I get a lot of emails about how to get a good blues or slide guitar tone. A lot of the questions are valid and that’s probably what I would ask as well, but these questions don’t have answers that are yes and no.

Best Settings?

Sample question – “What do I set the Bass, Treble, and Middle on to get the best blues guitar tone?” The answer to this question could fill up a 500 page book. There are simply too many variables at play to even try to get a decent answer, because there is no settings I can give you that will give you the best tone. I usually will answer a question like this like, “Put everything on 5 and then work from there. Use your ears.”

You see, there are so many cool tones out there, that it takes experimentation, and listening to the greatest tones recorded to know what to listen for when you are adjusting the controls on your amp.
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You know, I get a lot of email and questions about how to start playing slide guitar. When I answer, I try to remember what it was like way back then when I first started playing.
Although it has been about 17 years since I first started, I can still remember sitting in my bedroom desperately trying to play some guitar with a slide.

The Beginning

So some of you may think that I just picked up a slide and sounded ok. Because you know, some people are just born with it. THIS IS COMPLETE AND UTTER CRAP! Yes some people may have been born with a little more skill, but even so, they have to practice like mad to get where they are.
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Hey everybody! First off I want to thank everyone for entering into this contest. It’s been really cool seeing all the comments. I definitely want to have another giveaway this year so be on the lookout.

In the video below I announce who the winner of the $500 Sweetwater Gift Certificate is.

Watch the video now. If it doesn’t play try pressing F5 on your keyboard.

This is also the 2 year anniversary of Learning Guitar Now and there are specials going on through Thursday March 11th.

Specials

• Free shipping on all DVDs. Check out all the DVDs here.
• All Guitar Lesson Downloads are $18.47. Check them out here.

There are also 3 new Blues Guitar DVDs for sale as well. These DVDs contain Blues Guitar Solos and licks.

Here’s what is new.

4 DVD Blues Guitar Solos Bundle
3 DVD Blues Guitar Solos Bundle (Limited Time Only)

3 Blues Guitar Solos DVD
Minor Blues Guitar Solo

There are also Download versions of each new DVD.

4 DVD Blues Guitar Solos Bundle Download
3 DVD Blues Guitar Dolos Bundle Download

3 Blues Guitar Solos Download
Minor Blues Guitar Solo Download
Bonus Blues Guitar Licks Download

Congratulations to the winner and thanks for participating.

- John W. Tuggle

In this slide guitar lesson, I want to talk to you about one of the most critical techniques to learn when learning slide guitar, Dampening.

This is one of the most critical things to do when learning to play slide guitar.  If you don’t do this, all the notes will ring together.  This can be very bad sometimes.  Try it and you will see.

The biggest thing you have to do is mute the string above the string you’re playing, and below the string you’re playing.  For example, if you’re playing a note on the B string, mute the G string with your thumb, and the E string with your ring finger.  This gives you the option of using your 1st or 2nd fingers to play the note on the B string.

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Pretty much if you mention playing slide guitar, you will no doubt hear the name Duane Allman come up.  He is considered the innovator of the electric slide guitar.  Drawing from Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Muddy Waters, Duane developed his own unique slide guitar style that no one has been able to duplicate.  There have been many who have tried, and Derek Trucks is probably the closest I have heard, but Derek Trucks is more of his own man.

To me Duane was the creator and has some of the most harmonica sounding, and slippery open e tuning licks you’ll ever hear.  Yes he is that good!  Just listen to the Fillmore East and try to duplicate his timing and phrasing.  His sense of drama and timing are superb.  Maybe it’s all of the sessions he did in Muscle Shoals with Aretha and such.

I put out a video a while back of  how to sound more like Duane Allman when playing open e tuning slide guitar.

Watch this video now.

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Almost every week, someone asks me what kind of strings I use on my SG. In this post I want to let you know what I believe are the best strings for playing slide. Is this answer set in stone?

No. If you find something you like better, then by all means use them. This is the strings I have found to stay in tune, get the tone I like and also last a good while before having to change them.

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You’re the top dog, with master chops. You can play blues guitar licks faster than a speeding bullet. If your fingers could get a speeding ticket, you would be driving without a license. Simply put, you got fast chops and you know it.

Now before I go on, this post is not about every single guitarist, but about some that I have noticed while being on the music scene and will not apply to everybody.

We want it now!

Everybody wants fast nowadays. We want our food fast, our internet fast, our shipping fast, and pretty much anything we can get our hands on, fast.

Stated bluntly, we want it fast and we want it now!

Now I agree, and I like everything fast just as much as the next person. With the internet, anyone can find anything they want or need at the touch of a button. People in general including myself have no patience anymore. I get on 285 and don’t go 20 miles over the speed limit and people are flipping me off! People are in a hurry and don’t want to wait.

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Seth Godin put out a book entitled, “The Dip”. This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it to anyone trying to learn something, or run a business.

In this book Seth talks about the process of how one goes about learning a specific skill. He says in the beginning it’s all new, and exciting. Everything is fun because it is all so different from what we have been doing. Then the newness wears off. All of a sudden it’s not as fun anymore, and the results are not as easy to see. We get caught in a standstill so to speak. This is the Dip.

When things become difficult and not fun, most people then give up.

This is exactly why the skill becomes very popular and regarded as impressive. For without the Dip, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn’t be as impressive. If you’re not ever experiencing the Dip, then it is likely you are not on the right path to achieving what you set out to.

You can easily apply this to guitar playing and with lessons.

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In this weeks video podcast, I’m going to show you how to play a blues guitar lick in the style of BB King. I’ve been watching a DVD from him called, “BB King Live in Africa”, and this is a lick I kinda picked up from Sweet Sixteen.

That DVD is amazing and contains some of the best blues guitar licks you will ever find. The whole band is really tight, and they just groove like no other blues band can. You can really see why he is “King of the Blues” in this video.

You can get the tab to this podcast by clicking this link.

Watch this lesson now.

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Win a $500 Sweetwater Pro Audio Gift Certificate by adding a comment below telling what you would buy if you won. The winner will be announced on Thursday, March 4th 2010.

You have until 5:00pm EST Tuesday, March 2nd to enter.

Important Note: This Gift Certificate cannot be redeemed for cash or lessons at Learning Guitar Now. The winner will receive a Gift Certificate for $500 to Sweetwater Sound.

The Prize:

$500 Gift Certificate to Sweetwater Sound

You will also need to sign up for the newsletter below to be eligible.

If you didn’t know, Sweetwater is the 4th largest retailer of musical instruments and pro audio. They have everything. You don’t want to miss this chance to win!

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