I recently saw a concert in which a guy switched off playing banjo and slide guitar. I remembered that both are tuned in open G and I was curious if it would be easy for me to pick up slide guitar? It seems that they are relatively similar with the tuning and the use fingerpicks.
Edited by - Buckinator on 07/19/2024 06:10:10
I've messed around with a resonator guitar for awhile. Open G tuning (GBDGBD) which gives you the root, 3rd and 5th of the chord. Open G tuning on a slide guitar is DGDGBD. So you could easily play barre chords, then strum, vamp, or pick individual strings (picking patterns/rolls). That would be the simplest way to go about it. The cool part about reso or slide guitar is, of course, the slides.
With a reso you are looking "down" on the fretboard. So it's fairly easy to do hammer-ons and pull-offs with the tone bar. Don't know how that translates to slide guitar.
That's all I got.
Check out Tony Furtado, who plays both banjo and slide guitar, on utube and on his webpage. Looks like he uses a plectrum (flatpick) and finger picks. He is a member here. Hopefully he sees this post. If not, you could reach out to him through his homepage here on the HO.
Edited by - thisoldman on 07/19/2024 09:04:36
I play both. They are similar like fish and ducks.
I also play both. Dobros are tuned GBDGBD, so visualizing where notes are makes sense if you are already familiar with banjo. Both are typically played with two fingerpicks and a thumbtack and both use roll patterns at times. It didn't take me too long to make the transition. After a while switching off became second nature. Hauling the two of them around (plus a Hamilton stand that can hold either one) has gotten old, though -- as have I!
IIRC, a character in one of Plato's dialogues points out that there are no two things that aren't similar in SOME way.
;^)
Open g tuned blues, finger picked slide guitar, is why I play banjo. It all started when I was young and totally frustrated with standard tuned guitar, and flying flat picks. Keith Richards and his open g tuned 5 string telecaster saved me, and sent me down the open g tuned blues rabbit hole, fingerpicks, and slide.
Years later I was playing with a daily jam group, who wanted to start a country gospel band. But we were all guitars. One guy decided to buy banjo and learn it. He brought to a jam, but didn’t have a clue. I had never even seen one in real life. I was shocked to find out it was tuned open g. I asked to try it. I knew the tuning, knew the chords, and could fingerpick ok. I was jamming on that thing in a few minutes. I was hooked. LSS I got my own banjo, he sold that one, I got the banjo player job, and we played our first gig 6 weeks later. So yes, if you mean playing finger picked slide guitar, on a round neck, in DGDGBD tuning, they are very similar, and I go back and forth all the time, and the skills transfer nicely.
Edited by - Dean T on 07/21/2024 07:51:48
For many years I have played round neck resonator primarily tuned to open G….. DGDGBD as well as open D. I grew up playing mostly blues on guitar and reso but always had my eye on blue grass banjo. A few years ago I took the plunge and purchased a RK R36 banjo. It was a fairly straightforward transition because I am familiar with finger picks and l already knew more open G chords than most banjo players use, as well reading music & Tab. I know some music theory, and I have always used a drum machine or metronome to practice my timing. The fact that I already had played in several bands and small acoustic groups over the years helped me understand the role of the banjo when playing with others.
So, yes, I’d say if you are familiar with either banjo or round neck resonator the switch between instruments is fairly straightforward.
Edited by - Pick-A-Lick on 07/21/2024 10:19:10
Newest Posts
'Rock n Roll Static' 3 hrs
'Cleo Awake/Glenn Jones' 4 hrs
'Deering Good time Pot' 7 hrs
