Slides (the connector note)

A slide is exactly what it sounds like. You fret a note, pick it, then slide the same finger up (or down) to a new fret. The note keeps ringing throughout the slide.

Two flavours:

• Legato slide (the smooth kind): pick once, slide. One note becomes another note without re-picking.
• Shift slide (the targeting kind): pick the start, slide, re-pick the destination. Used to move to a position and start a new phrase.

The basic legato slide

1. Fret the G string at fret 5 (C). Pick it.
2. Slide your finger to fret 7 (D) without lifting. The D should ring naturally.

The trick: keep exactly the same pressure through the slide. Too light and the note dies. Too heavy and your finger doesn't move smoothly.

When to use slides

Slides connect ideas. Three common uses:

1. Between scale shapes. Slide your finger from a note in pentatonic shape 1 (fret 5) up to a note in pentatonic shape 2 (fret 7). Now you've changed position without an audible jump.
2. For expression. A slide up sounds confident. A slide down sounds melancholy. Both add personality to a held note.
3. As a phrase opener. A slide from a low note up to a high one is a classic blues lick. Try it on the G string: fret 3, slide to fret 12.

Drill

On the G string, slide from fret 5 to fret 7 to fret 9 to fret 12. Each slide on a beat. Then back down. Do this for 5 minutes. Notice how each slide should sound like one note moving, not "note, gap, note".

Combined with hammer-ons and pull-offs

The three legato techniques (hammer-on, pull-off, slide) work together. A common phrase:

e|-----8h12-12-12s10---
B|---------------------

Pick the e string fret 8, hammer to fret 12, slide back to fret 10. That's three notes from one pick stroke. The notation: h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, s = slide.

Next: pentatonic shape 2. Expanding the box you already know.