Authors: Erich Andreas
Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja (8 page)
Transitions
Diamonds
Single Beat Strums
Actual strumming rhythm of the song
to Use a Capo
A
capo (pronounced “cape-o”) is a moveable bar that
can be attached to the fingerboard of a fretted instrument to uniformly raise
the pitch of all the strings. Capos allow us to play songs in different
keys, without altering our fingering.
Remember, the musical alphabet is as follows:
A
, A#
, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
Let’s say we have a song that is in
G
(Major) and the
chords are
G, C, A-
and
D
. If we want to transpose (change
keys) that song up a half step (1
fret
), then we
would place the capo at the 1st fret and move our chords up 1 fret as well.
Doing this allows us to play in our new key of
G#
, while still
allowing us to play in a “feel” of
G
. If we did
NOT
use the
capo, we would have to play four bar chords (
G#, C#, A#-
and
D#
)
- which is
no fun!
With our capo at the 1st fret, we will have transposed to
G#
without having to play
all those
pesky bar chords!
This will also allow us to free up some fingers to add ornamental parts
to a once basic chord progression.
When I chart a song, I will notate at the top of the page if
you need a capo and where you should put it on the neck/fret board. I
will also sometimes denote what “feel” the song will be in. For the song
example in the above paragraph, I would notate “
Capo1(
G
feel)”.
G, C
and
D
are the easier keys (“feels”) to
play songs in. You will often find songs that are in another key, but you
can simply use a capo and follow the chord structures of those easier keys.
It’s easy to transpose using the number system chart that I
have created; if you can work a little basic math, you don’t even need it,
though. If you use the musical alphabet above, you could capo 1(
G
feel)
to play in
G#
.
To play in
A
with a “
G
feel”,
capo at the 2nd fret.
To play in
B
, with
a
G
feel, capo at the 4th fret.
Similarly, you can do this
for keys
C
and
D
.
If you want to play in
the key of
D
, but with a “
C
feel”, capo at the 2nd fret.
S
o what type of capo should you buy?
My
favorite
brands are
Kyser
,
Shubb
and
G7th
. The
Kyser
is a very easy
to use clamp style of capo. It’s also handy because you can easily clamp
it to the head stock of your guitar when you’re not using it - so you’ll always
have it when you need it! While I like using the
Kyser
for the quick “on and off” needed during live acoustic gigs, I have found that
it seems to throw my electrics out of tune a bit from the pressure of the
spring.
For this reason
, I prefer the adjustable style of the
Shubb
and G7th for when I’m playing live with an
electric (if I desire a capo) and for studio work with both acoustics and
electrics. Here’s a quick video lesson on
how to use a capo
.
Fingerpicking
is the use of one’s fingers to strike
or pluck the strings instead of using a pick (plectrum). This technique
is widely used in classical, flamenco, Spanish and folk music; however, it has
also been used in nearly every genre of music - including pop and rock.
Fingerpicking allows the player to be more selective regarding what
strings should sound when playing the guitar polyphonically (multiple
simultaneous notes).
For example
, if I want to play an E minor chord, but
don’t want the fourth and fifth strings to sound, I would either need to mute
them or just not play them at all. If I were strumming the guitar, you
can see how playing the same chord without the fourth and fifth strings might
be awkward.
However
, with the use of fingerpicking I can pick
strings 1, 2, 3 and 6 easily. That’s a very simple explanation of the
myriad of possibilities that only fingerpicking will allow. Fingerpicking
also has its own distinctive sound.
When reading music that uses fingerpicking, you may see the
term “PIMA” or the initials P, I, M or A used. PIMA is an acrostic for
the thumb and the first three fingers of the right hand. Because of its
length, the pinky is often times not used. PIMA is often utilized to
indicate which fingers to use in picking. The traditional Spanish words
that we derive those letters from are:
Pulgar
= Thumb
Indice
= Fore Finger
Medio
= Middle
Finger
Anular
= Ring Finger
I know! I don’t speak Spanish either. It’s
certainly a lovely language, but we need something else to help us remember the
fingers. Here’s how to think about them.
For P, think of the guitar pick - or if you’re in the UK,
they call it a plectrum. A lot of beginning guitar players will use their
thumb instead of a pick. Got it?
- For I, think of the
index finger - For M, think of the
middle finger - For A, think of the anniversary
(ring) finger
Fingerpicking
, like any other technique that we are
going to study, requires practice, attention and a lot of patience. This
is a technique that feels awkward at first and too, with time and discipline,
miraculously gets easier. If the definition of an arpeggio is a
broken
chord
or a chord where the notes are played
independently of each other
, then you are about to play a lot of arpeggios.
Until you get more comfortable with the fingerpicking hand
playing the prescribed patterns, it's extremely important that you focus all of
your attention on the fingerpicking and not the fretting. For this exact
reason, I want you to start this process by playing an open E minor chord, on
strings 1, 2, 3 and 6 only. We won't be playing strings 4 and 5, which
are the only strings that you would be fretting for our traditional E minor
chord.
So, let your fretting hand relax. You won't be using
it to start off here. Now with your fingerpicking hand, place your thumb
(P) on the sixth string, your ring finger (A) on the first string, your middle
finger (M) on the second string and your first finger (I) on the third string.
Now, just rest your fingers there for a moment. I want
you to indelibly (forever etched in your mind) picture how your fingers are
sitting on the strings. Remember this one concept and fingerpicking will
almost never be an issue for you. How your fingers are sitting on the
strings is the basis of 99% of the fingerpicking that you will encounter.
Don't take your fingers off the strings just yet!!!!
Now, notice the two headings on the fingerpicking
exercise page follow this description: “Songs in 4” and “Songs in 6”.
The first example under “Songs in 4” says PIMA. That
means if the song count is 1, 2, 3, 4, you would pick P, I, M, A, or thumb,
index, middle, ring. You get it? I knew you would... you're smart
like that. Once you get this basic feel down, work your way down the
list. This may take 5 minutes or it may take an hour. There is no
crime in over practicing. It will only make you more ninja-like!
So the next exercise would be P, I, A, M, and so on.
Practice each exercise for a few minutes. This will assure that you
have a good feel before moving to the next exercise. When you're done
with that list, move over to the next list to the right, where you will find
finger combinations. When you see two finger letters underneath a
beat, that
means that both of those fingers should be played
simultaneously (at the same time). On the 3rd list to the right we have
more of the same, only this time the thumb shares in the combination pick.
This is what is referred to as a pinch-pick. It is called a
pinch-pick
because the motion looks much like a pinch if executed properly.
When you come to this list, this section will make more
sense.
Fingerpicking can be done in any time signature.
However
,
4/4 and 6/8 are by far the most common. In fact, they will make up the
majority of the songs that you encounter. To get you started, I have
included 28 exercise patterns. Granted, some of these patterns you will
never use, but many of them you will.
As an exceptional guitarist, however, we want to be
versatile! Practicing
all the patterns
will not only develop your
dexterity in regards to fingerpicking, but it will also get you to start
“thinking outside of the box” and coming up with your own patterns.
Depending on the genre of music, picking with your nails is preferred
over not having nails and playing with your fingertips.
Classical, Spanish and flamenco styles almost always require
the use of fingernails while country “chicken
pickin
’”
sounds better when you don't have nails. YOU are the artist here.
You get to choose what best suits you. Be open and experiment with
some different styles to see what you're most comfortable with.
Fingerpicking Exercises - Songs in 4
