Playing music is about expression and there are many articulation devices on the guitar that make it such an expressive instrument. We can bend, hammer-on, pull off, slide and use vibrato.
Both ascending and descending slides can really soften the sharp edges of a line and evoke a tender feeling.
Play an A minor triad arpeggio. Root, â™3, 5th. Now I’ll play it descending. 5th, â™3, Root. It sounds fine – nothing wrong with that. What if I played it descending again – but sliding into each note.
Instead of fretting the 5th on the 2nd string, I’ll slide into it from a half step below. And instead of fretting the â™3rd on the 3rd string at the 5th fret, I slide down a whole step with my 3rd finger from the 7th fret. And instead of fretting the root on the 4th string at the 7th fret, I slide a whole step from the 5th fret.
It’s pretty easy and it really can make your lines more expressive. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s worth it. See for yourself.
