fbpx

Blues Guitar Institute

Play Video

How to Play a Lively Open D Slide Rhtyhm

Lesson ID: TB116

Ever wonder how guys like Bukka White were able to get such a big sound out of just one guitar?

When I was first introduced to these players, I was amazed at the aggression and attack that they brought to the acoustic blues. After breaking down a few YouTube videos by these two, I’m convinced that it’s all in the picking hand.

Sure, their slide work on the fretboard is legendary, but their ability to lay down such a lively rhythm part on one instrument is incredible. What I noticed from these bluesman is that their thumb and index finger on their picking hand worked together to provide some intricate strumming sounds that made their guitar sound huge.

Let’s take a look at this technique in a little detail through an Open D Slide example. We’ll start by isolating the downstroke and the upstroke.

The Downstroke

  • Thumb pushes down through 5th string, 4th string and occasionally the 3rd
  • Light palm mute but make sure these strings ring out, that’s part of what creates the big sound

The Upstroke

  • The index finger brushes up through the strings, specifically attacking the second string and brushing through the 3rd and occasionally the 4th string.
  • These strings just need to completely ring out and provides a nice contrast to the bass downstroke

Learn More about the brush up technique and how it can be used in other areas of your playing by checking out these lessons:

Add Life to Your Acoustic Blues Rhythm
Simple Picking Technique for a Big Sound

Getting these two strokes to sync up in a rhythm pattern will take some time, but start slow and build in speed and the intensity of your attack. In this video, I’ll walk you through strum-by-strum in open d tuning.

Switching Between Rhythm and Lead with a Slide

So far, we’ve been playing this rhythm figure a little loose. As I mention in the video, there’s no need to get crazy accurate with the strings that you strum. If you brush up a little too far, no worries. That’s part of the magic of an open tuning and it’s part of the magic of obtaining this very lively rhythm sound that we’re going for.

But the challenge comes in switching from the loose strumming part to the dead-on accuracy needed to pull off the slide lick. Take your time with the transition and work through the “training wheels” I cover in the video.

The goal is to make your rhythm guitar sound blend into your lead work and vice versa. We’re going for a nice fluid sound and this lesson will help you develop that skill.

Good luck and happy picking!


Enjoying These Slide Guitar Lessons?

Check out other lessons in this series:

How to not suck at slide guitar
The Fun Way to Practice Slide Guitar Scales
Sound Better on Slide Guitar with this Practice Lick


When you are ready, there are two ways I can help you:

Back Porch Blues Course:  A proven system to fingerpicking the blues.  This step-by-step course guides you through building fundamental fingerpicking skills.  Plus, you’ll learn three levels of a delta blues style performance study to put your new skills into action.

Become a myBGI Member: Membership comes with access to Back Porch Blues plus over 70 step-by-step courses.  Get proven results with one of myBGI’s structured Roadmaps.

Subscribe to Tuesday Blues​

Join 14,000 Tuesday Blues subscribers for weekly lessons.  You’ll get strategies, tips and tutorials to help you play better blues guitar.

    Hey, Before You Go...

    GRAB THE FREE
    FRETBOARD TOOLKIT

    Unlock the fretboard so you can play great blues guitar.