Slide guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. Instead of altering the pitch of the strings in the normal manner (by pressing the string against frets), an object called a "slide" is placed upon the string to vary its vibrating length, and pitch. This slide can then be moved along the string without lifting (hence the name), creating smooth transitions in pitch and allowing wide, expressive vibrato.

Slide guitar is most often played (assuming a right-handed player and guitar):

History

The technique of using a slide on a string has been traced to one-stringed African instruments similar to a "Diddley bow".