I've played for over 36 years, 18 years semi professionally as a sessionist. Your video on slide intro would have changed my life 20+ years ago. Teaching, detail, and communication are some of your gifts my friend. Great video 👍
Good video, RJ, but I'd add a few things. 1. If you raise the strings, you may need to adjust your pickup height to sweeten your tone. Otherwise, you may be wondering why things started sounding wonky. 2. Try out different open tunings. Playing slide in concert tuning (EADGBE) can be challenging (unless you're Derek Trucks). Try open D ('Vastopol', or 'Sebastopol' tuning D-A-D-F#-A-D), open G ('Spanish' tuning D-G-D-G-B-D), or open D minor ('crossnote' tuning D-A-D-F-A-D). Open tunings each have a unique sound and can unlock things that concert tuning hides. 3. Try different slides. Between brass, steel, iron, copper, glass, and ceramic, anything hard enough can be used -- including Zippos, BICs, and beer bottles. Find one you like.
One trick I use with slide is the pad the inside of a slide with moleskin. This gives me a better fit, a better grip, more control and absorbs finger sweat.
Awesome video RJ 👏 . My favorite in a while. Please do more like this (also, Please do short lesson videos...you are awesome at teaching guitar parts/guitar moves). I love following your lessons and learning to play new “pieces”. That’s my personal Favorite content you offer RJ. Interviews and guitar “hangs” w others are cool too. I basically love seeing you (or others) showing us new moves. Sincerely
Hi RJ, not ready to learn slide guitar just yet but I went ahead and purchased the course anyway because I really want to support you, so that you can continue to create great content like this! Congrats!!
Excellent tips. I am stoked that you are going to start a course! Love the new website. PLEASE sell your picks (that you sent out to Patreon members) on your website merch store.
I watched a guy one night just pick up the plastic tip jar and play the hell out the slide while walking around collecting tips he made it look so easy! It was a big fat plastic pickle jar!
RJ, nice video. Will keep it in my RU-vid Library until I get my Ibenez setup correctly. I do also have a Regal RD40 Resonator Guitar (acoustic) too for slide lessons. Looking forward to your course!
Lighter weight glass slides are helpful on electrics with those puny .9 e strings. A nice heavy slide can make me play more accurately. Collect a lot of slides, each one does something that might be useful
thank you for the tips I hope I can learn to play guitar with slide. I exactly have the same problem you had when youre starting to learn elmore james on a standard strat. I will set up my 82 tokai for slide because of the fret wear it suitable for slide set up.
Great video man. I subscribed to your channel way back in the day because of your slide playing when I came across your Trouble In Mind video. I still want one of those Hwy 61 resonators to mess around with.
ive been playing slide for a long time an in many tunings ...do u play in standard i try myself to transcribe the stuff i like to standard ...the tunings in the rite key are good for the actual renditions ...like duane, elmore, an muddy an many more ...its the phrasing in slide that still gets to me ...the sound you had there was realy nice ....i agree with ur opinions in the begining on it being bigger an sustaining ... i play standard most of the time an designate a guitar at home for slide to play with open tunings ....i fall back to standard because it leaves the root or key of the moment to change or have vesatility ...i can play in a. key or tuning an play in key , like g or a an d ...when its in standard e....certain tunings make lean on totaly diffrent genres...great vid
Great tip! I’m definitely buying that course! And I spent 2 days filming it. That means it’s amazing! ... or I’m a little slow. probably should have kept a copy for myself 🤦♂️
"Great tips R.J.! I would have also mentioned the Grover Perfect Guitar Nut" as an option for a one guitar musician since you just have to loosen strings to install it,not ideal but it works. Thanks ! :-)
@@RJRonquillo No I just sanded mine down a little ,like I said not ideal but imo if you only have one guitar you don't have to raise the saddles so it's quick to return to regular set up.
It's not easy teaching slide guitar, most of the people I taught just got frustrated with it and gave up. But several others have become fantastic slide players. Takes practice and practice and practice.
Thanks dude; looking to do slide; question: what type of electric to get as a used (as you suggest) one? sound, playability, easy for beginners? tele, semi hollow, hollow body? thanks.
I'm gonna set up my Les Paul for slide if I raise the action one full turn would that be enough. ? + what is the best open tuning chord or doesn't it matter.? Thanks
I think the number one thing is the desire to learn slide. I feel slide is a limited way of playing guitar, of course I'm wrong. The thought went through my mind that a player's style is hard to hear through slide. But when I think of Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck again I'm wrong. I guess what I'm saying is it takes something from inside to be a good slide player.
I’m pretty much the same. I bought a slide 5 yrs ago to try and learn. Took it home and had a crack and it sounded terrible. So I put my slide down and never touched it since. But I’m really keen to try it out again. Do you have to have your guitar in an open tuning? Cheers RJ!
You don't have to play slide in an open tuning, but i find it better for beginners to learn slide in an open tuning. It's easier to play familiar slide blues licks.
Ok,have a question. If you play slide and raise your action,do you have to adjust the intonation?If the frets aren’t making the note my saddles could just be set straight across?
If you're only using the guitar for slide, intonation isn't really an issue because you're not playing fretted notes with other open strings as you would typically do when playing chords. However, if you plan to still play fretted chords along with slide on a particular guitar, then you do want to adjust your intonation as usual.
Is it fair to say the slide is taking the place of the fret as a kind of anchor point, ie shortening the length of the vibrating part of the string? While not doing so in such a fixed way, hence the "whee" sound?
I've never shimmed the nut. I guess if it's cut really low, then yes shimming the nut would be beneficial. But i've found it easier to shim the bridge. I guess you could shim both a little if you wanted to.
@@RJRonquillo What do you think about starting to learn slide in standard instead of open tuning? I was always hesitant to lean new chords and scales and try to switch back and forth between boths.
I don't think it matters, just depends on the style you like and what you can afford. My guitars that are setup for slide are a tele, an acoustic, and 2 resonators.
Is there a best guitar for slide? Humbuckers or singles or P90? Clearly they all work based on all the various models the pros use - LP, SG, Tele, Strat - but if you were going to buy one just for slide - is there a go to?
