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Tired of the same old licks? Bored with your guitar playing? If you're stuck in a rut, the best sources for new inspiration might not be your fellow guitarists, but some different instrumentalists. The most inspired guitarists ever to walk the planet often took their cues from other instruments. So if you've grown weary of even your hottest picking patterns, why not listen to a Mark O'Connor violin solo or a John Coltrane sax solo? Or pay attention to the way Bruce Hornsby uses harmonized fourths to get his airy, "open" piano sound. Marvel at Dobro master Jerry Douglas and his beautiful legato phrasing and vocal-like tone. The change'll do you good.
In the following transcription of "Money In The Bank," both the fiddle and steel parts have been adapted for guitar, giving us a wealth of inspirational new information. Let's focus on the steel guitar arrangement for now.
First, you'll need to tune to open E (low to high: E, B, E, G#, B, E). Second, you'll need to get a hold of a slide. Traditionally, everything from bottle necks to socket wrenches have been successfully used. It would probably be easiest, if not particularly romantic, to simply buy one from your local music store. Once you have slide in hand, you must decide which finger of your left hand you feel most comfortable wearing it on. The only finger you shouldn't use is your index fmger, because you'll need at least one finger to damp the strings behind the slide. Damping gets rid of unwanted overtones.
A fair amount of pressure should be used to prevent the strings from buzzing. Too much pressure, however, will cause the solo strings to touch the frets and negate the slide effect. High action and thick strings help make it easier for the player to control the slide and will greatly improve the tone. To play the pedal steel fill in bars 22 and 23 of "Money In The Bank," slide from the 13th fret to the 15th while keeping the slide parallel to the frets. Some guitarists might attack the 3rd and 4th strings with a pick, but I would recommend plucking the strings with your thumb and fingers, as this produces a fatter tone and makes string damping easier (more on this later).
As you slide up to the 15th fret, concentrate on intonation (pitch centering) and use absolutely no vibrato. Many beginning slide players tend to vibrato everything, never learning to play in tune, and end up sounding like a bad imitation of an opera singer. Remember: Less is more most of the time!
When learning the steel guitar solo beginning in measure 64, play it first without using the slide so you can hear exactly how it should sound, and concentrate on the right-hand articulation. Next, learn how to play it with your slide. In order to get a clean sound, dampen any idle strings with your right hand's palm, thumb and fingertips. Then start having fun. Work on vibrato, sliding to and from notes, and experiment with different pickup selections for different sounds - clean, distorted etc.
The next time you hear that Yiddish clarinetist on the radio, don't change the station. Instead, steal his licks and adapt them for slide guitar!
