It seems like everyone is kinda mystified about how to play slide guitar in standard tuning.
In this slide guitar lesson, I’m going to break down a slide guitar lick that is played in standard tuning and can be used over any 12 bar blues progression. This is a common blues slide guitar lick and sounds great for beginning or advanced players.
Developing a good slide guitar technique is one of the most critical things to learn when playing slide guitar in standard tuning.
Muting the strings is even more important in standard tuning due to the placement of the notes you have to play. In open e tuning, a lot of the notes are straight across the fretboard and are easier to play because of this.
With a little practice, you can really pull off some awesome Slide Guitar licks in standard tuning. It just takes practice and a little rethinking of familiar patterns.
Here is a slide guitar lick you can play in Standard Tuning in the key of E.
Listen to this example now.
With a little rethinking of your patterns, you can play some really cool slide guitar licks in standard tuning.
I have released 3 DVDs on how to play slide guitar in standard tuning. Check out this 3 DVD course or download.
Have you ever tried to play slide guitar in standard tuning? Let me know below what your experience has been when trying to learn slide guitar.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Fantastic lesson. Thanks, John. I’ve only ever played bottleneck with open tunings. Will definitely give this a go, though.
Thanks!
Looking forward to the whole dvd.Been playing in standard tuning for quite some time now.However, been stuck in the same rut for a long time too.got a hanful of cool licks but need a whole lot more.
Bought the open e tuning volume.1 &2.But like playing in standard tuning better.
For the last year or so Open E has been my standard tuning. I have played slide in the so called “standard tunning” before that and have managed to get away with it, but never really took the plunge and really dig deep into it. I guess I’ll try it again under your guidance John.
But Open E is so friendly for the solo slide musician that I really need to be convinced otherwise. In my point of view, if you playing solo, open tuning should work best, if your in a band situation as a solo player, either one will work fine!
Slide on y’all!
@Joao Yeah Open Tunings are definitely better for solo playing, but in a band standard tuning can be pretty awesome.
I played slide in standard tuning for 10 years before I even tried open e. There are some really cool licks in standard tuning. More Warren Haynes style slide.
Well this must be a “must have” for me,it will then be possible to variate with normal standard-patterns as for many,also me,were the basi learning for guitarplaying. I wonder if your new DVD is also available in dowloadformat Quicktime?
@Poul The DVD will be available as a download.
2 hour DVD or mp4 download.
2 Backing Tracks
20 minute download of Statesboro Blues Intro in Standard Tuning
6 pages of Tabs
Lesson Index
1 The Left Hand
2 The Right Hand
3 Raking
4 12 Bar Blues chords and licks based from a chord
5 5 Patterns for solos
6 11 Standard Tuning Licks
7 Solo
If you’ve already learned the first 3 lessons from Open E Tuning, they take up approximately 35 minutes leaving 1 hour and 25 minutes still.
I’ve also added some things I’ve learned during this year about the first 3 lessons as well as extreme close ups of each hand.
Here’s a small preview.
http://budurl.com/dtky
Great lesson. I have always been intimidated by slide guitar but have always been fascinated with the sound it produces. I am definitely going to give it a go. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
great vid cant wait to see how this goes! im testing a few right now and will report back on how i found them all
thanks
Thanks a ton man! I assume the same thing will work in my drop (Ex half step down, d standard ect ect)?