It's a hot sultry night on the Mississippi delta. The full
moon casts it's translucent light on the fields and swamp
oak trees. The lingering smell of barbecue and wisteria mix
with honeysuckle and tobacco smoke. Folks are sitting on the
front porch trying to beat the heat. Someone picks up an old
guitar and begins to play a familiar tune.
The sound is unmistakable, cutting right to your heart, and
emotions. It’s distinctive voice, almost human-like, hangs
in the night air like a soulful cry. That is the signature
sound of the slide guitar.
Where did this style get its start? The prevailing wisdom
attributes its birth to the old single string instrument called
the jitterbug, used by black musicians around the turn of
the 20th century. This instrument was simply a length of thin
wire stretched between two nails on a post and played using
an old bone or heavy nail. Some used a bottle or other smooth
objects as well. One could play a lead line or improvise an
accompaniment to folk, blues, and spiritual songs. The jitterbug
was essentially one of the first blues instruments.
There are ancient African instruments much like the jitterbug
but using a gourd resonator with the single string. It, also,
was played with a bone sliding up and down a neck to change
pitches.
As guitars became more available, a lot of the early blues
and folk players adopted them. These guitars had terrible
action and strings were scarce. Using a slide allowed playing
on some really horrible guitars yet produced a very appealing
sound. Using a glass or metal slide would also save the fingers!
Guitars were very popular in the early part of the 20th century.
Frequently, rural musicians got inexpensive guitars from a
mail order catalogs. Banjos were very expensive at the time,
but there is little evidence that players ever used a slide
on a banjo.
Some musicologists suggest that Hawaiian music was the greatest
influence in popularizing slide guitar. This was about the
time (early thirties) when steel bodied guitars were becoming
available. This music was played in "slack-key" or an open
tuning as it is called today. The guitar is tuned to an "open"
or major chord, such as a Gmajor or Dmajor. There are many
variations in these tunings, but most tunes are played in
one of the three main open tunings.
Hawaiian music was very influential in spreading the slide
guitar craze throughout the country. This gave rise to a great
demand for slide style guitars from manufacturers. The Hawaiian
lap steel guitars were more popular than standard guitars
all through the 1930's. All of the major manufacturers had
offerings: Gibson; National; Dopera Brothers; (Dobro) Regal,
just to mention a few. Hawaiian slide guitar was incorporated
into every style of music from Jazz to Mountain Music. This
has continued on to the present. The list of today’s accomplished
slide players is large and ever growing.
The adaptation of slide guitar techniques by early blues
musicians is, perhaps, the ultimate marriage and is instantly
recognizable. Some of the great masters of the past include:
Son House; Tampa Red; Robert Johnson; and Muddy Waters, to
name a few. These magical and soul filled sounds have captivated
musicians and listeners alike.
The voice like quality of a glass bottleneck or brass pipe
sliding up and down a guitar string has a created musical
tradition worthy of it longevity. It resonates with our emotions
and has found a permanent home in our hearts. God bless those
who aspire to the sound of the slide guitar.
About The Author
Denny Tryon author and slide guitarist. More slide and guitar
resources can be found at my website; http://www.slideplayer.com.
