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How to Do the Slide Method Step by Step

The slide guitar is one of the definitive sounds of the Mississippi Delta blues. The slide method was first popularized by W.C. Handy, the self-proclaimed father of the blues, in the early 1900's. Since then, a host of blues guitar players have employed the slide method, from Muddy Waters to Eric Clapton. The wailing sound of the slide guitar is unmistakable and is most often played in open tuning.

Things You'll Need

Slide
Guitar
Tuner

Instructions

- 1
  Tune your guitar to an open tuning. A popular open slide tuning is open D, where the bass strings are tuned upwards to D, A, D, F#, A and D.
- 2
  Put your pinky finger of your fretting hand through the slide with the first two knuckles covered. You should be able to slightly bend your finger.
- 3
  Place your thumb behind the guitar neck and place the slide across the 12th fret. The slide should be parallel to the fret and perpendicular to the strings.
- 4
  Rest your index finger lightly against the strings. This will dampen the string and prevent fret buzzing.
- 5
  Move the slide up and down the guitar neck, strumming and picking the strings with your strumming hand. Traditional blues songs follow the chord progressions of I, IV and V. In open tuning, play the I chord open. Move the slide up the neck to hit the IV and V chords, which are the 6th and 7th frets, respectively.

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