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Topic: Why not just use a bottleneck on a standard guitar? |
Chase Brady
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 17 Feb 2016 3:02 pm |
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| I've been asked this a couple of times when I played out. It just wouldn't sound the same, but that's not a very satisfying answer, and I hate to wave my hands like "Oh, you wouldn't understand." Anyone have a nice succinct answer that would make sense to the layman? |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 17 Feb 2016 3:08 pm
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| The standard guitar fretboard action (fractions of an inch above the frets) does not allow for the firm pressure of a bar, an import element in the fat tone of a steel guitar. The characteristic sound of slide guitar is the sound of light pressure with a little bit of fret contact thrown in. A much thinner sound. A great sound but different. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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D Schubert
From:
Columbia, MO, USA
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 8:18 am
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| One-word answer: TONE |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 9:47 am
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Slide guitar buzzes and to hide it distortion is used most of the time.
Here's a better one.
"Ever tried a forward/reverse slant with one. "
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Brent Marklin
From:
Evansville, IN, USA
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 10:18 am
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| Same reason the guitar player doesn't use quarters for guitar picks.. it just doesn't quite work. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 11:23 am
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Also ...
* having an instrument designed and braced for high string tension helps to maximize sustain.
* you have a bunch better view of the fretboard looking down on it, parallel to the floor, than you do having it perpendicular to the floor.
* You have more control apply downward pressure on a bar than trying to press a slide toward your body.
Nevertheless, slide is a cool style on it's own and can lead down creative avenues in the right player's hands. So I would never presume to say, "Hey Sonny Landreth. You really oughta be playing lap style, man."
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com
Last edited by Andy Volk on 18 Feb 2016 1:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Tommi Toijonen
From:
Kouvola, Finland
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 1:19 pm
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| Yes, the strings are too close to the fingerboard, and the frets (raised frets) are unnecessary and get in the way, and the most important reason... standard guitar tuning has a limited number of chord positions for slide playing. The Tunings that lap steel players use offer Way more chord positions and convenient licks for playing with a bar (a slide). And we use thicker strings for more tone and sustain. |
You can rise the strings, can't you? You can tune the guitar the way you please, can't you? And use whatever string gauges you please? |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Gerard Ventura
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 7:42 pm
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I've tried it. The relatively long scale of a regular guitar makes intonation a bit harder, and the strings are pretty close together.
The biggest drawback in playing lap style chords on a regular position guitar is that your right wrist is always at a 90 degree angle, tendonitis here I come.
Whereas if you lay it flat, both wrists are relaxed and in normal positions - but a regular guitar tends to slide off your thighs! |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 8:53 pm Re: Why not just use a bottleneck on a standard guitar?
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| Chase Brady wrote: |
| I've been asked this a couple of times when I played out. It just wouldn't sound the same, but that's not a very satisfying answer, and I hate to wave my hands like "Oh, you wouldn't understand." Anyone have a nice succinct answer that would make sense to the layman? |
The answer is...."for some tunes there wouldn't be much difference and for others it would be like night and day. Some techniques you can do on lap steel would be extremely difficult on bottleneck guitar."
Leave it at that. If they ask more because maybe they play guitar, then you can explain further.
"Bottleneck or slide guitar" refers to a "standard" or "armpit guitar" with nothing special done to it other than possibly having slightly higher action, not using a nut riser. Tuning can be standard or Open D or Low Bass G.
As to what techniques would be difficult on slide guitar.....slants of any kind.....single string runs on any string other than the highest or lowest while harmonizing with an open string. |
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Papa Joe Pollick
From:
Swanton, Ohio
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Posted 18 Feb 2016 9:10 pm
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| I've been playing slide on a standard guitar for years..Standard tuning..It's very limited..Mostly on blues stuff..I used my Bic lighter most of the time.. |
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George Rout
From:
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 19 Feb 2016 5:16 am
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Papa Joe, I like your response!!!!!!!!
Geo
_________________
http://georgerout.com
"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me" |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 19 Feb 2016 6:56 am
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| Papa Joe Pollick wrote: |
| I've been playing slide on a standard guitar for years..Standard tuning..It's very limited..Mostly on blues stuff..I used my Bic lighter most of the time.. |
When you sit and think about it, standard tuning isn't all that bad. With a straight bar and with no string skipping, and on the first 4 strings, you have Major and Minor chords, a 6th and minor 7th. |
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Papa Joe Pollick
From:
Swanton, Ohio
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Posted 19 Feb 2016 7:19 am
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| Right..I played the middle 3 strings mostly..And the 1st for minors and 6th chords..Though I didn't play much chords, mostly single note lead lines.. |
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Jamie Mitchell
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 19 Feb 2016 9:27 am
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| Gerard Ventura wrote: |
The biggest drawback in playing lap style chords on a regular position guitar is that your right wrist is always at a 90 degree angle, tendonitis here I come. |
Gerard,
the 90 degree wrist angle thing is a result of using an improperly fitting slide. you want to be able to curl your finger while its in the slide.
when you wear a slide that is so tight that you have to have your finger fully extended, that is where you start to see that very awkward and painful looking sharp wrist angle. i teach a bit, and i do see that somewhat often when people are just starting bottleneck. ouch!
proper bottleneck hand position is very close to regular fretted playing. you can confirm that with some videos of Derek, Ry, etc...
j |
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Jamie Mitchell
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 19 Feb 2016 9:34 am
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| Stephen Abruzzo wrote: |
When you sit and think about it, standard tuning isn't all that bad. With a straight bar and with no string skipping, and on the first 4 strings, you have Major and Minor chords, a 6th and minor 7th. |
standard tuning, you have two interval sizes on consecutive strings. a fourth, and a major third.
open whatever, consectutive strings, you have a fifth, a fourth, a major third and a minor third.
i play slide a good bit in standard, but it's definitely a little weak compared to open tunings, unless your just playing a part, which is cool too!
j |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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