KVR Audio

ross g · Post by **ross g** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:25 am

i've used open G, it's the only alt tuning i've used for playing slide and i've been working on it on and off for a few years now...i'm curious if any of youse (HINK!) play slide, what tunings you use, and what keys you can comfortably play in these tunings.....also which finger you put the slide on...

as i said i use open G, i've messed around with regular tuning a tiny bit...i play in the key of G (duh) and also D, i started out with the slide on the pinky but over time i switched to the middle finger, it seems to give the best muting and chording ability, but i sometimes go back to pinky for reaching the notes past the neck, rarely the ring finger, it depends also on what is available as far as a slide....they do get lost and break on occassion!

(if this thread is super boring it will die soon enough so .....)

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:34 am

E and A

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:36 am

I really dont play much slide though...

endmusik · Post by **endmusik** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:38 am

I keep one guitar permanently tuned to open D (or D minor for kicks)

of course, I hardly ever play clean - most usually through some rediculous effects setup, so my slide technique is a bit, er, sloppy

androidlove · Post by **androidlove** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 5:51 am

the only alternate tuning i've used (with or without slide) is dropped d. i'm not through exploring the standard. i put the slide on my pinky and fret with the other 3 and thunb

herodotus · Post by **herodotus** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:01 am

Popular open tunings:
D A D G A D
D A D F# A D (open D)
E B E G# B E (open E)
C G C G C E

Of these, open E and D are the most popular for slide.

There are, of course, countless others.

ross g · Post by **ross g** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:07 am

endmusik wrote:I keep one guitar permanently tuned to open D (or D minor for kicks)

of course, I hardly ever play clean - most usually through some rediculous effects setup, so my slide technique is a bit, er, sloppy

do mean sloppy as in f'd up? i'm thinking blixia with Nick Cave and Neubauten (although he doesn't use too many fx from what i've heard) or is it more like ambient/soundscape, or floyd like perhaps? and what keys are you able to play in?

i've been trying to learn modal blues/melodic stuff with finger picking,alternating bass, not unlike some White Stripes stuff (Jack White blows me away), but more generalised, less roots-rock... more folky, Leadbelly type stuff (yes i know he don't play slide)...or Hound Dog Taylor maybe?

just wondering if any of y'all played slide...pass on some info if you do!

ross g · Post by **ross g** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:09 am

Hink wrote:E and A

are you saying you play in E and A when tuned to open G, or that you play open A and E? if the latter, what keys do you play in?

(edit)crap, i forgot to add that when you mentioned you were playing in open G (earlier in another thread), it got me to re-tuning, jamming with the slide, and eventually thinking about playing in keys other than G and D, i thought you played slide for some reason- sorry, mistaken...so when you use alt tunings, is it to play barred chords or what? i know drop D was/is a popular tuning for hard rock but i know little about the other alt tunings (besides the excellent thread re: Sonic Youths' tunings a few months ago)

thanks for your patience,
rg

Funkybot · Post by **Funkybot** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 6:37 am

Lets add E9 for lap steel.

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:07 am

ross g wrote:
Hink wrote:E and A
are you saying you play in E and A when tuned to open G, or that you play open A and E? if the latter, what keys do you play in?

(edit)crap, i forgot to add that when you mentioned you were playing in open G (earlier in another thread), it got me to re-tuning, jamming with the slide, and eventually thinking about playing in keys other than G and D, i thought you played slide for some reason- sorry, mistaken...so when you use alt tunings, is it to play barred chords or what? i know drop D was/is a popular tuning for hard rock but i know little about the other alt tunings (besides the excellent thread re: Sonic Youths' tunings a few months ago)

thanks for your patience,
rg

actually often more of tuning choice for me is based by the open notes, I rarely do much tapping....at least not fast tapping, I'll do slow bending taps sometimes. But instead when I speed up I often feed off the open notes for in between the fretted notes (I'm a big Gary Moore fan

).

More of my music is scale based or riff based as opposed to bar chords and power chords. So often I'll play a chord inverted just by back picking it, this tecnique works real nice with minor tunings imo...I too though played a littlle slide today (and I mean little, my slude is glass and about an imch and a half long) I had fun, I think I might set my crap dean accoustic up for slide...

Tunings For Slide Guitar