Gear: What's a Slide?

Slides are typically metal or glass tubes (rings) that are worn on one finger of the guitar player's left hand. When the slide touches the string and is not pressed down it allows for a portamento effect much like the quarter tones that are only available on non-fretted instruments like the violin, viola, and cello.

Here is a friend and amazing blues player, The Deacon Brandon Reeves, playing a little Blues in G.



enjoy!

Gear: Loop Stations

I'm a little biased on this subject and should start the post off by saying, "I LOVE my loop stations"! These complex pedals allow the player to record a riff and play it back infinitely and "over-dub", or record over, what your playing. So, for those of you who are getting into soloing or songwriting I strongly, strongly urge you to purchase one of these devices. They run inline with your other pedals and often incorporate some type of delay pedal also.

I personally use a Line 6 DL4 as my primary loop station and delay controller when I'm playing live.

I also use an Akai Headrush E1.

A newer pedal that has made some major improvements in looping while playing with a band is the Boss RC-20 and RC-50

The video below demonstrates the possibilities of any loop station. The person doing the demonstration is a little "over-the-top" and really, really enthusiastic; however, this is the absolute best demonstration of a loop station out there.

Loop Stations can cost anywhere between $100 USED and into the $1000s for the more complex pedals. Please, if you want to know what it's like to play with another guitar player but are too afraid to actually do it, get a loop station. I wouldn't be the player I am today nor would I understand how to work with other guitarist so well if I didn't have a loop station while I was learning.

Plus...you might end up sounding like this guy!