The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been asked this a couple of times when I played out. It just wouldn't sound the same, but that's not a very satisfying answer, and I hate to wave my hands like "Oh, you wouldn't understand." Anyone have a nice succinct answer that would make sense to the layman?

The standard guitar fretboard action (fractions of an inch above the frets) does not allow for the firm pressure of a bar, an import element in the fat tone of a steel guitar. The characteristic sound of slide guitar is the sound of light pressure with a little bit of fret contact thrown in. A much thinner sound. A great sound but different.

Yes, the strings are too close to the fingerboard, and the frets (raised frets) are unnecessary and get in the way, and the most important reason... standard guitar tuning has a limited number of chord positions for slide playing. The Tunings that lap steel players use offer Way more chord positions and convenient licks for playing with a bar (a slide). And we use thicker strings for more tone and sustain.

One-word answer: TONE

Slide guitar buzzes and to hide it distortion is used most of the time.

Here's a better one.

"Ever tried a forward/reverse slant with one. "

Same reason the guitar player doesn't use quarters for guitar picks.. it just doesn't quite work.

Also ...

* having an instrument designed and braced for high string tension helps to maximize sustain.

* you have a bunch better view of the fretboard looking down on it, parallel to the floor, than you do having it perpendicular to the floor.

* You have more control apply downward pressure on a bar than trying to press a slide toward your body.

Nevertheless, slide is a cool style on it's own and can lead down creative avenues in the right player's hands. So I would never presume to say, "Hey Sonny Landreth. You really oughta be playing lap style, man."

Doing just what the OP has suggested on a 1965 Hofner visible in the latter part of the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcVEH_fo6ko

James.

Doug Beaumier wrote:Yes, the strings are too close to the fingerboard, and the frets (raised frets) are unnecessary and get in the way, and the most important reason... standard guitar tuning has a limited number of chord positions for slide playing. The Tunings that lap steel players use offer Way more chord positions and convenient licks for playing with a bar (a slide). And we use thicker strings for more tone and sustain.

You can rise the strings, can't you? You can tune the guitar the way you please, can't you? And use whatever string gauges you please?

Yes, but the original post asked about playing slide on standard guitar. To me, standard guitar means a normal guitar setup, standard tuning. Sure, you can put a raised nut on a guitar, and thicker strings, and tune it to some open tuning... but that's not really standard guitar... no?

I've tried it. The relatively long scale of a regular guitar makes intonation a bit harder, and the strings are pretty close together.
The biggest drawback in playing lap style chords on a regular position guitar is that your right wrist is always at a 90 degree angle, tendonitis here I come.
Whereas if you lay it flat, both wrists are relaxed and in normal positions - but a regular guitar tends to slide off your thighs!

Chase Brady wrote:I've been asked this a couple of times when I played out. It just wouldn't sound the same, but that's not a very satisfying answer, and I hate to wave my hands like "Oh, you wouldn't understand." Anyone have a nice succinct answer that would make sense to the layman?

The answer is...."for some tunes there wouldn't be much difference and for others it would be like night and day. Some techniques you can do on lap steel would be extremely difficult on bottleneck guitar."

Leave it at that. If they ask more because maybe they play guitar, then you can explain further.

"Bottleneck or slide guitar" refers to a "standard" or "armpit guitar" with nothing special done to it other than possibly having slightly higher action, not using a nut riser. Tuning can be standard or Open D or Low Bass G.

As to what techniques would be difficult on slide guitar.....slants of any kind.....single string runs on any string other than the highest or lowest while harmonizing with an open string.

I've been playing slide on a standard guitar for years..Standard tuning..It's very limited..Mostly on blues stuff..I used my Bic lighter most of the time..

Papa Joe, I like your response!!!!!!!!
Geo

Papa Joe Pollick wrote:I've been playing slide on a standard guitar for years..Standard tuning..It's very limited..Mostly on blues stuff..I used my Bic lighter most of the time..

When you sit and think about it, standard tuning isn't all that bad. With a straight bar and with no string skipping, and on the first 4 strings, you have Major and Minor chords, a 6th and minor 7th.

Right..I played the middle 3 strings mostly..And the 1st for minors and 6th chords..Though I didn't play much chords, mostly single note lead lines..

Gerard Ventura wrote: The biggest drawback in playing lap style chords on a regular position guitar is that your right wrist is always at a 90 degree angle, tendonitis here I come.

Gerard,

the 90 degree wrist angle thing is a result of using an improperly fitting slide. you want to be able to curl your finger while its in the slide.

when you wear a slide that is so tight that you have to have your finger fully extended, that is where you start to see that very awkward and painful looking sharp wrist angle. i teach a bit, and i do see that somewhat often when people are just starting bottleneck. ouch!

proper bottleneck hand position is very close to regular fretted playing. you can confirm that with some videos of Derek, Ry, etc...

j

Stephen Abruzzo wrote: When you sit and think about it, standard tuning isn't all that bad. With a straight bar and with no string skipping, and on the first 4 strings, you have Major and Minor chords, a 6th and minor 7th.

standard tuning, you have two interval sizes on consecutive strings. a fourth, and a major third.

open whatever, consectutive strings, you have a fifth, a fourth, a major third and a minor third.

i play slide a good bit in standard, but it's definitely a little weak compared to open tunings, unless your just playing a part, which is cool too!

j

Yeah, majors, minors, some 3rds and 6ths are available on standard guitar tuning with a slide, but the overall sound is not as full and rich as an open tuning. Having said that, I've played with a couple of guitarists who got an amazing sound with a slide on standard guitar tuning.

Sonny Landreth uses a technique of fretting behind the slide to increase the number of chords he can play. He talked about this at around 16:45....

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=297409