FINGERTIP CHORDS

This position is basic to playing diads on the unisons and middle string as well as the middle and bass. Most likely your ring finger is not very strong, so exercising this position may be a bit painful at first. Remember to press down firmly and accurately, because if you don't the chord will sound weak and watery. If your chords sound a bit sharp, it may be because your bridge is not accurately adjusted, so make sure your harmonic is over the octave fret. If you have a moveable bridge, take the time to adjust it carefully. If your bridge is fixed, you'll either have to live with everything being a trifle sharp, especially on the middle and bass strings, or perform the surgery recommended in Chapter One.

By moving your ring finger (3) from its position on the unisons to the same position on the bass you get position l-B.

Keeping your middle finger (2) on the middle string at the third fret, place your index finger on the unison strings at the fourth fret, and get the reverse of l-A.

Again, by moving a finger to the bass string-- in this case the index finger moves-- you create the same diad using the bass and middle strings.

Now you can make a pleasant chordal transition by assuming the l-A position and then bringing your index finger into play to make a 2-A position. This simple transition allows you to change chord structures without moving your entire hand-- simply raise and lower your forefinger.

The 1-A position can be played going up or down the scale, but make sure your fingers remain in the same pattern. Try sliding 1-A up the scale and listen to the tonal changes. Do the same with 2-A, and listen to the difference.

By maintaining the l-A position you can stretch out further than one fret with the index finger, as in illustration 2-D.

Again, by placing the index finger across the fretboard to the bass string you get a very major sounding triad-- position 3-A.

And by pivoting on the middle finger (still at the third fret on the middle string), swivel your hand and reverse the positions of the index and third fingers. The ring finger moves to the bass string at the second fret, and the index finger moves to the unisons at the fourth fret, as in position 3-B.

These three sets of "fingertip" chords are basic to playing on more than one string. These diads can be played almost anywhere on the fretboard when tuned to the Mixolydian mode, and almost always your intervals will blend harmoniously. The half fret intervals will show up as halftones, so some positions will not blend with others. It's up to you, then, to work out progressions and melodies utilizing these fingerings.

Experiment, and listen carefully to the sound combinations you make.

BAR CHORDS

When forming bar chords, the trailing fingers (usually the middle and fourth) of the left hand (fingers 2 and 3 in the illustration) come into play. These trailing fingers cover all the strings across a fret while the leading fingers play notes on other frets to complete the chord. So let's start by barring with the middle finger. Lay your middle finger across all the strings and exert an even pressure onto the first fret, making sure all the strings are depressed.

--fretboard illustration of position 4-A ----

The sound you get should be very minor, like the Aeolian mode. You'll find it takes a good deal of pressure to keep all of the strings depressed to the frets so that the notes sound clean. You might even want to place your index finger on top of your middle finger to increase your downward pressure.

Now, starting on the first fret (the beginning of the Aeolian mode) bar all the frets up the scale and back.

The next fingering uses the ring finger (number 3 in our illustration) to bar, and the tip of the index finger in a position either one or two frets away from the bar. Here, the index finger stretches out to slide over these notes or to hold them. The trailing finger (3) bars the fret, sustaining the sound. The middle finger (2) is off the fretboard in this position. But if you do not want to slide the index finger back, as in position 4-B, the middle finger can come into play to depress the unisons onto the second fret.

--fretboard illustration of position 4-B ----

When the index finger is two frets from the barred ring finger, the tip of the middle finger can bring the chord into a minor tonality if your fingers are placed like this.

--fretboard illustration of position 4-C ----

Note that 4-C is another way to make a three-finge-rtip chord. You can bring the chord into a major tonality if you move the entire structure so that the middle finger falls into the short-fret interval as in illustration 3-B.

Utilize bar chords along with fingertip chords and, once again, experiment with the patterns.