[Mike8307]

Have tried a few attempts at slide to no degree of success. The slide I have fits my third finger but I notice that Kirk and many use their fourth or pinky finger. That seems actually the best since you have 3 fingers to play fretted notes behind the slide, as opposed to only 2. I have tried playing slide with it on my pinky with less success than on the third finger, used foam or gauze to make the slide fit.

Now on to my anatomy problem. If you look at Kirk’s slide lesson pics and vids his pinky finger is long, almost as long as his third finger. It extends well past the first joint of his third finger, and the tip of the pinky extends beyond the end of the slide. My pinky is significantly shorter. It is quarter inch (0.6 centimeters) below the first joint of the third finger and about an inch and a quarter (3 centimeters) shorter in total from the third. This is most likely an evolutionary problem and means that I’m closer to dinosaurs, apes, and cavemen than the rest of humanity.

Is this going to be a significant hurdle to overcome? Are there any of you who play slide on your pinky with short pinky fingers? Or should I continue to learn to play slide on my third finger?

Reading through this post and it really sounds a bit odd, but trust me I am serious about this.

Michael
P.S. Sorry if I have offended any dinosaurs, apes, or cavemen that might misconstrue my comment as a slight.

[DemoEtc]

I may be that you're more of an alien transplant than related to the other species.

I normally use a 'standard' size Dunlop 220 (I think that's the number) that's 2 in. long and 3/4 in diameter and it only goes down to the first knuckle where the finger comes off the main portion of the hand. Wait, I look it up.

The 'proximal phlange.'

So none of the tip of the finger shows. I think it's different for everybody.

Thing is though, I've also used 7/8 in. diameter, really big glass and brass slides from time to time, and the trick is how you bend/flex your finger inside the tube so that it makes a tight fit. You know, like the tip of the finger is pressing downward on the inside surface while the first knuckle is bend the other way against the opposite inside surface. Like you're curling your finger slightly inside the tube so it doesn't fall off if you, for instance, lower your hand toward the floor.

And that all amounts to controlling the slide so that it doesn't wobble or feel loose while you're playing and being able to place the metal onto the string exactly where you want it, and how much pressure to apply.

It takes a bit of work to get that 'feel' to it, but that can be done no matter what length finger you have. And you can do the same thing with any of the fingers, really.

I even saw this old time video of a guy playing lap steel with a special glove with the slide/steel attached because he didn't have fingers.

Excellent player too.

Take care.

[allthumbs]

As said above it is all feel. It comes with time. I don't even think about it anymore regardless of make or style of slide I play. It is more about the tension between the strings and the slide that gives you the control rather than the finger fit IMO.

[eddiez152]

I modified mine a bit for my finger fit. Kirk's slides have plenty of material to be able to do so. But it needs to be taken out a little at a time. Kirk's got a great slide. Many on the market have a straight hole, I have a few. But these are outstanding and very well thought out.
eddiez

[SlickCat]

Remember when you were first learning guitar? Your fingers couldnt form the chords....and when they did...the strings buzzed. Then you press harder and your finger tips hurt and were raw. Ahhh it was quite hard at first! So it is with slide. Keep at it...its hard at first,but will come together in time.
I use my third finger....I already have a bad habit. If I were to learn all over...I would use my pinky. Three fingers to fret with is invaluable. Get a slide that fits tighter on your pinky it will help your control.
I like these.. www.therockslide.com
The medium fits my middle finger and the small my pinky.

[Kirk Lorange]

Where there's a will, there's a way. As everyone has already pointed out above, there is no one way to play slide. There's a great Aussie player called Dave Hole who wears his slide on his index and brings his hand up over the fretboard to play ( picture here: http://www.davehole.myphotoalbum.com/ ) so keep plugging away at a method that suits you. All you're trying to do, remember, is make that string vibrate while sliding that bar over it. There must be a million ways of doing it.

And remember Django, one of the greatest twangers ever ... he only used a couple of fingers on his left hand because he was burnt in an accident

[Mike8307]

Thanks guys.. I appreciate the input. Will head on down to the shop to pick up a slide for my pinky. I've used the bent finger method on a the larger diameter slide but my finger fatigues long before my urge to play dies.

My wife will be out of town for a few days in a week or two. Great time to practice at length at something that will sound really bad in the beginning. The cat will just have to deal with it.

Thanks again for the thoughts

Michael

[SlickCat]

Originally Posted by Kirk Lorange

Where there's a will, there's a way. As everyone has already pointed out above, there is no one way to play slide. There's a great Aussie player called Dave Hole who wears his slide on his index and brings his hand up over the fretboard to play

Kirk is right...I have seen slide players use just about every finger. Its all up to you and your personal taste or comfort. There are no RULES for slide

One hint that will help is ...try playing a simple melody on one string. Then try without looking at the fretboard. By forcing yourself not to look at the fretboard you will develop a "feel" for hitting the right notes. Your intonation will become more accurate.
Playing slide is a "Feel" thing.

[tina_]

I've got a small little finger... After trying a couple of slides, I'm after one with the following dimensions:
Length: 5.5 cm
Diameter (from the inside): 1.8cm

No shiny metal ones, no curved ones and I don't want one thats heavy (although pyrex might be a bit light... or maybe not as I'm trying one out at the moment). I also want one that doesn't easily break while giving a nice soft/mellow tone.

I can get by with longer ones but I've found if they're a bit heavy then they're difficult to control (think about it - the weights hanging off my finger. It really doesn't work too well).

Anyone know of any that might fit my needs? (which might be a bit too specific, I know that).

[DemoEtc]

You might check out jimdunlop.com; they have the lengths in cm but the inside diameter in ring-size.

[Ben_Sir_Amos]

I've got fat fingers and needed a big slide to fit properly on the pinky. But I overdid the practising and hurt the pinky so I started using a Jetslide on the third finger - it spins out of the way if you want to do some fretting with that finger.

One day I way demonstrating to my partner how the glass slide sounded so much better than the brass Jetslide and even as I was saying it, I could hear that the brass sounded better. Now I don't know what to think but you might want to look at the Jetslide and see if it suits you.

I'm now confused about whether I prefer glass or brass or an ol ss socket, normal or drop D, open G or open D, normal position or on my lap - but I guess I'll settle down and make some choices one day.

[tina_]

Originally Posted by Ben_Sir_Amos

I'm now confused about whether I prefer glass or brass or an ol ss socket, normal or drop D, open G or open D, normal position or on my lap - but I guess I'll settle down and make some choices one day.

LOL Guess I've got all those choices to come. At least I've decided upon the size

[DemoEtc]

Me? I don't choose; I just try them all out and see which one best fits what I'm trying to play at the time.

[feri52]

Hey Mike,
I really enjoyed your post about your "evolutionary problem"! That was very funny!
We must be from the same tribe, cause my pinky is also rather short, not to mention skinny.
I also struggle with big heavy slides that cause my little, weak pinky to get tired prematurely. I like the sound of Kirk's slide, it's nice and heavy, but I can't take it for too long.

[Mike8307]

I picked up a brass Dunlop 222 that fits the pinky fairly well. Hasn't flown off and I'm able to remove it after playing some. Have made some horrible sounds with it, some less horrible sounds the second time. So I guess I stick to it and get comfortable with the muting techniques.

Michael