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La rythmique Page 1/8

La Rythmique

J. Dubreuil

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La rythmique
Cours de guitare rythmique au mdiateur
Ce cours aborde la technique de base pour l'accompagnement. Bien que sa destination vous amne
raliser l'accompagnement avec un mdiateur, vous pouvez toujours raliser les exercices avec les doigts.
1. Introduction
Tout d'abord, avant de raliser une rythmique, il faut savoir quelle est la mesure du morceau (si c'est du
3 temps, du 4 temps...). Pour cela, soit vous avez faire une partition, et dans ce cas le rythme est indiqu (c.f.
Cours en ligne Le Rythme 1, exemple 6), soit vous devez le deviner par vous mme. Il n'y a pas de relle
solution si le rythme n'est pas indiqu, il faut essayez. Sachez toutefois que les rythmes principalement utiliss
sont : 4 / 4, 3 / 4, et ventuellement 6 / 8. Donc la premire chose faire, c'est dc'accompagner en utilisant le
rythme du 4 temps, de faon bien dtermine, et si au bout de quelques secondes l'accompagnement vous
semble dcal, en retard, essayez le rythme bas sur 3 temps, et vous aurez gnralement rsolu le problme.
Quelques conventions d'criture pour ce cours :
: coup de mdiateur vers le bas (des graves aux aigus)
: coup de mdiateur vers le haut (en remontant, des aigus aux graves)
2. Dcomposer un rythme (4 temps)
Vous allez aborder le rythme 4 temps travers quelques exemples. Posez tout d'abord un accord qui
vous est famili (par exemple un Lam), et considrez toutjours que tous les temps que vous allez gratter sur les
cordes doivent tre grens dans le sens Grave Aigus.
Jouez l'exemple 1, en gardant bien en tte que tout ce qui tombe sur les temps (1, 2, 3, 4) doivent tre
jous dans le sens Grave Aigus. Jouez ces exercices en boucle, de faon bien rgulire, aucuns de ces temps
de doivent tre jou plus fort, ou moins fort, chacun la mme intensit.
Temps

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 01
Vous avez aussi remarqu que dans l'exemple 01, un espace spare chaque temps, ce qui va permettre
d'insrer des coups de mdiateurs en retour, sur le contretemps. Jouez l'exemple 2 en comptant les temps et les
contretemps comme ceci : 1 et 2 et 3 et 4 et 1 et 2 et 3 et 4 et 1... Jouez sur un accord en suivant bien le sens
des flches.
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 02

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La rythmique Page 3/8


Ralisez l'exemple 02 en boucle, de faon tre trs l'aise avec cette rythmique. Variez ensuite les
accords, en faisant alterner deux accords (1 par mesure) : Lam Sol par exemple. Maintenant que vous avez
saisi cette rythmique principale, recommencez en accentuant le premier temps de chaque mesure : chaque 1
sera jou un peu plus fort que les trois autres temps. Ceci permet d'avoir un petit point d'ancrage et de ne pas
jouer toujours la mme formule. Vous pouvez galement, ds que vous tes l'aise, accentuer le temps 3,
toutefois un peu moins forts que le temps 1. Un bon exercice serait de refaire l'exemple 2, en accentuant tantt
le temps 1, tantt le temps 2, puis tantt le 3 et enfin le 4, de faon alterne et toujours contrle. Si vous
ralisez ceci, il est impratif de compter chaque temps pour ne pas vous perdre dans cette rythmique.
Jouez maintenant les exemples 03 06 en prenant soin d'accentuer les temps crits en gras (et en rouge
sur l'cran) :
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 03
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 04
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 05
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 06
Vous connaissez maintenant la formule de base de l'accompagnement, qui est compose d'une
dcomposition la croche. Cette formule d'accompagnement est la plus complte, car les suivantes vont tre
labores sur l'exemple 02, avec quelques temps (ou contretemps) enlevs. Jouez les exemples 07 11 en
prenant soin de bien rpter chaque exmeple en boucle. Ds que vous en maitrisez un, variez les accords :
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 07

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La rythmique Page 4/8


Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 08
Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 09
Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 10
Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 11
Ces 5 exercices sont assez faciles, car il suffit d'enlever quelques contretemps. En revanche, les
exercices suivant, bien qu'ils soient bass sur le mme principe demandent un plus gros effort d'apprentissage,
car ce sont les temps qui sont enlevs, et ceci dstabilise l'accompagneteur. Travaillez lentement, en comptant,
et en tant trs rgulier. Veillez surtout respecter les coups de mdiateur, ce qui va vous faire jouer parfois des
coups en remontant de faon conscutives :
Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 12 (formule qui va tre labor dans l'exemple 13)


Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 13
Si vous avez des difficults, jouez l'exemple 12, car l'exemple 13 est identique avec un temps en moins
(le 3). Il ne faut donc pas jouer ce temps, mais le penser, et mettre un silence la place.
Maintenant que vous savez raliser l'exemple 13, vous pouvez travailler ces exemples qui sont bass sur le
mme principe :
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Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 14
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 15
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 16
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 17
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 18
Vous pouvez laborer vous mme quelques tableaux de ce type, en variant les temps, contretemps et
accentuations. Vous avez appris les formules de base, toutes fondes sur le mme principe, avec des temps et
des contretemps. Chaque guitariste qui s'accompagne possde sa propre formule qu'il utilise lorsqu'il chante, et
vous allez vous former vous mme votre propre formule. Rien n'empche, dans un mme morceau de changer
de formule (c'est mme souvent conseill), de faon faire un 'remplissage rythmique' pendant que la voix fait
des blancs.
3. Dcomposer un rythme (3 temps)
Ici le principe est le mme que pour le paragraphe 2, mais bas cette fois (et vous l'avez srement
devin) sur 3 temps :
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 19 : formule la plus complte


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Temps

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 20
Temps

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 21
Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 22
Temps

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 23
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 24 : base sur le contretemps


Temps

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 25 : assez dur !


(continuez de compter dans votre tte pour pas se perdre)
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 26 : bas sur la valse d'amrique du sud

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Ces quelques exercices vous ont propross des variantes sur la valse (le 19 au 23 sont plus standarts et
plus faciles, tandis que les autres sont plus consirer comme un exercice). Vous pouvez galement refaire ces
exercices en cherchant jouer une basse sur le temps 1, et des accords sur les autres temps et contretemps.
4. Dcomposer un rythme (mesure 6/8)
Ce type de mesure, moins utilis que le trois ou quatre 4 temps, est toutefois prsent dans quelques
morceaux. On rencontre chez Brassens par exemple beaucoup de pices o la mesure est 6/8 (La mauvaise
rputation est la plus connue srement), et vous pouvez reconnaitre ces chansons car la partie de guitare que
joue Brassens un ct 'bancal', dans le sens irrgulier entre la basse et l'accord jou. La mesure 6/8 est
forme de deux temps, et chaque temps de divise en trois parties gales :
Temps

et

et

et

et

Exemple 27 : mesure 6/8


Ce que ralise Brassens quand il utilise cette mesure 6/8, c'est qu'il joue le rythme comme dans l'exemple 28,
en pensant la mesure sur deux temps (lents), en dcalant les contretemps pour les jouer un peu plus tard :
Temps

et

et

Exemple 28 : mesure 6/8 comme le joue Brassens


Il frappe ses accords avec les doigts : Pouce (pour la basse), index, majeur et annulaire (pour l'accord).
Pour ce qui est de notre travail avec des coups de mdiateurs, il faut thoriquement utiliser un coups vers le bas
sur les temps forts (ici 1 et 2) et un coup en remontant sur les deux contretemps. Le problme apparait car cette
mesure est impaire et on ne peut thoriquement pas utiliser une alternance aller-retour au mdiateur tout en
frappant les temps forts des graves aux aigus. Voivi donc les deux possibilit pour jouer du 6/8 au mdiateur :
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 29 : penser ce rythme comme un valse


Jouer deux fois Basse accord accord
Ce procd peut fonctionner sur des tempos pas trop rapides
Temps

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 30 : penser ce rythme comme un deux-temps


Jouer deux fois Basse accord en dcalant l'accord un peu plus tard
Ce procd peut fonctionner sur des tempos assez rapides

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Temps

Coup de
mdiateur

et

et

et

et

Exemple 30 : penser ce rythme comme un deux-temps


Jouer deux fois uniquement la Basse
Ce procd peut fonctionner sur des tempos trs rapides.

5. Autres mesures
Sachez, titre d'information, que certains morceaux ont une mesure particulire (ce qui est quand
mme plutt rare) :
Temps

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 31 : la mesure 5 temps (5/4)


Jouer : Basse accord accord Basse accord
C'est le cas dans le morceau Take five, et dans des valses 5 temps par exemple
Temps

et

et

et

et

Coup de
mdiateur

Exemple 32 : la mesure 7 temps (7/8)


Jouer : Basse accord accord Basse accord Basse accord
C'est le cas dans des morceaux d'Europe de l'Est

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A Players Guide to the


Acoustic Guitar Neck

Triads Up the Neck


Explore the fretboard like never before by learning
to play three-note major and minor chord shapes.
By Dan Apczynski

Blues Chords Up the Neck


By David Hamburger

Triads Up the Neck


Explore the fretboard like never before by learning
to play three-note major and minor chord shapes.

By Dan Apczynski

Ex. 1

Cm

b www

& ww
w
B

5
7
8

C dim C aug

b b www

5
6
8

n # www

4
6
8

6
7
8

Ex. 2: Root-position major triads

&
B

www
0
2
3

2 AcousticGuitar.com

www
7
9
10

www
3
4
5

www
10
12
12

ing these shapes up the neck of the guitar can


both inform your guitar playing and help create
some cool textures and riffs.

The Anatomy of a Triad


As their name suggests, triads are chords made
from three pitches. The adjacent pitches of the
chord are each separated by a third, which
means that on a music staff, the three notes of
a root-position triad occur on adjacent lines or
spaces. From bottom to top, these notes are
called the root, third, and fifth of a given chord
(for more about how they get these names, see
Building Sus and Add Chords, on page 38).
There are actually four different kinds of triads, determined by what types of thirds separate the notes. In a major triad, a major third
separates the root and third, and a minor third
separates the third and fifth. Minor triads are
just the opposite, with a minor third on the bottom and a major third on top. Well stick to
major and minor triads in this lesson, but the
other two types are the diminished triad, which
has two minor-third intervals, and the augmented triad, the notes of which are separated
by two major thirds. Example 1 shows each of
these four possibilities using C as the root.
As anyone who has learned scale patterns or
barre chords up the neck already knows, one big
advantage of the guitar is that once youve studied the layout of notes and different positional

possibilities in any one key, that knowledge can


be adapted to other keys with relative ease. That
is definitely the case with simple triads and their
inversions, so lets start with an easy key and
worry about the rest later. The key of G is fairly
simpletheres only one sharp to worry about
(F#), and its position on the fretboard will work
well for illustrating the concepts of this lesson.
So, until further notice, were playing in the key
of G.
To help kick things off, Example 2 shows a
few ways to make a root-position G-major triad
at several places on the fretboard. You can
make four different adjacent three-string groups
on the guitar (e.g., the first through third
strings, second through fourth strings, etc.),
and each group holds exactly one possibility for
a root-position G-major triad. If you look at
these chord shapes the right way, youll probably catch glimpses of chords you already play
compare the muddy-sounding shape on the
three lowest strings to the open-position
G-major chord we all know and love, or the
shape on strings two, three, and four to a thirdfret G barre chord.

Triads and Inversions


So, great: We can make a chord that we normally play with four or five or six notes with
only threenow what? The four shapes shown
in Example 2 are actually just the tip of the ice-

Ex. 3: First inversion triads

Ex. 4: Second inversion triads

G/B

G/D

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w
5
5
7

w
ww
0
0
2

ww
w
8
7
9

ww
w
3
3
4

ww
w
9
10
10

ww
w
4
5
5

ww
w
12
12
12

ww
w
7
8
7

photos by frank ford

heres just something about the humble


triad that makes it easy for guitarists to
overlook. Maybe its because triads are
such a basic building block of our musical language that theyre written off as unimportant.
Or maybe its because the guitar lends itself so
well to building powerful four-, five-, and sixnote chord shapes when were playing rhythm,
while single- and double-note lines stand out
the best when were playing lead. Three-note
shapes tend to be stuck somewhere in
betweennot thick enough to strum, but too
chunky to pull out on a solo break.
Nonetheless, there is still a great deal of
value in simple three-note major and minor
chords, and the geography of the fretboard
allows for more creativity than might initially
seem possible. In this lesson well take a look at
what makes triads tick and talk about how play-

A Players guide to the acoustic guitar neck:


Triads Up the Neck

Ex. 5: IIVV patterns in G

xx3 2 1 x

xxx34 1 x xx34 1

G/D

C/E

ww
w

3
5
5

5
7
7

7
8
7

8
8
9

5
7
7

3
4
5

G/D

C/E

x x x1 3 2
xxx 211
x xx34 1
x 231 xx
5 fr.
7 fr.
5 fr.
8 fr.

# 4 ..
& 4 .
3
4
5

instance, you simply drop the third of a major


triad one half-step. Example 6 shows a few
ways to play A-minor triads (Am is the ii chord
in the key of G). Compare these shapes to the G
major triads in Examples 24.

with the fifth in the bass are known as second


inversion triads (and tend to be less common
than first inversion triads). Example 5 shows
some simple IIVV patterns played in different
places in the key of G.
When youre playing simple triads, its a
good idea to keep track of which noteroot,
third, or fifthyoure playing on each string. If
you do, youll make it that much easier to play
other kinds of triads. To play minor triads, for

berg. One great way to move forward is to take


the root from the bottom of any of these shapes
and shift it one octave higher to the string
above the fifth. Example 3 shows four new
shapesstill G-major triads, but this time, the
B (the third of G) is on the bottom. These
chords are known as first inversion triads. You
can create even more chords by moving the
third to the top of the stack (thereby leaving the
fifth on the bottom), as in Example 4. Triads

x 311 xx

..
.

4
5
5

4
5
5

5 fr.

Tri, Tri Again . . .


With just these shapes, you can create triad
accompaniment for an infinite number of
songs. The chord shapes in Example 7 outline

D/F #

G/D

xx3 12 x

x x x1 3 2

j
..
.
4
5
5

5
5
7

5
5
7

7
7
7

7
7
7

C/E

7 fr.

xxx 211

8 fr.

D/F #

xxx 211

10 fr.

ww
w

ww
w

7
8
7

8
8
9

10
10
11

10
12
12

Ex. 6: A-minor triads


Root position

&

B
Ex. 7

ww
w

ww
w
2
3
5

Bm

Ex. 8

7
7
9

G/D

x x x1 3 2

0
1
2

w
# ww

n ...

7
6
8

5
6
7

5
6
7

Em

xxx 432

7 fr.

A/C

x x 21 3 x

9 fr.

E/G#

9 fr.

5
5
5

ww
w

w
# ww

w
n ww

D/F #

5
4
6

3
4
5

3
2
4

..
.

x x x1 3 2

8
10
9

1
2
2

Em/G

j


3
2
4

Ex. 9 G/D
7 fr.

ww
w

5
7
7

10
12
12

D/A

xx111 x

ww
w

10 fr.

ww
w

Second Inversion

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w

10
9
10

2
2
3

7
7
8

ww
w

w
ww

ww
w

F #/A #

7
7
9

ww
w

5
5
7

9
10
12

# # 4 ...
& 4
B

ww
w

First Inversion

xxx34 1

F#

... # ww
w
J

5
4
5

5
4
5

2
3
4

C/E

xxx2 11

7 fr.

8 fr.

# 4 . . . .
.
. .
& 4 .
B

.787
.

7 9

7
9

10

10
10

10 7

7
7

. .
7
7 . .

7
8
7

7
8
7

7
8
7

7
8
7

8
8
9

8
8
9

8
8
9

8
8
9

.
.

AcousticGuitar.com

A Players guide to the acoustic guitar neck:


Triads Up the Neck

a progression similar to the verse section of the


Eagles hit Hotel California. Pay particular
attention to the smooth voice leading that
these chords allowthe voices in this example
move mostly in half and whole steps, making
the transitions sound very crisp and natural. In
particular, check out the bass notesthey
move in half steps throughout the entire line!
Fingerpicking rolls tend to work well with
small shapes, making them another great way
to get mileage from triads. Example 8 shows
one possibilitya triplet-based roll on IviiiV
chords in the key of G.
Triad shapes also sound great as quick jabs
on the backbeat of a tune. Enlist a friend to play
G and C chords behind Example 9, and fill in
the triads on beats two and four of each bar as
shown. Tricks like this add rhythmic variety and
can really help keep songs with multiple guitars
from feeling cluttered.
In my original song Tri, Tri Again on page
95, Ive used triads to create responses
to a series of single-note lines. By doing so,
Im hoping to make the progression speakthe
first notes suggest the beginning of the
old adage If at first you dont succeed . . . , followed by the payoff in the following measure: a
chorus of three voices in two triumphant major
triads. The arrangement sticks to the top four
strings, but Ive packed in as many different
inversions as possiblein measure 12, Ive even
lifted the bass note of a first-inversion A triad by
a half-step, making an Asus4 chord.
Remember, triads are one of the most basic
elements of our musical language. Keep studying these simple shapes and youll really round
out your skill up the guitar neck. ag

Tri, Tri Again


Music by Dan Apczynski

N.C.

G/B

..
.
J

#

& #
2

.. #
# # ...

. J

&
J

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w

7
7
7

Bm/D C # m/E A/C #

A/C #

Bm/D

D/A

3
3
4

5
5
5

ww
w

2
3
2

n ...

3
3
4

C/G G/B

#

& #
2

3
3
4

N.C.

D/A

A sus4 A/C #

7
7
7

7
7
7

5
5
6

B
A/C #

6 7

7 5

7
7
7

7 6

E/B

9
9
9

5
5
6

5
5
7

G/B

5
5
7

5
5
6

D/A


## . #
.

.
& .
J

13

.6
.

5
6

C/G G/B

4
6

D/A

# .
& # .. n .. J

17

B
4 AcousticGuitar.com

.
.

5
5
5

3
3
4

2
3
2

4
4

3
4

3
4

2
4

2
2

D/F #

G/D

..
play
three times

.. . J
2

2
2

.
.

7
8
7

7
8
7

10
10
11

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.
.

Blues Chords Up the Neck


By David Hamburger

E7

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E7

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E7

xx2314

E7

xx1112

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IX

A7

Ex. 1

E7

# #

& # # 44

Ex. 4

1
0

0 2

2
0

E 7 E dim E 7

A7

xx1112

17 frets on your guitar. Whats it like up there?


you wonder. Will my fingers have enough oxygen once they break through the gravitational
pull of the third fret? The answer is yes, though
if youve never climbed that high without a
capo before, just remember: dont look down.
In this lesson well explore some up-theneck chord voicings for E7 and A7 on the top
four strings. With an open-E or open-A string in
the bass and an upper bass note on the fourth
string, your thumb will alternate between the
sixth and fourth strings on each E chord or
between the fifth and fourth strings on each A
chord.
Lets start with the chords themselves, then
look at some ways to use them in a 12-bar
blues. There are four basic shapes for seventh
chords that use only the top four strings. Here
they are in the key of E:
You may find it helpful to relate each of
these shapes to an open chord you already know
and love. For example, the first shape is just the
top four strings of an open E7 chord. The second

Swing \

A7

xx1211

xx1324

Get in the Groove

A7

xx2314

To get comfortable with each new voicing, start


with an open-position groove, like Example 1
on page 85, and then make the move to the
new voicing in the second measure, as in
Example 2, leaving yourself a little breathing
room to get to the new chord. When youre
comfortable snapping to that new voicing, try
Example 3, where the melody in the first bar
leads to the new chord at the top of measure 2.
Many of these chords are used in licks that
have been part of the blues idiom since the
1930s. Scrunching the top three notes of the E7
chord back one fret gives you the E diminished
chord in Example 4, which is cool in and of
itself. But try breaking up the chord and syncopating it against the thumb notes, and you get
the swinging lick in Example 5.
The cool thing about these shapes is that
they transpose well: move the same chord
shapes up to the seventh fret and bring your
picking thumb over one string to the open-A
bass note and youve got the same move on an
A7/Adim chord, as in Example 6. Once you can

}{{{
V

VII

Each of these shapes also has a few closely


related variations that can come in handy:

E9 E79

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A9

xx123x

xx1214

xx1114

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V

IX

E9

A9

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IX

Notice that changing one note of the E7


voicing at the fifth fret creates an E9 chord.
Raising the B string one more fret and leaving
out the high string creates an E7#9 chord (the
Purple Haze chord). Changing the top note of
the A7 voicing at the fifth fret creates an A9
chord. Both the A7 in open position and the E7

Ex. 2

E7

at the ninth fret can be changed to major triads


by raising the note on the first string a whole
step. Alternatively, you can change that openposition A7 into A9 by adding your ring finger
at the fourth fret of the third string; adding
your ring finger at the 11th fret changes the
ninth-position E7 voicing to an E9.

shape is like an open D7 chord moved up a


whole step, with one more note added on the
fourth string. The third shape looks like the top
of an open B7 chord slid up five frets, and the
fourth shape looks like an open-position A7
chord moved up to the ninth fret.
These same shapes work for A7, though not
in the same order:

f youre comfortable fingerpicking open-position blues in E, from time to time you may
find yourself gazing wistfully up at the other

0 2

Ex. 5

Ex. 3

j
j
E7

n n

4
3
4
2

2
0

E 7 E dim E 7

4 4
3 3
4 4

0 2

0 2

Ex. 6

2
0

4 4
3 3
4 4

Aj7 A dim Aj7

4
3
4

2
0

AcousticGuitar.com

A Players guide to the acoustic guitar neck:


Blues Chords Up the Neck

slow tempo if you want to focus on this transione possibility over an alternating bass.
play these last two examples smoothly, try
tion.
Lets see how some of these moves sound in
stringing them together for a two-measure lick
context. Blues up the Neck on page 8 is
that goes from E7 to A7 (Example 7), or, if you
another alternating-thumb blues in E. It opens
reverse it, from A7 back to E7.
Play the Blues
with the arpeggiated move in Example 15, then
Example 8 lays out a common EE7 move,
Lets see how all this works in the real world.
transposes that move up to A7 in measure 2,
working chromatically down the high string.
Handful of Chords on page 8 is a 12-bar blues
adding the third of the chord on the high string.
Example 9 shows one way to syncopate this
in E played over an alternating bass. The first
Measure 3 includes another variation of the
over an alternating bass in E (measure 1), folthree measures use open-position voicings, but
major-to-seventh lick, which is then transposed
lowed by the same lick transposed to A (meameasure 4 goes up to the E7/Edim lick from
down to A7 in measure 5. Youll need to drop
sure 2).
Example 5. Note the anticipation at the end of
the A7 chord right after beat four to make the
Transposing licks up and down the fretboard
measure 3; youll have to drop the open E chord
anticipation of measure 6, which is an A9 lick
is fun, but its also important to know how to
just after beat four and reach for the start of the
based on Example 16. In measure 7, grab the
get to the nearest IV chord from whichever I
E7 voicing at the second fret with your ring finfifth-fret E7 at the top of the measure, move
chord youre on, or vice versa. Example 10
ger. Theres another open-position A7 in meathrough another A7 voicing on beat three, and
shows one way to connect the dots; after each
sure 5 before a jump up to the seventh fret in
you wind up back on an open-position E7 in
E7 chord, drop down a fret or two to the closest
measure 6 and another seventh/diminished
measure 8. Measure 9 is another open-position
A7 voicing.
move, this time on an A chord with a slightly
B7 lick; move off the chord quickly after beat
If you mess around with these a bit, paying
different syncopation. That version of the sevfour to make the slide up to the fifth-fret A7.
attention to whats happening on the top string
enth/diminished lick then gets transposed back
The slide into the sixth fret is one of those
for its melodic value, you may begin to uncover
down to E in measure 7. The rest of the chorus
slides from nowhere that doesnt have a spesome cool-sounding chord variations, like the
is basically in open position, although the A7
cific starting point; just grab it wherever you
two chords in Example 11. By holding the B on
chord in measure 10 includes a reach up to the
Swing
\
can coming out of the B7 shape and start movthe high
string
when you switch to the A7, you
fifth fret on the high string. While the turning. The A9 lick in measure 10 is based on
get an A9. Example 12 shows one way to play
around in measures 1112 is pretty standard,
Example 16. The turnaround in measure 11
these voicings over7 an alternating bass. Check
the syncopation of the C7B7 move in measure
7
7
passes through a few different chords, starting
out the last note of measure 1the and of the
12 is similar to the anticipations in measure 6.
with an E7 on the first two beats, an A9 on beat
fourth beat. Its common to anticipate the chord
Weve primarily been playing these voicings
three, and a C7 on beat four. That C7 is just the
in the coming measure this way, grabbing just
in a block, grabbing most or all of the notes at
fifth-fret E7 chord shape moved down to first
one note before the downbeat. At a moderate
once. Leaving off the top note of the second-fret
position.
tempo, you should have time0to let go of the E7
E70creates the voicing4in Example
0
0
4 4 4
4 4 14, which
2 your thumb and get 0 2can be arpeggiated (Example
2 can play
3 3 15).
3 through
3 3 the examples
3 With a little0 2
Once0you
after playing beat four0with
1
1
1
4 4you4can add extra
4few4of these
4 new chords
here,
try
sneaking
a
at least one finger of the 2
new A7 chord
in
place
fretting-hand
pinky
action,
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
and licks into some blues of your own. Good
in time to grab that pickup note with your index
notes to the fifth-fret A7 voicing. Example 16
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
luck! ag
picking finger. Try playing Example 13 at a
shows the available notes, and Example 17 is

Ex. 1

Ex. 4

Ex. 5

E 7 E dim E 7

# # # # n n #
&
#

4
3
4
2

3
2
3
2

Ex. 7

4
3
4
2

Ex. 10

6 AcousticGuitar.com
7

4
3

A7

3
2
3

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.

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.
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E 7 E dim E 7

4
3
4

j
j
E

n n

# #

& # # 44

Ex. 3

Ex. 2

4
3

3
2
3

4
3
4

Ex. 6

A 7 A dim A 7

Ex. 8

..

..

.
.

.
.

E E maj7 E 7

Ex. 9

Aj7 A dim Aj7

n n #

9
8

8
7
8

9
8
9

E E maj7 E 7

..
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.

AA maj7A 7

j
j
n
n

.
.

.
.
..

9
8

E7 A7

8
7
8

E7 A7

9
8
9

E7 A7

.
.

12
9
9

11
9
9

10
9
9

. 99
.

12 11
9
9
9

Ex. 11

E7 A9

Ex. 12

E7

10
9
9

2
2

A9

5 4
2
2
2

3
2
2

.
2.
0

.
.

4 to3the4acoustic guitar
9
8 neck:
9
A Players guide
3
2
8
7
3
8
4 Up the Neck
3
8
4
9
Blues Chords

Ex. 10

E7 A7

7
5
7
6

3
2
2
2

5
5
6
5

E7 A7

10
9
9
9

12
12
13
12

11
9
9

10
9
9

12 11
9
9
9

Ex. 14

7
5
7
6

7 7
5 5
7 7

E7 A9

E7

# # # # . n ... j
w
.
&

n .. n www

7
5
7

.
.

7
5
7

7
5

.
.

0
3
4
2

4
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4
2

n
n
5

5 4
2
2
2

3
2
2

7 7
5 5
6

.
2.
0

7
5
6

Ex. 17

A9

7
5
6
5

j
j

n

Ex. 16

E7

A9
j
j
. j
n ..

7
5
6
5

2
2

E7


n n

Ex. 15

10
9
9

Ex. 12

E7 A9

12
10
12
11

. 99
.
0

Ex. 11


n n

9
8
9
7

12
9
9

Ex. 13

E7 A7

n n


n n

# # # # n n
&

E7 A7

4
3
4
2

.
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A9


n n

6
0

7 5
5

8 7 5
5

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understanding, playing, and enjoying these essential traditions and styles on the instrument
that truly represents American music, the acoustic guitar.
Whether you are studying with a teacher or on your own, let The Acoustic Guitar Method be
your guide to the joys and pleasures of playing guitar. This comprehensive approach, with
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AcousticGuitar.com

A Players guide to the acoustic guitar neck:


Blues Chords Up the Neck

Handful of Chords
Music by David Hamburger

E7

A7

E7

E dim E 7

j
j
n

n
#### 4

.
n

&
4

Swing \
@ = 96

0 2

E7

02 3
2

02

4 3
3 2
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A7

A dimA 7

j .
j j
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n # .
# n

3 2 0

4
3
4

9
8

8
7

9
8

E dim E 7

B7
A7 j
B7 E7
C dim A mE 7 C 7 B 7
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j
j
j
j
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# # # # n n # n j j . j . j n j
b j .

&

n #
n n n

4
3
2

3
2

4
3

3
2

0 0
2
1

2
2

0
2

0 2 0
0

3 2
2
1

1
3

1
2

Blues up the Neck


Music by David Hamburger

E7

A7

E maj7 E 7

A A maj7 A 7

A9

j j n w
j

@ = 96

n
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n

#### 4 n

.

. n
&
4

E7 A7

# # # # n .
&

4
2

9
7

E7

B 79

9
9

12

12 11
9 9

10
9

9
0

A7

B7

5 4
2
2
2
9
2
0

E7

H P

3
2

A9 3

7 5 7 5
8 5
5

C7

n . n j j j n j j n j j n n


n n n b

7 7 5 7 30
5
5
7
6
6
2
0
0

8 AcousticGuitar.com

3
2
0

2
0

H P

2 020
2

3 0
2
6
1
2

7 5

8
5

7
5

0 2 0
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75 75
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7 7 6
6
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1
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3 02 0
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7 6
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0 8 7

2005 david hamburger. all rights reserved. used by permission.

Swing \

Bluegrass Guitar
Lesson Guide

A Private Lesson with Chris Eldridge


The young bluegrass prodigy discusses chord voicings and rhythm-guitar techniques.
By Scott Nygaard

A Private Lesson with Chris Sharp


The bluegrass phenom explains his Lester Flatt-inspired rhythm style:
Use a thumbpick to power bass runs and a fingerpick to add bounce.
By Orville Johnson

A Private Lesson with Jim Hurst


Learn the two-time International Bluegrass Music Association Guitarist of the Years
hybrid fingerpicking approach to Bill Monroes fiddle tune Wheel Hoss.
By Craig Havighurst

Chris Eldridge
The young bluegrass prodigy discusses chord voicings and rhythm-guitar techniques.

By Scott Nygaard

guitarist in the bluegrass world. His effortless


virtuosity and fiery soloing may turn heads, but
his rhythm playing is just as fascinating. In
Thiles band, the guitar becomes another con-

LICK OF THE MONTH


This two-bar lick is pretty idiosyncratic; I kind of stole it from Eric Johnson, says Chris
Eldridge. It works well as the last two bars of an A-minor fiddle tune or bluegrass tune. Stretch
your hand to get the first phrase (follow the fretting-hand fingering noted below).

& 44

Am
1

2 AcousticGuitar.com

10

Am

1
# n

E7

trapuntal voice, playing harmony lines, countermelodies, and syncopated partial-chord


grooves, and adding power to the bands innovative and complex sound. Though Eldridge
has certainly learned from Rices example, hes
expanding the role of bluegrass rhythm guitarist
with his own harmonic and rhythmic concepts.
You play a lot more colorful chords than
many bluegrass guitarists do.
eldridge Yeah. If you play, say, a straight Em
chord, it conveys all the essential information
you need, but it conveys it very starkly. There
are so many different ways you can manipulate
it. You can have a pretty colorful chord with
just the basic triad, or you can put it in another
inversion, with the G on the sixth string, the E
on the fourth, the B on the third string, fourth
fret, and another E on top [Example 1]. That
has a totally different sound. Its not as stark as
a regular Em. Of course, the most stark thing of
all is fifths [Example 2], where you can barre

Kristin Barlowe

hris Eldridge plays guitar in two of the


hottest young bluegrass bands around:
the Infamous Stringdusters, whose
debut CD, Fork in the Road, was recently
released by Sugar Hill Records, and Chris
Thiles How to Grow a Band (also known as the
Tensions Mountain Boys). The son of bluegrass
banjoist Ben Eldridge of the Seldom Scene,
Chris was surrounded by bluegrass growing up,
but he didnt take up the guitar until the age of
ten, when he heard fusion shredder Eric Johnsons Ah Via Musicom. I freaked out and my
life changed in that instant, he recalls. I got
totally obsessed with his music, and listened to
Ah Via Musicom and Tones nonstop. That was
the turning point.
He found his way into bluegrass through
Tony Rices spacegrass recordings of the early
80s, which he says provided a comfortable
bridge between fusion and the bluegrass
sounds hed grown up around. Theres this
rhythmic thing that was so comfortable about
Tonys music, Eldridge says, but it was also
harmonically sophisticated. Since graduating
in 2004 from Oberlin College, which allowed
him to spend a term studying with Rice,
Eldridge has become the most-talked-about

BLUEGRASS GUITAR LESSON GUIDE: Chris Eldridge

Ex. 2 Ex. 3

# 4 Em E m/G
& 4

0
0
0
2
2
0

4
2
3

Ex. 5

E m11

B
&
4

ww
www
w

ww
ww
w
w

www
ww
w

www
w
w
w

ww
ww
w
w

0
0
4
2
2
0

0
0
0
4
2
0

0
0
2
4
2
0

0
3
2
4
2
0

0
3
2
5
2
0

2
3
2
5
2
0

Ex. 6

Acoustic Guitar: 1954 Martin D-28


(Uncle Johnny).
Picks: Tortoiseshell, which he shapes to
about 1.3 mm. Shell picks are definitely
the sound I prefer. I dont feel great about
using them, but I havent found anything
else that sounds like that.
Strings: DAddario J-17 medium-gauge
phosphor-bronze.

E m11

ww
w
w
w

3
2
5
2
0

WHAT HE PLAYS

4e

C7

b

H

2 3

3
3
0
0

x
x
x

0
1
3
2

3
3
0
0

x
x
x

x
x
x
x x

0 3

3
2

0
1
3
2

0
3
4
2
2
0

0
1
0

0
3
2
2
2
0

4d

www
ww
w

E m7

#
&

4c

Ex. 4a 4b

E 5 E m(add9) E m11 E m11 E m11 E m11

You studied with Tony. What was the most


important thing you learned from him?
eldridge Well, I was 18 or 19 at that time,
and I had a much more young mentality. I
wanted to be a gunslinger and play crazy solos.
He impressed upon me that all youre really trying to do as a musician is collaborate with other
musicians and make sounds that are pleasing to
listen to, in one way or another. Youre trying to
make music with people, not show them how
crazy this lick you can do is. Thats what I
learned from him, to be more of a complete
musician in service to an ensemble. ag

You also use some closed-position chords for


a more percussive effect.
eldridge One cool thing about playing closedposition chords in bluegrass, that not a lot of
people do, but which can be a great effect, is imitate the mandolin chopalmost mute the strings.
I damp them by moving my fingers to the side

Do you have the freedom to use those kinds


of chords in a bluegrass band?
eldridge Yeah, especially in the bands I play
in, the Stringdusters and the Tensions Mountain
Boys. Theres one song on the Stringdusters

Ex. 1

and lifting them off the strings a bit [Example 6].


With closed-position chords, you can get
this rhythmic punch. I dont think you need to
be ringing all the time. I like rhythm-guitar
players who step outside the box. Thats why
Tony Rice is my favorite rhythm-guitar player.
He can play the most amazing straight bluegrass rhythm, but hes not afraid to add weird
syncopations, and insert accents into the
music, really change the direction of the music
by doing something different with the rhythm.

record, Tragic Life, thats in E minor and has


these weird voicings. Its a Western song, and I
wanted chordally to have this ghost-town suggestion. I started with almost a fourth voicing
[Example 5], but for the main chord I played, I
raised the A note up to a B for a kind of Em7
without the third. I wanted it a little more spare
sounding, a little more solitary Westernthis
guy out on his horse.
Since I started playing with Chris Thile,
though, Ive been more comfortable playing
simply. On his How to Grow a Woman from the
Ground record, I really liked the sound of simple chords. If you play simple chords, the other
ones have so much more impact, coming out of
nowhere. Plus, it constrains other people if
youve got chords with upper extensions or
some weird voicing.

the fourth and fifth strings with your first finger and then use your pinky on the third string.
To find different chords, you can just move
one note at a time. I find that its easier to
discover things by doing that than by trying to
conceive of six new things. Just change one
thing and see what that is. So, heres an Em9
[Example 3], which is kind of a cheesy color
chord, but it has its place. But lets add in an
11 note, and you get the chord Tony Rice used
on House Carpenter [Example 4a]. Its got
this spooky, haunted but very stark sound.
From there Id add a D to replace the high B,
barring the fifth through third strings [Example 4b]. Heres a really nice one [Example 4c],
where you raise the ninth up to the third, and
then you can flatten the barre and get the F# on
top [Example 4d]. I play this voicing all the
time. And Ill also use it without the top note
[Example 4e].

3
2

2
0

2
3
2

3 2 0

2 0

2 0

0 4

AcousticGuitar.com

Chris Sharp
The bluegrass phenom explains his Lester Flattinspired rhythm style:
Use a thumbpick to power bass runs and a fingerpick to add bounce.

By Orville Johnson

he driving rhythm and soulful, hill-country vocals on I Am a Man of Constant


Sorrow (from the soundtrack to O
Brother, Where Art Thou?) gave bluegrass and
old-time music a boost into mainstream consciousness, racking up Grammys, Oscars, CMA
awards, and plaudits galore. A lot of that
freight-train rhythm was provided courtesy of
Chris Sharp. His style recalls the playing of Lester Flatt, from the seminal bluegrass supergroup Flatt & Scruggs. The technique is
virtually a lost art in this era of supersonic flatpicking: using a thumbpick to power the bass
runs and one fingerpick to add bounce and
swing to the upstrokes.
Sharp grew up in North Carolina and spent
some time in California before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where he began serious study
of Flatts rhythm style. He picked up gigs with
fiddler Kenny Baker and Josh Graves (Flatt &
Scruggs legendary Dobro player), then spent
several years with the [John] Hartford Stringband. That led to his participation in the O
Brother soundtrack and Down from the Mountain
tours. We sat down to discuss his rhythm style at
the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop last
summer.

How did you get interested in the Lester Flatt


rhythm style?
SHARP When I moved to Nashville, Id been
playing more in a Tony Rice flatpick style of

rhythm. Everyplace else Id been it was working


for me, but when I got to Nashville nobody
cared about thatthere were a lot of guys coming up that were trying to play like that. I knew

LICK OF THE MONTH


In this Merle Travisinspired intro lick, Chris uses his thumb-index style to play some bluesy single notes. In bar 4 he strums down with his thumb on
the sliding chords and then back to the swinging thumb-index strum to establish the groove.

j j
# # # # 4 n n .
&
4
q = 200

p
3
4

B
4 AcousticGuitar.com

i p i
4 4
4

j j
j j
n

j n n n
n


#
#
n # n

i p

2
3

i p i
3 3
3

i p

3
4

i p i
4
4
4

i p i
0
2
3

p
0

p
4
3
4

p
3
2
3

p
2
1
2

J
p

p
0
2
0
2

i
0
0
1


n n
J

i
0
2
0

p
0
2
0
2

i
0
0
1

BLUEGRASS GUITAR LESSON GUIDE: Chris Sharp

Ex. 1
Ex. 1

.
#

.
& 44 .
&
JJ

q = 184
q = 184#

...
.3

B
B

3
3
0
0
0 0
0

3
3
0
0
0

3
3
0
0
0

Ex. 3
Ex. 3

h = 144
h = 144#

#
&

&

B
B

3
3
0
0
0

3
3
0
0
0

3
3

2
2

3
3
0
0
0

2
2

Ex. 2
Ex. 2

.
..
...
.

q = 184
q = 184

bb nn

3
3

H
H

P
P

0
0 1 2 0
0 1 2

2 0
2 0

J
J

3
3
0
0
0

3
3
0
0
0 0
0

I needed to change. Id always been a Flatt &


Scruggs fan, but Id never really considered
Lesters playing style. His way is subtle. Its
easy to overlook until you sit down with it;
then you think, Whoa, how did I miss this?
So I started listening to all their stuff again and
focusing on the guitar.
I had to look around and figure out for
myself what kind of pick, how tight it needs to
be, how to keep it from slipping around. Learning about how, if your hand sweats, you need to
use pine rosin, fiddle bow rosin. I later found
out from Josh Graves that Lester would go up
to Paul Warren and rub his thumb right up
under Warrens fiddle strings and get that rosin
on his thumb and finger. Another trick Ive seen
Earl Scruggs use is to cut grooves in the thumbpick. You cut them on the blade where your
thumb sits. You have to cut a certain direction
or it doesnt work. Its like a 45-degree angle
toward the point of your pick. You need to cut
them deep so its kind of like a fin sticking up. I
cut three grooves. You do this along with the
rosin, and your pick is not gonna move.
Tell me about the breathing aspects of this
style.
SHARP Thats one of the most overlooked
things in rhythm-guitar playing. When theres a
hole or space in the tuneat the end of a line
or whereverI try to fill it up with a louder
strum; the rest of the time, I try to stay out of
the way so, like you say, the music breathes
more. It lets the guitar be part of the song.
Some guitar players play in perfect time but

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play at the same dynamic level, regardless of


the changes in the song. But, playing this way
you might even be able to hear where the
words come in and out by the changes in the
guitar. Its more integrated to the song.
Sometimes Ill hammer on the sixth string
from F# to G on the downbeat to sort of emphasize the downbeat of the strum. Or add a little
upbeat with the finger right before the downbeat, a grace note. And sometimes making a
triple strum before the downbeat [Example 1].
Its like, sixth string thumb, thumb strum on top
three strings, fourth string thumb, then updown-up (finger-thumb-finger). Thats definitely a Flatt thing.
Talk about Flatts famous G run.
SHARP I play it different ways depending how
fast the song is. Its always with the thumb, no
finger involved [Example 2]. The important
thing is, by the time you get up to the G note,
your pick is laying on the string and you just
pull it off. It makes a big difference in tone
whether you pluck the string, or your pick is
laying on the string and you pull it off. Your
thumb comes to rest on each string as you go
through the run. After I pick the notes on the A
string, it rests on the D string, then I pick the D,
rest on the G string, then I pick the G note, and
the pick is stopped by the B string. It doesnt
stay there long, but thats what gives you the
accuracy and tone. You have much more control over when youre going to make the note,
the timing of the run. And you dont miss the G
and end up hitting the B string.

You cant miss if you play it this way. If you


watch Flatt on a video, you see that when he
comes to play a run, his hand that was strummimg free gets anchored with his thumb, and
his finger sticks out. But the idea is, his whole
hand just stops and plays that run, then theres
a little space and the strum comes back.
Another advantage of this style is I can play
so much faster with my hand open, not clutching the pick. The way you mix in the upbeats
with the finger helps give more of a swing to it.
Sometimes, if the song gets going real fast, I
just play a pattern on the bass strings and
throw in an occasional strum [Example 3]. If
the band is really playing in time I dont need
to do that. When things drag, though, my arm
gets tired real fast [steadying the tempo] and I
put more of those in to get a rest.
Whats your take on the differences between
the modern rhythms and the older styles?
SHARP To me, what happened in bluegrass
rhythm was Jimmy Martin and Flatt & Scruggs.
A lot of the modern flatpick style is rooted in
Jimmy Martin. Flatt & Scruggs kept the same
band, mostly, and developed a swing from
working together. What the banjo and guitar
did together was incredible. But they never
trained other people to play their way. Lots of
the modern players went through Martins
band; he trained them to play his rhythm, and
they went on to teach other people: J.D. Crowe,
Doyle Lawson, Tony Rice with J.D. Crowe. I
think Tonys style is an evolution from Martin.
What kind of picks do you use?
SHARP I had some pictures of Lester from the
Bear Family box set and I could see that he used
a fingerpick. His were made by Stevens, the
same company that made the Stevens Steel
bars [for playing Dobros]. I guess John Pearse
got the pattern for them and started making
them again. They call them Hi Rider. These
work well for guitar rhythm because they sit
higher up on your finger, not right on the cuticle. Other picks, if you get going fast and happen to catch a string, it really hurts your cuticle.
That doesnt seem to happen with these. ag

WHAT HE PLAYS
ACOUSTIC GUITARS: 1989 Martin D-16
mahogany; Vrai by Shima Yoshihiro with
maple back and sides.
STRINGS: DAddario EJ17.
PICKS: Dunlop large thumbpick; John
Pearse Hi Rider index fingerpick; Vintage
National middle fingerpick.

AcousticGuitar.com

Jim Hurst
Learn the two-time International Bluegrass Music Association Guitarist of the Years
hybrid fingerpicking approach to Bill Monroes fiddle tune Wheel Hoss.

By Craig Havighurst

music has a lot of flexibility. Its great exactly


the way he did it, but his music is so diverse, its
absolute genius. Im able to meld a couple different ideas in it. Since I recorded it on my
Open Window CD in 1998, Ive adjusted a few
things. Sometimes Ill play it faster to give it
more of a bluegrass feel. Sometimes Ill play it
slower to make it funky.

ts hard to tell whether Jim Hurst is a naturalborn bluegrass flatpicker raised on Merle Travis and Chet Atkins or a natural-born
drop-thumb fingerpicker who put himself
through the school of Clarence White and Tony
Rice. Actually, like Doc Watson, Hurst uses both
acoustic guitar techniques to support and
enrich the other. Hes one of the few guitarists
known chiefly as a bluegrass player who is just
as likely to spin Chet-like webs of country fingerstyle silk.
Hurst was born in Kentucky but grew up in
Ohio, where he caught fire for music through
his family. His first idols were fingerpickers,
especially Jerry Reed. But his eclectic taste
helped him build a wide-ranging career. Hes
been a studio picker and a road sideman for
country stars like Trisha Yearwood and bluegrass standout Claire Lynch. In the last few
years, Hursts partnership with bassist Missy
Raines has allowed him to put both his flatpicking and fingerpicking chops on display, resulting in two Guitarist of the Year awards (in 2001
and 2002) from the International Bluegrass
Music Association.
Hursts ability to bring both traditions
together is evident in his arrangement of Bill

6 AcousticGuitar.com

It is surprising to find so much to work


with in a tune with scarcely more than two
chords.
HURST Its kind of in the cracks. Youve got
major elements. Youve got minor elements.
Youve got that modal element. The way the
melody is played, bluegrass-wise, its straight
up and down, but you can fudge the cadence of
the melody just enough to make it funky.
Monroes Wheel Hoss. Played in open-G tuning with a thumbpick, Hurst has invented many
variations on Monroes deceptively simple
theme. He recently showed me a few.
What is it about this song that made you
want to arrange it for solo guitar?
HURST It just pays tribute to the great writing
of Bill Monroe. People dont realize that his

So walk us through how you approach the


melody.
HURST I set it up so I can play the melody
using the thumbpick as if it was a flatpick. I use
my first finger to support the thumbpick. Some
of its hammer-ons and pull-offs [Example 1].
When I play I dont want to hear the pick. I
want to hear the note jump out of the box, so

Lick of the Month


Try this highly syncopated and rhythmic fingerstyle intro that Jim Hurst uses to start Wheel
Hoss. Night after night its a different kind of attitude, he says. But Wheel Hoss adapts so
well to a funky groove.

BLUEGRASS GUITAR LESSON GUIDE: Jim Hurst

when I pull it off or hammer it on, its more of


a natural sound.
Then you switch to fingerstyle for the variations?
HURST The second pass through I add a bass
line [Example 2]. I use my thumb to play the
bass line and part of the melody, and my
index and middle fingers to play the melody.
The third time through I play double-stops
[Example 3]. Its the same bass line, but now
Im using a double-stop so two fingers are playing the melody. Theyre actually only picking

every other time, because Im hammering on


and pulling off. The last time through I play the
same kind of thing with a percussive approach
to my right hand. I hit the top of the string with
my nails and anticipate the downbeat, so I get
a loping kind of groove.
How do you handle the B section?
HURST The bass is playing just that dropthumb, Merle Travis/Doc Watson thing
[Example 4]. Then it goes from being a support bass line to actually getting active in the
melody [measures 79]. ag

what he plays
Acoustic Guitars: 1986 Doc Watson
model Gallagher for fingerstyle songs.
2001 Huss and Dalton D-RH custom
dreadnought for bluegrass.
Strings: DAddario medium-gauge
phosphor-bronze.
Picks: Golden Gate pearloid thumbpicks
and Fender extra-heavy tricorner flatpicks.
Amplification: Fishman Acoustic Matrix
pickup through a Fishman Pocket Blender
preamp.

AcousticGuitar.com

Soir de Moscou
Le Temps du Muguet
Transcription, arrangements et adaptation pour guitare : Joseph Dubreuil

Rythmique
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http://joseph.dubreuil.free.fr/

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Kazatchia Kolybelnaa
Berceuse cosaque
Transcription et adaptation pour guitare : Joseph Dubreuil

Rythmique

q = 80
6fr

Cm

G7

 

   






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Cm

Bb7

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G7

   

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6fr

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Eb
G7
Cm
G7




   





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http://joseph.dubreuil.free.fr/

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Cm


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Kazatchia Kolybelnaa

Berceuse cosaque
Transcription et adaptation pour guitare : Joseph Dubreuil

Thme moyen

q = 80

Cm

G7




   

1re voix





    

2e voix




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Eb
  
 


 
 


 

G7



Cm


1

G7


2

 

10


1

Bb7

Cm

G7

Cm

11

     

Cm

G7


5

 

4

http://joseph.dubreuil.free.fr/

Eb

 

Cm


1


1

Kazatchia Kolybelnaa

Berceuse cosaque
Transcription et adaptation pour guitare : Joseph Dubreuil

Thme facile

q = 80

Cm

G7




   

1re voix





    

2e voix




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Eb
  
 


 
 


G7




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Cm

Bb7

Cm

Eb

 

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G7

 

     

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G7

Cm

 


http://joseph.dubreuil.free.fr/


1


1

Tarentelle
Traditionnel Italie
Arrangements & tablatures : Joseph Dubreuil

Guitare rythmique

http://joseph.dubreuil.free.fr/

Tarentelle
Traditionnel Italie
Arrangements : Joseph Dubreuil

Guitare rythmique
q. = 120

Am
Dm
Am

Guitare

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http://joseph.dubreuil.free.fr/

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