Slide players can you answer a quickie for me?

[alanfc]

.
So I've been working with the slide alot lately for one of our new songs..
And I have a question for you slide users....
Are there bad habits I can develop, ? Or is it just =make it sound right=?

I've read alot about this and I know about the dampening and the slide position.
But I'm finding I get the best results from angling the slide to where the edge of the slide (where my finger is underneath) is whats making contact and making the notes. Almost like I'm fingering the notes without the slide.. For cleanest notes and dampening, this is working the best.

As much as I've tried, having the slide flat across sounds like a royal mess. I'm in the early stages of learning this though.

so , bad habit ? or "if it sounds good it is good" ?

(I'm also finding that if I don't look at the fretboard my tones are more on pitch ! I just slide around and find the notes I want.)

thanks

[KevinWaide]

It's pretty much "if it sounds good it is good". As for dampening the strings, one thing I do is I wear the slide on my pinky, and I lay the other 3 fingers across all 6 strings behind the slide. But I also play with the edge of the slide, too. It's kinda like learning to play your chords: some people would tell me not to use my thumb when I make a G, others would tell me not to listen to people that say that and do whatever feels comfortable. I can do it either way, now, and it's just a comfortable.

[alanfc]

OK thanks.
I'm using my ring finger since my pinky is doing the work on the 2-string power chords on this tune. I like it it comes naturally. I may have to revisit this if I can't get the dampening right.

[cooltone]

another basic is to understand that the slide will be positioned on top of the fret in order to get a properly intonated note, rather than between the frets as you would when fingering a note.

I play slide the same way that Kevin mentioned..if you prefer the ring finger, neither is 'right' or 'wrong'.

I found the biggest obstacle was getting a feel for the finesse that is required to play slide. Fingering notes, strumming chords and bending strings uses some muscle..slide is a gentler touch.

[sliding-tom]

Whatever feels and sounds good to you (and others) is perfectly O.K.!
The technique you mentioned ( if I understand you right) - just touching the string you're playing with the tip of your slide is very very advanced and hard to pull off - congrats! Have you tried to slide on one string and play an open string simultaneously that way? That's a cool sound!

[alanfc]

Whatever feels and sounds good to you (and others) is perfectly O.K.!
The technique you mentioned ( if I understand you right) - just touching the string you're playing with the tip of your slide is very very advanced and hard to pull off - congrats! Have you tried to slide on one string and play an open string simultaneously that way? That's a cool sound!

cool thanks I'll try that....

I just came back on here to share (like you're all looking for it :))
this:

KRIKEY !! the slide on the middle finger !

this is it ! The muting is so much easier and natural. For my hand. I don't know why but its workin.

[sliding-tom]

Well, it's working for Bonnie Raitt, so why not for you?

[alanfc]

Well, it's working for Bonnie Raitt, so why not for you?

what are you implying
Ha ha I think I've got long narrow fingers though.

I think its working better since I only have one finger (the index finger)
to do the muting. WHen I had the middle AND index finger muting when using the slide on the ring finger, they were clumsy and inefficient together.

[sliding-tom]

I was just mentioning Bonnie Raitt as a killer slide player.

[alanfc]

I was just mentioning Bonnie Raitt as a killer slide player.

ha ha I know

[alanfc]

Joe Walsh wears the slide on the middle finger too...

ding ding ding ding

[Kap'n]

Again, in the "if it sounds good, it is good" category, some folks play it overhand, like if you rotated a lap steel ninety degrees. Whatever works for you.

[Hutch]

The reason wearing the slide on some other finger than the pinky (ring/middle) is that it gives you a finger "in front" of the slide to use for muting/blocking as well.

I also play pedal steel and lap steel - the issue of muting strings(or "blocking" as steel players call it) is the #1 major challenge for beginning steel players. As Fezz said - Right hand palm blocking technique is the most important. Just keep practicing, as the steelers say "it will come". And lo and behold, one day you wake up and there it is!

Good luck. -H

[alanfc]

thanky