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Post by fitchmeister on Jan 25, 2007 15:57:24 GMT
Hi all
am now getting used to my Vintage Tricone, but am having a bit of an adventure trying to damp behind the slide up at the 12th fret - my hand seems to be in the way. My parlour has a narrower neck and i had no real difficulty - but with the Tricone i am fast develpoing a habit of bringing my thumb round from behind to damp but losing the accuracy.
Anyone else been through this??
I wear the slide on my pinky and it's down all the way to my hand. Have tried wearing the slide higher but it feels weird.
Suggestions welcome.
Roj
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 25, 2007 22:49:46 GMT
Hi Roj,
You should be fine at the 12th fret, it is beyond there that you need to use another method of damping. I bring my thumb around (maybe I showed you?), which was something I picked up working with Roy Rogers a few years back. You just gotta keep doing it, make sure you have fun and not get too bogged down in technical stuff. Just play.....and play more!
Shine On, Michael.
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Post by Blues Pertti on Jan 26, 2007 7:27:06 GMT
Hi Michael I got to say that your answers are so encouraging ;D. I'm just struggling with similar problems (maybe even more basic problems ) - so.. I got play and enjoy! Pertti
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 26, 2007 13:56:41 GMT
Hi Pertti,
You gotta keep the child alive inside you, otherwise life can get too serious. When I was a teenager & in my early 20s learning to play country blues & slide guitar, I didn't really 'learn' I just played and played .....and played. I would listen to records and go to concerts for inspiration, and spend hours...days....weeks.....months....hanging out with friends playing guitars and listening to records. That is not so easy when you are a 'mature' student, but you gotta HAVE FUN!
Shine On, Michael.
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Post by fitchmeister on Jan 26, 2007 16:31:55 GMT
Hi again Can't remember if i picked it up using my thumb from you or not Mike - have watched yr Sound Techniques DVD enough for the missus to go " not ****ing Mr Messer again!!! " Playin 'come on in my Kitchen' is sounding way off, and is buggin me. Can't help analysing - it's the way im built Roj
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 26, 2007 18:25:54 GMT
Come On In My Kitchen - as per Robert Johnson in G tuning is not an easy tune to play, in fact it is very difficult. Think of it as part of a family of tunes that many Delta Blues singers covered - Sitting On Top Of The World springs to mind. When Your Way Gets Dark...is another. I am pleased to hear that your wife is a big fan of my DVDs - I guess it would help if I looked like George Clooney or Pierce Brosnan - C'est la Vie!
Shine On, Michael
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Post by robn on Jan 26, 2007 23:12:06 GMT
I heard an interview with Dan Kaminsky on Radio 2 a while back. He said that his wife was awe struck when she went to see O Brother, Where art Thou. Because there was Gorge Clooney’s body with her husbands voice coming out of it singing Man of Constant Sorrow. Apparently she was in absolute heaven, her ultimate fantasy had come true (well that’s women for you!!!). All us poor souls have a lot to live up to. Robn
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Post by smojo on Jan 30, 2007 8:12:52 GMT
As a novice slide player, I haven't got the hang of damping behind the slide. I feel like I should be learning how to as most of the books I've read advocate it but I find that it hinders my ability to apply vibrato. Am I right in thinking the main reason for it is to stop the overtones of the strings behind the slide. I haven't found that to be unpleasant anyway but maybe that's due to using cheap guitars.
A question to the experienced players then - does anyone not bother with this techinique? Should I discipline myself and make myself learn it?
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Post by robn on Jan 30, 2007 9:14:09 GMT
Hi Smojo, I think that you should discipline yourself by sitting down with a beer or glass of wine and enjoying the process of learning how to damp. It is an “open” skill – there is not a “right” technique, but the ability to kill overtones, slide noise and silence all but the string or strings you are playing will enable you to become far more expressive in your music. By learning how to damp you will give yourself the choice of whether a passage or note requires damping or not. At present you can only choose not to damp. Old strings and “cheap” guitars may require less damping but a well set up resonator guitar is a lively beast – you will need to be in control of the reins. Don’t expect this skill to develop overnight – I would equate learning damping to learning to play golf. Basically a golf swing is a simple operation but it takes years of practice and subtle grooving of your touch to be able to play the full range of shots on any golf course in continually varying conditions. Robn
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 30, 2007 9:22:23 GMT
Hi Smojo,
Yes, I'm afraid you gotta learn that one. Without damping there is too much noise & not enough note. I often play notes without damping, but you have to have that technique as most of the time you will need it. I am not into forcing students to do it my way and use the tools that I say, but there are a few logical things that have to be done to be able to play music. I am sure you are aware from reading the threads on this forum that I am not a heavy duty salesman of my own products. However....without wishing to sound like a street market vendor....I recommend you get a copy of my slide guitar tuition DVD (Read the threads about it on this forum). I am sure you would find it very helpful.
Keep in touch work on that damping technique!
Shine On, Michael.
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Post by smojo on Jan 30, 2007 12:15:28 GMT
Robn - discipline is not my strong point. I'm half way there - I got the sitting down with glass of beer or wine bit off to a tee, just need to work on the other bit. thanks good advice.
Michael - thanks also for your helpful comments. I already saw the DVD thread and that will be my next purchase. I also have a good Stefan Grosman video but he spends a lot of time teaching to play actual tunes. I like the sound of your structured building block approach. I look forward to getting it.
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Post by andys on Jan 30, 2007 12:58:39 GMT
Before I got into playing slide, I have spent years as a gigging and recording guitarist, in bands where we wrote our own music and songs. I have always prided myself on being a rhythm guitarist rather than anything else, and played in bands with a heavy soul/funk influence. Playing this music as a rhythm guitarist relys heavily on fretting hand damping, so damping behind the slide actually came quite naturally to me. I would suggest that as well a practising slide damping, it might be useful to play a few funk chord riffs etc, to keep your fingers in shape. Maybe another way of getting it better is to play slide on an open tuned electric, and turn up the gain on your amp. It will encourage a lighter touch with the slide, and will actively encourage you to damp, almost as much as a lively resonator would. Some of these metal guitarists use damping on the fretting hand, while soloing, otherwise they would have overtones ringing away all the time. Apparently Zak Wyldd is a pretty handy slide guitarist.
Andy S
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Post by smojo on Jan 31, 2007 9:46:31 GMT
OK so I started practising last night. Not quite as hard getting a decent vibrato as well as I expected but caused a few dead notes. I think the hard bit is co-ordinating behind the slide damping with right hand damping of selected strings whilst picking out the notes at same time. Easy to lose a few nice open string notes unintentionally. I'll keep practising - definitley a skill worth having.
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Post by Mairena Red on Jan 31, 2007 11:23:51 GMT
Hi smojo, I agree with Robn and Michael that you need to learn about damping behind the slide or your noise to signal ratio will be way out Michael's DVD is a good place to start but after that it's just practice, practice, practice. Nice to see "O Brother Where art Thou" get a mention earlier in this thread. I haven't seen the film but a good friend bought me the soundtrack album and it's full of wonderful music. There are actually three versions of "A Man of Constant Sorrow" on the album, each one quite distinct. There's a sung version with some really neat flatpicking which really drives it along, an instrumental version with some excellent crosspicking and a touch of dobro in the background, and another vocal version with a full bluegrass backing band including the amazing Jerry Douglas on dobro. Can't make up my mind which one I like best, but if anyone knows where I can find the tab for the flatpicked version, let me know Al the best, Joe (aka Mairena Red)
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Post by smojo on Jan 31, 2007 12:41:54 GMT
Thanks Joe - the film is worth a watch too - pretty funny.
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