A question for slide guitarists. . .

When I first started to play slide, I used my pinkie...but after an accident, it's now a bit bent and I can't get a slide on it. I'd prefer to play with my pinkie if I could - you don't necessarily have to be in an open tuning to play slide - but I'm used to playing with my ring finger now.

I also play acoustic slide with the front of the guitar facing upwards (is this called "lap slide"?) so's to reach above the 12th fret, in which case I use my first finger.

Vic

I normally use it on my little finger, but sometimes I put it on the ring finger. I've been experimenting using it on the index finger because I can angle the slide like steel guys angle their steels for certain intervals.

Default choice is little finger though.

I used to use my ring finger but one time it got stuck on the finger, so I decided that my pinkie was the best idea.

Have tried to do it on pinkie for best slide/non-slide flexibility, but it just never works for me. It feels natural on my ring finger.

Sidenote: I'm also learning lap style. For that, I use a grooved tone bar, because a bullet bar is too hard to hold. FWIW, the only good use I've found for my Martin Backpacker is as a lap slide guitar.

I use my index finger it feels more natural to me. Unfortunately my index finger is huge, as a comparison my ring finger is a size 13, so you can imagine how thick my index finger is. Anyway it leaves three fingers for damping and fretwork.

I used to use my ring finger but one time it got stuck on the finger, so I decided that my pinkie was the best idea.You must be even cheaper than I am! I'd say get a bigger slide. Hey, if you go to Sears and look at the Craftsman deep sockets, they've got slides to fit any finger, S.A.E. or metric.
:P

I've been playing a lot of slide lately...

I've got several slides I use, in steel, brass, and glass. I use my pinky for the steel and glass ones; that gives me free fingers for fretting. That's more important if I'm playing slide in standard tuning, but even on the axe I'm keeping in open E I'll need to fret a note at times (or bend a string behind the slide)

The brass one isn't comfortable on my pinky because it's just too dang heavy. I like the tone, but rarely use it - it goes on my ring finger when I do.

I've been looking at ceramic slides lately, but I haven't bought one yet. When I do, I'll be it'll tell me which finger to use, just as the brass one did.

Oh, and I don't play lap style. If I did, I'd probably favor the index.

"No Expectations" by the Stones....

Try it in open G - tune the guitar to D G D G B D - sounds great on acoustic, but you need to get up to about the 17th fret...only way you can do it is as lap slide.....

:D :D :D

Vic

I use my index finger it feels more natural to me. Unfortunately my index finger is huge, as a comparison my ring finger is a size 13, so you can imagine how thick my index finger is. Anyway it leaves three fingers for damping and fretwork.
Do you play with the guitar on your lap? I play mine in the "regular" guitar-playing position. Then again, I haven't played long enough to perfect this position and move onto lap guitar.

Sorry I misnamed my fingers I use my middle :oops: Yes I do play in standard position and yes my slide is a Sears Craftsman.

I feel like an idiot, as the first (actually the only) slide I bought was a pinky-sized brass one for $8 (!), and a few days after that, my dad gave me this big, heavy brass cylinder, with "Made in the U.S.A" barely imprinted on it. It's pretty thick, so it fits loosely over my ring finger and makes it pretty easy to waggle over the frets. I may not be a pro with the slide, but when in doubt, I just lay it over the 12th fret and jerk the heck out of it. I've tried sockets, but I prefer my ol' dirty brass slide 8) .

I use my ring finger, I tried my pinkie, but the slide I use is to big. I feel I can control the slide better with my ring finger. I use the same acoustic guitar to play slide, and normal guitar; I also use standard tuning and extra light strings.
One day I will buy a cheap acoustic just for slide. I use a glass slide.

I have a copper slide and a light weight pyrex slide I use on my pinkie, then I have a heavy glass (neck from a wine bottle) and a big honkin chunk of brass pipe I use on my ring finger, just depends on the sound I want as to which I use.