Acoustic Blues slide guitar licks in the style of TAMPA RED – 7:26 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some killer acoustic slide licks in the style of the great Tampa Red. This lesson is in standard tuning – E  A  D  G  B  E. If you want to add the low quarter note chug on the low E string that is cool, but you don’t have to include that – its fun though if you can add it when you feel comfortable. Jeff starts with the melody mostly on the B and high E strings. He goes over the licks piece by piece at slow and regular speeds and then teaches how to tie them together. Remember to fret the slide directly over the fret wire, not behind it or your intonation will be off. Get right on top of the fret and be sure to notice the sliding in and out of the notes as that adds so much color and character. Try mixing the notes up or changing the rhythm – put your own spin on it and get creative with these licks, techniques, and devices.  

Acoustic Slide guitar lesson in open E tuning pt3 – 3:26 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches acoustic slide guitar playing techniques and devices in Open E tuning. This is a great open tuning for slide guitar and here the open strings ring out to an E chord and the tuning is E,B,E,G#,B,E low to high. This is part three of a three-part lesson. Here Jeff continues with the licks in open E and gets into some doublestop playing to mix in with the other licks that you been learning in this series. For this lesson Jeff uses his fingers, but you can do these techniques and devices with a pick also if that is more your style. Have fun with these lick ideas and remember that this is just a jump off point – get creative with these ideas and put your own spin on them – and have fun with them!

Acoustic Slide guitar lesson in open E tuning pt1 – 9:49 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches acoustic slide guitar playing techniques and devices in Open E tuning. This is a great open tuning for slide guitar and here the open strings ring out to an E chord and the tuning is E,B,E,G#,B,E low to high. This is part one of a three-part lesson and here Jeff vamps on an E chord and gets the bass notes pumping with his thumb and while that is going Jeff adds the slide licks . For this lesson Jeff uses his fingers, but you can do these techniques and devices with a pick also if that is more your style. Have fun with these lick ideas and remember that this is just a jump off point – get creative with these ideas and put your own spin on them – and have fun with them!

Acoustic Slide guitar lesson in open E tuning pt2 – 5:32 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross continues with acoustic slide guitar playing techniques and devices in Open E tuning. This is a great open tuning for slide guitar and here the open strings ring out to an E chord and the tuning is E,B,E,G#,B,E low to high. This is part two of a three-part lesson and here Jeff continues with the bluesy licks. In a previous lesson Jeff did some single note work while pumping the bass notes. Here Jeff teaches more licks you can add to your arsenal using more strings and some different sounds. For this lesson Jeff uses his fingers, but you can do these techniques and devices with a pick also if that is more your style. Have fun with these lick ideas and remember that this is just a jump off point – get creative with these ideas and put your own spin on them – and have fun with them!

Sizzling Blues slide guitar licks inspired by DEREK TRUCKS – 11:05 min

In this lesson Ben Zinn teaches some sizzling hot Blues slide guitar licks in the style of Derek Trucks. Learn these techniques to add almost a vocal like quality to your slide playing. This lesson is taught in standard tuning, E  A  D  G  B  E. But many of these concepts can transfer to open tunings if you play in open tunings. Ben then gets into the licks and techniques in this style. Singing vibrato is very important in this style as well as lots of slides in between notes. Work on getting the pitch correct and get that singing quality with the slide. Ben breaks all the licks down slow and you want to practice them slow at first and work up the speed over time. Be sure to add some of these devices to your playing and vary these licks and put your own spin on them. Stay creative and keep on rocking!

JOHNNY WINTER inspired blues rock slide guitar devices and lick ideas lesson – 5:22 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some slide guitar licks and devices in the blues rock style of Johnny Winter.  This lesson is tuned to open D which is low to high D A D F# A D. This sounds an D major chord when strumming all the strings open. Jeff starts off some killer slide licks at the 12th fret – remember to keep the slide right over the fret wire – not between frets or the intonation will be off. Practice the vibrato, the shake of the slide to get that warbly effect. Practice to get the sound in tune and rocking. Remember that these ideas are just a jump off point and you want to vary these lick ideas and change up the note order or rhythm, or add or take away notes to vary them and put your own spin on them. Get creative with these and practice the ideas in different keys and practice them over the jam tracks in the jam track section of the site.  

Delta Blues slide guitar lesson inspired by Lonny Johnson in open D tuning – 11:23 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some killer Delta Blues Slide guitar in the style of Lonny Johnson. Jeff utilizes a metal body National Triolian guitar in this lesson as it really fits this style. But you can use any guitar to get this vibe. This lesson is in open D tuning – alternate tuning are often used in slide guitar. Open D tuning is D  A  D  F#  A  D low to high. Jeff then gets into the licks as first he gets the thumping quarter notes going on the bass strings. Then he starts adding in some cool Delta Slide Blues licks. These bluesy licks are built from common melody lines used in this style. Remember that this is just a jump off point and you want to use this lesson as a template to get the ideas flowing. Vary the licks and make them your own. Get the little rhythm going and then add some licks on top. Try these licks throughout your playing and see if you can get them to fit in other musical applications and jams. Enjoy!

Electric slide guitar techniques and devices in the ALLMAN BROTHERS style – 8:30 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some killer 60s blues rock riff based slide guitar. You will also learn the cool bass pattern he plays underneath as well as playing the slide an octave above. Jeff also teaches the bass riff that he is playing lead over. Here we are in the key of A and if you have a looper pedal or other device lay down that bass rhythm as a cool bed to practice these soloing techniques over. Jeff breaks down all the licks and teaches them at slow and regular speeds. Use this lesson as a jump off point to add these cool blues rock slide licks to your playing arsenal. Enjoy! 

Mississippi Delta Blues Acoustic guitar in the style of Keb’ Mo’ – 8:39 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some fun Mississippi Delta Blues slide guitar devices in the style of Keb’ Mo’. Jeff goes over the guitar he uses in this lesson and how he gets the tones.  For this lesson Jeff is tuned to open G tuning, which is a pretty popular tuning for Delta blues slide guitar. Tune your guitar low to high to D G D G B D. Jeff then gets into teaching sliding around on the guitar neck getting single not slide sounds in between the rhythm. Use this licks and riffs as a framework to blast your slide playing into the next level. Enjoy!

Acoustic DELTA BLUES slide lesson SON HOUSE style part2 – 9:47 min

In this lesson Jeff Ross teaches some cool Delta Blues slide guitar Son House style. This is part 2 of a two-part lesson. This lesson will be in open G tuning. Jeff talks about the equipment used, the slide and the guitar to get the needed tones for this lesson. Tune your guitar to open G tuning, so low to high tune your guitar to this D G D G B D. Jeff teaches the rhythm first and how to get the sounds of the rhythm. Spend some time on the intricacies of the rhythm and you want it to groove. Jeff then teaches some fun licks to play and intersperse between the rhythm. Use these ideas as a jump off point and get creative with them and make them your own!