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.

king-crimson-fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example

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].

fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example-intervallic

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

fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example

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.

robert-fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example

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

crimson-fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example

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].

fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example

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.

fripp-guitar-picking-lesson-example

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.

Fripp-guitar-lesson

Free Messiaen Modes E-Book Download

Hi Guys,

I made an E Book from the collected webpages and blogs from this website that wasn’t needed in the end.

So,

Rather than delete it I have posted it here for anyone who might be interested or find it useful:

Pat Martino Unpublished Book: Intervallic Studies: NEW PAGES:

Hi Guys,

Many of you have asked me to publish more pages from the unpublished book on intervallic studies by jazz guitar legend Pat Martino:

Firstly, we see Pats thoughts on the many scales available to create his intervallic studies: [He seems to have had an impressive encyclopaedic knowledge of scales].

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book

Here, Pat lays out the main/commonly used scales to his preferred/choice of harmony [inversions/voicing’s]

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book

Here, his harmonic expansion is continued: Again, scale to harmony [chord voicing’s].

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book

This page demonstrates once again, scales and harmony with possibilities and personal choices. It’s interesting to see Pats chord voicing’s available for development with his unique intervallic concept:

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book

Now, let’s take a complete study. Here is the first one of the melodic minor set :

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book-melodic-minor
pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book-melodic-minor-scale

Towards the end of the book we find that Pat was either still working on the book or he didn’t have time to complete [in all 12 keys] everything that was in his mind.

Although incomplete, here we see Pat preparing studies for the Spanish Gypsy scale, with the key points of string order and correct guitar fingering:

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book

Lastly, we have a full study with the Hungarian minor scale: Once again notice the string order and Pat’s choice/recommended guitar fingering.

pat-martino-intervallic-studies-jazz-guitar-book

In conclusion, these are some of the important pages of the book, although there are lots more studies of interest and some more interesting pages [chords/scales] that I will publish in a later blog. But, this is the main core for those interested.

Judging by this book, although, Pat was an amazing jazz guitarist/composer and improviser he also seems to have been a great theoretician and super creative individual with a vast knowledge of music and not just jazz:

Finally, I would like to say a big thanks to Mark Koch for sending me the book and making all of this possible.

PDF DOWNLOAD: