Sliding

Sliding is a technique which one note is picked, and then your finger slides to another note(s), without additional picking. This is a very simple exercise.  

Usually you will see the tab symbols "/"  for a slide up and " \"  for a slide down. Although I have seen tab where just "/" is used, regardless of whether the slide is up or down. Sometimes you might see an "s" for slide, but we will not be using an "s" for this lesson. 

Slide Up

On the A string, fret the 5th note and pick it, then without removing your finger, slide from the 5th fret, 'up' to the 7th fret. Do not pick the 7th fret. 

E||---------------||
B||---------------||
G||---------------||
D||---------------||
A||--5/--7--------||
E||---------------||

Remember: Do not remove your finger from the fretboard when sliding. Maintain even pressure on the fretboard.

Slide Down

On the B string, fret the 5th note and pick it, then without removing your finger, slide from the 5th fret, 'down' to the 3rd fret. Do not pick the 3rd fret. 

E||---------------||
B||--5\--3--------||
G||---------------||
D||---------------||
A||---------------||
E||---------------||

Remember: Do not remove your finger from the fretboard when sliding. Maintain even pressure on the fretboard.

Slide Up and Down

Slides are not limited to just 2 notes, you can use lots of notes in a slide, and slide all over the fretboard. Here is an example: 

E||-------------------------------------||
B||--7/--9/--11\--9\---7\--6/--7--------||
G||-------------------------------------||
D||-------------------------------------||
A||-------------------------------------||
E||-------------------------------------||

Remember: Do not remove your finger from the fretboard when sliding. Maintain even pressure on the fretboard.

Slide Up from "?"

Sometimes you may see tab where there is a slide up starting from an unmarked note. Use your discretion here, but it usually means you start from just a few notes down. 

E||------------||
B||------------||
G||------------||
D||------------||
A||---/7-------||
E||------------||

For this example, I would start from the 2nd fret on the A string. It isn't always critical to start from the same note every time, so don't sweat it too much. 

Pick Slide

Pick Slides are used on electric guitars with amplification to produce a loud, scratching noise. To produce this sound, take the edge of your pick and start near the bridge of your guitar, just over the pickups. Scrape the edge of your pick down the length of the string, it will produce  a scratchy sound. This technique is best done on thicker strings. Lets try it on the E string. 

E||------------||
B||------------||
G||------------||
D||------------||
A||------------||
E||----X\------||

There are no notes fretted. Use your left hand to hold the neck, and your right hand to move the pick down the neck. You should use a somewhat fast and steady motion when performing the pick slide. There is really no rule as to where to start and stop on the guitar neck. Just do what sounds best to you. Warning: This technique will destroy your pick in a short time. Try to use a heavier pick for best results.  

Slides are present in many songs, so you should use them often. It is one of the easiest techniques to master.