#16
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You seem very focused on what you want. I think most of those 'traditional' beginner guitar courses are really geared towards people who just want to "learn to play the guitar" without having a specific style or genre in mind. I'm not suggesting they're not useful, but when you're new and everything is challenging, it's off-putting when the thing you're struggling to master is something you really have no desire to play.
Now there are a lot of online courses, song tutorials and other resources for blues and slide at all levels. Lots of good performers with lessons, but not all are good teachers. I really like Tom Feldman's teaching style, and he has a slide course and some other slide lessons on his website. I'd also suggest taking a look at Rev Robert Jones' stuff on Truefire. I can't imagine a better teacher for this style of music than him. He also offers private online lessons, but I think those are aimed at intermediate levels and upwards. Even if he doesn't teach beginners, he might be willing to take a lesson just to provide some advice to set you on the optimal path. Finally, there's a lot to be said for face to face lessons with a good local teacher. Find one who can demonstrate their ability to play and teach the kind of music you want to learn and who shares your passion for it. I wasted months with teachers who had never heard of any of my favourite blues artists, and even one who had me playing 16th century lute pieces. My current teacher is a professional blues musician so all of our lessons work directly towards my objectives. Hope this helps. |
#17
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I share the same journey as you Zoe only a little ahead. I chose to buy one of the cheap Glarry telecasters and set the action up high. I am starting with open G tuning and almost have the entrance of the slide onto the strings without sounding like a train wreck, almost. I have been watching videos and practicing. One day .....one day.....
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#18
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#19
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- Zoé |
#20
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Resonator
I recently bought a resonator (Gretsch brass body Honey Dipper). I take in person lessons but mainly electric blues stuff. For learning to play my resonator I have watched many YouTube videos. Rhett Shull has a few really good ones on how to get started. One key takeaway I learned was to keep the slide over the fret and not in between frets. Also use open tunings. I have mine in open E and it sounds really cool. I also finger strum it rather than using a pick. Rhett Shull recommended a Rock Slide. The one I got is called a Swamp Slide and it's made by a company called Songhurst. I really like it because it is beveled and has a notch so your guide finger stays with the slide rather than going all over the place. I put the slide on my third finger also. I have a smaller glass slide that I use on my pinky but that's harder for me to do. I also have a couple of ceramics but I like my brass one the best. Whatever you are more comfortable with re: the slide.
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#21
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Well my advice is a little different than others.
First off, too many people equate National guitars with slide guitar and open tunings. Although I play slide guitar on my National guitars, I play mostly in standard tuning, and many times I never pick up a slide piece. I just think certain songs are geared towards the sound of a National with it's beautiful midrange. Here's a Jimi Hendrix song in Standard tuning on my National M2... When I first learned to play slide guitar, I didn't even know about open tunings, I just played what I heard in my head. I would wait till a melody came to me. and then I would just figure out where the notes were on my guitar and play them. I started looking for pairs of strings in the chords that I was playing that lined up for my slide. The big thing for me was learning how out to finger pick simple songs, so that I could play rudimentary bass lines with my thumb, while I played chords and simple melodies with my other fingers, and then eventually, with a slide. I just learned simple fingerpicking songs and started adding little flourishes of slide here and there. I eventually learned how to play in open tunings, but I made up my own open tunings, and even when I play in open G, I do it different than most people, because I tune both of the top strings to G! low to high (GGDGBD) Here's one my favorite tunings... low to high) CGCGGC I eventually got artist deal with National as Don Young (RIP) one of the co founders of the new National Resophonic heard what I was doing and liked it. I think too many people paint themselves into a corner by buying a resonator and then just playing slide guitar blues on it. They are guitars first, they just happen to have resonator cones in them. Start by learning to play songs first! Last edited by rockabilly69; 09-24-2021 at 10:57 PM. |
#22
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I actually agree with you. While my long term goal is blues slide guitar, that's the genre that just rocks me, I'm keeping my Style O in standard tuning and learning to play it. I'm using a course by Lauren Bateman. I found her on Youtube and really liked her style of teaching. I bought a 2008 Tricone which I'm noodling around on with for slide work in Open G, but my focus is learning standard guitar and tunes as my fundamentals. |
#23
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Nice guitar! Congrats! There is so much great material in Open G and D....I very rarely play standard tuning on my National....Open G is harsher and bluesier for sure.....D is sweeter.......the nice thing is fingerings for the 1-4-5 are similar and just moving down a string....
If you are going to play slide, I recommend you force yourself to play with the slide on your pinky....Trust me.....you can thank me 6 months from now....There are some great players who play with the slide on their ring finger, but you have more fingering flexibility if you can play with it on your pinky.... Dive in and have a blast! There ain't nothing better than a National in Open G with a slide....
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Acoustics Irvin * SCGC * Bresnan * Dyson Electrics Fender / Fender Amps * TMG Favorite Gin - Citadelle Favorite Bourbon - Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Favorite Grape - Nebbiolo |
#24
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#25
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Thanks! - Zoé |
#26
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- Zoé |
#27
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An inversion is simply a chord, (At a minimum a chord is the 1st or root in a scale, 3rd in the scale, and 5th in the scale, or 1-3-5, a triad) when the lowest sounding (basseist) individual note is NOT the root. Look at an A chord in standard tuning. Now look at the three notes lined up at the second fret on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings, which are a C#, A and E, 2nd to 4th strings. An A chord triad is A-C#-E, so this is an inverted Amajor chord, or more specifically, a 2nd degree A chord inversion (with the lowest note being the 5th of the chord. A 1st degree inversion has the 3rd as the lowest note. But it is an actual A chord. At the nut, these three strings are a G chord. At the 5th fret, a C chord, and so on... But wait, there is more... If you play the 1st, 2nd and 3rd string at, say, the 5th fret, you get and A on the first string, a C (flatted 3rd) on the second string, and an E on the third string. An A-C-E triad is an Aminor, so here we have a 2nd degree inversion on an Am. Move down to the 7th fret, we have a B, etc. And when you go to Open G, the Major chords stay at the same frets, as you only retune the 1st, 5th and 6th strings. So an Amajor in open G is all of the strings. (just remember that you don't have to play them all.) One last thing. From your playing dobro you might remember Open G as being tuned GBDGBD, sixth string to first. That is really a squareneck tuning and may put to much stress on your old guitars neck because of tuning UP the 5th and 6th strings. You probably should use DGDGBD, as then you are tuning down. Sweet looking guitar. I am envious. Play it in good health. Last edited by Mycroft; 10-12-2021 at 11:28 AM. |
#28
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If you're going to play Blues you need to learn how to pick a melody with your right hand while keeping a muted thump sounding bass beat with your thumb.
I mention this technique because it takes time to learn and is core to any blues finger style piece. Find a lesson on youtube to see what I mean and start practicing it. There will be a lot of swear words and frustration but it is the skill that separates those that can really play blues and those that cannot. To show what I mean I've attached a vid that shows a guy using the thumb technique , I think he should mute the E string more , but that's a taste thing. https://youtu.be/VbfZbP8Zlfo
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Steve |
#29
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Thanks Steve, I've already started working on rewiring my brain to accept that the thumb needs to be independent and to keep thumping along. As you said, it's a struggle but I'm keeping on. Thanks for note.
- Zoe |
#30
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You're in an interesting/fun position, really. You know what you want to do--but you also have options.
I think based on what you've said, it might be wise for you to skip the "Mel Bay Book 1" basics and start exploring open tunings and going through the process of getting a good sound with a slide. So I think your process should be as such: 1. Do a lot of listening to other players, and see if you can narrow yourself down to one tuning to explore starting out. I DO think it's best for someone starting out to pick a tuning and hang with it for a while. 2. Yes, you just spent money on a guitar, but you should now spend some money on some slides, try some different materials, and see what feels good/sounds good to you. Beautiful guitar. I have too many guitars...but I'd love a metal bodied resonator some day. |