A Question I've Never Dared Ask Before...

[Deleted]

Which end of the bottleneck do you attach to your finger! The narrow end or the wide end?



My thoughts are -

@ whichever feels most comfortable

@ whichever end has the best fit



I have 2 diamond bottlenecks, with slightly different end diameters..



For years I put my little finger into the wider end, then recently changed to the .narrower.



I dropped and smashed my other diamond, and the replacement is slightly smaller. I put my little finger into the larger end, and fit a small piece of cloth into it for a snug fit.



I feel comfortable with both.

[Pickers Ditch]

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Firstly, I'd like to say I hate when someone tells you it MUST be done THIS way, or THAT way, like they are the world's authority on such things.
Rubbish !

You do what ever you are happy with.

However, as you are asking for comments, perhaps even advice, let me give my tuppence-worth, take it or leave it, no offence taken.

I have already formed my own opinion on this BUT since breaking my left wrist, last March, one week after the first lockdown, I have never appreciated how much you need to bend your wrist inwards, around the guitar neck, until I couldn't move my wrist for months !!!

I thoroughly endorse placing the wider end of the slide (if it is indeed a tapered slide) at the fingertip end of your finger.
That end is usually wider internally and may not be a tight fit on your finger.
I also endorse using your pinky to hold your slide on.

So, place your slide on your pinky , up to the 2nd knuckle only, and bend that knuckle to about 90 degrees.
Also, bend your outermost pinky knuckle, inside the slide to hold the slide with a tight grip (from inside).
Bend your palm knuckle too, around the guitar neck, and let the taper of the slide come around onto the strings just that wee bit more - and thus, you don't need to bend your wrist so much.

Stick the slide on the other way around, with the narrow end at your fingertip, then you need to compensate the reverse taper of the slide by having to bend your wrist much more - almost to uncomfortable levels - which can certainly begin to impact on your playing abilities.

My slide suggestions / tips :

1. Slide length - no longer than 5.5cm is required (certainly more than 6cm long is not only an absolute waste of glass, it takes too much of it's weight beyond the end of your finger, where you can't control it so well - and increase the risk of it flying off your finger (and smashing !!!)

2. Tapered slide - reduces the need to bend your wrist so far (and opposite is true if you have the slide's narrow end at the fingertip end of your finger)

3. Put it on your pinky - I find my pinky can bring the slide around onto the strings, with the least amount of wrist bending, much easier than any other finger. I also feel I can play better vibrato with a slide, swinging from my thumb on the neck, when the slide is on my pinky, and with more control (others may feel different!). If you wrap a cloth around your finger, or inside the slide, your finger can only really end up straight in your slide. Think of it this way - which part of your finger do you fret strings with ? The fattest, squishiest, palm-side bit, or the fingertip ? Same with a slide - use it as if you were fretting the note through your slide. So, ditch the cloth etc inside the slide, and instead, BEND your finger inside the slide - and let the bend grip the slide. And your fingertip will press against the glass, as if it was fretting the string directly. In my view, it feels more natural, and in my mind is WAY more comfortable to do, AND I feel it gives me way more control.

4. Always keep your thumb on the neck, even when you go right up to the top of the neck - NOT because I told you so, but because you will find you retain control. You can still swing on the thumb, anchored on the neck, to give great vibrato. I see many bring their thumb UNDER the neck when they take the slide up the neck - and BANG, bang goes the control, note articulation, and almost complete inability to give any vibrato and nice touch. All of a sudden the weight of your whole arm slows down considerably your ability to the move your slide. You NEED your thumb anchored on the neck (and I highly recommend having your thumb roughly 2 frets below where you want your slide to be).

[Pickers Ditch]

This is wierd - over the last year I've discovered, on my own, exactly what Snakehips is saying.

Conical slides, with wider end at the finger tip and 53mm long held as described above, with no packing, bits of cloth etc.

...and even wierder is that just this morning I posted two slides up to Diamond Bottlenecks for shortening to 53mm.

[pete1951]

As Snakehips says, there are no rules. Unlike ‘classical ‘ instruments where the ‘best’ position and technique are usually followed, slide is ‘ everybody for themselves ‘. There are tips you can learn from great players ( like Snakehips,I keep my thumb on the back of the neck, Lowel George didn’t, and he became one of the most respected slide players of his generation, there are no rules)
Advice from players you respect should be taken on board but there are no rules!
I like a slightly longer brass slide rather than glass ( 57mm ) with the narrow end at my fingertip, see what feels comfortable, talk to other ( better if possible) players.
Pete




Actually there are rules, I used one to measure my slide!

[twang1]

I also place my slide up to the 2nd knuckle only, because it puts less stress on my wrist. I only use Diamond Bottlenecks slides and the "Ultimate" models are just a tiny bit conical. So when I put the slide on my pinky (90% of the time) the slide is well tight down to the second knuckle. Sometimes when I put it on my third finger (only to be able to play certain chords in certain songs) I reverse the slide so the slight wider side is used.
I like my slides to be 5 cm long.
Frank

[blueshome]

I find the key to control is to hook the thumb onto the neck so that the hand is suspended. Thumb at the back of the neck means that the finger with the slide is further from the fretboard and less well anchored,

[lonelyjelly]

Confused yet?!

[jono1uk]

I find my vibrato is better and more controlled without the thumb at the back.

[snakehips]

Really ?

So, your whole arm & hand is not hanging/leaning/ resting on anything ?

So your whole vibrato is dependant how how fast you can move your whole arm - and you can do it fine ?

Must be tiring ?

[jono1uk]

yup i can do fine and doesnt get tired .i have smallish hands and big reso necks so thumb behind doesnt work for me.

[leeophonic]

Another horses for courses question which is subjective and individual.

However for consideration

If the slide has mouldings/ridges on the thin end I would keep that closest to the knuckle, my slides are quite large and have been known to flip them one way or another even when flared, some have imperfections and that dictates where they are worn. The flared tapered end should help with vibrato due to extra mass.

Alternatively buy a straight uniform slide or evolve to lap playing where there are other considerations.

Lee

[snakehips]

Hi again !

Juno1uk - I have small hands too and play various chunky necked guitars - and don’t need to take my thumb off the neck, when taking the slide up the neck.
Despite having small hands, I think possibly my piano playing has stretched my hand spans to the extent I can reach an octave plus another note apart (low C with pinky, D just over an octave higher, with my thumb).
Even slightly better stretch is on my right hand (thumb on Bb, forefinger on G and pinky on C for a cool Otis Spann style C7th chord).

[sceyral]

As many members said earlier, the best way must be the one you're comfortable with : I've seen dozens of slide players (pros and amateurs) and everyone is different.
My personal choice is (and I'm not paid to say that):

a) a glass Dunlop 210 slide (with a copper spare one, in case of misfortune on stage, same shape)
6 cm long, 21 mm inside diameter : long enough but not too long, heavy enough but not TOO heavy

b) I wear it on pinky, allowing my  finger to be slightly arched inside : very precise to aim for individual strings 4,5 and 6
3 fingers remain available to fret behind the slide, to alternate between  chords and single slide riffs.

c) the hand shape I feel ok with, is like carrying a small tangerine (all fingers arched)

d) no real bottleneck anymore : the glass rim at the tip is very unpleasant (or you have to cut the glass twice) and the glass wall is too thick for my taste

Hoping to be helplul...

[jono1uk]

Snaky ...can you still keep thumb on the back when sliding on the 12th fret?