Learn Slide Guitar: Derek Trucks Guitar Method.

Are you ready to learn some of the best slide guitar music today? If you said yes, then you need to listen to Derek Trucks. His slide guitar style is nothing short of amazing. He effortlessly combines blues, rock, jazz, and Indian music into a cohesive easy to listen to, slide guitar style.

derek trucks

So what makes his slide guitar playing so unique? I believe it is all due to his melodic development of his slide guitar licks. If you listen to him enough, you will know that he is not about flash. He is about taste and melody. His playing often reminds me of old R&b, and blues singers. By incorporating this type of style, his slide guitar licks take on a vocal-like quality.

So how does he play so well? One word, commitment. Derek Trucks has dedicated his life to pushing the envelope of his slide guitar playing as well as music in general. He plays over 300 shows a year, and has been touring since the age of 12! This is a lot of guitar playing. This does not guarantee you will be great. I believe he is constantly learning new licks and styles, which is the key to improving musical skills. All the great guitar players don’t really think they’ve achieved what they’re capable of, and this, I believe, is what makes them great.

Derek Trucks relies on the pentatonic major and minor for a lot of his slide guitar licks. These two scales only have 5 notes, hence the term pentatonic. All the notes in the scale sound good when played over the right chord progressions. Here is what they look like.

slide guitar tabs

By combining these 2 scales with tasty melodies, you’ll be on your way to playing in the Derek Trucks guitar style. It will take a lot of practice to sound like Derek, and at some point you will want to forget his licks and create your own style of slide guitar playing. That’s what Derek did. He learned from Duane and moved on. This is an important step if you want to really get good. Face it, you will never sound as good as Derek does. Why? Because he’s Derek, and you are you. Only you can put things together like you hear them in your head. Don’t think of this as a disability, but as a unique talent.

Learn as much as you can from other slide guitar players, then put it in your own words. Until you realize this, you will never reach your full potential. This could take you a lifetime, but the journey will be well worth it.

For more info on slide guitar check out my DVD, Slide Guitar Method 1 Open E Tuning.

Check out my website as well  Learning Guitar Now.

John W Tuggle
John W Tuggle

I love teaching the blues and have created numerous training courses and lessons to learn how to play like BB King, Clapton, Duane Allman, and more. Get Started Now