Slide Length

[toom]

I've just bought a Dunlop slide, which is approximately 3" long. It reaches across all of the strings on my guitars, unlike my Diamond slide. Do you think that is essential?

Unfortunately, the internal diameter is so small I can only just fit my little finger in up to just before the joint. I play OK with it, but already I have a pain in the back of my neck.

What is the optimum length, or does it vary according to how you play? When I first started playing slide, my junior aspirin bottle was fine (but not as long or heavy as the Dunlop slide, so no pain in the neck).

[robn]

Hi Toom,

A slide around 60 mm (with about a 55mm playing surface) will reach across all strings on most guitars. It is not essential - nothing in slide playing is essential !

Weight is good as it will develop a stronger tone.

You are very likely to end up with a draw full of slides during your search for the perfect slide for you. And, as your touch and reportior develop, so what defines your "perfect" slide will change.

I started with heavy brass slides (easy to get a thick tone) but now use heavy glass almost exclusively as my touch has improved. And glass is easier on the wrist.

The neck pain you are getting sounds like a posture issue?

Robin

[toom]

Thanks for the reply Robn.

It's the extra weight causing the problem, and the fact that my little finger only goes a short way into the slide, so it's not supported as well as the other slide. Probably I'll get used to it. Unfortunately there's not a great choice of slides in Cardiff - it's Dunlop, Dunlop, or Dunlop.Shame that Diamond and Newtone (Messer strings) don't have a word with Crane's. Fantastic range of guitars there - £7000 Gibson's, £5000 60s Brazilian rosewood Martins, Lowthers, I'm always in there drooling.

They sell Hudson & Tanglewood resonators - an opening for Busker/MM resonators there if you can supply them.

[blueshome]

Toom, Take care. The neck pain may be related to the slide or to posture. You need to change something (I would start with the slide) or you may end up with long term problems, your body is giving you a warning..

As to slides, why not order a couple of different ones from Diamond or have a go at making your own. If you want metal, look for bushings or socket spanners that fit your finger better than the Dunlop. Your finger should (IMO) not fit too tightly into the slide and so not be a friction fit, but be locked on by crooking the finger. Most of the good players I've seen over the years do it that way.
Slide length can be what you want - Tampa Red and Fred McDowell used very short slides that just covered the 1st joint of their finger, can't have been that heavy but listen to what they did!

[Deleted]

Toom

Yes, be careful with neck pains. If you stand to play try sitting, if you sit to play try standing with a good bass guitar strap on the metal guitar. Standing should be better as one is far more free to move around than when sitting.

But it's better to give playing a rest for a short time than carry on and find that you cant play for a very long time. That happened to me!!

Barry

[toom]

I'm getting used to the slide now 9been playing off and on all day Sunday). My body's very sensitive because of various problems - high uric acid etc,I always play sitting down, with classical guitar foot stool, and guitar in classical guitar position.

Thanks for the feedback.

[maxxengland]

I think I have a proplem with me kidleys not being utterly efficient, so I know what even "mild" uric acid build up is like. My brother's even worse off, the anti rejection drugs have pretty much destroyed his, and until he got on to dialysis (singing toora loora dialysis) he was damn near crippled.

One thing that I do with a slide, assuming it fits right, is I use my thumb in a "classical or correct" position on the back of the neck. It gives accuracy in position, and allows unfettered but physically economical movement. Are you doing that, or are you trying to move the whole arm instead of just the area around the wrist?

Slides - my no1 is a stand from the balancing unicyclist executive toy, chromed zinc, goes (how do you pronounce goes in Welsh?) accross all 6 strings, inside packed/shimmed with a 1/8" thick strip of rubber for optimum fit. I've used broken bottles, sockets, pieces of sawn off motorcycle handlebar in the past. It really freaks the punters when you smash 2 bottles together in a waste bin and play guitar with the best of the fragments afterwards.

[toom]

Mynd is to go! It's the size of the "hole" that's the problem. Can't get finger in far enough - simple as that. As a result, the slide is unbalanced and heavy. If you hold a stick in the middle it balances. If you hold a stick by the end, it is not balanced.

[maxxengland]

In that case, I'm probably a stick held at the wrong end ;D

[SoloBill]

Hi Toom,
Sounds like your posture is OK but maybe the loose slide is making you tense up.

A Dunlop 224 brass slide may fit you better. The web adverts indicate it has an ID of 22mm. I can't check mine until Thursday. It is nice and heavy and fits my finger fine; it also was a little too big for one of our friends on here which is another reason I think it may fit you better.

[Ian McWee]

Hi Toom,

If you'd prefer a longer slide, i'll be most happy to swap your original D.B. for a longer length slide, no problem at all

If you're seeking to find your ideal slide internal diameter - especially if you wish to buy 'on-line' from a specialist supplier and have no means of trying out these slides beforehand - here's a tip....pop into your local guitar shop with your guitar & try on a few Dunlop Pyrex slides (no need to buy one ).... they're usually situated near the counter on a pegboard & most shops stock 'em.

When you've found one that fits comfortably & feels nice - write down the serial number (usually a three figure number - #212; #204 etc.) and check out the Dunlop website www.jimdunlop.com which lists all the required measurements of each individual number slide.....works great for us

Crane's is on our 'must call in soon' list of music shops. We've doubled our output over the last eight months & had to take on an experienced glassworker to cover the extra workload.....

Slide On!

Ian.

[toom]

Thanks for the reply. Great tip about the slides! I'm assuming the slide I have is a Diamond - it was supplied by the London Reso Centre when I bought my National there, a few years back. I'd better not send it to you, just in case it isn't!

[Ian McWee]

Hi Toom,

If it's a genuine bottleneck bought from the L.R.C. it'll be a 'Diamond' - and yes indeed, the offer still stands....drop me a line & i'll swap it for you

Slide On!

Ian.

[Deleted]

Length of slide does depend on how you play - but if you watch some seriously good slide layers, you might find it surprising how infrequently (if ever) they bar all 6 strings with the slide. You should be able to hold the slide on just by crooking your finger a tiny bit..sounds odd, but it becomes second nature.

Posture is important..but it's a strange thing...in my view your basic posture is vital to be comfortable and to get a good slide technique, and at the same time, the way you hold the slide and place your hand on the guitar neck can also affect your whole physique. If there's tension in your hands, it can affect your whole arm and body, and visa versa. By far and away the best way of addressing this sort of thing is to get yourself some lessons or attend a workshop. Kevin Brown does a great all-day workshop in Bath, there's Jim Crawford in Devon..and of course Mr Messer..and touring players like Catfish Keith etc. If you've never been to a workshop I can't stress how much it can change your whole outlook on playing...I learnt more in a day in my first workshop with Kevin than I had in 5 years of trying to play slide on my own.

[thebluesbear( al)]

Hi

i dont want to go of the thread but that is very good advice about workshops, i am from bath and kevin was a mentor or figurehead in the local slide scene.......many people have learned both formally and informally from him

al