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1. Blues Guitar
The "Secret" to improvised solo / melody / lead guitar. Blues scale five note pattern / Pentatonic scale in A uses notes A C D E G. Please note that for gigging purposes it is not necessary to know the names of the notes. Learn this pattern for lead guitar soloing then move it up / down  fretboard for different keys. As a general rule the ROOT (here frets 5 & 17) is used at note of key found on bottom E (thickest) string for Rock 'n' Roll / Blues and three frets down for "straight"/country tunes. If it fails at the Root position it will usually work three frets down. Green numbers indicate typical notes to bend up one tone:

 e|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|-10-|---|-12-|----|----|-15-|---|-17-|---|----|-20-|----|-22-|
B|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|-10-|---|----|-13-|----|-15-|---|-17-|---|----|-20-|----|-22-|
G|-5-|---|-7-|---|-9-|----|---|-12-|----|-14-|----|---|-17-|---|-19-|----|-21-|----|
D|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|----|---|----|----|----|----|---|-17-|---|-19-|----|----|----|
A|-5-|---|-7-|---|---|----|---|----|----|----|----|---|-17-|---|-19-|----|----|----|
E|-5-|---|---|-8-|---|----|---|----|----|----|----|---|-17-|---|----|-20-|----|----|

 Printer Friendly: Guitar blues scale

Access free 'Boogie Blues' guitar backing tracks via my Videos.

If chord progression uses chords A D E and is in key of A and it is a Rock / Blues song then the blues scale pattern is used at fret 5. However, if it is a "straight" song move the entire pattern 3 frets down from fret 5 to fret 2. This is what happens in "Achy Breaky Heart". The key of the song is A using just 2 chords A and E but the pattern position for soloing is fret 2. Note that the guitar fretboard repeats one octave after 12 frets.

We all have our own interpretation of this pattern.

 Green numbers below indicate two extra notes F & B which create C Major scale when added to Blues scale pattern.

 e|-5-|---|-7-|-8-|
B|-5-|-6-|---|-8-|
G|-5-|---|-7-|---|
D|---|---|---|---|
A|---|---|---|---|
E|---|---|---|---|

Try with House Of The Rising Sun

Consider these tabs as a "quick fix" entry into solo lead playing. Study of the above notes will open your playing to the styles of many guitarists.

The tune of Amazing Grace as shown in key of G below uses five notes which correspond to the Blues Scale pattern. Play the tune and learn the Blues Scale pattern.

 [G]Amazing Grace how[C]sweet the[G]sound That saved a-wretch like[D]me
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------
B|-----0----0-----0----------------------------------0---0----0-3----3-
G|---0--2-0---------2---0----------------------0------2-0--------------
D|--0-------------------------2-----0-----0----------------------------
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------

   I[G]once was lost but[C]now am[G]found Was blind but[D]now I[G]see
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------
B|0-3--3----0---0----0------------------------------0-----0----------
G|-----------2-0-------2---0------------------0------2-0------2---0--
D|------------------------------2----0-----0-------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------

 Playing in sixths is a useful idea (similar to Blues Scale pattern above) regarding lead or accompanying guitar styles for American West Coast country music e.g. The Eagles and contemporary Christian Worship e.g. The Vineyard Church.

2. Chord Families
Chord Families are constructed from notes of the major scale. Useful aid for rhythm guitarists. Here is a helpful Chord Family chart to get you started when trying to choose chords which sound good together. You can combine the i, iv, and v chords in any key and they will sound good together. You can also use the ii, iii, and vi chords together for a pleasant sound. Or if you want to try something more elaborate try using all the chords in any chosen key.

Basic Chord Family chart:
Key

C

D

E

F

G

A		 i

C

D

E

F

G

A		 ii

Dm

Em

F#m

Gm

Am

Bm		 iii

Em

F#m

G#m

Am

Bm

C#m		 iv

F

G

A

Bb

C

D		 v

G

A

B

C

D

E		 vi

Am

Bm

C#m

Dm

Em

F#m		 vii

Cmaj7

Dmaj7

Emaj7

Fmaj7

Gmaj7

Amaj7






3. Chord Formulas
 Major

1  3  5		   Minor

1  b3  5		 Diminished

  1  b3  b5		 Augmented

    1 3  #5		  Major 6

1  3  5  6		 Dominant 7

  1  3  5  b7		  Major 7

1  3  5  7

Chords may be constructed using above formulas.  Numbers correspond to notes of the relevant Major scale.  E.g. chord C Major uses notes 1  3  5  from scale of C Major, i.e. C  E  G.

Print: Chord Families

The chord of D Major is useful for applying Dsus2 & Dsus4 to your playing. Often used on folk guitar music.



4. Circle Of Fifths
This arrangement of the twelve notes of the Chromatic Scale is a useful aid to finding the three basic chords of a song in any key.  Select the letter of the required key. The letter to the immediate left will be the second basic chord. The letter to the right will be the third basic chord.

     E    B    F#/Gb    C#/Db    G#/Ab    D#/Eb    A#/Bb    F    C    G    D    A    E    B


5. Less Pain
The further away from the fret you place finger, the harder you need to press on string to obtain a clean note without fret buzz. Minimise playing pain by placing fingers close as possible to, but not touching, the frets.

When choosing a guitar be aware of "V" and "U" (behind fret board) profile necks as they may enhance comfort of hand that holds chords. I believe that late '50s Stratocasters had "V" profile and "U" profile was introduced in early '60s. The fretboard itself may also have a degree of shallow curvature.

The "action" of string height above fret board affects comfort and style of playing as does the bead height or actual height of the frets themselves.

Consider your playing position and use of adjustable strap whilst standing and/or sitting. The classical guitar pose (assuming right handed player) of sitting upright with guitar placed on left thigh and left foot resting on small stool or books enhances long term comfort whilst giving maximum support and relief from back ache.



6. Blues "Harp" / Harmonica Backing
Guitar chords for backing blues harmonica, such as the Hohner Special 20 Blues Harp, require "crossed keys" e.g. blues harmonica key D relates to guitar key A.

The key of the blues "harp" is usually the lowest note it can sound. The easy live gig way is to find key of blues harp on the A string then rhythm guitar plays in key of note found at same fret on E string.

I find this to be useful during Rhythm and Blues pub gigs when guest blues harpists appear.

To purchase all available keys of Blues Harp is expensive. I use Blues Harp in key of D to play with guitar in key of A. My second choice would be Blues Harp in key of A to play with guitar in key of E. For most gigs that's enough.

Don't let cross keys make you angry ;)

Blues harmonica maintenance: Soak away internal adhesions with warm solution of washing soda crystals. Rinse with clean water. Do not overblow reeds.



7. E5 Power Chord
My favourite pitch-diving power chord as in "Born To Be Wild"
E5

O_ _ _ _O_O
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_1_|_|_|_| Fret 7
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_2_3_|_|

Frets: 0 7 9 9 0 0

Notes: E E B E B E

The harmonics of the distorted notes blend well.

Mix a dash of delay with copious compression. Stir in overdrive and flambè on a backing of "Heavy metal thunder..."



8. "Jimi Hendrix" Chord E7# 9

 E7#9

O_ _ _ _ _O
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_1_|_|_|
|_2_|_3_|_| Fret 7
|_|_|_|_4_|
|_|_|_|_|_|


 Frets: 0 7 6 7 8 0

Notes: E E G# D G E

Try it through a wah-wah pedal, mute the open E strings, move it around;

Purple Haze  Foxy Lady  Stone Free...



9. Sliding
To enhance your accuracy, resist the temptation to look at your fingers when sliding up or down the guitar neck. Look at the fret you are sliding to and wait for your fingers to arrive there.



10. Reading
Position music/chord chart, off centre to your body, near fret zero. Do not keep moving your head to read and play. Just focus your eyes from music to fingers on fretboard.

Finding required fret quickly can be confusing. The position markers indicate where harmonics on the strings are located.

Apart from fret 12 and sometimes 24 (octave frets) the position markers are located on odd (not divisable by two) numbered frets.

11. Chords A D E
Learn these three chords for many "3 chord trick" songs e.g.

Amazing Grace    Auld Lang Syne

The graphic indicates fingers to use:
T = Thumb
X = silent string
0 = string played open
Thin string = chord grid right
Left palm

    2
  1 | 3
  | | | 4
T | | | |
| | | | |
 \| | | | 		A

X_O_ _ _ _O
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_1_2_3_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
 D

X_X_O_ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_1_|_2
|_|_|_|_3_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|

E

O_ _ _ _O_O
|_|_|_1_|_|
|_2_3_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|


The above are major chords.

Remove finger 1 from chord E major to create chord E minor:
E or E Major

O_ _ _ _O_O
|_|_|_1_|_|
|_2_3_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
 Em or E minor

O_ _ _O_O_O
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_2_3_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|


Note their different moods:  major = joy  minor = sad



12. UK National Anthem
Entertainers anticipating Royal British Legion social club
work may copy into their song book :

[ G ] God [ Em ] save [ Am ] our [ D ] gra [ C ] cious [ D ] Queen

[ G ] Long [ Em ] live [ Am ] our [ G ] no [ D ] ble [ Em ] Queen

[ Am ] God [ G ] Save [ D ] the [ G ] Queen

[ G ] Send her victor [ D ] i [ G ] ous

[ D ] Happy and glor [ G ] i [ D ] ous

[ G ] Long to reign o [ C ] ver [ G ] us

[ C ] God [ G ] save [ D ] the [ G ] Queen.


13. Stones / Slide
Stones rhythm and / or slide guitar tuning. Adapted from e-mail contribution by Frank (Bassman) Laughton. Want to get that authentic Rolling Stones guitar sound? OK first step:- Grab your axe - (preferably a road-worn tele), drop the top E string to D, drop the A string to G and remove the bottom E string altogether. This is essentially Open G tuning, first heard on a Stones recording on the bluesy Little Red Rooster released in 1964. It was played by Brian Jones (who is acknowledged as the first person to play slide guitar professionally in the UK).

Try this: Little Red Rooster

D| ----0----5----3----0--------------------12----
B| ----0----5----3----0--------------------12----
G| ----0----5----3----0---------------------------
D| ----0----5----3----0---------------------------
G| ----0----5----3----0---------------------------

Whilst working with the brilliant slide guitarist, Ry Cooder in 1969, Keith quickly saw the potential for using Open G tuning in a rock setting. For Keith it was a revelation: "I realised that when you electrify an Open G tuning, you have the advantage of all those drone notes that can hang through all the chord changes and really ring." He was immediately inspired to write two Stones classics - Gimme Shelter, and Honky Tonk Woman, the latter relying heavily on the underrated Mick Taylor, Brian Jones' replacement, and his inspired country-flavoured double-stop bends. Brown Sugar, Store Me Up, Jumpin' Jack Flash, all undoubted Stones classics feature the churning "Bulldozer Chords" Open G tuning. Note: Keith removes the sixth string to avoid hitting the D (the fifth of the scale) in open G tuning.

Suggested listening:
Jeremy Spencer with Fleetwood Mac.
Pickin' The Blues by Grinderswitch used by John Peel for his radio show.


14. Bar Chords
"Bar" chords (finger 1 across fretboard) for 3 chord tricks in E.

Note alternative fingering of E chord.
Left palm

    2
  1 | 3
  | | | 4
T | | | |
| | | | |
 \| | | | 		E

O_ _ _ _O_O
|_|_|_2_|_|
|_3_4_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
 A

 _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
1_1_1_1_1_1 Fret 5
|_|_|_2_|_|
|_3_4_|_|_|
 B

 _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
1_1_1_1_1_1 Fret 7
|_|_|_2_|_|
|_3_4_|_|_|


15. Picks / Plectrums
Experiment with different plectrums. Material, size and thickness all affect the sound and style of playing. Tortoise shell, plastic and even metal are favoured by various guitarists e.g. Brian May of Queen uses a sixpenny coin. I prefer a new, crisp, neatly folded £50 note ;) Thank you to Hank Marvin of The Shadows for that joke found in his guitar tuition book. For rhythm and lead playing I use Jim Dunlop 0.46mm white nylon plectrum and for bass a Jim Dunlop 0.60mm grey plectrum or a Gibson medium stiffness large black triangular shaped plectrum:
 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
\                /
 \     Take     /
  \    your    /
   \   Pick   / ..... and practice!
    \        /
     \      /
      \    /
       \  /
        \/



 16. Pick Scraping
What is pick scraping and how do i do it? Thanx in advance, Rob. Thanks for your e-mail. Scraping a round wound string with edge of plectrum produces a stunning rasping effect, try with sustain and/or delay. I love it ! ;) Best wishes, Bob #==(o ) p.s. Pick scraping may refer to artificial harmonics. The plectrum first plays the string then the thumb immediately lightly touches the string to create a "squeal" or note higher than the original. Easiest with compression and / or distortion. Great for rock guitar. Anymore suggestions from anyone?



17. Picking Exercise
Picking exercise using thumb and one finger to develop jive / blues rhythm and coordination of both hands.

 e|----------------------------------
B|----------------------------------
G|--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-
D|----------------------------------
A|-0-0-0-0-0-0-5-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-3-5--
E|----------------------------------

 Left hand: finger 1 string G, fingers 2 & 4 string A.

Right hand: thumb string A finger 1 string G



18. Last Chord Of The James Bond 007 Theme

Em/Maj9

O_ _ _ _ _X
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_1_| Fret7
|_|_|_2_|_|
|_|_3_|_|_|
|_4_|_|_|_|



19. First Chord Of Hard Days Night

 G7sus4
 _ _ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
1_1_1_1_1_1 Fret 3
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_3_|_4_|_|



20. 12 Bar Blues Progression In E
Four beats to a bar.

 | E | E | E | E | = 4 Bars
| A | A |         = 2 Bars
| E | E |         = 2 Bars
| B | A |         = 2 Bars
| E | B |         = 2 Bars
            Total =12 Bars

 Most useful sequence of "3 chord trick" - the basis of many Rock 'n' Roll / popular songs.

Note the "Turnaround" chord B or B7 at the end which leads back to the beginning of the sequence.

number = finger of left hand  X = silent string
O = play open string  T = thumb
Left palm

    2
  1 | 3
  | | | 4
T | | | |
| | | | |
 \| | | | 		E

O_ _ _ _O_O
|_|_|_1_|_|
|_2_3_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
 A

X_O_ _ _ _O
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_1_2_3_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
 B7

X_ _ _ _O_
|_|_1_|_|_|
|_2_|_3_|_4
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|_|



21. Muting
Palm muting enhances dynamics of playing by using plectrum holding hand to partly deaden the strings for single notes and/or chords. Particularly useful when fuzz / overdrive / compression effects are used. Try applying this technique to string/saddle area of bridge.

Carol Kaye explains that she used a strip of felt to mute her bass guitar strings at the bridge. This would produce a dampened sound as heard on many of her recordings including the Mission Impossible theme. I have tried this, using a folded paper tissue, or strip of foam rubber, with good effect. She regards this muting to be most useful when using a plectrum.



22. Capo

Capo
The capo is an extremely useful tool used creatively by musicians of all playing abilities. It is a clamp made of metal or rubber that fits across all six strings of the fretboard. It raises the pitch of the strings by reducing their length. In essence, it can be thought of as a "movable" nut much like the 1st finger "barre".

Deciding upon which key to play in will generally depend upon the vocal range of the singer. Placing the capo at a certain location on the fretboard will put the song and its accompaniment in a higher key without having to alter the first position chord forms thus retaining the full tonal characteristics of "open" strings. For example, if a song that is "pitched" in the key of D is too low for your voice, place the capo across all the strings at the 2nd fret. Playing the familiar D, G, and A chords will place the song in the key of E major. You have raised the strings (the key) by one whole step, D to E.

Many young lady singer/guitarists find the capo at fret 2 most useful.

The traditional open chord of D is usually a little thin on the root note bass i.e. string number four. Open jaw type capo can be used to fret the top five strings at fret two leaving the bottom low E sixth string open. Using open chord D shape (now raised one tone to E) will give a rich low sonorous E bass note for that chord. Typically use keys/songs that include open D chord shape for example: Kumbaya



 23. Mnemonic
Learn note names of treble clef stave:

"F A C E   in space"   "Every Good Boy Does Fine on the line"   TAB explained

Mnemonic



24. Notes Of The Fretboard   e = thin string  E = thick string

 Open    Fret1     Fret2     Fret3     Fret4     Fret5

e||--- F ---|- F#/Gb -|--- G ---|- G#/Ab -|--- A ---|
B||--- C ---|- C#/Db -|--- D ---|- D#/Eb -|--- E ---|
G||- G#/Ab -|--- A ---|- A#/Bb -|--- B ---|--- C ---|
D||- D#/Eb -|--- E ---|--- F ---|- F#/Gb -|--- G ---|
A||- A#/Bb -|--- B ---|--- C ---|- C#/Db -|--- D ---|
E||--- F ---|- F#/Gb -|--- G ---|- G#/Ab -|--- A ---|



Study the above mnemonic and fretboard chart then test yourself on ten random notes. Remember ! - it is in your best interests to complete this music reading exercise diligently, if you cheat you will only be cheating yourself. You are allowed mistakes provided you correct them by referring back to the above mnemonic and chart. Any problems, refer to your tutor for guidance or consult this grading for an appraisal of your score:

10/10 = Virtuoso Steve Vai guitarist  :)

5/10 to 9/10 = Social Club guitarist  :-|

0/10 to 4/10 = Air guitarist !  :-(

If you need further incentive to complete this exercise then read the jokes below and consider that many a true word is spoken in jest:

How do you make a Rock guitarist play quietly?
Put a sheet of music in front of him !  ;)

How do you stop a Rock guitarist playing altogether?
Turn the sheet of music upside down !  ;)

What do you call a Rock guitarist without a girlfriend?
Homeless !  ;)

What do you call a Rock guitarist wearing a suit?
The defendant !  ;)

Why are Rock guitarist jokes always one liners?
So the drummer can understand them !  ;)

Why is the Rock guitarist bruised and in a ditch?
He told one too many drummer jokes !  :-(

And all because he couldn't read the music...



25. Harmonics
These occur naturally at frets with dot position markers e.g. 3, 5, 7, 9, 12. Hold your finger lightly on any string exactly over fret 12, the easiest place to achieve the effect. Play the string, immediately remove finger and hear a chime/bell like harmonic tone. This may require practice to achieve. The string remains calm at the fret and vibrates either side thus creating an alternative tone.

Forced harmonics are used to imitate a cry or squeal. They are "pinched" by playing with plectrum and touching string with thumb. As mentioned in the film "Rock Star" most effective for Classic Rock e.g. electric guitar using distortion compression to enhance the faint output. Takes some serious practise as the position of play on the string is critical and may also result in a sore thumb the next day !



26. CAGED Guitar Method Google it.



27. Modes Google it.



28. Plectrum Retrieval
Attach a piece of Blu-Tack or plasticine to the blunt end of a pencil to remove a plectrum from the inside of an acoustic guitar without disturbing the strings.



29. Electric Blues Slide Guitar
The graceful sound of a slide guitar will make your recording or live performance stand out from the rest. Once you get the mechanics mastered, you'll be on your way to giving your guitar a whole new voice!

For an example of electric blues slide guitar visit www.youtube.com and enter: "Bonnie Raitt Pride and Joy". Alternatively go straight to the page: Bonnie Raitt - Pride and Joy

Tips for electric blues slide guitarists:

Tip 1: Have a guitar with high action? Raise the strings off the fretboard even more and use it for slide!

Tip 2: Slides come in different sizes to fit your finger. A medium or large slide works best for most guitarists.

Tip 3: Different slide materials produce different tones. Common materials for guitar slides include brass, chrome-plated brass, glass, acrylic, porcelain, and aluminum.

Tip 4: Raising string height at the nut helps tremendously. You can obtain a nut extender that fits over your guitar's existing nut to provide sufficient clearance from the frets. Best of all, it doesn't require any modifications to your instrument, so it won't hurt guitar's resale value!

Tip 5: Try several different slides to find the type that works best for your particular guitar and finger size.

Tip 6: Some guitarists use the slide on their middle finger, while others use it on their ring finger. A few use it on their little finger.

Tip 7: It's easier to play blues slide guitar with medium to heavy gauge strings (.011 or higher " top E" string). Heavier strings are harder to depress, so you won't accidentally hit the frets by pressing down too hard with the slide. A bonus is that heavier strings on electric guitar are louder than light strings, since there is more metal over the pole pieces of the guitar pickup at any given time. I use a set of Ernie Ball Power Slinky Electric Guitar Strings 11-14-18p-28-38-48. Note: 18p is a plain not wound string

Tip 8: Many slide guitarists use open tunings, such as Open G (D-G-D-G-B-D low to high). Barring across all strings at the 12th fret produces a G chord. Same with strumming all strings without using the bar (open position). Another famous non-standard tuning is DADF#AD, open D.

Personally, I find slide guitar to be the most challenging and rewarding of all playing styles. It ain't easy. Here are the main speed bumps.

Intonation/Pitch - There's a whole lot more to think about and keep under control when playing slide guitar. First and foremost, there's the challenge of keeping it all in tune. With normal guitar, we've got quite a wide margin of error for where we put our fingertip to sound any given note. So long as it's somewhere between the fretwires and we push hard enough, the string will contact the wire and it will become the exact length to create that note. Not so with a slide: it becomes the fretwire -- a moveable fretwire no less -- that works on the strings from above and which is under your control. There is just one point on the string that will yield any given note and that point is directly above the fretwire that would be creating that note in normal playing. So when playing slide, you need to be looking at the fretwires to 'see' notes, not the spaces between.

The other thing, of course, is that we get to play all the micro-tones between each note. We can swoop up through any interval and play one long continuous rising or falling note. So, accuracy of movement and a good ear for pitch are essential. Have you ever watched those Formula One racing cars come in for a pit stop on TV? They swoop up pit lane at about 50 mph and stop dead in the little painted rectangle where the pit crew waits. Total control. That's what playing slide is like.

Here's an important thing to remember: You can slide down through a target note, go past it, and come back up to it. That's allowed, in fact it sounds great when done properly. The opposite, oddly, doesn't work as a rule. If you slide up to a target note and pass it, go sharp, then come back down to correct the mistake ... it sounds awful. If you go sharp, keep heading up until you reach the next chord tone, is my advice. It'll sound a whole lot better and you can call it 'improvisation'.

Muting - The other major challenge is muting out all the unwanted sounds coming from strings that are not being used. Slides are tubes that need to lay flat on the strings to work. If you only want to play one note on one string, you need to mute all the others so that that one note alone rings out. If you don't, you get notes ringing out from the other strings that are in contact with the slide, notes that have nothing to do with the tune. If you want to play a double stop, that means letting two strings ring out and muting the others. Same goes for chords, where three or four strings come into play. Muting really is the key to being able to play slide and it's done with the fingertips and side of thumb. Obviously, it's much easier to play slide guitar without a flat pick, but it can be done.

The Touch - Almost no downward pressure is applied to the slide. If you push down, you'll simply be ramming the strings onto the fingerboard and fretwires, which will be ruined in no time at all. The lightest of touches is what's needed, you almost just let the weight of the slide itself do the work for you. All you're doing is moving it up or down the fretboard, steering it and wobbling it for vibrato. There are countless ways of playing around with it all when you've got the basics down, but the general idea is to keep the slide in contact with the string(s) as you move between notes so that that distinctive sliding sound can be heard. You can, of course, lift it off the strings if so desired and bring it back down at some other position. That in itself is no piece of cake. The act of lifting off and bringing it back down can be noisy and once again, you need to mute everything in those nanoseconds of transition. Fortunately, it all becomes second nature if you stick at it and practice regularly.

The slide - I found out many years ago that heavy slides works best. They make very good contact with the string and deliver a big fat note with tons of sustain. Light slides tend to sound thin and the note dies off quickly because the string's vibrations work their way under the slide, killing off the note. So, I recommend a nice heavy slide. If you've already started and have a favorite slide, that's fine -- stick with what's comfortable -- but if you're just starting out, try to find a heavy one. It may feel weird at first, but you'll be glad you did further on down the line. Mine are custom made for me. They're machined out of solid brass; the fingertip end is thicker to add weight ... they have mass. Mass is what you want at that point where the brass meets the string.

Which Finger? - There are two main schools of thought: ring finger or pinkie. Again, if you've already started out and you use your ring finger, stick at it. I use my pinkie. It feels better having the slide down at the end of the hand rather than the middle, especially when it's not being used, and I also have developed a sort of hybrid style where I use my ring and middle fingers as normal, combined with the slide. I find it easier to do slide-to-finger pull offs or finger-to-slide hammer ons with it on my pinkie.

What Tuning? - There are many tunings you can use for slide. Most players use open tunings, which means that you tune the guitar to a chord. 'Open D' and 'Open G' are commonly used but there are more exotic tunings. When I started playing slide back in about 1977 I tried the open tunings, but I found them confusing and limiting. I already had a pretty good map of the fretboard in standard tuning, and I felt lost in open tunings. Yes, I was able to slide big six-string chord up and down the fretboard but I quickly discovered that there were really only three that made much sense in most tunes, and it got very boring to play and to listen to. Any chords that were not of the flavour of the open tuning were hard to find and playing melodic lines seemed to become very repetitious. There are many wonderful players who do use open tunings, but for me I think it was more a case of my brain not being quite big enough to master several tunings, so I reverted to Standard Tuning, the one I know very well. That's what I teach. Apart from that, for a long time I only had one guitar so playing slide guitar in Standard Tuning was pretty much forced upon me by my cicumstances. I was pleased to discover that Standard Tuning is in fact a very rich source of chord flavors of all descriptions ... they're just 'smaller', more compact voicings than open tunings. Which brings us to ...

Kirk Lorange's Guitar for Beginners and Beyond - A source of slide guitar information and probably one of the most useful guitar sites on the internet. Free tutorials and e-mail newsletters. Well worth a visit.



30. Augmented & Diminished Chords
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