Guitar players - I'm thinking about learning to play slide guitar...any advice?

[ChargerBill]

Hey guys, I was talking to a friend who explained a little to me about open tuning (I just play traditional tuning) and types of slides. I Googled "Slide Guitars" and a few variations and get a ton of info, but I was hoping that some of you might know where to start as far as instructional books (which ones are best), slides, tuning guides, etc...

Also, would it be hard for me to make my own slides? I have access to a full industrial machine shop and just about any type of metal you can imagine. Can a piece of thick pipe be turned on a lathe, polished, etc? I know steel and glass are used, but does aluminum work also?

And lastly, what about actual pedal steel guitars? Which ones has anyone played and how hard are they to learn?

[Brock Samson]

play along with some favs that's what i do/did..
pacific islanders have some great slide guitar music if ya get tired of the rural stuff..  
BTW: I Like large glass slides but i've used screw drivers too.

[skip68]

Hey chargerBill, I'm not a slide guy but my lead player has all kinds. He's got the glass ones and I think nickel plated ones. I think he's got some ceramic ones too.  I'll ask him if he knows some good books and what's a good place to start.    Chuck.................

[Ponch ®]

i prefer glass. the metal ones give it a...well..."metallic" sound that gives me chills,. though that could just be my erratic style. I have dabbled a little bit in slide playing, but only when trying to play along to some songs, like "when the levee breaks". I kinda suck at it.

[JimShine]

I am assuming you want to learn slide as in full time slide guitar, not regular playing accentuated with slide work:

Pedal steel is a bit difficult for me to grasp. Its not just feet, your right knee operates levers as well.

If you want to play full slide, I suggest buying a lap steel (they still make them and not expensive). If you don't want to invest in a guitar, modify a current guitar you have now to high action. Some parts stores sell a special metal nut that slips over the stock one on your guitar, raises the action and makes it flat (which helps with slide work). When you want to put the guitar back, loosen the strings, remove the metal nut and retune.




http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddles/Resonator_nuts,_saddles/Slide_Guitar_Extension_Nut.html

[NHCharger]

Way back in the late 70's/early 80's I was in a rock band. I used a glass slide. As Mojo said the metal slides sounded tinny. A lot of guys used their ring finger for the slide but I always preferred my middle finger. I had one guitar (telecaster custom) tuned to an open chord, G I think. We covered some Eagles and Joe Walsh and that was the tuning I think he used. Last time I played an electric guitar in a band was July 1,1981, so my memory is a bit hazy.

[73ChargerSE]

Seems like all the guitar players in the forum have been coming out of the woodwork these past few days

[Ghoste]

Another glass player here.  I've tried a variety and keep coming back to glass.  Learn to use a light touch and mute the unwanted notes with the other fingers upstream from the slide and the palm of your picking hand.  A lot easier if you can fingerpick playing slide, which isn't one of my better talents.  It's handy too if you can keep one guitar set up for it.

[Charger1970]

I would say run down to the local used CD store and trade all your Bonnie Raitt CDs for Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop CD.

Pedal steel is a bit difficult for me to grasp. Its not just feet, your right knee operates levers as well.

If you want to play full slide, I suggest buying a lap steel

Just for a reference I think David Lindley played a lap steel on Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty".

Have you guys seen Robert Randolph play the steel guitar? He's kind of sloppy but very entertaining.

[my73charger]

Definitely prefer a glass slide...as Ponch said steel sounds way to metalic and creates nasty squeels.

[BigBlockSam]

those  lap steel guitars always looked like alot of fun. my old bass teacher  played some slide bass  guitar but i didn't dig it much.