I've played for over 36 years, 18 years semi professionally as a sessionist. Your video on slide intro would have changed my life 20+ years ago. Teaching, detail, and communication are some of your gifts my friend. Great video 👍
Awesome video RJ 👏 . My favorite in a while. Please do more like this (also, Please do short lesson videos...you are awesome at teaching guitar parts/guitar moves). I love following your lessons and learning to play new “pieces”. That’s my personal Favorite content you offer RJ. Interviews and guitar “hangs” w others are cool too. I basically love seeing you (or others) showing us new moves. Sincerely
Good video, RJ, but I'd add a few things. 1. If you raise the strings, you may need to adjust your pickup height to sweeten your tone. Otherwise, you may be wondering why things started sounding wonky. 2. Try out different open tunings. Playing slide in concert tuning (EADGBE) can be challenging (unless you're Derek Trucks). Try open D ('Vastopol', or 'Sebastopol' tuning D-A-D-F#-A-D), open G ('Spanish' tuning D-G-D-G-B-D), or open D minor ('crossnote' tuning D-A-D-F-A-D). Open tunings each have a unique sound and can unlock things that concert tuning hides. 3. Try different slides. Between brass, steel, iron, copper, glass, and ceramic, anything hard enough can be used -- including Zippos, BICs, and beer bottles. Find one you like.
One trick I use with slide is the pad the inside of a slide with moleskin. This gives me a better fit, a better grip, more control and absorbs finger sweat.
Hi RJ, not ready to learn slide guitar just yet but I went ahead and purchased the course anyway because I really want to support you, so that you can continue to create great content like this! Congrats!!
Excellent tips. I am stoked that you are going to start a course! Love the new website. PLEASE sell your picks (that you sent out to Patreon members) on your website merch store.
RJ, nice video. Will keep it in my RUclips Library until I get my Ibenez setup correctly. I do also have a Regal RD40 Resonator Guitar (acoustic) too for slide lessons. Looking forward to your course!
Great video man. I subscribed to your channel way back in the day because of your slide playing when I came across your Trouble In Mind video. I still want one of those Hwy 61 resonators to mess around with.
ive been playing slide for a long time an in many tunings ...do u play in standard i try myself to transcribe the stuff i like to standard ...the tunings in the rite key are good for the actual renditions ...like duane, elmore, an muddy an many more ...its the phrasing in slide that still gets to me ...the sound you had there was realy nice ....i agree with ur opinions in the begining on it being bigger an sustaining ... i play standard most of the time an designate a guitar at home for slide to play with open tunings ....i fall back to standard because it leaves the root or key of the moment to change or have vesatility ...i can play in a. key or tuning an play in key , like g or a an d ...when its in standard e....certain tunings make lean on totaly diffrent genres...great vid
thank you for the tips I hope I can learn to play guitar with slide. I exactly have the same problem you had when youre starting to learn elmore james on a standard strat. I will set up my 82 tokai for slide because of the fret wear it suitable for slide set up.
Lighter weight glass slides are helpful on electrics with those puny .9 e strings. A nice heavy slide can make me play more accurately. Collect a lot of slides, each one does something that might be useful
I watched a guy one night just pick up the plastic tip jar and play the hell out the slide while walking around collecting tips he made it look so easy! It was a big fat plastic pickle jar!
Great tip! I’m definitely buying that course! And I spent 2 days filming it. That means it’s amazing! ... or I’m a little slow. probably should have kept a copy for myself 🤦♂️
Thanks dude; looking to do slide; question: what type of electric to get as a used (as you suggest) one? sound, playability, easy for beginners? tele, semi hollow, hollow body? thanks.
"Great tips R.J.! I would have also mentioned the Grover Perfect Guitar Nut" as an option for a one guitar musician since you just have to loosen strings to install it,not ideal but it works. Thanks ! :-)
@@RJRonquillo No I just sanded mine down a little ,like I said not ideal but imo if you only have one guitar you don't have to raise the saddles so it's quick to return to regular set up.
I'm gonna set up my Les Paul for slide if I raise the action one full turn would that be enough. ? + what is the best open tuning chord or doesn't it matter.? Thanks
I’m pretty much the same. I bought a slide 5 yrs ago to try and learn. Took it home and had a crack and it sounded terrible. So I put my slide down and never touched it since. But I’m really keen to try it out again. Do you have to have your guitar in an open tuning? Cheers RJ!
You don't have to play slide in an open tuning, but i find it better for beginners to learn slide in an open tuning. It's easier to play familiar slide blues licks.
Ok,have a question. If you play slide and raise your action,do you have to adjust the intonation?If the frets aren’t making the note my saddles could just be set straight across?
If you're only using the guitar for slide, intonation isn't really an issue because you're not playing fretted notes with other open strings as you would typically do when playing chords. However, if you plan to still play fretted chords along with slide on a particular guitar, then you do want to adjust your intonation as usual.
Is it fair to say the slide is taking the place of the fret as a kind of anchor point, ie shortening the length of the vibrating part of the string? While not doing so in such a fixed way, hence the "whee" sound?
It's not easy teaching slide guitar, most of the people I taught just got frustrated with it and gave up. But several others have become fantastic slide players. Takes practice and practice and practice.
I think the number one thing is the desire to learn slide. I feel slide is a limited way of playing guitar, of course I'm wrong. The thought went through my mind that a player's style is hard to hear through slide. But when I think of Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck again I'm wrong. I guess what I'm saying is it takes something from inside to be a good slide player.
I've never shimmed the nut. I guess if it's cut really low, then yes shimming the nut would be beneficial. But i've found it easier to shim the bridge. I guess you could shim both a little if you wanted to.
@@RJRonquillo What do you think about starting to learn slide in standard instead of open tuning? I was always hesitant to lean new chords and scales and try to switch back and forth between boths.
Is there a best guitar for slide? Humbuckers or singles or P90? Clearly they all work based on all the various models the pros use - LP, SG, Tele, Strat - but if you were going to buy one just for slide - is there a go to?
I don't think it matters, just depends on the style you like and what you can afford. My guitars that are setup for slide are a tele, an acoustic, and 2 resonators.
I've played for over 36 years, 18 years semi professionally as a sessionist. Your video on slide intro would have changed my life 20+ years ago. Teaching, detail, and communication are some of your gifts my friend. Great video 👍
That tone in the beginning is old school filthy. Dig it.
I think this is why I have never enjoyed slide. It;s like banging my head against the wall. Dedicated slide guitar here we come. Thanks RJ!
Awesome video RJ 👏 . My favorite in a while. Please do more like this (also, Please do short lesson videos...you are awesome at teaching guitar parts/guitar moves). I love following your lessons and learning to play new “pieces”. That’s my personal Favorite content you offer RJ. Interviews and guitar “hangs” w others are cool too. I basically love seeing you (or others) showing us new moves. Sincerely
Obi Wan to Stormtrooper ... "This is not the action you are looking for". ;)
GREAT tip. This was also a big revelation for me with slide.
Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Bonnie Rait, just to name a few are my slide heroes. Great tips.
Lowell George and Will Ray
Robert Randolph!
Rj. You are simply the coolest guitar dude we all like to be or at least we would like to hang out with. 👍 greetings from Germany
bro, first of all, you da man... obviously
second, i've been waiting for a good slide tutorial like this for a WHILE!!! so, thank you!!!
Excellent tips for someone like me, who's just getting my guitar ready for slide 🎸
Hey RJ, I've had all the same issues you spoke of that made me put away my slide from frustration. Now I'm ready to give it another shot. Thanks! 😉
Good video, RJ, but I'd add a few things.
1. If you raise the strings, you may need to adjust your pickup height to sweeten your tone. Otherwise, you may be wondering why things started sounding wonky.
2. Try out different open tunings. Playing slide in concert tuning (EADGBE) can be challenging (unless you're Derek Trucks). Try open D ('Vastopol', or 'Sebastopol' tuning D-A-D-F#-A-D), open G ('Spanish' tuning D-G-D-G-B-D), or open D minor ('crossnote' tuning D-A-D-F-A-D). Open tunings each have a unique sound and can unlock things that concert tuning hides.
3. Try different slides. Between brass, steel, iron, copper, glass, and ceramic, anything hard enough can be used -- including Zippos, BICs, and beer bottles. Find one you like.
One trick I use with slide is the pad the inside of a slide with moleskin. This gives me a better fit, a better grip, more control and absorbs finger sweat.
Yes great tip! I've used little green felt pads (for small furniture) to line the inside of slides.
You sir are an incredible player
Well said, bro! Usually high action is no bueno, but is required for a good slide tone. Solid advice for any beginner.
Good video I feel like tons of people don’t realize this when learning slide. 👍
Thanks brother. I just put my slides in the drawer. Now I will get them back out!!!
Love your Recording King! Great video too, of course!
Great content, this is exactly what I was looking for. THANK YOU!!!
Great Stuff RJ!!
Hi RJ, not ready to learn slide guitar just yet but I went ahead and purchased the course anyway because I really want to support you, so that you can continue to create great content like this! Congrats!!
Had a great time watching you and E Yesterday. Loving the slide tips. Looking forward to the course! Everyone should get in on that!!
Great info video. Thanks for the time you put into this 👍👍
Informative and concise. Good job.
Nice RJ. This was a very valuable tip.
You're a slide player too... Man, your versatility is amazing.
Duane Allman couldnt have said it any better himself,great work,great tips.
Excellent tips. I am stoked that you are going to start a course! Love the new website. PLEASE sell your picks (that you sent out to Patreon members) on your website merch store.
ganda ng mga amp nyo po sir rj!
RJ, nice video. Will keep it in my RUclips Library until I get my Ibenez setup correctly. I do also have a Regal RD40 Resonator Guitar (acoustic) too for slide lessons. Looking forward to your course!
Gosh dang that was a useful lesson RJ. Thanks
Killer man, just what I needed
Amazing advice !
THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU !!!!
This helped me so much. Thanks a bunch :D
Very helpful, thank you!
Woonderfull and absolutely true like all from you!!!
Please make a Blues Slide Workshop!!!
Great video man. I subscribed to your channel way back in the day because of your slide playing when I came across your Trouble In Mind video. I still want one of those Hwy 61 resonators to mess around with.
Thank you for sticking around!
You got the old guy slap-on-the-back for telling it like it is! Anybody wanting to play slide this cat's got it right!
ive been playing slide for a long time an in many tunings ...do u play in standard i try myself to transcribe the stuff i like to standard ...the tunings in the rite key are good for the actual renditions ...like duane, elmore, an muddy an many more ...its the phrasing in slide that still gets to me ...the sound you had there was realy nice ....i agree with ur opinions in the begining on it being bigger an sustaining ... i play standard most of the time an designate a guitar at home for slide to play with open tunings ....i fall back to standard because it leaves the root or key of the moment to change or have vesatility ...i can play in a. key or tuning an play in key , like g or a an d ...when its in standard e....certain tunings make lean on totaly diffrent genres...great vid
thank you for the tips I hope I can learn to play guitar with slide. I exactly have the same problem you had when youre starting to learn elmore james on a standard strat. I will set up my 82 tokai for slide because of the fret wear it suitable for slide set up.
Great video, very helpful!
Lighter weight glass slides are helpful on electrics with those puny .9 e strings. A nice heavy slide can make me play more accurately. Collect a lot of slides, each one does something that might be useful
GREAT VID !!!
Hell Yeah! Glad I found you! You from D-Town Huh? Subscribed!!!
Thanks RJ,
Wow ty been sliding for awhile
Sweet blue Start, BT Dubbs
I watched a guy one night just pick up the plastic tip jar and play the hell out the slide while walking around collecting tips he made it look so easy! It was a big fat plastic pickle jar!
Thank you!!!!
Excellent!!!!
Great video. As in string action, how many MM would say you got your strings at? 3MM off the fret board maybe with the 11's? Thank you.
Great Stuff !
You just gave me a reason to buy another guitar.😁🤘
Awesome vid!
Great tip! I’m definitely buying that course! And I spent 2 days filming it. That means it’s amazing! ... or I’m a little slow. probably should have kept a copy for myself 🤦♂️
You have all the outtakes!
Thanks dude; looking to do slide; question: what type of electric to get as a used (as you suggest) one? sound, playability, easy for beginners? tele, semi hollow, hollow body? thanks.
"Great tips R.J.! I would have also mentioned the Grover Perfect Guitar Nut" as an option for a one guitar musician since you just have to loosen strings to install it,not ideal but it works. Thanks ! :-)
Yes, that's a cool product - i have one to turn my acoustics into a lap steel setup. Do they make one with a lower height?
@@RJRonquillo No I just sanded mine down a little ,like I said not ideal but imo if you only have one guitar you don't have to raise the saddles so it's quick to return to regular set up.
Why has no one ever showed this to me before? THANK YOU!
great video!
Even when he tried to make it sound thin and crappy it still sounded great...Ahhaha. RJR is a bad ass...!!
Big difference on the guitar set-up for it though!
I'm gonna set up my Les Paul for slide if I raise the action one full turn would that be enough. ? + what is the best open tuning chord or doesn't it matter.? Thanks
Badass... sign me coach!
There's also the Grover Perfect Guitar Nut - Height Extender to raise the action.
I’m pretty much the same. I bought a slide 5 yrs ago to try and learn. Took it home and had a crack and it sounded terrible. So I put my slide down and never touched it since. But I’m really keen to try it out again. Do you have to have your guitar in an open tuning? Cheers RJ!
You don't have to play slide in an open tuning, but i find it better for beginners to learn slide in an open tuning. It's easier to play familiar slide blues licks.
Always wanted to learn to play slide but it sounded like I am killing a cat.
Thanks for the help R.J.
What are your thoughts on buying a lower end guitar specifically to set it up for slide? If it stays in tune, it should be fine, no?
Yup!
A guitarist who has Marshall and Fender amps must know his stuff. So, now let's do the electric slide! (Erich told me to tell ya!) ;)
Sweet!
The nearer our destination the more we're Slip sliding away
Cool video
Great video RJ! Was that a little bit of Zeppelin's You Shook Me at 9:49? 🤔
Ha you're right, it sounds like it. I think I was thinking Muddy Waters at the time.
@@RJRonquillo well we all know that Zeppelin 1 was heavily influenced by Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. 🤘
How much of a high action do you need would you say?
Ok,have a question. If you play slide and raise your action,do you have to adjust the intonation?If the frets aren’t making the note my saddles could just be set straight across?
If you're only using the guitar for slide, intonation isn't really an issue because you're not playing fretted notes with other open strings as you would typically do when playing chords.
However, if you plan to still play fretted chords along with slide on a particular guitar, then you do want to adjust your intonation as usual.
Any idea what is the slide with the skeleton finger ?
1:09 Did you autotuned your voice? LOL
(Thank you for the tips ;) )
RJ, when you raise the string saddles for slide , do you still follow the fretboard radius, or do you put all saddles at the same height?
It kinda depends on your style of slide playing, i like a little bit of curvature across the strings but not strict to the fretboard radius.
Any idea what slide it is in the video thumbnail?? Can’t find it anywhere.
Is it fair to say the slide is taking the place of the fret as a kind of anchor point, ie shortening the length of the vibrating part of the string? While not doing so in such a fixed way, hence the "whee" sound?
Yes, think of it as a movable fret.
It's not easy teaching slide guitar, most of the people I taught just got frustrated with it and gave up. But several others have become fantastic slide players. Takes practice and practice and practice.
Exactly the words Will Ray said to me and he is a God on guitar 😍
I think the number one thing is the desire to learn slide. I feel slide is a limited way of playing guitar, of course I'm wrong. The thought went through my mind that a player's style is hard to hear through slide. But when I think of Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck again I'm wrong. I guess what I'm saying is it takes something from inside to be a good slide player.
Nice! :)
salamat sa tip mr. wrong-kill-yo
Thanks....
Would shimming the nut work as well? If so how much? .010 .015 .020 or more or less?
I've never shimmed the nut. I guess if it's cut really low, then yes shimming the nut would be beneficial. But i've found it easier to shim the bridge. I guess you could shim both a little if you wanted to.
thanks for the input
Bro how do u get this tone
IMHO I actually kinda like the "tinny" sound
Im there with you lol
That's how I like it too.
The guitar whines, like it’s complaining. Extremely bluesy!
Will the course be in open tuning or standard tuning?
This first course is all in open E.
@@RJRonquillo What do you think about starting to learn slide in standard instead of open tuning? I was always hesitant to lean new chords and scales and try to switch back and forth between boths.
My #1 tip for playing slide guitar - play like you're spreading butter on a slice of bread.
Great points! Why stop at 11s tho. Go 13!
Heck yeah!
Is there a best guitar for slide? Humbuckers or singles or P90? Clearly they all work based on all the various models the pros use - LP, SG, Tele, Strat - but if you were going to buy one just for slide - is there a go to?
I don't think there really is a best pickup style for slide. I like 'em all.
How "Tap" of you R.J. to go up to 11! 🤘😁🤘
Specific reason that u use flat wounds plz .
Mellower sound and feels nice under the slide. But I'll use round wounds for slide sometimes too.
This one goes to 11!
Great video, RJ. Do you have a glass or metal slide you recommend? Thanks man!
for glass slides, I like Diamond Bottlenecks in the UK. For metal, check out Magslide.
Sears Craftsman long socket 11/16”, end of story.
Jeez, how I wish you actually played that little acoustic from 1940's
"It goes up to 11" 8:19
Let's just say you were going to buy a guitar just for slide play. Do you prefer a solid body? Hollow? Semi-hollow? Or does it matter?
I don't think it matters, just depends on the style you like and what you can afford. My guitars that are setup for slide are a tele, an acoustic, and 2 resonators.
Wouldn't you want to discuss SLIDE with a friendly gentleman like Señor Paulo Gilberto ?
HAVE FUN ! PLAY LOUD !
Lmao I have 13 gauge strings on my resonator and you go only up to 11? :D Nice video tho
R.J. goes to 11