Slide guitar tuning???

[Lonesomedave]

my son is a bass player who has taken up guitar within the last year or so. i bought him a glass slide and he loves it.

any suggestions on the best tuning for a slide guitar...open C for example.

[Demonjrx]

Open D minor. DADFAD. If you tune like that, it's a cross-note tuning. Allowing you to make major chords by simply barring you're chord and fretting one fret.

http://www.torvund.net/guitar/index....e=tuning&tid=8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_tuning#Open

[Demonjrx]

I should mention, I also enjoy Open D minor a lot because I can play most songs that are played in Drop D as well.

[Red_Merkin]

I like Open G, Keith Richards style, where you remove the lowest string so it doesn't sound muddy.

[colcifer]

There's not really a bad tuning. He should experiment.

[megafiddle]

Look up some of the dobro tunings.

Open minor tunings can be used to play major chords with barre chords, but unless there
is a major third in there, you can't get it with a slide.

[MarkMgibson]

The most common ones are Open G (D, G, D, G, B, D low to high) and Open D (D, A, D, F#, A, D, low to high). Those are probably the best place to start. Beyond that, the sky's the limit as far as tunings. If you're seriously talented (like Duane Allman), you can play in standard tuning, but it's damn hard to do!

[mellowinman]

Our guitar player plays slide in standard tuning. He's kind of forced to, because he has to lose the slide, and play "regular style" much of the time.

[Lonesomedave]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

The most common ones are Open G (D, G, D, G, B, D low to high) and Open D (D, A, D, F#, A, D, low to high). Those are probably the best place to start. Beyond that, the sky's the limit as far as tunings. If you're seriously talented (like Duane Allman), you can play in standard tuning, but it's damn hard to do!

i thought Duane Allman played mostly in Open E

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by Lonesomedave

i thought Duane Allman played mostly in Open E

Yes, you're right, Open E was his favourite tuning, but he also played in standard tuning as well (I only mention it because it's so damn hard to do). George Harrison played in standard tuning a lot too, and he was another brilliant slide player.

I use open E tuning most of the time, but I tune it down to "D" so there's not so much stress on the neck (especially with heavier strings).

[Floyd Eye]

Open tunings are a lot more fun. Standard tuning is more complicated but more convenient for live work if you have to go back and forth between slide and regular chording.

[JTE]

Open E (EBEG#BE) is what Elmore James used. Open D is the same.a whole step down. Open G (DGDGBD) is common among electric slide players too.

Acoustic blues players also use some open minor tunings.
Jeff Beck is another standard tuning slide player.

[fraublugher]

From father to son "gagdad" of course

[SoComSurfing]

Bonnie Raitt is another who does all her slide in standard. Derek Trucks does a fair amount in standard with his band, but usually open E or G with the Allman Bros.

[rapidfirerob]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

Yes, you're right, Open E was his favourite tuning, but he also played in standard tuning as well (I only mention it because it's so damn hard to do). George Harrison played in standard tuning a lot too, and he was another brilliant slide player.

I use open E tuning most of the time, but I tune it down to "D" so there's not so much stress on the neck (especially with heavier strings).

He only played slide in standard tuning on Dreams, as he played lead before the slide solo. Dickey Betts was upset that day, and walked out of the studio. That's why Duane played both solos on Dreams. I have a number of Allman Bros. concerts where they play all the slide songs first, and then you can hear Duane tune to standard tuning after the last slide song. They usually did Liz Reed next. This didn't happen for every show, but quite a few. He used open E for slide songs, save Dreams. I play bass in an Allman Bros. tribute band, so all this info comes out one way or another, it seems.

[MarkMgibson]

You obviously know a lot more about the man the me. I was just thinking about an interview with Eric Clapton in Guitar Player magazine years ago, where he was talking about working with Duane Allman on "Layla". He mentioned about him playing slide in standard tuning, and how it blew his (Clapton's) mind. He was the reason Clapton became interested in playing slide.

Duane doesn't get enough credit for that record. Layla was one the all time great rock & roll albums for me. Duane Allman, Billy Preston, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock and Eric Clapton (with Bonnie and Delaney doing backup vocals). You can't get much better musical talent than that. They were going to tour together - wouldn't that have been something!

I'd love to hear your band - sounds very cool indeed.

[colcifer]

I don't play slide much but when I do, I favor standard.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by SoComSurfing

Bonnie Raitt is another who does all her slide in standard. Derek Trucks does a fair amount in standard with his band, but usually open E or G with the Allman Bros.

No, Bonnie uses open tunings for slide.

John

[rapidfirerob]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

You obviously know a lot more about the man the me. I was just thinking about an interview with Eric Clapton in Guitar Player magazine years ago, where he was talking about working with Duane Allman on "Layla". He mentioned about him playing slide in standard tuning, and how it blew his (Clapton's) mind. He was the reason Clapton became interested in playing slide.

Duane doesn't get enough credit for that record. Layla was one the all time great rock & roll albums for me. Duane Allman, Billy Preston, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock and Eric Clapton (with Bonnie and Delaney doing backup vocals). You can't get much better musical talent than that. They were going to tour together - wouldn't that have been something!

I'd love to hear your band - sounds very cool indeed.

Thanks Mark. I would have loved to see Duane with D&TD as well. I missed seeing Duane by a month at Carnegie Hall. Saw Berry twice, thankfully. Duane died, the gig was cancelled, then reinstated. The band was obviously bummed. Berry said, "Duane really wanted to make it to this gig." Berry never recovered emotionally from Duane's death. They were like brothers. Here is my band: http://allmanstepbrothers.com/

[SoComSurfing]

Originally Posted by JTE

No, Bonnie uses open tunings for slide.

John

Hmm. Could have sworn I read an interview discussing her use of standard. Perhaps I've remembered incorrectly. Wouldn't doubt it as its been a while since I've read anything from her.