[JohnyBoy]

I am trying to learn some tips on how to play slide like booby, any suggestions?

[mkaufman]

Don't take lessons and practice on stage!

mk

[Emoto]

LOL!

[Counterstriker]

There is like 3 slide licks that bob uses in every song he plays slide in. I am sure of the song, he does in Little Red rooster, and minglewood blues, US blues. Check those songs out

[mkaufman]

Ironically, some of Weir's better slide work was his earlier 'complementary' work (as opposed to soloing) ala Truckin', etc. For a good example, check out I Need A Miracle, especially starting around 4:15:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd78-12- ... sbeok.shnf

mk

[Tennessee Jedi]

I have recently started trying the slide thing .... been into Cosmic Charlie lately ....
would be cool to do I think
glass or metal or what for the slide ?
I have been using a metal slide .....

[mijknahs]

You don't want to play slide like Bobby... Learn from Derek Trucks instead.

Just kidding. I don't like Bobby's solos but his other parts are cool.

Jim

[tcsned]

I have recently started trying the slide thing .... been into Cosmic Charlie lately ....
would be cool to do I think
glass or metal or what for the slide ?
I have been using a metal slide .....

Jerry used the chrome pinky slides - metal is a lot more edgy than glass - if you use glass I would recommend the heaviest possible. Thin glass sounds like you're using a bic lighter (which I have done on stage in a pinch). Brass and ceramic are also ones I have used. They all sound different though I can't say that I have a preference other than metal slides don't wind up as a pile broken glass in the bottom of your gear bag if you get sloppy breaking down.

Also, the higher the strings are off the fretboard the better. Low action and slide don't work great. I had an interesting discussion with Gary Rossington (of Lynyrd Skynyrd) - I was backstage at a show and saw his old SG with something stuck under the strings. He told me that for Freebird when he recorded the song with two G strings tuned in unison a screwdriver jammed between the strings and the fretboard to raise the strings up. Live, he used something a little less obtrusive than a screwdriver (of course, this makes playing open strings impossible) under the first three strings (still with two G strings) - then pulled it out and played the power chords for Allen Collins big solo at the end.

Tuning is also something to consider - open G is cool for country bluesy stuff, open E is good for the Chicago blues stuff, sometimes I get lazy and just tune the high E down to D and play the top 4 strings.

Danny Gatton used to do this really crazy stunt of playing a sick slide solo with a full beer bottle sloshing beer all over his guitar, then he'd get out a towel and put it over his left hand and did a muted guitar solo while drying off his guitar. Though Danny had something that the rest of us mere mortals didn't have and could pull off a stunt like that. I've seen "The Humbler" do this better but found it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=xfBF4rr7FiA
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=xfBF4rr7FiA[/youtube]

[jackr]

I love that danny gaton video. He was amazing.

Speaking of amazing, I agree that learning to play like Derek Trucks is the way to go. But you have to play like Bobby before you can step up to the level of Derek. Or imho one of the best today - Sonny Landreth

[Good Times]

Or imho one of the best today - Sonny Landreth

+1

I saw Sonny at Jazz Fest about 5 years ago and was totally blown away.

[JonnyBoy]

Don't take lessons and practice on stage!

mk

Ha. Bobby learned on stage and never really formally learned the technique. Jerry learned some from the Allmans on top of what he knew already.
I would try to emulate a slid player like Duane Allman, he's got some great tricks, but Bobby never drop tuned so he was limited with the slide tricks he could do, if he could even do 'em or knew 'em, that we widely hear in country music and blues. I found getting some basic understanding of the slide from some people that are good at it (preinternet), now a days Youtube is a great place to pick up cool licks and teachings. Its hard to explain with words, easier to watch and learn. If you learn the basics you'll be doin' as good as Bobby ever did!!