vw1969wf
Verified buyer
07/04/26
Blues Traditions: Slide Roots
Reverend Jones is incredible! i have his other courses and when I wanted to learn slide i thought of his course first and I am not disappointed!
Blues Traditions: Slide Roots
Learn How To Play Authentic Acoustic Slide Blues Guitar
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About this course
In previous editions of Reverend Robert Jones’ Blues Traditions series, you studied several influential slide guitar artists such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Elmore James.
In this Slide Roots edition, you’ll dive deeper into the styles of five more influential slide guitar players including Eddie “Son” House, Jr., Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White, Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Hudson Whittaker aka Tampa Red, and Blind Connie Williams.
In the first section of the course, Reverend Jones guides you through guitar and slide selection, tunings, muting and many of the key techniques necessary for playing authentically in this traditional roots style. In the second section, you’ll play your way through 9 performance studies, each examining the style and techniques of the artists featured in the course.
”Eddie “Son” House, Jr. commonly known as Son House, Son House, Father Of The Folk Blues, used both Open D and Open G tunings. He was a powerful singer and a strong guitarist. However, a number of factors changed his guitar style significantly between the 1930s and his rediscovery in the 1960s. This series of lessons will explore both versions of Son House’s playing.
Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White was a powerful singer and guitarist with a very personal and percussive style. While his early recordings had limited impact, it was his rediscovery in the folk boom that really led to his recognition as a great blues guitarist. Before there was Michael Hedges there was Bukka White.
Blind Willie Johnson was a Texas singer of sanctified songs. He had one of the most singularly amazing slide styles on record. He primarily used Open D tuning, but his mastery of melody allowed him to make every song interesting and unique.
Mississippi Fred McDowell was born in Tennessee, but his music is primarily associated with the Hill Country blues of Mississippi. His style features driving, repetitive rhythms that seem to have direct ties to West African music styles.
Hudson Whittaker, more commonly know as Tampa Red is most closely associated with an early style of Chicago Blues. His playing featured jazz-influenced single string runs usually played out of an Open D tuning.
Blind Connie Williams is the most obscure artist in this collection, but his slide style was unique. Williams was a Philadelphia street singer. He used multiple chord voicings, passing chords and slide techniques in a seemingly random mix that he would adapt for every song that he performed on guitar. His style demonstrates how one might play an old tune in a new way by simply reordering the licks and techniques that we are familiar with.”
Reverend Jones will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson. You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your guitar, slip your slide on, and let’s play some blues with Reverend Robert Jones!
In this Slide Roots edition, you’ll dive deeper into the styles of five more influential slide guitar players including Eddie “Son” House, Jr., Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White, Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Hudson Whittaker aka Tampa Red, and Blind Connie Williams.
In the first section of the course, Reverend Jones guides you through guitar and slide selection, tunings, muting and many of the key techniques necessary for playing authentically in this traditional roots style. In the second section, you’ll play your way through 9 performance studies, each examining the style and techniques of the artists featured in the course.
”Eddie “Son” House, Jr. commonly known as Son House, Son House, Father Of The Folk Blues, used both Open D and Open G tunings. He was a powerful singer and a strong guitarist. However, a number of factors changed his guitar style significantly between the 1930s and his rediscovery in the 1960s. This series of lessons will explore both versions of Son House’s playing.
Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White was a powerful singer and guitarist with a very personal and percussive style. While his early recordings had limited impact, it was his rediscovery in the folk boom that really led to his recognition as a great blues guitarist. Before there was Michael Hedges there was Bukka White.
Blind Willie Johnson was a Texas singer of sanctified songs. He had one of the most singularly amazing slide styles on record. He primarily used Open D tuning, but his mastery of melody allowed him to make every song interesting and unique.
Mississippi Fred McDowell was born in Tennessee, but his music is primarily associated with the Hill Country blues of Mississippi. His style features driving, repetitive rhythms that seem to have direct ties to West African music styles.
Hudson Whittaker, more commonly know as Tampa Red is most closely associated with an early style of Chicago Blues. His playing featured jazz-influenced single string runs usually played out of an Open D tuning.
Blind Connie Williams is the most obscure artist in this collection, but his slide style was unique. Williams was a Philadelphia street singer. He used multiple chord voicings, passing chords and slide techniques in a seemingly random mix that he would adapt for every song that he performed on guitar. His style demonstrates how one might play an old tune in a new way by simply reordering the licks and techniques that we are familiar with.”
Reverend Jones will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for all of the performance studies. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tools to sync the tab and notation to the video lesson. You can also loop or slow down the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your guitar, slip your slide on, and let’s play some blues with Reverend Robert Jones!
Recommended Guitar Slides
What you'll learn
- Perform single-string runs characteristic of early urban blues
- Use modular approach to vary blues arrangements
- Adapt solo arrangements when playing without piano accompaniment
- Develop free-form slide improvisation skills
- Understand the historical context of pre-electric Chicago blues
Release date: 12/12/2021 • 2h 35m runtime
Sample lessons
Slide Tradition Etudes
SECTION 2: Overview
Burying Ground Blues
Overview
Burying Ground Blues
Performance
Burying Ground Blues
Breakdown
What's included
40 lessons • 13 charts
Blues Traditions: Slide Roots
Hi, I’m Reverend Robert Jones. Welcome to the Slide Roots edition of Blues Traditions!
In previous editions of Blues Traditions, we studied several influential slide guitar artists such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Elmore James.
In this Slide Roots edition, we dive deeper into the styles of five more influential slide guitar players including Eddie “Son” House, Jr., Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White, Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Hudson Whittaker aka Tampa Red, and Blind Connie Williams.
In the first section of the course, we’ll focus on guitar selection, tunings, slide selection, muting and the key techniques necessary for playing authentically in this traditional roots style.
In the second section, we’ll play our way through 9 performance studies, each examining the style and techniques of a particular slide guitar artist. I’ll break everything down in detail and you’ll have all of TrueFire’s learning tools to work with so you can learn and practice everything at your own pace.
We’ll study the percussive Mississippi Delta slide style of Bukka White, early Chicago slide a la Tampa Red, Blind Willie Johnson’s slide approach to early spiritual music, the eclectic sounds of Blind Connie Williams, and the hill country blues slide approach of Mississippi Fred McDowell.
If you’re ready, grab your guitar and a slide, and let’s dig in.
In previous editions of Blues Traditions, we studied several influential slide guitar artists such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Elmore James.
In this Slide Roots edition, we dive deeper into the styles of five more influential slide guitar players including Eddie “Son” House, Jr., Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White, Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Hudson Whittaker aka Tampa Red, and Blind Connie Williams.
In the first section of the course, we’ll focus on guitar selection, tunings, slide selection, muting and the key techniques necessary for playing authentically in this traditional roots style.
In the second section, we’ll play our way through 9 performance studies, each examining the style and techniques of a particular slide guitar artist. I’ll break everything down in detail and you’ll have all of TrueFire’s learning tools to work with so you can learn and practice everything at your own pace.
We’ll study the percussive Mississippi Delta slide style of Bukka White, early Chicago slide a la Tampa Red, Blind Willie Johnson’s slide approach to early spiritual music, the eclectic sounds of Blind Connie Williams, and the hill country blues slide approach of Mississippi Fred McDowell.
If you’re ready, grab your guitar and a slide, and let’s dig in.
Essential Slide Tips
In the first section of the course, we’ll focus on guitar selection, tunings, slide selection, muting and the key techniques necessary for playing authentically in this traditional roots style.
Slide Guitar Setup
Unlike dobro or lap-style players who depend exclusively on a bar or bullet for fretting, this style of playing demands using the fingers of the left hand along with the slde, so it's important that the action of the guitar isn't too high to allow conventional fretting.
Open Tunings
Most slide guitarist rely on open tunings. Most of the tunes in this lesson set will be using an Open D tuning (DADF#AD, low to high). A variation of this tuning is Open D minor (DADFAD). Open D minor was noticably used by Bukka White, Skip James and Robert Johnson in his, "Hellhounds On My Trail"
Slide Playing Basics
Slide players are highly individual in their choice of a slide. Slides vary in materials from metal, to glass, to ceramic. Also, players often use improvised objects for slide. Blues history is filled with recordings made with Coricidin bottles,cut and polished wine bottlenecks, pocketknives, cut off shotgun barrels, polished beef bones and more. To get started, however, I recommend purchasing a variety of commercially produced guitar slides, in glass, ceramic and metal until you find one that fits your style and preference. As to the guitar, as I mention in the video, almost any steel string guitar can be used for slide. The one that I am playing throughout the video is a custom-made tricone made by Ron Philips. www.metalgitars.com. Finally, remember the three important DOs of playing slide--1) When sliding up or down to a note, place your slide right on the fret, 2) Always have some movement in you slide hand, and 3) don't forget to mute the ringing of unwanted strings when you are going for a clean single note. One other thing, to quote William Shakespeare, "Use all gently". A light touch with this slide usually gives a better tone and a more fluent movement.
Slide Tradition Etudes
In the second section, we’ll play our way through 9 performance studies, each examining the style and techniques of a particular slide guitar artist. I’ll break everything down in detail and you’ll have all of TrueFire’s learning tools to work with so you can learn and practice everything at your own pace.
Son's Church Blues
Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. (1902?-1988) was a highly influentual Mississippi guitarist. House had been a Baptist preacher in the 1920s, but he came to blues in the late twenties. Throughout his career House felt torn between the church and the blues, and this tension is heard in "Preaching Blues". I took his 1930 recording of "Preaching Blues" as an example of House's early slide style. "Preaching Blues" can be found on YouTube.
+ 33 more lessons
Reviews
11 results
Schimel
Verified buyer
01/24/26
Excelent course and material. Thanks to Rev, Robert Jones.
slideaddict7
Verified buyer
01/05/26
Blues tradition slide roots
It was an an ok video, as a student of the delta blues, he has some good points to pass along, though I consider him to more of an orator than a teacher
mbtetowimu
Verified buyer
11/03/25
Slide way to go
What more can be said to have such a precious resource for people to learn the most essential part of blues guitar playing? It's a miracle this course exists.
nobody1971
Verified buyer
12/18/24
Very authentic
If you want to play the traditional blues right you're right here. Very authentic Teacher and experienced player.
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