I got the slide blues!!!

[cowboyhippie]

I bought a slide about 5 weeks ago and I practice everyday with it for about 30 minutes. It is a steel dunlap brand. I have very short fat fingers and the largest one that they had was 19mm. It only fits my pinky all the way down, so I use it on that finger the most, but I can play the shuffle without my pinky!!!!:mad: My big problem is that I can't fret and pick different strings while sliding without having a horrible noise. Can anyone help? Please!!!!!

[JeeLisa]

I use my pinky because I can fret better with the remaning fingers than I can if the slide is on my ring finger...either way, it takes some time to get used to it. You have to kind of make do with your rhythm playing because it's hard to do the same things with 3 fingers that you are used to doing with four.

Are you dragging your free fingers behind the slide when you move it? That will take care of some of the noise...I have yet to sufficiently use my picking hand to deaden strings, but that is another way.

If you are serious about improving, a half hour a day may not be enough time unless you are much more patient than I. Depending on how long you are able to pracice guitar daily, I would try devote an hour or more to the slide.

[Strat Kid]

Slide is one of these things you need to keep at a loooong time to sound alright at, keep going, man, but notch up that half hour to say...an hour. Maybe two if you're real serious.

[Jose]

but I can play the shuffle without my pinky!!!!:mad:

Try an open tuning.


My big problem is that I can't fret and pick different strings while sliding without having a horrible noise.

What noise are you talking about?

[Scorpaeon]

I'm trying to learn slide too. I think the noise you are talking about is the screech on the adjacent strings that you don't mean to play. And JeeLee is right, you have to develop a technique to mute unwanted string noise.

I'm no expert, but a lot of blues players just finger pick when playing slide. This frees up your fingers on the right hand to dampen strings. What I'm practicing is laying my thumb across the bottom 3 strings and using my fingers on the top 3 strings. My hand is always on the strings to mute them and I just pick the string I want to sound. It's not easy!!!

Also, like Jose said, you can try some open tunings. In open tuning the adjacent string noise usually sounds in key. It's kinda like playing a chord where ever the bar is.

Good luck.

[cowboyhippie]

Thanks guys! Something as simple as deaden the strings, I should have known that. Speaking of strings, does it matter what type I use? I'm using fender super bullets nickelplated steel.

[JeeLisa]

As far as I know, those strings should work just fine...I use DR's for no particular reason other than Warren Haynes uses them. :D

Usually, a larger gauge set of strings are better for slide. I use my Strat primarily for slide, and I have 11's on it. The action on it is the same as on most of my other guitars, but some people like to have a much higher action for sliding.