Slide Query

[Childbride]

so Warren and Pie have convinced me to try slide.

i've been talking to a friend who makes them [via email] and he says that most people use their ring or pinky fingers...

this, like electric guitar and amphs, is all new ground for me.

do you have a preference, if you play slide, and why? [i need to figure this out before i tell him my ring size so he can get started for me]

 

[tunghaichuan]

I've always heard that you should put the slide on your pinky. Playing like this gives you three fingers to fret notes, etc. a la Sonny Landreth.

However the few times I've tried it, it seemed kind of awkward at first. It seemed more natural to me to play with the slide on my ring finger.

That wasn't much help, was it :thwap:

tung

so Warren and Pie have convinced me to try slide.

i've been talking to a friend who makes them [via email] and he says that most people use their ring or pinky fingers...

this, like electric guitar and amphs, is all new ground for me.

do you have a preference, if you play slide, and why? [i need to figure this out before i tell him my ring size so he can get started for me]

 

[just strum]

CB,

Same person made some slides for me and I went with the ring finger. It allows you to play and lightly touch the strings with your index and middle finger to control tone (so I've been told).

I only tried using the slide, I'm not a slide player. Like so many things with the guitar, the people you watch make it look so easy. However with some practice, you will make it look easy too. I haven't invested the time in learning how to play using a slide.

 

[warren0728]

if you use your pinkie that frees up your first 3 fingers to incorporate finger picking as well as slide....a lot of people do use their ring finger though....i use my pinkie...

ww

 

[Jipes]

so Warren and Pie have convinced me to try slide.

i've been talking to a friend who makes them [via email] and he says that most people use their ring or pinky fingers...

this, like electric guitar and amphs, is all new ground for me.

do you have a preference, if you play slide, and why? [i need to figure this out before i tell him my ring size so he can get started for me]

I usually wear it on the pinky, one of the thing which is nice is that it allows you to alternate between picking notes and slide with the pinky. If I'm not wrong such greats as Bonnie Raitt or Derek Trucks wear the slide on the ring finger.

You should try both and decide what suits you the best

 

[oldguy]

I wear it on my pinky so I have 3 fingers to fret/play notes with.
I'm not much of a slide player, either, though.:thwap:
I agree you should try it both ways to see which works better for you. I guess the downside to that would be you'd need to order two slides..........

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I almost picked one up when Tony Furtado was here playing this summer. He makes them out of beer and wine bottles and sells them at the shows, along with his CDs. I have not tried it, but may try to find one that fits if he comes back around.

 

[Robert]

I use my ring finger. I guess my slides are too big for the pinky - just can't get comfortable that way.

 

[piebaldpython]

Slide Question

CB,
OK, let's dispense with the "which finger" argument. The majority of sliders use their pinky for ease of chording/playing notes when not sliding. There are a good amount who use their ring finger (Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks), some the middle finger (Bonnie Raitt, Billy Gibbons) and one the index finger (Dave Hole) and THEY ALL manage to fret when not sliding!!!!
IMHO, there are only TWO considerations re which finger to slide with. First and foremost, can you get a decent tone off that finger?? Sometimes people have trouble using the pinky as it can be daunting to try to apply "enough" pressure to make good tone. Secondly, are you able to isolate that finger when trying to fret?? If you can't keep it out of the way, you've got a problem. I can't isolate my pinky, so I use my middle finger. Bonnie Raitt is quoted as saying that she was able to isolate her middle finger because she was always "flippin' the finger" as a youth. ahhahha
Expeiment with slide materials, slide lengths, etc. But most of all, HAVE FUN!! There are some good instructional DVD's on the subject too! Beer bottles make excellent slides. Chug a cold one down, flip it over and start playin'.. What could be more fun than that??? :beer:

 

[mrmudcat]

Ring finger on fret hand ,no picks just fingers on the buisiness side:beer:

What the hec do I know:smile-us:

 

[mrmudcat]

CB,
OK, let's dispense with the "which finger" argument. The majority of sliders use their pinky for ease of chording/playing notes when not sliding. There are a good amount who use their ring finger (Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks), some the middle finger (Bonnie Raitt, Billy Gibbons) and one the index finger (Dave Hole) and THEY ALL manage to fret when not sliding!!!!
IMHO, there are only TWO considerations re which finger to slide with. First and foremost, can you get a decent tone off that finger?? Sometimes people have trouble using the pinky as it can be daunting to try to apply "enough" pressure to make good tone. Secondly, are you able to isolate that finger when trying to fret?? If you can't keep it out of the way, you've got a problem. I can't isolate my pinky. Bonnie Raitt is quoted as saying that she was able to isolate her middle finger because she was always "flippin' the finger" as a youth. ahhahha
Expeiment with slide materials, slide lengths, etc. But most of all, HAVE FUN!! There are some good instructional DVD's on the subject too! Beer bottles make excellent slides. Chug a cold one down, flip it over and start playin'.. What could be more fun than that??? :beer:

Dang PIE great post:rockon: :master:
See my lame one as a follow up:thwap:

 

[hazcat]

Hey, everyone. Just found this forum (through Robert's vids on YouTube) and have been lurking for a while. You all seem to have a very knowledgeable and helpful community here. I've already learned a lot of things I never even suspected after almost 25 years of (mostly crappy) playing.

So, it is with utmost humility that I ask the following clarifying question of the OP: will you only be playing "slide," that is, on an electric with others to keep the rhythm going, or will you also want to play "bottleneck" style (usually self-accompanied and/or in open tuning)? If the latter, then may I (again humbly) suggest trying to get past the awkwardness and learn with the slide on the pinky? After all, it doesn't exactly feel all that natural on any of the other fingers, either, at least at first.

The other posters are (of course) exactly correct: any finger will work (or a beer bottle, or a mic stand, or a Zippo, or a steel...). However, in open tuning, when you want to change to the IV chord in first position... or maybe drop in some Keith Richards-style (sus4?) rhythm riffs at the fifth fret, those first three "strong" fingers in a row might start looking pretty good. Anyway, that's the logic process I went through just recently when a friend's son asked me to teach him some slide, and why I use the little finger myself. Essentially, I found it was a choice between the awkwardness of wearing the slide on the pinky -- which I wasn't using as much as I should anyway -- and the awkwardness of trying to force the stupid thing to participate in the formation of a useful chord (and with a slide between it and the smarter, stronger fingers to complicate matters). Your pinky is almost certainly more dexterous and less lazy than mine, so this may not be as much of an issue for you.

On the other hand, by using a different technique you might avoid being a slide hack like me. It's the beauty of this thing that there's no right way, just the way that works for you. Hey, Jeff Healey seems to do just fine despite the fact I would have recommended he play "underhand" like everybody else.

Jeff

 

[Childbride]

WOW... thanks for all the input, once again, guys!

and hazcat... i know i should be doing this on the other thread, but welcome to the Fret! in answer to your question, i'm just noodling into a new skill, going to try on both acoustic and electric, see how i do and if i can master it. another challenge, more tricks to learn. keeps everything fresh if you're always trying new things, right?

i've given up trying to decide. i'm going to ask my buddy to make one for both my ring finger and my pinky, and see which one of the lil buggers does better for me.

 

[piebaldpython]

http://www.jetslide.com/
Here ya go, THE answer. Pop this on your ring finger, turn it and you can fret with ALL of your fingers. Turn it and VOILA, time to slide. Ingenious, huh? As to the inside diameter of a slide. Big DUH, but it has to be big enough to get on your finger. After that though, if it's loose, that's OK because the most important quality is the thickness/density of the slide. Look at the post of Ry Cooder playing Jesus On The Mainline; he has a HUGE glass slide on his pinky AND it looks like his pinky is swimming in it. aha
Hey CB, how long of a slide are you getting? This is a matter of preference/playability too but I personally feel a smidge over 2 inches is best for people who want to cover all 6 strings. Mine come in around 1.5 inches and I slide off the middle usually, sometimes the ring if I want to experiment.

 

[just strum]

http://www.jetslide.com/
Here ya go, THE answer. ...

Has anyone used one of these? I ran across these some time ago, but never really looked into getting one. If anyone has one or has tried one, I would be interested in hearing what they think.

 

[Jipes]

http://www.jetslide.com/
Here ya go, THE answer. Pop this on your ring finger, turn it and you can fret with ALL of your fingers. Turn it and VOILA, time to slide. Ingenious, huh?

Indeed very innovative I don't know if it works well but sure looks solid, I remember that Chris Whitley was using a special brass slide which was allowing to fret and slide but was a different model
something similar

If you check Ry Cooder he has a very special technique he rarelys mute the string in the singing melody notes but rather making large vibrato with his huge slide :AOK:

 

[wingsdad]

Here's a 10-minute video demo of some guitar ring slides. I've got a 'Lenny Pogan Blu-Slide' that fits my pinky. This guy uses them on 3 fingers, and eventually, shows multiple finger tricks:
You-Tube Slide Ring Demo
I'm a dummy, so I couldn't figure out how to embed the video link...:whatever:

 

[Childbride]

Wings, i've met hundreds of mentally challenged individuals, but i would NEVER count you among them. your knowledge actually intimidates me a bit; i respect your opinion immensely. :master:

 

[wingsdad]

CB?

I know you meant that as a compliment, thanks, but ...

Intimidated? M'am, from what I've been able to learn about you over time here in cyberspace once Shiner took the wraps off you at that W-pub ...with all due respect, I didn't think that term could apply to you...

I know a few things because I've soaked up a lot from good mentors, and been through a bunch of lifetimes. Almost literally.

What I meant by that 'dummy' thing is I'm 'somewhat computer-challenged'. I turn it on. I click things. If they work as expected, yippee. If not, :thwap: I've got problems...

 

[oldguy]

Wingsdad,
It's easier than it sounds to embed Youtube vids.
Try it........you'll get it, you're no slacker (or dummy).... hey, 'ya play G&L's!!
1. Go find your Youtube vid you want. ONLY hit "copy" on the end, after the "=" sign in the url. That's the only part you highlight and copy.
2. Come back here and "paste" in the reply window. The one you posted should look like this......
bSZcDHLflfo
3. Highlight it. Then look up above the reply window, R-H end, click on the "YouTube" icon. That should encase the little guy in the youtube brackets.
4. Click preview post. It should show up like below.



If it does, hit submit reply...... 'yer done!

 

[wingsdad]

Thanks, OG, I needed that :thwap:
I was hitting that "YOU TUBE' icon thingy and pasting the link, I'd preview it and get a white square. Tried a couple of things, but now with your step-by-step, maybe I'll get er done next time....

 

[piebaldpython]

http://www.bigheartslide.com/flipslide.html

Another COOL ring-slide thingee.

 

[mrmudcat]

Love that site ive got a few mojo medicines!:master: :beer:

 

[Childbride]

CB?

I know you meant that as a compliment, thanks, but ...

Intimidated? M'am, from what I've been able to learn about you over time here in cyberspace once Shiner took the wraps off you at that W-pub ...with all due respect, I didn't think that term could apply to you...

I know a few things because I've soaked up a lot from good mentors, and been through a bunch of lifetimes. Almost literally.

What I meant by that 'dummy' thing is I'm 'somewhat computer-challenged'. I turn it on. I click things. If they work as expected, yippee. If not, :thwap: I've got problems...

[grin] i obviously couldn't hang with a traditional shiner/strum jabfest, i haven't gotten my 'online humor' thing down. i knew what you meant, i was trying to compliment you, and your knowledge is truly impressive.

maybe i do better when i just say what i think?

[blush] and thank you for the return compliment.

 

[wingsdad]

[grin]...

[blush] and thank you for the return compliment.

:beer: