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Basic Technique Exercises

Revision as of 00:00, 8 September 2014 by Meambobbo (talk | contribs) (→‎Fretting Technique)

Revision as of 00:00, 8 September 2014 by Meambobbo (talk | contribs) (→‎Fretting Technique)

This page has exercises to help establish basic technique as outlined in this lesson.

Fingering Exercises

Fretting Technique

These exercises should help focus on fretting technique. Start slow and focus on each note, making sure there is no buzzing or sharp pitch or dull tone due to poor fretting technique. Each possible pair of fingers is emphasized, although we are not yet venturing into stretches. First position is used to use the widest distance between the frets, which may be considered the most difficult due to the larger distance between frets. This makes it good to focus on fretting technique, requiring not only the proper strength and use of the fingertips, but accuracy to hold the string just "behind" the fret. 

    Index and Middle
 E--------------------------------------------------------------1--2--1--2--
 B--------------------------------------------------1--2--1--2--------------
 G--------------------------------------1--2--1--2--------------------------
 D--------------------------1--2--1--2--------------------------------------
 A--------------1--2--1--2--------------------------------------------------
 E--1--2--1--2--------------------------------------------------------------
    i  m  i  m ...

 E--2--1--2--1--------------------------------------------------------------
 B--------------2--1--2--1--------------------------------------------------
 G--------------------------2--1--2--1--------------------------------------
 D--------------------------------------2--1--2--1--------------------------
 A--------------------------------------------------2--1--2--1--------------
 E--------------------------------------------------------------2--1--2--1--
    m  i  m  i ...

    Index and Ring
 E--------------------------------------------------------------1--3--1--3--
 B--------------------------------------------------1--3--1--3--------------
 G--------------------------------------1--3--1--3--------------------------
 D--------------------------1--3--1--3--------------------------------------
 A--------------1--3--1--3--------------------------------------------------
 E--1--3--1--3--------------------------------------------------------------
    i  r  i  r ...

 E--3--1--3--1--------------------------------------------------------------
 B--------------3--1--3--1--------------------------------------------------
 G--------------------------3--1--3--1--------------------------------------
 D--------------------------------------3--1--3--1--------------------------
 A--------------------------------------------------3--1--3--1--------------
 E--------------------------------------------------------------3--1--3--1--
    r  i  r  i ...

    Index and Pinky
 E--------------------------------------------------------------1--4--1--4--
 B--------------------------------------------------1--4--1--4--------------
 G--------------------------------------1--4--1--4--------------------------
 D--------------------------1--4--1--4--------------------------------------
 A--------------1--4--1--4--------------------------------------------------
 E--1--4--1--4--------------------------------------------------------------
    i  p  i  p ...

 E--4--1--4--1--------------------------------------------------------------
 B--------------4--1--4--1--------------------------------------------------
 G--------------------------4--1--4--1--------------------------------------
 D--------------------------------------4--1--4--1--------------------------
 A--------------------------------------------------4--1--4--1--------------
 E--------------------------------------------------------------4--1--4--1--
    p  i  p  i ...

    Middle and Ring
 E--------------------------------------------------------------2--3--2--3--
 B--------------------------------------------------2--3--2--3--------------
 G--------------------------------------2--3--2--3--------------------------
 D--------------------------2--3--2--3--------------------------------------
 A--------------2--3--2--3--------------------------------------------------
 E--2--3--2--3--------------------------------------------------------------
    m  r  m  r ...

 E--3--2--3--2--------------------------------------------------------------
 B--------------3--2--3--2--------------------------------------------------
 G--------------------------3--2--3--2--------------------------------------
 D--------------------------------------3--2--3--2--------------------------
 A--------------------------------------------------3--2--3--2--------------
 E--------------------------------------------------------------3--2--3--2--
    r  m  r  m ...

    Ring and Pinky
 E--------------------------------------------------------------3--4--3--4--
 B--------------------------------------------------3--4--3--4--------------
 G--------------------------------------3--4--3--4--------------------------
 D--------------------------3--4--3--4--------------------------------------
 A--------------3--4--3--4--------------------------------------------------
 E--3--4--3--4--------------------------------------------------------------
    r  p  r  p ...

 E--4--3--4--3--------------------------------------------------------------
 B--------------4--3--4--3--------------------------------------------------
 G--------------------------4--3--4--3--------------------------------------
 D--------------------------------------4--3--4--3--------------------------
 A--------------------------------------------------4--3--4--3--------------
 E--------------------------------------------------------------4--3--4--3--
    p  r  p  r ...

    Middle and Pinky
 E--------------------------------------------------------------2--4--2--4--
 B--------------------------------------------------2--4--2--4--------------
 G--------------------------------------2--4--2--4--------------------------
 D--------------------------2--4--2--4--------------------------------------
 A--------------2--4--2--4--------------------------------------------------
 E--2--4--2--4--------------------------------------------------------------
    m  p  m  p ...

 E--4--2--4--2--------------------------------------------------------------
 B--------------4--2--4--2--------------------------------------------------
 G--------------------------4--2--4--2--------------------------------------
 D--------------------------------------4--2--4--2--------------------------
 A--------------------------------------------------4--2--4--2--------------
 E--------------------------------------------------------------4--2--4--2--
    p  m  p  m ...

Economy Fretting

This exercise focuses on economy in fretting, by minimizing unnecessary finger movement. Hold the frets with each finger behind the current fretting finger: 

             p
          r-----r
       m-----------m
    i-----(hold)------i

  --4--5--6--7--6--5--4--
    i  m  r  p  r  m  i

As seen above, the index finger can hold the 4th fret throughout the entire tab above. The middle finger can fret the 5th fret, so long as the lower 4th fret does not need to be played. By holding the lower frets, they do not need to be re-fretted later on. This emphasizes economy of motion, reducing the amount of fretting your left-hand fingers need to do, allowing greater speed, clean picking technique, and performance stamina.

This exercise applies the above principle to an open position C scale. 

          r        r        r              r        r
                m--m     m--m     m                 
       i--i                             i--i     i--i
 E--------------------------------------------0--1--3--
 B-----------------------------------0--1--3-----------
 G-----------------------------0--2--------------------
 D--------------------0--2--3--------------------------
 A-----------0--2--3-----------------------------------
 E--0--1--3--------------------------------------------

The above exercise is simple and demonstrates the possible economy holds on the different strings, but it does not demonstrate the benefit, which occurs when ascending and descending on the same string. It is also more evident outside of first position: 

          p        p        p        p     p           p     p        p                          p---p
       r--r     r--r                    r-----r     r--------r              r     r
                         m-----m                                   m--m                 m     m------m
    i--i     i--i     i-----------i              i--------i     i--i     i-----i     i---------------i
 E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------5--6--5--6--8-/10--
 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------5--7--5--7---------------------
 D--------------------5--7--9--7--5-----------------------------5--7--9---------------------------------
 A-----------5--7--8-----------------8--7--8--7--5--7--8--7--8------------------------------------------
 E--5--7--8---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last edited on 21 July 2015, at 22:24