Choosing The Right Slide

For me slide guitar or bottleneck guitar has been a frustrating and difficult experience. Getting that proper smooth sound with a slide can be like trying to learn the guitar all over again - you get as many buzzes and dead notes as when you first tried to fret a chord. One of the key decisions in starting to learn slide guitar is picking the kind of slide you want to use with your guitar.

Slides mainly come in two kinds of materials - glass or metal. Some early blues players sometimes used a bone or a knife and today there are newer materials being used like ceramic. Glass slides tend to produce a more mellow tone while the metal slides are usually brighter. From what I’ve read, glass tends to be harder than metal. Also the heavier the slide, the easier it is to use to. Here’s a few examples:

Stainless Steel Slide
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Glass Slide
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Ceramic Slide
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The other big question to consider along with material is the finger your slide goes on. Again this is a question of preference and comfort, but the important thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to dampen the strings behind the slide. Most players go use either the pinky or the ring finger.

Ring Finger - Players like Duane Allman used their ring finger. I think the finger gives you better control over the slide, but at a cost of extra fretting fingers if you want to play standard style.

Pinky Finger - Pinky seems to be the preferred method by many players. From Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters onto Eric Clapton, all of these guys used their pinky. If you go with the pinky, make sure to get a slide that fits your little finger and can be easily controlled.

Find whatever is most comfortable for you and gives you the best sound. Bonnie Raitt and Joe Walsh used their middle fingers for the slide…it’s all about finding out what works for you.

DVDs and Books Here are some DVDs and books that you might find helpful too:

Warren Hayes - Electric Blues and Slide Guitar
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