As music historian Steve Calt observed when speaking about Johnson: And this played quite a significant role in determining his style and sound. Blind Willie JohnsonĪccording to most sources, Blind Willie Johnson used the back of a knife as a slide. Unfortunately it is not known on which finger Patton played his slide. However when he played slide in the more conventional style, he used a brass slide. Sometimes he played with his guitar on his lap and used a knife, as is more typical in Hawaiian guitar. Patton actually alternated the type of slide he used. Known to many as the ‘Father of the Delta Blues’, Charley Patton was one of the earliest slide guitarists to be captured on record. So without further ado, let’s start by looking at the guitar slides that these early players used: Charley Patton And as you will see, there are very few – if any – players who have strayed very far from the design of these early sides. Yet regardless of whether or not that is the case, these are the materials still used by guitarists today. I suspect that they chose these materials partly because they were readily available, rather than for any specific benefits relating to tone or playability. This included the blades of knives, long pieces of bone and small sections of pipe. In addition to glass however, these early players used a variety of different materials for their guitar slides. And it is for this reason that slide guitar is often referred to as ‘bottleneck’ style. Of these, the necks from glass bottles were amongst the most popular. Early guitarists would take cheap and readily available materials and use them to slide up and down their strings. Here are the guitar slides used by some of the best slide guitarists of all timeĪlthough the slide guitar style had existed prior to the 20th century, it was first popularised in the Mississippi Delta. So whether you are trying to recreate the tone of your favourite slide player, or you are just looking for inspiration more broadly, I hope the information in this article helps. I have detailed the types of guitar slide they used, and if known – also on which finger they wore their slide. Here then I have compiled a list of some of the most notable slide guitarists of all time. For whenever you are thinking about buying a new piece of gear – be it something as small and inexpensive as a new pick, or as significant as a new guitar – I think it is always useful to look to your heroes for inspiration.Īnd whilst copying your blues guitar heroes certainly doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to create killer blues tones, it will set you on the right path. More importantly though, I hope the information outlined here helps you to choose the right guitar slide for your set-up. I love to learn about the gear that different guitarists use, and the impact that this has on their tone. And I look at how these different elements affect both tone and playability.Īlongside that article however, I wanted to look at the guitar slides used by some of the greatest slide guitarists of all time. I look at the different shapes, sizes and materials from which slides are made. There I cover everything you need to understand the fundamentals of guitar slides.
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If you are confused as to where to begin with looking for a new guitar slide, I would recommend reading my article ‘ How To Choose The Right Guitar Slide‘. Not only do slides come in different shapes, sizes and thicknesses they are all made from different materials.Įach of these elements affects their tone and playability, and so they are important to consider. As is often the case with guitar gear, when it comes to picking the right guitar slide, there is an overwhelming amount of choice. The world of guitar slides is not easy to navigate.
Delta blues Chicago blues Blues rock Modern blues slide players Putting it all together Closing thoughts…
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