From Scales and Technique to Expressive Soloing
This workshop will show you how to find major and minor pentatonic scales in open D tuning, how to use closed-position licks up the neck for the IV and V chord, and how to keep the whole thing going over an alternating-thumb bass. You’ll learn the hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides you need to bring those licks to life, and the blues phrasing and development rules that will let you turn scales and techniques into expressive, satisfying solos.Â
Slide Improvisation is an intermediate level workshop. Slide players of any level are welcome to take part, but if you are most interested in basics like getting a good sound, finding your first chords in open D or putting together your first complete song, consider starting with the Slide Foundations workshop, available for on-demand streaming at Slide Foundations Workshop.
A Three-Step Method to Get Started With Slide Improvisation
Know The Scales
Slide guitarists use the same pentatonic scales as everyone else. With just a few new scale shapes, you'll soon be getting around in open D tuning (DADF#AD) like it's your second home.
Learn The Techniques
Hammerons, pulloffs and slides make open-position licks come to life, and right-hand technique keeps everything sounding clean. You'll learn how to combine the two with each new lick.
Put It All Together
Play through full-chorus solos to see how it all comes together, and learn how to create endless variations on a song's chord progression by swapping in licks on the fly
Open And Closed Position: The Yin And Yang Of Slide Improvisation
Soloing in open position is effective, flexible and extremely satisfying. It’s a big part of what makes people like Muddy Waters and Ry Cooder sound like they do, and it’s the perfect way to start building your vocabulary as a solo, self-accompanied fingerstyle slide guitarist.
If you want to play slide licks over the IV and V chord, and keep an alternating-thumb bass going, you'll also need to know how to get around in closed position. In Slide Improvisation, you'll learn how to coordinate licks up the neck with the necessary bass notes, and get practice tips for making the transition from open to closed position and back again.
In this workshop, you'll learn a number of short but invaluable building-block type open positions licks, along with specific practices for assembling and re-assembling those building blocks into a growing vocabulary of your own.
We'll take the same approach to playing closed position licks up the neck. and look at how to apply both open- and closed-position licks to the blues chord progression.
Finally, we'll work through a step-by-step process for slide improvisation: how to start with a model solo, swap in various I, IV or V licks on the fly, and build up your vocabulary bar by bar.
Whether your goal is to accompany yourself singing traditional blues material or play entirely instrumental arrangements, this workshop will provide you with the licks, techniques and musical framework you need to take the next big step in your slide soloing.
HOW IT WORKS
Sign Up
Use the secure form below to sign up for and attend the live online workshop (or watch the replay later).
Take The Workshops
Learn scales, techniques and licks in open D tuning and apply them to the blues.
Transform Your Blues
Watch the replay for an entire year, organize your practice plan, and make slide soloing an integral part of your style.
Can I take this workshop if I've never played slide before?
Do I need a guitar that's set up for slide?
Is this workshop for electric or acoustic guitar?
Do I need to play fingerstyle guitar to take this workshop?
Is this workshop part of the Fingerstyle Five membership?
Will there be more workshops in this series?
How much does it cost?
$79Â 05/18/24 SLIDE IMPROVISATION
LEARN THE CHORDS, GROOVES ANDÂ TECHNIQUES YOU NEED TO START PLAYING FINGERSTYLE SLIDE GUITAR
Sign Up Now!
Get a year's access to Slide Improvisation for $79.
