konokol – Modern Music Theory Improvisation and Application

Alternate Picking from Ascending 5’s

Posted on April 27, 2025April 27, 2025 by Modern Music Theory and Application

PLEASE WATCH VIDEO ABOVE FOR DETAILED INFO:

Hi Guys,

Today, a quick look at building from the “Ascending group of 5” with alternate picking guitar technique.

This group of 5 exploits the “Up” stroke. It works well as a tool for building longer and longer lines/phrases.

This is NOT shred and is really only for jazz, fusion and world-esque music like John McLaughlin’s super creative outlet Shakti. It is an improvisers tool.

ASCENDING 5:

Here is an example of the 5 figure. It consists of an open string and starts on an upstroke.

This 4 note + 1 sets up the upstroke for the string cross.

alternate_picking_guitar_technique_example

Here’s how it would be as a tetrachord to the next beat. [As opposed to a quintuplet or Ta ka di mi Thom.

EXAMPLE/EXERCISE 1:

Let’s now build off of the ascending 5 figure.

In the example below, we can clearly see the extension from the 5’s to 7’s to two groups of 4 note tetrachords.

From here, we will add a Dom7th chord to the scale/phrase.

This sets us up nicely to descend smoothly starting on the upstroke.

EXAMPLE/EXERCISE 2:

Here, we will do exactly the same thing, except that this time we are moving from G7 to C Major. [Notice the open string and 5 figure extended].

Once again, the descent is on the upstroke.

FULL EXAMPLE:

EXAMPLE/EXERCISE 3:

Here, we see the process in action again. The line building from the 5 figure.

The descent starts on the upstroke as before, but, this time leads to a perfect V I cadence:

VARIATION:

Here is a variation, but, this time in the key of A Major.

The same form of descent is employed that once again ends in a V I cadence.

FREE PDF DOWNLOAD:

5-Guitar Download

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Counting Rhythms for Alternate Picking Guitar “Right Hand” Technique:

Posted on April 18, 2025April 18, 2025 by Modern Music Theory and Application

Please watch video above for more detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Here are a few of the Rhythms that I like to count and/or practice when alternate picking:

These are based around Indian Konokol: But: I am using them to INTERNALISE patterns. This could be Ta ka di mi but felt/internalised as du du du du–

WHY is this?

It’s because I am in “Standard” tuning and the syllables of the counting help to “Connect” quick rhythmic patterns together to create “Musical phrasing” for composition and improvisation.

These, I find help me enormously with the right hand picking, as I can connect phrases together from the internalised beats/syllables.

These are NOT cast in stone and are only a few ideas that I use personally, and are not aiming at strict Indian classical music technique, but, are employed as reference points/patterns/beats in the way that they are enunciated.

4 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi [1 2 3 4]

2] Ta ki ta Ta [more as 123 1]

5 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi thom [1 2 3 4 5]

2] Ta ka di mi Ta [1 2 3 4+1]

3] Ta ki ta Ta ka [1 2 3 1 2]

7 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi Ta ki ta [4+3]

2] Ta ka di mi thom Ta ka [5+3]

8 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi [4+4]

9 note grouping:

1] Ta ki ta Ta ki ta Ta ki ta [3×3]

2] Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi Ta [4+4+1]

11 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi Ta ki ta [4+4+3]

13 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi Ta [4+4+4+1]

16 note grouping:

1] Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi Ta ka di mi [4×4]

IN CONCLUSION:

These are only ideas that I personally find useful, and, as I say they are not for strict Indian classical music. But, they do function well as reference points and a way of enunciating beats for the picking hand to pluck at a fast [alternate picking] tempo.

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John McLaughlin-Prime Numbers-Alternate Pick Guitar Examples/Thoughts

Posted on April 5, 2025September 7, 2025 by Modern Music Theory and Application

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Here are the Number groupings from the Youtube video I posted today as promised.

First of all we have the 4+1 or 1 e and a 2. [Hence nailing the next beat].

Sheet music showing rhythmic grouping of John McLaughlin's 4 + 1 with notes and time signatures for guitar technique.

This could also be transformed into a quintuplet. Or, Ta ka di mi thom from Johns use of Konokol.

EXAMPLE 1:

Here, we double this amazing “Prime number”.

NOTICE: We start on a downstroke for the first grouping and then start on an upstroke for the next grouping.

Musical notation with notes and tablature for guitar, showcasing various rhythms and groupings of John McLaughlin guitar techniques. — Musical notation and tab demonstrating alternate picking techniques and rhythmic groupings .

In terms of “Alternate Picking” guitar technique this creates some magic dust in our favour as not only are we two beats ahead of typical 4 note picking groupings, we are also connecting with both the up and downstrokes resulting in very quick and fluid picking.

From this, we can then start to break it up into musical motifs or phrases or riff/unison material.

The next great number for interesting phrasing and alternate picking groupings is the prime number 7

Music notation showing a sequence of notes with a 7 for John McLaughlin alternate picking and time signature.

Now, let’s connect these two prime number patterns together!

Sheet music notation showing guitar tabs and rhythmic markings for musical phrasing, prime numbers and John McLaughlin's alternate picking techniques. — Musical notation illustrating the connection of two prime number patterns in guitar technique.

This next example is also useful, although, it’s not a prime number but a group of 6 notes “Sextuplets”

Musical notation illustrating a sequence of six notes. McLaughlin's a rhythmic pattern.

From this, let’s add two more notes to form a common grouping of 8 notes:

We will now add one more note for a group of 9

9- Example 2

Now, let’s go up one more again for ten notes.

10-Example 2

A musical notation sheet showing rhythmic patterns and guitar tabs for John McLaughlin prime number guitar technique.

This time we will go back to prime numbers with a group of 13 notes

Musical notation showing a series of notes and tablature for guitar, with specific symbols indicating John McLaughlin's rhythm and phrasing. — Musical notation illustrating a grouping of 13 notes [Prime number] for alternate picking techniques.

Finally, let’s exploit a whole bar of 4/4 time

Sheet music displaying a John McLaughlin guitar exercise with notes, including various groupings and techniques for alternate picking. — Guitar tablature and notation illustrating alternate picking techniques and rhythmic groupings of John McLaughlin.

IN CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, this was just a concept related to alternate picking guitar technique specifically.

This is because sometimes the rhythmic motifs are not logical and need to be re-framed in order to make sense of the demands of the picking hand.

Also, sometimes starting on an upstroke works better than the down stroke or visa versa. These prime numbers generally put us a beat ahead which for alternate picking is extremely important because otherwise there is the age old tendency to just tremolo and hammer on willy nilly trying to catch up and this music is the antithesis of that.

So, in summation: These groupings help make sense of illogical phrasing for the picking hand whilst making sure that we are ahead in the music.

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