learn slide guitar

I have a guitar slide, have really done much with it though. I’d like to buckle down and learn the art of slide guitar…..
which could then progress to the art of steel guitar

and steel guitars are awsome

At the Giant Sand / Under Byen concert the other night, I spent most of the Giant Sand part backstage. But they played a long time, so I came out a couple of times for a bit. And they played kindof country-ish music (it totally figures I picked up on this a few years ago, and now it’s coming back in vogue), and the guitarist played slide, too. So all I said to him was “I liked the slide,” but seeing as I already told the Under Byen guy named The Pope that I had wanted to learn to play musical saw, and we discussed it (“It’s easy!” he says, and told me more about how, so I’m putting that one back on here when I have some space, and within 6 months too) I was not going to make myself look like the dilettante I am by telling the slide player I wanted to learn that too.

God I’m a dilettante. I am SUCH a dilettante.

At least I’m a dilettante with enough fuck-you attitude (GASP! back to swearing already?) and prudence to not allow anyone to put me in the groupie category.

I wanted to learn baritone guitar. Then I figured I liked the sound of the slide better, and I was having a hard time finding baritone songs to use as examples, and it seems that any guitar player could flip over into playing baritone, and there are so many good guitarists out there. Now I’m wondering is slide guitar and slide the same thing? The slide is the twangy thing that you do not hold like a guitar. Slide guitar could be simply different tuning, and then you put a tube over your fret finger and play by sliding the tube along the fretboard to change chords.

I’ve looked this all up on Wikipedia, and I cannot find a picture of the equipment I’m thinking of. Now I know that lap steel and slide guitar are the same thing, and a lap steel is held horizontal on your lap or like a table. But it looks like a guitar nonetheless. Maybe what I’m thinking of, I just didn’t get a good look at…but I know what it sounds like, and it’s twangy and singular and I have quite a few songs with that sound in my iTunes. And that’s what I want to play.

If any experts come along, please help!

This would make me closer to becoming an old, black man. THAT’S ALL I WANT!