Robert Fripp Guitar Picking Exercise for Unique Phrases and Patterns

Robert Fripp Guitar Picking Lesson and Exercises

Hi Guys,

Today, a Robert Fripp style Guitar Picking exercise that incorporates various Fripp/King Crimson guitar picking patterns.

These are angular, string skipping and awkward intervals that can be picked with either strict alternate picking or “Down Down up”. I employ alternate picking mostly, but, there are parts where I exploit the “Down Down Up” pattern purely because some string skipping intervals are too wide and awkward for alternate picking alone.

The first bar is quite awkward and so I “Float” with my right picking hand. This way I am not stuck in any one position and I can freely pluck the passage without any intrusions.

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At this part of the bar you will notice the awkward string skipping part between the C and C# down to the E note. You will need to pivot with the fretting hand for this. [Please see video above for detailed info].

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The next bar is starting on an “Upstroke” with strict alternate picking:

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The next Phrase is reminiscent of “Larks Tongues in Aspic III” by Fripp. Notice the C note to the open E string to the C# note. This connects the phrase nicely by breaking the chromaticism up and at the same time making it fluid.

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In the next part we can see how phrases might be counted or felt as groups of 5 or 3. [See video above]

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To round the phrase off I employ a descending Eb Dominant pentatonic scale: This employs alternate picking starting on an upstroke. [I finished on the note F# purely becasue I like the sound].

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The final part employs a 5/8 chordal picking vamp:

The picking pattern I use is : “Down down down up up” and “Down down up down up” with the plectrum.

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This was just an exercise/example by taking some King Crimson, Robert Fripp signature licks, patterns and phrases and making a little etude from them. This in turn creates some familiarity with the right hand picking in order to create patterns of our own.

Making your own patterns and coming up with your own original and unique phrases is the key rather than to just copy.

There are so many variations to exploit, which gives any player a mountain of material to work with. So, anyone can make some really original, colourful and interesting music from this.

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Fripp/King Crimson style Guitar Picking Exercise:

Modern Jazz Fusion Chords part 2. Steely Dan, Dan Chord and Slash Chords

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Robert Fripp/King Crimson Style Guitar Picking Exercise: Alternate Picking/Cross Picking

Hi Guys,

Today, a “Quirky” Fripp-esque/Crimson-esque guitar picking exercise.

Here is the first part:

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As you can see this is very intervallic and as Robert Fripp might call it, “Finickity” picking pattern.

Alternate picking starting on an upstroke works really:

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Also, the pattern “Down Down Down Up” works well: [with a short amount of alternate picking on the C B E notes in the bass]

Fripp-king-crimson-cross-picking-guitartechnqiue-example-lesson

Moving on from this we have chromatic movement: So from here on in we employ strict alternate picking starting on an “Upstroke”:

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In this next phrase we have a contrapuntal effect with arpeggio and scale movement put to good use.

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We finish the first part with more descending chromatic movement with the last line imitating the phrase before it.

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In the 2nd part we exploit whole tone scale movement:

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We will decorate this by employing 4ths:

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Now we will dismantle the whole tone scale by making a chordal quartal melody and strum this up a semitone and back to create a colourful sound:

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This is then repeated up in Major thirds.

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Up another Major third:

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Finally we descend from the 12th fret with this little motif:

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Modern Jazz Fusion Chords part 2. Steely Dan, Dan Chord and Slash Chords

King Crimson/Fripp Guitar Cross Picking Sequence technique

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King Crimson/Fripp Guitar Cross Picking Sequence Technique

Please watch the above video for detailed analysis:

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Hi Guys,

This sequence uses our old friend, the “Down Down Up” Cross Picking Guitar Pattern:

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Although, the pattern is 1 2 3 1 2 3 I am counting 3/4 as in – 1 and 2 and 3 and for rhythmic momentum and only 1 2 3 in the 3/8 bar.

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The fretting hand shapes are mainly Quintal and Quartal moving around in the cycle of 4ths. Although, there is some flattened 5th and Major 3rd movement.

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Part 1:

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Part 2:

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Last Bar:

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