Here are some answers to common questions about this DVD:
Q: What makes it different from other
slide guitar lessons?
A: Most sliders tune to open tunings, where the open strings are tuned to a chord. That's the traditional way of playing slide guitar, but not the only way.
Q: Isn't 'Dropped-D' an open tuning?
A: No, I only lower the bass string down to D, so really the guitar is still in Standard ... five sixths standard. But, having said that, the effect of lowering that bass string gives you an open tuned sound on the three bass strings, so it's a great tuning for slide. It's the best of both worlds. But, if you just want to stay in Standard, there's no need to lower that bass string.
Q: Why not just use the traditional open tunings?
A: Several reasons: first, you don't need to re-tune constantly, or have a special guitar for playing slide. Second, if you're like me, you have a mental map of the fretboard in good old standard tuning, so there's no need to constantly remap when you play slide ... anything you've ever played with your fingers, you can play with the slide without having to rethink it all. Third, open tunings almost force you to play certain licks, phrases, inversions of chords ... as cool as that is at the beginning, you'll get tired of having to sound like every other slider.
Q: How are you supposed to play chords in standard tuning with a slide?
A: Standard is in fact a bunch of mini open tunings, all living together. There's no need to play six strings to play chords, and the DVD shows you where to find all flavors of chords: major, minor, major 7th, minor 7th, dom 7th, sus4, augmented, diminished, 9th, 11th ... they're all there.
Q: How long does it go for?
A: 70 minutes.
Q: What does it cover?
A: The basic techniques of applying the slide to the strings; vibrato; muting; playing single note lines; chords; double stops; combining normal playing with slide playing. I also play a couple of pieces right through, replay them at half speed and pick one of them apart note by note.
Q: What format is it?
A: The bulk of the DVD shows the fretboard and an insert of the picking hand (see the image below), and also includes a 'phantom fretboard' graphic where I've overlaid exactly what's going on musically, as it's not easy to see that ... the slide and fingers get in the way of a good view. I also explain in a voice-over what I'm doing throughout.
Q: Is there tab I can follow?
A: Yes, down-loadable from the forum here.
Q: Do you sell slides too?
A: Yes, I sell the heavy brass slides I use, which I highly recommend.
Q: Where can I hear some examples of slide being played in standard/dropped D?
A: Listen to the 'Slide Guitar à Lorange' player .
Q: Where can I order?
A: You can order here