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Bluenote
May 27th, 2010, 03:04 PM
Hey guys,

I haven't been posting on the site for a while but I'm still plodding along! Just wondering if anyone has advice on barring a fret to play through scales or a lead riff (to make playing it faster with less finger movement)? After you work out the note progression do you just bar wherever you can? Any help at all on this would be great. Thanks!

thearabianmage
May 27th, 2010, 03:16 PM
Ok, wait - just to make sure I know what you are asking:

For example, if the sequence you had to play was 3-5-7 going up all 6 strings, should you barre your index across all the threes keep it rooted there while your other fingers do all the work?

If that's what you are asking, then I would say NEVER but that's not completely true - you want to cover the strings, but only as a means of muting the ones you aren't playing, not as an 'anchor' to reduce hand/finger-movement.

The problem with the previous approach is that notes can get muddled up together and you lose clarity and definition. By lifting your fingers after every note, the note only lasts as long as its supposed to - assuming you are muting correctly.

Hope that helps :AOK

Bluenote
May 27th, 2010, 09:12 PM
Thanks, yes that is what I was asking. Also, if you are playing a riff by arpeggiating chords then you would leave your fingers in the chord position and move them only when necessary as opposed to having all of your fingers off the frets until you play each specific note? To prevent unnecessary lifting and then replacing of your fingers on the frets?

I guess I am wondering if there is a sort of standard way of playing that eliminates unneeded fret hand movement?

thearabianmage
May 27th, 2010, 09:47 PM
Also, if you are playing a riff by arpeggiating chords then you would leave your fingers in the chord position and move them only when necessary as opposed to having all of your fingers off the frets until you play each specific note?

Purely depends on what you are trying to play. . . For instance, some sort of classical piece or ballad would probably be played with your fingers fretting the chord shapes. Sometimes you may hold the chord shape and arpeggiate the chord with staccato notes.

On the other hand, you have sweep-picking, where you are arpeggiating chords, but fretting each note individually - it's a paradox, actually - your fingers should never stop moving, but your technique should make your fingers look like they are not moving at all.

Well, maybe not a paradox, but ironic in the least ;)


I guess I am wondering if there is a sort of standard way of playing that eliminates unneeded fret hand movement?

This is efficiency in movement. It's never a bad thing :AOK

thearabianmage
May 27th, 2010, 09:52 PM
Oh yeah - sometimes in soloing, especially jazz soloing where the chords are moving too fast for you to really improvise and capture each chord simultaneously - what is generally done is to finger the chord shape and solo around it - or even just play the notes of the chord in patterns or whatever, all 'inside' the chord shape. It all just depends on what the song calls for.

There are a myriad of ways, your creativity is the only limit :AOK

I hope that helps! :)

Bluenote
May 28th, 2010, 06:42 PM
OK, great information. I wanted to see if I might be going about things in a backward sort of way. Thanks for all of your help!

Heywood Jablomie
May 31st, 2010, 12:43 AM
There are certainly chord position-based riffs. One very famous one that comes to mind is the intro to the Beatles' I Feel Fine. John Fogerty also did lots of things in the same vein. Many other examples, I'm sure.

Bluenote
June 3rd, 2010, 09:40 AM
Thanks Heywood!

piebaldpython
June 3rd, 2010, 05:09 PM
I think Chuck Berry did stuff like that and I know that Luther Allison did it in his soloing.......where they barre 2-4 strings and then just use the other fingers to hammer-on/pull-off of.

Moander
June 5th, 2010, 09:12 AM
Over the years, I've seen some weird play styles.....

I use alot of 'mini-Barres' in my playing, and I have to think music genre plays into your question, thus, I'm a 70's and 80's hard rocker.....

So, I'm waggling around in Pentatonics, major and minor, thus the 1st and 2nd string barre essentially never goes away... for legato, modal stuff, generally a 2 string mini-barre is the most........

For chordal stuff, I subscribe to economy of movement. If I can nail what I need with barring several strings, I could care less about how anyone else does it.....

Bluenote
June 8th, 2010, 09:22 PM
Economy of movement sounds like good advice. I still haven't really trained my fingers to sort of hover just above the strings, they seem to often come up pretty high when I let go of a string. Maybe as I get more familiar with scales and progressions they will naturally stay closer to the strings than they do now. More practicing needed. Anyway, thanks for responding.

Moander
August 20th, 2010, 04:47 AM
Your 'touch' will get better over time... I consider 'touch' the distance your fingers lift when un-fingering a string....

I've actually been looking at my left hand, trying to sneak a peek at it when I'm playing.. seems my hand doesn't like being watched .. :running

I end up, pretty much all of the time, with my index finger covering two strings at least, in most positions, and in most styles (pentatonic, modal, legato, etc)

I think I migrated to this about 20 years ago, in an attempt to play with less slop, so the mini-barring of strings would A: allow me access to notes instantly, and B: help me mute and control surrounding strings/notes.

I eventually got my pick hand under control, where the slop naturally decreased dramatically, but my fret hand still does this floaty, touchy, mini-barre thing....it's so ingrained, it works for me :)

Even the legato stuff, though I'm more a bluesy player, on the legato, I have lift on my fingers, but my index finger is still in contact with a second string for muting purposes.

Bluenote
October 15th, 2010, 07:17 AM
Moander, thanks for the response. What you describe explains what I seem to have seen other accomplished guitarists do.

When you learn a new bit of music, especially a lead part from a tab sheet, it doesn't always appear obvious that you are going to bar a certain fret and then play notes above and back to that bar. To an inexperienced player it just looks like a series of individual notes. But even figuring a part out by ear doesn't help with that. I guess it will develop with more playing. Maybe that is where a good instructor could eliminate the frustration of trying to figure something like that out on your own.

I've watched David Gilmour over and over on the Pulse DVD and he makes it look so smooth and fluid. That's what I'm after.. that type of ease of motion. He doesn't appear to be playing fast really. Just so smoothly. Thanks again for the input.