Topic: What are the sources to MASTERING the Open G and D tuning SLIDE songs?

[moonshiner137]

Hi --

I have a question about slide playing.

I have some experience playing RJ's open G tuning songs -- Kitchen, Terraplane and Possession.

I'd like to learn get more breadth in slide playing in open tunings by using instructional DVD's

My above experience is by learning from Rory Block's DVD on RJ and is as follows --
Usually,
the I chord is the octave slide or the open strum,
the IV chord is the 5th fret slide and
V chord is the 7th fret. 
And there's the buddy note on the 3rd string, 3rd fret.

What is a good instructional source to free up my slide playing in open G for starters? Any DVD?

m137

[twangmeister]

The Bob Brozman Bottleneck Blues DVDs on Homespun are generally reckoned to be amongst the best and I would highly recommend them. If you're ok with Rory's RJ lesson, you won't want the first of Bob's three dvd's. The second DVD covers advanced stuff using taditional blues songs in Open G, whilst the third covers a variety of again traditional blues in other tunings, including D, DM, C and standard.

TM

[uncle bud]

There's Stefan Grossman's Bottleneck Blues Guitar http://guitarvideos.com/video/dvd/902dvd.htm. It covers a fair amount of ground and is not overly difficult. There's some great footage included of Son House, Booker White, Mance Lipscomb.

I think with slide playing, one of the things to getting it is to try a whole bunch of different tunes to see how the technique works in different styles. Playing Fred McDowell material will be different from Tampa Red, which will be different from Charley Patton, which will be different from Blind Willie Johnson. At the same time, playing Tampa Red will give you some insight into playing McDowell or Furry Lewis, playing BWJ will give you insight into everything, and so on.

(I notice most of those players I mention, with the exception of Patton, favour open D. Those are just the one's that popped into my head.)

One caveat I'd add about the Brozman lessons. A certain amount of space is dedicated to things like palm harmonics, scrunch strokes, guitar smacking etc. Fun but not basic.

Mike Dowling has a slide DVD on Homespun. I haven't seen it but he's an excellent player and teacher.

If you haven't seen it already, check out this thread for lots of slide listening opportunities.

[twangmeister]

I've also got the Mike Dowling DVD.

I'd also recommend it but it's mainly concerned with open D and concentrates on Piedmont style rather than the Delta styles that Bob Brozman does. They both complement each other and there should be room in any aspiring sliders collection for both.

TM

[Richard]

Michael Messer has just brought a brand new slide DVD as well, I'm not on commission (promise) but he was telling me amongst other things how they have sorted the camera angles, it sounded very good.

What is very good for learning your way around the chords is to try playing in different keys from your G tuning.. the root note is on your third string so try something in A for example basically all the same moves but stuff everything 2 frets up the fretboard.

Mind you this is the pot callling the kettle black here, by offering advice (bit of old English logic that ha!)

[blueshome]

I would agree with the suggestion of the Bob Brozman DVD's, you probably don't need more than this to keep going.
A good way to go from there is to listen to as much as possible and work out the playing - after all we are making sounds not pictures.
To contradict myself -  also get hold of some of the great DVD's of Fred McDowell, Bukka White, Johnny Shines etc and figure out what they are doing.

[markm]

I think the Grossman tapes are good and for getting a good handle on a few more of RJ's tunes try Scott Ainslee's DVD.  As suggested before just watching actual DVD's of McDowell, Shines, Bukka White, Son House etc that are available on Grossman's site will really help. 

I see this DVD on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/Delta-Blues-Guitar-Kalamazoo-Parlor-Slide-Fingerstyle_W0QQitemZ220033816846QQihZ012QQcategoryZ41781QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem but I don't know anything about it. 

There is always alot of great slide classes at Centrum each year if you get a chance to attend. 

Remember in trying to capture the essence of Delta Blues remember that rhythm is KING.  Over all else.  So get that monotonic base line down before all else.  Then comes the slide licks, changes, turnarounds, etc.

So good luck and if you find a good DVD in the future that is not discussed here let us know.

Mark
http://www.markmcdonaldblues.com