Acoustic slide/blues lessons

[goldenboy]

Just purchased a Gretsch resonator and was looking for advice for acoustic blues/slide lesson options in the interweb.

Looked at Jamplay briefly and Guitar Tricks and from what I saw it was mostly electric blues--although I assume that would translate OK.

Any recommendations?

tx!

[tdq]

Are you looking to play in standard or open tunings? Either way, I'd suggest youtube, at least to start. Just browse until you find one that you think you can handle and go from there. There are lots of "introductory" lessons and if you like them you can sign up for those that seem to fit. Or just keep browsing, there's heap there. Filtering out what you don't want is the tough bit. Searching for "slide guitar lessons for beginners" gave me 75,900 hits.

[Bingoccc]

A quick read worth a moment. http://12bar.de/cms/tutorial/slide/

[Bikewer]

Let me recommend Stefan Grossman's YouTube channnel, Guitar Workshop. A very wide variety of lessons, mostly acoustic blues and "roots" music, with more than a few slide lessons.

Also, the late Bob Brozman produced a number of good DVDs and they are still available from his site.


http://m.youtube.com/channel/UCyYyrqadr4PXucZBwgc5cfg

[Teleplucker]

Steve James has a great book and DVD. Covers a lot of ground for several skill levels.

[Piker99]

This is a great one to start with. I believe it now has links to online video of the examples.

http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Guita...3773611&sr=1-1

[Sesop]

Keni Lee (can't remember his last name) has some great video lessons. I thnk you can buy them on eBay - I did and they';re extremely well worth the $. There are a lot of good lessons on YouTube - including some Keni Lee samples. I've had good luck doing a search for whatever song or open tuning tip I'm interested in, and that tends to yield good results. I've found the videos to be much more effective than the books, as most tend to tell you to play at the 12th fret, alternate bass, and blah blah blah.

[blue]

It really depends on what you want to play, and how best you learn.

Here's the thing with "traditional" bottleneck blues. It's all in the picking hand. Pick up a transcription book for Robert Johnson, or any other of the old school blues picker. They're basically doing very little beyond coming up with a melodic intro, and then picking parts of the root chord, the 4th, 5th, and the "seven" variation of the the 4 and 5 for the verses and choruses. And then playing turnarounds at the end of each section. And if it's an old enough tune, you may only get the root for the whole song. Or the root and 4th. Or the root and 5th.

The thing is it's not really apparent until you see it in writing, or write it out yourself. Like much of fingerpicking, there's a lot of partial chords/short arpeggios being played and you won't recognize it until a light goes on in your head.

So, I recommend watching a few very basic lessons on Youtube on Open G. And then run out to your library, or buy something like a Robert Johnson transcription book, preferably something you have on record already.

Using the basic knowledge from youtube, and learning the tabbed out transcription, but not just paying attention to the riffs you are playing. Notice that over the top of those riffs it'll say A7, or D5, etc. So when you're playing the verses and choruses, think of terms of the chords. And think in terms of "how can I make playing small pieces of those chords interesting?". And start finding other places on the neck where at least 3 of the notes are accessible comfortably for new "voicings". Once you have 4 or 5 places to play an A7, and have come up with your own little rhythmic "phrases" or "licks" you are on the way to becoming much much more than someone who can play "Banty Rooster" just like Charley Patton.

Everything will open up for you when you realize that you're playing chords. A very small handful of them when you get right down to it. The genius of the greats is the feeling and rhythmic diversity they apply to those chords. It's like watching Benny Hill. You know he's going to "accidentally" rip the dress off the policewoman, and they will all end up chasing the little old bald dude around. But somehow he managed to make that appealing to the public for almost 40 years.

Now if you want to play Banty Rooster just like Charley Patton, that's an admirable goal as well! Really pulling off a classic song with power and feeling "just like Charley/Robert/Lightnin'/Blind Blake etc. is an art in itself. I can't help you much there other than to say just go on Youtube and look for tutorials on specific songs you want to play.

[Piker99]

Wow ..thanks Blue. I've been messing round with some slide for about a year, can manipulate the slide no problems, still hunting the notes. Your post just clarified it for me.
Thanks for the great post. The lightbulb has just come on!
Bob.