Slide playing

[Leon]

I blame my dad for getting me into this, but it's happening. I'm trying to learn slide.

So far, I've got my acoustic setup in Open G, and have been doing most of my noodling there. I'm still deciding which finger I like the slide on (leaning towards middle, but thinking of trying pinky for a while), and I think I'll be picking up a few slides to try out (I've got a beer-bottle-neck slide, and a brass one).

But yeah, just starting out! Several tunes I'm already playing are actually in Open G (several ZZ Top songs in my tribute band), and I'm starting to check out some more stuff on youtube (Justin Johnson and Eric Sardinas).

[Drew]

Watching with interest. I am NOT a good slide player but I really like the sound. I understand one of the arguments for playing on your ring finger is the ability to do some fretted stuff behind the slide which always struck me as weird (and kind of hard to do with low action) but then I saew a pretty awesome clip of Ian Thornley doing some slide stuff with behind-the-slide action, and now I'm intrigued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8wP9IoAQkk

Any good resources for slide in standard tuning? The biggest problem I've been having, I think, is my phrasing gets SUPER rigid whenevert I put a slide on because it feels so unnatural, and of course slide pretty much needs to be big, bold, and beautiful to kick ass.

[d8200]

As soon as I saw this thread I was gonna mention Ian Thornley. I dig the greasy blues-rock sound of slide on an electric guitar more than on acoustics or steel guitars. He's also a master of the pinky slide style while fretting notes with the other fingers.

[Leon]

I think Warren Haynes is the only guy playing slide in Std tuning, but he learned from Allman, and both of those guys live on another planet

Also, ehh what's the guy's name... Some guy will actually do chords behind the slide, and it's wild to watch. I'm just hoping to get a cool rhythm sound without much flash at first

[Drew]

Eh, virtually all of my guitars have bridges, vintage or otherwise, that are floating, and I'm not leaving one in an open tuning. Besides, it's not like people NEVER play slide in standard tuning - off the top of my head, I want to say this was standard:

Edit - and this is actually probably a great example of why it's worth learning slide in standard - there's a lot of this that was clearly played with a slide, but there's also a LOT of conventionally fretted notes in there as well. It's a pretty interesting effect.

[pjr]

I think Joey Landreth is probably my favorite slide player right now. I got really into him maybe like 6 months ago and got all tooled up to play some slide....definitely freaken hard hahaha.

He plays Open C, has ginormous suspension bridge cable strings (from what I can tell), and you can probably drive a bus underneath his action...but he sounds aces.

[Leon]

I think Warren Haynes is the only guy playing slide in Std tuning, but he learned from Allman, and both of those guys live on another planet

Also, ehh what's the guy's name... Some guy will actually do chords behind the slide, and it's wild to watch. I'm just hoping to get a cool rhythm sound without much flash at first

Sonny Landreth is the name I was forgetting...

[Leon]

I think Joey Landreth is probably my favorite slide player right now. I got really into him maybe like 6 months ago and got all tooled up to play some slide....definitely freaken hard hahaha.

Ha, Joey is Sonny's kid, right?

[pjr]

Ha, Joey is Sonny's kid, right?

Wow, posted at the same time about the same family

[Leon]

Eh, virtually all of my guitars have bridges, vintage or otherwise, that are floating, and I'm not leaving one in an open tuning. Besides, it's not like people NEVER play slide in standard tuning - off the top of my head, I want to say this was standard:

Edit - and this is actually probably a great example of why it's worth learning slide in standard - there's a lot of this that was clearly played with a slide, but there's also a LOT of conventionally fretted notes in there as well. It's a pretty interesting effect.

I'd really like to get into slide leads in the tuning I'm accustomed to writing in (dC#), but I first need to wrap my head around the mechanics of slide, so I'm starting with a more classic slide tuning (OG). But yeah, the approach isn't entirely new to me, and really shouldn't be for anyone who's played an ounce of classic rock , but it's different enough that it's helping having the guitar in Open G.

[Drew]

Haha that does make sense.

Upside - I haven't spun "Big Sky" in a while, and man, what an awesome album.

[Dominic]

Ha, Joey is Sonny's kid, right?

No. They are distantly related, though.

[Webdood]

I have been listening to some slide stuff lately and would not mind trying it out but all of my guitars have super low action and that doesnt work the best for slide.

Rhett Shull has some good slide videos.

[Darren]

[spilla]

Ive never owned a slide that fits my fingers, ive still tried to use the one i own but i recently made plans in my head to go to a guitar store and find one that fits very soon, especially after hearing this Blake Mils song (the slide harmonic at 1.07 is other worldly)

Side note, im also looking for a vintage tube driven projector to turn into an amp! and trying to work workout what guitar to butcher into a cootercaster

[Chris]

As soon as I saw this thread I was gonna mention Ian Thornley. I dig the greasy blues-rock sound of slide on an electric guitar more than on acoustics or steel guitars. He's also a master of the pinky slide style while fretting notes with the other fingers.

Thornley is freakin' awesome at rock-based slide stuff.

[Dominic]

I think Warren Haynes is the only guy playing slide in Std tuning, but he learned from Allman, and both of those guys live on another planet

Nah. More standard: Brett Garsed. Inspired Guthrie Govan to do the same. You'll find lessons on that from Levi Clay, I'll wager. Also, Zakk Wylde and Paul Gilbert.

I'm not sure what tuning Firkins is using now he's playing real slide with an actual bottleneck, needs looking into 'cause it sounded good.

[jacksonplayer]

How has the thread gone this far without Derek Trucks being mentioned? I'm not an expert on every slide player out there at the moment, but he's the one I've heard who gets beyond blues clichés and makes amazing new music with the slide. He makes it sound like a voice, not a slide guitar. I'll confess that I haven't listened to Sonny Landreth in a long time, though.

I was really into slide when I was first learning to play and got reasonably good at it (for a beginner). It's just practice, like anything else. It's important to be good at palm muting and also being able to lift the slide at just the right time. You don't have to use really high action if you practice enough at it to get a light touch with the slide.

I preferred glass slides over brass, based on the tone. Somewhere in a box of stuff, I have my old slide. i'll have to see if I can find it.

[Iron1]

I blame my dad for getting me into this, but it's happening. I'm trying to learn slide. I'm starting to check out some more stuff on youtube (Justin Johnson and Eric Sardinas).

I could sit and watch Justin for hours. Bought a slide a year or so ago because of his vids. Actually used it on a SAW song, but certainly not well. Then, I lost the slide when we moved, so hopefully it turns up again at some point. Either way, Justin is a master with the slide.

[Leon]

I've mainly been playing in Open G, but might try a Dm/Gm after watching this.

[Leon]

How has the thread gone this far without Derek Trucks being mentioned?

...or Greg Koch? There are only so many hours in the day

[Shawn]

Really cool, Leon. I used to have one....and I’ve used lighters before. I’ve messed around with a slide here and there....I use to play Freebird all the time and of course George Thorogood’s Bad to the Bone. I wish I still had one.

[BigM555]

Just gotta throw another mention in here for Thornley. I saw him open for Satch in Toronto just as Big Wreck was breaking into the radio scene with The Oaf. I felt kinda bad for them when they walked out onto the stage. Almost the entire audience was there to see Satch and had no idea who Thornley was. Typical posture was arms crossed with a disapproving “impress me” scowl on the audiences faces. 10 minutes later Thornley had melted those faces with some of the most amazing “slide shred” any of us had ever seen. His ability to fret while playing slide riffs is mind blowing.

l’ve seen him many times since then and while he’s always impressive, I haven’t seen him thrown down with the slide quite like he did that opening night for Satch. Beyond a doubt though he’s one of the most impressive slide players I’ve ever seen.

[Leah]

Nothing to contribute other than the slide solo Mike Campbell played live for Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly" literally stood the hair up on the back of my neck when I saw them at SPAC. Probably the most beautiful guitar sound I can remember.

[Drew]

Nothing to contribute other than the slide solo Mike Campbell played live for Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly" literally stood the hair up on the back of my neck when I saw them at SPAC. Probably the most beautiful guitar sound I can remember.

Another gorgeous slide solo that I actually didn't realize was a slide solo for the longest time, was "The Mountains Win Again" by Blues Traveler, off Four. Played by, of all people, John Popper himself.

jacksonplayer - he's inhuman. We don't want to discourage anyone.