Blues Fingerpicking Slide Guitar
Another popular style used in Blues involves using a slide, a metal or glass tube usually placed on the little finger of the left hand. The slide is moved up or down the fretboard in the direction of the strings after a string is played. The slide does not fret the string, it only rests against the string.
The most important part of slide guitar technique is the use of the left hand. It will be necessary to practice some new basic fundamentals of left hand technique.
The Thumb
The left hand thumb should be positioned behind the neck. Keep the thumb behind the second finger of the left hand and the face of the thumb against the back of the neck. The thumb must be kept straight.
Thumb must be kept straight.
Keep the thumb behind the second finger.
The Slide
Slide must be parallel with fretwires.
The slide is mostly used on the fourth finger of the left hand. It is rare a slide player would use another finger. It is important to keep the slide perfectly parallel to the fretwires.
Damping
Damping with left hand fingers.
With the slide on the fourth finger, at least one of the other fingers must lay across the strings behind the slide. This will help dampen the strings when the slide is lifted off the strings. It will also deaden any overtones which may occur when the slide is at certain frets.
Fretting
Hold slide above fret wire.
When a note is played with the slide it is necessary to hold the slide on the string directly above the fretwire and not before the fret wire (where a normal fretted note is held). The amount of pressure on the string will be something you will slowly get used to. When you move the slide try to keep the pressure as even as possible.
Sliding
As you slide from one fret to another, it is important to keep the slide parallel to the frets. The thumb must trail behind the neck with the left hand fingers still damping the strings. The shape of the left hand should not alter as you move up and down the fretboard.
Chord Based Licks
The easiest slide licks to play are based upon notes taken directly from the major bar chords shown here. The black notes highlighted in the diagrams are the notes that are played with the slide with special attention given to the root note of the chord.
Chord Based Notes
Root Six Major Bar Chord
Chord Based Notes
Root Five Major Bar Chord
Slide Scale Patterns
Slide licks can also be played with the use of a scale pattern. The two most common slide scale patterns in the key of E are shown here.
Slide Scale Pattern
Key of E (open position)
Slide Scale Pattern
Key of E
Slide Vibrato
An important effect to control with the slide is the use of vibrato. This is produced by moving the slide rapidly back and forth in the direction of the fretboard above the fret being played. It will take time to produce a clean, well balanced vibrato but if you keep practicing you will eventually master it. The following vibrato example is played within the root six major bar chord at the 12th fret (E).
Move slide rapidly back and forth.
The root six major bar chord, E position, is used to play the following lick.
The root five major bar chord, E position, is used next.
The next lick combines the root six and root five major bar chords.
The following eight bar Blues progression uses chord based slide licks for the E, A and B chords. A chord slide licks are played on the 5th and 2nd frets. B chord licks are played on the 7th and 4th frets. When using the B chord it is necessary to fret all six strings with the slide so the root bass note (B) can be played.
The following licks are examples of a how the slide scale patterns (Lesson Ten) can be used.
This next example features the use of a constant doubling bass line.
The following twelve bar Blues progression uses a combination of the slide scale patterns and chord based slide licks outlined in this lesson.
The final example is a twelve bar Blues progression that combines slide with the alternating thumb style from Lesson Nine.
