# Slide Guitar Thread.



## Robert1950

I've been posting a few threads an slides and slide guitar and trying to play slide guitar. I thought I should start a thread dedicated to anything slide guitar playing - electric, acoustic, resonator, lap - what slides you use, how you use them, what strings you use, how your guitar is setup - what you are learning, what works for you, what problems you are having,... anything slide.

I hand tried several times in the past number of years, rather feebly I might add, before I finally hit on in the last 6-8 weeks. I'm still in kindergarten here, but I am slowly moving forward. I have a dedicated guitar for LEARNING - my $75 special, the Art & Lutherie Ami parlour guitar. I have settled on 15-56 strings and Open E tuning because the combination gives gives high enough string action and the right tension for learning in my case. I would never be able learn slide on my strat with its low actin and 9-46 strings - my fretting hand lacks the finesse and intelligence for that right now, as it is such a slow learner.

I have two slides I am working with right now and have another on order. Still experimenting with ring finger and pinky, whole finger or to the knuckle. I just watch a few YouTubes using Open E - all helpful, wearing the slide three different ways. Just a matter of finding out what works for me.


----------



## Robert1950

Here's a simple Duane Allman type lesson in Open E on an electric.


----------



## Mooh

I like flatwound strings on at least a few guitars. D'Addario Chromes are my choice on electric, not just because they're very smooth for slide but because they sound like old fashioned electric flatwounds from the '50s for every style. D'Addario Flattops (EFT16) flatwounds on the dobro most of the time, though if I don't have any on hand I'll manage with EJ16s. I use EFT16 or 17 on the Weissenborn copy as well, tuned to open F (CFCFAC) because it's always on the verge of collapsing because it doesn't handle string tension well. Chromes in open G on the electric lapsteel.

Slides? You name it I have it...or have had it. These days I prefer ceramic but use glass/pyrex and sometimes brass. A shubb chromed steel for lap style, but I have the notion to get a potter I know to make me a ceramic one.

Finger? Mostly third finger a la Derek Trucks, but once in a while pinky.

Tunings? Standard if it's just a cover band solo, open G and the aforementioned open F. Rarely open D.

Set-up? Fairly low as slide goes, so I have to be careful, but slightly higher on some acoustics.

Influences? Derek Trucks, Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Page, Leo Kottke, David Lindley, Lowell George.


----------



## cbg1

you may find the combination of open E and that string gauge combination a bit heavy for that guitar. i realize open E puts the slide right where the bar chords go, but open D might be a better tuning for those strings and the life of the guitar.


----------



## Robert1950

cbg1 said:


> you may find the combination of open E and that string gauge combination a bit heavy for that guitar. i realize open E puts the slide right where the bar chords go, but open D might be a better tuning for those strings and the life of the guitar.


This works better for learning slide in my case. I really don't care about the life of the strings and the guitar only cost me $75. I had it tuned to open D for about 6 weeks, but the current setup works better right now.


----------



## Bastille day

Not qualified to speak about slide guitar but I do remember this song "Jackie Blue" by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils which features the guitarist using a metal slide throughout the song. There is a tab of the solo somewhere online, I made a few attempts a few years ago. Not sure how to post a video, this link may take you there.

the ozark mountain daredevils jackie blue - Bing


----------



## Lola

Thank you Robert for starting this. I just recently have taken an interest in playing with a slide!


----------



## zontar

I'm still learning it--have been at it off & on for a few years--after I designated one of my guitars for slide--and set it up that way (And put in good pickups too)
I'm got a book & CD by Bob Brozman--quite helpful--especially since it is for open G--which is my preference--but there are lots of resources out there for various tunings--both dedicated to one and ones that feature different ones.

Enjoy!






And of course there is my acquisition post Christmas when I was gifted with a Blues Box...


----------



## Scotty

Awesome thread, thanks for starting it Robert


----------



## GuitarPix

I've been playing bad slide guitar for probably 8 years - occasionally. I should dedicate a month solid to it just to really get it down but that hasn't happened yet. 

I have a variety of slides - 3 glass, 2 brass and a chrome one. I love the sound of brass but haven't been able to find one that actually fits my pinky finger - although I have a pair of them I bought on eBay. My pinky needs a 20mm inside diameter slide - I've only found those in glass. My current brass ones are for my third finger but I'm trying to just play using pinky.

I've learned standard and open tuning playing, open G is what I use most when not in standard tuning. I try put some slide playing in when performing with the band - but I tend to mash down too much on the slide when performing, although it 'sounds great at home' 

Started working on the Sonny Landreth alternating slide and finger runs - gah. 

This is an example of my sloppy acoustic slide playing

__
https://soundcloud.com/https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fhardwirespeers%2Frabbit-run


----------



## Robert1950

I still can't coordinate my thumb and fingers on my picking hand. At my age, I wonder if I ever will.


----------



## zontar

GuitarPix said:


> This is an example of my sloppy acoustic slide playing
> 
> __
> https://soundcloud.com/https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fhardwirespeers%2Frabbit-run


Sounds better than anything I've played--mien is mostly the rhythm parts--with some imprecision...


----------



## bluebayou

I have been playing the Ventilator Blues (Rolling Stones) riff using a slide. I found a tab in standard tuning. There is a small bend (blues curl??) that I converted to a brief 2 fret slide. 
I use my slide, a custom made one frm Daddy Slide in Germany, on my pinky. I find it more comfortable and it is easier for me to chord also. I don't like a lose slide so I use the foam from one of thos foam paint brushes. When it eventually disintegrates its easy to replace. Nothing else works so comfortably.


----------



## Macki

I have been playing slide for about 3 years now. Not great at it but I sure love playing when I can. I would love to devote more time to slide. I use my pinky finger for the slide - feels the most natural for me. For slides - I have different ones - brass, ceramic, pill bottle and two silica slide. I really like my silica slides as I have a bent pinky so its hard to find a slide that fits properly. The silica slide has a taper in the middle so its sits nice and snug on my finger. Strings - I quite liked the d'addario balanced tension in 52s though I just change to EB Cobalts in 54. For a guitar - I needed an excuse to build another guitar so I figured I should build a dedicated slide guitar. Made it from a Dean Cadillac template. Made the neck quite thick and almost flat in the middle as I find my thumb sits there more that when I play without a slide. Brought the action up too... Favorite tuning is open E

Fave players - Derek Trucks, Duane Allman, Luther Dickinson

A big push for me in learning the slide was taking the Andy Aledort Truefire course. It was pretty hard for me but I kept at it. Now going to try the Sonny Landreth course.

GuitarPix - that was some great playing!

I did a recording of a slide song from Jeff McErlain's solo blues course but added some drums. Its a bit sloppy but I really like the melody. Its the "Big Slide" song in the list

ReverbNation


----------



## Robert1950

Doing slide on the A&L Ami is driving me nuts - I just can't work with the 12 fret no cutaway. I think I will pick up a cheap used solid body electric with a stop tail and tune-o-matic bridge. Easy to raise the action and put heavy gauge strings on. Will see how it goes on that. In future I would consider a 14 fret resonator with cutaway if I make the progress on the electric.


----------



## JethroTech

I too having been playing a ton of slide lately. Not only am I new to slide, but open tunings as well. I mainly play in open G simply because the used Dobro I got off Kijiji was tuned to open G when I bought it. I wish I was kidding. I mean, why bother learning other tunings when your guitar is already tuned to G?  

I play with a full-finger metal slide on my pinky. I was using my ring finger at first but find it easier to chord with the slide "out of the way" on the end of my hand. The trickiest part I'm finding is getting used to wearing a thumb pick and metal finger picks. It's been fairly clunky in that department but I feel like things are coming along. 

For guitars I use the aforementioned brass-body Dobro but over the holidays caved hard (real hard) and picked up a National 14-fret Style O. I'm not sure what the plan is for the Dobro now that the National is here, but in the meantime I'll probably tune one to open G and experiment with an alternate open tuning on the other.

Great thread, BTW, Robert. Thanks for starting this.


----------



## JethroTech

Delete double post.


----------



## colchar

Great idea for a thread!

I have farted around with slide here and there but really need to get serious about it. But I keep saying that......

I have arthritis in my fingers so playing slide makes it possible to play without pain. If my fingers ever get so bad that I cannot play normally then I can keep playing slide. It doesn't hurt that I _love_ the sound of slide guitar. I often think that I could be perfectly happy playing nothing but slide. I am about to start normal lessons with a new teacher because there is a bunch of stuff I want to work on but I have also considered just taking slide lessons. Apparently my new teacher plays slide so we can work our way up to that. I really need to learn some theory and to learn the fretboard better as both of those will help with slide playing - the fretboard for knowing where notes are and the theory for being able to transpose stuff from standard tuning to an open tuning. I heard a version of _Amazing Grace_ done with a slide and it sounded fantastic, but I have no idea how to transpose the notes to open tunings so that I can play it too. I really need to learn how to do that so off to learn some theory I go.......

At the moment I am using an Epi LP Custom for slide work because it has been set up for that, but I want to grab an SG for dedicated slide playing.

I have a thick brass slide but prefer glass slides. I have a couple and prefer nice thick ones. I wear it on my ring finger, but only down to the knuckle. Forming chords with my other fingers would be easier if I wore it on my pinky, but if I am playing in open tunings that is less of an issue.

I have a couple of slide tuition books by David Hamburger, one for acoustic and one for electric. I also have a Rick Vito video and, I believe, another video done by someone else. But those videos are beyond my capabilities at the moment so I should stick to the books.

One thing that I need to search out is a website that has slide tabs on it. Those would be helpful, especially if there were some easier songs included.


----------



## colchar

Robert1950 said:


> Doing slide on the A&L Ami is driving me nuts - I just can't work with the 12 fret no cutaway. I think I will pick up a cheap used solid body electric with a stop tail and tune-o-matic bridge. Easy to raise the action and put heavy gauge strings on. Will see how it goes on that. In future I would consider a 14 fret resonator with cutaway if I make the progress on the electric.



I use an Epi Les Paul Custom which has been set up for slide (new higher nut, etc.). It works well for learning but, as I said above, I am seriously considering grabbing an SG for slide use.

I have come to the realization that I don't love Les Pauls. I was considering trading my ebony Trad for a Gold Top but think I should probably sell it and buy an SG. I'd love to find a Derek Trucks SG at a decent price, if not then a '61 Reissue. Or maybe a 2012 or 2013 Standard (those are the small pick guard versions, which I prefer over the full pick guard SGs).

Maybe you should look into an SG too? Even an Epi G-400 would work and those can be found nice and cheap.


----------



## epi 'sildo

zontar said:


> And of course there is my acquisition post Christmas when I was gifted with a Blues Box...


hi all! i've been lurking and when i saw this i had to join. last christmas i got one of these two. i got a whole new disease now. hmmm...was going to post a few pics of some cbg builds but first i got to figure out how...

the gift and to the right the first cbg build...


the second build...


----------



## zontar

epi 'sildo said:


> hi all! i've been lurking and when i saw this i had to join. last christmas i got one of these two. i got a whole new disease now. hmmm...was going to post a few pics of some cbg builds but first i got to figure out how...
> 
> the gift and to the right the first cbg build...
> 
> 
> the second build...


I have considered building one or something like it...
Although here is something I've had for a number of years--my friend made it when he was in his teens I believe--and later he went to get rid of it & I rescued it.
As I have said about this before (the Baux II--and yes there was a Baux I--it no longer exists)--you don't own it--it owns you.


----------



## epi 'sildo

^ string it up and make it go!

there is something about three or four strings as opposed to six that makes slide seem a little more intuitive. tuning in fifths is my way of tuning. those thirds just throw me off. haven't used a regular guitar for slide since i got into these boxes. yep...i am owned.

edit: just an after thought. the pick up i put in that dark one is off of amazon...6 bucks. clear sound and hot as hell. around 9000 ohms if my old busted meter is right. i am putting a volume pot on it cos it overdrives my little recorder. doesn't matter how low i set the recording level. i was kind of surprised by that. i have another of them laying around and i think i'm going to shove it in a strat when i get a chance just to see...


----------



## Swervin55

So Robert. My contribution to your worthwhile thread. This is my slide evolution from the beginning. Starting on the left, your consummate Dunlop large glass slide. Tried it on my ring finger with little success so figuring it must the arrow, not the indian, I opted for a Blues Bottle. Should be better, right? Nope. That didn't seem to work for me either. On to a smaller slide that would fit on my pinky. Better, so I thought I would try a brass one (just to the right). Then thinking, wouldn't it be great if I could bend my pinky at the knuckle to better follow the fretboard radius? Thus I would attempt the two midgets in the middle. I bought the funny looking one at NAMM in '06. Big mistake. Too little coverage. However, I had my best success with the Dunlop glass slide 3rd from the right. It fits just above my knuckle on my pinky and seems to work best for me. So much so that I made matching brass and steel ones for more varied tones (farthest right) about 10 years ago and that's where I've stayed. It's most certainly a personal thing. Hope your journey isn't as long as mine was.


----------



## epi 'sildo

it most definitely isn't the arrow. in the end you'll find yourself using beer bottles, glasses, whatever, to some kind of good effect. kind of like what someone somewhere said about searching for tone and buying a gazillion guitars. just get to know the one you got and you'll learn about tone. that said i have my favorite slides and my other slides. but i doubt if any but me know the difference when i'm using them.


----------



## zontar




----------



## Mooh

Following Swervin55's good idea...

The glass slides, basic Jim Dunlops, Rockslides, Coricidin replicas (the little one is an actual travel size), Sleeman's, wine bottle. 










Jim Dunlop and Rockslide brass; Dunlop, potter, and Sir Ramic ceramic slides; no name, Dunlop, and Shubb steels.


----------



## zontar

I have three--chrome, brass & glass--the glass one came with my BluesBox


----------



## Jamdog

I just got one glass slide. Now yo figure out how to use it...


----------



## Robert1950




----------



## Robert1950

Maybe the second or third most over requested song for bar bands, but the it is not that overly hard to learn (I think). Good for practicing how to do single note leads.


----------



## colchar

Robert1950 said:


> Maybe the second or third most over requested song for bar bands, but the it is not that overly hard to learn (I think). Good for practicing how to do single note leads.



Another version from Marty:


----------



## colchar

Does anyone know of any good sources for slide tabs?


----------



## Mooh

You might try www.songsterr.com but I can't promise you anything.


----------



## Lola

Mooh said:


> You might try www.songsterr.com but I can't promise you anything.


I use songster too but some of the tabs have been wrong in the past. It's a good resource don't get me wrong!


----------



## GuitarPix

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Mooh

Lola said:


> I use songster too but some of the tabs have been wrong in the past. It's a good resource don't get me wrong!


Which is why I said, "I can't promise you anything." Songsterr is marginally better than the average tab site, which is to say, use at your own risk, slippery when wet, falling rocks, no winter maintenance, deer crossing... Wrong in the past? Wrong now, and a lot. There are good tabs there but one has to wade through a lot of sewage to get them.

Slide is notoriously poorly notated. Perhaps www.musicnotes.com or www.onlinesheetmusic.com would be better.


----------



## Lola

Mooh said:


> Which is why I said, "I can't promise you anything." Songsterr is marginally better than the average tab site, which is to say, use at your own risk, slippery when wet, falling rocks, no winter maintenance, deer crossing... Wrong in the past? Wrong now, and a lot. There are good tabs there but one has to wade through a lot of sewage to get them.
> 
> Slide is notoriously poorly notated. Perhaps www.musicnotes.com or www.onlinesheetmusic.com would be better.


What you say is absolutely 120% true. I have watched some You tube videos who get it so wrong. I always comment if there wrong and I know that they're wrong.

Sometimes I will look all of the offerings on You tube and will draw my own conclusion as to what sounds best to me. If I am doing a cover song I try really hard to stick to the original version. I might add a little flourish here or there. Just to put make it mine sort of!


----------



## colchar

I've recently decided to finally put some _real_ effort into learning slide, rather than just farting around with it as I have done in the past. So I picked up a used Epi Les Paul Custom that is currently being given a setup by my friend the tech, who will also be putting a new nut in. I previously had an Epi LPC that I used for messing around with slide (mentioned on page #2 of this thread), but I sold it. I got this most recent one for $225 so it all worked out.

One thing that I have been wondering about is how you decide which notes to play with the slide, and which to play with your fingers (assuming the tab/notation doesn't specifically state which should be played with the slide). Can you just play every note with the slide? Or is playing some with the slide, and some without, simply a personal decision based on what you think sounds best for any given song?


----------



## brucew

Robert1950 said:


> I still can't coordinate my thumb and fingers on my picking hand. At my age, I wonder if I ever will.


I feel your frustration. Been working on mine from this; gentleman was kind enough to do a 3 part tutorial, part1:





This is the end goal of the lessons:


----------



## brucew

These 2 are where I've been learning my slide songs. First one, "seems" almost painfully slow at times but I find if I sit and work through it by the end I have a good start on playing the song. Also has good lessons for some simpler skip james/fred mcdowell and rl burnside songs.
Delta Lou

This is the song I've been attempting to put the alternating thumb base to work with. 




Lot's of excellent lessons from Mr. Jeremy Lockwood on that channel as well.


----------



## DerrickT

Great thread on something I've been trying to convince myself to learn. I've got a '72ish Harmony that was pulled from a trash pile - I think it was sat on. I've repaired the top and replaced a couple braces that were broken... I'm thinking it will be a good candidate to designate as a slide guitar. Thanks for the inspiration!


----------



## DerrickT

Mississippi John and Elizabeth Cotten were my stars when I was learning to finger pick. Keep that thumb moving! Now I gotta learn to slide...


----------



## Scotty

Hey, how come some lap steel guitars are double fretted?


----------



## jayoldschool

I've got my Tele in open G now for messing around with slide. I'm terrible.


----------



## brucew

jayoldschool said:


> I've got my Tele in open G now for messing around with slide. .


Rollin and tumblin. Fifth fret, seventh and third, figure a turnaround bottom 3 frets 4th and 5th strings and bobs your uncle. 

Wish I was computer literate enough to post a vid, or even know how, haha. 

Oh, and DerrickT, When I lay my burden down's in open D (dminor is where skip james lives.  ) Hope that saves you some time.


----------



## Morkolo

I've been trying Greg Koch's method lately. He says he presses down with the slide to help with pitch issues. He starts talking about slide 27 minutes in the video. It's really helped with my intonation because I don't practice slide enough to be competent.


----------



## DrumBob

I've been playing slide for years, as I got into old Delta blues as a youngster, and was a fan of Duane Allman and later Ron Wood. Starting out tuned to E is a good idea, and then, try other tunings. I've been using open A for electric and open G for acoustic lately. I can't play pretty slide guitar like George Harrison did no matter how hard I try, and I can't play slide in standard tuning. It has to be an open tuning. I'm shocked at the number of guitarists I know and work with who can't play slide at all. I call my style of slide playing, "slash & burn." Think Hound Dog Taylor and Elmore James.

I don't play slide on standard low action guitars, because I hit the strings hard, so I have quite a few dedicated slide guitars with high action, including a '58 Supro Belmont, three 60s Japanese electrics (which are almost perfect for my needs, because they sound so dirty with OD added), plus a Guitar Fetish Slick SL-59 with one P90 (it looks like an old Melody Maker). Lately, I've been using my '95 MIJ Candy Apple Red Strat, which is working out nicely. On the acoustic side, I have a 1929 National Triloian, a 50's wood body Regal, and a Hohner Triolian knockoff. (Edit: that I have since sold).

When playing clean on electric, I usually add some compression, which gives me that Lowell George vibe. I have many slides; brass, steel and glass. I have never found a ceramic slide that fits my finger nicely, but I'm sure they're out there.


----------



## fogdart

My favourite guitarist...


----------



## mawmow

Great subject ! Got the vibe while exploring good ol acoustic blues from the early Delta masters.

I then got an original used Dobro Hound Dog... 0,016 strings and bowed neck ! Neck unfortunately too thin. I now
have a Hot Rod tricone (nut width 1 3/4 in., strings gauge 0,013) in Open D and an all mahogany Alvarez AP66 parlor with quite high action for fingerstyle (1 3/4" nut width and 0,012 strings gauge) in Open G. Tried many types of bottlenecks and slides, adjusting some with band-aid inside to fit perfectly and avoid slipping from my crooked pinky.

Meanwhile threw an eye on Rory Block's DVDs of Robert Johnson's repertoire... steep mountain to climb ! 
Read books and methods (Stefan Grossman's Country Blues has bottleneck section) and got DVD's of Fred Sokolow and late Bob Brozman and some Keni Lee Burgess. John Hammond Jr is also great.

The problem is, adding my recent beginning of Celtic tunes in diverse alternate tuning, I miss time to practise and become fluent... There is so much to discover !!!
So I decide to take kind of a break and began private lessons. Yes, I did ! "At last !" said my wife !


----------



## colchar

fogdart said:


> My favourite guitarist...



I came back to this thread to post something else and watched that video for the first time. I really like his playing and will have to check out the band now, so thank you for posting that. And he's a fellow Canuck!!!


----------



## fogdart

colchar said:


> I came back to this thread to post something else and watched that video for the first time. I really like his playing and will have to check out the band now, so thank you for posting that. And he's a fellow Canuck!!!


He’s absolutely the best of the best. His album cuts are pretty pop/radio friendly but when you see him live it’ll blow your mind. Absolutely stunning guitar playing and vocals. But the song writing is equally as impressive.

He’s currently touring Ontario. Go check out a show!


----------



## colchar

While I've kept saying that I have to get my ass in gear and get serious about learning slide, I've kept putting it off. Today I bought the Andy Aledort slide course online (Trufire, if I remember correctly). I also bought a slide guitar course on Udemy.com, and hopefully the two together will give me everything I need.

I don't want to fully convert any of my guitars right now so I bought one of those nut extenders, which will allow me to alter a guitar for slide without having to replace the nut just yet. I think I'll throw it on my Tele, put some thicker strings on, and then adjust the saddles to give me nice flat action.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that I could be perfectly happy playing nothing but slide for the rest of my life so it is about time that I took my finger out of my pie hole and actually got going on this.


----------



## Jim9guitars

I was drawn in by hearing great dobro slide music, Jerry Douglas mainly and looked into getting a "square neck" resonator guitar last year. these are set up for slide only and you can get "round neck" resonator guitars for both fretting and slide. My problem is cost and availability, mainly. In the meantime I dug out an old lap steel I built years ago and put dobro strings on it. The tuning of choice for dobro/resonator players is GBDGBD so I adopted that and got to work. Players use a heavy bar rather than a bottleneck so I got one of those and now I'm just starting to feel comfortable with it. I added legs to it and use a volume pedal for volume swells. I use it in 4 or 5 songs with my band so far. The biggest problem so far is getting a full sounding minor chord. The books I have say to use the fingers that aren't holding the bar to pull one or more of the strings into pitch for the desired chord. I'm not there yet, but I can get a partial chord that doesn't sound terrible. I have some pics of my build, these are fairly simple overall. The first pic is the original build, the second is after a adding legs and a paint job.


----------



## eric_b

.


----------



## Doug Gifford

Hello. I'm new here. A few years ago I developed the "fireslide" which is a Bic lighter sawed off and filled with lead. By holding it under my index finger, I can also fret above it. Here's a demo: http://jazzagejazz.ca/fireslide/movies/fireslide_SGR-190606.mov

and a website here: fireslide.ca

I think it's a pretty powerful musical tool -- more so than a hollow slide. Any thoughts?


----------



## colchar

Good on you for developing something, but I far prefer the material, sound, and method of a traditional slide.


----------



## Doug Gifford

As is your right. I've tried both…


----------



## zontar

6 Guitarists Who Play Bottleneck Style in Fresh and Unexpected Ways


----------



## colchar

I decided to give this thread a bit of a bump.

The arthritis in my fretting hand has become bad (I can't even twist the cap off of a new bottle of water with my left hand without it hurting like hell), so I am pretty much giving up on regular guitar and am switching to playing slide only (I am also considering starting drum lessons as two drum teachers have told me that it shouldn't bother my fingers unless I get into really up tempo stuff like bebop jazz).

There is a slide player named Dan Walsh who posts videos on youtube that I think are quite good (link below). I've spoken to him and we've arranged for me to start lessons with him in early January, which I am really looking forward to. If I develop any kind of skill, I will have all of my guitars converted for slide playing just like my cheap ass SG Special (taller nut, thicker strings).

Here is Dan's youtube page:



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClnpgJJdxDVINHKmVezjTkQ


----------



## Doug Gifford

Best luck with the drums. I bought a nice snare at a good price some years ago and set it up specifically for brushes: Fibreskin head (Ambassador® Fiberskyn®) and 
Pearl D-type snare (Ultra-Sound Snare Wires | Pearl Drum).

Playing with brushes is a lot like playing with your hands, which comes naturally to me.


----------



## cboutilier

I played slide on both of these tracks:








Teenage Zombie, by Roadside Scarecrow


from the album Old Ghosts of Wolf Country




roadsidescarecrow1.bandcamp.com












She Died..., by Roadside Scarecrow


from the album Old Ghosts of Wolf Country




roadsidescarecrow1.bandcamp.com





Both HH Thinline Telecasters and a chrome slide.


----------



## Jim9guitars

As another candidate for early signs of arthritis I have been getting into bottleneck slide since the first "lockdown". I have even reluctantly started exploring other tunings, open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D) and open G (D-G-D-G-B-D). I have a few solid body electrics floating around here so I keep them tuned and ready to go. It took a few months to get past the feeling I was writing with a hammer and chisel (so to speak) but it's getting easier and more fun. I also play in standard tuning. After gleaning some useful info from youtubers I got some formal teaching materials from books with online audio and video lessons from sites like Truefire. My favorite books with audio are "Fretboard Roadmaps Slide Guitar" (Fred Sokolow) and "Delta Blues Slide Guitar" (Levi Clay). I originally started with the slide on my third finger but have since become more comfortable with it on the 4th finger and as most obsessions go, I now have a diverse collection of slides, 3 glass of various diameters and thicknesses, one silver(nickel?) and 2 brass, one conventional and one a fairly costly, unconventional but very functional "Rockslide". No one slide has emerged as a favorite yet, as it turns out I have been just grabbing whatever one is handy at the moment and now feel fairly comfortable with all of them.


----------



## SWLABR

Great thread topic. I've been hanging around here a few years but hadn't seen this one. Good on 'ya whoever gave it a bump! 

I learned a very long time ago I would not be EVH, so I focused a lot on slide playing. My biggest inspiration is Duane, and to my (crappy slide playing) friends, I am leagues above them. Ha, ha... 
But I am no where near where I want to be. Duane's playing was so vocal. As much as Hendrix then Eddie turned playing on it's head, and changed the traditional arc of development, I feel Duane did the same for slide. Clapton's slide playing, Page, even guys like Taj Mahal. They all took the Robert Johnson, Elmore James stuff and moved it forward. Duane pushed it years ahead with 1 album. I have not been as diligent as I used to be, but I love playing. I was in an acoustic duo for a long time. I would bringing my resonator to gigs to change songs. I would figure out horns, or piano, and other instruments to fill the song with the melody using slide. The reso has a huge neck, so I could comfortably tune to open E (my personal favorite) but I'd use G a lot too. When I play electric, it is almost always E (Duane). I have an old Vantage double cut-away set neck. If I need an E, and a G, I bring a Tele for the G tuning. 
As for my slides. I've tried almost all of them. I am a pinky player, so I prefer a smaller one. I use high polished chrome if I want metal, or a homemade one from a wine bottle if I want glass. I sometimes buy a wine at the LCBO specifically if I think it would make a good slide. (getting harder with all the screw caps makers are going with). I have a tapered acrylic one a friend brought back from NYC that I rarely use outside of the house, cause I ain't getting to New York anytime soon to replace it. 

Again, great thread. I will drop in on this one often!


----------



## cboutilier

SWLABR said:


> Great thread topic. I've been hanging around here a few years but hadn't seen this one. Good on 'ya whoever gave it a bump!
> 
> I learned a very long time ago I would not be EVH, so I focused a lot on slide playing. My biggest inspiration is Duane, and to my (crappy slide playing) friends, I am leagues above them. Ha, ha...
> But I am no where near where I want to be. Duane's playing was so vocal. As much as Hendrix then Eddie turned playing on it's head, and changed the traditional arc of development, I feel Duane did the same for slide. Clapton's slide playing, Page, even guys like Taj Mahal. They all took the Robert Johnson, Elmore James stuff and moved it forward. Duane pushed it years ahead with 1 album. I have not been as diligent as I used to be, but I love playing. I was in an acoustic duo for a long time. I would bringing my resonator to gigs to change songs. I would figure out horns, or piano, and other instruments to fill the song with the melody using slide. The reso has a huge neck, so I could comfortably tune to open E (my personal favorite) but I'd use G a lot too. When I play electric, it is almost always E (Duane). I have an old Vantage double cut-away set neck. If I need an E, and a G, I bring a Tele for the G tuning.
> As for my slides. I've tried almost all of them. I am a pinky player, so I prefer a smaller one. I use high polished chrome if I want metal, or a homemade one from a wine bottle if I want glass. I sometimes buy a wine at the LCBO specifically if I think it would make a good slide. (getting harder with all the screw caps makers are going with). I have a tapered acrylic one a friend brought back from NYC that I rarely use outside of the house, cause I ain't getting to New York anytime soon to replace it.
> 
> Again, great thread. I will drop in on this one often!


It is amazing how new to slide playing he was. I've been playing slide longer than him...


----------



## SWLABR

cboutilier said:


> It is amazing how new to slide playing he was. I've been playing slide longer than him...


It really is. 

I wonder... if he didn't feel under the weather, and Greg didn't show up with a copy of a Taj Mahal record and a bottle of Coricidin if he'd even attempt slide. I was in the Southern US a few years ago. I went into a no name pharmacy to look for Corididin. Of course, they had switched to plastic.


----------



## Kerry Brown

I’ve dabbled slide for a while. Lately I’ve been playing slide more and more. I’ve been experimenting with open Am (E A E A C E). It is awesome for blues. I also play lead in standard tuning.


----------



## cboutilier

SWLABR said:


> It really is.
> 
> I wonder... if he didn't feel under the weather, and Greg didn't show up with a copy of a Taj Mahal record and a bottle of Coricidin if he'd even attempt slide. I was in the Southern US a few years ago. I went into a no name pharmacy to look for Corididin. Of course, they had switched to plastic.


Dunlop sells a replica, as a Derek Trucks signature.



Kerry Brown said:


> I’ve dabbled slide for a while. Lately I’ve been playing slide more and more. I’ve been experimenting with open Am (E A E A C E). It is awesome for blues. I also play lead in standard tuning.


I play mostly in Open E or Standard on Electric, but drop down to Open E Minor for a few songs. I play Open G or Open E on my Dobro.


----------



## colchar

So I started my slide lessons last week, and I am glad that I did. 

We did a couple of licks the first week, and I have fumbled with them since then. Today we did some of "Dust my Broom". Even though I am fumbling and stumbling, and generally sound like shit, I am loving it. Actually, Dadn said during the first lesson that my technique was further ahead than he had thought it would be so that gives me some hope. I guess the best way to describe it is that I could make sounds with a slide, and am now learning to play slide.

Dan is a good guy, is personable, and I like his teaching style. He explains things well, and is very patient (even when trying to work out technical problems with the video software!!!). He is also a hell of a slide player. 

He is trying to get me to switch to using my pinky, but I am really struggling with that so right now I am mostly ring finger with some practice time on my pinky. He also advised me to grab a compressor pedal, so I bought a used MXR Dyna-Comp from my local L&M. My amp has reverb and tremelo, so I will put together a small pedalboard with the Dyna-Comp, my Boss Blues Driver, another overdrive for a different flavour, and a delay pedal. That simple setup should do me nicely through my AC30.


----------



## SWLABR

colchar said:


> So I started my slide lessons last week, and I am glad that I did.
> 
> ...He is trying to get me to switch to using my pinky, but I am really struggling with that so right now I am mostly ring finger with some practice time on my pinky.


Do it!!! Make the switch. It enabled me (at least) to do a lot more _away_ from the slide, but still wearing it. Better muting. And, some really advanced stuff, like fretting behind the slide!!! That's a tough one that I work at the most. I can do simple stuff, but there are guys out there who are so seamless, and fast. Kirk Lorange is great at it. So is this guy. Cam McInnis. I know all three of these dudes. Cam is one of my greatest "leaps & bounds" inspiration players. I've been lucky to see him live so many times to watch his hands and pick his brain. He is truly phenomenal! He is also the main reason I ditched the pick for slide and use my fingers. (and the I guy previously mentioned who got me that acrylic slide in NYC)


----------



## Kerry Brown

I'm finding with slide that the guitar, the way it sounds is far more important than normal. If the sound is off it is almost impossible to get into slide. Only two of my guitars hit that spot. Playing slide on them seems easier. Some of my other guitars I give up after a few seconds. It is not something I can put a finger on. The only common thing between the two I like are thicker strings. One has 11's the other 12's. They are both electric but the setup is quite different. One I setup for slide with a higher action. The other the action is normal. I think it is more to do with how they sound.


----------



## colchar

Kerry Brown said:


> I'm finding with slide that the guitar, the way it sounds is far more important than normal. If the sound is off it is almost impossible to get into slide. Only two of my guitars hit that spot. Playing slide on them seems easier. Some of my other guitars I give up after a few seconds. It is not something I can put a finger on. The only common thing between the two I like are thicker strings. One has 11's the other 12's. They are both electric but the setup is quite different. One I setup for slide with a higher action. The other the action is normal. I think it is more to do with how they sound.



I am just using a cheap Gibson SG Special that I picked up from my local L&M. It doesn't necessarily sound great, but it sounds good enough to learn on.

The thing was a mutt, and came into the store in shit shape. Their tech is a friend of mine and he had held onto it for two years, planning to customize or hot rod it for himself but never getting around to it. When I mentioned that I was looking for a cheap Epi SG for learning slide he handed me the Special and said I could have it. He put a taller nut on it for me, and set it up for slide with higher action and thicker strings. The best part is that it was only $399 and came with a Gibson case. I will grab a '61 Reissue SG, or a 2013 Standard, as soon as one becomes available at a good price. When I do, I had planned to sell the Special on but I think I might have it converted to P90s.

If I develop any proficiency I will have my Tele and Gretsch converted for slide as well.


----------



## colchar

colchar said:


> So I started my slide lessons last week, and I am glad that I did.
> 
> We did a couple of licks the first week, and I have fumbled with them since then. Today we did some of "Dust my Broom". Even though I am fumbling and stumbling, and generally sound like shit, I am loving it. Actually, Dadn said during the first lesson that my technique was further ahead than he had thought it would be so that gives me some hope. I guess the best way to describe it is that I could make sounds with a slide, and am now learning to play slide.
> 
> Dan is a good guy, is personable, and I like his teaching style. He explains things well, and is very patient (even when trying to work out technical problems with the video software!!!). He is also a hell of a slide player.
> 
> He is trying to get me to switch to using my pinky, but I am really struggling with that so right now I am mostly ring finger with some practice time on my pinky. He also advised me to grab a compressor pedal, so I bought a used MXR Dyna-Comp from my local L&M. My amp has reverb and tremelo, so I will put together a small pedalboard with the Dyna-Comp, my Boss Blues Driver, another overdrive for a different flavour, and a delay pedal. That simple setup should do me nicely through my AC30.



This brings to mind another question - can anyone recommend an inexpensive overdrive pedal (not Tube Screamer based) that would work well for slide and would sound good with an AC30? As mentioned above, I have the Blues Driver and I just want to add another flavour.


----------



## ping-ping

Swervin55 said:


> So Robert. My contribution to your worthwhile thread. This is my slide evolution from the beginning. Starting on the left, your consummate Dunlop large glass slide. Tried it on my ring finger with little success so figuring it must the arrow, not the indian, I opted for a Blues Bottle. Should be better, right? Nope. That didn't seem to work for me either. On to a smaller slide that would fit on my pinky. Better, so I thought I would try a brass one (just to the right). Then thinking, wouldn't it be great if I could bend my pinky at the knuckle to better follow the fretboard radius? Thus I would attempt the two midgets in the middle. I bought the funny looking one at NAMM in '06. Big mistake. Too little coverage. However, I had my best success with the Dunlop glass slide 3rd from the right. It fits just above my knuckle on my pinky and seems to work best for me. So much so that I made matching brass and steel ones for more varied tones (farthest right) about 10 years ago and that's where I've stayed. It's most certainly a personal thing. Hope your journey isn't as long as mine was.
> 
> View attachment 50225


oh, man you've got all your finger and a thumb covered, that's a snappy collection


----------



## ping-ping

colchar said:


> This brings to mind another question - can anyone recommend an inexpensive overdrive pedal (not Tube Screamer based) that would work well for slide and would sound good with an AC30? As mentioned above, I have the Blues Driver and I just want to add another flavour.


I have tried my dirt boxes and one that work for me is the T C Electronic Mojo Mojo and it's cheap.


----------

