Today, a quick look at how John McLaughlin moves from chord to scale or scale to chord on the nylon string guitar.
FAST ALTERNATE PICKING LICK!
In this lick we can see John exploit the 3/4 timesignature with rapid fire alternate picked tetrachords!
This is classic “Music spoken here” style in regards to the application of pentatonic scale fingerings and melodic arpeggio shapes that connect together to create a fluid improvised line.
CLOSER LOOK:
Here, we can view the exploitation of a quick pentatonic fingering that ascends,
Now, we go the opposite way and answer the phrase with a descent. This employs the A Major Arpeggio shape/fingering:
Finally, we have a little melodic rise in the top line over a barred static chord. [Mind the stretch!]
MCLAUGHLIN GUITAR TECHNIQUE 2
In the next example, we will apply the concept ofa chord to scale fragment that anticipates to the next chord in 4/4 time.
Technically, I am playing the chords on a downstroke and the scale on an upstroke. [This employsalternate picking guitar techniqueonce more].
What makes it work so well on the guitar is that this concept employs 1st Inversion chord voicing’s- E,g B/D# to E/G# to A/C# to D/F# etc
Also, as a compositional device, this works brilliantly because it employs the cycle of Vb to Ib.
HERE IS THE DESCENDING IDEA:
HERE IS THE ASCENDING IDEA:
Notice: this is the same, but, this time we are ascending with the same concept.
Musical notation illustrating a John McLaughlin chord to scale technique, demonstrating ascending and descending patterns.
Today, a quick look at the “Right Hand” aspect of alternate picking guitar technique:
This is not cast in stone, but, to serve as a useful reference/guide to anyone that might be having problems.
THE WRIST/FOREARM:
Picking works best for the jazz/fusion [McLaughlin] style when picking from the wrist. Having said this, there is relative movement from the elbow to the wrist as the forearm follows through.
This becomes one motion that connects the music/phrase [we are playing] together as we alternate strictly down/up or up/down aligned with the strings we wish to pluck.
The differences of the 3 great alternate pickers.
The Fripp style is more for “Pre-learnt” playing 100-152Bpm[Yes, there will be some improvisation] But, the McLaughlin style is really geared towards “In the moment” improvisation around the 130-200 bpm. With Al di Meola being a combination of both[Think “Hotel Splendido” to “Cielo et Terra”.
This in turn means that each are approached in a slightly different manner, but this would be a whole blog in itself. So, for the sake of time I am addressing the all round basic concepts for the Right Hand in this post.
Crossing the 6 Guitar Strings: PART#1
When crossing strings I like to follow a straight line as is taught in Ivor Mairants brilliant book “Perfect Pick Technique”.
Below, is the diagram that demonstrates this.
This is extremely useful as it means that we are aligned with the string we wish to pluck at the moment we wish to pluck it and the forearm wrist and pick are in line and ready to pluck.
Feeling, and knowing this gives us confidence for ascending and descending naturally without any interrupting from unnecessary nervous or tense movements.
1st string aligned: “Down” stroke:
2nd string aligned/Plucked through on the “Up” stroke:
3rd string aligned:“Down” stroke
4th string aligned: About to be plucked through [on the “Up” stroke]
5th string aligned: “Down” stroke
6th string aligned: Plucked through on the “Up” stroke
As you can see from the 6 diagram alignments above, the wrist and forearm follow naturally as they cross the six guitar strings.
FLOATING OR PIVOTING?
Floating, is literally as it sounds and means floating with the right hand above and not resting whilst plucking the strings.
Pivoting, on the other hand means resting on [generally] the bridge of the guitar and plucking.
I like to be in a floating position and then pivot on either the first note and then float or……float and pivot on the “Down” strokes:
[Please not that the floating is overly emphasised in the photo’s as it is the only way I found to show it].
From Above:
CROSSING STRINGS: PART #2
Always, remember with Alternate Picking we are either picking:
“Up” skip over pluck down.
Or:
“Down” skip over pluck up.
Simple as this is it’s essential to take into account so that you don’t get confused or do two of the same stroke.
IN CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, this was just a brief examination of good solid alternate picking right hand technique. Much of it depends on what you wish to play. Many just wish to play guitar fast, which, ironically defeats the task.
To play at fast tempos one needs to be able to articulate phrases slowly, and, for the prog or jazz fusion improviser this means 8th note to 16th note to 32nd note. Forms of double timing. Because, from that the musical phrasing emerges and so does the speed.
In summation I would say that alternate picking technique is really a simple technique to play complex music and not a complex technique to play simple music.
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As requested, here is the revisited version of the original blog I made regarding the video above. I hope it’s still useful,
ALTERNATE PICKING GROUPINGS:
The key to this mid tempo alternate picking style is to divide the groupings into “Tetrachords” [or four note cells] and count the BPM[e,g 130-140] time as you pluck the notes with the guitar pick.
In the video at the top of the page you will see how the fretting hand grips and releases in order to connect the line together, so, that the fretting hand is not stuck or glued in one positions and has the freedom to shift positions in a relaxed and quick manner.
Fretting Hand Consideration:
Release: For the next Connection or position shift:
In regards to the alternate picking the first tetrachord/cell starts on a “Down Stroke”.
It’s also useful to accent the 1st beat/note[and also the 3rd note if possible ]
