Slide Guitar Essentials: Open E Tuning

In this section you will find all the downloadable resources associated with this course. You will find printable PDF TABs, MP3 Jam Tracks. 

Slide player have been using different styles and types of guitars for decades. Famous slide players from the 30's used acoustic guitars. Now, it's not uncommon to see players use Tele's, Strat's, Les Paul's and SG's for slide playing. Different pickup configurations and materials all contribute to the overall tone.

Different gauge strings also contribute the the guitars tone. Larger gauged strings provide more mass for the slide to make contact with. Many slide players use 11-46 or 12-52 sting gauges. 

When sliding a slide across the stings, there's the potential for the slide to "bang into the frets" if the string action is set too low. Many guitar players will have one (or many) guitars set-up specially for playing slide guitar. Guitars that are set-up for conventional guitar playing, tend to have their action too low for slide playing. 

Many slide players choose to tune their guitars to an open tuning as it simplify playing slide. Common slide tuning are Open E, Open A, Open D and Open G. 

Now you understand how to set-up your guitar to get the best results when playing slide. You have several choices when picking which guitar you will use and how you set it up. When your ready, move on to the next section. 

You have many choices when it comes to picking a slide. There are many different materials to choose from as well as different shapes. You will also need to choose which finger to wear your slide on. We will cover each of these topics in this section. 

In this lecture we will discuss the differences between the different slide materials and the effects it has on the tone. Some of the slide materials could be glass, metal, ceramic or brass. 

You could wear the slide on any of your fingers, but there are different drawbacks and benefits to each. In the end, it will come down to what is most comfortable to you. 

We've discussed the different types of slide materials and the fingering choices. Now it's time for you to select which one will work best for you. You may try several different ones before making a final decision. You may also have several different ones that you use in different situations. It's pretty common for slide players to carry a half dozen different slide with them to a gig or recording situation. 

In this section we will cover the different techniques used by the left hand which includes pressure, intonation (pitch accuracy) and muting. 

When playing slide, it's important to be economical in your movements. In this lecture we'll talk about large versus small movements and when to use each. 

Applying the proper amount of pressure to the slide can make a big diffence in the sound your guitar will produce. Too little pressure and your tone will be thin. Too much pressure and the slide will bang into the frets. 

When playing slide, you have infinite possibilities to be out of tune at any given moment. You should play with the slide directly above the frets to get the best results. You will need to use your ear to fine tune your pitch accuracy. 

When sliding a slide (glass, metal, brass, ceramic) along the steel strings of a guitar, can create some extra noise. So, it's important to use the fingers behind the slide to damping the strings to help eliminate as much of that extra noise as possible. In this lecture, we'll go over some techniques that will help.

We've covered several left hand techniques that will help improve tone and accuracy in your playing. Work on each of these techniques until they are second nature. Once you have these techniques down, move on to the next section. 

In this section we'll go over several right hand techniques that's commonly used when playing slide guitar. We'll talk about picking, muting, bridging, blocking and more.  

You have a couple picking options when it comes to playing slide. You can use conventional picking with the pick only. You could also use hybrid picking which use both the pick and fingers of the right hand. Or you can ditch the pick all together and just use your fingers. There are benefits to each method and we'll cover those topics in this lecture. 

This lecture will cover three essential techniques. They're all related to each other. Picking the note (making it ring out), bridging (allowing the note to continuously ring), or blocking the note (stopping it from ringing). 

Rocking is a back and forth movement with the right hand when picking notes on two different strings. When rocking, you are simultaneously picking one string, while blocking another. 

Raking is a technique commonly used by blues guitarist where they strum across the lower strings as the pick the note they want to ring out on the higher string. Raking is used as an effect that adds some attitude to your playing. Derek Trucks is a master of this technique and is part of his signature sound. 

We've covered several right hand techniques that will improve your slide playing. Spend some time to master these techniques. Once you feel comfortable with these techniques, move onto the next section. 

In this section I will include a few extra tips and tricks that will help with your playing. If I think of any additional tips, I will place them in this section. 

In this lecture you will learn how to properly lay the slide across the strings. In most cases, you want the slide to be parallel to the frets. Laying the slide at an angle can cause tuning issues but can be used as an advanced move to hit different notes on two adjacent strings. 

Horizontal movements are better for changing positions on the fretboard. Vertical movements are more economical and are made possible with the various open tuning's. 

Vibrato is one of the techniques that truly defines your own guitar sound. Whether it's a slow narrow vibrato or a fast wide vibrato. Vibrato is what gives a note on an instrument it's vocal quality. 

In this lecture you will learn basic techniques for creating good vibrato. Vibrato on a musical instrument mimics the human voice. There are so many small variables that when combined together create your own unique sound. There are many guitar greats that are recognized just by hearing the vibrato. 

Vibrato is such a unique aspect of guitar playing, whether it's conventional playing or slide playing, mastering the vibrato technique can totally change your playing. Spend some time on this technique and move onto the next section when your ready. 

in this section we'll go over some scale ideas, but more importantly, you will learn a few basic patterns that work great for creating your own licks or solos. These patterns are easily transferable to other keys simply by moving them to other locations on the fretboard. 

In this lecture we take the E minor pentatonic scale and borrow a couple notes from the E Major Pentatonic scale to create our Primary Box Pattern. This pattern is our bread and butter. We will use it in all our slide playing moving forward. Not only is this hybrid scale one of the most used patterns, but it's also our reference point when playing over other chords or moving to other keys.

For all intents and purposes, this secondary box pattern is the same shape as our primary box pattern but the root nots and other intervals are now in different locations within the box pattern. You will need to make adjustments accordingly when shifting to these secondary patterns. 

You have your primary and secondary box patterns, but you also have the positions in between that connect all these patterns. In Open E tuning, you will have five basic positions for your box pattern. These positions will give you may options to play over the entire fretboard. 

We are trying to keep these box patterns simple, but we also have a couple notes that we can add without making the patterns more complicated. We can add the b3 back in from the original E minor pentatonic scale and the b5 from the E Blues scale. This will give us a few more note options, while still keeping things simple.

You now know enough scale patterns and positions to allow you to create your own licks and solos. In the next two sections I will give you some ideas to get you started with some simple licks and soloing ideas, so move on when your ready.

In this section you will learn 25 basic slide licks. These slide licks are simple but each one incorporates different techniques learned earlier in this course. Follow along with the TABS. Once you learn these licks, try changing them up a little to create different licks and make them your own. Practice these licks over the Backing Track called "E Only".

Lick #1 is based at the 12th fret. It uses the rocking and blocking method of picking one string while simultaneously blocking the adjacent string. Slide into the first note of each measure. Pay close attention to intonation, keeping the slide parallel to the fret. You will be using primarily your thumb and index finger for picking. 

Lick #3 is a call and response type lick. It uses the primary 10-12 box pattern. The first half resolves on the root note at the 12th fret of the forth string while the second half resolves at the 12th fret on the first string. Add same tasty vibrato to the root notes. 

Lick #4 starts off with some double stops (two notes picked simultaneously) and finishes with the basic blues resolution. For the double stops, I would recommend using the index and middle finger on your right hand to pluck those notes. 

Lick #5 starts off with a little arpeggio at the 12th fret. I would recommend using the right hand thumb on the third string, index finger on the second string and the middle finger to pluck the first string. Then shift your right hand position so the thumb and index finger are plucking the first and second strings. 

Lick #6 is another good example of using the rocking/blocking technique on two adjacent strings. One string rings out as the other string is being muted. Add vibrato where appropriate. 

Lick #7 is the same as Lick #6 except it has been moved down to a different set of strings.  Another example of using the rocking/blocking technique on two adjacent strings. One string rings out as the other string is
being muted. This also demonstrates that you can take these licks and move them to other strings or even other frets and get great results.

Lick #8 is another lick that uses double stops. Slide into those double stops. Use your right hand index and middle finger to pluck the double stops. Add some vibrato to the B note at the 12th fret of the second string. 

Lick #9 uses the 10-12 primary box pattern. Your sliding down to the 10th fret and sliding up to the 12th fret which give this lick a back and forth momentum. Add vibrato to the root note at the 12th fret of the fourth string. 

Lick #10 start off with a "Rake" across the strings with your thumb. This Rake adds some oomph to the high E note at the 12th fret when struck. Raking takes some time to get the feel down. Derek Trucks is a master of the raking technique. Downstroke the rake with your thumb, then upstroke the 12th fret first string with your index finger. Also, add some vibrato to that first note to really make it pop out. 

Lick #12 is a back and forth style lick on the lower strings. Slide down to the 10th fret and slide up to the 12th fret. Back & forth, back & forth. Duane Allman used these back and forth style licks. 

Lick #12 starts off the with the back & forth motion like the previous lick but finishes with a walk down. We stray outside the 10-12 pattern to add in the 8th fret which is the b3rd of the scale. Your right hand picking will be done with the thumb and index finger. 

Lick #13 works with the primary box pattern at the 10th and 12th frets. Slide into that first note. Add vibrato to the root notes at the 12th frets. You should be able to pick this entire lick with your thumb and index finger. Pay attention to your right hand muting technique.

Lick #14 has triplet double stops. Slide into the double stops and add vibrato to the last notes of the triplet. Then finish this lick off with the standard blues style resolution. To mix it up, try letting the double stops ring out and then try it again while cutting off the notes. 

Lick #16 is a bluesy style lick that use the back and forth motion from earlier examples. Use your rocking and blocking technique to mute notes at the appropriate times. Add vibrato to the root note at the 12th fret. 

Lick #17 is another of these bluesy style licks based in the 10-12 box pattern. Pay attention to your right hand muting and intonation. Add vibrato to the root notes at the 12th fret of the first string.

Lick #18 starts out in the secondary box pattern at the 15th fret but resolves back down in the primary box pattern at the 10th-12th frets. Slide into the first note of each measure and add vibrato to the last note of each measure. 

Lick #19 is based out of the secondary box pattern at the 15th-17th frets. The G# note at the 16th fret of the first string is one of the addition notes we add to the secondary box pattern. 

Lick #20 is based out of the open position. This is one of our connecting patterns. The half step slide on the first string at the 3rd to 4th frets is similar to what we did in the last example. 

Lick #21 is the exact same lick as #20 except its on a lower set of strings. This goes to show that because of the open tuning, any lick you play on the first & second strings can also be played on the forth & fifth strings. 

Lick #22 starts out in the 10-12 box pattern for the first half of the lick then shifts to the 15-17 box pattern for the second half of the lick. Pay close attention to your intonation as you make the shift from one position to the other. Add some tasty vibrato to the last note of the lick. 

Lick #23 is a basic rocking/blocking lick at the 12th fret. Downstroke with your thumb and upstroke with your index finger. Slide into the first note. It's a quick slide down to the 10th fret. Add vibrato to the last note of the lick. 

Lick #24 is another back & forth type lick. You should be able to pick the entire lick with your thumb and index finger. This is a quick movement so pay attention to your intonation. Try moving this lick around to other positions.

Lick #25 is another back and forth style lick in the style of Duane Allman. Again, this is a quick movement so pay attention to your intonation. This style lick sound great over the E chord. Picking, rocking, blocking and vibrato are all present in this cool lick. 

You know have 25 licks to get you started. Play around with them, mash them up to create new licks. Move the around to play over different chords. Experiment and have fun.