Before we get into how to play slide guitar in standard tuning, let’s get you tuned up first. If you slide below and above the note, it tends to sound sharp. This tuning doesn’t require tuning up any strings. So again, be careful as you tune it up a half step which adds more tension to the string and neck. Be careful when tuning your B string up to a C# especially if you’re using heavy strings since the tension will be very high on that string and on the neck. Furthermore, like standard tuning, alternate tunings may also have one, two, or more identical notes but all in different octaves – like you see with open C (e.g. To avoid this, I’ll first explain slide guitar on standard tuning, so all you need is a slide. You just drop the low E 6th string one whole step from E to D. The above video is a good example of a slide guitarist making a great sound come from a standard acoustic guitar (not a resonator guitar). The only one I can think of off the top of my head is scar tissue, and that's only used for the solos. If you’ve ever played the guitar with a slide, you know it can be tricky to play with in standard tuning. The great thing with this song is that its in standard tuning so you don’t need to retune or have a dedicated slide guitar. The first half of the video is primarily Ted talking and the last half contains more playing if you’re interested in one or the other. Image Via pixabay Tuning a guitar is relatively simple, but the importance of it cannot be underestimated. You’ll also notice that he primarily uses his index finger or thumb to pick the string. In the above video, Ted provides some background information on slide guitar and open tunings (like which tunings are best for which genres). This is done using open tuning. Otherwise, I’ll walk through how to get set up your guitar to play with a slide. Slide Guitar Tuning: Open Tunings to Play Slide Guitar. When playing particular music types, it’s often easier to tune your guitar so that chords are played instead of individual notes. Slides can also be open on both ends or just one end (again whatever you prefer). Marty Schwartz gives a great tutorial in the video above about how exactly to tune up your guitar to this tuning. C2, C3, and C4). Based on an area in the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, this song just oozes dark, supernatural deliciousness. As I mentioned in my article about open tunings, there are several ways to make an open tuning. As such, he doesn’t have much of an issue tuning up the strings required for open E. However, if you’re playing an acoustic guitar with heavy gauge strings, you might be concerned about putting too much string tension on the neck of the guitar. Tab: How many strings does a standard guitar have? Or just tell them that you. Raising the action (increasing the distance between the strings and the neck) on your guitar, Take your guitar to a guitar shop and ask them to raise the action (this will reduce the likelihood of an unwanted buzzing sound that can happen when your slide causes the strings to hit the frets). Submit Tuning Videos for DGCFAD on . However, DADGAD seems to make your guitar easier to play with the slide and versatile enough to get a variety of sound out of the guitar. Learning the various different methods to tune for slide guitar will give you more options to let you suit the tunings to your playing style. From his 1985 album Down in Louisiana, this songs features an open D minor tuning which I believe help give it that spooky, swampy sound. As you can see, there are notes in the above alternate tuning that aren’t present in the collection of notes in standard tuning. For this tuning, you will tune all strings down so you don’t have to worry about strings breaking or too much tension on the neck. You’ll notice he uses the slide on his pinky to give his other three fingers the flexibility to make notes for picking. Your email address will not be published. The guitarist in the video above shows how he has attached a magnetic pickup to provide a better sound for his guitar. Required fields are marked *. And slide guitar players wear slides on whichever finger feels most comfortable. Drop D is a popular tuning for slide guitar that’s easy to tune. Udemy Editor. Just tune up slowly and play the string a bit to help it adjust to the new tension. The largest database for alternative guitar tunings on the internet. If this is a concern to you, many guitarists opt to tune to open D and capo on the 2nd fret to avoid unnecessary tension on the strings and neck. My part’s the last section – from 4:10 to the end. 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