Home › Forums › Discuss Your Gear › Discussion on slide materials
- This topic has 18 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 7 months ago by bwade913.
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August 30, 2019 at 6:52 pm #142272
I made a video using 3 of my slides that demonstrates differences in materials and the sounds they produce.
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August 30, 2019 at 6:56 pm #142273
I got the most buzz from the glass slide because it is the lightest. The other two slides I could just lay on the string with their weight for enough pressure. With the glass slide I have to add a little pressure to avoid the buzz. So I actually prefer a slightly heavier slide.
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August 31, 2019 at 12:16 am #142285
Excellent explanation and comparison. I learned a lot. Thanks for taking the trouble to make this video. What do you think about those half length slides that some guys use? If you limited the slide work to the first 3 strings and used a short slide, would that not allow you to be more versatile with your other 3 fingers?
Sunjamr Steve
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August 31, 2019 at 3:17 am #142289
Roger
when you play slide to you have a scale or a pattern that you use for improvising? -
August 31, 2019 at 9:20 am #142300
Excellent explanation and comparison. I learned a lot. Thanks for taking the trouble to make this video. What do you think about those half length slides that some guys use? If you limited the slide work to the first 3 strings and used a short slide, would that not allow you to be more versatile with your other 3 fingers?
I have been looking at some of those. I looked at the ones that are like rings that you wear.
Truthfully you are more versatile than you realize with a regular slide though. You can fret a string behind the slide with your finger and it will duck under the slide and the note you are fretting will ring out.
Also I have been playing around with one of Brian’s Muddy Waters lessons by trying to hold the slide out of the way while using my fingers and using the slide on just a couple of parts. So far no success but it is something I toy with. One of the online instructors I learned slide from does that. But he is hyper talented.
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August 31, 2019 at 9:36 am #142301
Roger
when you play slide to you have a scale or a pattern that you use for improvising?When playing in standard tuning all scales and patterns are the same as when not using a slide. You just slide to whatever note you want instead of fretting it. But playing in standard tuning comes with a lot of needed muting skills. It’s best to finger pick in standard tuning because you use your picking hand to mute the strings around the one you are striking. Example, thumb resting on 4th string, middle finger resting on 2nd string, to mute them while you strike the 3rd string. That’s called string guarding.
Most of the time I play in open chord tunings. When in an open chord tuning muting is really optional, maybe you want each string to ring out cleanly, maybe you want the dirtier sound. It doesn’t matter if secondary strings ring out because they will all be in the same chord as the one you are playing. It’s strictly a matter of taste.
As far as scales and shapes, I am sure each alternate tuning has them but I don’t know what they are. I play in 2 or 3 different tunings every time I practice with my slide. Each one brings different common licks to the table. Though the licks CAN be interchangable…
I use mainly Open D, Open G, and Open F tunings. Open E is a very popular tuning but I worry it will crush the cone in my resonator so I never use it other than on my electric guitar. Open D and Open E tunings are E shaped chords, Open G and Open F are A shaped chords. In your E shaped chords your sixth string is your bass. In A shaped chords the 5th string is your bass. I have read the Kieth Richards used to play without a 6th string on his guitar because he played in Open G tuning.
When watching a youtube video I am often able to determine the open tuning used by watching what string the guitarist is using for his main bass. If he keeps striking the 6th string I know he is in either open E or open D. If he keeps striking the 5th I know he is in Open G or Open F. Open F is very rare though. Normally only used in Mississippi Hill country blues. Etta Baker used it often.
You can use licks from open E shaped tunings on open A shaped tunings by moving everything up one string. You just won’t have that top string anymore. And, conversely, you can use licks from open A shaped tunings in open E shaped tunings by moving everything you do down one string.
Shuffles are a lot easier in open tunings as you just strike your bass and the string above it both open , then fret the second fret of the higher string and strike again, instead of going from second fret to 4th fret like you do in standard tuning.
Back to scales and shapes, after you learn just two or three songs you will find certain frets that are always used in those particular tunings and you can go from there. You can pick up pretty much everything you need scale and shape wise by learning the 3 slide songs Brian offers here. He covers Open D, Open G, and standard tuning in 3 different lessons.
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August 31, 2019 at 3:11 pm #142317
Wow, that’s a whole new world!
Sunjamr Steve
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September 2, 2019 at 3:29 am #142395
Hi I recall one of Brian’s slide lessons where he had to swap a heavy brass for a lighter slide as he was catching the frets. Your brass sounded best to me you can also get heavy thick walled glass slides I’ve herd some good slide players say you have to learn how to apply the right pressure and I think that would be harder if your swaping from being on say five strings then just one by angling the slide, best just muting the other strings and play the six string without angling the slide but if it works for you ok. This guy has scales in open D and other tunings plus slide stuff free.
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September 2, 2019 at 8:37 am #142398
Hi Odin
Thanks for the link.In the year and a half that I have been learning slide I have taken 60 lessons from 3 different teachers, plus watched a lot of youtube videos. Tipping the slide isn’t just something that “works for me”. It is something I was taught to do by a couple of different slide teachers. Tipping the slide doesn’t change the pressure at all and it is a lot easier than muting. Plus if you are going to mute the 5 strings you are not striking, how do you play an open second string while playing melody on the first string as hill country blues often calls for?
I did all 3 of Brian’s slide lessons and I missed the part where he had to change slides. The only thing I can think of that would cause him to need to go to a lighter slide is if he was using light strings with low action. Even with an electric guitar you should never use less than 11 gauge strings for slide. You want more tension on the strings and a little extra bow in the neck doesn’t hurt. That’s why a lot of guitarists have dedicated slide guitars.
I bought a six string cigarbox guitar for my dedicated slide guitar. I have 11/52 acoustic guitar strings on it. And I have a rather high nut on it just like I have on my resonator. I have my strings high enough that I can fret with my fingers but I wouldn’t want to have an hour practice session doing so.
My glass slide is thick walled. And frankly from looking at your response and the responses on my other post, I think you guys are way too hung up on the slide itself. You should be able to play slide with anything you pick up. Sylvester Weaver who did the first recording of slide guitar used a knife, most in his day either played with knives or cut the tops off of bottles, whence the term “bottleneck slide”. I have seen Justin Johnson and other performers play with beer bottles. I even saw Justin Johnson playing slide with a rock that he picked up randomly. I will go so far as to say if your slide costs you more than six bucks you got ripped off. That said it does help to have your slide fit snugly, that’s why I chose this one over the thinner glass, that decision it had nothing to do with weight, it’s also why I chose my 5/8 socket when I first started learning to play slide. My copper slide is too big so I stuff a paper towel in it to get it to fit.
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September 2, 2019 at 8:39 am #142400
Here is Justin Johnson playing slide with a rock
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September 2, 2019 at 9:00 am #142402
UPDATE…I just went through all three of Brian’s lessons. He never changed slides because he was bottoming on frets. In EP026 he discussed a glass and brass slide and went on to say it’s a matter of personal taste. From there he went on to teach the lesson using his brass slide.
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September 2, 2019 at 1:09 pm #142413
Hi Roger in EP 236 about 3.40 mins in he talks about slides and says he started using a heavy brass slide and changed to a glass one as the weight of the brass was making him catch the frets on the SG.
I see why you are angling the slide now I thought it was to get cleaner sound I get you now. I see Justin Johnson has a signature slide in ceramic at 30 dollars I don’t have one but I do have some glass and ceramic ones I must have been ripped off 😀 I even bought his intermediate slide download.Odin
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September 2, 2019 at 1:25 pm #142414
Hi Odin
In EP236 Brian goes on to say that his guitar is not set up for slide. His string action is too low. I am guessing he is also using light strings. This collaborates with when I said ” The only thing I can think of that would cause him to need to go to a lighter slide is if he was using light strings with low action.” Plus he said he tends to be heavy handed. Arial Posen touches on that in this video. He tells Justin his action needs to come up quite a bit and he needs to go to at least 11s for strings.
I have seen those slides Justin Johnson sells. Shane Speal is big on the Stubby Slides as well. If I remember correctly those are $25. I would rather spend that money on a different piece of gear or a six pack of really good craft beer. Especially when I have a number of things around the house that I can use as slides. And there is a major selection of inexpensive slides at home depot.
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September 2, 2019 at 4:46 pm #142433
People with resonators sound good with that sort of rasping sound from the guitar. I just play an acoustic usually amplified on slide and really like clear tones and smooth slides that glass and ceramic give. 25 bucks for tone you like isn’t much considering the huge sums people pay for a tone they like nowadays.
You said he never changed slides because he was bottoming out on frets but he did.😆Odin
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September 2, 2019 at 5:16 pm #142434
People with resonators sound good with that sort of rasping sound from the guitar. I just play an acoustic usually amplified on slide and really like clear tones and smooth slides that glass and ceramic give. 25 bucks for tone you like isn’t much considering the huge sums people pay for a tone they like nowadays.
You said he never changed slides because he was bottoming out on frets but he did.😆Odin
I don’t think the raspy sound is as much a matter of what instrument you are playing as it is what type of music you are playing. And the material you use won’t make a clean or raspy sound. That is the way you play and whether or not you choose to mute. A ceramic slide will sound somewhat different than a glass slide I am sure. If you can afford it go for it. It would be nice if you could try it first to see if you are getting your $30 worth, but that’s the downside to buying online.
And yes you did get me on that one.
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September 2, 2019 at 5:23 pm #142435
Yes you did catch me on that one 🙂
The type of guitar you play doesn’t really determine that. It’s the type of music you play. I play a lot of really clean stuff on my resonator. But I also like to play around with Mississippi Hill country blues.
I don’t think a ceramic slide will play any cleaner than a glass slide. It’s too bad you can’t try it out first but that’s the downside to buying online. If you can afford it go for it. It’s your money.
People with resonators sound good with that sort of rasping sound from the guitar. I just play an acoustic usually amplified on slide and really like clear tones and smooth slides that glass and ceramic give. 25 bucks for tone you like isn’t much considering the huge sums people pay for a tone they like nowadays.
You said he never changed slides because he was bottoming out on frets but he did.😆Odin
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September 2, 2019 at 5:25 pm #142436
This is one of the instructors I took a course from. You can see he is going for that raspy sound on a regular amplified acoustic guitar and a glass slide.
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September 3, 2019 at 1:42 am #142456
Damn interesting topic Roger. For a long time I wanted to dedicate myself to this topic and did not do it. It’s no excuse that I just do not have the time. I remember the time I posted an exercise every week. Today I’m doing a post in a month. This is a completely different technique; I’ll want to deal with it sometime. It just sounds so cool. Thank you for your post.
Play guitar just like you live; don't get bogged down in theory, it's just a tool without feeling.
Wilfried
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September 11, 2019 at 1:22 pm #144221
This matches my experience. There’s not much tone difference due to material, just a bit due to texture of the slide surface. I prefer a tarnished brass slide because of the way it feels on my hand and because I get a slightly raspier sound from it.
When playing a guitar with low action and/or light strings I switch to a light glass slide that allows me to use a finer touch to avoid fretting out. There have been cases where I had to start out with a glass slide on an unfamiliar guitar, but was then able to switch to the brass as I became more familiar with it.
Something else I’ve done on some of my acoustic guitars is to use an unwound 3rd string so that I get a cleaner tone. I’ve also used flatwound jazz strings on an archtop guitar, also to get a cleaner slide tone.
I’m currently experimenting with very heavy strings (15 17 26 35 45 56) on a parlor guitar and I don’t tune it any higher than open D, usually to open C#. The 26 is an unwound string. Tension would be too high if I tried to tune it up to standard tuning. So far, I’m pretty happy with it and it doesn’t require a delicate touch at all.
My current slide choices on my little finger:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006G2DNI2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049B3YXQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1Thanks for the discussion. – Bret
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