Playing slide w/ acoustic

[BlueStrat]

Okay, here's the deal:

I've been playing since 1969, electric since 1971, and I started playing slide as soon as I took up electric. I studied Duane Allman, Joe Walsh, Lowell George, Ry Cooder, Johnny Winter, etc etc and actually got pretty good on electric slide-smooth and accurate. Recently, I've startted doing an acoustic duo and a solo. But my acoustic slide playing, in a word, sucks. It sounds raspy and buzzy and just ass bad.

 

Is there a different technique? Different slide? I usually use a glass slide. I'd like to be able to pull off some Robert Johnson-type stuff and it just sounds like a steaming pile.

 

Help.

[335clone]

I like different slide materials for different guitars or songs. Hell, they're cheap enough, get one of everything. Get a brass slide and try it out, it's a grittier sound, and I like it. Also, while any guitar can be a slider, some are better than others. Have you tried any of the mid priced resonators? Once you play on a reso, pretty much every other acoustic sounds like moist ass. I like the punch and decay, as a standard acoustic just rings too much and requires a lot more muting than a reso (though of course muting is essential even on a reso). Also, are you playing in standard or an open tuning? String selection can alter tone quite a bit, both in guage and whether you have a wound or unwound third.

One trick I learned is to cut a piece of guitar cord, and put it under the strings behind the second fret, then tune up. It cuts out a lot of the ringing and gives a more reso type note decay. It's a bit of a bitch to hit the ocatve without a cutaway, however.

You never know what will work until you give it a try.

And as far as trying to sound like RJ, good luck to you.

[Freeman Keller]

I play slide on all my acoustics and prefer a home made heavy glass wine bottle neck. With one exception, all my guitars are set up for normal fingerstyle play - low action and light gauge strings (the exception is a resonator that is a dedicated slide guitar). I play both delta blues and Kottke/Fahey/Cooder music which often combines fretted and slide notes in the same piece. I don't play electric, but think I can comment on acoustic slide technique.

 

First, I think it is very hard to play acoustic slide in standard tuning. It is possible but most acoustic players do use some sort of open tuning - I like C, D and G equally (I like to tune down - some electric players tune up to E or A). You can combine single string leads with slide barres and open strings - techniques not possible in standard.

 

Second, I think that dampening behind the slide is really important. I play with it on my pinkie (altho a lot of great players use their ring finger) and I dampen with my first two fingers. In fact I use them as kind of a gauge to set the pressure of the slide - I'll frequently place my index finger on the string, lower the slide, slide to the note and do whatever vibrato I want, then lift the slide before lifting my fingers to dampen the string and kill the rattling sound. Using the finger to gauge the position of the slide also helps avoid fretting out with low action and light strings.

 

I also personally like an unwound third string on my dedicated slide guitar, but I still use ordinary light or mediums on my other gits. I play flesh and nails on acoustics but like a plastic thumb pick and metal finger picks on the reso's. I like a flat fingerboard - my reso's are 20 inch but I can play OK on a standard 16 inch.

 

Last, but not least, for delta blues sounding "ass bad" ain't necessarily bad

[JasmineTea]

I suggest a heavier slide. Deep well sockets have extra weight at the end where they connect to the ratchet. It's a little floppy when you start, but the weight seems to control the strings better, especialy the low strings, IMO.

Another thing would be technique. Try tightening up your control of the strings, watch every little thing. When strings you don't want to be ringing are ringing, stop and figure out why, and what you can do to stop them. I play with the slide on my ring-finger. Middle finger might be better. Here's my point, and mabey you already know this: You can mute the strings before and after the slide if it's on the ring or middle finger. And of course muting with the palm of your right hand.

[SlickCat]

I suggest open tuning; heavy strings and heavy slide. The more mass a slide has the smoother it will sound. A lightweight slide is ok for electric but will allow the strings to buzz to much on acoustic. (even with finger damping) I also use D Addario flattop resonator strings. They are slightly flattened to add smoothness when sliding. .016 to .056.
Keep on Sliding!!


"slip__slidin___away"

[martingibson70]

The last time I posted some slide tips I learned from a Sonny Landreth video I got flamed. Anyway, here's what I learned from Sonny and have since seen/heard suggested on videos and books from Joe Walsh, Matt Smith, Curt Mitchel, Doug Burdock, and Rob Ikes: (Maybe the list of references will keep the haters at bay.)

1. Left hand finger style to control unwanted string noise.

2. Right hand index and middle fingers laid flat across the strings behind the slide to control unwanted string noise.

Just this last week while I was teaching lessons, I used a quarter as a pick and found it really added something to the sound. Even when using a pick/quarter, I use the right hand to plam-mute to control unwanted string noise.