just purchased my first guitar

[Michael Messer]

Hi Diablodan,

You are never too old to learn to play the guitar, or any other musical instrument. Your RD3 is a good guitar to get you started. A resophonic guitar should be set up so it can be fretted and bottlenecked. They can be played in regular EADGBE tuning as a normal guitar, or in open tunings (DGDGBD & DADF#AD), which is most often the case.

There are no rules and you should use the books & other tutorial devices for guidance, not as Bibles.

I can recommend a few products worth getting - this may look like I am now becoming a typical Internet salesman, but I can assure you that is not the case. Not all have my name attached....but some do!

Michael Messer National Guitar Strings by Newtone (gauge 15 to 56 phosphor bronze) - These strings are almost the industry standard worldwide for playing National guitars. They are hand-made in the UK near Derby and are wonderful strings. Available direct from Newtone Strings, various outlets...oh and of course the London Resonator Centre.

DVD >An Introduction to Blues Slide Guitar by Michael Messer - this is a beginners guide to playing slide guitar on a National and is a very useful learning tool. This is available direct from EuroBlues.org or the London Resonator Centre at www.resocentre.com. There is a thread about the DVD somewhere on this forum. Also highly recommended is the Michael Roach beginners guide to playing blues guitar. This is an excellent beginners lesson on fingerpicking blues guitar. Also only available from EuroBlues & the Reso Centre.

Sound Techniques - Guitar Maestros Series 'Michael Messer' - not a tuition DVD, but a well filmed studio concert and interview. I think that a good film of someone playing is as good as a lesson, especially if it is combined with the tutorial DVD. It may appear that I am just trying to sell my own products, but that is not my style. I have made these DVDs, especially the tutorial one, for people like yourself who are searching for good information. Many of the tuition DVDs teach by teaching you songs from the teacher's repetoire. Mine does not teach songs from my repetoire, it teaches the basics of how to play open tuned blues slide guitar.

I am sure other forum members will be happy to advise you with their favourite books & DVDs - and tell you how they have got on with my DVDs and strings.

Keep in touch

Shine On,
Michael.

[Mairena Red]

Hi Diablodan,

Welcome to the wonderful world of slide guitar First of all, congratulations on finding this site. If you're looking for good advice on playing slide guitar, there's no better place on earth (and a few other planets too) than this. As a 1953 vintage who bought his first resonator 4 years ago (at the London Resonator Centre as it happens), I totally endorse everything that Michael has said. It's never too late to learn to play slide guitar and you can have hours of fun in the process ;D

I totally agree with Michael about Newtone strings. It's a cheap and instant way of improving the sound of a budget resonator and they should be sold with every new one. I use them all the time. I would also recommend the purchase of a good slide. My favourite is a steel King slide (also available at the LRC), though I have a nice bronze one too which sounds slightly mellower.

I also agree about his new teaching DVD. It's the perfect learning tool for beginners because it teaches you the basic techniques and building blocks so that you can develop your own style and music instead of just learning by rote. I also recommend Michael's "Play the Blues" triple CD backing tracks as these are a great learning tool as well. You should be able to find them on amazon.com or similar sites.

Finally, a word of warning. Slide guitar playing is dangerously addictive. Before you know it you'll be suffering from an attack of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) and you'll be blowing your moolah like sailors gone ashore (to quote Mark Knopfler) on exquisite (and extremely expensive) hand-built instruments. Take a tip from one who's travelled and never stopped a-ramblin' 'round. Slowly does it.

All the best,

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

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[Michael Messer]

Thanks Joe. I appreciate you backing up my trying to explain that I am not a pushy salesman! What I didn't mention in my post is that the best way to learn is to listen to the music and to be inspired by your favourite recording artists to pick up your guitar and try to copy what you hear. The more you do this, the better your ear will become. I believe that training ones ear to hear properly is a large part of the learning process. The more you discover for yourself, the more satisfaction you will get from the learning experience. I cannot recommend highly enough the importance of listening to and watching your favourite artists.

Shine On,
Michael.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Diablodan,

It's always a pleasure to help and advise newcomers to the fraternity.

Regarding tunings....it's all in the DVD. The lesson teaches the basics in both DGDGBD and DADF#AD tunings. Some players only use one open tuning, but most are capable of playing in both the G and the D tunings.

Let me know how you get on with the DVD.

If any other forum members would like to add their recommendations - it all helps!

Keep in touch,

Shine On,
Michael.

[Deleted]

Hi Diablodan,
Something you may consider is a 'clip on' tuner; it clips on the head of the guitar & makes changing between tunings a doddle as it tunes by vibrations rather than sound. I too am a late starter to guitar, although I had one in my early 20's but could never tune the thing to pitch pipes!! These modern tuners are WONDERFUL! Now my guitar is accurately tuned I'm now starting to "hear" when it isn't - which is a big stride forward for me.
I prefer open D mainly cos I finding the chording easier & the 6th string is the 'root'; though that said I have recently been playing exclusively in standard.
ENJOY your guitar.

[Deleted]

Without a doubt if you can play with others or have lessons, that's the fastest and most effective way of learning. Last year Catfish Keith did some workshops during his tour, and I've also been to Kevin Brown's SlideSchool in Bath (a one-day course with two tutors and different ability groups)..these sort of events are always worth watching out for. Just knocking around with other players is handy, to compare tunings and techniques...you just have to work a little on making the contacts. Having said that, DVD tutors can be useful..I've got Bob Brozman and Catfish Keith ones, they have their faults, but far superior to any books - I've bought and borrowed loads of books, and generally find them of little help, whereas the DVDs are genuinely helpful.

[redeft]

Hi

Here is my 2 cents worth for starting out....Being 1955 vintage and starting to play just over three years ago I can honestly say that no endeavor has been more rewarding than learning and playing bottleneck guitar. Most of what I learned was from the internet but the few bits of advice from players have been most enlightening. Ken Hamn ( www.kenhamm.com/ ) told me to be careful about lessons from any source as it could prevent you from developing your own style and to some degree I think he was right,but now I think I could benefit from some expert input.

Take bits and pieces from all sorts of sources.

Keep your slide relaxed like a wet noodle and try playing as lightly as possible at first. Its all about touch,pressure and listening.
I use open E and D.

I play with the slide on my pinkie and use all of my fingers on my picking hand.
When not sliding I "single digit" fret with mostly my middle finger and am learning to get some chords going with the index and ring finger as well.

It is amazing that you get better and discover new things just about every time you play so it's always a joy. A fabulous addiction!

Question: what finger is recommended to put the slide on? What are the pros and cons of one or the other? I bet this has come up before in this forum.

[robn]

Hi Diablodan,

I’ve been playing slide for about 20 months, so I’m not that far ahead of you, but had a reasonable background of guitar playing before that. I’m sure your banjo experience will help you quickly over the initial awkwardness of learning something new. I’m a great fan of DVDs as they suit my own learning style. One of the DVDs I have is Michael’s “Sound Techniques” DVD and I continue to return to it – seeing something new each time. It really is excellent. However, you may want Michael’s new teaching DVD to lay down some foundations first. Another DVD to consider is Scott Ainslie’s “Robert Johnson” programme for the Hal Leonard Signature Licks series. This is great once you reach the stage of wanting to learn specific pieces (that’s if you are a Robert Johnson fan! ;D).

I agree with Charlie’s suggestion for a clip on tuner (Intelitouch or the like) that works on vibration. Being able to tune without worrying about background noise is a Godsend. The fact that they are chromatic is a big help for open tunings – it should work on your banjo too.

I have a couple of tips for using DVDs. As well as using the TV, I often use my PC or laptop for playback. You can get DVD programmes that will let you playback sequences at slower speeds and slow down the sound whilst keeping it at the original pitch. I have found features like this, and the ability to bookmark and repetitively loop a sequence, very useful for learning specific techniques or licks etc.

Sometimes I watch a sequence with the sound off to study those nuances that the performer doesn’t tell you because they have become so much a part of their unconscious. I look for things like how they sit, hold the guitar, shoulder angle, right and left hand movement, slide control, and holistic body movement (rhythm). This is not to become an exact copy (that’s pretty much impossible by the way!) but to work out for myself what effect these aspects have on playing the guitar. I also listen to sequences on headphones with the picture off so I can build a sound file in my mind to match my own playing against. I am building up a great collection of blues slide guitar records and sometimes stick my headphones on at bedtime to listen to an original recording of whatever song I am working on in order to top up my sound file. I’ve been surprised at how my listening skills have increased with practice.

Set goals – One of mine is to have a new song ready each month for a “first outing” at the folk/blues sessions I attend. My songs are nowhere near perfect at their “first outing” (in fact they are normally very rough! ) but it is a great, measurable milestone and keeps me focussed and excited about my playing. I normally have 3 or 4 new pieces on the go at any one time to keep my practice varied and it may take 3 or 4 months (or longer) to get a particularly difficult piece ready for a “first outing” so I search out easy pieces that I like as well as those that are more stretching. I am a great believer in varied practice – eg playing in different styles, tunings, even instruments (if you learn a song both on slide guitar and banjo you will never forget the words) - although specific skill progression is slower, the foundation skills you lay down will be more useful in the long run.

Once a song has passed the “first outing” milestone I then work on refining it, a very enjoyable process which I expect, with most of the songs that I play, will take the rest of my life!

When you first start you may feel overwhelmed – remember when you learned to drive? How on earth can you possibly steer, change gear and brake at the same time as watching the road and reacting to other traffic? Don’t get disheartened – what you find awkward and “impossible” today will become a breeze tomorrow. The vast majority of us are not “talented” guitarists but, to miss quote Gary Player, “The more I practice the more talented I become”.

Good luck and have fun

Robn

PS – In answer to Redeft’s question above – I play with the slide on my pinky coz, due to a climbing accident, I wouldn’t have enough fingers left to fret with if I put it on any other.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Diablodan,

Thanks! It looks like you will be having fun on Wednesday evening. Keep in touch and let me know how you get on.

Shine On,
Michael.