How To: Play acoustic slide guitar

In this video Joseph Paul demonstrates how to play slide guitar. Slides come in either metal or glass, metal being preferable because it doesn’t break if you drop it. Slides are usually worn on the pinky finger but you can use any finger that is comfortable.

Lay the slide flat across the strings without pressing down, keeping it in line with the frets to prevent problems such as the pitch going off. A slide causes a lot of stray sounds, but these can be muted by laying your first finger right behind the slide.

Staying on key is important so you need to avoid putting pressure on the strings and be sure to play right on the frets. Different sounds can be created with hand movements, as well as using a couple of notes together rather than just one.