using a slide

[wiechfreak]

I'm just starting to learn to use a slide. I seem to understand everything about the technique involved, and I plan on using fingerpicking when playing. However the one major thing I don't understand is how to mute the strings with your picking hand when playing single strings. For example say I'm playing on the B string, I'll have my left hand index muting the strings behind the slide but I still get the other strings ringing out. So how should I go about muting them with my picking hand, I don't understand how it's done?

Maybe just for example explain how I'd mute and make this lick sound clean that I attatched. Thanks in advance guys :)

[wiechfreak]

anyone :confused:

[shrunkenhead145]

anyone :confused:

I play classical guitar, and a common technique that I use is called planting, where you put the tip of your finger on the string just before you play it. It assists in good tone production and articulation, but you could also use it for muting.

Check out Jeff Beck and Mark Knopfler, they are electric players who play with their fingers, and I think both of them have interesting muting techniques that might be worth trying to pick up.

[wiechfreak]

the thing that i really have trouble with understanding as far as the muting is when I want to slide up to the 9 in that lick, the b string also slides up to a 9. And it's fairly fast so I don't know even how I'd mute the b before sliding up to the 9.

[tinsmith]

I play a heavy glass Dunlop slide on my pinky.

I became the most comfortable & started to get the hang of it playing Leo Kottke's "vaseline Machine Gun."

I mute with the fingers behind the slide & slighty by putting them on the strings with my picking hand.
Sometimes I raise the slide up for a milli-second to stop the note.

I was also told by a wiseman to be looking were you were going to move, prior to moving. I have found this to be true for me. I also use bare fingers for picking.

All of this has worked for me. It may not work for you.

[wiechfreak]

im still confused about the right hand muting. For example, if you're playing on the G string I guess I'd use my third and fourth right hand fingers to mute the B and E right? However what If I'm playing on say, the low E string. How would I mute all the strings above it?

[tinsmith]

I kinda do it intermittently as I'm moving around.

I hate to say it, but I don't think there is a set way of doing it.

Practice makes perfect.

[wiechfreak]

I kinda do it intermittently as I'm moving around.

I hate to say it, but I don't think there is a set way of doing it.

Practice makes perfect.

alright well I guess I'll try to figure it out

[tinsmith]

Like I said earlier, a big factor for me was learning to fingerpick with a slide, Vaseline Machine Gun.


Things really changed then, some sort of control seemed within my reach.