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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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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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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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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In this weeks Slide Guitar Lesson Video Podcast I’ll show you a lick in open E Tuning played in the Key of G.  This lick is part of a lesson included in Slow Blues Slide Guitar – Open E Tuning part 5.  You can get the free tabs to this podcast here.

Playing slide guitar in Open E Tuning is just a great way to explore all the sounds that are in the style of Duane Allman and Derek Trucks who both use Open E Tuning for slide guitar.

Check out the podcast now.

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Well I’ve pretty much finished up the Slide Guitar in Standard Tuning DVD part 2, and I’ve got a couple of previews you can check out.

Preview 1

Preview 2

Thanks for checking out the videos. This DVD will be available on Thursday Oct 8th as well as the Bundle and the Allman Bros. Style Slide Guitar Solos DVD.

This DVD is now available. Check out the Standard Tuning Slide 3 DVD Bundle
Let me know what you think right below.

If you want to learn slide guitar in standard tuning like Warren Haynes, then the 2 DVD set of slide blues guitar lessons I have been working on may be for you. I’ve got about 3 hours of HD shot video in this 2 DVD slide guitar lessons package.

This DVD will cover:

• Intervals
• Open G String licks
• Exercises
• How to play One Way Out in Standard Tuning
• How to solo like Warren in Blue Sky
• More licks!
• Statesboro Blues Intro in Standard Tuning
• Slow Blues Solo
• About 13 pages of tab
• 3 Backing Tracks

Learn these 3 solos in the DVD

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You’ve probably heard the story of how Edison failed 6,498 times before he created the light bulb.  I don’t know how true it is but I definitely know he didn’t succeed on his first try. 

Why am I telling you this?  I’ll come back to it in a minute.

I know you probably just want to know the 3 reasons why you’re not getting better, then you’ll just start doing them and everything will be perfect.

I hate to burst your bubble but it just doesn’t work like that.

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