This Saturday's Slide Improvisation workshop is about the four steps it takes to play self-accompanied slide solos over an alternating-thumb bass:
- build a vocabulary of open-position licks for the I chord
- build a vocabulary of closed-position licks up the neck for the IV and V chord
- learn how to coordinate those licks with an alternating-thumb bass
- learn how to assemble those licks
into complete twelve-bar solos
"Closed position" means playing without using any open strings. In electric slide terms, Duane Allman played almost exclusively in closed position. In contrast, while Ry Cooder was no stranger to closed position, a big part of what makes his sound so distinctive is his extensive use of open position and techniques like hammer-ons and pull-offs from and to the open strings.
Today's Youtube lesson talks about how to get started
with closed position licks in open D tuning, and looks at some tricks (and compromises!) for keeping an alternating thumb bass going under those kinds of licks. You can find it here:
Slide Licks Up The Neck
To join me at this Saturday's two-hour live-streamed class, register for the workshop at the link
below:
Slide Improvisation Workshop
More soon,
David