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Honestly, I wouldn’t spend any time with it for now if you’re doing the BGIS. At the end of Module 8 I will introduce “Dissecting the Masters”. Here I will take a lot of the phrases form the JGSS as well as other non guitarists and with the foundation you will have received in the previous modules of this course, I teach you a procedure to analyze them and “reverse engineer” them. You will learn to cop the essential feel of the phrase and come up with several variations for your own vocabulary. I think it is at this point that the phrases from the JGSS will become very useful…as well as any transcriptions you can get your hands on!
I think you mean from the 2nd module… The rhythmic cells, like the “charleston”, “ragtime”, are just syncopated components of melodic lines you will continuously come across in written music. They appear frequently in the etudes and rhythm templates. This is where you’ll be practicing them.
Other than knowing what they should sound like at a glance, you can use them when creating your own lines. That should lead to being able to identify them, say in other players solos for the purpose of transcribing.
No, it is correct. The previous note is an A played on the 10th fret with the pinky. The only way to play Bb on the 11th fret would be to use the pinky again. This would require a “slide”, otherwise it isn’t possible at a fast tempo. This will also force you to alter the fingering in the 2nd measure. You will no longer be able to reach the Gb, 7th fret on the 2nd string. If we want to play it “staccato”, your safest bet is to finger it as shown…
None of the bebop calisthenics go through the entire vertical cycle in this 1st VOL. This would entail learning all 7 fingerings for each mode that is introduced.Unfortunately this is too much at this point for most students. However, if you’re at the level where you can learn all the fingerings, go for it!
I would strongly recommend Kenny Burrell. He’s got a few recordings where he focuses on the blues…”Midnight Blue”, “Bluesin’ Around”, “Blue Bash” , “Blue Lights”, etc
Shay,
It’s ultimately your call, however I don’t think you’re seeing the long term “big picture” regarding the stretch using the pinky without moving out of position. And that is understandable at this point.There are many reasons and instances where learning to stretch will benefit you. For example, when you start moving up the fretboard horizontally from one fingering pattern to the next one, there are many instances where you need to maintain the integrity of the patterns designated position when using a chromatic note. Otherwise a flawless transition to the new pattern won’t be possible. Here is an example of a mixolydian phrase in Bb which transitions from pattern 1 to pattern 7(I know we haven’t covered this yet, but I am trying to give you a glimpse of what you may need to do down the road).
In the above example we are using the proper fingering for pattern 1 with the pinky stretching for the chromatic on the 2nd string. Play the entire phrase with this fingering and you’ll see how it enables you to move forward and thus transition to pattern 7 following a logical unified path. Next try playing the fingering with the same chromatic played on the 1st string by moving back 1 fret, out of position. This makes it a lot harder to then move forward seamlessly into pattern 7, especially at a fast tempo!
I can give you dozens of examples like the one above. Of course there are instances where you are not transitioning to a new pattern and you can get away with moving out of position like you suggest. You already know how to do that….why not practice stretching with the pinky, which although not yet a natural move for you, with time and a little getting used to, can become 2nd nature and expand your fingering options?
James, I think what Robert is referring to is the general concept of Heptatonic Fingerings introduced in Module 1 and not that you have to learn them all now.
Robert MacKillop, I’m not sure I understand what you are referring to…I’m not seeing what you see…unless he corrected it and posted a new diagram…
I’d like to add that both Navdeep and jazzybeatle are on the right track. Go back and look at the chart for II-V-I-VI cadences at the bottom of p.11 of the Scales & Arpeggios pdf for module 1. Here you’ll see a clear picture of the principle you’re discussing.
Yes, for each fingering model the pattern numbers shift up or down incrementally always retaining their cyclic sequence. I only deal with 2 fingering models in Volume One of this series: Pattern 1 and 4 (in the last couple of modules). In the long run we want to use all of them. I will get into the technical meat of this in VOL 2. It’s too much information as it is…
I never really found that I had to think, “when going up a fourth pick the number that is a FOURTH higher than the previous one” or anything like that. Once you practice playing in a specific fingering model, you pretty much learn to see how all the roots of the patterns relate to each other by means of the intervallic design they form in that given position. This becomes second nature after awhile. Once you have this down, then you can start moving horizontally in and out of the 7 different fingering models all throughout the fretboard! This is what all the great players do! Of course most of them are doing it intuitively from experience. It is a wonderful thing though, when you can actually organize all this madness into a system. It saves lots of time in the learning process. Another benefit you’ll derive from it down the road is that you’ll be able to sit down with a video of your favorite guitarist (who has just 1 favorite guitarist?…duh…) and identify the fingering patterns he uses at all times. This is very helpful when you want to transcribe a solo or phrase from a live video and finger it just like it originally was played. This is something I often do with my private students. I’ll play a phrase using a certain fingering pattern and have them identify it. Then I play the same phrase in another pattern and so on. It really works and helps establish a more detailed language to pinpoint and help communicate certain melodic executions very precisely.As for myself, I’ll transcribe a short phrase in intervallic script, notate the pattern and play it in any key. Then I apply it to a different fingering pattern and so on…this way I’m not stuck having to play certain ideas only when I’m on a certain pattern. Of course, some patterns lend themselves to play certain ideas a lot easier than others. This is why we need all of them. So we can eventually have the freedom to choose. When this is the case you will find that at least 4 out of the 7 patterns are preferred for any given idea. Did I go off on a limb there? I think I did. Must be the espresso…
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Beautiful! That’s the goal…syncopation makes the stuff swing! Obviously I introduce the first few etudes without syncopation for those that still have trouble understanding the rhythms. I do by all means want to encourage any other students that already have a good understanding of syncopation, to go back and do the same with these initial etudes. It’s a great exercise and breathes new life into the music. Take the initiative to explore…That’s what jazz is supposed to be all about….
