Improvising - Part One

Pentatonics -- They're Your Friends!

A few years back an "Unplugged" special on MTV featured a
performer, his band, and a backup string quartet. At one point
(while everyone was taking solos), the singer motioned for the
string players to take a solo also.
And nothing happened! These string performers were great
musicians -- but they didn't know how to improvise. It's not
something a classically trained violinist is called upon to do
that often.
Being a great improviser isn't easy -- but being a decent
improviser isn't hard. You just have to know a few things about
keys, chords, and pentatonics.
A pentatonic is simply a five note scale. We're interested in
Major Pentatonics and Minor Pentatonics. In a major
pentatonic, the five notes are: root, whole step, whole step,
whole-and-a-half, whole, and finally root again (octave). Minor
pentatonics are: root, whole-and-a-half, whole step, whole
step, whole-and-a-half, root again (octave). (Note: I know these
are six notes. I included the root twice, once as root, again as
the octave. The actual scale is only the first five notes.)
For example, a G-Major pentatonic contains the notes G, A, B,
D, and E. Interestingly enough, an E-Minor pentatonic contains
the same five notes -- but it starts on a different root -- E, G, A,
B, D! If the first note after the root is a whole step, it's a major
pentatonic. Country and folk music commonly use major
pentatonics. If the first note after the root is a step-and-a-half,
it's a minor pentatonic. Rock and roll and blues generally use
minor pentatonics.
Let's look again at the G-Major pentatonic -- G,A,B,D,E. These
are the three notes in a G-Major chord (G,B,D), plus a second
(A) and a sixth (E). The E-Minor pentatonic contains the four
notes in a minor seventh chord (E,G,B,D) plus a fourth (A).
More on these later -- you don't need to remember them right
now!
If you pick up your instrument and play the five pentatonic
notes, you might think it feels exotic -- perhaps a little Asian --
and you'd be right. Pentatonics are featured in Asian music.
The appeal is more global, though. If you ever listen to
someone "scat-singing" -- or if you pretend to play "air guitar"
and sing a solo to yourself -- the odds are you are singing
pentatonics!
(Ever watch Beavis and Butthead? When they sing "air guitar",
they're singing pentatonics.)
So how exciting can five notes be? Well, Led Zepplin's Jimmy
Page has done pretty well -- and he's noted as being mainly a
pentatonic player! How about that lead player in that country
band you heard last week? Odds are he was playing G-major
pentatonics. How about the monster riff leading off Deep
Purple's "Smoke on the Water"? Another pentatonic. Stevie Ray
Vaughn was another tremendous guitar player who relied on
pentatonics -- in fact, virtually every good guitar player uses
them.
And so can fiddlers! (and horn players, and woodwind players,
and keyboard players, and ...)

Improvising - Part Two

Pentatonics -- How and When

We've just explored "what" a pentatonic is. Nothing much to it -- it's
hard to get simpler than a five note scale!
Let's see how to use a pentatonic. We're going to use a country-style
major pentatonic for this exercise -- we're also going to assume you're
playing a fiddle.
We've seen that a G-Major pentatonic scale contains the notes G,A,B,D,
and E. We've also seen this built as a step, step, step-and-a-half, step,
and a step-and-a-half.
It's nice to know the notes involved in the scale -- but you really don't
need to do so!
The reason you don't need to know the notes is because you're going
to play patterns, not notes!
On the four "GDAE" violin strings, your G-Major pentatonic pattern is:
E: 0--3-5
A: 0-2--5
D: 0-2--5
G: 0-2-4
In this notation, "0" means play the open string, "1" means finger the
first half-step, "2" means finger the second half-step, "3" means finger
the third half-step, etc.
This means:
On the E string: play the "fifth" half step (an A), the "third" half step (a
G) and an open string. Use your second and third fingers.
On the A string: play the "fifth" half step (a D), the "second" half-step
(a B), and an open string. Use your first and third fingers.
On the D string: play the "fifth" half-step (a G), the "second" half-step
(an E), and an open string. Use first and third fingers.
On the G string: play the "fourth" half-step (a B), the "second" half-step
(an A), and an open string. Use first and second fingers.
Obviously you don't play a massive chord with all these notes at the
same time -- you'll combine these notes in various ways as you
improvise.
Let's give it a try -- start with the "A" on your E string and work your
way down. It'll sound like this.
That's playing a G-Major pentatonic. Let's dress it up a bit -- we'll skip
the high "A" and start with the "G" on the "E" string. We'll follow the
same notes almost all the way down, but we'll "fiddle" around with the
last few notes. It'll sound like this. Again, we're playing ONLY the notes
in the G-Major pentatonic scale.
Okay, now let's put together a country-style solo using ONLY the notes
in a G-Major pentatonic scale. It'll sound like this.
Try to do the same thing yourself -- take it slow, use all four strings,
and mix in the G-Major pentatonic notes any way you feel. Don't worry
about the names of the notes -- just "fiddle" around with the pattern!
When you find a particular pattern of notes that you like, you'll
discovered a "lick"!
Furthermore, you're playing G-Major pentatonics and you're playing in
the key of "G". That's what the band means when they holler out "jam
in G" -- you can play G major pentatonics and you'll sound good most
of the time!
The key of G works really well for violin -- the pentatonic scale patterns
are easy to use. G is also an easy key for banjo, mandolin, guitar, and
voice! If you wanted to practice and learn only a single key, G is a good
choice!
What are other easy violin keys? Try the key of D. In D-Major, the
pentatonic fingering looks like this:
E: 0-2--5
A: 0-2--5
D: 0-2-4
G: --2-4
Note you don't use the open G string -- but the pattern is still similar to
the G-Major pattern. In fact, note how the G-Major patterns have
simply "shifted" over a string! Don't want to make a "sweeping
generalization", but I seem to see D-Major a lot in Celtic and Irish
music.
Another popular country/folk key is C. The C-Major pentatonic pattern
looks like this:
E: 0--3-5
A: 0--3-5
D: 0-2--5
G: 0-2--5
The pattern is still similar to the previous two keys. The two previous
keys had an open string "root" (G and D). C does not -- unless you're
using a five string violin with a "C" string. In that case, the extra string
would look like:
C: 0-2-4
Just like the G and D strings in the key of G and D!
Let's also look at the key of A. If you remember how the "D" patterns
simply shifted over from the G patterns, you should expect the "A"
patterns to do the same!
E: 0-2--5
A: 0-2-4
D: --2-4
G: --2-4-6
Note how we've added the "sixth" half-step on the G string!
Finally, let's take a look at the key of E. The patterns will be:
E:0-2-4
A:--2-4
D:--2-4-6
G:-1--4-6
Okay, enough for playing while a single chord sounds. What happens
when the band changes chords?
Okay, Let's see how these patterns work when you change keys.
Suppose you're playing in A and the chord changes to D.
In A, you'll play:
E:0-2--5
A:0-2-4
D:--2-4
G:--2-4-6
In D, you'll play:
E:0-2--5
A:0-2--5
D:0-2-4
G:--2-4
VERY similar. Furthermore, if you continued to play in A when the band
changed to D, you could "slip" in the two differences (the C# on the G
and the A strings) and get away with it!
Finally, the band switches to E before bringing it home. In E, the
patterns are:
E:0-2-4
A:--2-4
D:--2-4-6
G:-1--4-6
Again, very similar to A and D. Again, you could probably simply
continue to play in A and you wouldn't sound too bad (however, you
would sound better if you threw in the different E notes).
This chord progress of A, D, and E is the famous I-IV-V progression
(also called a "three-chord progression") that darn near every country
song uses. Doesn't matter what the root is, the second chord is a
fourth away and the third chord is a fifth away.
In G, the I-IV-V chords are G,C,D. In D, the I-IV-V chords are D,G,A. In C,
the I-IV-V chords are C,F,G. We've seen all these pentatonic patterns --
with the exception of F. However, we've also seen you can probably
get away with playing the "root" pattern when the band switches to the
IV chord.
Of course, if you wanted to do it "right", you might want to build the
pattern for F. Let's build this pattern "by the note". We want the three
notes in an F major chord (F,A, and C), plus the second (G) and the
sixth (D).
E:-1-3-5
A:0--3-5
D:0--3-5
G:0-2--5
These patterns will work for most country/irish/bluegrass fiddling.
Granted, great players "stray" from these patterns -- but we're not
trying to be great right now, we're just trying to be! Major pentatonics
will give you enough to join the game -- and that's what you need to
start!

Improvising - Part Three

Pentatonics -- Other Styles

We've just seen how country/folk/irish/bluegrass/etc styles commonly
use major pentatonics. Two other styles we might want to explore are
rock and blues.
Rock and blues normally do not use major pentatonics -- instead, they
use minor pentatonics. However, this doesn't confuse things -- because
a minor pentatonic is exactly the same as the major pentatonic one-
and-a-half steps higher!
Thus, an E Minor pentatonic contains the same notes as a G Major
pentatonic. The only difference is that you might start playing with the
"E" tone instead of the "G" tone (or you might not -- depends on how
you feel at the moment!)
An A Minor pentatonic has the same notes as a C Major pentatonic, a D
Minor pentatonic contains the same notes as an F Major pentatonic,
etc.
If you're playing in a blues jam, the jam leader might holler "blues in
E". If you're playing real blues (slow and sad -- ex: "The Sky is Crying")
the odds are he means E Minor. If you're playing "jump blues" or
"shuffle blues" (snappy and bouncy -- ex: "Pride and Joy"), then he
probably means E Major.
If it's E Major, then play your E Major pentatonic. If it's E Minor, play
your E Minor pentatonic -- which is the same as your G Major
pentatonic! You'll use the same notes, but you'll play them in a
different style. (In fact, in blues I think the style is more important than
the notes! That's why "you got to have soul to play the blues!")
Here's a sample blues "lick" in A Minor (which uses the C Major
pentatonic scale). This means that you're playing a seventh against the
A Minor backing (the seventh for A Minor is the G from the C Major
pentatonic -- basically, a seventh is a step below the root's octave).
This seventh dissonance presents an "uneasy" feeling that works well
with the blues. Many blues licks also add a "diminished fifth" -- an
extra note that is one half-step below the fifth. In E Minor, the notes
would be: E, G, A, Bb, B, D. The "Bb" is the extra note (the diminished
fifth).
Finally, let's look at rock and roll. Rock does something completely
different. It usually doesn't use minor keys -- but it often doesn't use
major keys either!
A rock chord often has ONLY two notes -- the root and the fifth. This is
also called a "Power chord". Think of the beginning of "China Road" by
the Doobie Brothers. That "CHANG CHANG--chucka-chucka" is
particularly driving because it's a power chord!
Since a power chord has no third -- and since it's the third that
determines whether you're in a minor or a major key -- this means you
can get away with playing a minor pentatonic with the same root as
the power chord. Thus, if you're playing in E, you can play an E-Minor
pentatonic! If you're playing in A, you can play an A-Minor pentatonic.
This makes rock solos particularly easy to do.
Now, you can also play the major pentatonic -- but it probably won't
sound right. Major pentatonics tend to have a bouncy, perky feel. This
works fine with country, but doesn't always work with rock and roll.
Even if the rock and roll song is not using power chords, you still may
decide to use a minor pentatonic!
So is it confusing? Maybe so, but step back a second, 'cause it doesn't
have to be:
If you're playing country/irish/bluegrass/etc, play major pentatonics in
the key of the song ("Jam in G" means G Major pentatonic)
If you're playing shuffle blues, play major pentatonics in the key of the
song ("Shuffle in G" means G Major pentatonics)
If you're playing real blues, play minor pentatonics in the key of the
song ("Blues in E" means E Minor pentatonic which has the same
fingering as a G Major pentatonic)
If you're playing rock, play minor pentatonics in the key of the song --
even if it's not a minor key! ("Rock in A" means A Minor pentatonics)

Improvising - Part Four

Pentatonics -- Where to Go From Here

Pentatonics will get you started -- and get you playing pretty decently.
How far will they take you?
Well, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton have gone pretty far with
pentatonics, so don't assume this is baby stuff. It's simple, but you can
ride the pentatonic pony quite a ways.
However, if you'd like to try other things, then here are some
suggestions:
Pentatonics are a start -- but there are other scales! Look into
Mixolydian and Phrygian scales. To mix things up, throw in a little of
these -- you can always fall back on the standard pentatonics if you
need to. You can even do some nice things with a simple Dorian scale
(Do-re-mi scale)
If you're fiddling, then you'll want to advance to double stops. Double
stops add a whole new level to fiddle improvisation.
Finally, pay attention to styles. The way you do things can be more
important than what you're doing -- BB King can hit and hold a single
note and tear down a crowd. Listen and try to determine what makes
things special. Listen for the "soul" in the performance. The great
players have it.

Position of Right Hand Fingers and Thumb

 Shape of the Fingers

Right hand fingers should be

curved from the second joint
rather than in a straight position.
This curvature of the right hand
fingers facilitates the execution of
the major right hand techniques,
scale passages, chords, and
arpeggios, without a pronounced
change in hand position.

Right Hand Position

Playing Right Hand Chords

Three note chords should be played with the right hand i,m,a fingers held
closely together and should work as one large finger. The fingers should be
curved from the second joint and move briskly through the strings toward the
palm of the right hand without coming to rest on the strings. Chords that
involve more than three strings will require the right hand thumb to take care
of the lower strings. An explanation on the fingering conventions used in
classical guitar music can be found here: Fingering Conventions

Playing Right Hand Arpeggios

The playing of the notes of a chord consecutively is called an arpeggio and is

an important guitar technique. In order to become proficient at executing
arpeggio patterns it is important that the fingers each acquire the same
facility. Therefore it is necessary to practice patterns involving all fingers in all
combinations so as to achieve this goal. If it is left too late in the students
development, the a finger, which is often neglected in the execution of scale
passages, will be difficult to train because of the hand position often adopted
with continual i,m alternation on scale work. To emphasise this point go to the
hand position described earlier and place your thumb on the bass string and
your i,m,a,fingers on the first string. Now take off the a finger and notice that
you can move you right hand considerably more to the left if you wish. This
position of course would make it very difficult to utilise the a finger.
Here is some arpeggio studies that will help to train all fingers and thumb of
the right hand. One simple rule that will help you with correct fingering is this.

1st string is played by the a finger

2nd string is played by the m finger
3rd string is played with the i finger
The bass note is played with the thumb.

Notice that the following patterns are based on the open 1st 2nd and 3rd
strings played by the fingers of the right hand and the open 6th string which is
played by the right hand thumb. This gives us an open string chord of E minor.
Practice the above patterns at a steady tempo keeping all notes even. Pay
particular attention to the a finger in Pattern 3. Once this pattern is mastered
you might like to try the Aguado piece "The Butterfly" which uses this pattern
almost exclusively throughout.

Playing Scale Passages

Scale passages will require the playing of consecutive notes on the same
string and requires the alternation of the right hand fingers in a number of
different combination depending on the shape of the passage. Usually scale
type passages contain the melodic line of the composition and in this case the
performance will benefit if the notes stand out from any accompanying notes.
This is normally achieved by employing the technique called rest stroke. You
are no doubt aware that the technique already discussed have involved the
fingers of the right hand striking a string and continuing through the stroke
just missing the adjacent string in the follow through. This is the stroke called
free stroke.In executing the rest stroke the right hand finger plays through the
note and comes to rest on the next adjacent string in three basic movements.
Rest Stroke

Preparation: Place your finger on the string. The right hand should be
relaxed in particular the tip joint.
Execution: The movement of your finger should begin from the knuckle
joint it then moves through the string and comes to rest on the next
adjacent string. Remember to keep the tip joint relaxed.
Release: After coming to rest on the adjacent string the fingers go back
into the original position above the string just played. The angle that
the fingers attach the strings is somewhat different when compared to
free stroke and this brings about a much fuller sound with more
volume that allows chosen voices to stand out.

The judicious use of both rest and free stroke is often the difference between
an amateur performer and a seasoned professional.

Muted Notes with Right Hand

The technique of muting notes with the right hand fingers and thumb should
be mastered as early as possible in the learning process. The technique is
best explained by the playing of a note on the open sixth string with your
thumb and then replacing the thumb back on the string to stop the string from
vibrating. The length of time between the actual striking of the string and the
subsequent muting with the thumb will depend on the musical situation. If for
instance the passage played requires a staccato (short-detached) execution
then the muting action would be quite immediate. Similarly, if a musical
passage required an open bass note to be stopped from intruding on a change
in harmony, then the muting action may be quite a number of beats from the
initial note sounding. Muting should not be confused with the pizzicato
technique produced by damping the strings near the bridge with the palm of
the right hand. When used with taste this technique can help eliminated
unwanted dissonance in the harmonic structure and other extraneous noises
and impart a sparkle and clarity to the performance.

Position of the Left Hand Fingers and Thumb

The left hand fingers should be curved from the second joint. The angle of the
knuckles should be parallel to the underside of the guitar neck. To find the
ideal left hand position simply play a series of chromatic notes starting with
the first finger followed by the second, third and little fingers. Do not lift the
fingers from the string once the note has been played but leave each finger
down until at the end of the series all fingers are still fretting the string. (See
Photograph 1.)
To enable the fingers to complete this exercise you will notice that your left
hand thumb must be in the position as illustrated in Photograph 2.
From this hand position it is possible to play notes on all six strings without
changing the left hand position.

Left Hand Position Left Hand Position

Photograph 1 Photograph 2
An excellent drill which should be included in your daily practice is as follows:

Start on string one third fret and play a succession of chromatic notes
with first second third and fourth fingers.
Move to the second string and repeat as for string one.
Continue across all six strings and back to string one.
Move up one fret and repeat the exercise.
Continue up the neck as far as you can go without your hand becoming
over tired or cramping.
Set yourself goals as to how far you can progress with this exercise till
you get to the stage that you can play up and down the neck with
increasing speed and accuracy.
Remember the number one rule: Always hold your fingers down on the
fret board until you are ready to change string.
Try the following excercise which includes the use of open strings. Remember
to hold fingers down on the frets till you are ready to change string.
To obtain the required finger span you will have to pay particular attention to
the left hand position.
Points to watch:

Curved left hand fingers.

Thumb behind the neck (see photograph 2 above)
Knuckles parralel to the underside of the guitar neck.
Use a combination of right hand fingerings as well. ie. i m- m i- i a- m
a.

Left Hand Finger Technique

Fingerstyle guitar requires a strong left hand as well as a well drilled

right. Often the player has to think in terms of up to three independent
parts. The Left Hand development exercise that follows, if practiced
diligently, will greatly increase the independence of the left hand
fingers. A concentrated practice routine allotted about 15 minutes per
day of your practice schedule will develop your technique much faster
than the playing of favorite pieces which are often selected for their
ease of execution.

The exercise is to be played with a full left hand bar throughout. You
will notice that the two bar pattern is simply repeated a semitone or
one fret lower on each repetition. Play each pattern twice, moving
down the fingerboard till you can comfortably perform down to the first
fret.
Take it easy at first and if you find that your left hand begins to ache
then take a rest. Do not overdo it and damage your left hand. Don't be
discouraged if you can only play the first few bars. Persevere and you
will eventually be able to perform down to the first fret position.

Remember to hold a full left hand bar throughout the exercise.

Fingerstyle Guitar Arranging Styles

Styles of arranging for Fingerstyle guitar are varied but the main concepts may be defined as follows:
 Two Part Arrangement.

Consists of a melody line normally played on the treble stings with a bass accompaniment written for the bass
strings. This type of arrangement works well with traditional reels and gigues. Example 1 illustrates this style.

Tavis Picking Style.

Melody on the treble strings accompanied by a boom chuck rhythm played on the bass strings with the thumb.
Bass stings are normally muted with the right hand palm. Chet Atkins is recognised as being the player who
popularised this form of playing.

Three Part Arrangement.

Melody in the top part accompanied by a bass line with a chordal harmonic part moving in between. The melodic
line must be made to stand out from the accompaniment. This style requires a subtle touch to sound convincing
but once mastered can produce beautiful music.
 It is most important to set the strings in motion with a right hand nail
that is very smooth to produce a clear strong tone. Never use nail
clippers or scissors to shape the nail. There are many nail maintenance
products available from cosmetic departments that will ensure a glass
smooth surface to the nails. A more economical way is to buy a sheet
of 600 grade Silicon Carbide paper and keep this in your guitar case.
Pay particular attention to the underside of the nail that comes in
contact with the string.

The debate over the use of the nails of the right hand has continued
over the years starting in the early 19th century with Fernando Sor
who found the nails to be whereas his contemporary Dionisio Aguado
felt that the nails were necessary to achieve speed and tonal variation.
From Andres Segovia onwards the nail in conjunction with the flesh of
the right hand fingers has become the accepted practice.

Shaping The Right Hand Nails

One of the most perplexing questions encountered by the fingerstyle

guitarist is the shape, length and care of the right hand fingernails. The
following general advice should be helpful to players who may be
having problems in this area.

Remember that the shape, thickness and quality of the nails will vary
greatly from player to player so be prepared to experiment in your
search for solutions in this area. The right hand nails in conjunction
with the flesh at the tip of the finger are responsible for setting the
string in motion. If the section of nail which strikes the strings is not
smooth and well shaped it will be impossible to obtain a full round
sound, and the execution of the stroke will not feel secure if any
section of the nail catches on the string. Therefore, the nail must be
shaped in relation to the angle that the nail strikes the strings.

The steps below set out a method that will ensure that the nail is
shaped at the appropriate angle.

Step 1. Cut a piece of 600 grade Silicon Carbide paper, available at

hardware stores, into a 100 by 200 rectangle. Fold this in half and
place it over the strings of your guitar around the sound hole area as
shown in the picture below.

Step 2. Pick up your guitar in normal playing position a play a number

of rest strokes on the paper starting with your index finger.
 Approximately 10 strokes should do. Examine the nail of your index
finger and you should see a distinct line across the nail at the precise
angle that your nail comes in contact with the string.

Step 3. Proceed to duplicate Step 1 with the middle and anular fingers
of your right hand as well as your right hand thumb.

Step 4. Take your nail file (needless to say that this should be a high
quality product) and with your right palm uppermost proceed to shape
the nail from the left edge up to the line marked by Step 2. You may
find that the shorter the nail in this area the more stability the nail
exhibits when you execute your strokes. Next round off the nail from
the marked line to the right edge of the nail. Smooth off any edges left
at the point where your filing meets the marked line but do not change
the angle of this line for this is the area which will come in contact with
your strings and must present as wide a platform as possible to
produce a strong even tone.

Step 5. The final step involves the polishing of the edge and underside
of the nails. With a piece of 800 grade Silicon Carbide paper apply a
glass like finish to the edge and underside of the nail.

One of the most important skills that you will learn as a musician is to tune your
instrument. No matter how good your playing technique, if your instrument is not
perfectly in tune your performance will not shine. Remember that tuning as all other
aspects of learning an instrument takes time.

Tuning Methods

There are a number of tuning methods which may be used but I strongly suggest that
you use the first method listed here and use a combination of the others for quick on
the fly adjustments when performing.

Electronic Tuner

Because of the relative low cost of these devices I strongly recommend that if you do
not own one now then go out and buy one immediately. They will save you many
hassles and ensure that you ear develops along with your physical technique. The
only drawback with a tuner is the fact that the string you are about to tune must be
fairly close to pitch or it will give you readings of a fourth or fifth above or below. If
you feel that you may have troubles initially, take your guitar along when you
purchase your tuner and have the retailer tune it for you. Once it is in pitch,
continually checking the pitch will keep the guitar within a semitone enabling you to
keep it perfectly in tune.

Relative Tuning

If you are not playing with other fixed pitch instruments such as piano, organ,
synthesiser, a slight variation from concert pitch (eg. A= 440) is not important as
long as the guitar is in tune with itself. Here is a method that you may use:

Assume that the 6th string is in tune.

Hold down the note on the 5th fret of the 6th string with your left hand. This
note will now become your reference for tuning the open 5th string. Adjust the
pitch of the 5th string to match your reference note.
Next repeat this procedure on the 5th string. The 5th fret note on the 5th
string will now be your reference for tuning the open 4th string.
Repeat this procedure on the 4th string. Fifth fret note on the 4th string
should match your open 3rd string.
Now this is where the system changes! Hold down the 4th fret on the 3rd
string and use it as your reference to tune the 2nd string open.
For your final string we go back to our initial formula and tune the 5th fret of
the 2nd string to the open first string.

Harmonics Method

This method is not recommended as it is not accurate because of our tempered scale
system. This is a very complicated subject and an excellent article can be read at
www.jimloy.com/physics/scale.htm if you would like to follow this up. In extremely
simplistic terms some notes in our diatonic chromatic scale are slightly out of pitch to
enable us the facility to play in all 24 major and minor keys. Therefore the harmonic
notes at the 5th and 7th frets on the guitar will give you mean temperament not the
required equal temperament.
To play a harmonic first start at the 12th fret, 5th string (this is usually the easiest
place to get a clear tone). Lightly touch the string with your left hand exactly over the
12 fret (do not press down and fret the note) and pluck the 5th string with your right
hand.
Once the string is vibrating take your hands from the strings so you do not deaden
the vibrations. The note you will produce here is one octave above the open string.
When you are competent at producing harmonics at the 12th fret proceed to the 5th
and 7th frets.
Okay so here is the harmonic method:

Play the 5th fret harmonic on the 6th string and use it as a reference to tune
the 7th fret harmonic on the 5th string.
Repeat this procedure on the 5th string. The 5th fret harmonic provides the
reference for the 7th fret harmonic on the 4th string.
Repeat to tune the 3rd string.
Now for the odd man out. The second string can not be tuned from the 3rd
string so we usually provide the 2nd string reference tone from the harmonic
on the 7th fret of the 6th string to the open natural 2nd string. Note the 2nd
string is not a harmonic tone.
Finally the 1st string 7th fret harmonic is referenced from the 5th fret
harmonic on the 2nd string.
Note: Harmonics are playable at the 5th, 7th and 12th frets of the guitar with a
weaker harmonic coming from between the 4th and 5th frets.
Remember that harmonic tuning should only be used as a quick check method and
not become your preferred option.

This a great lick for both trumpet lead and the accompanying bass guitar. For the
trumpet holding the long note requires solid control of the breath.
TAKE FIVE