THE SLIDE GUITAR OF KELLY JOE PHELPS
 
 

The Slide Guitar of Kelly Joe Phelps, (Homespun Video) provides 80 minutes of detailed instruction in slide bar technique, string muting, use of the capo, fingerpicking style and how to scale and chord patterns in open D tuning. Kelly Joe is an articulate and patient instructor and will provide numerous insights into his musical craft on this video. His exploration of improvised solos, using a combination of open and barred strings, will help you create expressive melody lines and evocative harmonies, and turn your songs into vehicles through which you can express your own ideas and emotions.
This lesson includes detailed analyses of Kelly Joe's guitar arrangements to the traditional gospel song When the Roll is Called Up Yonder ('Roll Away the Stone'), his original minor-key blues Black Crow Keeps Flying ('Lead Me On') and the classic Leadbelly song Goodnight Irene ('Shine Eyed Mister Zen').

 
 
Review of 'The Slide Guitar of Kelly Joe Phelps'
Guitar Player Magazine
by Mat Blackett

'About ten seconds into the Slide Guitar of Kelly Joe Phelps, it's clear that Phelps is one of the cleanest, baddest, and most soulful slide players on the scene today. His impeccable timing and intonation should be an inspiration to slide players everywhere. The video lesson is taught in an informal, down-home style that puts viewers at ease as Phelps hits on pertinent topics such as setting up guitars for lap-style playing, right and left-hand muting, and tilting the slide-bar to incorporate open strings in chords.

Slide Guitar seems aimed at self-starters who feed off inspired playing - and who can see a lick demonstrated and concoct their own exercises from it - because just about every note Phelps plays is inspiring. His discussions on fingerpicking, alternating bass notes, and dynamic tension could be useful to any guitarist - not just slide cats. And it's worth mentioning that, although Phelps plays lap-style in open D, his right-hand muting and intonation tips can help slide players of any stripe.

The 22-page booklet that accompanies Slide Guitar has charts for the four songs that Phelps uses as teaching vehicles. Again, these aren't exercises per se, but just about any two-bar fragment could be a great lesson. If you know how to steal licks, you'd be hard pressed to find a better player to steal them from'.