When it comes to learning a new tune, we are often so eager to hear ourselves playing it that we stumble through difficult spots without really ironing them out.
I encourage students to make sure they get each difficult section solidly under their fingers before going on. When you examine a passage that is difficult for you, you'll often find that there's more than one technical challenge in it. You may be unsure of the fingering, there may be a left-hand technique you've not really smoothed out, or there may be syncopation or a picking pattern that your right hand has no experience with. If you'll have the patience to tackle just one
technique at a time, you'll get it, but if you don't, chances are you'll keep getting tripped up.
My arrangement of the Christmas carol "Away in a Manger" from
an upcoming project has a good example of this kind of passage.
(And now's the time to start on these Christmas songs!) In measure 11 there's a descending double stop pattern, played in triplets, with a down-up-down picking pattern, kicked off with a quick
slide up and finished up with a slide down. Take a listen to get the sound in mind:
Hear the phrase only
Hear the whole song
Hear me talk through it
Now, let's break it down.
- Finger the double stops as marked, playing them with one downstroke each, slowly. Memorize them and play with your eyes closed. Play them in the kitchen, standing up. Play them sitting out on the deck. Play them so many times you can do it without thinking.
- Finger the first double stop with the correct fingers and just play the down-up-down, down-up-down, down-up-down picking pattern on those two strings, over and over. Play slowly enough to get a clear, balanced sound. Notice the first note of each triplet is accented a bit more than the others.
- Now combine the first two techniques, moving between the first two positions. If that sounds good, add the third
triplet and the final double stop. Play slowly and only speed up when you've got it under control.
- Practice the slide into the 7th fret using
the correct fingering. Itās the kind of
slide that doesnāt really sound two distinct notes, just the destination
note. Get that sounding just like the
recording before adding it to the beginning of the whole phrase. Practice
the slide from the 4th to the 2nd fret just using the two positions involved
(this one is only on the "talking" recording, not the whole song
recording). Finally, add it on to the whole phrase.
If you haven't skimped on any of the steps above, you have now mastered the technical aspects of this phrase and can turn your attention to the feel of the piece as you play, rather than being worried about the technical pitfalls.
I recommend applying this method to every tough spot you encounter.
Next issue, I'll talk about my approach to tremolo.
Happy picking!
Thanks to my musical partner, Diane Bouska, for her help on this
article. --Roland
Visit us on the web at www.rolandwhite.com
