Bottleneck Slide Basics Guitar Lesson

Lesson Overview / Objectives

Welcome to the Phase 2 Blues Bottleneck Slide series with Orville Johnson! In this introductory lesson, you will learn the following information and skills:

-Set-up tips for slide guitar.
-How to choose a slide that is appropriate for you.
-Play the E major scale horizontally across the first string.
-Learn how to play some basic slide guitar exercises. These technical exercises will prepare you for the slide guitar licks that Orville teaches in later lessons.

Origin of Slide Guitar

The origin of slide guitar is often a source of debate among musicologists. Some believe that a foreign object was first used to play "slide guitar" on the Hawaiian islands. Then, as traditional Hawaiian music creeped into the lower 48 states, blues guitarists in the South began to explore the possibilities with the slide. Other musicologists argue that slide guitar playing developed independently in both Hawaii and in the Southern United States at almost the exact same time. Although the exact origin of the slide is unknown, it gained wide spread popularity by the end of the 1920's.

Benefits of Playing Slide

1. Playing slide allows you to imitate the human voice on guitar. The human voice is capable of performing "glissandos," or slow, gradual slides from one pitch to another. This technique can also be performed on guitar with a slide. Keep in mind that a glissando can also be imitated by performing a gradual bend.

2. A unique timbre is produced by the slide. The change in timbre or tone that the slide produces can add

3. Learning slide guitar techniques is quite beneficial if you are struggling to break out of vertical scale patterns. Playing slide forces you to play within a more horizontal framework. This is due to the fact that slide licks minimize string crossings. In other words, it is easier to shift up to a higher position on a single string rather than moving to a higher string.

Slide Guitar Set-up Tips

Playing with higher action is extremely beneficial when playing slide guitar. If you play slide with low action, unwanted noise from the frets will occur.

You must also be aware of your guitar's neck radius. Guitars necks either have a flat radius or a round radius. With a round neck radius, the strings arch across the fretboard. The actual surface of the fretboard is rounded or arched as well. It is slightly easier to play slide on a guitar with a flat neck radius. Flat necks allow you to lay the slide completely flat across every string. Consequently, you do not have to adjust the finger holding the slide when moving from one string to the next.

Choosing a Slide

1. Material

Slides are typically made from one of three different materials. Glass, metal, and porcelain slides are the most common. Each material produces a distinct tone. Guitarists such as Duane Allman, Bonnie Raitt, and Joe Walsh prefer glass slides because of the rich sustain that they produce. The thickness of the glass is directly proportional to the sustain length. Glass slides also produces the warmest tone. Metal slides are also very popular among blues, rock, metal, and country guitarists. Metal slides produce a brighter, much more aggressive sound than glass. They create a much dirtier sound due to the extra string noise that they produce. Finally, porcelain slides produce a tone that is a sort of middle ground between metal and glass. These slides produce the least amount of string noise. Aerosmith's Joe Perry typically plays with a porcelain slide.

2. Size

Slides come in a wide variety of lengths and thicknesses. Regardless of which material you choose, the slide should fit comfortably. Most players prefer to play with a slide that extends to around the tip joint of the slide finger. A slide that is as long or longer than the finger can be very difficult to control. Also, make sure that your slide is not too loose or too tight. The slide should be tight enough not to fall off if you turn your finger upside down. On the other hand, it should be loose enough to pull from your finger with little effort. If your slide is slightly too loose for you, insert a piece of felt or tape inside the slide.

3. Which Finger Do I Use?

The finger used is strictly a matter of preference. Most players favor the pinky finger, because it frees up the other three fingers for playing chords and single notes without the slide. Orville prefers to use a thin, chrome-plated slide on his pinky. However, famous guitarists such as Son House, Duane Allman, and Warren Haynes have been known to use the third finger. Bonnie Raitt and Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots typically use their middle fingers when playing slide. These players sacrifice the ability to play chords and regular fretted notes in order to use the slide on a stronger finger.

Proper Slide Technique

A. Slide Angle

Make sure that the slide rests directly on top of the strings. Do not angle the slide. If you do, you will hear the sound of the slide scraping across the bottom of the fretboard and neck. Rest the slide only on the strings that you are playing. If you cover all six strings, but do not pluck them, unwanted string noise will result. Keep the slide parallel to the frets at all times. When playing a note, the middle of the slide must rest directly over top of the fret. If you place the slide where you normally fret a note, the note will sound flat.

Be careful not to let the "paralax view" throw you off. A paralax is the apparent difference in location of an object when it is viewed from two points that do not occur on a single, straight line. Sometimes the slide is slightly past the fret when you think it is directly over it. This results in a note that sounds slightly sharp. Use your ears to guide you and tell you what is in tune. This will come with time and diligent practice.

B. Play Lightly

Lay the slide across the strings as lightly as possible. Keeping the left hand wrist and forearm as relaxed as possible helps immensely in this department. You want to avoid the sound of the slide traveling across the frets. This also causes a decrease in resonance, tone, and sustain. Having higher action definitely helps in these areas. Higher action also minimalizes unwanted string noise.

C. Vibrato

Practice sliding up to the 12th fret across the entire length of the fretboard. Apply a vibrato to the 12th fret note. Shake your finger back and forth while keeping the thumb fixed to the back of the neck. When performing a double stop combined with vibrato, you must keep the slide parallel to the frets. Otherwise, one of the notes will sound out of tune.

Various musical situations call for different types of vibrato. The distance you move the slide determines how wide the vibrato is. The speed at which you move your wrist determines the rate of the vibrato.

D. Muting Techniques

When playing slide, left-hand and right-hand muting techniques must be applied.

1. Left-Hand Muting

Drag one or more left-hand fingers behind the slide to mute the strings that you are not playing. This will eliminate unwanted string buzz and sympathetic vibrations that muddy up the sound. These noises become even more noticeable when playing electric guitar. However, you may want to allow the additional strings to ring in certain situations to create an ambient effect.

2. Right Hand Muting

When switching from one string to another, the initial plucked string most be muted before the subsequent string is plucked. Otherwise, the first string will continue to ring over top of the second string that is played. This can be accomplished by making contact with the first string with one of the right fingers or by tilting the palm of the hand towards the desired string. When the palm contacts the string, it will stop vibrating. In most situations, the two notes will clash with one another. However, there are some exceptions. For example, you may want to play a double stop consisting of two notes on adjacent strings at the same fret.

E. Picking

Slide guitar can either be played by plucking the strings with the right hand fingers or by using a pick. Playing with the fingers produces a softer, warmer tone. Many players prefer to play with the fingers because they are able to perform complex right hand muting techniques since the index finger and thumb do not have to hold onto the pick. In contrast to playing with the fingers, playing with a pick produces a brighter and louder tone. Spend a significant amount of time playing with both techniques. You may want to have the option of using either technique in order to tailor your tone appropriately to the context of a specific song.

Slide Exercise 1 (Horizontal E Major Scale)

To practice your ability to play cleanly and in tune, work through a horizontal version of the E major scale on the first string. This scale consists of the following pitches: E, F#, G#, A, B C#, D#, E. Orville explains the fret locations of these notes at 01:05 in Scene 4. Tablature to the scale can also be found under the "Supplemental Content" tab. Practice the scale without the slide until you have it memorized. Then, play the scale with the slide. Remember to follow all of the technique rules listed above. Listen to Orville's demonstration of the exercise at 01:45 in Scene 4 several times. Strive to imitate the sound that he produces. Notice how he mutes the first string with the right hand index finger after plucking each note in the scale.

Exercise 1A

This exercise is quite similar to the first exercise. However, an open E note is now inserted between each note in the E major scale. Orville demonstrates this exercise at 03:48 in Scene 4. This exercise will greatly improve your intonation since the tonic note can be used as a strong reference point. It's much easier to tell if a note played with the slide is out of tune when an open note not played by the slide is added into the equation.

Exercise 2

Repeat exercise 1. This time around, slide into each note from the previous note in the scale. Make sure that you are articulating (picking) each note. Orville provides a demonstration of this exercise at the beginning of Scene 5.

Exercise 3

A descending form of the E major scale is played in this exercise. Play a long "glissando" into each note. A glissando is a long steady slide. Similar to Exercise 1A, an open E string note is inserted between each note played with the slide to ensure that each is in tune. This exercise is demonstrated in Scene 6. Notice how Orville hammers onto the first string with the slide after plucking each open E note. In other words, each glissando note is not articulated. Only the open E notes are actually picked.

Exercise 4

The final and most challenging exercise of the lesson features a repeating sequence played in a descending fashion within the horizontal major scale. Refer to Scene 7 for a demonstration of how this exercise should be performed. Do not get sloppy with your intonation! Play the exercise along with Orville to ensure that you are playing in tune.

Final Thoughts

Learning to play slide guitar is almost like learning how to play the guitar all over again. Even very advanced players struggle when first trying to play slide guitar. Be patient with this new technique. With proper practice and solid instruction, you will master this technique in no time. Always remember JamPlay instructor Hawkeye Herman's cardinal rules of music when playing slide. Visualize where you are going next. Do not place all of your focus on what you are currently playing. Also, crawl before you walk. Walk before you run. Do not begin your adventure into slide guitar by trying to play all of Duane Allman's improvised slide solos. Start with basics such as playing through scales and simple exercises.

Additional Resources

For more information on slide guitar, check out the following books:

1. Electric Slide Guitar - book / cd by David Hamburger (Hal Leonard Corporation)
2. The Slide Guitar Book by Fred Sokolow (Hal Leonard Corporation)

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