Last month, we explored fretting approaches and technique builders for legato, including hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. Using those chops, let’s stretch out on the fretboard using various scale shapes and numbers of notes per string. It’s helpful to treat the fretboard as one big scale box that acts as the host for patterns like CAGED and three-notes-per-string. Diagram A illustrates C Major (C D E F G A B) over the majority of the fretboard.
Good command of the fretboard gives you choices about where to play. Example 1 puts this into practice with six pathways for a two-octave C Major scale. Each pattern has a slightly different timbre, layout, and application of pick strokes and string changes.
Whenever you feel boxed in, a handy way to escape any positional scale shape is to include four notes on a string (Exs 2 & 3). Each group of four will move you up or down a position, as many times as you like within a line. Legato lines are well-suited to mixed numbers of notes per string since there’s no need to learn complicated picking patterns.
Two ways to make your legato chops sound more like real licks are melodic sequencing and burst phrasing. Sequencing is the process of taking a small musical figure and moving it up or down through a scale. Example 4 does this with a two-string motif on the low sixth and fifth strings, repeating it diatonically across the next two string pairs. Example 5 also uses a two string motif that contains nine notes, repeating on each descending string. See if you can come up with your own library of motifs, then move them across various strings and positions.
Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Guitar Techniques.
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Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Guitar Techniques.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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PAT METHENY
Nick Mellor offers an insight into the jazz great's 16th-note lines, and his approach to improvising over static Minor and Dominant 7th chords.
MARTIN MILLER
Another fabulous JTC guitarist demonstrates his impressive techniques for us, focusing on an approach called Rythmically Dependent Alternate Picking.
THE KINKS' RAY DAVIES
This month Stuart Ryan takes a virtual trip into to North London to get to grips with the acoustic style of the original Muswell Hillbilly.
STEVE LUKATHER
This month Andy G Jones looks at the fluent soloing style of the LA guitarist who co-founded Toto in 1977 then ruled the 80s session scene.
JEFF HANNEMAN
This month Charlie Griffiths Shows No Mercy as he lays down the gauntlett with five shred licks from Slayer's undisputed master of attitude.
10CC
This month Martin Cooper checks out Eric Stewart and Lol Crème, whose distinctive styles helped give this UK band its unique sound.
T-BONE WALKER
From the heart of Texas to the cool West Coast, join David Gerrish on the journey of this hugely influential electric blues guitar innovator.
FERDINANDO CARULLI Andantino In G (Opus 241)
This month Declan Zapala goes back to basics to explore core classical technique with this emotive miniature by the pioneer of classical guitar playing.
THE CROSSROADS Steely Dan's Mu Chord
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From the Kings to Jimi and Eric, Blackmore, Stevie Ray, Gary Moore, John Mayer, JoBo and beyond, Jon Bishop introduces six decades of blues guitar innovation.