Just started to explore the slide guitar, and tuned my guitar to open D. Beginning to figure out how to make (half-)decent sound and want to experiment with a song i wrote some years ago. It starts with this chordprogression are I-V-iv-ii-V. I just wondered how to approach the minor chords along with the slide, when my guitar is tuned to a major chord?
You can fret the f# behind the slide. If you do this, make sure the string goes under the slide. Or if your slide is on your pinky, you can form a barre with your index and fret two half steps above on the two A strings. Like for an e minor chord, bar at the fifth fret and fret the A strings at the seventh fret. I hope this helps you
Easiest way is to fret the third string (which is tuned to the major third) one fret behind the slide. Two half steps up on the A strings give you a major sixth.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
If you take both A strings up it's not a major sixth - you'd have B-D-F#, which is B minor (or the equivalent in another key, depending on position of the barre/slide)
If you leave one A in, you'd get D-F#-A-B... then you'd have a major 6th
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It all depends on what root is played - one of the things about slide and lap steel is that you often 'hint' at chords more than play them fully.
A B-D-F# triad is a good enough 6th for me, if the D is played as the root, but if you can get in the A too then that's even better but not necessary (in the slide world). B-D-F# with the B as the root would obviously be a B-minor.
One of the first "6th" lap steel tunings was called E6/C#m7 and went (low to high) E B E G# C# E - basically an E-major tuning with the second string raised one whole step.
Steinar
