spaivxx
01-02-2007, 03:37 AM
When i first began playing, I was into classical guitar. I eventually majored in Classical guitar in college (before switching to jazz guitar and then musical composition). As a classical guitarist, my approach to the left hand was VERY position oriented.
Before going to school, I used the 3 per string fingerings so commonly found in use. After giving up classical guitar, and getting into metal, I shifted into a combination of the two approaches. I tend to move around the neck a lot. A typically run would be to play a scale in the three note per string approach in an octave, but upon approaching the octave I would slide from the 7th into the root and repeat the fingering, adjusting the finger patter of course for the interval change between strings when necessary.
But, lately, playing blues, and tonight, working ohn a Joe Pass tune, I really find myself mostly abandining the former appraches for a mostly 2 fingered approach. I have always relied heavily upon my pinky and middle fingers. In some songs in the metal days, I would even use them to play power chords and do root fifith power chord trills and such.
But with the standard pentatonic bos patterns, and with certain arpeggio voicings,I am finding the moving a lot form position to position, and fingering a lot of notes that formerly my pinky may have taken care of with a slide from the ring finger. This results in a lot of left hand movement, as I am constantly sliding from position to position, even more so than when I combined the 3 per string patterns and slides.
Below is an example of a C Minor pentatonic run that I find myself using variants of a lot.
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------16----
-----------------------------------15--17------17-
-----------------------13--15--17-----------------
-15-------------13--15----------------------------
----11--13--15------------------------------------
.4..1./1...3....1..3
the dotted line with numbers was to illustrate the fingering.
Anyhow I am finding that type of pattern to be better for playing bluesier passages and such, especially adding some hammers, pulls, bends, slides, etc........
[NOTE]The dots and numbers did not line up, for fingering the idea is use 1 for first note, slide into next note with one, employ 3 on the third note, 1 on first note next string, 3 on next, 1 on note starting next string, etc.... sliding whenever you need 3 notes per string, so that you are just repeating a 2 finger pattern.
with my recently mangled left middle finger, this type of pattern helps play without pain.
Here is my approach to a run using the typical pentatonic 2 note per string box shape, Ill do thin in A cause I think that's the first scale everyone learns...
--------------------------------10-12-15-17-----
-----------------------8--10--13----------------
------------------7--9------------------------
---------5--7--10------------------------------
----5--7----------------------------------------
5-8--------------------------------------------
Of course you play it back down as well. The only part that can be a little tricky might be the last string, cause I finger it 10th fret with first finger, 12th with 3rd, then jump up and finger 15th with 1st, 17th with third, then jump back on the way down, if I am descending from the A when after hitting it.
A lot of you dudes on here with some technique already know all this and use it or other techniques better suited to your playing style, but I figured for those who are still learning scalar playing or those who are looking to increase their fretboard mobility, these might help.
Before going to school, I used the 3 per string fingerings so commonly found in use. After giving up classical guitar, and getting into metal, I shifted into a combination of the two approaches. I tend to move around the neck a lot. A typically run would be to play a scale in the three note per string approach in an octave, but upon approaching the octave I would slide from the 7th into the root and repeat the fingering, adjusting the finger patter of course for the interval change between strings when necessary.
But, lately, playing blues, and tonight, working ohn a Joe Pass tune, I really find myself mostly abandining the former appraches for a mostly 2 fingered approach. I have always relied heavily upon my pinky and middle fingers. In some songs in the metal days, I would even use them to play power chords and do root fifith power chord trills and such.
But with the standard pentatonic bos patterns, and with certain arpeggio voicings,I am finding the moving a lot form position to position, and fingering a lot of notes that formerly my pinky may have taken care of with a slide from the ring finger. This results in a lot of left hand movement, as I am constantly sliding from position to position, even more so than when I combined the 3 per string patterns and slides.
Below is an example of a C Minor pentatonic run that I find myself using variants of a lot.
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------16----
-----------------------------------15--17------17-
-----------------------13--15--17-----------------
-15-------------13--15----------------------------
----11--13--15------------------------------------
.4..1./1...3....1..3
the dotted line with numbers was to illustrate the fingering.
Anyhow I am finding that type of pattern to be better for playing bluesier passages and such, especially adding some hammers, pulls, bends, slides, etc........
[NOTE]The dots and numbers did not line up, for fingering the idea is use 1 for first note, slide into next note with one, employ 3 on the third note, 1 on first note next string, 3 on next, 1 on note starting next string, etc.... sliding whenever you need 3 notes per string, so that you are just repeating a 2 finger pattern.
with my recently mangled left middle finger, this type of pattern helps play without pain.
Here is my approach to a run using the typical pentatonic 2 note per string box shape, Ill do thin in A cause I think that's the first scale everyone learns...
--------------------------------10-12-15-17-----
-----------------------8--10--13----------------
------------------7--9------------------------
---------5--7--10------------------------------
----5--7----------------------------------------
5-8--------------------------------------------
Of course you play it back down as well. The only part that can be a little tricky might be the last string, cause I finger it 10th fret with first finger, 12th with 3rd, then jump up and finger 15th with 1st, 17th with third, then jump back on the way down, if I am descending from the A when after hitting it.
A lot of you dudes on here with some technique already know all this and use it or other techniques better suited to your playing style, but I figured for those who are still learning scalar playing or those who are looking to increase their fretboard mobility, these might help.