Chapter2 The SingleNote Line Beautiful job! Now, that was lots of single-note melodies moving at different times, or a polyphonic texture. Terms such as “harmony” and “counter- point,” of course, also come to mind. These are really by-products of the single-note line, which is the underlying component of all the textures. It is the single-note line’s magnetic and gravitational powers that keep the music moving, along with rhythm, which is why we are starting with it! The single-note line has been around for centuries. A single-note idea may very well have been the earliest musical expression. Probably because the early cave people couldn't ft a piano through that tight cave entrance. Picture an early cave: cave mom holds crying cave baby, cave mom instinc- tively improvises simple song, cave baby stops crying. Cave mom is happy, baby is happy. What made this melody work? Who cares? It worked! The goal of this chapter is to continue the single-note developments of the early cave people (only kidding, | think) and to add to your single-note Creative resources. You will observe your single-note ideas as linear or horizontal, evolving into new ideas, and not only inefficient by-products of chord or harmonic vertical thinking. Whether you are creating a single-note line for a composition or working ideas for improvisation, a linear outlook is ‘2 more instinctive creative course for melodic development. Language moves in a linear fashion. A sentence begins, and then one word leads to another until the sentence comes to rest. The next sentence begins, inspired by the last sentence, and also comes to rest, much like an unbroken chain of creative energy. In fact, it is much like life—vibrant beings developing each day, the same person we were at birth but now totally different. A lot older! ‘The studies included in Foundations (chapter 6) will help you learn to see and to hear scales, intervals, and arpeggios—the important melodic building blocks on the fingerboard. Whatever level guitarist you are, these studies will prepare you for the ideas and studies to come later, so work with them. ‘The first ideas presented in this chapter will be generally accessible, but still a challenge for all levels. We'll gradually move into more sophisticated concepts. As the chapter progresses, | will occasionally remind you about chapter 6, when it may help a particular study. Have fun with these explorations, and thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday. The Simplest Melodic Line Let's begin with the simplest and most beautiful melodic idea: repeating a note. There is strength in repetition; itis the most basic development of an idea. The first single-note study will use only one note—the C-natural on the B string's first fret. Remember Shamisen Sam, when you put your imagi- ration to work with the basic sound dimensions? Now you have only one note to work with. (Antonio Carlos Jobim did a pretty good job using this technique in his composition, “One Note Samba.”) 31