In response to a number of topics brought up by fingerstyle
players during my seminars, for this session I have decided
to focus my thoughts on composition, melody, and the effective
employment of harmonics. I have selected the opening segment
of an original piece titled Jamaicalina, composed in
an open C tuning (low to high: C G C G C E). This tune was originally
recorded on my first CD, "Voluntary Solitary". It
is included in my recent Mel Bay release, "Acoustic
Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop", which contains a DVD
studio performance of the song.
In terms of composition, while searching for an original idea
I seem to have a history of playing for quite a bit of time
either through my repertoire or simply "noodling"
around. At some point (if I'm lucky), it seems when my mind
is somewhat adrift, a sucker punch of a few notes grabs my attention
and pulls me back to the foreground. At that moment I realize
it is time to get to work. I may play repeatedly with that handful
of notes, experimenting with variations within them in an attempt
to seek out a captivating melody of some sort, while considering
the rhythmic content as well. This may be where some fingerstyle
players tend to get lost. They neglect the absolute necessity
to include some type of bounce, groove or a sense of a genuine
undercurrent of a rhythm - the element that allows the
tune to ride along. When done right this allows the listener
to ride along as well.
As an experiment with harmonics while composing Jamaicalina,
I attempted to hold a steady foundation in the upper register
with a couple of fingers, while trying to capture a melody with
my free left-hand pinky (4th finger). The result of this plan
is the first 18 measures of the piece - which not only sees
the pinky required for most of the melody, but also some slight
adjustments with the fingers as well to add a bit more flavor
to the event.
I shall refer to the numbers in the tab to explain my left-hand
fingerings.
Measure one has the left-hand 2nd and 1st fingers, respectively,
planted on string 5, fret 10 and string 4, fret 9. The pinky,
or 4th finger, is directed towards the 12th fret harmonics on
strings 1 and 2. The left-hand 3rd finger drops down on the
first string, fret 10 on beat 4. During measure 2, the left-hand
pinky targets both strings 2 and 3, independently and consecutively
on beat 3 and the "and" of beat 3. What I mean by
independently is that there may be a temptation to simply
drop the left-hand pinky down flat to cover both strings. If
this is avoided and you allow the pinky to arch up and bounceon
each string, there is a much more apparent chime that
can be heard. When doing this be sure to attack it aggressively
with the right hand, as well when plucking the strings, to ensure
a good resonance and not some weak, anemic sound. Remember that
the beauty of the melody is in the overlapping and resonating
harmonics that you will continue to employ throughout much of
this piece.
One last thought on harmonics. I have attempted often times
to use analogies when explaining technique and the effective
use of harmonics is no exception. You may want to consider or
rather imagine how quickly you would recoil your finger if it
were to touch a hot stove. The minimum amount of time
between the striking of the string and the release of the left-hand
finger from the string will deliver the greatest and purest
chime. In other words, as soon as you strike the string with
the right hand, JUMP OFF (with the left)!!! It's HOT!!!
Best of luck to you and I hope many of you continue to use
your imagination to explore techniques and to create. Just write
something. If need be, test your first efforts out on stuffed
animals, work up to pets in your audience, and then eventually
humans. Wait. Is that the right order?
Jamaicalina (BMI) "Voluntary Solitary" 1994
GillaZilla Records.
"Voluntary Solitary" is available from www.richardgilewitz.com,
CD Baby, and Amazon.com
"Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop" is available
from www.melbay.com,
www.richardgilewitz.com, or from your local guitar shop.
The entire tune Jamaicalina played by Richard Gilewitz
can be heard by clicking here.
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