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In this file, I have some exercises I've found useful for moving a tune from one set of strings to another. Look at Table A below, describing the "rock and roll riff". Look at the second row, listing the notes in the key of G. They are played on strings five and six. The string and fret are listed in the third row. This is a somewhat awkward notation, my own version of Tab. I didn't write the music because I don't have any software that does it, and it would take me too long to use my graphics programs to do it. And the Table would be too big if I showed the Tab. Then 6:3 means string six, fret 3; 5:O means string five, open. So the first three notes of the riff are G, G, G, where the G is played by holding down the sixth string on the third fret. The next three are G, C, Bb, where the G is played as before, the C is played by holding down the fifth string on the third fret, and Bb is played by holding down the fifth string on the first fret.) I have the riff written three notes at a time, and haven't specified how long to hold each note. Use your own judgement. Just play the riff a few times, until you're comfortable with it and it sounds reasonable. By "comfortable", I mean two things: First, your fingers should move over the strings naturally, so that you almost memorize the movements. (If you want to use this riff regularly, you should memorize the movements.) The second thing that should happen is this: If you see the note G, you should know to press the third fret on the sixth string (or do an open third string, or press the third fret on the first string). This takes time. But you want to be able to strike the note if you see the name of the note. Being this familiar with the notes will eventually help you a lot. |
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| TABLE A. String Changes. | |||||||||||||||||||
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After you're comfortable with playing the riff on the fifth and sixth strings, move it to the fourth and fifth, as shown in the next rows (key of C). The finger movements are the same, as are the frets. Just move everything by one string. The tune is the same, the notes are just two and one-half steps higher. (A step is the equivalent of a fret. It's the difference between A and A#, or A and Ab. G to A is one step or the equivalent of two frets, A to B is another step, B to C is one-half step.) After you're comfortable with the riff on strings four and five, move it one more string (key of F). Again, the finger movements are the same, as are the frets. The notes have been moved another two and one-half steps higher. So this is easy, right? Just learn the finger movements, and keep them constant as you move from one string to another? Not quite. Look at the next rows (key of Bb). As you move from string four to four three, you do keep the frets (and the finger movements) the same. BUT – as you move from string three to string two, you need to increase the fret number by one. The reason for this is simple: On every string but the third, the fifth fret gives you the same note as the next lower string (higher-pitched string), open. On the third string, the fourth fret gives you the same note as the open second string. These notes are, again, two and one-half steps higher in pitch than those in the previous rows. Next, let's change the riff by one more string. Now the second and first strings have the same relationship to each other as the sixth and fifth, and fifth and fourth, and fourth and third (fifth fret on the string gives the open note on the next string). So the frets and finger positions here (Key of D) are the same as they were in the earlier rows. Also – note that the key of D is only two steps higher in pitch than the key of Bb. Remember we had to increase frets when we moved from the third string to the second. If we wanted to maintain the two and one-half steps, we'd have to keep the frets increased when we went to the first string. Since we reduced them back to the original ones, we lost a half step. While this is just one riff, it should give you an idea of how to move any riff from one set of strings to another. If a riff covers two strings or more, just move it the way shown here (the same frets on every string, except for the two/three combination). If it covers only one string, keep the finger positions the same on every string. There is another type of exercise you can get from this riff (or any other riff). Let's start with the top rows (the Key of G). While I've indicated the notes on the fifth and sixth strings, you can also play them on the second and third. The G is the open third string (3:O in my notation), the C is the second string, 1st fret (2:1), the Bb is the third string, third fret (3:3), and the A is the third string, second fret (3:2). You can also play all of the notes on the first string. The notes G – G – G G – C – Bb A – G – G become, in my notation, 1:3 – 1:3 – 1:3 1:3 – 1:8 – 1:6 1:5 – 1:3 – 1:3. So, try this exercise. For each of the keys in the Table (G, C, F, Bb, D), play the notes shown in all the octaves that you can. You can do this for any riff. Just write down the notes of the riff, as I've done. (Just write down the letters, don't try to write the standard notation.) Then try to play the notes in all the octaves that you can. (If the note is D, you can play it on the fourth string, open – you can also play it on the second string, third fret. You can do similar things with every note.) This will help you get familiar with the names of the notes, as well as help you get the feel of all the strings. There is yet another type of exercise you can get from this riff. Go back to the key of Bb. Note that it has no open strings. So, try adding one to each fret (on both strings), and see what you get. Write down a set of rows like in the Table, but show the new notes (when the fret numbers have been increased by one). Which key is the new riff in? Go to the positions exercises for more. |
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