I'd just YouTube 'learn slide guitar'. Plenty of lessons there.
Just a few pointers in my own humble experience:
Tune to a chord.
Open E for Elmore James, Duane Allman. EBEG#BE.
Open G for Robert Johnson, (not totally correct) Keef. DGDGBD.
Open and 12th frets are the root chords for your open tuning (E or G) 5th fret is the 4th (A or C)
7th fret is the 5th (B or D)
Raise action so you don't clatter the frets.
Damp the string behind the slide or you'll get tones from both sides of the 'fretted' note(s).
Play the slide directly above the frets. You've effectively gone fretless by using a slide resting on the strings, but with your ears, you'll know this anyway.
It's not really that hard to come up with something cool. Obviously the Robert Johnson stuff gets a little tricky, but I'd argue that's more actual guitar technique than slide. For slide, I think Duane was the master.
I hope this helps.
Last Edited by on Dec 29, 2010 11:07 AM
Best resource on YouTube is Kenni Lee Burgess. Teaches both regular slide, and 3 string CBG slide techniques. Tons of free YouTube, plus he sells a couple of full length instructional DVDs. Here's a link to his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/KeniLeeBurgess ---------- -------------------------------------- View my videos on YouTube!"
I agree with isaacullah, keni lee is the man for good cheap lessons on slide guitar he has a cd on it for about 10$ plus 3 or 4 for shipping,I bought the 3 string one he offers,and he has regular slide guitar and a couple others,But to be honest I hated(playing, not the sound) of slide never really gave it much thought on guitar,untill i made a 3 string cigarbox guitar,and man do i love it,Its so much of a feel instrument,i havent done alot of the Keni lee lessons yet,I just like to pick it and and play.
Last Edited by on Dec 29, 2010 3:49 PM
a good online school for guitar is (Guitar tricks) its about 14$ a month though give or take a buck I was enrolled a few years back for about a year,they have thousands of guitar lessons on every style of guitar that i couldnt learn in a life time.its allmost over kill,But they have a good basic study step by step guide that you can study ,thats what I did and it covers the 12 bar blues real good and scales and chords to use with it,If it wasnt so exspensive i wouldnt mind going back for a brush up.But right now i can use that money else where;-)
Not all slide--but really cool riffs for beginners and more advanced too. He'll hit you up for a donation now and then--I send him ten bucks every time I get something good--
Again, not all slide and not all free--but some really excellent lessons.
The list goes on--my own favorite on YT is Jim Bruce, who sells lessons on a website, but has a lot of really first class fingerpicking stuff on the tube--his stuff is uploaded by several different names, so just do a search on 'Jim Bruce'--I don't think he does any slide that I know of--but he's just too good to not mention--and his lessons that you buy are a really class act with overlays and chord charts and tab--I can learn his stuff by just watching the videos a time or two. The lessons you buy are really reasonable prices. . .
Lately I've been working in a book on slide guitar that is in standard tuning--the book is "Warren Haynes-Guide to Slide Guitar." If you like slide guitar--you just gotta check this guy out--here he is with Derek Trucks--another killer on slide--right up there with Ry Cooder. . .
---------- ==================================== Always be yourself--unless you suck. . . -Joss Whedon
By the way--in spite of the good advice above--hold off on changing the action on your guitar for a while--just go to medium strings with heavies on the top 2 strings.
On most guitars, just the tension on the neck with the heavier strings will naturally change the action a little--usually enough. Develop a sensitive, correct touch with the slide first--then think about action changes.
I presently have 4 guitars--two acoustic flat-tops, one resophonic, and one Epi Dot--The actions haven't been changed and I play slide and standard with all of them. Well, I did lower the action on the reso--but that's all--
If you decide to raise the action anyway, keep the original nut because you'll probably be putting it back in after you learn how to properly use the slide. . . ---------- ==================================== Always be yourself--unless you suck. . . -Joss Whedon
