Hi,
This question is about the lesson
"Arranging Things : (An Introduction to Song Arrangement - Part 1)"
The section I have a question on is about halfway through the lesson,
"Twinkle #2"
Key of A
In measures 1, 2, 5, 7, 9 and 10:
it indicates to be holding the 5th string down on the 3th fret while playing the A chord. As a beginner, I'm wondering how to do I do this? The only A chord I know is played on the 2,3 and 4 strings, 2nd fret with the fifth and sixth strings open. I can't figure out how to play these bass notes.
This difficulty arises other places in the bass line as well, such as in measures 5 and 7, being asked to play the 4th string, 4th fret while holding the D chord
Thanks for the help :)
Ruth[/img]
Hi,
If you read a little further, in the text, you'll find and explanation:
Technically, we are, in a sense, changing the chords in our song. While the first two notes are "A," we could now call the second two note "A/C#," which is the standard way to indicate an A major chord with the C# note in the bass. I don't really want you to worry about that right now. Instead, simply listen to how the two lines play with and against each other, sometimes mimicking one another in parallel motion, sometimes one moving while the other doesn't and sometimes going in opposite directions. You can create a lot of drama with just two notes!
Hope that helps.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
Hi Greybeard,
I don't think you understood my question. I'm not asking about chord theory, I'm asking how do I physically play the two notes together, given where they are on the fretboard in context of the other chords and the melody line.
Don't fret the whole chord. Just fret the notes shown on the tab. Most of the time you'll be plucking just the two strings shown. This is a fingerpicking not a strumming arrangement.
Is that helpful?
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
hmmmmm I guess that would mean I have to change my whole hand position every 2 beats, or every other beat? That's a lot. Maybe a more advanced player could do that, but I thought the whole point of guitar was to minimize the movement? Oh well, this newbie has to go throw her guitar out the window, jump up and down on it, then run it over with her car. (just kidding)
Anyways, thanks for trying :))
Well, there's much less movement than you think. And it's not about minimizing movement, it's about moving efficiently. The arrangement David's showing uses a number of open strings and stays on the first four frets. You won't be moving your fingers any more often than you need to in order to change chords. But you won't need to fret the whole chord either. Start out slowly and then increase your tempo. I think you'll find it's not as daunting as your last post suggests. Have some fun with it!
(Hope that made sense!)
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
Sorry to join in on this discussion so late!
Ruth, if there's a problem it's that I don't think I made myself perfectly clear in the lesson. For "Twinkle #2," I start out by saying:
This next one starts with the melody, but for the accompaniment, we are using only a bass line of single notes.
But I do include the chords in the notation. You should not be playing or even fretting the chords! They are simply there so that you can hear what we call the "implied harmony" that you get by pairing the melody line with a single harmony note in the bass. Two fingers, tops, are all you need to play "Twinkle #2."
If you're interested, I do a much better job covering this particular way of arranging songs in the recent lesson on O Tannenbaum!
I hope this helps and I apologize again for not spelling things out better in the original lesson.
Peace
ok, NOW I get it! No wonder I was having problems - silly me :) Thanks for the help. :)
