Slide Guitar Lesson by Korry

Slide Guitar

So...you wanna learn how to play 
slide guitar, do ya? Well, alrighty 
then. Here are a few basics to get 
you started.

First and foremost: Alot of beginners think
that because you have to push the string down
with your finger, then you have to do the same 
with a slide. You couldn't be more wrong, which
brings up the first thing you have to know about
playing slide.

1) You want to barely REST the slide bar on the
strings. Don't push down on it. Just kind of
rest it there nice and easy. 

The number two thing to know about playing
slide.

2) See that little bar going across your 
fretboard? That's the actual fret and on
top of that little metal bar, is where you
want to hold the slide to get your note. 
Now to get the note you want. To get the
actual note, let's use E, shall we? Well,
alrighty then. You want to place the slide
bar on the back fret of the note. In other words,
look at the fretboard and find the third dot up,
G string. That's your E note. Now look at the two
metal bars on either side of that little dot. Those
are your frets and you want to put the slide on
the bar to the right of that little dot...gently.
[I can't stress GENTLY enough]...and let it ring.
For left handed players, you'd put it on the fret
to the left of the little dot.

And now the third thing to know about playing
slide. 

3) Put the slide bar on any finger but your pointer.
Whatever is comfortable for you. For me, it's my ring
finger but to each his own. Now, put your slide GENTLY
on the E note [like I just described up above], and now
GENTLY place your pointer finger [or whatever fingers are
in front of your slide finger] on the strings just 
in front of the slide bar. To deaden the ring of the 
strings while playing slide, placing your pointer and/or
remaining fingers on the string you're playing will do 
that and you should get a nice clean slide sound. If you're
using your ring finger for the slide, don't put your