Great stuff Dylan! Just one question, when you talk about string action are you measuring it from the 12th fret? with no capo on the first fret (I assume)?
Yes, pinning this because I meant to mention it in the video: I’m measuring from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string, no capo or anything
just get used to resting 5 digits on the 6 strings (rejig it to catch the other string when needed) they kill and mute the strings as well as picking em, it's challenging at first, particularly useful if you are playing in standard, i use it as a lap guitar technique too now. picking the g and e only, for example, is hard because the b has to be dampened and the other strings too.. you will get it mate.
Me,too over five decades of experience playing guitars’ I’ve always wanted to get proficient playing slide guitar too . Dylan is EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE. EXCELLENT CONTENT 😊🎸
Great video! I find playing slide on a 7.25" radius trickier, though I am sure there are people out there who do it really well. The 12" radius is comfortable. I don't really have experience with 9.5" and wonder how that would feel. Your point about gain is really important for almost any kind of guitar playing, though I think with slide the temptation to up the gain to get lots of sustain is strong. One thing is while Duane or Derek or many others did not use a lot of gain, they do get to play really loud. That makes a difference. High headroom tube amps that stay clean sounding still give you a lot of sustain when they are up high enough. Most of us don't get to play that loud anymore, whether at home or even at a gig. So we have to find our own way to the right tone.
"No shortcuts" and being persistent are 2 great tips. I think a 3rd tip is having a consistent plan that you follow to gain the appropriate skills. You are what you practice and that starts with learning fundamentals. Following random youtube videos won't build a practice routine, though you can extract helpful tips to augment an existing plan.
i like keeping it quite random but i make sure all aspects are being covered and get stuff down, been playing ages now though.. they are good tips though, yes.
I just wanted to say thank you. I’m 60 and have been playing guitar since I was 12, and only recently decided that I wanted to really become proficient on slide. I attempted it several times in the past, but it was always short lived. I became discouraged.
Dylan, you just flat rock. You have become my primary slide inspiration, because I needed someone to learn from who plays slide in standard tuning, and there are so damned few who do. If you don't become one of the legends of slide guitar, there is no justice in the cosmos.
Practicing the Freebird slide lick over and over until it was fluid and perfectly in tune helped me a lot with my slide playing (especially in standard tuning)
it's a brilliant part, i used to play something fretted, then with a slide, the same way i got good at bending, hard when you first encounter this stuff, you have to become like a violinist or singer basically.
i’ve been playing slide for a few years (though most time has gone towards learning bluegrass banjo!) and this is one of the most straightforward and helpful videos so far
Love the approach you talked about. Just taking on something and saying "I'm going to learn this. I'm going to play that." Every large leap I have taken over my 22 years of playing has been in moments when I thought that exact same way and just got after it. I think mindset is the most important thing in learning anything. I remember when I was in high-school and wanted to learn Over The Hills and Far Away so bad, but it was quite a bit above my level at that point. Especially on an acoustic. But I just went after it and spent countless hours every day on it. Within a few weeks I had it down and remember sitting there thinking "Wow...2 weeks ago this felt like a huge mountain to climb."
Such quality content! Your videos are just keep getting better. I really want to be able to play slide guitar like you one day, and it still feels so unrealistic at this point. Please keep making contents and I promise I'll always be waiting for more! Thank you.
Thanks so much man, I’m trying to up the content/production quality with each video. And just keep chipping away at learning slide! It can be daunting, but every great player started from nothing, just gotta put in the work. And I’ll be here to help, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon with the videos! Best of luck man 🤙🏻
Been playing guitars low-key, on and off, since the early 1970s, but I started really getting into it in 2019 - took my time! (Still just a hobby). In the last few months, I've really got into slide - got a cheap Harley Benton T-Style, and put super heavy top strings on it 13, 17, 22 - normal gauge low strings. And I hand-carved a bone nut with zero radius! Set the saddles at zero radius too. Absolutely none of that was necessary. And I know it. But I feel it is MY guitar - like I built it that way. And I do get pleasure from that. However, the time has come to actually start learning from those who know. So I'm watching your vids with great interest. I'm pushing 70, and I feel slide will be good if my fingers get too stiff from old age. Though the main reason I like it is because it sounds so cool. Thanks a lot - this is a treasure trove!
Just getting into slide and really like your videos; you're a good teacher. Thanks so much for these Dylan, from one happily retired Canuck! btw...that's one sweet PRS there.
Loving these videos man. I’ve got my rock slide coming in the mail from sweetwater. I’ve been using a Dunlop 212 for a few years (on my ring finger) and I’ve gotten decent at slide in open and standard tuning, but you’ve really encouraged me to push towards learning to play behind the slide and just really trying to dive in and woodshed my slide playing!
This perfect advice. I have been playing standard for years, but I always had problems playing in minor keys, I kept going to the major scale. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didnt . Anyone that make slide sound like an open tuned guitar has my attention immediately. I think you are the only one the internet that actually studied and knows what and where to play in standard.
Well, this was a nice channel to stumble across, I've been looking at those Rock Slides for a minute now. I've always loved the sounds a guitar can make with a slide, very close as to the human voice. Great presentation, Dylan!
Always amazing advice, Dylan. You’re giving me hope with each and every video that I can learn this technique. Part of it is having a good teacher, and part is getting good advice about gear, setup, etc. Do you ever play slide on acoustic guitars of any kind? I’d love for you to talk about that sometime - there’s plenty to explore because acoustic guitars are like a whole other instrument than an electric guitar. The Acoustic Life UA-cam channel with Tony Polecastro show recently did several episodes on slide and a variety of topics on the subject for people who might be interested in dabbling or are ready to jump on in. For instance, he was showing people how to convert a round neck to a square neck with an inexpensive doohickey that raises the action for playing like a lap steel. He also was showing resonators vs. standard wood guitars for the purpose of playing slide. That made me realize that you can talking about playing slide in the popular playing position vs. playing flat àla pedal steel type or square necks. Maybe you can talk about your preferred method in relation to the other, and how to get started doing it flat. His content made me wonder if you can show us how to make slide sound great on an acoustic guitar, perhaps using some of the gear and ideas suggested by Tony. He’s really nice, and I bet he’d let you use some clips. Anyway, I always wonder if one must be plugged in to make the slide sound best on an acoustic of any kind or whether it’s possible to achieve with a room mic (or while unplugged at home for all the minimalists and apartment dwellers out there, lol), I always wonder if the slide playing is technically different in the traditional position as compared to an electric guitar, how the setup might differ, how to start playing horizontally if one wishes to go that route (just seems so unnatural) and why one might want to chose that method, etc. I know you mostly play electric guitar from what it seems, but it would be a great avenue to explore for current acoustic players, people who might be interested in picking up acoustic guitar, and even for yourself personally - especially if you’ve never really done anything more than dabbling with slide on acoustic. Could be fun to watch the process of you figuring stuff out. 😉😂 Thanks so much, my friend! Always a great content to be had here!
The first slide player I can remember hearing as a child, and for my money the king of slide players, was Duane Allman. That man could set his fretboard on fire playing…to this day, I get excited hearing him play.
Yes, i understand! I've NEVER felt like "burning my guitar," or " throwing it out," or "giving up." I just work a little harder to sound the way i want to sound! I've always felt that way about practice, and i don't know (wouldn't want to know) any other way.
If I may chime in on the subject of string gauges: I have a .16 on my National that works great for slack tunings like open D or open G. But there is no way I can tune that string set to open E or open A without breaking strings. For those tunings I have a Telecaster with a .10 on the high E.
Great advice on tone and gain. At first it seemed I needed a lot of gain but realized it was kind of a crutch for bad technique. Now I practice with little or no gain and it requires me to have a better touch for consistent pressure, note attack and volume. Then I add gain as needed. Keep the videos coming Dylan they are the best!
Thank you brother.🤗 I know what you mean with regards to learning. Like working in an office, or any job; if it's done just as a means-to-an-end, the quality of work suffers greatly, because half the minds attention is in the future and not fully in the Now. And then stress (or road rage if you are driving and gone quite insane) can easily creep in. And if you are not enjoying something you are not empowered by life because there is a hidden "No" so to speak contaminating the learning/playing process. The guitarist Guthrie Govan had a video where he was pointing out you should enjoy or learn to enjoy playing one note. Eckhart Tolle said in one of his books: "Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into the world from deep within you. The misperception that Joy comes from what you do is normal, and it is also dangerous, because it creates the belief that joy is something that can be derived from something else, such as an activity or thing. You then look to the world to bring you joy, happiness . But it cannot do that. This is why many people live in constant frustration. The world is not giving them what they think they need." I've learnt "Shed loads" from your videos thanks. David. Peace.🙏
Good tips...I remember hearing Brian Jones on "No Expectations " when a i was 18 and it was really hard ot learn even if it was a simple song. I did have the same demons on my head saying " i can´t play this". But after a while i did, took me whole year of not doing it right, but i just keep thinking "I just got to be in tune" and it work. i am glad i did not stumble on a Duane Allman slide playing cause i that age I would have been scared .
Duane Allman didn't play slide until seeing Jesse Ed Davis play "Statesborough Blues" with Taj Majal. If you listen to that track online, you can hear how Duane's version sounds similar. Mearle Watson, Doc Watson's son, got really good at playing slide on acoustic, and his inspiration - like yours, was seeing Duane Allman play electric slide guitar live. Mearle got a '59 Les Paul sunburst, and liked the neck so much he asked Gallagher to make the neck on his Dreadnaught acoustic just like the Gibson 1959 Les Paul neck. Mearle's had rosewood sides and back, while Doc,s was Mahogany he preferred. Doc used medium gauge strings, while Merle would use light gauge acoustic strings tuned up to an E chord, so pretty high tension for slide. I was very fortunate to see Doc and Merle play together at a little club in Georgetown, before Merle's tragic death. He was so beloved by the bluegrass community there is a "Merlefest" music festival every year in his honor, and to keep his memory alive. I've never seen anybody play fingerpicking acoustic slide guitar like Merle could. I've always loved slide guitar, and pedal steel guitar, they create some of my favorite musical sounds. But I've struggled with learning how to play slide myself all my life, and I'm 67 so I need to master slide now - before it's too late. I'm incorporating what I learned from this video with all the other information I've learned over the years, but know it's mainly going to take my will to stay with it. JD Simo's story is inspirational, because he struggled with learning slide too. The night he finally "got it", and couldn't believe he was finally playing it with control, said he was scared to stop playing afraid he would never be able to "get it" again. I'm going to keep at it until I can "get it" under control. About the string gauge: using extra-light .09-.942 set does make it more difficult, but that's what Jesse Ed Davis used on his telecaster, went to .09-.46 on his Gibson. Gary Rossington said he likes to use .09-.042 extra light strings to get a more "greasy" sound. Rhett Shull uses extra-light now, and seems to play slide quite well on them. That said, RJ Ronquillo recommends using .11 strings too, and that flat-wound strings can help. Some people use coated strings, or polished, or ground-wound for slide. Warren Haynes uses regular .10-.46 strings on his Les Paul and most other guitars for slide, except on the Firebird he may be using .11 strings? I'm just full of information - eh? Now I need to get busy 'shedding until I get it........!
I’m a guy who does have separate guitars for standard and open G & D . I use sets of 11s on all my electric guitars. But I do put a .13 on the highest string to add a bit more tension on the open tunings . And if I can, I will put a heavier string on the low string to add a bit more tension. This just helps to keep you from fretting out. I also raise the saddle on the highest string that I put the .13 String on to add a little bit more height for use of Slide
Regarding "beating yourself up". I think it is important to learn how to enjoy the journey. Have an end goal to focus on but enjoy where you are now. "The worst day playing guitar beats the best day at a crummy job.... " Great content, Dylan!
I need to ask a question about my guitars and using slide (I slide using my pinky). The 3 fingers in front are muting well. I have to pay attention to that because sometimes I don't do such a good job. But this problem occurs when I am muting properly. I am new at slide - but I am liking what I am hearing. Most of the time. Which leads to my question. What is it that causes the two-tone issue - the strings behind the slide - making noise - and the strings on the other side that are supposed to be what is heard. I am thinking maybe action - old strings - wrong gauge. This happaens on multiple guitars with different gauges and different setups. - and I don't think it's just me not deadening the strings behind the slide that are making the unnecessary noise. The easy answer would be "it is you...take up the oboe." LOL - appreciate your time - respectful of your skills. You're fantastic!
Your #5 and #6 mistakes resonated … I learned slide from listening to Ry Cooder and Leo Kottke in the mid 1970’s.. that was my foundation. Your mention of Lowell George and compression was enlightening.. I had for 4 decades wondered how he got that sound on the Feats Don’t Fail Me Now album Ry’s Paradise and Lunch is an easily accessible master class in open tuning slide
Great advice and great playing!! For 'diy' type players like me, may I suggest cutting some bottle necks for slides and looking for bottles that have a curved section that will match the radius on your guitar. Since I live in wine country I know it's possible. I use a metal cutting disc for the cuts and a belt sander to spooth out the sharp ends. "Sanded" glass slides, with a matt finish, also have advantages on acoustic guitar stings at times. A radiused glass slide on an open tuned neck can be helpful in contacting multiple strings equally.
Cool video. I would like to point out that Derek Trucks uses a large slide... so much so that his ring finger is bent - kind of pressing against the slide to hold it in place.
The plain brass slides I've tried have been too soft and they are easily nicked and grooved by the strings, which are harder than the brass (perhaps the brass slides shown here are made of a special alloy?). I prefer a slide that's chrome plated steel or chromed brass, because the chrome is tougher than plain brass, or (my preferance) a glass slide. Also, having a little bit of thickness to the wall of the slide is important for sustain and being able to drive the string, especially if you're using a glass slide. If the glass slide is thin, almost like a test tube, you probably won't get a good sound out of it. I haven't tried a bone or ceramic slide, nor an expensive titanium one! Bone will eventually wear; a ceramic slide might not.... You definitely will not like the sound of grooves and notches in your slide, and it's even more of a problem if you're playing lapsteel style with a Stevens or Shubb-Pearce bar.
i like chrome too, you made me interested in thick glass now though, also, yes, i have chipped a tone bar for my lap guitar once, it sounded bad! had to replace it right away lol.
Hey Dylan. Awesome video. Great information but your chops, oh man. Killer stuff. And incredible tone too. You mention blues driver into a UA. Are you using the UA reverb? Speakers? One last question. Derek Trucks- the best slide player ever? Thanks so much. -Mark
Very good lesson. As an old dude, I would add to your mistake #6 comments that though it does take time and effort to get better, try to enjoy the journey getting there. Incremental improvement and discovery has always been such a joy for me. Thx.
Great video and advice. It confirms most of what I already knew and believed. I agree about the Rockslides. They’re amazing. Been using them exclusively for several years now. Keep up the great work. Your playing is fantastic.
Saw your video on Rhett’s new live channel, and wow. You really make that thing sing. I’ve decided to take up slide now. This video is an amazingly great start! Look forward to this journey
thanks Dylan, great advice! im on the road for work a lot and i bought a shitty burner guitar to practice in hotel rooms with headphones, just 30 minutes every work day has helped so much with the muscle memory. Im only 3 weeks in.
Dylan I’ve been playing slide for 30 years. You’re definitely waaayyy more progressed than I. But you’ve lit a fire in me again and have me trying to break out of the box I slide around in. Just an old dog trying not to get hurt learning new tricks…..thanks for the info you’re passing along
Dylan. Your amazing. Love your playing and down to earth personality. Could you possibly do so short videos with a few licks. Not the basic Duane and Derek style playing but more of your staples. You have such a unique feel and phrasing. Keep up the great work.
I might be off base here, but compression should be a concern. Having all notes at the same volume plus a little grit if you want it? Just asking for a friend . 😂. Great video. Very informative. 👍
A question and a comment. Question: you don't subscribe to the idea that you should be able to feel the location of the top rim of the slide with the tip of your finger? I took that advice and it seemed to help me find the string when angling the slide. Comment: I laughed out loud when you said the perfect starting place is - and I'm thinking "Elmore James" - and you said it. I was very lucky that my first slide 'hero' was Jeremy Spencer of Fleetwood Mac (very dodgy character but I loved hi playing and energy on those early albums). Because that stuff teaches you a lot and it's not a million hours to learn. It teaches you that slide can sound totally baller while still being simple. It teaches you that you need to control the strings you're not playing - even though it's simple. And it teaches you that slide playing doesn't mean _exclusively_ playing slide - you're fretting out chords on the shuffles and so you learn you don't want your action jacked up all the way to hell. I'm not even in spitting distance of your skills, but I know I'm a slide guitar player rather than someone who occasionally picks up a slide and tries to play something with it. Being able to isolate strings and dampen others, get decent intonation and tone, and being able to play something fun and exciting - that's the first step whether you want to play like DT or not.
You can play slide on a low action 9 through 42 shred guitar if you use a very thin-walled Pyrex slide you just have to have a very light touch. I still use a big oversized thick brass slide when I'm playing on a resonator even sometimes just on an acoustic because I have enough control of it and it sounds so good compared to other materials especially on a metal resonator. Statesboro blues and a bunch of Johnny Winters songs are what got me to start playing slide back when they first came out. Yes I'm old. One mistake I hear too often is people not mutant behind the slide. That drives me crazy! There are things to practice when you're learning how to play slide. First thing as accuracy of travel. Just try doing half-step motions then go to hallstatt motions and then go further from there. Also knowing that your slide cannot be sideways to the fretz unless you're doing a special effect and you don't want it to be leaning into the Frets on the treble side or on the bass side, some very basic technique for those just starting.
I agree,I use 9’s on all but one of my guitars and I use my slide on them. I don’t like heavy strings. Classic example of someone who likes light strings is Billy Gibbons. He uses 7’s and 8’s on all of his guitars, even when he plays slide. Love your videos Dylan. You’re one heck of a player!
For me it's Leslie West. So far only video on "Sliding" I've stumbled on. I have a glass slide but I really love the Clayton "sexy WAVE" . What do you expect, I'm retired Navy. P.S. I'm kind of starting at 67.
Really do love that guitar. That's my style, although dots are good enough for a simple man like me. Side dots alone is even mo' betta. I guess PRS wants everyone to know who made it immediately! Not many teachers explain how to set up the guitar AND how to dial in the tone! Nice job Dylan.
It’s great man, I think once more people play one/see one in person they’ll say “ohhh I get it.” It just looks, feels and sounds excellent. Thanks so much for watching!
Great playing and advice here! Side note i cant help but notice how the ash figuring on that prs isnt matched where the 2 pieces come together. Seems like something that shouldnt have left the factory for a $3k guitar. Just my 2 cents....sounds great though.
A possible tip #7 would encapsulate all the others. You gotta "feel" it. If you felt it while you heard it enough to want to do it, you still gotta feel it while doing it.
One thing I find myself struggling with, which I don’t see addressed much and would love to see you elaborate on, is noise and overtones happening behind the slide. I assume I have to slightly deaden the strings behind the slide, but getting that touch right is the part I’m having the hardest time with.
Yes - dragging the finger next to (behind) the bottleneck is what you have to do. Touching the side of the bottleneck with the side of the dragging/damping finger helps I find. You need to keep the dragging finger flat and straight and touching, not pressing, on the strings. It takes time and practice (of course - like everything) but you'll get it, and it cleans up your slide sound enormously.
@@rodjones117 thanks for this 🙏. I think key is “keep the finger flat and straight”…I end up not thinking about it and curve it, which ultimately leads to me pressing too hard. Definitely takes time to develop the feel! I’ll get there though!
![Slide Guitar: Fretting Behind The Slide [Lesson]](/img/n.gif)
Great stuff Dylan! Just one question, when you talk about string action are you measuring it from the 12th fret? with no capo on the first fret (I assume)?
Yes, pinning this because I meant to mention it in the video: I’m measuring from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string, no capo or anything
I would love a video of you discussing right hand technique! It seems really complex.
I definitely plan on it!
Yes, this would be super helpful!
just get used to resting 5 digits on the 6 strings (rejig it to catch the other string when needed) they kill and mute the strings as well as picking em, it's challenging at first, particularly useful if you are playing in standard, i use it as a lap guitar technique too now. picking the g and e only, for example, is hard because the b has to be dampened and the other strings too.. you will get it mate.
Jut started learning slide after nearly 30 years of playing guitar. Your videos have been a godsend! Thank you 🙏🏻
Same!!!!
@@scottlowsongs i did this too, ages ago now, it will feel as natural either way soon..
Me,too over five decades of experience playing guitars’ I’ve always wanted to get proficient playing slide guitar too . Dylan is EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE. EXCELLENT CONTENT 😊🎸
Great video! I find playing slide on a 7.25" radius trickier, though I am sure there are people out there who do it really well. The 12" radius is comfortable. I don't really have experience with 9.5" and wonder how that would feel. Your point about gain is really important for almost any kind of guitar playing, though I think with slide the temptation to up the gain to get lots of sustain is strong. One thing is while Duane or Derek or many others did not use a lot of gain, they do get to play really loud. That makes a difference. High headroom tube amps that stay clean sounding still give you a lot of sustain when they are up high enough. Most of us don't get to play that loud anymore, whether at home or even at a gig. So we have to find our own way to the right tone.
You can take a piece of copper tubing' pack it full of sand and bend it to match the 7:25" radius.
"No shortcuts" and being persistent are 2 great tips. I think a 3rd tip is having a consistent plan that you follow to gain the appropriate skills. You are what you practice and that starts with learning fundamentals. Following random youtube videos won't build a practice routine, though you can extract helpful tips to augment an existing plan.
i like keeping it quite random but i make sure all aspects are being covered and get stuff down, been playing ages now though.. they are good tips though, yes.
another is 'even learn stuff you don't like' either you will come out liking it or have a clearer idea of what you do like, it's win win..
Nice playing bud! :)
I just wanted to say thank you. I’m 60 and have been playing guitar since I was 12, and only recently decided that I wanted to really become proficient on slide. I attempted it several times in the past, but it was always short lived. I became discouraged.
Dylan, you just flat rock. You have become my primary slide inspiration, because I needed someone to learn from who plays slide in standard tuning, and there are so damned few who do. If you don't become one of the legends of slide guitar, there is no justice in the cosmos.
Great pointers and very good motivational tips!!
And this lick at 4:54…Mercy!
Practicing the Freebird slide lick over and over until it was fluid and perfectly in tune helped me a lot with my slide playing (especially in standard tuning)
it's a brilliant part, i used to play something fretted, then with a slide, the same way i got good at bending, hard when you first encounter this stuff, you have to become like a violinist or singer basically.
Dylan, holy smokes. I FEEL those examples - tone and touch for days.
i’ve been playing slide for a few years (though most time has gone towards learning bluegrass banjo!) and this is one of the most straightforward and helpful videos so far
Love the approach you talked about.
Just taking on something and saying "I'm going to learn this. I'm going to play that."
Every large leap I have taken over my 22 years of playing has been in moments when I thought that exact same way and just got after it.
I think mindset is the most important thing in learning anything.
I remember when I was in high-school and wanted to learn Over The Hills and Far Away so bad, but it was quite a bit above my level at that point. Especially on an acoustic. But I just went after it and spent countless hours every day on it. Within a few weeks I had it down and remember sitting there thinking "Wow...2 weeks ago this felt like a huge mountain to climb."
did that with a marty friedman solo when i decided to get more serious, you are right, i have same attitude now and it jumps you forward, a lot!
Such quality content! Your videos are just keep getting better. I really want to be able to play slide guitar like you one day, and it still feels so unrealistic at this point. Please keep making contents and I promise I'll always be waiting for more! Thank you.
Thanks so much man, I’m trying to up the content/production quality with each video. And just keep chipping away at learning slide! It can be daunting, but every great player started from nothing, just gotta put in the work. And I’ll be here to help, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon with the videos! Best of luck man 🤙🏻
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I will dig into your standard tuning slide lessons.
Great playing,
Been playing guitars low-key, on and off, since the early 1970s, but I started really getting into it in 2019 - took my time! (Still just a hobby).
In the last few months, I've really got into slide - got a cheap Harley Benton T-Style, and put super heavy top strings on it 13, 17, 22 - normal gauge low strings. And I hand-carved a bone nut with zero radius! Set the saddles at zero radius too.
Absolutely none of that was necessary. And I know it. But I feel it is MY guitar - like I built it that way. And I do get pleasure from that.
However, the time has come to actually start learning from those who know. So I'm watching your vids with great interest. I'm pushing 70, and I feel slide will be good if my fingers get too stiff from old age. Though the main reason I like it is because it sounds so cool.
Thanks a lot - this is a treasure trove!
Just getting into slide and really like your videos; you're a good teacher. Thanks so much for these Dylan, from one happily retired Canuck! btw...that's one sweet PRS there.
So helpful, many screenshots taken during this video thank you!
Loving these videos man. I’ve got my rock slide coming in the mail from sweetwater. I’ve been using a Dunlop 212 for a few years (on my ring finger) and I’ve gotten decent at slide in open and standard tuning, but you’ve really encouraged me to push towards learning to play behind the slide and just really trying to dive in and woodshed my slide playing!
i bend behind the bar but i have to learn to play behind it too now! heard about this and will check this guys videos on it, cheers!
This perfect advice. I have been playing standard for years, but I always had problems playing in minor keys, I kept going to the major scale. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didnt . Anyone that make slide sound like an open tuned guitar has my attention immediately. I think you are the only one the internet that actually studied and knows what and where to play in standard.
Well, this was a nice channel to stumble across, I've been looking at those Rock Slides for a minute now. I've always loved the sounds a guitar can make with a slide, very close as to the human voice.
Great presentation, Dylan!
Thank you Dylan! As an old guy... with your help I'm determined to learn slide come hell or high water 😂
Ditto!
age is just a number, although, yes, mine is a rather large one too :D
#5 and #6 are essential! Great tips Dylan.
Always amazing advice, Dylan. You’re giving me hope with each and every video that I can learn this technique. Part of it is having a good teacher, and part is getting good advice about gear, setup, etc.
Do you ever play slide on acoustic guitars of any kind? I’d love for you to talk about that sometime - there’s plenty to explore because acoustic guitars are like a whole other instrument than an electric guitar. The Acoustic Life UA-cam channel with Tony Polecastro show recently did several episodes on slide and a variety of topics on the subject for people who might be interested in dabbling or are ready to jump on in. For instance, he was showing people how to convert a round neck to a square neck with an inexpensive doohickey that raises the action for playing like a lap steel. He also was showing resonators vs. standard wood guitars for the purpose of playing slide.
That made me realize that you can talking about playing slide in the popular playing position vs. playing flat àla pedal steel type or square necks. Maybe you can talk about your preferred method in relation to the other, and how to get started doing it flat.
His content made me wonder if you can show us how to make slide sound great on an acoustic guitar, perhaps using some of the gear and ideas suggested by Tony. He’s really nice, and I bet he’d let you use some clips. Anyway, I always wonder if one must be plugged in to make the slide sound best on an acoustic of any kind or whether it’s possible to achieve with a room mic (or while unplugged at home for all the minimalists and apartment dwellers out there, lol), I always wonder if the slide playing is technically different in the traditional position as compared to an electric guitar, how the setup might differ, how to start playing horizontally if one wishes to go that route (just seems so unnatural) and why one might want to chose that method, etc.
I know you mostly play electric guitar from what it seems, but it would be a great avenue to explore for current acoustic players, people who might be interested in picking up acoustic guitar, and even for yourself personally - especially if you’ve never really done anything more than dabbling with slide on acoustic. Could be fun to watch the process of you figuring stuff out. 😉😂
Thanks so much, my friend! Always a great content to be had here!
The first slide player I can remember hearing as a child, and for my money the king of slide players, was Duane Allman. That man could set his fretboard on fire playing…to this day, I get excited hearing him play.
I love the way you explained the real truth on slide learning. Most of all I love your style ( musical) . Thank you for sharing.
Yes, i understand!
I've NEVER felt like "burning my guitar," or " throwing it out," or "giving up."
I just work a little harder to sound the way i want to sound!
I've always felt that way about practice, and i don't know (wouldn't want to know) any other way.
If I may chime in on the subject of string gauges: I have a .16 on my National that works great for slack tunings like open D or open G. But there is no way I can tune that string set to open E or open A without breaking strings. For those tunings I have a Telecaster with a .10 on the high E.
Great advice on tone and gain. At first it seemed I needed a lot of gain but realized it was kind of a crutch for bad technique. Now I practice with little or no gain and it requires me to have a better touch for consistent pressure, note attack and volume. Then I add gain as needed. Keep the videos coming Dylan they are the best!
Thank you brother.🤗
I know what you mean with regards to learning.
Like working in an office, or any job;
if it's done just as a means-to-an-end, the quality of work suffers greatly, because half the minds attention is in the future and not fully in the Now.
And then stress (or road rage if you are driving and gone quite insane) can easily creep in.
And if you are not enjoying something you are not empowered by life because there is a hidden "No" so to speak contaminating the learning/playing process. The guitarist Guthrie Govan had a video where he was pointing out you should enjoy or learn to enjoy playing one note.
Eckhart Tolle said in one of his books:
"Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into the world from deep within you. The misperception that Joy comes from what you do is normal, and it is also dangerous, because it creates the belief that joy is something that can be derived from something else, such as an activity or thing. You then look to the world to bring you joy, happiness . But it cannot do that. This is why many people live in constant frustration. The world is not giving them what they think they need."
I've learnt "Shed loads" from your videos thanks.
David. Peace.🙏
These are great videos and, man, I dig your playing!
My guitar teacber had me tune to open G tuning to start learning slide. I found that extremely helpful.
#5 is invaluable. Best advice 👍👍
Good tips...I remember hearing Brian Jones on "No Expectations " when a i was 18 and it was really hard ot learn even if it was a simple song. I did have the same demons on my head saying " i can´t play this". But after a while i did, took me whole year of not doing it right, but i just keep thinking "I just got to be in tune" and it work. i am glad i did not stumble on a Duane Allman slide playing cause i that age I would have been scared .
Elmore James, Duane Allman and Johnny Winter were my first heroes on slide. Sonny Landreth opened me up to playing 'behind the slide'.
Very direct and very informative. Perhaps a quick rundown on how gain settings effect your tone with some shots of the amp settings? Thanks!
Duane Allman didn't play slide until seeing Jesse Ed Davis play "Statesborough Blues" with Taj Majal. If you listen to that track online, you can hear how Duane's version sounds similar. Mearle Watson, Doc Watson's son, got really good at playing slide on acoustic, and his inspiration - like yours, was seeing Duane Allman play electric slide guitar live. Mearle got a '59 Les Paul sunburst, and liked the neck so much he asked Gallagher to make the neck on his Dreadnaught acoustic just like the Gibson 1959 Les Paul neck. Mearle's had rosewood sides and back, while Doc,s was Mahogany he preferred. Doc used medium gauge strings, while Merle would use light gauge acoustic strings tuned up to an E chord, so pretty high tension for slide. I was very fortunate to see Doc and Merle play together at a little club in Georgetown, before Merle's tragic death. He was so beloved by the bluegrass community there is a "Merlefest" music festival every year in his honor, and to keep his memory alive. I've never seen anybody play fingerpicking acoustic slide guitar like Merle could. I've always loved slide guitar, and pedal steel guitar, they create some of my favorite musical sounds. But I've struggled with learning how to play slide myself all my life, and I'm 67 so I need to master slide now - before it's too late. I'm incorporating what I learned from this video with all the other information I've learned over the years, but know it's mainly going to take my will to stay with it. JD Simo's story is inspirational, because he struggled with learning slide too. The night he finally "got it", and couldn't believe he was finally playing it with control, said he was scared to stop playing afraid he would never be able to "get it" again. I'm going to keep at it until I can "get it" under control. About the string gauge: using extra-light .09-.942 set does make it more difficult, but that's what Jesse Ed Davis used on his telecaster, went to .09-.46 on his Gibson. Gary Rossington said he likes to use .09-.042 extra light strings to get a more "greasy" sound. Rhett Shull uses extra-light now, and seems to play slide quite well on them. That said, RJ Ronquillo recommends using .11 strings too, and that flat-wound strings can help. Some people use coated strings, or polished, or ground-wound for slide. Warren Haynes uses regular .10-.46 strings on his Les Paul and most other guitars for slide, except on the Firebird he may be using .11 strings? I'm just full of information - eh? Now I need to get busy 'shedding until I get it........!
Great advice… love your blues playing bro… going to get my first brass slide this week…
Sounds sweet Dylan. Liked, subscribed and shared l .. Saving for a future guitar lesson with you.
I’m a guy who does have separate guitars for standard and open G & D . I use sets of 11s on all my electric guitars. But I do put a .13 on the highest string to add a bit more tension on the open tunings . And if I can, I will put a heavier string on the low string to add a bit more tension. This just helps to keep you from fretting out. I also raise the saddle on the highest string that I put the .13 String on to add a little bit more height for use of Slide
Regarding "beating yourself up". I think it is important to learn how to enjoy the journey. Have an end goal to focus on but enjoy where you are now. "The worst day playing guitar beats the best day at a crummy job.... " Great content, Dylan!
I need to ask a question about my guitars and using slide (I slide using my pinky). The 3 fingers in front are muting well. I have to pay attention to that because sometimes I don't do such a good job. But this problem occurs when I am muting properly. I am new at slide - but I am liking what I am hearing. Most of the time. Which leads to my question. What is it that causes the two-tone issue - the strings behind the slide - making noise - and the strings on the other side that are supposed to be what is heard. I am thinking maybe action - old strings - wrong gauge. This happaens on multiple guitars with different gauges and different setups. - and I don't think it's just me not deadening the strings behind the slide that are making the unnecessary noise. The easy answer would be "it is you...take up the oboe." LOL - appreciate your time - respectful of your skills. You're fantastic!
Saw a discussion by Ry Cooder, years ago. He heightened his strings so that the slide was level across all the strings. Tried it and it works well
Thank you for the very usefull tips!
Your #5 and #6 mistakes resonated …
I learned slide from listening to Ry Cooder and Leo Kottke in the mid 1970’s.. that was my foundation.
Your mention of Lowell George and compression was enlightening.. I had for 4 decades wondered how he got that sound on the Feats Don’t Fail Me Now album
Ry’s Paradise and Lunch is an easily accessible master class in open tuning slide
Video quality keeps going up! Keep it up my man
I started learning slide about 3 weeks ago and because of your videos I’ve improved a lot. Thanks my friend hope all is well 🎉
Thanks Dylan! Your videos inspired me to try slide.
excellent advice. inspirational😎
Great advice and great playing!! For 'diy' type players like me, may I suggest cutting some bottle necks for slides and looking for bottles that have a curved section that will match the radius on your guitar. Since I live in wine country I know it's possible. I use a metal cutting disc for the cuts and a belt sander to spooth out the sharp ends. "Sanded" glass slides, with a matt finish, also have advantages on acoustic guitar stings at times. A radiused glass slide on an open tuned neck can be helpful in contacting multiple strings equally.
Amazing video. Thanks.
I know this is a slide video, but oh lawd that fingerstyle riff at 4:50 gave me the stank face! Great video as always!
Cool video. I would like to point out that Derek Trucks uses a large slide... so much so that his ring finger is bent - kind of pressing against the slide to hold it in place.
Thanks for the info Dylan.🎼👍🎸
Thanks for taking to time to share your knowledge - amazing. Cheers
Fantastic!
The plain brass slides I've tried have been too soft and they are easily nicked and grooved by the strings, which are harder than the brass (perhaps the brass slides shown here are made of a special alloy?). I prefer a slide that's chrome plated steel or chromed brass, because the chrome is tougher than plain brass, or (my preferance) a glass slide. Also, having a little bit of thickness to the wall of the slide is important for sustain and being able to drive the string, especially if you're using a glass slide. If the glass slide is thin, almost like a test tube, you probably won't get a good sound out of it. I haven't tried a bone or ceramic slide, nor an expensive titanium one! Bone will eventually wear; a ceramic slide might not.... You definitely will not like the sound of grooves and notches in your slide, and it's even more of a problem if you're playing lapsteel style with a Stevens or Shubb-Pearce bar.
i like chrome too, you made me interested in thick glass now though, also, yes, i have chipped a tone bar for my lap guitar once, it sounded bad! had to replace it right away lol.
i just looked it up and didn't realise it was called a shub-pearce, yes that is the type i damaged too.
cool video, do you have any videos showing the positions and tunings as well as technique like dampening and what not, your a good player.
Hey Dylan. Awesome video. Great information but your chops, oh man. Killer stuff. And incredible tone too. You mention blues driver into a UA. Are you using the UA reverb? Speakers? One last question. Derek Trucks- the best slide player ever? Thanks so much. -Mark
Great video👍 hearing the Fillmore album for the first time did it for me too. Also , I have the same carved wood skateboarder guy on your speaker lol
Nice lesson Dylan.
Nice video Dylan. I work on slide a lot in standard tuning after watching your earlier videos. It’s a lot of fun and a challenge!
Very good lesson. As an old dude, I would add to your mistake #6 comments that though it does take time and effort to get better, try to enjoy the journey getting there. Incremental improvement and discovery has always been such a joy for me. Thx.
Look at you with that fancy tele. It sounds so good. I've heard nothing but good things about the PRS Telecaster.
Great video and advice. It confirms most of what I already knew and believed. I agree about the Rockslides. They’re amazing. Been using them exclusively for several years now. Keep up the great work. Your playing is fantastic.
Saw your video on Rhett’s new live channel, and wow. You really make that thing sing. I’ve decided to take up slide now. This video is an amazingly great start! Look forward to this journey
Awesome, thanks so much man! I’d also recommend checking out my video “Slide Guitar 101: Basics and Where to Start,” best of luck to you!
@@dylanadamsguitar perfect! Just what I was going to look for next!!
Great tips. I’m just barely learning to play slide so this should help a bunch!
Thanks Dylan ! Cheers from France !
#5 and #6 are outstanding points. I hate you for this reminder!! 😊. Great video. Really good job....back to practicing now.
A lot of good information here. Thank you for putting it out there.
thanks Dylan, great advice! im on the road for work a lot and i bought a shitty burner guitar to practice in hotel rooms with headphones, just 30 minutes every work day has helped so much with the muscle memory. Im only 3 weeks in.
Thank you Dylan, good advise.
Great video, especially appreciate tip 5. Thanks!
I use a socket spanner. I've tried loads but that is my favourite. It's heavy!
Awesome video man! Love your content! Those last 2 topics were great!
Love your videos man, keep them coming
Love your playing fella
Thanks for the encouragement!!!❤
You do a great job of making me feel like I can do this!
Thanks for helping us get up and going with all the basic stuff. Without that, getting nowhere...
Dylan I’ve been playing slide for 30 years. You’re definitely waaayyy more progressed than I. But you’ve lit a fire in me again and have me trying to break out of the box I slide around in. Just an old dog trying not to get hurt learning new tricks…..thanks for the info you’re passing along
Good info thank you
Dylan. Your amazing. Love your playing and down to earth personality. Could you possibly do so short videos with a few licks. Not the basic Duane and Derek style playing but more of your staples. You have such a unique feel and phrasing. Keep up the great work.
So good thank you. My slide is too big and I need to stop worrying about strings not high enough.
Great stuff! Comments on attitude and persistence are so important. Should have been the first one 😂
I might be off base here, but compression should be a concern.
Having all notes at the same volume plus a little grit if you want it?
Just asking for a friend . 😂.
Great video. Very informative. 👍
Thanks cobber . Good stuff!
So cool man your right on the realities, of coarse not many of us will achieve much but for sure what you say is 100% and the best advice thank you
A question and a comment. Question: you don't subscribe to the idea that you should be able to feel the location of the top rim of the slide with the tip of your finger? I took that advice and it seemed to help me find the string when angling the slide. Comment: I laughed out loud when you said the perfect starting place is - and I'm thinking "Elmore James" - and you said it. I was very lucky that my first slide 'hero' was Jeremy Spencer of Fleetwood Mac (very dodgy character but I loved hi playing and energy on those early albums).
Because that stuff teaches you a lot and it's not a million hours to learn. It teaches you that slide can sound totally baller while still being simple. It teaches you that you need to control the strings you're not playing - even though it's simple. And it teaches you that slide playing doesn't mean _exclusively_ playing slide - you're fretting out chords on the shuffles and so you learn you don't want your action jacked up all the way to hell.
I'm not even in spitting distance of your skills, but I know I'm a slide guitar player rather than someone who occasionally picks up a slide and tries to play something with it. Being able to isolate strings and dampen others, get decent intonation and tone, and being able to play something fun and exciting - that's the first step whether you want to play like DT or not.
You can play slide on a low action 9 through 42 shred guitar if you use a very thin-walled Pyrex slide you just have to have a very light touch. I still use a big oversized thick brass slide when I'm playing on a resonator even sometimes just on an acoustic because I have enough control of it and it sounds so good compared to other materials especially on a metal resonator. Statesboro blues and a bunch of Johnny Winters songs are what got me to start playing slide back when they first came out. Yes I'm old. One mistake I hear too often is people not mutant behind the slide. That drives me crazy! There are things to practice when you're learning how to play slide. First thing as accuracy of travel. Just try doing half-step motions then go to hallstatt motions and then go further from there. Also knowing that your slide cannot be sideways to the fretz unless you're doing a special effect and you don't want it to be leaning into the Frets on the treble side or on the bass side, some very basic technique for those just starting.
I agree,I use 9’s on all but one of my guitars and I use my slide on them. I don’t like heavy strings. Classic example of someone who likes light strings is Billy Gibbons. He uses 7’s and 8’s on all of his guitars, even when he plays slide. Love your videos Dylan. You’re one heck of a player!
For me it's Leslie West. So far only video on "Sliding" I've stumbled on. I have a glass slide but I really love the Clayton "sexy WAVE" . What do you expect, I'm retired Navy.
P.S. I'm kind of starting at 67.
Really do love that guitar. That's my style, although dots are good enough for a simple man like me. Side dots alone is even mo' betta. I guess PRS wants everyone to know who made it immediately! Not many teachers explain how to set up the guitar AND how to dial in the tone! Nice job Dylan.
It’s great man, I think once more people play one/see one in person they’ll say “ohhh I get it.” It just looks, feels and sounds excellent. Thanks so much for watching!
Great video. So helpful. Thank you.
Im a beginner on guitar slides what a great tips and it helps a lot, thanks bro you are awesome i sub..👍
Great playing and advice here!
Side note i cant help but notice how the ash figuring on that prs isnt matched where the 2 pieces come together. Seems like something that shouldnt have left the factory for a $3k guitar. Just my 2 cents....sounds great though.
Incredible
thoughts on AJ ghent and his slide approach? super clean!!
Wonderful tips, thank you 🙏🏽
A possible tip #7 would encapsulate all the others. You gotta "feel" it. If you felt it while you heard it enough to want to do it, you still gotta feel it while doing it.
One thing I find myself struggling with, which I don’t see addressed much and would love to see you elaborate on, is noise and overtones happening behind the slide. I assume I have to slightly deaden the strings behind the slide, but getting that touch right is the part I’m having the hardest time with.
Yes - dragging the finger next to (behind) the bottleneck is what you have to do. Touching the side of the bottleneck with the side of the dragging/damping finger helps I find. You need to keep the dragging finger flat and straight and touching, not pressing, on the strings.
It takes time and practice (of course - like everything) but you'll get it, and it cleans up your slide sound enormously.
@@rodjones117 thanks for this 🙏. I think key is “keep the finger flat and straight”…I end up not thinking about it and curve it, which ultimately leads to me pressing too hard. Definitely takes time to develop the feel! I’ll get there though!