Topic: Dampening strings when slide is on pinky

[Plowshare]

I've started working on some Tampa Red songs, and realize I need some slide technique advice when the slide is on my pinky and I'm only using the slide on first, second or third strings.  I've been resting my other fingers on the strings to dampen any vibrations between the slide and the peghead, but find that my middle and ring fingers stick up enough above the slide that they sometimes dampen the bass strings that I'm playing.  I've looked for advice on what others do in such a situation, but haven't been successful.  How do you hold your hand to do this?  Do you bend your other fingers so they don't extend so far upwards beyond the top of the slide?  Just not dampen the strings when playing notes on the second or third string?  Use the slide on my ring finger?  Or...?

Thanks

Tim

[blueshome]

A combination of methods are needed. No damping, damping behind the slide, palm damping with the picking hand, and touch with the slide.

Don't get hung up on this, I believe far to much emphasis is placed on damping behind the slide by modern players. If you are playing in a noisy club, or with a piano player, or on the street I don't think you would even worry about damping.

[daddystovepipe]

I prefer the slide on my ringfinger, resting my second and pinky on the slide, the index drags over the strings to dampen unwanted sounds/buzzing the slide makes.
I find that this way my hand is in good balance for vibrato and the strongest sound is produced.
Tampa Red had a very pure, clean sound so I'm pretty sure he was dampening. 

[Prof Scratchy]

My bandmate Ritchie has done a video on right hand damping. I can't even begin to do this, but he has very good slide technique with both hands. Start at 1 minute into the video. By and large, I don't think many CB slide players paid this much attention to getting  a clean sound, or producing so much vibrato with the left hand. Tampa Red may have been the exception to this. Still, maybe worth a look if you're interested in this topic.

[harriet]

Thats a technique for damping that I haven't seen before - he mentions that he's playing in standard.

I learned control of the slide first and couldn't manage the right and left damping till I was a year or two into learning - pretty much with the range blueshome mentions whether I am wearing the slide ring finger or pinky.

Maybe surfing through youtube videos on damping and experimenting from those would give some results.

Harriet

[Plowshare]

Thanks very much, all, for the advice!  This is really helpful to me-- both the specific technical details, and the "don't get hung up on this" and essentially 'give it time' recommendations.

Tim

[Rivers]

Effective picking hand damping of individual strings is fiendishly difficult with slide, no matter what finger the slide is on. The rewards are plentiful though and it's worth the effort. I for one am not there yet but know it when I hear it.