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On my previous lesson we explored the possibilities of applying convenient 3 note per string fingerings onto pentatonic scales. I hope you had a chance to work on those concepts and let your fingers get used to the stretches and fingerings, because today we're gonna get into the really crazy stuff, so your hands better be in shape! Before I start I just want to add that my approach and these ideas came mainly from trying to get the smoothest sound when playing melodic ideas. From my experience, one way to get a really flowing sound is to use as little string-crossing as possible, and that can be achieved by grouping as many notes as physically possible on each string. The figures presented here are 90% fret hand, and some of you might have some difficulty getting used to the enormous stretches, the string skipping, and the position leaps (all executed at once...), but once you do have it down it will seem effortless and will prove highly effective and useful.
Let's get started. The 3-notes-per-string fingerings were developed mainly for playing diatonic scales, and enable a comfortable way for playing scales quickly. The secret is to take that 3-note-per-string method, and apply it to various melodic and harmonic sources: pentatonic scales (as we did in lesson 1), exotic scales (you can find some resources for those on the web), symmetrical scales (such as the whole-tone and diminished scales), and finally- arpeggios. The rule is simple- take the group of notes chosen, and build a fingering that consists of three notes on each string. You'll find that sometimes to do this you'll have to skip strings, jump to different positions and perform all kinds of crazy left hand acrobatics. My philosophy is to just force my left hand to play everything and not be limited by the commonly used fingerings and spacings. This makes things really easy for the picking hand, and I guess it's a matter of choice whether you're a fret hand oriented type of player (such as myself) or a pick hand kind of guy/girl.
An important thing to remember is to Take it easy! Don't strain your hands, remember to really warm up and stretch your hands before playing, and stop if you feel pain!
You might of heard a bit of this technique already used by players such as (first and foremost) the all-mighty Shawn Lane, as well as Michael Angelo and Vinnie Moore. These guys applied the approach strictly to diminished arpeggios, largely due to their symmetrical nature. The use of triads as well as 7th arpeggios presented here are somewhat of an uncharted territory, so be sure to really explore the stuff you can do with them. I'll be playing everything legato, but you can also pick all of these shapes with relative ease (if you're accustomed to alternate picking string skipping phrases).
The examples here are presented as raw fingering patterns and are not ment to be musical ideas. Try to take the fingerings and make some music with them.
Ex1:
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Example 1 is a two-octave E-minor triad (E-1, G-b3, B-5). This provides a great, smoother alternative to the common two-octave sweep-picking shapes. You can easily add another octave by repeating the one string pattern at the-E on the 5th string 7th fret.
Ex2:
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Example 2 is a Db major 7th (Db-1, F-3, Ab-5, C-7) arpeggio starting from the root. This is a good place to mention that you should learn these shapes in all (of the physically possible) inversions. For those of you that aren't familiar with basic chord-theory, I suggest looking for resources here on the web.
Ex3:
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Example 3 shows the inversions of the 3-notes-per-string pattern for an F# dominant 7th arp (F#-1, A#-3, C#-5, E-b7) played on the G and high-E strings. Try sliding from one position to another. In the sound file, I'll repeat the root (F#) at the end of each inversion so you'll be able to hear the dominant tonality. I suggest studying the inversions of the M7, m7 and m7b5 as well, on all of the string sets.
Ex4:
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Example 4a is a really big A minor-7th arpeggio (A-1, C-b3, E-5, G-b7) . This one is a little harder since it involves 3 strings. I've seen this shape played by fingering the first two notes on each string with the left hand, and tapping the 3rd note with the right hand. It is true that many of these shapes can be played with less left hand effort (though less cleanly) by using right-hand tapping, therefore just so we don't feel like we're working for nothing, I've added example 4b, which uses our technique PLUS a tapped note (first the flat 3rd then the 9th).
Ex5:
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I'll also include the shape that made me come up with all of these weird fingerings in the first place- the diminished arp. Example 5a is the basic diminished shape, in this case E diminished (E-1, G-b3, Bb- b5). Remember, diminished arps can be repeated every 3 frets, and therefore make it easy to practice the position shifts without worrying about which inversion you're on. So I strongly suggest spending most of your practice time on this shape at first, and then going back to the previous examples.
Example 5b is an expanded version of the arp in 5a (starting from Bb), covering three strings and a tapped top note.
Ex6:
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Example 6 is a nice suspended lick. Some of you might have already realized how fond I am of large intervals as well as suspended tonalities (sus 2, sus4). Ex6 has both in it. You see it as an Fsus2 arpeggio (1-F, 2-G, 5-C), or you can relate it to the C, and then you get a Csus4 (1-C, 4-F, 5-G). To add some texture, I'm picking the ascension but pulling off the rest. This is a good idea to try on every lick you play.
Well, that's it! Hope you learned something, had fun, and that your left hand is still operating. Let me stress once more how important it is to warm-up and stretch-up before playing this stuff. Good luck.
