The potential problem with Open E Tuning is that it puts more tension on the neck of the guitar which can damage the neck. The fifth and fourth strings are tuned up a whole step. For this tuning, there is a substantial overall increase in tension on the neck.

Slide guitar can be played in standard or open tunings, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Learning the various different methods to tune for slide guitar will give you more options to let you suit the tunings to your playing style.

Open D tuning
Open D tuning is very popular with slide guitar (or ‘bottleneck’) players, as it allows them to play complete chords using the slide. This tuning is also used in regular (non-slide) guitar playing. The full and vibrant sound it produces – particularly on an acoustic guitar – also makes it ideal for fingerstyle playing.

I believe Joe Walsh does most of his sliding in standard tuning, but I’m not sure about this one, long time since I heard it.. I thought Joe was an Open E guy. He certainly uses a lot of the usual open E slide riffs in that song. There’s another guitar in there.

If your slide is hitting anything on your guitar besides the strings you are not slideing correctly. You can dent your fretboard if you’re careless. That’s one good reason to avoid playing slide when you’re drunk or otherwise wasted. If you pay attention to what you’re doing, I don’t see any problem.

Standard D tuning is quite simply dropping standard E tuning by one whole tone on each string. It produces a lower, more growly sound, which can be really cool on the guitar. For instance, with many of the drop tunings you’ll get a better tone out of a heavier gauge string.

It’s one of the most evocative, expressive and downright cool guitar styles around. Slide guitar is very much an American tradition, and when you play slide – especially on an acoustic instrument – it’s hard not to sound American.

open G tuning
Bad To The Bone by George Thorogood is played in open G tuning, so you need to tune your 6th, 5th and 1st strings down a tone, giving you D, G, D, G, B, D.

E major
Rocky Mountain Way/Keys

The most prevalent is that an open tuning provides a major chord across all six strings, so holding the slide straight across at any fret yields a chord on any set of strings. Open E (E, B, E, G#, B, E, low to high) is close to standard tuning because the top two strings are tuned the same.

Metal slides are ideal for creating long and slow notes. This can work well if you are using an electric guitar. If you want to achieve a class sound, such as a “Texas prairie” atmosphere, a glass slide would be a good option to consider. However, with a glass slide, staying in tune is a little bit more difficult.

Keep your slide parallel to the frets. In order for the slide technique to sound right, your slide should be directly parallel to the frets as you play. Think about the slide as a replacement for the fret on your guitar. There are advanced sliding techniques where you can learn to angle your slide.

The slide functions as a finger, and is a hollow tube usually fitted over the ring or little finger, to allow a traditional guitar to mimic the sound of a steel guitar. The slide is pressed lightly against the strings to avoid hitting against the frets, and is kept parallel with them.