Learning Slide Guitar ?

[missourireb]

I apologize if this is the wrong forum for this type of question.
I would like some advice on the best way to learn blues style slide guitar. I am in Kansas City and so far have been unable to locate a guitar teacher that is knowledgeable in slide guitar.....Several of them have told me that they know the baisics of it but that is where it ends. I appreciate their honesty but that does not solve my problem.
Is anyone aware of a good on line course or a good DVD style slide blues course?
I have the right gear and several slides so all I need is some instruction.

Thank you for your time.

[Tim Bowen]

There's a load of instructional materials available. Much will depend on what direction you wish to pursue. If, for example, you want to dive into early Delta styles and open tunings, there are materials that specifically address such.

Speaking for myself, slide is something that I've always wanted to add to the tool box, but I really didn't have any specific style or player that I wanted to emulate. I knew that if I wanted to put the stuff to practical application in the real world, I'd need to do so with a standard-tuned guitar, and one that was not specifically set up for playing slide. I have literally struggled with slide guitar playing for decades. I've tried a bunch of different approaches and instructional materials along the way, and have thrown in the towel more times than I can count. As sort of a last hoorah, I decided to give it one more shot a few years back. I picked up a copy of Warren Haynes' "Electric Blues and Slide Guitar", and immersed myself in it. Something about Warren's teaching approach finally made the whole thing click for me. I don't think I'll be getting the call to sub for Sonny Landreth, Derek Trucks, or Ry Cooder any time soon... however, I can say that slide is finally an additional color that I'm quite comfortable with; it's a nice texture that I've gotten a lot of mileage from over the last three years or so. For that, I can thank Warren's video as being the catalyst that finally brought this stuff home for me.

Here are a few titles to browse:

http://www.hotlicks.com/slideguitar.htm#warren_haynes

[missourireb]

Thank you for your reply. All advice is really appreciated. Do you think it is best to learn on an electric or should I get an inexpensive resonator acoustic?

[Kingpin]

Unfortunately, I think Hotlicks has gone out of business and is no longer shipping.
You might try a video or two from Homespun. I've never tried one of their slide videos, but they usually do a pretty good job on their instructional tapes.



http://www.homespuntapes.com/catagor...tID=42&ctype=s

[marshallmelloman]

Playing slide is physically very different obviously for your left hand than standard playing. It takes a while and can be frustrating as it is almost like starting back at square 1 especially with your left hand. It is well worth it though. Fortunately if you play in standard tuning all your scale and chord shapes will still be there, you just have to get crafty in finding all the little bars available when chording and get in tune.

Make sure you know how to find your basic chord shapes up and down the neck or you are in for a harder time since most slide work is built on chord tones and sliding in and out of em.

Physically get the correct pressure and muting together (left and right hands) on some single notes and work on getting your intonation right. I would suggest trying to get the notes in tune before adding vibrato. One seemingly easy yet hard thing to get at first is realizing that the slide needs to go directly above the fret to be in tune and not where your finger normally frets (the slide is now the fret only upside down ) . This is where the correct pressure thing comes into play because slightly too much pressure when you are directly over the fret and its a buzz kill. If you do not mute behind the slide with your left hand fingers you will buzz and rattle too which some players use to their advantage at times.

A more instantly gratifying approach is to get a cheap dobro with nice high action and tune it to an open chord
( E , G or D are common) and flail away through 12 bar blues for a while and then when your confidence is built up a bit move it over to the electric.
Tims advice on Warrens video is probably right on if you can find one . He is a great player and I am sure his video would be a world of help.

Hope that is at all helpful. Have fun !

[missourireb]

I have found a couple of the videos on E-bay!
Does anyone have any advice about a similar video for learing blues guitar ??? All the ones I have so far have been CRAP. I have taught myself more just playing along with the radio.
I would enjoy some more DVD help though!

[Brass Saddles]

Hot Licks is out of business, BUT if you see Arlen Roths "Slide Guitar" or Lee Rpy Parnell's Slide Guitar video, BUY THEM. Arlen really is a great teacher, he takes you through open tunings, E and open G.
He also explains dampening the strings etc. Check EBay.
My quick lesson:
Trying tuning your guitar to Open G hi to low:DBGDGD.
Pick up a slide and slide into the 12th fret the high 3 strings and you get the Open G flavor.
Brass Saddles

[Hey Joe]

http://www.bigroadblues.com/slide/
They have a very helpfull forum and some neat little tips for starting off.

[PSWoods]

This guy has as good a command of slide as anyone I've heard. I really like his musical sensibility, and his articulation with the slide meshes seamlessly with fingers, with which he alternates. He has some pedagogical stuff on his site.