slide guitar

Thank you. I needed to hear that.

I kinda like the idea of a sawed-off slide. I've never used my slide on the 5th and 6th strings that I can remember.

But I'd keep using it on my ring finger cuz my pinkie is much better at stretching & doing little pull-offs on chords.

Important thing 1: you need a tube amp. Even amps with modeled fender twins just don't cut it. But close enough for 95% of the audience.

It took me about 30 years to accidentally discover important thing #2:

a very very important thing about playing the slide - drop your pick and pick the strings with the skin of your fingers (not your nails).

Why?

In my classical guitar period, I would play a new piece at 0.25 speed, and note the open strings that had to be muted immediately. A very important technique in classical guitar. It's hard to notice because you're using available fingers on your RIGHT hand to just press down on the string. I got good at it.

One day, 10 years ago, I was a young 50 yo.  I picked up my electric, put on my slide, but I was too lazy to get up and find a pick, and attempted some Allman Brothers song. 

My muscle memory kicked in immediately and I realized that I was damping strings with my available RIGHT hand fingers. 

It sounded so much better! Clean notes, no sloppy sounds of other strings still ringing and interfering with the lead note. Wow! Nobody ever told me that! 

But after that day, I'd watch the best slide players and - no pick! - with the exception of the early Delta blues players. 

The Delta blues slide is playedifferently:

If you ever want to get that sound, use an acoustic and don't dampen your strings with your LEFT fingers behind the slide. 

The strings on the short side of the slide will resonate and you'll be in Delta heaven. 

Oh, and Use a PICK and hit it hard.

This is what I do when getting Robert Johnson's Crossroads sound.

Robert Johnson's tuning is 

Open A:

    (E, A, E, A, C#, E, low to high)

Bonnie Rait also uses this tuning - strat & no pick. I saw her at the jazz fest up pretty close. I couldn't see her amp. I'm thinking vintage fender twin.

Love at first sight! At the time I didn't realize that she is a proud slut and makes jokes about it. 

Or else I would have been after her for a signature, somewhere down south.

Tone:

To get a pretty good Duane Allman sound, I set my preamp to get into the clean/breakup area. You could probably do this with your guitar knobs.

Effects: only compressor for sustain, and fuzz - not too much.

Start here then experiment with reverb, overdrive, and a plugged in acoustic.

What did I miss?

What are your slide secrets and amp settings.

Other slide tunings:

Open G 

 (D, G, D, G, B, D, low to high)  same as open A but is tuned a whole step (two frets) lower.

Elmore James and 

Duane Allman

Open E 

(E, B, E, G#, B, E, low to high) 

Open D - the same as open E but tuned a whole step (two frets) lower (D, A, D, F#, A, D).