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Posted by: Travelin' Man Aug 19 2007, 10:51 PM

Muris..you refer to using HIGH action when using the slide. Are you meaning NOT to put pressure on the strings while playing the slide, as you would with fingers? Im guessing you just slide over the frets as you would getting natural harmonics?

Posted by: blindwillie Aug 20 2007, 12:33 AM

I'd say you need higher action, bigger distance between strings and frets/fretboard for slide. No need to adjust the action just to play slide occasionally. Better get a cheap second guitar if you are going to slide alot.
An old beaten up steelstring acoustic would be great.

I have real low action on my guitars and that's not ultimate for slide. It's easy to really fret the strings instead of slide them. The slide is supposed to do the fretting, not the neck frets.

Posted by: sillyman Aug 20 2007, 12:54 AM

sori im completely new to this element of guitar, wat r u actuali doin with (im nt sur wat exactly the thing is that u put on ur finga), anyone got enough patience to explain it to me?

Posted by: blindwillie Aug 20 2007, 01:19 AM

The slide, or the bottleneck as some call them, is just a tube of glass or metal you put on your finger. Well, actually it could be almost anything but that's the common stuff. Some samples here: http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/

Normally, to get a certain tone you push the string with a finger to bend it slightly over one of the frets. Now with a slide you have a "moving fret" that you use instead of the regular frets. So you don't use standard already set fret positions, it get's more like a violin in the sense that the string is fretted wherever you touch it with the slide. And chords are played more like barre chords, obviously.

Did that make any sense? Was it even correct? I'm no pro at this either

Posted by: sillyman Aug 20 2007, 01:21 AM

oh ok so in a way its lyk playin a fretless guitar?

Posted by: blindwillie Aug 20 2007, 01:28 AM

Mmmm, In a way I guess. And you are fretting with a tube on one of your fingers so you are fretting several strings at once so the way you play has to be adapted to that.

Posted by: sillyman Aug 20 2007, 01:30 AM

oh ok tanx alot blindwillie

Posted by: muris Aug 20 2007, 01:32 AM

Looks like Blindwillie did my job quite well!!

Posted by: blindwillie Aug 20 2007, 01:37 AM

QUOTE (muris @ Aug 20 2007, 02:32 AM)

Looks like Blindwillie did my job quite well!!

Posted by: muris Aug 20 2007, 01:45 AM

QUOTE (blindwillie @ Aug 20 2007, 02:37 AM)

Haha! Mmmm OK.
Maybe I shouldn't interfere in questions directed to others
Well, thanks anyway

Posted by: blindwillie Aug 20 2007, 02:00 AM

Yeah, well. I didn't pay attention to where it was posted. Sorry about that.
I don't wont to hijack your forum or steal your job. I just want your skills.

If someone posts in your forum one could guess that's because they want an answer from you. I'll crawl away in shame and have a sauna and beer instead. That's something I'm familiar with at least.

Posted by: muris Aug 20 2007, 02:02 AM

QUOTE (blindwillie @ Aug 20 2007, 03:00 AM)

Yeah, well. I didn't pay attention to where it was posted. Sorry about that.
I don't wont to hijack your forum or steal your job. I just want your skills.

If someone posts in your forum one could guess that's because they want an answer from you. I'll crawl away in shame and have a sauna and beer instead. That's something I'm familiar with at least.