Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'm really intrigued by his slide guitar abilities. Is anyone sliding like George? How does he get that wonderful tone when he slides. I understand he used a thin walled glass slide. I've looked about and not had much luck finding a thin wall slide. Any suggestions on where to get one?

I've been watching the Dark Horse Years dvd and how he works the neck. He uses his pinky for the slide and it looks like he uses his ring finger to put some pressure on the slide, kind of on top and to the side of the slide, but I can't tell if he's muting strings with his middle finger. And he finger picks his notes. Just wondered if anyone could shed some light on his technique me.

Thanks.

Les

Not too sure, all I know is that I wish I could do the same!

Most of his recordings sound Strat-like to me. But that doesn't really get you anywhere, sorry!

I'd be interested to know if anyone has tips... I hear he plays most of the stuff on the standard tuning.

There's very little information available on George's slide style. You're right though, he did play in standard tuning. If I'm not mistaken he also used some kind of wah or volume pedal. I know he had Rocky set up for slide, and AFAIK it still is. The one dude from the Heartbreakers plays it in the "I Won't Back Down" video. More recently (but not by much) there's a picture of Rocky in one of my George bootleg sleeves & some accompanying comment by George that it was set up for slide. He played some other Strat (or Strat-like axe) on Free As A Bird - one of my fave slide solos.

According to George, he played slide, and rather well apparently, for years before he got some very basic tips on strings and setup for slide from none other than Ry Cooder. Of course his early playing, All Things Must Pass era, was perhaps most imitated on other pop records and this would have been before, according to George, he actually knew what he was doing (sounded good to most others.) In the mid 80s, in Guitar Player or some such mag, Clapton talked at length and with admiration about George's slide playing, which he noted is unlike most slide as in not being roots or blues based at all. The "dude" in the Heartbreakers is Mike Campbell, by the way.

I'm assuming it was George who played slide on "Drive My Car"? That's the earliest tune I can recall the Beatles featuring slide.

Ian MacDonald doesn't say anything about slide guitars in his notes on "Drive My Car." He says George played "lead guitarS" and describes the solo as a "fiercely angular guitar solo (very difficult and possibly varispeeded)...." It does sound slide-like in bits though.

I have heard a clip of George discussing the solo on "Drive My Car" a few times... He mentions that he was playing the background lick, which he described as similar to Otis Redding's 'Respect.' Then he goes on to say that it was Paul who overdubbed the slide solo, a fact which he admits most fans didn't know.

there is something left of his stratocaster part in the last verse, just a few notes

The style of the lead break on Drive My Car is highly characteristic of McCartney's riffs at the fifth fret in A.

I think it should be noted that George's slide sound was very identifiable, and usually multi-tracked, and quite frequently w/ little audible reverb or echo, though I'm sure they compressed the bejesus out of it. I think it was the melodic
quality (w/ lots of thirds)that i liked the most.

Also, I remember those big jazz chords he played in the early days on things like the intro of ALL I'VE GOT TO DO, TILL THERE WAS YOU, and a couple of others. After '65 I don't think he ever played them again.

I remember reading George saying it was Macca as well. Macca, of course, also played several leads on the Help LP (Another Girl, Ticket to Ride, You're Gonna Lose That Girl) and some on Pepper (I'm sure he dabbled elsewhere on his Casino and Tele, which is in the pics from the Pepper or MMT eras.)

I wouldn't presume to argue with what George says, but I think the debate lies in whether or not it was actually a slide solo in DMC.

It sure sounds like slide in the last phrase of the solo.

I agree, but neither Lewisohn nor MacDonald said anything about slide in their respective publications.

Not that this matters, but Rusty Anderson, Paul's current guitarist, definitely plays a glass slide during this solo... and as Paul crafted the solo, I think it's highly likely that he would have informed his guitarist of the proper/accurate technique.