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How to Play the Slide

Playing the slide guitar involves placing a glass or metal object on one of your fingers and sliding the object up and down the fretboard. The slide can be played with both acoustic and electric guitars, but nylon strings will not cut it. The best guitar to use with a slide will have heavy strings and a high action. Metal or glass slides can be purchased at your local music store, or some musicians use glass bottles or other found objects.

Things You'll Need

  • Slide
  • Guitar
  • Pick
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Instructions

  1. Directions

    • 1

      Change the tuning of your guitar from the standard, EADGBE, tuning to open G, DGDGBD, or any other open tuning. Open tuning is used with the slide because a chord can be voiced by placing the slide along any one fret. With open tuning there is no need for difficult finger positions when playing a chord.

    • 2

      Place the slide on the pinkie finger of the hand you use to hold the neck of the guitar. For right handed players this will be the left hand. The tip of your pinkie should be exposed so you can feel the strings that you are playing.

    • 3

      Hold the slide perpendicular to the strings and only press lightly. Pressing too hard on the frets will create an unwanted buzzing sound.

    • 4

      Cover only the strings which you want to sound when playing. By not covering the other strings with the slide you will not have to dampen the sound from the unwanted strings.

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