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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
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| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
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We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
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It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Good String Crosses Gone Bad
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Note: This tech tip applies to the RIGHT HAND.
When playing a piece with "i, m, and a," and changing from string to string, we experience
what I call "good" string crosses and "bad" string crosses. For example, using "m" to play the
first string E and then "i" to play the second string B is a "good" string cross—it feels natural.
But using "i" to play the first string E and "m" to play the second string B is a "bad" string
cross—it feels awkward:
You can detect the same feeling of right and wrong with "m" and "a":
And even with "a" and "i":
To feel the difference more dramatically, try playing on the first and third strings:
Most normal arpeggio patterns use "good" string crosses:
So, when fingering pieces, it only makes sense to use as many good string crosses as
possible for ease of playing and security.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
There are three ways to "set up" good string crosses:
1. Make a conscious choice as to which finger plays the first note of a passage
2. Change the left-hand fingering
3. Insert left-hand slurs
The first method is to simply decide which finger to use first to produce the desired good string
cross. In the following example, playing the very first open E on the first string with "i" produces
two bad string crosses in the next measure:
But making the choice to play the very first open E with m instead of "i" produces good string
crosses in the second measure:
The second method, changing the left-hand fingering, can be as simple as changing a note
from being on an open string to a fretted note on another string. Line one of Example #8
below shows the "incorrect" fingering from Example #6 that produced bad string crosses. But
line two shows that simply changing the open E's to E's fretted on the second string (but
retaining the same right-hand fingering we had before) now results in good string crossings:
Sometimes avoiding bad string crosses can involve extensive left-hand refingering:
Usually, altering the fingering of one note here or there will have no negative or even
noticeable effects to you or the listener. But with extensive refingerings, that may not be the
case. You must then decide whether it is better to change the fingering to produce good string
crosses and thus make the right-hand execution more dependable, or to retain the left-hand
fingering and simply learn to execute the bad string crosses.
The third method to fix bad string crosses is to insert slurs at strategic points:
One must be careful adding slurs—although they can fix a bad string cross, they may
introduce unintended consequences such as unevenness, accents on the wrong beats,
difficulties for the left hand, or other inappropriate musical effects.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
To some guitarists, repeating a finger is preferable to strictly alternating the fingers if the
alternation produces a bad string cross:
However, one must be careful where the finger repetition is placed. If the notes being played
are fast, repeating a finger might be a bad idea. It would be like running at a fast even pace
and then deciding to repeat a foot:
We can mollify the negative effects of unavoidable bad string crosses by choosing where we
place the bad cross in the passage. Rather than place the bad cross between two fast notes,
place it between two longer notes where it is less likely to cause problems for the right hand:
When a bad string cross cannot be eliminated, just knowing where it is in the passage will
usually enable you to anticipate and play it with no problem. Others will require specific
attention in your practice sessions. Practicing the right hand alone is very helpful:
Finally, I must point out that although we can eliminate a lot of bad string crosses with all these
techniques, we must face the fact that in real life we cannot get rid of all of them. It is kind of
like trying to rid your yard of weeds or crabgrass. You will just have to deal with them!
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Note: This tech tip applies to the RIGHT HAND.
When playing a piece with "i, m, and a," and changing from string to string, we experience
what I call "good" string crosses and "bad" string crosses. For example, using "m" to play the
first string E and then "i" to play the second string B is a "good" string cross—it feels natural.
But using "i" to play the first string E and "m" to play the second string B is a "bad" string
cross—it feels awkward:
You can detect the same feeling of right and wrong with "m" and "a":
And even with "a" and "i":
To feel the difference more dramatically, try playing on the first and third strings:
Most normal arpeggio patterns use "good" string crosses:
So, when fingering pieces, it only makes sense to use as many good string crosses as
possible for ease of playing and security.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
There are three ways to "set up" good string crosses:
1. Make a conscious choice as to which finger plays the first note of a passage
2. Change the left-hand fingering
3. Insert left-hand slurs
The first method is to simply decide which finger to use first to produce the desired good string
cross. In the following example, playing the very first open E on the first string with "i" produces
two bad string crosses in the next measure:
But making the choice to play the very first open E with m instead of "i" produces good string
crosses in the second measure:
The second method, changing the left-hand fingering, can be as simple as changing a note
from being on an open string to a fretted note on another string. Line one of Example #8
below shows the "incorrect" fingering from Example #6 that produced bad string crosses. But
line two shows that simply changing the open E's to E's fretted on the second string (but
retaining the same right-hand fingering we had before) now results in good string crossings:
Sometimes avoiding bad string crosses can involve extensive left-hand refingering:
Usually, altering the fingering of one note here or there will have no negative or even
noticeable effects to you or the listener. But with extensive refingerings, that may not be the
case. You must then decide whether it is better to change the fingering to produce good string
crosses and thus make the right-hand execution more dependable, or to retain the left-hand
fingering and simply learn to execute the bad string crosses.
The third method to fix bad string crosses is to insert slurs at strategic points:
One must be careful adding slurs—although they can fix a bad string cross, they may
introduce unintended consequences such as unevenness, accents on the wrong beats,
difficulties for the left hand, or other inappropriate musical effects.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
To some guitarists, repeating a finger is preferable to strictly alternating the fingers if the
alternation produces a bad string cross:
However, one must be careful where the finger repetition is placed. If the notes being played
are fast, repeating a finger might be a bad idea. It would be like running at a fast even pace
and then deciding to repeat a foot:
We can mollify the negative effects of unavoidable bad string crosses by choosing where we
place the bad cross in the passage. Rather than place the bad cross between two fast notes,
place it between two longer notes where it is less likely to cause problems for the right hand:
When a bad string cross cannot be eliminated, just knowing where it is in the passage will
usually enable you to anticipate and play it with no problem. Others will require specific
attention in your practice sessions. Practicing the right hand alone is very helpful:
Finally, I must point out that although we can eliminate a lot of bad string crosses with all these
techniques, we must face the fact that in real life we cannot get rid of all of them. It is kind of
like trying to rid your yard of weeds or crabgrass. You will just have to deal with them!
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
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A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.