Number 3 in this series of the top mistakes I see slide guitarists making is a strong habit in all guitarists who, like myself, weren't classically trained. It is…
High Thumbing :
This means bringing the thumb up and over the top of the guitar. It is not necessarily a bad habit in guitar playing and can sometimes be useful, like when you add a bass note with your thumb. However in slide playing it can be very beneficial to keep the thumb lower down on the neck to provide stability for the slide and a pivot for your vibrato. Also having the thumb up the top can make it harder to manoeuvre the slide into all the positions you need and can crucially make you more inclined to squeeze the string down onto the fret with the slide causing unwanted buzzing sounds. To help with this issue I made a series of video lessons for my Slide Success program focusing on the role of the thumb, with added "thumb-cam" footage 😜. If you'd like to preview my course, have a look here: members.slidesuccess.co.uk/p/5-steps-to-slide-success
If you'd like a pro assessment of your position, including whether you are high thumbing and it needs addressing, get in touch. I offer a free, no obligation one-to-one session with all those who want to learn slide guitar. I know it can be hard to find guitar lessons that focus on the areas you are most interested in, especially in a specialist area such as slide guitar. That's why I offer my guitar mentor service, giving you bespoke guitar tuition as part of my transformative Five Steps To Slide Success programme. Book in for a one-to-one session and we can discuss my way of teaching guitar, the best way to learn bottleneck slide, address any gear or set-up questions you may have, and discuss whether we can work together on this great way of playing guitar!
Book your free session: https://calendly.com/philliphenrymusic/slide-success-discovery-call
Happy slide playing,
Phil