Slide (technique)
A slide means playing a note then, without releasing finger pressure on the string, sliding to another fret to sound a new note without repicking. Unlike a hammer-on or pull-off, the transition isn't instant: you hear a continuous pitch glide between the starting note and the target note.
A technique judged as much by ear as by motion
The quality of a slide comes down to how even the glide is: a finger that speeds up or slows down mid-slide produces a different (and usually messier) effect than a constant-speed motion, even with identical start and end notes.
The sheet slide between two notes isolates this move before it's combined into full riffs or melodies.
Slide, hammer-on / pull-off, bend: three ways to link two notes
A slide isn't the only way to move from one note to another without repicking. A hammer-on / pull-off makes the link with a finger that hammers onto or pulls off the string: the transition is instant, with no audible glide. A bend doesn't change fret at all — it's the string itself that's pushed to raise the pitch. The slide is the only one of the three where the ear follows a continuous move along the neck. All three count as legato when the landing note isn't repicked.
Practical tips and common mistakes
- Keep constant pressure from start to finish: if the finger lightens mid-slide, the note dies before it reaches the target fret.
- Stop exactly on the target fret, not "roughly": a slide that overshoots then corrects sounds like a wrong note being caught.
- Decide whether the landing note is repicked or not — both exist, but hesitating between them gives a blurry attack.
- On a fast, long-distance slide, ease the pressure very slightly during the travel then press again on arrival: at full pressure the friction slows the hand and makes the motion uneven.