Slides and slurs

 Slurred notes are played by pressing down on one note and sliding the same finger up or down the guitar neck to another note on the same string. It is important to hear the sound of your finger sliding up to the desired note, so make sure to keep the pressure on your finger all the way through the slur. The more pressure you use with your finger, the better the slur will sound.

In the example on the right, there is a note played on the 5th fret of the 3rd string and then slides up to the 7th fret on the same string. The note then re-articulates the 7th fret and creates a new slide down to the 5th fret. Typically, both of these slides would be done with the same finger, most likely the 3rd finger.

Exercises with Slides and slurs

In the exercise below, note the slides moving up the fretboard in the first measure (ascending) and then descending in the second measure. In these slides, you will hear both notes as clearly defined notes that are connected with the slide.

In the exercise below, note that there is only a single note written with a slide marking that precedes the note. This means that the starting note of the slide will not be heard, and can start on any fret . In these exercises, the fretting finger will start the slide at the same time that the right hand picks the string, allowing for only the written pitch to be clearly heard. This timing between the right and left hand may take some time to adjust to, but yields a very useful and commonly used articulation for single note playing.

In the exercise below, ascending and descending slides are connected together in triplets (counted “trip-a-let”). It is very important to connect the slide through all three notes and not to stop in the middle between one of the two slides. This will take a little time to get used to, and can be repeated on any string or fretting position once mastered.