a hot sultry night on the Mississippi delta. The full moon casts it's translucent light on the fields and swamp oak trees. The lingering smell of barbecue and wisteria mix with honeysuckle and tobacco smoke. Folks are sitting on the front porch trying to beat the heat. Someone picks up an old guitar and begins to play a familiar tune.
The sound is unmistakable, cutting right to your heart, and emotions. It’s distinctive voice, almost human-like, hangs in the night air like a soulful cry. That is the signature sound of the slide guitar.
Where did this style get its start? The prevailing wisdom attributes its birth to the old single string instrument called the jitterbug, used by black musicians around the turn of the 20th century. This instrument was simply a length of thin wire stretched between two nails on a post and played using an old bone or heavy nail. Some used a bottle or other smooth objects as well. One could play a lead line or improvise an accompaniment to folk, blues, and spiritual songs. The jitterbug was essentially one of the first blues instruments.
There are ancient African instruments much like the jitterbug but using a gourd resonator with the single string. It, also, was played with a bone sliding up and down a neck to change pitches.
As guitars became more available, a lot of the early blues and folk players adopted them. These guitars had terrible action and strings were scarce. Using a slide allowed playing on some really horrible guitars yet produced a very appealing sound. Using a glass or metal slide would also save the fingers!
Guitars were very popular in the early part of the 20th century. Frequently, rural musicians got inexpensive guitars from a mail order catalogs. Banjos were very expensive at the time, but there is little evidence that players ever used a slide on a banjo.
Some musicologists suggest that Hawaiian music was the greatest influence in popularizing slide guitar. This was about the time (early thirties) when steel bodied guitars were becoming available. This music was played in "slack-key" or an open tuning as it is called today. The guitar is tuned to an "open" or major chord, such as a Gmajor or Dmajor. There are many variations in these tunings, but most tunes are played in one of the three main open tunings.
Hawaiian music was very influential in spreading the slide guitar craze throughout the country. This gave rise to a great demand for slide style guitars from manufacturers. The Hawaiian lap steel guitars were more popular than standard guitars all through the 1930's. All of the major manufacturers had offerings: Gibson; National; Dopera Brothers; (Dobro) Regal, just to mention a few. Hawaiian slide guitar was incorporated into every style of music from Jazz to Mountain Music. This has continued on to the present. The list of today’s accomplished slide players is large and ever growing.
The adaptation of slide guitar techniques by early blues musicians is, perhaps, the ultimate marriage and is instantly recognizable. Some of the great masters of the past include: Son House; Tampa Red; Robert Johnson; and Muddy Waters, to name a few. These magical and soul filled sounds have captivated musicians and listeners alike.
The voice like quality of a glass bottleneck or brass pipe sliding up and down a guitar string has a created musical tradition worthy of it longevity. It resonates with our emotions and has found a permanent home in our hearts. God bless those who aspire to the sound of the slide guitar.
Peace,
Denny
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DT
Article Title: Modern Slide Guitar Artists
Written By: Denny Tryon
Slide guitar has been around a long time and has recently seen a resurgence of new and exciting slide guitar players hitting the scene.
1. Adding some slide guitar licks to your chops will spice up your playing and make your sound stand out from most other guitar players. It has that human “voice-like” quality that really has an emotional connection with your audience.
2. It's very easy to learn a few slide licks and with a little practice, you can sound like a pro.
3. Decide on what kind of tone you want. I like glass slides on electric guitar and metal on acoustic guitar. This is completely subjective and I suggest you try out all types of slides and go for the sound you like.
4. The most important aspect of slide or "bottleneck" style of playing is getting the "intonation" or pitch correct. This will take the most time to learn, but once you "get it" you will know it.
5. The next most important aspect of slide playing is "damping" or muting of the strings. In most cases, you want to dampen the open strings to eliminate buzzing and unwanted noise. This takes a bit of time also, but once mastered it will make you stand out from most "occasional" slide players.
6. Some of the other considerations of slide guitar playing, is should I stay in "standard" tuning or try some of the "open" tunings. I would learn in standard tuning first and then move on to one of the many other tunings you can use.
7. Listen to some of the great slide guitar masters. Son House (a great Bluesman of the Delta Blues style) Robert Johnson (probably the most famous of the blues masters). More current players include Derek Trucks, Ry Cooder, Sonny Landreth, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Haynes and many more.
Above all, just for it and have some fun. Slide guitar playing is easy to start and will become addictive once you master a few licks and grab a hold of the technique. It’s amazing how many excellent guitarists cannot play any slide licks at all. Mastering this style will add to your enjoyment of the guitar and open up your mind to new tones and musical ideas. Keep on slidin’…
About Author:
Denny Tryon is a musician, author and a fanatic about slide guitar and guitar music.
Web's best slide guitar resource and information.
http://www.slideplayer.com
Keywords: slide guitar, guitar, guitar lessons
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