Hi FF1: you're slide should be touching the strings but not the frets. If you're pressing hard enough to bump against the frets... you're pressing too hard.

People sometimes use a guitar with the action (height of the strings above the fingerboard) set very high for slide playing to help with this. But it is not vital: many top players do slide on a regular guitar, sometimes with regular tuning.

It is also good to use the first finger (or two or three) on the fretting hand to damp the strings behind the slide to remove extraneous squealing sounds, and likewise to use the palm and fingers of the picking hand to damp unplayed strings, for the same reason. We want to hear the notes, not all those extra high pitched overtones.

Far as capos are concerned, unless you are doing something very wrong indeed a capo won't hurt your guitar any.

Good luck - C

EDIT: spelling (see below)

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Haha! Then it sounds like you know the route to take, it's just a question of how fast you're prepared to travel along it...

Good luck - C

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These nut extenders are easy to put on and take off.



Also a glass bottleneck will not hurt your frets.

....Mark.

I play a lot of slide, and I use somewhat light strings (9's) as well as keep my action extremely low--as low as many shredders (which is not my playing style at all)...

I had to develop a lighter touch, but it works for me...

It's not necessary to adjust anything except your fretting/sliding hand.

...as for your capo damaging anything, that are you using? A set of vice grips?
Properly used, a capo won't hurt anything at all...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Playing slide with a light touch is something that happens with lots of practice,a metal slide,brass,glass,whatever you use, it just takes a lot of time.
Don't be afraid to hurt your guitar,they're made to be played,just not abused,as far as I'm concerned.

Drum sticks may be in your future

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I've only tried a slide once and was not advised on the right way, so I made contact with the frets and produced some ear wrenching noise. Never tried it again. Of course now that I read about the proper way my curiosity is peaked again. Never researched it or anything before.

I can say that I use a capo all the time, I love to sit around and pick out John Prine style songs so changing keys with the capo is almost mandatory. And I'd agree with what was already said, if you are using it correctly you shouldn't damage your guitar in any way.

+1
...and I know that many are obsessed with playing the slide on the same finger their idol used, but if you're starting from scratch, the easiest way to both (1) develop a light touch and (2) play chords or non-slide licks (either fretting behind the slide or just playing chords/single string stuff between slide licks) is to put that thing on your pinky...

My slide playing improved greatly when I made the effort to do so...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals