Slides are a basic guitar technique that
you'll find in every style of music. A slide is just what
it sounds like: sliding your finger either up, down, to,
or from notes.
Shift Slide
A shift slide is a basic slide from one
note to another. This slide is common when switching positions.
Both notes will be picked. Simply strike
the note on the 5th fret then slide your finger up to
the 7th fret and pick that note, too.
Legato Slide
Legato means "In a smooth, even style
without any noticeable break between the notes".
With a legato slide we strike the first
note and then slide our finger to another note without
striking the second note.
To show you that it's a slide you'll see
a small "sl." under the notes you're going to
be sliding from and to. You'll see a curved "umbrella"
over the two notes. The umbrella tells you that
it is a legato slide. Without it, it would just be a shift
slide:
Strike the 1st note on the 5th fret and
slide your finger up to the 7th fret and in the video:
Descending Slide
With a descending slide we strike the note
and then slide all the way down the fretboard to no particular
note.
It will look like this:
Just pick the note and slide all the way
down. Fun, isn't it?
Ascending Slide
An ascending slide is similar to the descending
slide, except you slide all the way UP the fretboard:
Double Slide
You can slide to and from more than one
note at a time as in the sample below.
Just use your first finger to fret the notes.
Pick the first two notes and then slide your finger up
to the 5th fret. Easy!
