The Slide

he Guitar and banjo books talk about hammer-ons and pull-offs, but not about slides, which I like a lot.  By a slide, I mean just what it sounds like -- start with your finger on one note, in first position, and slide up to one in another position.

My most common slide is up to a unison note with the next string up, as a way to emphasize that note.  If you're looking for a spot to try this, look for an emphasized open D, A, or E, then instead of just hitting the string, start a note or two below and slide into it.  You can slide into other notes, but it's not as fun.

Tunes in D and A often start with those notes, so you can use a slide to kick off a part, but even G tunes offer good slide material.

It's easier to explain with an example.  In the 'B' part of "Yankee Doodle," a G tune, there are a couple of spots where slides will work.

Yankee Doodle keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy.
Mind the music and the step.
With the girls be handy.

The italics in the second and fourth lines are strong D notes.  If you count out the eight beats in each line, the last word of the previous lines are spoken on the seventh beat. The eighth beat is free to start a slide.

I'd start these slides from the B note (second finger on the G string),  right on the beat and slide up to the D, slowly enough to arrive at the seventh fret just in time for the first note of the next line.  I don't play that next note on the seventh fret, though, I play it on the D string, just the way I usually would.  In other words, my left hand's arriving at the closed D at the same time my pick's arriving at the open one on the string above it.

There are lots of variations on this little ornament.  A slide to start a tune's a good kick-off, especially if you're changing keys.  A slide into the very last note of a tune gives you a dramatic ending -- having that pair of unison notes gives the last note more sustain, too -- lets it ring longer.

My favorite variation, though, doesn't change where or when, it changes what: what instrument, that is. Watch banjo players, who use slides to good effect a lot, and you'll see how it's done.  Fiddlers do it, too. Me, though, I love slides when I'm playing backup guitar, as an alternative to bass runs.  Guitars have an open A, an open D, and even an open G that you can slide into to kick off a part or to end a tune.  Once in a while, I'll play two, or even four, in a row instead of a chord.

I don't see other backup guitar players do this, so perhaps they don't like the sound as much as I do. For me, besides sounding good, it just feels great.