my slides are coming...

[Childbride]

on the list of my guitar errands yesterday was to finally get to a jeweler and get my fingers sized. i emailed a dear buddy and he's going to get them started! :D :beer:

drop d tuning, here i come! ;)

[mrmudcat]

UMMMMMMMMM!! Im sure you mean open E or open A;)

Damn drop D kids:thwap:

[warren0728]

UMMMMMMMMM!! Im sure you mean open E or open A;)

Damn drop D kids:thwap:
+1 - i use open g (which you could capo to open a)....haven't tried open e....doesn't open e put more tension on the strings and therefore the neck?

ww

[Childbride]

[grin] i have no idea what i mean. i'm parrot-ing what a fellow lawyer guitar player [not my husband] told me about slide playing.

i just know i'm going to have fun. :D :beer: :rockon:

[warren0728]

i just know i'm going to have fun. :D :beer: :rockon:
that's the important part! :AOK:

ww

[piebaldpython]

Hey CB,
Open G (capo at 2nd fret to be open A) and Open D (capo at 2nd fret to be Open E) are the most popular. Drop D tuning can be used I suppose but it by itself doesn't really lend to a chord across one fret as the others. Drop D is just where you tune the low E string down to D, thereby creating a neat alternating bass motif between the 4th and 6th strings which are now tuned to D, only an octave apart. Great for developing some fingerpicking skills.

[sunvalleylaw]

Hey CB,
Open G (capo at 2nd fret to be open A) and Open D (capo at 2nd fret to be Open E) are the most popular. Drop D tuning can be used I suppose but it by itself doesn't really lend to a chord across one fret as the others. Drop D is just where you tune the low E string down to D, thereby creating a neat alternating bass motif between the 4th and 6th strings which are now tuned to D, only an octave apart. Great for developing some fingerpicking skills.

And for playing Nirvana, though I don't know they were known for slide playing. ;)

[Childbride]

ok, so i got an email from my buddy who's making my slides; ready but for the length of the actual slide.

coming from the utter newbie to this subject, and knowing that opinions range from 'ring size' to much longer, may i respectfully request your opinions on said subject? i'm trying to get an idea as soon as possible, b/c i may be able to get them as early as pearljam first sat in june if i can get him an answer.

my novice thought is that i would want to be able to cover the complete fretboard of the guitar i play most. is that an incorrect assumption, and if so, why? i thank you in advance for your input. :)

k

[Spudman]

Really what ever is going to work for your playing style. Some people use a shorty, some use an open back, some are full width. It's got to be your decision for how you play.

[Kazz]

Dug sent me a couple of different sized ones...I ended up using the smallest that he sent.....since I have lost about 25lbs I have not used it recently....but I will guess that it is now too big.....but still very cool....I had a Coricidin bottle I was using but the thing gets fogged up pretty badly because I rev a little high LOL.


Dugs wine bottle slides are just the coolest....and they make such a warm sound when slide on on the strings.

[piebaldpython]

Hey CB,
Dug's slides are great. Anyhow, as to length....ahahahahaha....you might want to get a couple (one short, one long) and experiment as to what you want to do. Since your initial thought is to cover ALL the strings, then you have to get a slide at least 2" in length.
The vast majority of folks get slides that cover all the strings (so as to play a FULL chord in OPEN tuning), so you are in good company. Be careful that you don't get TOO LONG though as the extra weight (esp. if you slide off the pinky) can be unwieldy. I have a heavy slide that is 2.5" and I just couldn't maneuver the damn thing around at all.
There are a small minority (myself included), notably Mississsippi Fred McDowell, who use short slides and only need to cover a few strings at a time and therefore a SHORTER slide is preferrable. My DUGLY slides are right around 1.5" and since I play off my "flippin the bird" finger, the slide covers from above the knuckle to just below the tip of my finger which means I have NO trouble damping behind it.
As to your question, why would one want shorter?....Just a preference thing but for example, if I'm in standard tuning and slidin'....if I'm doing a minor blues vamp, then I spend most of my time on the first 3 strings as those 3 strings (E, B and G; high to low) make a partial barre minor chord. So, if I'm at the 5th fret, then that's Am area. A shorter slide makes for quicker maneuvering if one NEEDS it. For me, it's just more comfortable to play with a shorter slide.
OR.....if doing a major blues, then most of my time is on the B-G-D strings (high to low) and if I'm at the 5th fret, that's a C.
SLIDE is a fun guitar style to play and the avenues/paths you can go down with it are pretty varied. Of course, once you start slidin', you'll want to investigate lap style, and that is another can o'worms to open up. lol
Good luck CB and if you have any questions, just fire away and we'll be glad to help ya out. :rockon:

[Childbride]

[...] :whatever: thank you, PBP... [and Spud] you've got me thinking further about all of this... 'Musician Help Thyself. '... to quote a woman i respect.

i have to do some more research.

:) i appreciate [sincerely] your comments.