Guitar scale fingerings - what is the priority?

[HR Fan]

Chris
I really appreciate the things you pointed out !! I need to do more of them ..... Joe Diorio not long ago told me that a lot is learned away from the guitar.... Ken

[christianm77]

Chris '77

I agree, that's why I spend more time ear training, doing time studies, and singing, than I do playing guitar. It's paying off, people want to play with me after jam sessions. That never happened after taking hours to study technique. Or maybe it did then, and now, I am at a different part of the journey.

But I stand by it, you need to address your ear if you ever want to make real progress as a musician. I expect a whole slew of naysayers to that point, but the truth is the truth is the truth.

The other truth is: LEARN TUNES...

Yeah, that part is still giving me trouble...

But, we have to carry on some and keep on keeping on... (Cannonball and Clark Terry knew what it was and what it is)

For technique, learn from classical guitarists. They know technique much more than jazz guitarists will ever know technique. Why fight it, learn from the best. Johnny Smith understood that reality and used Segovia as his role model, right?

Segovia's technique is good for certain things. If you want to do the same things that Segovia, Johnny Smith and George Van Eps did on the guitar - that is play more complex stuff with moving parts, it's the only way. If you plan to do this, make sure that you adopt the correct posture as well or you are asking for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Bear in mind that classical technique is addressing a specific list of considerations. Anyway I learned classical early on so there is some of that in my technique. I can do pure classical left hand if necessary.

But to be honest that school of players interests me less than more melodic school (Charlie. Wes, Grant Green etc) who tend to use a more three fingered approach. I don't think these players would have sounded better using four fingers and positions. Exactly the opposite. It's actually the 'untutored' left hand I struggle with...

[HR Fan]

Hi
I made a video of ear training using Fourths and Fifths ....... Hearing the Bass is a great help in following the chords..

[destinytot]

Might be worth 1 shot. It's expensive. The pin count is right. Check the dimensions if you can.

A quick line to say that there's too much latency for Flexi-time note entry (I'm looking for solutions), but the USB-MIDI cable's working well enough to make efficient (and effective use) of step note entry on Sibelius for transcription, study and analysis. Thanks, Stevebol! Thanks, Jay!

[matt.guitarteacher]

with this as a priority fingerings tend to take you in a diagonal direction up and back down the neck (and this incidentally falls in much better with the way harmony actually maps itself out on the fretboard) -

Sorry to go back. Just curious: Diagonally....Do you mean 6th string higher frets to 1st string lower frets or the other way?

[Groyniad]

i've found that two octave series starting on low a or low a and ending on high b or high e come very naturally. i try to repeat the fingering pattern for the lower octave in the higher one - and i try to keep the chromatic passages (with 8 note scales) on the same string

this produces a pattern that is stretched diagonally across the neck more than one that goes straight across it

if i do three octave series the diagonal pattern is even more pronounced. but even one octave passages seem to sit better and are easier to play fluidly if they involve a 'position' shift and this produces more of a diagonal pattern than a straight-across one

pleasure to be asked to elaborate...

[matt.guitarteacher]

Ascending from the 6th string, are you going to HIGHER fret numbers to arrive at your destination on the 2nd string? I'm assuming "yes" now, based on what you said about chromatics. Symmetrical (fingering)/sliding scales, for example, are usually going that way, diagonally, HIGHER fret numbers at the end of an ascending scale .

At the same time, stacked thirds/arpeggios tend to go the other way. You can begin on the six string, higher frets, and end up at lower fret numbers by the time you arrive at the first string, with fewer gaps or skips, LOWER fret numbers at the end of an ascending scale .

Busy curious as to the specifics. Thanks.

[Groyniad]

i'll do a quick vid. in the next day or so

[matt.guitarteacher]

Awesome. Thanks.

[ronjazz]

Technique should be developed to play what one hears, I think. A good basic technique is necessary, but beyond that, one should really try for an identifiable style, so that your mother could recognize you on the radio. This conclusion was thrust upon me when I developed focal dystonia in my right hand years ago, and lost almost all my classical/flamenco chops. I was forced to simplify and go for the feel, the flow and the melody, in the meantime I cobbled together workaround techniques. As it turned out, very few people even noticed, because, while I had thought my technique was important in building a following, my fans were there because of the feeling and passion they felt from the bandstand, from everybody on it, not just me. I was very fortunate during that time to have in my trio one of Ahmad Jamal's former rhythm sections, so they were extremely helpful, to say the least.