| Slide guitar playing in blues music had been popular for | | | | who played music with him praise his technical skills. |
| many years but not many people understand how | | | | Elmore James' song, "The Sky Is Crying" was |
| this guitar playing style originated and the techniques | | | | covered by modern blues legends Albert King, Eric |
| used to produce this fascinating guitar sound. In the | | | | Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and George Thorogood. |
| early twentieth century many American blues players | | | | Arguably one of the most high profile slide guitar |
| began their careers playing music on a single string | | | | players is Ry Cooder. He is a skilled guitarist who |
| instrument called a diddley bow. This was a kid's toy | | | | enjoys injecting his own personality into traditional |
| consisting of a wire stretched between two screws. | | | | songs of many genres but he is remembered for his |
| It seems logical that without access to store bought | | | | slide guitar on the soundtracks of "Paris Texas" and |
| instruments the emerging adult musicians would | | | | "Crossroads". For these contributions alone he must |
| develop an instrument based on what they played | | | | be included in any list of blues slide guitar players. |
| music on as children. Of course the early blues | | | | Duane Allman was a great blues player of the late |
| players did use conventional guitars but a guitar | | | | sixties to early seventies probably most widely |
| played with a slide made from a knife or a bottle | | | | known for being the "other" guitarist on the Eric |
| neck more readily complemented the vocal style and | | | | Clapton song, "Layla". His mastery of blues music is |
| blues harp techniques the people used to express | | | | undisputed and there is a story of the joy he |
| their lives in music. | | | | expressed the day he discovered how well a Coricidin |
| Blues guitar players who took up slide guitar and | | | | bottle could be used as a guitar slide. The story goes |
| influenced other musicians to do so were Muddy | | | | he had never played slide guitar before but after that |
| Waters and Elmore James. Both of these guitarists | | | | day his slide playing became an indispensable part of |
| were driven by the music of Robert Johnson, built on | | | | The Allman Brothers Band repertoire. |
| his legacy and further influenced electric blues players | | | | If you want to learn how to play blues slide guitar, |
| like Johnny Winter and Duane Allman. Elmore actually | | | | you will probably need to learn to play using open |
| started his musical career on the diddley bow when | | | | tunings, maybe even get yourself a guitar with heavy |
| he was twelve years old. A confirmed individualist, he | | | | gauge strings and a high action specifically for open |
| played a modified acoustic guitar to sound like a solid | | | | tunings. But to learn slide guitar techniques you can |
| body electric. | | | | begin with any steel string electric or acoustic guitar |
| Many students of blues slide guitar think that Earl | | | | using standard tuning. You will need your index finger |
| Hooker is the greatest slide guitar player ever. He | | | | to damp strings that you do not want heard so |
| sometimes uses wah-wah with his slide playing and | | | | experiment with your slide fitted to your middle, ring |
| often amazed other musicians with his ability to make | | | | finger or pinky. You will also want to try out finger |
| the slide guitar "sing". But Earl Hooker did not need | | | | picking style playing combined with slide techniques. |
| electronic effects to make his playing great as people | | | | |