]

I use brass. pinky or ring.

Well. . . .

Pinky or ring?

I Think I can hear that it was pinky here.

 

[LLL]

Well. . . .

Pinky or ring?

I Think I can hear that it was pinky here.

Haha! Them's some good ears.

Honestly, I don't remember which.

 

[GuitarStv]

Love the heft of the brass on my acoustic but my electrics are all low action so I need to manage the slide a lot more on those guitars.

I have that super lightweight Johnny Winter slide that works great on the pinky and is perfect for low action light gauge strings. Only issue you might run into is that you need to have a skinny pinky finger to fit it.

 

[LLL]

It was (perhaps surprisingly) Mr. Blackmore that got me into the slide thang.

But it's more a side job for me; once in a blue moon.

 

[beaubrummels]

I use Corocidin glass on my ring finger. I think thick ceramic or bottle glass sound best to me. Brass is a famous sound but not my personal preference. I have to use glass or anything where I can see my finger tip to get it over the frets more positively. I'm not that skilled on slide at all, so how I get by is practice without a slide as if it's a one-finger solo using my ring finger, then put the slide on and watch my finger tip to put it over the frets while playing. Don't know how others do it, but that's how I get away with it.

 

[jeremy]

i have a bunch of slides in all sorts of materials and always on my ring finger. i like glass for the most part but always have a brass one with me just in case of breakage. i worked with the real bottlenecking company (rip) years ago to get the bottle that i really wanted, medium heavy real glass bottle with just the right size opening. i had four. broke two, one was stolen, and i have one left so i dont gig with it. ive been using a silica sound slide as my main slide for a while now, but i wear it with the tapered part around my finger. not perfect but close enough for now.

i play slide a fair amount and switch back and forth between slide and fretting without much thought, basically always in std tuning.

 

[playas]

Another here who is not especially gifted at slide , bit I try.

Thick glass, ring finger. I never could gel with using my pinky, and I can't stand brass in general. Not just as a slide material.

I prefer using open tunings wherever possible as it seems to avoid strange artefacts and have learned to also take advantage of damping with the right hand and as a result usually finger-pick.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Got into the habit of using it on my middle finger years ago.
It gives good control and still allows power chords / blues-rock rhythm.
I prefer fairly heavy glass but usually keep brass around too, for backup.

 

[Wattage]

I am reasonably functional

I like glass for electric and I have an aluminum on that I like for the rare acoustic slide venture

Ring finger