Great stuff Dylan! Just one question, when you talk about string action are you measuring it from the 12th fret? with no capo on the first fret (I assume)?

I would love a video of you discussing right hand technique! It seems really complex.

Great pointers and very good motivational tips!! And this lick at 4:54…Mercy!

Jut started learning slide after nearly 30 years of playing guitar. Your videos have been a godsend! Thank you 🙏🏻

Been playing guitars low-key, on and off, since the early 1970s, but I started really getting into it in 2019 - took my time! (Still just a hobby). In the last few months, I've really got into slide - got a cheap Harley Benton T-Style, and put super heavy top strings on it 13, 17, 22 - normal gauge low strings. And I hand-carved a bone nut with zero radius! Set the saddles at zero radius too. Absolutely none of that was necessary. And I know it. But I feel it is MY guitar - like I built it that way. And I do get pleasure from that. However, the time has come to actually start learning from those who know. So I'm watching your vids with great interest. I'm pushing 70, and I feel slide will be good if my fingers get too stiff from old age. Though the main reason I like it is because it sounds so cool. Thanks a lot - this is a treasure trove!

Just getting into slide and really like your videos; you're a good teacher. Thanks so much for these Dylan, from one happily retired Canuck! btw...that's one sweet PRS there.

Practicing the Freebird slide lick over and over until it was fluid and perfectly in tune helped me a lot with my slide playing (especially in standard tuning)

Very direct and very informative. Perhaps a quick rundown on how gain settings effect your tone with some shots of the amp settings? Thanks!

Thank you Dylan! As an old guy... with your help I'm determined to learn slide come hell or high water 😂

Great video! I find playing slide on a 7.25" radius trickier, though I am sure there are people out there who do it really well. The 12" radius is comfortable. I don't really have experience with 9.5" and wonder how that would feel. Your point about gain is really important for almost any kind of guitar playing, though I think with slide the temptation to up the gain to get lots of sustain is strong. One thing is while Duane or Derek or many others did not use a lot of gain, they do get to play really loud. That makes a difference. High headroom tube amps that stay clean sounding still give you a lot of sustain when they are up high enough. Most of us don't get to play that loud anymore, whether at home or even at a gig. So we have to find our own way to the right tone.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I will dig into your standard tuning slide lessons. Great playing,

"No shortcuts" and being persistent are 2 great tips. I think a 3rd tip is having a consistent plan that you follow to gain the appropriate skills. You are what you practice and that starts with learning fundamentals. Following random youtube videos won't build a practice routine, though you can extract helpful tips to augment an existing plan.

I use a socket spanner. I've tried loads but that is my favourite. It's heavy!

Such quality content! Your videos are just keep getting better. I really want to be able to play slide guitar like you one day, and it still feels so unrealistic at this point. Please keep making contents and I promise I'll always be waiting for more! Thank you.

Love the approach you talked about. Just taking on something and saying "I'm going to learn this. I'm going to play that." Every large leap I have taken over my 22 years of playing has been in moments when I thought that exact same way and just got after it. I think mindset is the most important thing in learning anything. I remember when I was in high-school and wanted to learn Over The Hills and Far Away so bad, but it was quite a bit above my level at that point. Especially on an acoustic. But I just went after it and spent countless hours every day on it. Within a few weeks I had it down and remember sitting there thinking "Wow...2 weeks ago this felt like a huge mountain to climb."

If I may chime in on the subject of string gauges: I have a .16 on my National that works great for slack tunings like open D or open G. But there is no way I can tune that string set to open E or open A without breaking strings. For those tunings I have a Telecaster with a .10 on the high E.

Thank you brother.🤗 I know what you mean with regards to learning. Like working in an office, or any job; if it's done just as a means-to-an-end, the quality of work suffers greatly, because half the minds attention is in the future and not fully in the Now. And then stress (or road rage if you are driving and gone quite insane) can easily creep in. And if you are not enjoying something you are not empowered by life because there is a hidden "No" so to speak contaminating the learning/playing process. The guitarist Guthrie Govan had a video where he was pointing out you should enjoy or learn to enjoy playing one note. Eckhart Tolle said in one of his books: "Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into the world from deep within you. The misperception that Joy comes from what you do is normal, and it is also dangerous, because it creates the belief that joy is something that can be derived from something else, such as an activity or thing. You then look to the world to bring you joy, happiness . But it cannot do that. This is why many people live in constant frustration. The world is not giving them what they think they need." I've learnt "Shed loads" from your videos thanks. David. Peace.🙏

Dylan, you just flat rock. You have become my primary slide inspiration, because I needed someone to learn from who plays slide in standard tuning, and there are so damned few who do. If you don't become one of the legends of slide guitar, there is no justice in the cosmos.

The plain brass slides I've tried have been too soft and they are easily nicked and grooved by the strings, which are harder than the brass (perhaps the brass slides shown here are made of a special alloy?). I prefer a slide that's chrome plated steel or chromed brass, because the chrome is tougher than plain brass, or (my preferance) a glass slide. Also, having a little bit of thickness to the wall of the slide is important for sustain and being able to drive the string, especially if you're using a glass slide. If the glass slide is thin, almost like a test tube, you probably won't get a good sound out of it. I haven't tried a bone or ceramic slide, nor an expensive titanium one! Bone will eventually wear; a ceramic slide might not.... You definitely will not like the sound of grooves and notches in your slide, and it's even more of a problem if you're playing lapsteel style with a Stevens or Shubb-Pearce bar.

You can play slide on a low action 9 through 42 shred guitar if you use a very thin-walled Pyrex slide you just have to have a very light touch. I still use a big oversized thick brass slide when I'm playing on a resonator even sometimes just on an acoustic because I have enough control of it and it sounds so good compared to other materials especially on a metal resonator. Statesboro blues and a bunch of Johnny Winters songs are what got me to start playing slide back when they first came out. Yes I'm old. One mistake I hear too often is people not mutant behind the slide. That drives me crazy! There are things to practice when you're learning how to play slide. First thing as accuracy of travel. Just try doing half-step motions then go to hallstatt motions and then go further from there. Also knowing that your slide cannot be sideways to the fretz unless you're doing a special effect and you don't want it to be leaning into the Frets on the treble side or on the bass side, some very basic technique for those just starting.

Saw a discussion by Ry Cooder, years ago. He heightened his strings so that the slide was level across all the strings. Tried it and it works well

Saw your video on Rhett’s new live channel, and wow. You really make that thing sing. I’ve decided to take up slide now. This video is an amazingly great start! Look forward to this journey

I found a small comfort slide I use on my pinky. It's perfect as I cant still do boxed pentatonics and hit chord shapes.

Yes, i understand! I've NEVER felt like "burning my guitar," or " throwing it out," or "giving up." I just work a little harder to sound the way i want to sound! I've always felt that way about practice, and i don't know (wouldn't want to know) any other way.

Loving these videos man. I’ve got my rock slide coming in the mail from sweetwater. I’ve been using a Dunlop 212 for a few years (on my ring finger) and I’ve gotten decent at slide in open and standard tuning, but you’ve really encouraged me to push towards learning to play behind the slide and just really trying to dive in and woodshed my slide playing!

Always amazing advice, Dylan. You’re giving me hope with each and every video that I can learn this technique. Part of it is having a good teacher, and part is getting good advice about gear, setup, etc. Do you ever play slide on acoustic guitars of any kind? I’d love for you to talk about that sometime - there’s plenty to explore because acoustic guitars are like a whole other instrument than an electric guitar. The Acoustic Life KZfaq channel with Tony Polecastro show recently did several episodes on slide and a variety of topics on the subject for people who might be interested in dabbling or are ready to jump on in. For instance, he was showing people how to convert a round neck to a square neck with an inexpensive doohickey that raises the action for playing like a lap steel. He also was showing resonators vs. standard wood guitars for the purpose of playing slide. That made me realize that you can talking about playing slide in the popular playing position vs. playing flat àla pedal steel type or square necks. Maybe you can talk about your preferred method in relation to the other, and how to get started doing it flat. His content made me wonder if you can show us how to make slide sound great on an acoustic guitar, perhaps using some of the gear and ideas suggested by Tony. He’s really nice, and I bet he’d let you use some clips. Anyway, I always wonder if one must be plugged in to make the slide sound best on an acoustic of any kind or whether it’s possible to achieve with a room mic (or while unplugged at home for all the minimalists and apartment dwellers out there, lol), I always wonder if the slide playing is technically different in the traditional position as compared to an electric guitar, how the setup might differ, how to start playing horizontally if one wishes to go that route (just seems so unnatural) and why one might want to chose that method, etc. I know you mostly play electric guitar from what it seems, but it would be a great avenue to explore for current acoustic players, people who might be interested in picking up acoustic guitar, and even for yourself personally - especially if you’ve never really done anything more than dabbling with slide on acoustic. Could be fun to watch the process of you figuring stuff out. 😉😂 Thanks so much, my friend! Always a great content to be had here!

i’ve been playing slide for a few years (though most time has gone towards learning bluegrass banjo!) and this is one of the most straightforward and helpful videos so far

#5 is invaluable. Best advice 👍👍

Good info thank you

You do a great job of making me feel like I can do this!

Elmore James, Duane Allman and Johnny Winter were my first heroes on slide. Sonny Landreth opened me up to playing 'behind the slide'.

For me it's Leslie West. So far only video on "Sliding" I've stumbled on. I have a glass slide but I really love the Clayton "sexy WAVE" . What do you expect, I'm retired Navy. P.S. I'm kind of starting at 67.

Nice playing bud! :)

When I bought my second slide, (first was chrome & second brass), it was slightly smaller than the first one, and it made a huge difference Still not a fantastic slide player, but it’s fun to do

Great advice on tone and gain. At first it seemed I needed a lot of gain but realized it was kind of a crutch for bad technique. Now I practice with little or no gain and it requires me to have a better touch for consistent pressure, note attack and volume. Then I add gain as needed. Keep the videos coming Dylan they are the best!

Incredible

This perfect advice. I have been playing standard for years, but I always had problems playing in minor keys, I kept going to the major scale. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didnt . Anyone that make slide sound like an open tuned guitar has my attention immediately. I think you are the only one the internet that actually studied and knows what and where to play in standard.

You make a PRS cool!

Duane Allman didn't play slide until seeing Jesse Ed Davis play "Statesborough Blues" with Taj Majal. If you listen to that track online, you can hear how Duane's version sounds similar. Mearle Watson, Doc Watson's son, got really good at playing slide on acoustic, and his inspiration - like yours, was seeing Duane Allman play electric slide guitar live. Mearle got a '59 Les Paul sunburst, and liked the neck so much he asked Gallagher to make the neck on his Dreadnaught acoustic just like the Gibson 1959 Les Paul neck. Mearle's had rosewood sides and back, while Doc,s was Mahogany he preferred. Doc used medium gauge strings, while Merle would use light gauge acoustic strings tuned up to an E chord, so pretty high tension for slide. I was very fortunate to see Doc and Merle play together at a little club in Georgetown, before Merle's tragic death. He was so beloved by the bluegrass community there is a "Merlefest" music festival every year in his honor, and to keep his memory alive. I've never seen anybody play fingerpicking acoustic slide guitar like Merle could. I've always loved slide guitar, and pedal steel guitar, they create some of my favorite musical sounds. But I've struggled with learning how to play slide myself all my life, and I'm 67 so I need to master slide now - before it's too late. I'm incorporating what I learned from this video with all the other information I've learned over the years, but know it's mainly going to take my will to stay with it. JD Simo's story is inspirational, because he struggled with learning slide too. The night he finally "got it", and couldn't believe he was finally playing it with control, said he was scared to stop playing afraid he would never be able to "get it" again. I'm going to keep at it until I can "get it" under control. About the string gauge: using extra-light .09-.942 set does make it more difficult, but that's what Jesse Ed Davis used on his telecaster, went to .09-.46 on his Gibson. Gary Rossington said he likes to use .09-.042 extra light strings to get a more "greasy" sound. Rhett Shull uses extra-light now, and seems to play slide quite well on them. That said, RJ Ronquillo recommends using .11 strings too, and that flat-wound strings can help. Some people use coated strings, or polished, or ground-wound for slide. Warren Haynes uses regular .10-.46 strings on his Les Paul and most other guitars for slide, except on the Firebird he may be using .11 strings? I'm just full of information - eh? Now I need to get busy 'shedding until I get it........!

Good tips...I remember hearing Brian Jones on "No Expectations " when a i was 18 and it was really hard ot learn even if it was a simple song. I did have the same demons on my head saying " i can´t play this". But after a while i did, took me whole year of not doing it right, but i just keep thinking "I just got to be in tune" and it work. i am glad i did not stumble on a Duane Allman slide playing cause i that age I would have been scared .

I’m a guy who does have separate guitars for standard and open G & D . I use sets of 11s on all my electric guitars. But I do put a .13 on the highest string to add a bit more tension on the open tunings . And if I can, I will put a heavier string on the low string to add a bit more tension. This just helps to keep you from fretting out. I also raise the saddle on the highest string that I put the .13 String on to add a little bit more height for use of Slide

I started learning slide about 3 weeks ago and because of your videos I’ve improved a lot. Thanks my friend hope all is well 🎉

Really do love that guitar. That's my style, although dots are good enough for a simple man like me. Side dots alone is even mo' betta. I guess PRS wants everyone to know who made it immediately! Not many teachers explain how to set up the guitar AND how to dial in the tone! Nice job Dylan.

Great lesson and thanks Dylan excellent advice

Well, this was a nice channel to stumble across, I've been looking at those Rock Slides for a minute now. I've always loved the sounds a guitar can make with a slide, very close as to the human voice. Great presentation, Dylan!

I love the way you explained the real truth on slide learning. Most of all I love your style ( musical) . Thank you for sharing.

I just wanted to say thank you. I’m 60 and have been playing guitar since I was 12, and only recently decided that I wanted to really become proficient on slide. I attempted it several times in the past, but it was always short lived. I became discouraged.

My guitar teacber had me tune to open G tuning to start learning slide. I found that extremely helpful.

Thank you for the very usefull tips!

I might be off base here, but compression should be a concern. Having all notes at the same volume plus a little grit if you want it? Just asking for a friend . 😂. Great video. Very informative. 👍

Great advice !!

Your #5 and #6 mistakes resonated … I learned slide from listening to Ry Cooder and Leo Kottke in the mid 1970’s.. that was my foundation. Your mention of Lowell George and compression was enlightening.. I had for 4 decades wondered how he got that sound on the Feats Don’t Fail Me Now album Ry’s Paradise and Lunch is an easily accessible master class in open tuning slide

Great video👍 hearing the Fillmore album for the first time did it for me too. Also , I have the same carved wood skateboarder guy on your speaker lol

Mass Street Music, where i bought my first Martin guitar, great place

Im a beginner on guitar slides what a great tips and it helps a lot, thanks bro you are awesome i sub..👍

Thank you!

Regarding "beating yourself up". I think it is important to learn how to enjoy the journey. Have an end goal to focus on but enjoy where you are now. "The worst day playing guitar beats the best day at a crummy job.... " Great content, Dylan!

Cool video. I would like to point out that Derek Trucks uses a large slide... so much so that his ring finger is bent - kind of pressing against the slide to hold it in place.

Great video and advice. It confirms most of what I already knew and believed. I agree about the Rockslides. They’re amazing. Been using them exclusively for several years now. Keep up the great work. Your playing is fantastic.

Very good lesson. As an old dude, I would add to your mistake #6 comments that though it does take time and effort to get better, try to enjoy the journey getting there. Incremental improvement and discovery has always been such a joy for me. Thx.

thanks Dylan, great advice! im on the road for work a lot and i bought a shitty burner guitar to practice in hotel rooms with headphones, just 30 minutes every work day has helped so much with the muscle memory. Im only 3 weeks in.

I need to ask a question about my guitars and using slide (I slide using my pinky). The 3 fingers in front are muting well. I have to pay attention to that because sometimes I don't do such a good job. But this problem occurs when I am muting properly. I am new at slide - but I am liking what I am hearing. Most of the time. Which leads to my question. What is it that causes the two-tone issue - the strings behind the slide - making noise - and the strings on the other side that are supposed to be what is heard. I am thinking maybe action - old strings - wrong gauge. This happaens on multiple guitars with different gauges and different setups. - and I don't think it's just me not deadening the strings behind the slide that are making the unnecessary noise. The easy answer would be "it is you...take up the oboe." LOL - appreciate your time - respectful of your skills. You're fantastic!

#5 and #6 are essential! Great tips Dylan.

Dylan I’ve been playing slide for 30 years. You’re definitely waaayyy more progressed than I. But you’ve lit a fire in me again and have me trying to break out of the box I slide around in. Just an old dog trying not to get hurt learning new tricks…..thanks for the info you’re passing along

I broke a truss rod setting up my cheap used LP copy. While I agree to play slide on any guitar, if one breaks a truss on a set neck guitar that isn't worth fixing: jack the bridge like a lifted truck and dedicate it to slide. TBH I like the guitar way better as an open E slide machine than I ever did in standard tuning and with action that just wouldn't lower nicely. And l have so many guitars. Sadly, this is my only LP type guitar...but I can fix that!

Great advice and great playing!! For 'diy' type players like me, may I suggest cutting some bottle necks for slides and looking for bottles that have a curved section that will match the radius on your guitar. Since I live in wine country I know it's possible. I use a metal cutting disc for the cuts and a belt sander to spooth out the sharp ends. "Sanded" glass slides, with a matt finish, also have advantages on acoustic guitar stings at times. A radiused glass slide on an open tuned neck can be helpful in contacting multiple strings equally.

#5 and #6 are outstanding points. I hate you for this reminder!! 😊. Great video. Really good job....back to practicing now.

I disagree, that is for me, I prefer a large slide. I have silly fat fingers that just get in the way of all my playing. I just the largest dunlop slide on my index. I ran into them about a year ago. I noticed I can really get a great vibrato with the larger slide. It seems to wobble just a little along with my finger shaking it that gives it an excellent tone. Been playing so long never noticed any issues on the higher strings. But hey that is just me. I do a lot of self taught weird things that just work for me. Everyone has their own journey to take and to discover what works for them. Excellent channel. Love your content. It covers more than just playing this song or that.

Thanks for helping us get up and going with all the basic stuff. Without that, getting nowhere...

Great tips. I’m just barely learning to play slide so this should help a bunch!

another great video, thanks

Dylan. Your amazing. Love your playing and down to earth personality. Could you possibly do so short videos with a few licks. Not the basic Duane and Derek style playing but more of your staples. You have such a unique feel and phrasing. Keep up the great work.

Thanks Dylan ! Cheers from France !

Great advice… love your blues playing bro… going to get my first brass slide this week…

nice advice, thanks, s

So cool man your right on the realities, of coarse not many of us will achieve much but for sure what you say is 100% and the best advice thank you

Dylan, holy smokes. I FEEL those examples - tone and touch for days.

A possible tip #7 would encapsulate all the others. You gotta "feel" it. If you felt it while you heard it enough to want to do it, you still gotta feel it while doing it.

REAL good video.

Great stuff! Comments on attitude and persistence are so important. Should have been the first one 😂

Nice video Dylan. I work on slide a lot in standard tuning after watching your earlier videos. It’s a lot of fun and a challenge!

Sounds sweet Dylan. Liked, subscribed and shared l .. Saving for a future guitar lesson with you.

Mass Street Music. In my old home town ! Just down the street from Americana Music Academy, my old school.

Thank you Dylan, good advise.

I’ve been playing for about 15 years and got my first slide probably 10 years ago. Never really learned anything with it until maybe 2 years ago. And it’s still an everyday grind to get better but there really is no secret. Even forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone and play with a slide on stage has taken me further than practicing in my room.

Thanks for the encouragement!!!❤

A lot of good information here. Thank you for putting it out there.

Thanks Dylan! Your videos inspired me to try slide.

One thing I find myself struggling with, which I don’t see addressed much and would love to see you elaborate on, is noise and overtones happening behind the slide. I assume I have to slightly deaden the strings behind the slide, but getting that touch right is the part I’m having the hardest time with.

Great playing and advice here! Side note i cant help but notice how the ash figuring on that prs isnt matched where the 2 pieces come together. Seems like something that shouldnt have left the factory for a $3k guitar. Just my 2 cents....sounds great though.

Look at you with that fancy tele. It sounds so good. I've heard nothing but good things about the PRS Telecaster.

Hey Dylan. Awesome video. Great information but your chops, oh man. Killer stuff. And incredible tone too. You mention blues driver into a UA. Are you using the UA reverb? Speakers? One last question. Derek Trucks- the best slide player ever? Thanks so much. -Mark

Fantásticos consejos.... Aprender no debe ser un trauma, simplemente hay que divertirse y aprenderás más rápido. Mantente enfocado...... Cheers...!!!!!!!!! ❤🤙👍

I play lead guitar for my worship team and always considered incorporating slide, but was always hesitant as it seemed like a beast to tame. Your content and instructions have given me the confidence to make that leap and get out of my comfort zone. I now look forward to receiving the set list to see if, and how, the slide can be incorporated. God bless, bro, keep making content✌🏼

finally-good info-i play brass on baby finger-pluck with 2 fingers-got an old ovation open e tuned-getting there slowly-my wife even said-"that sounds good!" im 73 had a guitar since 12. never played out or gigged never will-and thats fine-Peace

Video quality keeps going up! Keep it up my man

So good thank you. My slide is too big and I need to stop worrying about strings not high enough.

cool video, do you have any videos showing the positions and tunings as well as technique like dampening and what not, your a good player.

Great video with a lot of good common sense advice👍

George Thorogood's one of my favorite slide guitarists!🎸👍