Topic: The "allure" of Slide guitar

[obrigadotony]

I'm happy to share that I've made the transition to regular performances at open mics.  The experience is great so far and I'm hoping to land something where I can play a whole set by the Summer time (I've got the material, it's finding the opportunity at the right venue).

In total I've done 5 of these and I've noticed one thing - people go nuts over the slide tunes.  What I hear more than anything is 'awesome slide playing.'  They get excited when I pull it out of my case.  My next open mic I'm going to open with a slide tune and I'll have to learn a few more.  I think going forward I can use the slide to draw people in and then hopefully they continue to stay interested when I switch to non-slide tunes (which I generally find more interesting).

Have any of you had similar experiences out there in the field?  If so, what do you think it is that makes people get so excited?  The novelty?


Also on a side note, I'm finding more and more that I prefer Vestapol to Spanish when playing slide.  Maybe my reportoire and skills aren't there yet - but sometimes I find that every song in Spanish is the same - slide at the 12th fret, then go up to 5th fret for the 4, then for the 5 either 7th fret or open chord.  I like listening to the tunes, but I wouldnt want to play Crossroad Blues and My Black Mama in the same set - they are the same tune.

With Vestapol, my main references are Bukka White and Blind Willie Johnson - they tend to stay on the I chord for the whole tune, but I find this actually gives you more variety for the vocal part.

A year from now my opinion may the opposite.  That's what so great about this music!

[Mike Billo]

 I've been having the same experience. The only difference being that it's been going on with me for many years.

This is strictly speculation on my part, but I suspect that, the Guitar has reached such a saturation point in all styles of popular music,  that the listening public has become rather blase' about the guitar.
  However, when it's played differently than what most people are used to hearing, they're far more inclined to take notice.
  A few years ago I decided that playing slide out of the lap position worked better for me (for a number of reasons that could be discussed in a different thread) than being held in "normal" position.
 When I play lap slide and Harp, on the rack, people are effusive with their praise. When I play the guitar, there's polite applause and compliments, but nothing more.

  Is it because my slide and harp playing are awesome and my guitar playing is mediocre? Perhaps, but I don't think that's the case.  I believe people have become rather desensitized to the guitar through over-exposure.

I first came up with this theory a couple of years ago while having dinner at some friends house. On the TV, there was a PBS fundraiser and they were showing clips from a Tommy Emmanuell concert. Now, I know that he isn't everybody's cup of tea and many think that he's too, overly flashy and ostentatious,  but let's agree that the guy is highly accomplished.
 After a couple of songs, my friends asked "Does he sing too, or does he only just play Guitar"

  "Just? Only?"

    It was then that I realized how blase' people had become.

    I think this is why you're finding, just as I have, that your slide playing more well-received than regular playing.

    Of course, this is strictly conjecture on my part.

[Mike Billo]

 Upon careful reflection, I think my Lap Slide, Harp and Standard Guitar playing are all equally mediocre 

 The lap playing with rack Harmonica only look different to "civilians" and therefore, are more likely to be noticed

[Rivers]

You might already know this but I think learning the various fretted inversions of the IV and V, i.e. beyond barring at the 5th and 7th frets, might completely open up the fretboard when playing in open G, and in any open tuning in fact. You need to have the slide on your pinky though to have enough fingers for fretting. This is often referred to as 'hybrid' style, fretting chords while playing slide.

[oddenda]

When played well, slide/bottleneck guitar can be overpowering - e.g. Elmore James J.B. Hutto, a.o. It can be delicate - e.g. McTell, Sylvester Weaver, a.o. In all cases it must be executed gently: if one tries to mash the hell out of the strings, failure will result. How about that, sports fans!

pbl

[Norfolk Slim]

Son house?! 

[alyoung]

Nope. Plays hard, but still has the slide under control so the strings don't ground on the neck... which is what Pete is referring to; mash the strings down on to the neck and the slide tone disappears. And considering how hard Son House plays, he doesn't get a lot of fret rattle either. Booker White's another one in this category.

[Norfolk Slim]

If that what what was meant- ie mashing strings against frets, I agree entirely.

[harriet]

I could be wrong but I think Son House's forceful percussive picking hand is the one making the racket.

My opinion is its the rhythm/drive of the slide music, the vocals and the tone of the instrument might have alot to do with capturing and holding attention.

I thought it was interesting for electric slide that Elmore James had very big hands and in an interview with Homesick James someone who knew him, he used -at one point- a cover to an amp tube cut to accomodate his finger which is light. Also Johnny Winter was reported by Vintageguitar magazine to play with D'addarrio 10-46's on his electrics.

[RobBob]

I started playing slide guitar about 50 years ago, highly influenced by the rash of elder statesman of that practice.  Using a slide is like playing double stops on a fiddle.  Less is more, restraint = success.  Haven't done it much until this past summer when I joined some pals for a gig with their old time blues string band for a gig.  We had a ball.  I have been more apt to play a banjo that way and that is a ball too.