Slides
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Slides are a beautiful thing. They are graceful and can shape a riff with an ease that can catch an ear in an instance. A slide can create a flow to a riff and can be used as a great transition from one part of a riff to another. Slides are done by plucking the string at one fret and while it rings out, sliding your finger down the fret board to a higher or lower fret. Long Slides are commonly used to
emphasize a ride to the next part of a riff, commonly starting from one fret and going all the way down at least 10 frets. Medium Slides are commonly used within 4 to 7 frets and are used for the widest variety of riffs of all slides. Short Slides can be used for detailing a riff that includes other short maneuvers. They take up only 4 frets at the most.
Single Note or Single String Slides are simply that. They are used only on one string from one note at a time to another. On the other hand, Multi-note or Multi-string Slides are slides used in things like P/C (Power Chords) or even full A/C (Acoustic Chords. These may be both long or short.
Independant Slides are those that do not require the plucking of the string to start. Simply hammer on the fret and then slide. These are best heard while on an electric guitar and amp. Dependant Slides on the other hand do require the plucking of the string in order to start the slide. They are mostly for long slides and multi-note slides and call for sustaining sounds.
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Power Chords
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Power Chords are sets of notes used to beef up the sound of a single note. Say for example you play a note on the 5th fret - just that one note. Then lets say you take that note and add a secondary voice to it. So keep your finger (assuming its your index finger) on that fret and then take your ring finger and put it on the 7th fret on the string below and then pluck both strings at once. That is a Normal Power Chord. With that fingering position, you can move all around the fret board, just as long as you keep one fret between those two fingers.
Just incase you are still learning to read tablature, every two or more frets that are right above or below another are all hit at the same time.
Now we'll take it one step further. Keeping the same fingering position wherever your at on the fret board, add your pinky to the same fret your ring finger is on, just a string below your ring finger. This is a Full Power Chord and it is commonly used by many metal bands such as Metallica, Pantera, and Megadeth. Indeed, at first keeping this position as you travel from fret to fret will be hard, but with practice it will eventually turn into an unconcious act. Usually stretching exercises explained in the previous lesson helps this out the most.
Now that you know these, we can move on to the next level of power chords which aren't actually considered power chords. I like to call these Reversed Chords. Reversed Chords are there for those who want to include a different hue of melody in thier riffs. A reversed chord isn't of one stationed fingering position through out the fret board like regular power chords. For a simple example of a reversed chord, take your ring finger and put it on 7 on the A string (second string down). Now take your index finger and put it on 5 on the string below that. Now hit both strings at the same time. This chord can be found in songs like Metallica's "Orion" musical or Megadeth's "Addicted to Chaos".
Reversed Chords have different fingering positions throughout the length of every 12 frets. The same pattern of positions can be used on every pair of strings exept the G and B strings. Below is a tab out of every fingering positon of all common harmonic reverse chords and also shows the differed positions of them on the G and B strings as well before finally continuing the pattern on the bottom strings as the same on the top strings.
Barred Chords are a kind of negative of normally Full Power Chords. They take a note and turn it into an evil, gruling monster of a note. They sound best with the palm muting effect but only sound best (well atleast to me) on the top 3 strings. They consist of taking your index finger and barring the first 2 strings at any fret and then putting your ring finger two frets up on the third string. Refer to the figure below for best explaination on how barred chords work.
Unique Chords are the most versitile types of chords you can find in riffs these days. They are used in a wide variety of styles and techniques and are used for and endless list of harmonic and even disharmonic tones and feels. As you read this, new ones are being created to be used for types of sounds that haven't been thought of. To put most simply, they are practically breeds of chords used from common types but reversed and inverted and cut and added to in many ways to make a different sound than the usual types of chords. I will not illustrate any for you can take the common types I have show you and make you own. Plus, im very sure that when you're learning cover songs, you are almost garanteed to run into many of them. Keep your mind open and be experimental with any you happen to find!
Octaved Chords. Before we talk any about that phrase, lets talk about the simple word inside it: "Octave". An Octave is known as a higher or lower variety of the any note. For example, the open E string is a lower Octave of the note you find on the 7th fret on the A string. See? Same note, just a different octave. While were on octaves, also, I want you to notice something. Every 7th fret of every string is the exact same note as the 12th fret on the string above. Also: Every 5th fret of every string is actually the same note as the open string below. This goes for every string except the G and B strings. You use this concept in tuning. Play these notes below and you will understand exactly how it works.
Now, An Octave Chord is where you take any note and find its octave and use them at the same time. This gives the note a bass and a treble variety to it. Below are a couple octave chords on the top 3 strings. Notice that if you put your ring finger right above every note on the D (3rd) string, it would simply make a Full Power Chord. *Note all "X"'s in the figure are "dead notes", that is they are completely muted with your lower index finger so that only the first and third strings are heard.
At first these chords may be hard to get just right (that is the hardest part being getting that middle note to mute just right). But with practice, you will be able to make one when and wherever you wish like its second nature!
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Acoustic Chords
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Acoustic Chords are works for the whole hand. They can be used in both styles of strum and singular picking. They are notorious for the concept of the smooth and light feel of harmony. Here below, I shall sum up the purpose and difficulties of each type of acoustic chord so you have an idea what you'll be working with in the real chord lessons.
- Basic: These are chords that will take only 2 fingers to pull off. Every other string is practically open. These usually consist of finger positions that are simple and can be mastered in little time.
- Advanced: These are chords that will usually take 3 or more fingers and have fingering positions that will take some time to get used to. The hardest trick with any chord no matter what type is being able to get from one chord to another in a single, clear movement.
- Unusual: These are chords that are not commonly found in many songs. They are not the rarest or hardest but can be confusing to learn and master.
- Unique: These are the hardest and most wierded chords you will ever find in a song. They require complicated fingering and can be the hardest to maneuver to from any other chord.
- Low Fretted: Low Fretted chords are found anywhere on the first 3 or 4 frets on any or all strings. They consist of the most common chords found in a song.
- Mid Frettted: Mid Fretted chords are sometimes low fretted chords played around the 5th to the 8th frets. At other times, they are reversed chords and unusual chords.
- High Fretted: High Fretted chords are usually unique chords that serve as especially melodic purposes like single picking. Although all the other types have thier share of single picking use, these are the best or most unique types to use singular picking on.
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Hammer-On's
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Hammer-on's are a very fun part of playing both rhythm and lead. They are used for pulling off bluesy sounding riffs, or for hard, fast lead-as-rhythm type riffs. Doing a hammer-on (h/o) consists of hitting a note with your index finger on it and as it rings out, placing another finger (like your middle or ring finger) on a higher note. Simple as that! Just make sure if you want the second note to be heard nice and clear, to actually "hammer" your finger on the next fret.
Short Range h/o's are the easiest to pull off. They are mostly just two frets side by side, one to start and the one beside it to hammer onto with your middle finger. But they can also be as long as two frets away from the first note.
Medium Range h/o's are usually 2 - 3 frets apart and is used with your ring finger to hammer onto. They can be hard when you are doing them near the first frets where they are wide and take up more length to pull off but when your fingers are more toward the 12th fret where they are thinner, they can be quite easier.
Long Range h/o's are the hardest, stretching 4 or more frets apart and usually take your pinky if not your ring finger to pull off. Ofcourse, they arent recommended for use in low fretted areas in rhythm unless using a custom technique of rhythm. They are best pulled off near the 12th fret where the frets are more compressed.
Rapid h/o's are those that are usually repeated over and over quickly. Doing this can be hard to coordinate at first but once you've practiced plenty, you will have gotten better with this action and it's potential of speed.
Regular h/o's are the most simple. It's merely one h/o in short or medium range and thats it. No special maneuvers.
Slow h/o's are those where you hit the first note and let it ring for atleast one whole second before finally hammering on the next note. They can be short, medium, or long ranged.
Opened h/o's are those that are started with an open string and then hammered on any fret on that string. They give versitile potential with riff ideas and can help start any riff of high speed or unique patterns.
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Pull-Off's
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Pull-off's are merely the opposite of a h/o and can be more difficult to pull off. This action consists of putting two fingers (preferably your index and ring finger assuming there is one whole fret between them) on two defferent frets on the same string. Hit the string and while it rings out, pull the finger on the higher fret off of the string so that the note transends to the lower note your index finger is on. This may be difficult to get right and clear the first few times. As with everything, practice makes perfect, so don't give up, you're sure to get it right eventually.
Short Range p/o's are those used simply with your index finger and your middle finger, assuming they are done on frets that are side be side to eachother. They are practically the easiest as they use your two most coordinated fingers on the hand.
Medium Range p/o's are those that have atleast one fret between the two fingers used, which should be the index finger and the ring finger. These are the most common types of p/o's and should be practiced the most.
Rapid p/o's are, ofcourse, those that are done rapidly. When practicing these, it is best to start out slowly and with increasing coordination, speed up. They work best as short and medium ranges. As you get better, though, you will eventually be able to pull of rapids at long range!
Regular p/o's are those at short or medium range that are neither fast or slow. They are at normal speed which is normally a regular second long.
Slow p/o's are done by letting the first note ring out for atleast 1 1/2 seconds before pulling off to the lower note. They can be short, medium, and even long ranged.
Opened p/o's are those that start on any fret on a string and then pulled off not just to a lower note, but all the way open, therefore they only require one finger to do.
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Scale Rides
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Scale Rides for playing rhythm are usually quite easy unless you're using the Rhythm-as-lead techniques. Scales are practically the foundation of all riffs as they form a pattern that is based on some scale or another. They can be used to ensure a rhythm has a certain feel or ride to it and even acts as a big brother for the lead guitar's solos to ride on. Any scale is basically a pattern of frets that you can run throught, having each fret be a note in harmony with every other before and after every other fret. They form a route using atleast 3 notes on every string and are ran through by starting on either the top or bottom strings and running to every harmonic fret on every next string.
Overall, scale rides are the map of the rhythm and if not being used to make up a riff, can always be used to practice various riff actions that have been mentioned above.
Normally, I would list off different keys of scales that you can use. But I'll save this for later lessons dedicated to this. For now, this part breifly describes all the different types of scales a rhythm can have.
Basic Sc/r's usually have short distance and consist of riding 2 frets on every next string. Their patterns are not difficult, usually consisting of the same frets for almost every string.
Advanced Sc/r's are more detailed and consist of atleast 3 notes on each string. The route they form may travel forward toward the 12th fret from the top E string down or vise versa.
Short Range Sc/r's are simply those that take up 5 frets at the most. They may travel within these five frets or may only have fret sets on each strings that may stretch that far. Short range scale rides are best for simple string to string practicing with the most focus on going from string to string.
Medium Range Sc/r's are 5-10 frets of travel and are used for advancing toward better scale riding. They may be complicated in detail but not as long in duration as the following.
Long Range Sc/r's are usually long and detailed and consist of 10 or more frets of upward or downward fretboard travel. The length they provide could very well hold a much detailed route of frets from the top string down or vise versa.
Foward Fret Runs is simply a run that goes toward the 12 fret from wherever it has started. Although they are going toward the 12 fret, they can be starting from the high E string and go upward string to string.
Backward Fret Runs are simply the reversed of Forward Fret Runs as they go toward the first fret from wherever they start. This type of run can also travel both ways strings type.
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Bends
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Bends are favored by some of the greatest guitarists in the whole world. They are graceful like slides and can add twists to a feel. Bends are done by hitting a note and taking the finger thats on that note and bending the string up or down a certain extent. you can use bends just as you could use a slide, as a transition from one note to another, but here, without leaving the fret. Also, some people think that bends are only for lead playing. Infact, they can be for rhythm creating just as well as you can include it in many rhythm transactions to create a twisting feel to it.
Slight bends are simply bends that you bend where you can just barely hear any change in the notes tone. On an elecric, it takes practically no effort to do this. On an acoustic, it takes little effort but not much at all.
Normal bends are those where you can take a note and bend it until it make a note just inbetween the original note and the fret's note next to it. This is called bending it a quarterstep.
Full bends are where you take a note and bend it to the fret's note 2 frets away or more. Like with other types of bends, these can be done quite easily on any electric, much easier than on an acoustic that has thicker and tighter strings.
Single Note bends are simply those where you take one note and bend it how ever far. They are usually used for quick transactions in a riff.
Multi Note bends consist of bending notes on more than one string at a time. Commonly, you could take a power chord and bend it. It's as simple as that.
Let Off's are when you start the bend while the string is bent then the transaction is in letting the bend down into the original note.
Repeating are normal speed bends using any type of bend and then letting off and then bending again, all at a normal or slightly slow speed of action.
Lasting bends are slowly made and are done by letting the bend ring out for as long as atleast 3 seconds.
Trills are a common type of bend that is used to take a note and create a rapidly shifting tone in the note by quickly but very slightly bending a note up and down over and over for the notes sustain. It can make a piece of a riff sound wicked or flangy. They are personally my favorite of all bends as you can use them in many normal riffs to emphansize notes in a very nice way.
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Combinations
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Now that I've explained every common type of fret action, you can look at the list of combinations and experiment and practice however you wish. There is no limit to how you can craft a riff from these actions. The list of combo's above are only a handfull. The rest is up to you and your imagination. Using the abbreviations I have created, you can try em out yourself. They may open doors in your head to numerous techniques of play.
P/O, H/O
Sl, H/O
Sl, P/O
P/O, Sc/R
H/O, Sc/R
Octave P/C, Sl
B, P/O
B in Sc/R's
B, Sl
H/O, B
P/C, B
H/O notes in A/C
P/O notes in P/C
B notes in P/C
P/O or H/O notes in Reversed P/C
B notes in Reversed P/C
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