I wrote a song and need someone guesting on slide guitar or lap steel

[zorrow]

The title says it all. I wrote a song and need someone guesting on slide guitar or lap steel.

It’s EXTREMELY simple what I need, just sliding from A to Db and then D, and that’s all. Recording that sequence once will be enough, I’ll copy & paste it where it goes afterwards —it appears only four times in the song. 

Of course I can play that part myself, but I would prefer a skilled player with the right gear to do it. Can anybody here lend me a hand on this? Thanks in advance!

PS: I plan to publish the song as a single, or perhaps even in an EP. The person who will play the three sliding chords will be credited for their contribution. I can also offer you some compensation, even if the job isn’t such a big deal, because I know some of you guys here can do this much better than me. Thanks in advance again! 

[Steve Haynie]

Your invitation is cool.  Is the song going to be metal like your other music?  You could approximate the slide part with a whammy bar.  Gary Hoey did something years ago that sounded like slide, but it was all done with a tremolo bridge.  Brad Gillis came close to a slide sound on his Gilrock Ranch album.

[HamerCustomEr]

1 hour ago, zorrow said:

The title says it all. I wrote a song and need someone guesting on slide guitar or lap steel.

It’s EXTREMELY simple what I need, just sliding from A to Db and then D, and that’s all. Recording that sequence once will be enough, I’ll copy & paste it where it goes afterwards —it appears only four times in the song. 

Of course I can play that part myself, but I would prefer a skilled player with the right gear to do it. Can anybody here lend me a hand on this? Thanks in advance!

PS: I plan to publish the song as a single, or perhaps even in an EP. The person who will play the three sliding chords will be credited for their contribution. I can also offer you some compensation, even if the job isn’t such a big deal, because I know some of you guys here can do this much better than me. Thanks in advance again! 

Let's hear it!

[Jakeboy]

What are you looking for tonewise?  @geoff_hartwell has a name as an incredible slide player and even has an instructional video out on slide. I’d hit him up. If he cannot do it, PM me and I’ll take a shot at it. I play slide a bit and can give you a few different takes with neck or bridge tones, various amounts of OD, etc. 

[zorrow]

On 1/4/2025 at 10:04 PM, Steve Haynie said:

Your invitation is cool.  Is the song going to be metal like your other music?  You could approximate the slide part with a whammy bar.  Gary Hoey did something years ago that sounded like slide, but it was all done with a tremolo bridge.  Brad Gillis came close to a slide sound on his Gilrock Ranch album.

It isn’t very metal, actually. Going to share a raw demo in short.

[zorrow]

On 1/4/2025 at 11:14 PM, Jakeboy said:

What are you looking for tonewise?  @geoff_hartwell has a name as an incredible slide player and even has an instructional video out on slide. I’d hit him up. If he cannot do it, PM me and I’ll take a shot at it. I play slide a bit and can give you a few different takes with neck or bridge tones, various amounts of OD, etc. 

That sounds awesome. Tone wise, I’m looking for some authentic slide tone. I don’t know much about slide tones, but I don’t want it to sound like me playing slide, because I cannot play slide. I’m going to share a raw demo in short here.

[zorrow]

 

Here's the song. It's just me playing and singing to a click. This is at its very early stages and I'm not very good at singing and playing at the same time, so I beg your indulgence. By the way, I've only shared it with my bandmates, so please don't share this thing around, it's extremely raw. 

I also overdubbed a guitar solo, only to figure out what to play in that section. Nothing definitive either.

The slide parts go after the turnaround in the intro and right before the guitar solo. The chords are A, Db and D. 

Once again, huge thanks. The HFC is the best guitar crowd in the world. 

ETA: 75 bpm

Edited January 6 by zorrow

[zorrow]

The lyrics:

 

“Ashes On My Keyboard”

 

I was trying to be there for you, my friend

Just wanted to see you laughing again

So I started to play with fire

Oh what a mess I’ve made, ashes on my desk!

 

Got ashes on my keyboard

While you got ashes in your heart

Oh, ashes on my keyboard 

But you got ashes in your heart.

 

You go for a walk by the lake

And your inner war goes on and on and on and on

I go for a walk on my side

Walking beside you in my mind while I’m still alive.

 

(solo)

 

You go for a walk by the lake

And your inner war goes on and on and on and on

I go for a walk on my side

Walking beside you in my mind while I’m still alive.

 

Got ashes on my keyboard

While you got ashes in your heart

Oh, ashes on my keyboard (oh no)

But you got ashes in your heart

Burning down your life

Within your mind

 

But you're a dragonfly.

 

[hamerhead]

Try this: tune to an open chord (typically E but experimenting makes it more fun), dial gain/delay/FX to taste, and give it a go. You'll surprise yourself AND find a new rabbit hole to go down.

And then have Geoff do it.

[Jakeboy]

Zorrow, 

Please email me an MP3 of this demo to my email which I will PM you. This will be easy and I’ll send you several takes to choose from, both clean and dirty on both neck and bridge pickups. This will be fun.

 

[zorrow]

FYI, @Jakeboy and I are already working together.

BTW, the same way @Steve Haynie was expecting more metal from me, my bandmates are now wondering what’s wrong with me. 🤣🤣🤣

I’m having soooo much fun!!!! 😜

[Steve Haynie]

5 minutes ago, zorrow said:

BTW, the same way @Steve Haynie was expecting more metal from me, my bandmates are now wondering what’s wrong with me. 🤣🤣🤣

 

There is a point where you have expressed yourself musically in one genre, and then you want to say something else musically.  It is all good.