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Beyond E-Major (Part 7) | |
Article from One Two Testing, October 1984 |
make your guitar sound like a balalaika
This jolly little chord is a cracker for the beginner who wants to sound 'jazzy' and thinks that Ronnie Scott invented the genre.
A member of the 'C' type family, it uses the middle four strings. The photograph shows this 6th/9th chord being played in C, but like all the other C type chords, it can be played anywhere on the fretboard, the tonic being indicated by the second finger on the 5th string.
Your second finger goes on the third fret, 5th string; first finger on the second fret, 4th string and flat across the second fret, 3rd string; and the third finger is on the third fret, 2nd string. Do not play the 1st and 6th string. From low to high the notes sounded are C (the tonic), E (major third), A (6th) and D (the 9th). This chord is useful for three things: a) as a passing chord thrown in to ease the change from one chord to another ie C7 to C6-9 to a resolving F; b) as an ending chord in a blues type piece, for example, rounding off a blues in C by three strokes of the plectrum with the 6-9 shape in D (tonic on fifth fret), then C sharp, ending and holding on C6-9; and lastly c) for the novice, move about the neck retaining the shape with lazy strumming from the right hand thumb. Hitting it anywhere on the neck in a quasi-jazz feel at a party you may find yourself approached by a lounge lizard.
Once the guitarist begins to unravel the delights of soloing, he or she usually has only one thing in mind.
How do I get faster?
Playing faster is not just a matter of left hand dexterity. Listen to John McLaughlin (perhaps the fastest guitarist?) and you can clearly hear how the right hand can also increase the revs. So let's look at each hand in turn.
Balance, in respect of your thumb being placed midway on the back of the neck, is necessary to allow your four fretting fingers the chance to move any way they want.
Just to get the idea and feel of your hand totally relaxed, place the ball of the thumb in this position (some guitars have a wood inlay running the length of the neck), and let your whole hand shake to and fro along the line of the strings.
Your first finger should be able to move two frets down from where your thumb is placed, and two frets up. The thumb should be so positioned to act as a clamp in conjunction with the fingers.
To have the thumb anywhere else (curled right round the neck with the nail facing skywards, or tucked under beneath the top two strings) will cause your tendons to tighten — thus reducing freedom of movement.
You'll notice that all the 'speedmen' hold their instrument in a classical style ie high up around the chest. This is so that the wrist and forearm are not contorted in any way and again movement of the fingers is unrestricted. Listen to any rock soloist who considers his axe an extension of his masculine anatomy or a glorified belt buckle and you will never hear a quick cluster of notes over more than one octave or position. This is because the wrist is bent and the thumb is curled right round the neck, so the guitarist is unable to shift position as quickly as those who have the thumb, and guitar, correctly positioned.
An interesting dilemma. Speed or Sexual Symbol?
When playing a run, not every note is struck by the right hand so practise hammering onto the fretboard.
An acoustic guitar is best for this. Using just your left hand, play scales or runs (for example last month's Alvin Lee Triangle). To get the notes to sound you must really bring your fingers down with force. If your thumb is in the correct position this exercise will sound crisp and correct as you will have the maximum lift available for each finger. If the thumb is incorrectly placed, your fingers will not be able to lift high enough off the neck, and the aforementioned clamping cannot be utilised.
There are two types of pattern you can practise. A run of notes that takes you across the fretboard, using the same four or five frets; or a run that involves a change of position ie moving the whole left hand up so that the first finger takes over where the little finger leaves off. You do use your little finger don't you...?
Runs at speed necessitate playing notes in close proximity. As I've stressed in earlier articles — think economically. One finger — one fret.
You might think it easier to play a fast run across the neck than along it. But strangely enough this is not always the case. When you play along a string you can abbreviate or fill in notes by sliding from one fret to another or hammering on or off. ('Hammer off' is hammering on in reverse. Having struck a fingered note with the right hand, release the finger letting the tip pull the string, thereby sounding the next held lower note on the same string.) So going across the neck, ie same frets different strings, actually involves more lifting and lowering of the digits, while playing, for example, from the octave E (12th fret) on the top string to the E on the A string (7th fret) allows you to hammer and slide down or up.
For the novice it is a simple matter to play a solo 'blind' by scooting up and down one string and locating notes by ear, than by working out a finger pattern that rigidly and stiffly moves across several strings — which also requires some nifty right hand plectrum work. Those more technically minded might shudder at the thought of a solitary finger being moved up fret by fret, but it is better to get on and make some sort of noise rather than be overawed at the prospect of devising some form of finger system — that'll all come in time.
Thinking 'longways' offers you a subtle change in tonal texture as you pass from the tautness of a string near the nut, to the more flexible midway spot around the twelfth fret area.
I have made quite clear my dislike of jazz guitarists who sound like a typewriter at 750 wpm. Even those jazz guitarists who put flatwound strings on their 175s (which are great for sliding about on, if you want blisters) manage to disregard any variants in tone and texture, and plink plonk about like a tap-dancing, one legged centipede strapped to a high speed drill.
You must keep practising these hammering riffs for two reasons: (a) to keep your fingers and entire left hand as loose and supple as is necessary and (b) to memorise where notes fall on the fretboard.
Theory and practise, the two go hand in hand, and it is a perfect combination of the two which will ultimately result in an increase in finger speed.
It's a sad fact, but as a guitar playing friend said to me while discussing techniques — playing fast is a slow progress!
The good news is that you can solo much faster by increasing your plectrum speed. This is very easily achieved. Think Zorba the Greek.
Hold a single note down with your left hand (say F on the D string third fret).
Start slowly with downstrokes, then introduce alternate upstrokes. You have to position your hand so that only the very tip of the plectrum (1-2mm) is hitting the string. Too much plectrum and it'll fly out of your hand as you get faster. Anyway, you're wasting time if you have to hump too much plastic up and over each string.
So while alternating up and downstrokes, speed up at a comfortable pace until you've reached that balalaika sound. Do you know 'Laura's Theme' from Dr Zhivago? No, I don't want to either.
When playing fast, trilling strokes, you get a tighter sound from the note when playing the plectrum near the bridge where, understandably, the string is tighter. With less vibration it is easier to strike repeatedly. The following simple exercise will send you on your way.
Donning your white trousers and wiping the suntan oil off your hands, place your first finger on the F (1st fret) of the top E string. Place your plectrum near to the bridge with your lower palm resting on the strings the dead side of the bridge.
Stand up and part your legs. Throw back your head with eyes shut and imagine ecstacy (Carlos Santana with broken fingers...??).
Then, striking the string in a trilling balalaika way, slowly push your left hand first finger up over twelve frets. Hey Presto! Love, Devotion and Surrender! You've just become Carlos the International Terrible-ist!
Joking aside, this simple example will demonstrate to you how deft use of the plectrum or thumb pick can increase your speed without worrying about left hand fluidity.
Try this simple vamping exercise using just E shaped barre chords. You'll love it. And the word 'vamp' is not an abbreviation of vampire. 'Vamping', according to the Oxford English Dictionary of Music, is an improvised accompaniment played by a pianist or guitarist who cannot read notation (my italics) but plays by ear (their italics).
Read the next part in this series:
Beyond E Major (Part 8)
(12T Nov 84)
All parts in this series:
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Drum Hum |
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Tona De Brett's Vocal Points |
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Coverage - Scritti Politti - The Sweetest Girl |
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Feature by Billy Jenkins
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