LMA) Advanced Fingerstyle Guitar - Ken Perlman PDF

Advanced
Fingerstyle Guitar
This easy-to-understand guide to advanced and professional level
fingerpicking features 33 highly playable tunes arranged or composed by
leading guitarists, in both clear tablature and standard notation.
By Ken Perlman
- Acknowledgments -
Cover photo by David Bagnall
Thanks to Holly Staver for her invaluable help in
preparation of this manuscript.
Thanks to two New York City music stores: Matt Umanov Guitars and
The Music Inn for assistance in album research.
Thanks to Rick Cyge of Wood & Strings Music Center (Arlington, MA)
for helping me proofread the music and tablature.
Thanks to the many musicians and music lovers I've encountered

in my travels for their encouragement and friendship.
ISBN 1-57424-124-9
SAN 683-8022
Copyright© 2003 CENTERSTREAM Publishing

P.O. Box 17878- Anaheim Hills, CA 92807
All rights for publication and distribution are reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any Electronic or mechanical means
includi ng information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from
the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief passages in review.
Author's Bio
Ken Perlman has been active internationally since the mid-1970s as a

prominent teacher of fingerstyle guitar. He has served on guitar faculties at
prestigious music-teaching festivals around the world, he is guitar columnist for
Sing Out! magazine, and he has written frequently on guitar instruction for Acoustic
Guitar, Acoustic Musician and several other periodicals. He has written two other
guitar books Fingerstyle Guitar and Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes (both published by
Centerstream) and he has also recorded a video companion for Fingerstyle Guitar.
Ken's solo recordings include Northern Banjo (Copper Creek), Island Boy
(Wizmak), Devil in the Kitchen (Marimac), Live in the U.K. (Halshaw) and Clawhammer
Banjo and Fingerstyle Guitar Solos (Folkways).
Ken is also widely known as a master of clawhammer-style banjo. His banjo
books are Clawhammer Style Banjo (Centerstream), Melodic Clawhammer Banjo (Music
Sales), Everything You Wanted to Know about Clawhammer Banjo (Mel Bay) and Basic
Clawhammer Banjo (Mel Bay). He has been a regular columnist for Banjo Newsletter
for nearly two decades and he has served as music-director for two banjo-teaching
festivals: the Maryland Banjo Academy and Banjo Camp North.
For over a decade, Ken has been actively engaged in a project studying the
music and customs of traditional fiddlers on Prince Edward Island in Eastern
Canada. He has produced several works on the subject, including a tune book called
The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island: Celtic and Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition
(Mel Bay) and a two-CD anthology entitled The Prince Edward Island Style of Fiddling
(Roun der Records).
He lives and works in the Boston area.

CD Playlist
All tunes played by Ken Perlman unless otherwise indicated
1. Georgia Camp Meeting 0:34 22. Taylor's Twist 1:07
2. Travelin' Man 1:03 23. Bonnie Charlie 0:57
3. Living in the Country 0:46 24. Billy in the Lowground 1:06
4. Brow n's Ferry Blues 0:40 25. O'Carolan's Welcome 0:54
5. Sunday Street 1:19 26. Tracy's Rag 2:13
6. Blue Railroad Train 0:41 27. Le Voyage Pour L'lrlande 1:08
7. Piano Mover's Rag 0:47 28. Hot Chestnuts 3:15
8. Careless Love 0:41 played by Glenn Jenks:
9. Police Dog Blues 0:57 from the LP, Antidote.
10. Bullfrogs on Your Mind 0:31 29. Andy's Augmented Rag 0:55
played by Geoff Bartley: from the played by Andy Polon:
CD, Blues Beneath the Surface. from the CD,
11. Silver City Bound 1:22 New York on Six Strings a Day.
12. Big Road Blues 0:36 30. The Way You Look in the Dark 2:04
13. Hesitation Blues 1:06 31. Paragon Rag 2:46
14. Trouble in Mind 1:00 32. Mary-Joan,
15. Cold Feet Blues 1:11 or the Siege of Leningrad 2:21
16. The Mississippi Blues 1:16 played by Erik Frandsen, live at
17. Tobin's Favourite 0:31 The Bottom Line in New York City.
18. Curranta for Mrs 33. Philosophy Rag 4:09
Elizabeth Murcott 0:53 played by Nick Katzman:
19. Banish Misfortune 1:05 from the LP, .
20. Foxhunter's Jig 0:32 Sparkling Ragtime & Hardbitten Blues.
21. Swingin' on a Gate 0:55
- Notes on the Accompanying CD-

• Ken Perlman's renditions were recorded, edited and mixed at Wellspring Sound in
Acton, Mass. by sound engineer Eric Kilburn. The entire recording was also
mastered at WeJJspring.
• To ensure that this book's entire repertoire would fit on a single CD, many repeats
and reprises called for in the notation were omitted from recorded versions.
• Cut #32 (Mary Joan...) was transferred from a cassette in the possession of Erik
Frandsen. Despite its poor fidelity, it nevertheless represents the only decent
recording of him playing this piece (Frandsen has not been playing much
fingerstyle guitar of late, and felt he wasn't in a position to re-record). The reader
should be aware that_the guitar had to be run at a fairly low sound-level in order
to keep tape hiss down to an acceptable level. You'll probably want to tum the
volume up to get the flavor of this cut. In the interests of eardrum preservation,
however, please remember to tum the volume down again at the start of cut #33!
Contents
Chapter-opening photos:
top, Lynn Clayton (photo by Kevin Johnson)
bottom, Nick Katzman
1. Introduction - 1
2. Tablature and Standard Guitar Notation - 7
3. Fingerstyle Techniques - 21
4. Alternating Bass Pieces - 35

"Georgia Camp Meeting," 37
"Travelin' Man arranged by Pete Kairo, 40
"Living in the Country" by Pete Seeger, 44
"Brown's Ferry Blues," 48
"Sunday Street" by Dave Van Ronk, 51
"Blue Railroad Train," 55
"Piano Mover's Rag" by Janet Smith, 63
"Careless Love," 70
5. The _Country Blues - 75

"Police Dog Blues" arranged by Rory Block, 79
"Bullfrogs on Your Mind" arranged by Geoff Bartley, 84
"Silver City Bound" arranged by Happy Traum, 89
"Big Road Blues," 95
"Hesitation Blues," 98
"Trouble in Mind," 104
"Cold Feet Blues" by Woody Mann, 108
"The Mississippi Blues" arranged by Rory Block and Ken Perlman, 111
6. Melodic Guitar: Fiddle Tunes and Related Forms- 115

"Tobin's Favourite" arranged by Gill _Bums, 121
'Curranta for Mrs. Elizabeth Murcott"
by Francis Pilkington and Lynn Clayton, 123
"Banish Misfortune," 129
"Foxhunter's Jig," 131
"Swingin' on a Gate," 132
"Taylor's Twist," 135
"Bonnie Charlie" arranged by Wendy Grossman, 139
"Billy in the Lowground," 141
"O'Carolan's Welcome," 144
7. From Ragtime to Riches: The Frontiers of Fingerstyle - 147
"Tracy's Rag" by Michael Soloway, 152
"Le Voyage Pour L'Irlande" by Pierre Bensusan, 156
"Hot Chestnuts" by Glenn Jenks, 161
"Andy's Augmented Rag" by Andy Polon, 171
"The Way You Look in the Dark" by Colin Linden, 176
"Paragon Rag," 181
"Mary-Joan or the Siege of Leningrad" by Erik Frandsen, 188
"Philosophy Rag" by Nick Katzman, 195
8. Appendices- 201
Appendix A: Notes, Scales, and Keys, 202
Appendix B: Daily Exercise Routines, 205
Appendix C: Nail Care, 206
Appendix D: Metronomes, 206
Discography - 207
Bibliography - 209
Index- 211
(NOTE: All tunes arranged by Ken Perlman unless otherwise indicated).
viii
lntroduGtion
Chapter-opening photos;
left, Pete Kairo (photo by Barbara London):
right, Woody Mann (photo by Bernard Handzel)
Introduction to the New Edition
To paraphrase one highly successful late-20th century ad

campaign, Advanced Fingerstyle Guitar is really two books in one.
To the already advanced player, it's an excellent tune book that
features 33 interesting and highly playable guitar arrangements.
To the ambitious intermediate player, it serves as a clear and
detailed guide to the technical expertise and theoretical
knowledge required to bridge the gap to the advanced level.
Advanced Fingerstyle was written as both supplement and
sequel to my Fingerstyle Guitar book (also published by
Centerstream). Fingerstyle Guitar covered most basic
fingerpicking techniques. Because the field is so large and
varied, however, I had to move along at a pretty fast clip, and
just touch on - or ignore entirely - a number of techniques and
specialties that would have made interesting side trips. What's
more, to facilitate learning I concentrated on a basic form of
fingerstyle made up largely of two parts: melody and bass line.
Advanced Fingerstyle brings into clear focus many subtleties,
technical nuances and playing styles that Fingerstyle Guitar
unavoidably glossed over. What's more, Advanced Fingerstyle
breaks quite a bit of new ground. It explores a number of new
rhythmic devices and techniques, it offers a more varied and
challenging role to the plucking-hand thumb, and it introduces
a fuller-sounding approach to the guitar that includes important
musical events between the melody and bass lines. Among the
new techniques and stylistic devices covered are the drone bass,
the walking bass, the boogie-woogie bass, the stride bass, the
stride-drone bass, slapping the strings, sixteenth notes,
harmonics, the Scotch snap, the vibrato choke, Baroque tuning,
Dad-gad tuning, "partial" barre-chords and movable jazz-chord
forms.
Advanced Fingerstyle also explores those aspects of harmony
useful to fingerpickers, such as thirds, sixths, tenths, triads,
seventh chords, augmented and diminished chords, compound
chords, altered chords, chord voicings, voice leading, the circle
of fifths, modulation, modal harmony and harmony
determination. Each subject receives a detailed capsule ·
treatment in terms easy for a guitarist to understand. While
these treatments are not intended as a substitute for a serious
study of harmony, they will help you better understand what
you are playing and assist you in ultimately creating your own
arrangements and compositions.
In order to help you apply all this knowledge, chord
indications appear above the stand ard notation staff. This lets
you keep track of the background harmony as you play through
even the most complex up-the-neck pieces.
2
The Tunes
There's been such a wealth of interesting and challenging

material composed or arranged for fingerstyle guitar in the last
couple of decades, that compiling the 33 pieces included in this
collection was a real pleasure. I was able to select tunes - not
only because of their ability to clearly illustrate technical
concepts - but because they were musically intriguing or just
plain fun to play! In this collection, then, you'll find challenging
breaks or variations for a number of tunes and several lengthy
pieces that offer you a wide range of expression and a real
chance to grow as a musician.
The tunes in Advanced Fingerstyle are organized according to
genre. Chapter 4, "Alternating Bass Pieces," adds some new
dimensions to this popular fingerpicking style. Chapter 5, "The
Country Blues," centers on the style originally popularized by
such legendary guitarists as Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Blake,
Lightnin' Hopkins, Willie Brown, Son House and Robert
Johnson. It introduces a number of ~pecialized techniques, and
offers a new, more effective method for notating and thinking
about the style's complex rhythms. Chapter 6, "Melodic Guitar:
Fiddle Tunes and Related Forms," includes a number of new
fiddle tune arrangements along with some helpful discussions
and exercises designed to help you master this idiom. Chapter
7, "From Ragtime to Riches: The Frontiers of Fingerstyle"
explores the fields of ragtime and chord-melody guitar, offering
a number of groundbreaking fingerstyle compositions by some
of today's most innovative players. ·
How to Use this Book
As the title implies, Advanced Fingerstyle is not a book for

beginners. In fact, I strongly recommend that you make your
way through the first six or seven chapters of Fingerstyle Guitar
(or the equivalent material in some comparable course of study)
before tackling this book ·
The tunes in Advanced Fingerstyle are presented more or less
in order of difficulty, but they are not closely graded. You can
either tackle them systematically, or just skip around and try
your hand at those pieces that appeal most to you. If you elect
to skip around, be aware that you can locate explanations for
any unfamiliar notations or techniques by referring to the irtdex,
Chapter 2 ("Tablature and Standard Guitar Notation") or
Chapter 3 ("Fingerstyle Techniques").
Important new techniques in Advanced Fingerstyle appear
under major headings. They are then illustrated by musical
examples or exercises, and used immediately in one or more
pieces. Specific applications of new techniques or playing
principles are dealt with in the Technique sections that follow
many of the tunes in the book.
3
If you learned to fingerpick from Fingerstyle Guitar, you may
well have bogged down trying to make the transition from basic
alternating bass style (illustrated in the first seven chapters) to
fiddle tunes and ragtime (chapters 8-11). If so, you will find the
tunes in Chapters 4 and 5 of Advanced Fingerstyle an excellent
intermediate stage to help you make this transition more
smoothly.
A New Life for Advanced Fingerstyle
Fingerstyle Guitar was probably the first book to attempt a

·serious step-by-step analysis of fingerpicking. The idea was
simple: starting from scratch, new techniques were introduced
gradually, and each tune was only slightly more difficult than
its immediate predecessor. Since at the time this was a radically
new approach to the subject, I had no idea how it would be
accepted. I was very pleased by the outcome. The book was
highly praised by the major acoustic music periodicals,
thousands of copies were sold to individuals and libraries
around the world and the work was even translated into
German (German title: Fingerpicking perfekt). Even more
gratifying, Fingerstyle Guitar has become a classic in the field of
guitar pedagogy, and on my performing tours I am constantly
encountering guitarists who have used the book to learn their
basic skills.
Advanced Fingerstyle, on the other hand, has throughout most
of its existence been a book in search of an identity. Just as it
first went to press (under the title More Fingerstyle Guitar) the
publisher got caught up in a merger and immediately
dismantled its music-books division. As a result More Fingerstyle
was published but never actually distributed, and it was only
reviewed by a few periodicals. Centerstream then took the book
on and published it with a new title, namely Contemporary
Fingerstyle Guitar. At first this title seemed to do the trick, but
after a few years we began to suspect that the term
"contemporary" was becoming increasingly less descriptive. If
nothing else, a new generation of guitarists wasn't nearly as·
familiar with the artists, genres and individual pieces
represented in the book as guitarists in general had been when
the work was first published. Clearly some changes were called
for!
In the end we decided on two alterations for the new edition.
First; we changed the title to Advanced Fingerstyle Guitar, which
more accurately reflects what this book is all about. Second, we
put together a companion CD to illustrate all the great tunes in
this volume. Hopefully, this will help introduce this repertoire
to a new generation of players.
4
Guest Pickers
When I first put together this volume, I invited a number of

prominent fingerpickers to contribute a tune from their performing
repertoire. Photographs of these artists appear throughout the book,
and a capsule biography of each artist appears alongside his or her
tune.
When the idea of putting together a companion CD for this new
edition first came up, I wanted each guest picker to illustrate his or her
own tune. Unfortunately, enough time had elapsed since the first
edition was published to make this plan impractical. We were able to
arrange for a few performances by guest pickers, however, and I trust
that you will enjoy them.
In alphabetical order, these guest pickers are:

Geoff Bartley (Massachusetts)
Pierre Bensusan (France)
Rory Block (New York State)
Gill Burns (England)
Lynn Clayton (England)
Erik Frandsen (New York City)
Wendy Grossman (now living in England)
Glenn Jenks (Maine)
Pete Kairo (Massachusetts)
Nick Katzman (now living in Germany)
Colin Linden (Ontario, Canada)
Woody Mann (New York City)
Andy Polon (New York City)
Pete Seeger (New York State)
Janet Smith (California)
Michael Soloway (New York City)
Happy Traum (New York State)
Dave Van Ronk (New York City)
Good Pickin'!
Ken Perlman,
Arlington, Massachusetts
5
Tablature
and Standard
· Guitar Notation
top, Erik Frandsen (photo by Irene Young);
bottom, Michael Soloway (photo by Lois Dreyer)
In this chapter, I'll review the tablature system introduced in Fin-

gerstyle Guitar, along with those aspects of standard music notation
that apply specifically to guitar. The notation for a certain few tech-
niques is somewhat different in this book from that employed in the
first book, and special note will be made of any such changes.
The Staff
The tablature used here is written on a staff of six lines (see figure 2-
l ). Each line stands for a string on the guitar. The highest line
represents the first (high E) string, the lowest represents the sixth (low
E) string, and so on. Numbers on the lines represent frets- 1 stands
for first fret, 2 for second fret, and so on (see figure 2-2). A zero on
any line means that the corresponding string is to be played "open"
(unfretted). Notes to be played simultaneously are aligned vertically,
as shown in figure 2- 3.
low high
E ADGBE
High E 1 - - - - - - --
8 2- - - - - - - - (
G 3-------- (
04 - - -- -- - - 3
- 3- - 3 -- 3-
A 5--------
Low E 6 - -- -----
Figure 2- 1 Figure 2- 2 Figure 2-3
In the first book, the tablature and standard notation versions of

each tune were presented separately. In this book, both appear on
adjoining staffs, as shown in figure 2-4.
Figure 2-4
1..-
A
H::~--------3 --
1\
8 ·
Meter
Musical time is measured in beats. Beats are organized into units
called measures, divided from each other on the staff by vertical
measure lines (see figure 2- 5). In most tunes, each measure contains
the same number of beats. The note falling on the first beat (the
downbeat) of each measure is always accented (emphasized).
Measure Line
I~~~~~
Measure I Measure Line
Measure I Measure Line
Measure
/_ Measure Line
Measure
I I I I I
Figure 2- 5
PICKUP NOTES
Any notes occurring before the first accented beat of a tune are called
pickup notes (or upbeat notes) and are set off to the left of the first
measure line, as shown in figure 2- 6.
Pickup note
Figure 2-6
TIME SIGNATURES
Time signatures are placed at the beginning of each piece and offer
two kinds of information. The top number tells how many beats are
contained within each measure, while the bottom number tells what
kind of note (half, quarter, eighth, and so on) is counted as one beat.
Figure 2-7 briefly explains the time signatures found in this book.
For more detailed iriformation on the various time signatures, consult
the index and/or the original Fingerstyle Guitar.
Figure 2-7
KI ND OF NOTE
NUMBER BEATS COUNTED AS ONE
Tll\ltE SIGNATURE PER MEASURE BEAT
2 Half note
4 Quarter note
9
Figure 2-7 (continued)
KIND OF NOTE
NUMBER BEATS COUNTED AS ONE
TIME SIGNATURE PER MEASURE BEAT
3 3 Quarter note
4
2 2 Quarter note
4
6 6 Eighth note
8
9 9 Eighth note
8
12 12 Eighth note
8
Rhythm Notation
Rhythm notation tells the player how long each note is to sound. The
rhythm notation used with this tablature system is virtually identical
to the one used for standard music notation, in which different stem
shapes are used to show time value (see figure 2- 8). Observe that the
particular numbers appearing in the tab notation column are just
examples. Any number can, of course, appear along with any stem
shape.
Figure 2- 8
TAB STANDARD NOTE VALUE IN

NOTATION NOTATION KIND OF NOTE ~TIME
I
5 ~ Quarter note I beat
4
) Eighth note Vz beat
Multiple eighth \/2 beat each
n :s,
1 2
I I I I
3 4 0 n. ~ J J J notes
3 3 Triplet 3 notes, V> beat
I
2
I
0 3
I
~ JJ each
0• ~. Dotted quarter 1\/2 beats
\4 beat each
M
5 '
I 0I 7I
2 ), ~ Jj J Sixteenth notes
"Dotted pair" Yl beat + \4
n
2• 0 n dotted eighth
note plus
beat
f'R
.._ .._...
2 •2 4 tFf -
.._.--
sixteenth note
Grace note,
double grace
note
Virtually no
time value (very
quick notes)
10
WHOLE AND HALF NOTES
Whole and half notes are notated in this tablature system by placing a
box around a tablature entry or column of entries. A half note has an
added stem, while a whole note has none, as shown in figure 2-9.
STANDARD TIME VALUE
TAB ENTRY NOTATION KIND OF NOTE (l TIME)
~ d Half note 2 beats

I
0· J. Dotted half note 3 beats
0 0 Whole note 4 beats

Figure 2-9
RESTS
Rest symbols are employed to tell you when not to play. They are
exactly the same for both tablature and standard notation (figure 2-
l 0).
SYMBOL NAME DON'T PLAY FOR
-.-.
Whole rest
Half rest
4 beats
2 beats
f Quarter rest 1 beat
t Dotted quarter rest 1'12 beats
1 Eighth rest 'lz beat
Figure 2-10
TIED NOTES
When a tie (figure 2- 11 ) connects two identical notes on the same
Figure 2- 11 string, the second note is not plucked. Instead, the first note is permit-
ted to sound for its own time value plus the duration of the second
note, as shown in figure 2- 12.
Figure 2-12
~ I
-
T
'-" 3
A
....
:-
I I
f\ ~ I
@!)
~·
r
11
TIED NOTES AND SYNCOPATION
Throughout most of Fingerstyle Guitar, a very visual approach to
notating syncopations was employed in wh ich a syncopated note was
often followed by a rest, as shown in figure 2-l 3a. A more precise
notation, shown in figure 2- l3b, uses tied notes to show the exact
duration of the syncopated note. This more precise system was intro-
duced near the end of Fingerstyle Guitar and is used exclusively in
this book. A review of syncopation appears in Chapter 3.
I I T 1 ~r-1 r I 1 l
IT v
3---1---- ... 3-+-
A I '"' ~ ~ .._, v
I ...
I ~ ~
,--, r ITl r
. I I
r\ I l ~ fl 1 I I
@!) - @I
Figure 2-13a Figure 2-13b
The Plucking Hand

The following symbols will occasionally be employed in both the
tablature and standard notation staffs to indicate plucking-hand finger
use:
i - index finger
m - middle finger
r - ring finger
THUMB VERSUS FINGERS

For both tablature and standard notation, the stem for notes played by
the thumb (thumb notes) originates below the staff, while the stem for
notes played by the fingers (finger notes) originates above the staff, as
shown in figure 2- 14. Observe that notes and rests in the fi ngers
Figure 2-14
T
I 1'""-1
l.
A ..." ;..
....
LJ "
q 3 3
I I
1 1
h9----rd-- § J I
12
@)
r r
portion of the staff are counted separately from notes and rests in the
thumb portion of the staff. Both portions of the staff must add up to a
full complement of beats.
SHARING THE MELODY

BETWEEN THUMB AND FINGERS
When the melody of a tune is split up between the thumb and the
fingers, the double-stem notation shown in figure 2- 15 often appears
in both tablature and standarcl notation. Any note with a stem origi-
nating below the staff is played. by the thumb, even if it also has a stem
originating above the staff The top stem of a double-stem note mere-
ly shows the continuity of the melody line.
-
Figure 2-15
~
I -
~
A
-
u
3 v
I I
1\
- _...,
~
I I r
SIMULTANEOUS NOTES
In tablature, when two or more finger notes are played simul-
taneously, only the topmost has an attached stem. In standard nota-
tion , a single stem connects all finger notes, as shown in figure 2-
16a. In both tablature and standard notation, when the lowest note in
a simultaneous group is played by the thumb, that note has an at-
tached stem originating below the staff, as shown in figure 2- 16b.
Observe that the brackets employed in the first book to separate finger
notes from thumb notes are no longer in use.
Figure 2- 16a Figu re 2- 16b
I I I
IT
.0.
.
n
T
A
;::.
"
;::.
;:,
1 ...
I ~ ...... 3-3
I I I
1\ I I I 1\ I I I
~ ~
r r r r
13
The Fretting Hand
The following sym bols are used to denote fretting-hand fingers. These
symbols appear routinely in chord diagrams, fingering diagrams, and
standard notation staffs to suggest efficient finger use. Observe that
the symbol "T" also appears in tablature staffs to show instances of
thumb fretting.
T = thumb
1 = first or index finger
2 = second or middle finger
3 = third or ring finger
4 = fourth or little finger
POSITION NOTATION (I, II, Ill, V ... )

Position notation is a good way of indicating optimal fretting-hand
location. Position is notated by placing Roman numerals above the
tablature staff. In first position (symbol: 1), the first finger stops (press-
es down) notes on the first fret of any string, the second finger stops
notes on the second fret of any string, the third finger stops notes on
the third fret of any string, and the fourth finger stops notes on the
fourth fret of any string.
In second posi tion (II), the fretting hand is located higher on the
neck and the first finger stops notes on the second fret, the second
finger stops notes on the third fret, the third finger stops notes on the
fou rth fret, and the fourth finger stops notes on the fifth fret. In fifth
position (V), the first finger stops notes on the fifth fret, the second
finger stops notes on the sixth fret, and so on. In seventh position
(VII), the first finger stops notes on the seventh fret; in tenth position
(X), the first finger stops notes on the tenth fret, and so on.
BARRES AND HALF BARRES

In a full barre, all six strings of the guitar are pressed down at a
particular fret by the flat underside of the first finger. In a half barre,
two to four strings, depending on context, are pressed down by the
underside of th e first finger. These are indicated above the tablature
staff by placing a Roman numeral (to signify a fret) next to a "barre" or
"1f2 barre" notation. So "barre II" indicates a full barre at the second
fret, "barre V" indicates a full barre at the fifth fret, "1f2 barre VII"
indicates a half barre at the seventh fret, and so on.
CHORD SYMBOLS
The chord symbols appearing above the tablature staff indicate that a
particular passage is best played while the fretting hand is pressing
14
c G D A E F
X 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X X
1 D 1~ T ~b 1~
2 2 1 1> I>2 2 D1 1>3 ~ 2 3 4 3 t> 3
C7 G7 D7 D7 A7 E7
X 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 D 1<D 1 p1 P1
2~ ~ 2 T <D 2 ~ 2 1 1(~
2 I> (J>3 2 I> 3 ~ 2 D3 1>2 2 b3 2 ( 3
4 p4
Figure 2- 17
down one of the basic chord for ms shown in figure 2- 17 or intro-

duced later. Chord symbols above the standard notation staff refer to
the harmony of a passage, rather than to a particular chord form (see
Chapter 4).
CHORD FORMS MOVED UP THE NECK

Any basic chord form can be moved up the neck and combined with
open strings. This is notated above the tablature staff by indicating the
chord plus a Roman numeral for the fret to which it is moved. So
"C7 -III" indicates a C7 chord moved up to the third fret, "0-VII"
indicates a 0 chord moved up to the seventh fret, and so on. Forms
that are often moved up the neck in this manner are known as mov-
able chords.
BARRE CHORDS
Barre chords are basic chord forms played under a full barre, as shown
in figure 2- 18. These are notated above the tablature staffby showing
the barre chord, plus a Roman numeral for the fret at which it is to be
pressed down. So "Barre E-V" indicates that a barre E chord is played
at the fifth fret, "Barre A7-III" means that a barre A7 chord is played
at the third fret, and so on.
15
Barre A Barre C BarreD Barre E Barre G Barre A7
2 ~ 2 p
3 2 1>4 3 2 1> ~3 3 4( 2 3 4
4 ~ 4 I> 3 D ( 4
Barre D7 Barre E7 Barre Am Barre C#m Barre Dm Barre Em
2 2 I> 2 2 (

3 ( I>·4 3 3( 4 3 P4 3 ( 3 4
4 p
Barre Am7 Barre Em7 Barre Dm7
2 2 D< 3
3 3 4
Figure 2- 18
SPECIAL FINGERING DIAGRAMS

When a series of notes requires a difficult-to-visualize configuration
of fretting-hand fingers, fingering diagrams can be helpful. Your at-
tention will be called to each diagram by a reference 77Jark above the
tablature staff. At the top of each diagram is a Roman numeral
indicating the number of its topmost fret (I for first fret, IV for fourth
fret, and so on). Here is the order of reference marks you w.ill encoun-
ter in the tablature:
*, t, *' §, , , **' tt, **·§§, 11, . . .
Making Music with the Fretting Hand
When a note is produced by some action of the fretting hand, it is

connected to the preceding note in both tablature and standard nota-
tion by a slur sign. Slur signs look just like ties (see figure 2- 11 ), but a
tie connects two identical notes while a slur connects two different
notes. The particular action performed by the fretting hand to obtain
a note is then notated in tablature at the end of that note's stem, as
follows:
H - hammer-on
P - pull-off
SL- - slide
16
H's and P's are, by convention, not written into standard notation,
since these directions are immediately apparent from the context. The
symbol "SL" appears in both tablature and standard notation. See
Chapter 3 for a review of all three maneuvers.
THE CHOKE
A choke, or bent string, is notated in both tablature and standard
notation by placing the symbol "ch" at the end of a choked note's
stem. Chokes are also reviewed in Chapter 3.
Tempo Instructions ( ~ = 72 , d = 60)
the speed or tempo at which a tune is played can be suggested by

metronome settings. The setting offered for each piece indicates the
approximate speed at which an accomplished musician would play
the tune. An acceptable speed for guitar students is about 80 to 90
percent of this figure. For instructions on how to use a metronome,
see Appendix D.
Other Symbols and Directions
Here are some other symbols and directions you will encounter in the
tablature and/or standard notation. Those symbols or directions intro-
duced in Fingerstyle Guitar are reviewed here. Those introduced in
this book are listed in figure 2- 23.
REPEAT SIGNS
When part of a tune is repeated, repeat signs (see figure 2- 19) appear
in the tablature and standard notation. When you see a repeat sign
with dots on the left, return to the nearest repeat sign with dots on the
right. Then replay the entire intervening section .
II: :II
Figure 2-19
FIRST AND SECOND ENDINGS

Sometimes a repeated section of a piece ends differently the second
time through. Instead of printing the entire section twice, it is cus-
tomary to use first and second endings, which are shown in figure 2-
20. When you see this notation, play through the section up to the
repeat sign with dots on the left, including the measure or measure
17
II.
1-
. .
A
...;
I "'
. .
f\
~
.. ..
Figure 2-20
under bracket 1 (the first ending). Then return to the nearest repeat
sign with dots on the right and replay the section. As you approach the
end of the section, however, skip the first ending and play the mea-
.s ure or measures under bracket 2 (called the second ending). Then go
on to the next section.
THE ACCENT SYMBOL

When a note gets a special accent (emphasis), it is marked with an
accent symbol, shown in figure 2-21.
Figure 2- 21
THE BROKEN CHORD

OR ROLL SIGN
This symbol, shown in figure 2- 22, indicates that an apparently
simultaneous group of notes is to be played in rapid successiOn,
instead of all at once.
Figure 2-22
DA CAPO AL FINE
(D.C. AL FINE)
This direction often appears at the end of the notation for a piece. ·
When you see it, return to the beginning and continue playing until
you see the word Fine, which indicates the true ending of the tune.
NEW SYMBOLS
AND DIRECTIONS
Figure 2- 23 shows new symbols and directions introduced in this
book. Alongside each entry is the page number where it is explained.
18
Figure 2- 23
PLAYING DIRECTIONS RHYTHM NOTATION

JO, IIO.. . p. 36 F"12 •
0 (n.) p. 137
3 3
I':\ p. 38 I I I (J j J) p. 173
0 2 0
r - 3~
p. 56
2
I I I
3 4 (fJ7J p. 173
, p. 77
0 -- 2
~ I (rrl p. 96
TUNINGS
~ E-A-0-FI! -B-E p. 122
ch p. 151 p. 137
0-A-D-G-A-0
1+, Barre II, + ... p. 166
Rubato, a tempo p. 172
svc p. 174 OTI-IER MARKINGS
t p. 42
D.C. al ~poi Ia coda p. 42
CHORD SYMBOLS ~ p. 83
Fm p. 38
Bm p. 57 D.S. al Fine p. 83
~ p. 57 O.S. al-$e poi Ia coda · p. 83
Q7 p. 82
FO p. 101
B 9, F 9, B 13,
F 13, F'{71> 5, F71> 9,
F11, Cm71> 5, Bb 11,
81> 71>9 p. 168
89-ll, F13-V ... p. 168
19
FiDgsrstJJis
T8Ghniquss
top, Colin Linden (photo by Danny Greenspoon);
bottom, Geoff Bartley (photo by Lisa Catello)
In this chapter, I'll review much of the technical material presented in

Fingerstyle Guitar. If you need more detail, consult the index in that
book for the location of the various explanations, examples, and
exercises.
Fingerpicking Basics
The foundation of fingerstyle guitar is the alternating bass. The fret-
ting hand stops a standard chord form, while the thumb of the pluck-
ing hand plays a bass note on each beat of every ! time measure. On
the first and third beat of each measure, the thumb generally plays the
root note of the chord. (The root note has the same letter name as the
chord.) On the second and fourth beats of each measure, the thumb
plays an alternate note of the chord on a different string. Most often,
the root note is played on the fifth or sixth strings while the alternate
note is played on the fourth string, as shown in figure 3- l.
c G
...,.,.
'T'
A ... ...
.D.
..... .... 3 3
3 3
I I I
I I
I I I
fl
@~
Figure 3- 1
r r r r
r rr r
-
Notes on the treble strings (strings l through 3) are played by the

fingers. Ordinarily, the index finger plays the third string, the middle
finger plays the second string, and the ring finger plays the first string.
Treble notes are either played as pinches (simultaneously) with bass
notes or halfway between two bass notes, as shown in figure 3- 2.
22
"T"
c r--, I. .
....'-
~
LT ...."' 3 3
I I
I
1\ r--. I I.
~
Figure 3-2
r [ r [
PATTERN PICKING
Also called Travis- and Cotton-picking, this is the fundamental fin-
gerpicking accompaniment style. There are several widely used pat-
terns. Each pattern has an alternating bass and some combination of
pinches and between-beat treble notes. Some basic patterns are shown
in figure 3- 3.
IT
c I
. I
"
. r-,
aJ
I . .. l I .
4 lA
&
-,
4 In
I~ 3 3 3 3 3 3
I
I I
I I I I
I
I
I I
I. I. I.
" I. .
~""""'"~ I I
@)
Figure 3-3
rr r r r r r r r r r1
PLAYING MELODI ES
Simple melodies can be obtained by "adding" melody notes to basic
chord forms. While stopping a chord form such as C (figure 3- 4a), a·
free finger frets an additional note (figure 3- 4b), or a finge r is re-
moved from the form allowing an open string to be played (figure 3-
4c), or a finger is removed from the form to play a note on a nearby
string (figure 3- 4d). These additional notes can be played instead of
the ordinary treble notes of any pattern pick. Or they can be played
directly over an alternating bass without reference to any particular
pattern pick.
23
c 0
1 1 ~ D
2 p 2 2(p 2(
3< 3<P D4 3 D 3(
a b c d
Figure 3-4a-d
Syncopation
. Syncopation is an important feature of fingerstyle guitar. Briefly,

syncopation means playing an accented note in a spot where notes are
not ordinarily accented. In : time, the note falling on the first beat of
each measure is heavily stressed, while notes falling on each succeed-
ing beat are lightly stressed. In many fingerpicking styles, th e second
and fourth thumb notes of each ! measure are stressed heavily. This
produces a syncopated attack known as the swing bass. Many finger-
picking styles also call for many stressed between-beat notes, resulting
in syncopated melodies. In fact, melody notes are often purposely
moved by the player from on-beat to between-beat locations to in-
crease the amot.:mt of syncopation in a tune.
SYNCOPATED CHORD CHANGES

When a note that ha·s been syncopated (moved from an on-beat to a
between-beat location) coi ncides with a chord change, that chord
change must also be syncopated. In other words, if the note is played
between beats, the chord change must also occur between beats. In
figure 3-5, an open G-note was moved Yz beat back from the begin-
ning of the second measure to the end of the first measure. The chord
Figure 3-5
24
change to C from F must be made at the moment that the open G-
note is played-one-half beat before the start of measure 2.
Hammer-Ons
In a hammer-on, a fretting-hand finger strikes down sharply on a

sounding string, producing an extra note by driving that string against
the fingerboa rd. The technique is easil y integrated into pattern pick-
ing, as shown in figure 3-6. Hammer-ons can begin between the
beats, as shown in figure 3-7. They can be performed on thumb-
pl ucked strings (figure 3-8a). When th e plucked string of a hammer-
on is fretted (figure 3-8b), keep enough pressure on the string so that
the plucked note continues to sound until the hammering finger
reaches the fretboard.
Other kinds of hammer-ons include the double-string H (figure
3-8c), where you pluck two stri ngs and hammer on to both of them
simultaneously with two different fretting-hand fingers; the double H,
where you pluck one string and hammer on to two strings (figure 3-
8d), and the alternate-stri ng H, where you pluck one string and
hammer on to another string (figure 3-8e).
Figure 3- 6 Figure 3- 7
H
Ari 1 l
. ~ h 1
.
~
JJ
...
In
-- 'r
~
.
r
T
D. ...,.
... ..."'
~
;.. v , -" ..
~ v
I I I
" ~ I
. " . ~ 11 I
- - - -
w
r r r f
@~
r r r f
Figure 3- 8a-e
H H
u (a) (b) (c) (d )

0
(e)
25
Pui i-Offs
A pull-off begins with a plucked fretted string. Maintaining sufficient
pressure to keep the string sounding, catch the edge of the string with
the tip of yom fretting finger and draw that finger in toward your palm
in such a way that the string produces a clear note. Pull-offs are
integrated into pattern picking as shown in figure 3-9. They can
originate between beats, as shown in figure 3-10. They can be per-
formed on thumb-plucked strings (figure 3- 1la). When the P-note
(the note produced by the pull-off) is fretted (figure 3-11, band c),
take care to fret both the plucked note and the P-note at the same
time. Then pull off from the P-note fret to the plucked-note fret.
p p
Am n I ;.,..
Am
. h r--, I
l or
"' ...._..
A "
._.
'-"
A ...
I. 1.
.........,;
n
... ...
10
~
,....
In !.
-,
1 I
I I
I I I
r--, I ~ ,._
f\ f\
.
- - ~ - T - T
~
r r i r i i
u (a)
Figure 3- 11 a- c
(b) (c)
-
Figure 3- 12
H p
~j )
. "
T
A
n
u - THE H-P COMBINATION
Pluck any string, hammer on to that string and keep it sounding.
-
- __..
Then, using the hammering finger, pull off from that string without
allowing a break in the sound. An H-P combination is shown in
figure 3- 12.
26
The Slide
In a slide, notes are produced by gliding with full pressure up (or

down) a fretted sounding string. Slides can originate on the beat
(figure 3- 13) or between beats (figure 3-14). Slides can be performed
on thumb-plucked strings (figure 3- 15a). When a slide is more than
one fret long (figure 3-15, b and c), care must be taken to relax
pressure slightly as one moves over the intervening fretwires.
Two other kinds of slides you will encounter include the half-
barre slide (figure 3- 15d), where the fl at underside of the first finger
glides up one fret with full pressure on two or more strings, and the
double-string slide (figure 3- l5e), where a slide is performed simul-
taneously on two different strings with two different fingers. Observe
that there is also a technique in which two strings are plucked, but a
slide is performed in only one of them, as shown in figure 3-15f.
L1 .,
SL
I. . h -n
SL
l
IT T
-
...-
-3
...
~
I. ...._, 3
1... I.
~ I.
1-
I I I I I I
v
I I
r-1L I I
.
s~ ,.
1\
. f\ ~ 0
- - - -
r r r r rr r r
@!.)
Figure 3- 15a-f
~barre
I·II SL SL
SL
n
-
...._,3
a-
L[
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)
27
QUICK SLIDES
In a quick slide, the sliding finger begins to glide on a string the
moment that string is plucked. A quick slide is written as a grace note
(see figure 2-8), and it is actually an ornament (decoration) of the
full-fledged note that follows, as shown in figure 3-16. (Observe that
grace notes are played as pinches with bass notes but, by convention,
they are written off to the left of the bass-treble alignment of full-
fledged notes). All rules that apply to ordinary slides also apply to
quick slides.
SL
_k_ r-1
SL I
I
T
.0.
~
r.
'1
r.
b.
"
-3
- 3 -
... ..,. v
I I I I
1\
SL
I . sh I
Figure 3-16
r r r r
Chokes
In a choke, the pitch of a string is raised by pushing or bending that

string at a given fret along the surface of the fingerboa rd (figure 3-17).
Generally, the pitch of a string is raised to a point just short of what
would be obtained by playing the next higher fret on the string.
Strings 1 through 5 are generally choked out from the palm, but string
6 must be choked in toward the palm.
Figure 3-1 7
ch
ch ch
ch
28
Trip lets
A triplet is a group of three notes played in the space of one beat in :

time. There are numerous ways to obtain these in fingerstyle, some of
which are shown in figure 3-1 8.
3 3 3 3
l.-1
3
H p
H H
I I I
p p
r-
H
- p
lv
...,
I
-
IT
..
:
. ~
A v
-
3-3
-- - 9 I!
= e
I
3 _ 3 _ 3
~ 3-
3 3
r-H J I ~.
3_ .._.,
@.)
Figure 3-18
r -- :::::7-
Grace Notes
Grace notes are very quick notes not officially allotted any time value
of their own. Instead, they "borrow" a tiny amount of time from the
next full-fledged note, and they are used to ornament (decorate) that
full-fledged note. In fingerstyle, most grace notes are extra ·quick pull-
offs. A fretted note is plucked, then pulled off almost instantly to the
open string (figure 3-19a) or to a lower fret on that string (figure 3-
19b). Observe that the grace note in figure 3- l9c is played as a pinch
with the bass note, even though it is written off to the left of the bass-
treble alignment. All rules that apply to ordinary P's also apply to
grace P's.
Figure 3-1 9a- c

p p p
~tLt
. D tL
I
fl f l t il fl
(a) (b)
r
(c)
29
DOUBLE GRACE NOTES
A double grace note is a pair of very quick notes that borrows a tiny
amount of time from and ornaments the following full-fledged note.
Most often, double grace notes are obtained in fingerstyle by means of
very quick H-P combinations, as shown in figure 3-20, a and b. The
notation in figure 3-20c indicates that the first note of the double
grace note is played as a pinch with the bass note, even though it is
written off to the left of the bass-treble alignment.
H p
!9'1
.-~11-i!-~-i!- --2-------+---~2 3-+---
(a) (b) (c)

r
Figure 3-20a-c
The Advanced Plucking Hand
In basic fingerpicking, the thumb plays bass notes on strings 4, 5, and

6 (the bass strings) while the fingers play melody notes on strings l , 2,
and 3 (the treble strings). In more advanced playing, the thumb can
play notes on the treble strings, and the fingers can play notes on the
bass strings. When the fingers do play notes on the bass strings in a
given passage, a special adjustment must be made.
When finger notes appear on the fourth string, the plucking
hand is shifted so that the i finger can easily reach that string. Then
the m finger plays notes on the third string, and the r finger plays
notes on the second string. When finger notes appear on the fifth
string, the plucking hand is shifted farther, where the i finger plays
fifth-string notes, the m finger plays fourth -string notes, and the r
finger plays third-string notes.
BASS RUNS
A bass run is a group of melody notes played on the bass strings by the
thumb. Bass runs are ordinarily employed to fill in "spaces" (long ·
notes or rests) in the treble melody, but sometimes they are played at
30
the same time as portions of that melody. When two melodies (for
example, a song melody and a bass run) are played simultaneously,
the result is known as counterpoint.
THU MB-INDEX RU NS
A rapid run (series) of eigh th notes can be obtained by alternating
thumb- and index-fi nger strokes, as shown in figure 3- 21. Thumb-
index runs can be employed as bass-run fillers or serve as portions of a
tune's melody line.
i j
~
IT ~
A ...." ).
3
,....
L..,.
...." 3·
I
!\ i i
- i
d
@.)
i . r I I
Figure 3- 21
THE HARP EFFECT

(MELODIC FINGERING PATTERNS)
This technique requires some cooperation from the fretting hand. By
combining the notes resulting from a simple fingering pattern with
open-string notes (figure 3- 22a), the plucking-hand fingers can ob-
tain runs of adjacent melody notes by playing neighboring strings in
succession, as shown in figure 3- 22b. All these melody notes are then
allowed to ring together somewhat, making the guitar sound like a
harp.
Figure 3-22a
0 0
Figure 3- 22b
T
-
! I I l
3
I
_A
A -. "
....
... ....
_A_
f\ ol I r 1 I
3
eJ
(b)
31
Playing Up the Neck
A number of problems arise when a guitarist first ventures up the
neck. Some solutions are reviewed here.
EFFICIENT FINGERING
It is often difficu lt for the inexperienced player to come up with
efficient fingering when confronted with a series of seemingly uncon-
nected up-the-neck notes. One important aid is the position notation
discussed in Chapter 2. With position notation, each finger is as-
signed a fret, no matter what string a note falls on.
When you need to stop simultaneously the same fret on more
than one string, follow this rule: The lower-number finger always plays
· the higher-number string. So if you wanted to stop four strings on the
same fret without barring, you would use the fingering shown in
figure 3- 23.
strings: 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st
1( D2< ) 3( ) 4()
Figure 3-23
CUTTING STRINGS SHORT

You can avoid sloppy-sounding string noises when shifting positions
by learning to cut strings short. To cut a string short, release pressure
but don't take your fretting finger off the string until it has completely
stopped soundi ng. Then release the stri ng and shift quickly to the next
position.
UP-THE-NECK BASS NOTES

Here are several ways to make the job of obtaining up-the-neck bass
notes easier.
Open Tunings In an open tuning, the guitar is actually tuned differ-

ently so that frequently used bass notes fall on open strings. The
guitarist is then free to play melody up the neck without having to be
overly concerned about fretted bass notes. Figu re 3- 24 shows instruc-
tions for obtaining from standard tuning the three open tunings intro-
duced in Fingerstyle Guitar.
32
Figure 3-24
DROP-D TUNING OPEN-G TUNING OPEN-D TUNING

(D-A-D-G-8-E) (D-G-D-G-8-D) (D-A-D-Fl-A-D)
• Tune string 6 • Tune string 6 as • Tune string 6 as
down till the pitch for Drop D tuning. for Drop-D tuning.
of its seventh fret • Tune string I • Tune string I as
matches the open A down till its pitch for Open-G tuning.
string (Or, tune matches fret 3,
string 6 one octave • Tune string 3
string 2 (Or, tune down to match fret
below string 4). string l one octave 4, string 4.
above string 4)
• Tune string 2
• Tune string 5 down to match fret
down till its pitch 3, string 3 (Or, tune
matches fret 5, string 2 one octave
string 6 (Or, tune above string 5).
string 5 one octave
below string 3).
Barres and Half Barres Both banes and half banes (see Chapter 2)
are effective ways of getting up-the-neck bass notes. Several strings
(including bass strings) are fretted by the first finger, leaving the re-
maining fingers free to obtain melody notes or additional bass notes.
Barre Chords and Movable Chords For both barre chords and mov-
able chords (see Chapter 2), any fretted note that falls on a bass string
can be used as a bass note.
Partial Chords Portions of barre chords or movable chords can be

moved up the neck and played in combination with open strings or
thumb-fretted bass strings (see next paragraph). For more on this
subject, see Chapter 4.
Thumb Fretting The fretting-hand thumb can easily be used for

pressing down the sixth string, leaving the other fretting-hand fingers
free for stopping melody notes or additional bass notes on any of the
other strings.
33
Alternating
Bass PisGss .
left, Dave Van Ronk (photo by Dave Peabody);
right~ Pete Seeger (photo by Emilio Rodriguez)
Fingerstyle Guitar explored alternating bass picking, but ultimately

moved beyond the style to cover such areas as fiddle tunes and rag-
time. In this chapter, I'll discuss many aspects of alternating bass
picking left untouched in that book. More important, we'll begin to
move away from the notion that fingerstyle has just two distinct
parts-bass and melody.
Harmony
Briefly, harmony is a set of rules that determines which notes or

chords make an effective accompaniment (musical background) for a
given melody. A series of notes or progression (series) of chords that
works as an accompaniment for a melody is known as the harmony of
that melody. The art of creating such an accompaniment is called
harmonizing. If you are not yet familiar with such basic aspects of
music theory as notes, scales, and keys, see Appendix A before
proceeding.
THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING

THE HARMONY
In basic fingerstyle, a piece is presented as a series of chord forms. The
player knows that all notes in a given form sound good together, and
that effective bass notes can be found merely by playing the bass
strings of that form. In more advanced playing, the familiar forms
occur rarely, and the player must determine the harmony of a passage
in order to know which notes to allow to sound together and which
bass notes to use.
To help you learn about harmony, chord indications showing
the harmony of each piece appear above the standard notation staff
Observe that the chord symbols appearing above the tablature staff
are actually fingering aids. In other words, they indicate that a partie-·
ular passage is played while stopping a basic form or barre form, such
as the ones shown in figures 2- 17 and 2-18.
Diminished Seventh Chords (1°, 11°, ... )
Diminished seventh chords appear frequently in a number of finger-

picking styles. Figure 4- 1 (a and b) shows the two most frequently
36
X X used movable diminished seventh forms. The form called for in a
1 p 2 D
3 4
given situation is always evident from the context. In tablature, th e
notation for these chords shows a Roman numeral above the staff (for
fret location) plus the standard symbol for diminished chords-a
small 0 superscript. An indication above the standard notation staff
shows the actual pitch of the chord. For more on diminished seventh
Figure 4-1a chords, see 81, 117, and 159.
X X
1 "Georgia Camp Meeting" is a late nineteenth century cakewalk.
D2 3 Camp meetings were large outdoor gatherings of evangelical Protes-
tants. Cakewalk music, which was used on the plantation to accom-
pany dance contests, is generally regarded as the ancestor of ragtime.
Since the winner of each contest was awarded a piece of cake, the
music became known as "walkin' fo' dat cake" or "cakewalk" music.
Figure 4-1 b
An interesting version of the tune can be heard on Dave Van Ronk
and the Jug Stampers (Mercury). Observe the dimin ished seventh
chord in measure 13 and the harmony indications over the standa rd
notation staff.
Georgia Camp Meeting

Standard tuning
Key: C major
J=116
arranged by Ken Perlman
14
I ...
~
....
q
•
~
3
.......
-......;
- ~
3
,......, n nl
3
.__v
.n
~
.,
3
F
I I
r.'"l
3
I
3
c
3
I I· -
~
v
3 3 ·a
I I I I I I I I
l
I I I
l I
l (T)j
c Fl
"' - - 11 rl nl I c I
-
e.!
~ 3
r 2r
3
r r -
r r = "I --
r
I rr rr
-
C7-III
IT
,......... ~ nn
- 171 I I L
III
l,;, l I ,....., .
4 .. ........ ;.:
3 v 3
3
A 1..
f-a--a 3 3 3
3
v
-"- 3
I I I I I I I I
I I I I
I I
I
07 G7
" - 11 r-"1 I "I I I I I I
e.!
r --r r r r r
-
r f 3r 21 3
r
- I "I 31 or 3
r
(continued)
IT
c
,_..., ,..._, I
,........, n -n J,-"-
F
l
3
I
r,
I
c
I I
r!'"l
I
A ~
v..._.,v V •
~3
~
3
~
3
3 3 3
3 3 3
I I
. I
I I
(T)I I I
I I I
I I I I
·--
F
c
1\
- r1 rl I I I c I
@.)
r r r r r r
r
-
r --
Trc I --
r I r r -
r
J.i barre
r
IT
,~
~
,...,.
F
.r-i
·- ·
r--,
3
r--1 _L:'1
·... ,., .
Am
-r-1
- F
.r-i
, ..........
I
3
I
3
N
. 1\
v
I
3
3
I
n
v I
0
::
J I
I I . I I I I I
3
I I
I I
(T)I I (T) I I
c
I\ F, - ,
-31
~
FJ;z_.,
~ ~
- F~ I
cl
I. G7
41 I -~
@~ --
rr 0
r 2r - I r f 3
r al 2f r
3 I
TECHN IQUE1
Three fairly quick chord changes appear in measures 13-14-from F
to 1° (FM 0 7), from 1° to Am, and from Am back to F . This passage will
flow much more smoothly if you make each change or:t the open G-
note.
The Fermata
A fermata (figure 4-2) is placed over a note or simultaneous group of
r.-.
notes to indicate that the player should pause momentarily before
Figure 4- 2
proceeding. The length of the pause is up to the discretion of the
player, but it generally should not exceed a beat or two.
The F Minor (Fm) Chord

Figure 4-3 The F minor form is shown in figure 4- 3.
Fm
X X
T > 1-- 1
3 D
I Note that all "Technique" sections refer to the preceding tune.
38
The Blues Scale
The blues scale developed in the nineteenth century when black

Am~ricans adapted the major and minor scales (Appendix A) to music
heavily influenced by African traditions. Blues scales are major scales
that include, in addition to seven diatonic tones, certain accidentals
(sha rps, flats, or natural notes not in the original key) known as blue
notes. These accidentals are:
• the note between the second and third notes of a major scale
• the note between the sixth and seventh notes of a major scale
• the note between the fourth and fifth notes of a major scale
J:-Iere are the three most common key of C blues scales:
C - D-9-E-F-G-A-B - C
C - D - 9-E-F-G-A-m- B - C
C - D - 9-E - F-0 - G-A - m - B-C
Pete Kairo
Pete Kairo, is a guitarist, guitar teacher, and all-around folk performer

from the Boston, MA area who specializes in fingerpicking blues,
ragtime, and fiddle tunes. He has performed at folk clubs, pubs, and
festivals throughout the Northeast and has appeared in concert with,
among others, Vassar Clements, Richie Havens, U. Utah Phillips,
and Michael Cooney. His two albums, both on Physical World Re-
cords, are entitled Playing It Safe and Hanging Out.
Pete Kairo learned "Travelin' Man" from the playing of blues

singer Pink Anderson (see Pink Anderson: Medicine Show Man on
Prestige/Bluesville). 2 He arranged it in his own style with plenty of
bass runs and a snazzy introduction. The song was originally per-
formed in touring medicine shows, where comic songs and skits were
used to draw crowds and help sell patent medicines. Note the coun-
terpoints (simultaneous melodies and bass runs) in measures 5- 6, 8-
9, and 14- 15 of the verse-chorus. Note also the Fm chord in the
second ending. Fingering diagrams are shown in figure 4- 4.
* t II
Figure 4- 4 1 1 <P P2
2
4
4(~
2"Travelin' Man," arrangement © 1985 by Pete Kairo.
39
Travelin' Man
Standard tuning .
Key: C major (blues scale) arranged by Pete Kairo
~= 104
I Intro-C.o.da I
4~i
~barre
G I c
C7 III c G f.\
T
h I
3
1'1
3 I
3
li Jl I I
r-!-1
1\ I i Fine
~
...
~
~
~
rL3J L
3
3
I I I I
I I I I
I
-
D7 #
" ~ I 4't:1 I cl"n r-"1 I I G I
f.\
c
4~
3r 21 -
r
3 or
f3
I
r r
.-..
r
lverse- Ch orus c I r--,
11 .._... rl ·I
IT
. - -
;.
A
In . ~
3
n
3 :-
3_--{3
~
3 3 3
I I I I I I I I I
c
I
C7
I
{\
.. "l 4 II I r--, I
r r r r r
@)
0 2 3 2r r r - r
3
3
F I:I _
I
r--, r-1 I I
HT--~~-+·~~~~-3--+-
. ~-+.~-~.·----J----+
.~·----~~~v-
~--~--~~--~
~!~~~---3---------a----+---~~----------~----~------------~
~~~------~r---------T----+-3---T--------~--+-3----~-----~
~ ---+-.~
1
r-~T~~---+,---+~ ---+~ --~~,--+,---~---+~~~~~~~~--~~---r
~~
' ·~ ~P- ·ra=-·ll~· r J 'i J. 'i l,f ·~p 'irl ;

* barre
D
II
n r--1
3 - \ l:::=;-3
r--"1
3 ~
n
3
rl I
A7 _)
4
.,. ff
0
or 3j or ff ·r E
c
-
~
c
F 3
r:
* barre
3 c II
F H
~ n I fl n 11
3 I
- -3
LT_
r="'
"-'In
......_..,
"-" 3
lA ~ ~.:...~
3
.
In
:- 3 v
I I I I Tl I
I
I
l l 1 I
"
F ,.. 3
r--.. r-1 cr-71
~ -n I
e)-:.......
r r iF or 2 - -
:::-
I -
r I r 2
r - --
r
h r-f r-1 lt. c ll2.c c1 F Fj
D.C. a/ Fine
~~T~~~~----3~~~~~3__,=-3~=~h==.~t==+=~
I==B=~~+=====~t='=====+~t=
l =====j~====~
h---------------------~~--~·~=-----43~----~~~-----H~----~
~
A~------~------------~----~----~--~--~~~~-3--~- 3 -
~:c~------~--------~--~3:--~·~ a:---+------~--+---~-------+--~
~--~---+- 1 --- a-----~~-+---~~~---+1 --- 3---+--~~~~--~--~--~
Tl I 1 I
1 I
1
rl rl
" ~]--, rl .JI I c I
c
I
C7
I
F Fm
r r r r r r
r r I
41
VERSE
I just wanna tell you bout a man named Coombs,
his home was in Tennessee,
He made his li'vin' stealing chickens and an ything
he couUl see,
That hogeyed man he ran so fast he
hardly touched the road,
And if a freight train passed- no matter how fast,
he'd always get on bo'd.
CHORUS
He was a travelin' man, he cert'nly
was a travelin' man,
Trav-lin-est man, was ever in the land,
He traveled round, and he was known
for miles around,
He never got caught and never got whupped
till the po-lice shot him down.
The Coda, The Proceed to Coda Sign ,

o.- c.
al ~ e poi Ia coda
A coda or tag ending is a note, group of notes, or musical phrase

tacked on to a piece to serve as the ending of that piece. Codas are
needed when a piece has multiple verses or sections and no natural
end ing point.
When you see a "proceed-to-coda" sign (figure 4- 5) above the
Figure 4- 5 staff, skip directly from that point to the coda on the last repetition of a
tune. Sometimes, the instruction "D. C. al-$ e poi la coda" appears at
the end of. a tune. T his means: Return to .the beginning, play until
you see the proceed-to-coda sign, then play the coda. If a part has
repeat signs, wait for the second time through before going on to the
coda.
The Drone Bass
ln an alternating bass, the thumb hits different notes on different

strings on each and every beat of a measure. ln a drone bass, the
thumb hits the same note (on the same string) on each and every beat
of a measure. The note hit is usually the tonic note of the chord being
used for harmony (the tonic, if you recall, is the note with the same
letter name as the chord).
42
Thumb-Pluc ked Eighth Notes
You can add to the texture of a guitar arrangement by playing two

thumb-plucked bass notes in the space of one~ time beat. This yields
an interesting variation from the one-note-per-beat alternating or
drone bass styles. To get your thumb limbered up for the task, practice
any standard scale (see Appendix B) using only the thumb. Mean-
while, here's a short exercise to get you started.
Thumb-Plucked Eighth Note Exercise

IT
~
A
...
._.
. v •
r ;
....
uu
"" A v • • 3 v
3
I UL-J
L.....J I L....J
"""""'
~
trUI I
1\ G c D G
riT u u uu -- r
e) - -
j [J C-.J u - -- - ---
Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger is perhaps our best known folk singer. He appeared on the
scene in the late 1930s, was a companion of songwriter Woody
Guthrie and blues singer Leadbelly (see "Silver City Bound" in Chap-
ter 5), wrote the very first contemporary style folk music ins.truction
book (How to Play the 5-String Banjo), and was a founding member
of the Weavers.
Pete is usually associated with the banjo; which he has played
since 1935, but he is also quite adept on 6-. and 12-string guitar,
having been strongly influenced by the percussive style of Leadbelly.
He has recorded more than 80 albums, among the most recent of
which are:
Singalong (Folkways)
Circles and Seasons (Warner Bros.)
Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger: Precious Friend fWarncr Bros.)
The Weavers: Together Again (Loom)
owadays, Pete performs frequently around the world and is active in

a variety of political and environmental causes. One of his major
concerns- the preservation of New York State's Hudson River-has
43
Living in the Country
Tune sixth string to D
Key: D major ~= 138 by Pete Seeger
~ v * lh barre
A
fl n. n I I I I n I
Ill
I I l-fi
.._.,
I
IT
....
_
I. ._, ....- v
-... .
A
....
ID I
I
I I I I I I
f\,W. ~JJ
4
1~DJ t) J 41 n J 4; I
A7
2J n I
--- --- or -- -- or - r
r -
@)
I
i i
-
i
- 0
r 1
D l-2 barre
IT
r--, ., I.
3 ;;.. . .
II r ....-
_rj
...........
! ! II I I !-I' .._., ~
I
v
... . . v
-
~
I I I
I I I I I I
A7
r:o.
G
1\»
Dr--, J.
.. ..
r 41-ll ,J I 2J n I
or
-I
@)
r
--- --
r r 1
r I
r 0
r I
r--12-. - - - --
0
r r
--,
•n - n
1.
D
~n n .,. D .r-"-1 r--1 I I
'-r 3
v
- v .~
3
v v ~ ~
3
~
. 3 J..
...A .
v v .
I I I I I I I I I I I I
fl»
Dr-:1 r1 ;-:-, ~""'-""-! r--1 r-:1 ,r-, j I
..
@)
-- -- -- --- --- --
-
--
- -- --- -- -- -
r i i r r i r r r r ~r 3r
[£] liT II m Il
n 11 n
3 -
- 0 - - - -
r r r r r
44
r r r r r r D. C. a/~ e poi Ia Coda
2.
n n
1.
r--, d I I r--J ;--, I
IT v .v
.v v 3 . 3
-
.~
3
......
A ;..
,--. ,--..
. v
I I I I I w w
H H
I I I
I
r:1 r--, r----2 I I ,.....-:) .r--,

1\ ~ r---
..
@.) -
r r r r
- - - --
r
-
-
--
-
- r: -- --,-..-
- --
- r -
-- r
u ~u r
- 3
r r
•
Coda D
n
r r r r r r r
led to a longstanding association with the sloop Clearwater, which
promotes conservation each year through a series of spring and sum-
mer concerts at Hudson River ports of call.
"Living in the Country" is a guitar "instrumenta l" written by

Pete Seeger in the ea rly 1960s that first appeared on his album The
Bitter and the Sweet (Columbia). 3 "I was listening to my sister Peggy
3aLiving in the Country," by Pete Seeger. @copyright 1962, 1963 by Fall River Music Inc. All rights
reserved. Used by permission.
45
playing 'Pay Me My Money Down' (an Afro-American song from the
Georgia Sea Islands)," writes Pete, "and later found myself improvis-
ing a new melody similar to it." Note the drone bass in part B,
measures 3- 4, part C, measures 5- 7, and the coda; note also the
thumb-plucked eighth notes in part B, measure 8 (first ending). Fin-
gering diagrams for the tune are shown in figure 4-6.
* v t v
)
2< 3 ~4
Figure 4-6
TECHNIQUE
A Big Stretch Start out part A, measure 1, by assuming the fingering
form marked with an asterisk in figure 4- 6. Begin stretching your
fourth finger out almost immediately and, at a point halfway through
beat 2 of the measure, cut all the strings in the form short (see Chapter
3), release the fingering form , and leap up with your pinky to stop fret
10, string 1 (high D). Then glide down on the fourth string to fret 9,
string 1 (high C") and fret 7, string 1 (high B).
Changing Rapidly from the A Form to the D Form In part C,

measures 5- 8, you are asked to make several quick changes from the
A chord to the D chord and vice versa. Treat these as if they were
syncopated chord changes (Chapter 3) and make each change on the
last half beat of the measure, coinciding with the playing of the
middle-A note (fret 2, string 3). If you use the fingerings shown in
figure 2- 17, it will be a simple matter for you to pivot on the first
finger (which stops middle A in both forms) and move just the second
and third fingers back and forth between chords.
Multiple Operations
on the Same String
In an H-P combination (Chapter 3), three notes can be obtained from

a single plucked string (a plucked note, an H-note, and a P-note).
Many such multiple operations are possible. "Brown's Ferry Blues,"
for example, contains two double hammer-slide (H-SL) combinations
in which you hammer on to two strings at once with two different ·
fingers. Then without relaxing pressure, you slide both fingers up one
46
fret. Also present in the tune is a hammer-slide-pull-off (H-SL-P)
combination. Here, start with an H-SL and, maintaining full pres-
sure, pull off the string with the sliding finger.
"Brown's Ferry Blues" is one of the best-known songs performed

by the Delmore Brothers, who were stars of the Grand Ole Opry
during the 1930s and 1940s (see The Delmore Brothers: Brown's Ferry
Blues, on County). 4 Alton Delmore played a flatpicked rhythm guitar
style filled with short tasty licks and bass runs, while Rabon Delmore
played- lead (melody) parts on tenor (four-string) guitar. In recent
years, their songs have been recorded by many bluegrass and folk
music notables, such as Flatt and Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Norman
Blake. Note the H-SL combinations in measures 5 and 13 and the H-
SL-P combination in measure 15. Fingering diagrams appear in fig-
ure 4-7.
* v t v v
1 p
P2 2 p 2<P
3 ) 3 ) 3 D
4 <P 4
Figure 4- 7
LYRICS
Hard luck poppa countin' his toes,
You can smell his feet wherever he goes,
Lord, Lord got those Brown's Ferry blues.
Hard luck poppa can't do his stuff
Trouble with him he's been too rough
Lord, Lord got those Brown's Ferry blues.
4 "Brown'sFerry Blues," by Alton Delmore. IC> 1942 by American Music, Inc., renewed 1969 by Mrs.
Alton Delmore, assigned to Vidor Publications, Inc.
47
Brown's Ferry Blues
Standard tuning
Key: A major (blues scale) J=ll2 by Alton Delmore
Barre
v I r""'ll I
t
r--. I I. 07
l • ,_., I I ,....., I I
!-l barre
II
1"9" ,;.
. ]..
--
I
l.ll q 6 ~
6 ...
...
I~
..." -: :;_
~
I I I I I I I r...-..1
I I I rl I I
A I I p
f\ !I ++ I rl l 4J k11 J I. 07
.~ I I ~ 1 ~
@
!)
1r
- I -
r I
1
-
r I -
r I --
r rr -- --
rr
-- u1
·H ·* barre •
I-II I n I C7-V
or SL
r ar
Barre * t 3
VI
6- - 6- -6 6
3 rl
I-II H SL E II * barre
II
H SL P
48
TECHNIQUE
Riding Down the Strings At the end of measure 2, you are asked to
switch from the barre-V form shown in figure 4- 7 (marked with an
asterisk) to a D7 form . Note that in both forms, the second finger stops
string 3. To get this change smoothly, cut the last bass note of mea-
sure 2 short (see Chapter 3) and, having removed the first and third
fingers from the fretboard, ride (glide noiselessly) on the second finger
down string 3 from fret 6 to fret 2 (C" to A). Then use the second
finger to pivot your thumb and first finger into the D7 form.
Interpreting Sixteenth Notes
As. you know, sixteenth notes are defined as having l/4 beat each in~'
t or ! time (figure 2- 8). So two sixteenth notes make l/2 beat and
take up the space of one eighth note; four sixteenth notes make one
beat and take up the space of one quarter note, and so on. Sixteenth
notes are counted 1-a-&-a, 2-a-&-a, 3-a-&-a, 4-a-&-a, and so on.
Breaks
A break is an instrumental interlude between verses of a song. It has

the same length, harmony, and overall feel as'the original song, but
the notes are often altered somewhat to form what is known as a
variation on the melody. Breaks can be prepared in advance or im-
provised on the spot.
Dave Van Rank

Dave Van Ronk was one of the first and most successful urban blues
revivalists. His playing style, noted for its precision and excellent
tone, has been emulated by thousands of would-be fingerpickers. His
guitar arrangements-like the classics "Cocaine Blues" (see Fin-
gerstyle Guitar) and "Come Back Baby"- are known for their origi-
nality and economy. Among his numerous albums are:
Dave Van Ronk Sings the Blues (Verve Folkways)

Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger (Prestige/ Folklore)
Just Dave Van Ronk (Mercury)
Inside Dave Van Ronk (Prestige/Folklore)
Dave grew up in Brooklyn. His grandmother, who liked to sing,

taught him "an assorted grab bag of Irish and American popular
49
music, traditional and otherwise, dating from the middle of the nine-
teenth to the beginning of the twentieth century." He took up the
banjo at 13, and over the next few years played Dixieland jazz in a
number of bands. He switched to guitar in his late teens and learned
to play by watch ing Greenwich Village denizens like T om Paley and
Eric Weissberg. He then spent years studying the recordings of old-
time blues guitarists like Furry Lewis, Lightnin' Hopkins, Blind Boy
Fuller, and Leadbelly.
Nowadays, Dave still lives and teaches guitar in Greenwich Vil-
lage, occasionally embarking on long performance tours of the United
States and western Europe. His latest album, Somebody Else, Not
Me, is on Philo Records.
"Sunday Street" is the title cut from one of Dave Van Ronk's
recent albums. 5 It combines recognizable elements from the styles of
· many old blues guitarists, but the result is pure Van Ronk. Dave plays
the numerous adjacent double-string treble notes (for example, the
two treble notes in the pickup measure), by brushing up on both of
them with his index finger. They can also be played by two separate
plucking-hand fingers. Do not play the lower of these two notes with
the thumb, which should be confined to alternating bass duty. Dave
uses a number of strange-looking fingering forms in th is tune, many
of which are shown in figure 4- 8. Follow the harmony in the breaks
by watching the indications above the standard notation staff.
VERSE
Not a dollar, not a nickel, not a penny to my name,
I'm the king of Tap City and I'm out of the game,
A nickel up, a nickel down , another nickel gone,
Ain't got a nickel left to carry me on,
If I ever get back on my feet,
I'll move from Saturday alley up to Sunday Street.
Figure 4-8 t :j: v
* II II
0
III § 0 0 III
1 ) 1 ) 1 ~ 1 p 2 1-
2 2 2 ~3
3 ~ 3or T 3 or T 4 I>
** v tt v III §§ v 1111 VII

1b 2 ~ T 1 I> 2 1~ T I> 1 D T T p 1 I> I>2
3
-
3 2 2 3 1 3
3or T D 2 I> 3
5 "S unday Street" by Dave Van Ronk, copyright© 1976 by Folklore Music, ASCAP.
50
Sunday Street
Tune sixth string to 0
Key: 0 major (blues scale) · J= 120 by Dave Van Ronk
I I ntro- Verse I
II * t
r V
r III
r
v III II
r
I r---, I I n r--, . r--! I
T
A
...
ft
-- .
a.
_, ...
~
a
~
v
r--1
a ...._ v a·.
... ...._ _., ... a: v
6-=::76
....._..-
I
I
I I I
I
I
I I I
I
"~ I.
.
,........., r-i I. I.
.
h r-""1 r-:1 I
@01
"I 2 21 - -
--
r --
r
--
r
I --
r
I I
r I
III u
r r r r
(continued)
list Break I
V**
SL i SL
i i
A
I ~
r-; 1'1 I I ~b
J"::J ~
.....__,.
. ._. . 3:
- -
1-r _l
....._ p-3:
~~ 3:
v v
... ;; - - t-' .1
lA
In
I""
3 3 v ~
v ~ ~ v ~ v
.
v
I I I I
I I I I I I
I '---st
1\ ~
..
I
--
,..._ ,...-,
--
I.
.
---
I.
.
A"
-
~
- --
r 2r
@)
I l ~uSL
--
i
I -
i
-
i
I
r
0
r
Vtt ch II
_r-, n r-, I ~ r--, 11 I I
-
IT "-"
6 '-" 6 ~-;:::::::: :::r3: v v q-.::::;::: !T3: 3:
...
....
lu
A
v v 3 3 - ~
u I
I
2;--2"r
I
1 1
1\~ G
Tl
2 _r,
Tl
r I
l.
.
I
~ r--1 I.
.
I.
.
- --
@) - I - I ---
r
"I ---
i
I -
r
I
r r
---
52
I2nd break! II
11 r-- I r1 r- I I n ... ......-
1 ....
I~
1 ..
..
I
3
v
I
. ---- 3
I "-"
-......- ~
v
3
......-
...
v v v
I I I 1
"I I
I I
I I I,...... I I
f\.1.1
D .I I .._2
~
J
'-"
r- I l _I. ~.
.. 1:":1 I I I.
,....-
.1.1
~u
"I
--
r- or -
.-
-
r r
--
-
r r
--
- r --- r --- or
C7-III III :j::j: IV v

r
§§
v
ch
r r
~ barre
3
I I rl
6
VII
3 6~ 6
6 '-"
Tl
I•
I
SL Tl Ti
.J. A
Vtt
r r r r
I. I. D.C. al Fine
I
1.
i
I
r r r r
53
TECHNIQUE
Fitting in Sixteenth Notes A pair of sixteenth notes appears at the
end of both measures 4 and 5 of the intro. & verse. To get the right
sound, you must divide the last half beat of each measure (the time
ordinarily occupied by one eighth note) exactly in half and play two
114 beat notes in that space. Figure 4- 9 shows rhythm notation and
counting for the treble part of measures 4 and 5.
Count:
n
1 &
n~n-rn J ~
2 &
'--'
3 &
-....._.;
4 a & a 1
1 & 2 &
n--rn
3 &
-....._.;
4a & a 1
Figure 4-9
"Blue Railroad Train" is another well-known tune by the Del-

more.brothers. 6 It can be heard on their Brown's Ferry Blues album
(County). The melody of Alton Delmore's flatpicked bass runs on the
original recording is recreated in the thumb-index runs of measures 8
and 9 of the intro. & break. Fingering diagrams appear in figure 4-
10.
"' v
1 I>
t v
11
* v
1 I>
§
1
v
IP2
,
1
v
2 11 2
2 b 2 2 3p 31 31D
3 [) 4 3 3 41 4
4
4 ~
Figure 4-10
VERSE
Blue railroad train
Coin' down the railroad track
It makes me feel so doggone blue
To listen to that old smokestack.
Come back again

Let me hear the whistle blow
You're takin' the sun and leavin' the rain
And I hate to see you go.
6"Blue Railroad Train," © 1940 American Music, Inc., renewed 1968 by Mrs. Alton Delmore, assigned
to Vidor Publications, Inc. ·
54
Blue Railroad Train
Standard tuning
Key : E major (blues scale)
J= 108 by Alton Delmore
I Intro and Break I
loy-
/'1
E
r I J J n I
v
,.........,
v . v
I [
v
I
~
I I !I v
I
-
~ ~
n
Lt
v
I I v
I
I I I I I I I I
E
I
1\ lol it r I I I r-1 I I r I I I li I
-- r -- -- --
r rr r r r
e;
- r 2
~
- r
r*
\l
r
IT
C7-~ _r.., n n E
r1
..~
n n I ,....... I I
II ch
v v
I I I I I I I
,....., D t:'l l I
ch A7
tzi¥=
= I I r r ~ ..,;~
']I
r r r r r r r r
IT
I i i i II i ch
I
i i E 3 11..._, I
A
ID
1 ...
I I
3I I I I
1 1 I I
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I
ch A7 3 J"":'1 I
1\ lol it E
@.) --
~r ~ 3r 4Pr ~
0 ~r .,. . ·r - = ..... ~ ..:::
- 2r -- r
I Verse I
r r r r r
C7-V C7-V VII VI C7-V
*
~ *
3.._..
6 6 6
I
~ 1. 3
r r
(continued)
v C7-V *
n
r r r r
r r r r r
TECHNIQUE
Obtaining Stretched Out Fingering Forms In measure 3 of the in-
tro. & break, you are asked to play the form shown 'in the dagger-
marked diagram of figure 4- 10, which calls for a five-fret stretch. To
get the extra stretch you'll need for this maneuver, thrust your arm
and your wrist forward without tensing your shoulder or pushing your
elbow out from your side. This will have the effect of bringing the
palm of your fretting hand virtually parallel to the fingerboard, freeing
your fingers to stretch out to their maximum extent. \'Vhen such
extreme stretches are no longer req uired, bring your arm and wrist
back to normal position. Do not leave your wrist thrust out for ex-
tended periods of time, since this can cause tendon strain.
Harmonics (Tablature Symbol : 0 )

Harmonics arc bell-like tones produced by touching (rather than
pressing down) a plucked string at a point that divides its length neatly
into a fractio n (one-half, one-third, one-quarter, and so on). The
strongest harmonic on any string is obtained by placing a fretting-
hand finger directl y over the wire that borders the upper end of its
twelfth fret, a point that divides the stri ng exactly in half. If you then
pluck this string, you will hear the begin nings of a bell-like tone. As
soon as you hear this tone, remove your finger quickly from the string
56
and the harmonic will ring out. The pitch of this harmonic is exactly
one octave above the pitch of the open string.
Other frequently used harmonics occur at the wire bordering the
upper end of the seventh fret (dividing the string in three) and at the
wire bordering the upper end of the fifth fret (dividing the string in
four). The sound of the seventh-fret harmonic on any string is one
octave above the stopped seventh fret on that string. The sound of the
fifth-fret harmonic is two octaves above the open string.
Harmonics are notated in tablature by placing a hollow diamond
alongside a stem, as shown in the upper staff of figure 4-1 1. Observe
that half barre and barre harmonics can be obtained by touching two
or more strings at the wire bordering the upper end of the fifth,
seventh, or twelfth frets with the flat underside of the first finger.
~barre
~ barre ~ barre V
XII VII o
0
0
I ~
0
I I
Figure 4-11 IT · ~ ~~ ~
~ ·~
..-
A L.::.J
'-=-
r
L
f'l
J
-- J":::j J,. ~ J ~
...
@)
Harmonics are indicated in standard notation by changing the

ordinarily round shape of a note or notes into hollow diamond shapes,
as shown in the lower staff of figure 4- 11. By convention, each
diamond-shaped note indicates the fret at which a harmonic is ob-
tained, not the actual pitch of the harmonic. Any doubts concerning
which fret on the instrument is called for by a particular harmon ic
notation can be quickly resolved by a glance at the corresponding
tablature staff. Harmonic pitches without stems are whole notes,
while harmonic pitches with stems arc quarter notes, eighth notes,
and so on, as indica ted. Harmonic half notes in standard notation
have a slanted line cutting through a quarter-note stem.
The B Minor (Bm) and F# Chords
The basic forms for the Bm and H chords are shown in figure 4-12.
Figure 4-12 x x Bm X X F#
2 p
1<P
2 )
-
3 4 3 p
57
Intervals
An interval is the musical distance within a diatonic scale (see Appen-

dix A) between any two pitches. The smallest interval is the distance
. .from a note to itself, called a first or more commonly a prime. The
distance from any pitch to a note one scale step higher (A-B, C-D) or
lower (A-G, C-B) is called a second; the distance from any pitch to a
note two scale steps higher (A-C, C-E) or lower (A-F, C-A) is called a
third, and so on. Figure 4-13 shows the basic intervals. Observe that
notes accompanied by a prime mark(') are in a higher octave.
Figure 4-13
EXAMPLES
INTERVAL SCALE STEPS APART UP DOWN
pnme A-A D' - 0 '
second l A-B 0' - C
third 2 A- C D'- B
fourth 3 A-D D'- A
fifth 4 A- E • 0'- G
sixth 5 A-F' D' - F
seventh 6 A-G D' - E
octave 7 A- A' 0'- 0
MAJOR, MINOR, PERFECT, AUGMENTED,

AND DIMINISHED INTERVALS
All-natural-note diatonic scales are composed of a series of half steps
and whole steps (see Appendix A). Specifically, the notes E and F, B
and Care only a half step (one fret) apart, while all other notes are a
whole step (two frets) apart. In other words, the distances B-C and E-F
are smaller than the distances C-D and F-G, yet all are considered
seconds; the distances B-D, E-G (three frets) are smaller than the
distances C-E, F-A (four frets), yet all are considered thirds, and so on
(see figure 8- 1). Similarly, sharps and flats are not counted in deter-
mining the interval between two pitches. A-C is considered a third,
but so is A-C~, Ab-Cn, and so on.
To take account of all these different situations, musicians use
the intervalic modifiers listed in the previous heading. Each modifier
implies an absolute distance between two pitches, indicating that they
are a specific number of half steps (frets) apart. For example, E-F, B-
C, C-1)!, , and F#-G (one half step apart) are considered minor sec-
onds, while E-F#, B-C#, C-D, F-G (one whole or two half steps apart)
are considered major seconds. E-G, B-D, C-H, F#-A (three half steps.
apart) are considered minor thirds, but E-G#, B-D# , C-E, F-A (two
whole or four half steps apart) are considered major thirds, and so on.
58
Figure 4-14
EXAMPLES
MODIFIED INTERVAL DISTANCE IN FRETS UP DOWN
perfect prime 0 A-A D'- D
augmented prime 1 A- A# D' -I)
minor second 1 A - Bb D' - 01
major second 2 A-B D' -C
minor third 3 A-C 0' - B
major third 4 A -01 D' - B~
diminished fourth 4 A- I) D'- A#
perfect fourth 5 A-D 0' - A
augmented fourth 6 A-D# D' - Ab
diminished fifth 6 A-D D'- G#
perfect fifth 7 A-E D' - G
augmented fifth 8 A- E# D' -0
minor sixth
major sixth
8
9 A- F#
.
A - F' D'- F#
D'- F
diminished seventh 9 A- 0 D'- a
minor seventh 10 A-C D' - E
major seventh 11 A- G# D'- Eb
perfect octave 12 A - A' D' - D
Figure 4-14 shows some frequently encountered modified inter-

vals. Observe that two pitches the same absolute distance apart are
considered different intervals if they are called different. letter names.
For example, a distance of four half steps is considered a major third if
we call the notes A-C~; the same distance is considered a diminished
fourth if we call the notes A-0~ . Observe also that the pitch E" is
found on the same fret as F-natural (q) and that B§ is found 'On the
same fret as Cq.
Intervals and the Guitar
As you've probabl y guessed by now, the strings of the guitar are tuned
in intervals. In standard tuning, low E-A, A-0 , 0-G, and B-high E
are all tuneq in perfect fourths, while G-B is a major thi rd.
When the two notes of any modified interval are stopped on two
different guitar strings, they form a distinct, recognizable pattern.
This pattern is the same on any pair of strings tuned the same interval
apart. In other words, if you determine the fingering pattern for a
modified interval on one of the perfect-fourth pairs of strings (low E-
A, A-0, 0-G, and B-high E), that pattern will yield the same modi-
fied interval on any other pair. This pattern will, of course, be differ-
59
ent on G-B, the major third pair of strings. I could easily devote half
the book to modified interval patterns, but I'll confine myself here to a
discussion of the two families of interval patterns most used by finger-
pickers- thirds and sixths.
THIRDS
Figure 4-1 5a shows how minor thirds appear on the guitar. On the
perfect fourth -tuned pairs of strings, all minor thirds are two frets
apart. On the major third-tuned pair of strings, they are one fret apart.
Figure 4- 15b shows major thirds, which are all one fret apart on
perfect fourth-tuned pairs, and, of course, on parallel frets on the
major third-tuned pair.
Figure 4-15a Figure 4- 15b
SIXTHS
Sixths are usually obtained via skip-string pairs. Skip-string pairs that
neither include nor cross the B-string (low E-D, A-G) have one
fingering pattern for each kind of sixth, while those pairs that do
include or cross the B-string (D-B, G -high E) have another fingering
pattern.
Figure 4- 16a shows how minor sixths appear on the guitar. On
low E-D and A-G, they are all two frets apart. On D-B and G-high E,
they are all one fret apart. Figure 4-16b shows major sixths, which
Figure 4- 16a Figure 4- 16b
60
are all one fret apart on low E-D and A-G and which are on parallel
frets on D-B and G-high E. (Observe that the open strings D-B and
G-high E form major sixth intervals in their own right. )
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIRDS

AND SIXTHS
Thirds are the building blocks of chords and often appear on their
own in pieces in lieu of a full melody plus bass line. Sixths are
inverted thirds (if the top note of any third is lowered an octave or the
bottom note raised an octave, you get a sixth). Sixths also appear
independently in guitar pieces. Whenever entities recognizable as
thirds or sixths (figures 4- 15 and 4- 16) appear in guitar music, both
strings should be stopped simultaneously, even when they are played
separately.
THE THIRD VOICE

When thirds and sixths are used in conjunction with a base line, they
allow for an intermediate part between the melody and bass, known to
musicians as a third voice. This has the effect of beefing up the
melody and creating a richer sound.
HARMONIZING
Any series of melody notes can be turned into a richer-sounding series
of thirds or sixths. If the bottom note of a third is a melody note, the
top note is known as a third-above harmony; if the top note ofa sixth is
a melody note, the bottom note is known as a sixth-below harmony,
and so on.
Series of diatonic thirds and sixths, highly useful for harmoniz-
ing, can be constructed for each diatonic scale. Figure 4- 17, measure
1, shows a C-major scale. In measure 2, each scale note is harmo-
nized by anoth er scale note a third above it; in measure 3, each scale
note is harmonized by another scale note a third below it; in measure
4, each scale note is harmonized by another scale note a sixth above
it; in measure 5, each scale note is harmonized by another scale note
a sixth below it.
As you play through each series, you'll observe that some eli-
aton ic thirds and sixths are major while others are minor. Which
thirds and sixths are minor or major is determined by the sequence
within the scale of whole and half steps. In measure 2, for example,
C-E is a major third, D-F is a minor third, E-G is minor, F-A is
major, and so on. Jn measure 4, C-A is a major sixth, D-B is major,
E-C is minor, F-D is major, and so on.
61
Scale Third-above Third-below
Notes:
II
E' F' G' A' B' C'
I
0'
I
E"
I
C 0 E' F' G' A'
r--
B'
-
C'
I
.
..,..
,.
.... - ~
3 ...
.. !
A ~ 3 3--tr--3 3--:y--3 ":'
.D .
~ ....
I.
3 v 3 3--fi--J
Notes:
-
I
c
I l .-1
0 E' F' G' A' B' C' c
I I l
0 E'
..J
F' G' A' B' C'
r
A
I
B
1J
c 0
I I l ...J
E' F' G' A'
1\ r -, I I
eJ
r r1 J I I 1 ..J
~3 r "J J I 3~ 3r t3J ~r
.I l J
Sixth- above sixth -below
Notes: A' B' C' 0' E" F" G" A" C 0 E' F' G' A' B' C'
r l I I r. I I
3
I I I
_r_
3
-
v
A 3 v
- 3
~
n
..,
n
3
v
3 v v
3
3
c-
I I l .J
I I I I I I l J
Notes: 0 E' F' G' A' B' C' E F G A B c 0 E'
f\ I r , J 1~ aJ
3i 3r J J -
I I
~ ;--- 3- 3- 3i 3r_ 3[ "J
Figure 4-17
eJ
r rrr
Janet Smith
Janet Smith is a guitarist and songwriter from Berkeley, CA. She has
performed extensively at folk clubs and festivals in the western United
States and in Italy, where she lived during the 1960s. She has two solo
albums- The Unicorn (Takoma) and I'm a Delightful Child (Pacific
Cascades)- and her playing appears on a number of anthologies,
including The Woman's Guitar Workshop (Kicking Mule), Berkeley
Farms (Folkways), and Berkeley Out West (Arhoolie). She has also
worked as accompanist to noted songwriter Malvina Reynolds (see
Artichokes, Griddle Cakes, and Other Good Things, on Pacific Cas-
cades). Her musical collection, Fingerstyle Guitar Solos, has been
published by Centerstream Music.
Janet took up the guitar in high school, after several yea rs of
piano lessons. She started off with ballad accompan iments in the Joan
Baez style, but was soon drawn into solo playing, being particularly
influenced by John Fahey and by Reverend Gary Davis (Chapter 5).
She mentions Doc Watson, David Bromberg, Jorma Kaukonen and
62
Elizabeth Cotten as additional influences. Over the years, her in-
terests have moved more and more in the direction of composition
and orchestration. She now runs a small but thriving music copying
and typesetting service in Berkeley called Bella Roma Music.
Janet Smith describes her composition "Piano Mover's Rag"7 as

"a modest venture into ragtime, using a few of the lighthearted de-
vices that abound in the style." Janet mentions that she wrote the
piece "while waiting for a piano mover to bring my trusty upright to
my new apartment. He was unexpectedly on time, so the tune is
rather short. " The tune appears on the Woman's Guitar Workshop
album and is printed in the April 1980 issue of Guitar Player maga-
zine. Observe the thirds in measures 2- 3, 11 - 12, and 18- 19. Sixths
appear in measures 3- 4 of the second ending. Note the Bm chord and
F~ chords in measures 10 and ll and the half-barre harmonic at the
conclusion of the second ending.
Piano Mover's Rag

Standard tuning
Key: G major by Janet Smith
l Intro I ~ = 11 2
(T>I (T)I
07 07
i r i
7"Piano Mover's Rag,"© 1980 by Kicking Mule Publishi ng Co. Used by permission.
(continued)
r r
Em
B7
I
B7
r r
64
lt. I 2. D-Ill
' ~T
G
3 3
. 3
s;-..., r-, 3
li
-._..,!
I
,... ......
"*"' .
~ ,;..
3~3
-
v v 3
A L.::..J
...- -:
3 3. r I'
I I I
I I SL
.r-- n . ;_,-,._
G
E~
r\ » r.
. . r. •
w I
r r- r I
r r- . ~-SL r I SL
\-2 barre
X VIII VII v III XII
r--:1.
..._... C'l . . r-r I ~
- -
I
.
-
,A,
IT 3 ' ::I
·.•
w ..,,...... ·""-
--- v 3 !;.;!
......
I }.. I!.=:J
· v
V_ I_
~
D7
1'1»
n~n ·1. -t ,..-....11 .J ~n .,J
,..--- .5 i
@)
TECHNIQUE
- I
Between Beat Thumb otes In measures 1, 11-12, 17, and mea-

sures 2- 4 of the second ending, you are asked to use the thumb to
obtain between-beat melody notes-in most cases, the first note of a
third or sixth. To get the right sound, count through each measure
carefully (l & 2 & 3 & 4 &), making sure that each thumb note falls
exactly on the proper &-coun t.
Triads
Most basic chord forms are made up of th ree-note entities called
triads. Triads are composed of two adjacent thirds sharing a middle
note. For example, the adjacent th irds C-E and E-G form the triad C-
E-G; the adjacent thirds G-B and B-D form the triad G-B-D, and so
on. Major chords such as C major (C-E-G), G major (G-B-D), and D
major (D-F#-A) are triads in which a major th ird (C-E, G-B, D-F#)
precedes a minor third (E-G, B-0, F#-A). Minor chords such as C
minor (C-B -G), G minor (G-Bb-0), and 0 minor (0-F-A) are triads
in which a minor third (C-Eb, G-Bb, 0 -F) precedes a major third (Eb-
G, Bb-0, F-A). Diminished chords such as co (C-Eb-Gb ), co(G-Bb-
Ob), and oo(0-F-Ab) are triads made up of two minor thirds (C-Eb
+ Eb-Gb, G-Bb + Bb-Db, 0-F + F-Ab ).
The initial note of each triad names the chord and is known as
the root note, the midd le note of each triad is called the third (it's a
third above the root), and the final note of each triad is called the fifth
65
(it's a fifth above the root). As it turns out, the "fifth" of a major or
minor triad is a perfect fifth interval above the root, while the "fifth"
of a diminished triad is a dimi nished fifth interval above the root (see
figure 4- 14). Figure 4- 18 shows major and minor triads. Note that
"H" means double flat (twice flatted), that C~ is found on the same
fret as Bq and that f1, is found on the same fret as Eq .
Figure 4-1 8
TRIAD MAJOR MINOR TRIAD MAJOR MINOR
c C-E-G C -E~ -G F F - A- C F-A~ -C
G G - B-D G - B~ - D B~ Bl> - D - F Bl> - [)!, - F
D D-F~ - A D- F -A B E~ - G - B~ H - 0- B~
A A-Q - E A -C -E A~ A~-C - H A~ - 0 - E~
E E-G#- B E-G - B [)!, F - Ab
[)!, - [)!, - Fb - Ab
B B -0# - F# B - D - Fl 0 Gh - B~ - [)!, Gb - Bb~ - [)!,
AI F#-A# - Q Fii-A - C# 0 0-Eb-0 0 - H~ - Gb
Q C~ - E#-G# C# - E - G#
G# G~-B# - 0# G# - B - 0#
TRIADS AND HARMONIZING

Any note in a triad can be played along with, or used as background
fo r, any other note in the triad. So given a particular melody line, a
knowledge of the harmonizing triad not only tells you which bass
notes you can use, but lets you know what notes can be used between
melody and bass to serve as a third voice (p. 61 ), or even a fourth
voice, a fifth voice, and so on.
TRIADS, VOICINGS,
AND THE GUIT/\R
Most of the basic triad forms played on guitar cover fi ve or six strings
(see figure 2- 17). In addition to a simple triad, however, these forms
repeat one or more of the triad notes at various octave levels. For
example the C (maj or) form shown in figure 2- 17 contains the pitch-
es C-E'-G'-C' -E"; the G-major form contains the pitches G-B-D-G'- .
B'-G", and so on.
The exact order of pitches at their various octave levels in a
particular chord form is known as the voicing of that form. Many
forms, each with its own voicing, are possible on guitar for each major
and minor triad. Advanced fingerpicking requires not only the ability
to recognize the different voicings called for in written music but also
the art of making up original voicings when the need for them arises.
66
Voicings and Barre Chords
A thorough study of barre chords is a good place to start learning

about chord voicings. Figure 2- 18 reviews the basic barre forms,
many of which are basic triad voicings played under a full barre. Each
time you raise a barre chord up one fret, the pitch of that chord goes
up a half step. For example, the barre E (major) form is an F major
chord when played at the first fret, an F~ (or G~ ) major chord when
played at the second fret, an A major chord at the fifth fret, a D major
chord at the tenth fret, and so on. The barre Am form is a Bb (or A~)
minor chord at fret 1, a B minor chord at fret 2, a D minor chord at
fret 5, and so on.
As it turns out, each major and minor triad appears several times
or the fingerboard, each time in the guise of a different barre chord
form. And each new barre form is actually a radically different voicing
for the given triad. For example, voicings fo r the triad A major occur
at barre G-Il (barre G played at the second fret), barre E-V, barre 0-
VII, and barre C-IX. Yoicings for the E minor triad occur at barre
Dm-11, barre C~m- Ill , and barre Am-VII . Figure 4- 19 shows the
barre voicings for a number of common triads.
Figure 4-19
MAJOR MINOR
CHORD BARRE LOCATIONS CHORD BARR£ LOCATIONS
c A-III, C-V, E-Vlii, Am Em-V, Om-VII ,
0-X Qm-VIII
G E-III, 0 -V, C-Vll, Em Om-II, Qm-III,
A-X Am-VII
0 C-11, A-V, G-VII, Bm Am-ll, Em-VII,
E-X Om-IX Qm-X
A G-11, E-V, 0 -VII , F!!m Em-11, Om-IV,
C-IX Qm-V, Am-IX
E 0-11, C-IV, A-VII, Qm Am-IV, Em-IX,
G-IX Om-XI
B A-11, G-IV, E-VIl , Om Am-V, Em-X
0-IX
F E-1, 0-111, C-V, Gm Em-III, Om-V,
A-VIII, G-X Qm-VI, Am-X
B~ A-1, G-Ill, E-VI, Cm Am-III, Em-VIII,
0 -VIII, C-X Om-X, Qm-XI
Fm Em-1, Om-III,
C#m-IV, Am-VIII
67
BARRE VOICINGS
AND PARTIAL CHORDS
In Fingerstyle Guitar, I spoke of partial chords-parts of basic or
barre fo rms that can be played up the neck in combination with open
strings or thumb-fretted bass notes. By taking segments from any of
the barre voicings listed in figu re 4- 19, you can easil y construct your
own partial chords. A knowledge of the notes occurring in each triad
(see figure 4- 18) then tells you which open notes or additional fretted
notes are available to you. Since the triad E ma jor, for example, is
made up of the notes E, en, and B, E major voicings can use both
open E-strings, the open B-string, and any fretted E's, Gfs, and B's
that are wi thin reach.
The first column in figure 4-20 shows the barre-C voicing of the
E major triad, along with two partial chords that are derived from it.
Observe that open low E can be used as a bass note and that open high
E or B can be used as treble notes. Each combination of open and
fretted notes has its own disti nct sound. The second column shows
the barre-E voicing of the A major triad (A-Cn-E), along with two
partial chords. Here, the open low E- and open A-strings can be used
as bass notes and high E can be used for melody. Or, if desired, the
thu mb can stop a fret 5, string 6 (low A) bass note. The fifth column
Figure 4- 20
E A D F Dm Am
(Barre C-IV) (Barre E-V) (Barre A-V) (Barre D-Ill) (Barre Am-V) (Barre C# m-VIII)
2 ) 2 p 2 2
3 p 3 4 2 3 4 2 ) p;3 3 ( 4 3 ) 4
4 p 4 p
IV v v III v VIII
0 X 0 0 0 X 0 0 X 0 X X 0 0 0 0 X
1 p !"'- p 1 1 p 1
2 2 p 2 2
3 p 3 2( P3 3 3( 3
4
IV v v III v VIII
0 X 0 0 X X X X 0 X X 0 X 0 X
1 p 2 T 1 1 <P ) 1 T p <P
2<P 2 2(
4( 3 3 p 4( 2 )3 3
4 p
68
shows the barre-Am voicing of the Om triad (0 -F-A), for which the
open 0- and A-strings can be used as bass notes.
The Blues Turnaround
The blues turnaround is a run of notes designed to take you from the
end of one blues verse to the start of another. Blues turnarounds
usually follow one of a small number of fairly standard and easily
recognizable patterns, often involving a series of descending thirds or
sixths.
"Careless Love" is a late nineteenth century blues song about the

pitfalls of romance. It has been recorded countless times by artists as
diverse as Burl lves and Dave Van Ronk (sec Dave Van Ronk:
Gambler's Blues). This arrangement is constructed primarily of partial
chords and sixths. Measures 1 and 13 move from a partial barre O-Il
(E triad) to a basic E form. Measures 2 and 14 employ a partial barre
A-II form (B triad). Measure 5 moves from a partial barre O-Il (E
triad) to a partial barre E-V (A triad), measures 7 and 8 employ a
partial barre E-VII (B triad), measure 11 goes from a partial barre 0-
VII to a partial barre E-V (both A triads), and so on. Note the blues
turnaround in measures 15 and 16. Follow the harmony above the
standard notation staff (altered compound chords like "B 1 3~ 9" are
explained in Chapter 7). Fingering diagrams appear in figure 4-21 .
LYRICS
Love oh love oh careless love,
See what careless love can bring.
Figure 4-21
* II t II IV § v , VII
** VI
1( 1 2 1 p
P3 2 p 2 2
3( 4 3 )4 4 ~ 3 4 3 p 4
tt VII v
,
2
3 4 3
69
Careless Love
~ =104
Standard tuning
Key: E major (blues scale) arranged by Ken Perlman
II*
E
r r II * IV l
r
v § VII Barre VII
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70
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r
r r
Daily Fingerpicking Exe rcises
Some kind of daily limbering-up routine for the plucking hand is a

good idea for both the student and the experienced player. Here's a
series of not-too-boring plucking-hand exercises designed especially
for fingeistyle. The idea behind them is simple. First, take a basic
chord form (these exercises useE, B7, and C7, but any form will do).
Play a simple picking pattern while stopping the form (measures l - 2
of exercise l ), then move the form up a fret and repeat the pattern
(measures 3-4 of exercise I). Move the form up another fret (mea-
sures 5- 6 of exercise l ) and repeat the pattern, move it up still another
fret (measures 7-8 of exercise l ) and repeat the pattern, and so on up
the neck until you run out of reachable frets. At each fret, the com-
bination of fretted and open strings yields an interesting but unpre-
dictable combination of harm oni es and dissonances that reminds me
very much of the playing of such present-day fingerpickers as John
Fahey and Leo Kottke. Since the actual pitches played are unimpor-
tant, I've presented the exercise in tablature only.
71
Daily Fingerpicking Exercises
IExercise II
:E ! l !! ' I! I: !i pt
I
l
I
l l&l
I
I ; ! : ! t ! 11 1t l
I
R]d
I
-
E-lll
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v
I I -v
I I I I I I 1 ~ I v
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I I ! I I l I I
v
1 I I ! r1 I
v
...
T
--a--3 3 3 3 3 ;r
-... v
v
1
I I I I I I
I
I I
I I
IExercise 21
E
I I r r I r r v
I I _'I
v
...
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v
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I I
I I
I
IExercise 31
E
: 1
I
1
i 1 i l]!llP i I
1 1
1
72
IExercise 41
B7
li
IExercise 51 IExercise 61
IExercise 71
IExercise 8 j
C7
- - ., - .., ...
l or
. 3
c
J
v
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.
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3
. .
v
3
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3
I I
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73
The
GounU, Blu88
left, Happy Traum (photo by Rick Laird);
right, Rory Block (photo by Catherine Sebastion)
Just about all present day nonclassical fingerpicking guitar styles owe
their origin to country blues picking. The guitar was primarily a parlor
instrument in this country until the early 1900s, when improved
technology permitted the use of steel strings. The steel-string guitar
spread, among other places, throughout the rural South where it was
adopted by black blues singers as an ideal accompan iment tool. These
blues singers took rhythms, conventions, and melodic ideas from
· their own musical traditions and combined them with a smattering of
conventional guitar techniques. The result is what we now call coun-
try (that is, rural) blues.
Country blues playing styles varied widely from region to region,
but they had a number of basic features in common. First, country
blues guitar was almost always characterized by a steady bass supplied
by the thumb. Initially, the thumb merely brushed over the bass
strings, but as players became more sophistica ted, they adopted the
drone bass, the alternating bass, or a mixture of both.
The treble strings in country blues guitar were used for synco-
pated rhythmic ideas or melody. At first, rhythms were merely
brushed up on two or more treble strings with the index finger. In
more sophisticated playing, complex melodies and ·rhythms were
plucked on single or multiple treble strings by two or even three
plucking-hand fingers.
All country blues styles featured a number of techniques and
conventions designed to help adapt the guitar to the African-de-
scended blues sound. We've already discussed the blues scale, which
added one or more accidentals (blue notes) to the notes of a major or
minor scale. Blues guitarists also experimented with ways of obtaining
tones that did not exactly correspond to fretted notes- that were, in
effect, between two frets in pitch. These techniques included playing
blue notes over major-triad harmonies, choking the strings, (see
Chapter 3), and, in some styles, using a heavy glass or metal slide to
stop the strings. (Since a slide can stop a string without pressing it
down into the fingerboard, it produces between-fret tones when
placed between fren.vires).
After about 1920, country blues music went in two directions.
Some players, like Blind Blake (p. 78), Mississippi John Hurt (see
Mississippi John Hurt: 1928 Sessions on Yazoo), Blind Willie McTell
(see Blind Willie McTell: The Early Years on Yazoo) and Reverend
Gary Davis (see Reverend Gary Davis on Yazoo) brought their music ·
closer to the American mainstream- with what most of us would call
76
accessible melodies and relatively regular rhythms. Elements of this
style were later borrowed by country music artists like Merle Travis
and Doc vVatson and by folk si ngers such as Woody Guthrie, Pete
Seeger, Tom Paxton, and Bob Dylan.
Other country blues artists, like Blind Lemon Jefferson (see
Blind Lemon Jefferson: 1926- 9, vols. 1 and 2 on Biograph), Charlie
Patton (see Charlie Patton, Founder of the Delta Blues on Yazoo),
and Robert Johnson (see Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues, on
Columbia), developed a sophisticated but more African-oriented
sound that is less accessible to modern audiences. It was this style,
however, that evolved into the electric guitar-oriented Chicago blues
sound of artists like B. B. King (sec B. B. King, Live at the Regal on
ABC-Paramount). And, it was Chicago blues gu itar playing that
formed the basis of the electric guitar style featured in contemporary
rock music.
Many fingerpickers are discouraged from attempting tunes with a
strong country blues flavor by scratchy recordings and poor, confusing
notation. This chapter will give you an opportunity to explore the
roots of fingerstyle guitar through the arrangements and compositions
of some present-day players who have mastered the country blues
id iom.
Staccato (Symbol in Tablature: T)

•I Staccato (stah-CAH-toe) is a musical term indicating that the ringing
'Y'
3
of a note is to be cut short (see Chapter 3). Staccato is indicated in
n
tablature by placing a solid triangle next to a stem, as shown in the top
staff of figure 5-1. In standard notation, staccato is shown by placing
·,
l a dot next to a stem, as shown in the bottom staff of figure 5-l. The
I'\ opposite of staccato is the term legato (leg-GAH-toc), which indicates
that each note should run smoothly into the next note.
@!)
r
Figure 5-1
Stopping Two or More Strings, but Choking Only One

Figure 5-2
I ch
The trick here is to keep all the nonchoked strings so firmly pressed
r----9 / down that they stay put when the choked string is pushed out (no
'T 7
v mean feat in most cases). This technique is indicated in tablature and
A
standard notation as shown in figure 5- 2, where a choke symbol
u
("ch") is connected by a slanted line to only one of two or more
simultaneously played treble notes.
J /ch
77
Rory Block
Rory Block is one of the best country blues guitarists and singers to
emerge from the blues revival. She has performed throughout the
United States, Canada, and western Europe, and she has shared the
stage with such notables as Jerry Garcia, David Bromberg, Bonnie
Raitt, John Sebastian, and Taj Mahal. She was the subject of a
feature article in the November 1983 issue of Guitar Player maga-
zine, and Rolling Stone praised her album High Heeled Blues
(Rounder) as "some of the most singular and affecting country blues
anyone- man or woman, black or white, old or young- has cut in
recent years." Among her other albums are:
Intoxication (Chrysalis)
You're the One (Chrysalis)
Blue Horizon (Rounder)
Rhinestones and Steel Strings (Rounder)
The daughter of noted fiddler Allan Block (see Alive and Well and
Fiddlin' on Living Folk), Rory was exposed to blues and traditional
country music at an early age. She took up the guitar at 10, became
interested in blues at 12, and was soon an enthusiastic participant at
the frequent jam sessions held after hours at the Block Sandie Shop in
the Greenwich Village district of New York City.
As a result of these sessions, she had the opportunity to meet and
learn from a number of blues masters, such as Mississippi John Hurt,
Son House, Skip James, Fred McDowell, and Bukka White. She also
studied with Reverend Gary Davis. By the time she was 16, she was
making note-for-note transcriptions of blues recordings, many of
which were later used by Stefan Grossman in several blues instruction
series. In 1966, she collaborated with Grossman on an album called
How to Pla y Blues Guitar, which with its accompanying tablature
book, has become one of the most influential guitar instruction
packages.
In recent years, Rory has devoted considerable energy both to
songwriting and to composing for guitar. She now lives in Chatham,
NY.
Here's Rory Block's arrangement of "Police Dog Blues," a coun-

try blues standard. I The tune was first recorded by the great blues
guitarist Blind Blake in the 1920s (see Blind Blake, Bootleg Rum Dum
Blues on Biograph). Blake is believed to have grown up in Georgia,
but he did most of his performing and recording in Chicago. His style
is noted for its light, good-humored quality and for its precise rhyth-
mic imitation of stride (honky-tonk) piano. Observe that the bass in
I"Police Dog Blues," arra ngement© 1985 by Rory Block.
78
G this piece is irregular. Sometimes there is no bass, sometimes a bass
*0 0
1 note is held for several beats. You'll have to do a lot of counting (1 & 2
2 b ( 3 . & 3 & 4 & ... ) to get the right sound. Since the piece is in open 0
tuning (see Figure 3- 24), I've presented a tablature version only. A
fingering diagram appears in figure 5- 3.
Figure 5-3
Police Dog Blues
Tuning: D-A-D- F# -A-D

~= 132
Key: D major (blues scale) arranged by Rory Block
Lfu§]
pg~§~§.ij
XII
~ I
(> (> (> (> (>
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D. C. a/$
Coda
e poi Ia Coda
TECHNIQUE
A Downward Double Slide Followed by a Rest In measure 2 of the
verse, you are asked to perform a downward slide on two strings at the
same time, from fret 9, string 1 and fret 8, string 2 to fret 3, string I
and fret 2, string 2. Immediately after the slide, a rest appears in the
notation. To get the right sound, cut both notes short (Chapter 3)
when you reach the end of your slide and quickly remove both fingers
from the fretboard.
Cutting Open Strings Short In measures 1 and 2 of the break,
staccato signs appear in relation to open strings. To cut open stri ngs
short, you must either lay the heel of your plucking hand on the
strings, or you must place the tips of your fretting-hand fingers on the
strings without exerting any pressure.
Quick Sliding on a Between-Beat Thumb Note This maneuver ap-
pears in measures 8 and 9 of the break. Exactly halfway through the
fourth beat of measure 8, start a quick slide on string 6 from fret 2 to
fret 4. Pluck open string 5 with i at the start of measure 10, start
another quick slide half a beat later, and so on.
80
Seventh, Major Seventh,
and Diminished Seventh Chord s
Seventh chords are four-note entities consisting of a triad (Chapter 4)
plus a seventh interval (that is, the note a seventh above the triad
root). If the triad is major or minor and the interval is a major seventh
(see figure 4- 14), the result is called a major seventh chord (CMaj7,
Gmaj7). If the triad is major or minor and the interval is a minor
seventh, the result is usually referred to simply as a seventh chord (C7,
Gm 7). If the triad is diminished and the interval is a diminished
seventh, the result is a diminished seventh chord (C0 7, G0 7). Be aware
that when musicians use the term seventh chords, they are almost
always referring specifically to major and minor triads with added
minor seventh intervals.
· All seventh, major seventh, and diminished seventh chords are
made up of three adjacent thirds. Take any major triad (say C-E-G or
C major) or minor triad (C-Eb-G or C minor), add on a major third
(G-B), and the result is a major seventh chord (C-E-G-B or CMaj7,
C-Eb-G-B or CmMaj7). Take any major or minor triad (say C or
Cm), add on a minor third (G-m ), and the result is a seventh chord
(C-E-G-m or C7, C- E~-G-m or Cm7). Take any diminished triad
(say B-0-F or B0 ) , add a minor third (F-A~ ) , and this yields a dimin-
ished seventh chord (B-0-F-A~ or B0 7).
As was the case for triads, any note in a seventh, major seventh,
or diminished seventh chord- including the added seventh note-
can be used to harmonize (become a bass note or added voicefor)any
other note in the chord. Any barred seventh forms (see figure 2- 18)
can be turned into partial chords in a manner similar to that suggested
for triads (see figure 4-20). Figure 5- 4 shows the notes that make up
various major- and minor-based seventh and major seventh chords.
Figure 5- 4 Seventh Chords

MAJOR MINOR
ROOT MAJ.-7 7 MAJ.-7 7
c C-E-G-B C - E - G - Bb C - £1> - G - B C - Eb-G-Bb
G G - B - 0 - F~ G-B-0-F G - B~ - 0 -F# G - B~ - 0 - F
0 o - FI! -A- a 0 - F# - A - C 0-F -A-Q 0-F-A - C

A A-0-E-G# A-0- E -G A-C-E- G~ A - C - E-G
E E - G~-B-0# E-G#- B -0 E - G - B - 0# E-G-B-0
B B - 0# -F# - A# B-0#-F#-A B - 0 - F#-A# B - 0 - F# - A
F# F~ - A# - C# - E# AI - A# - 0 - E F~ - A - 0-E# FI!-A-0-E
a 0-E#-Gd-B# 0-E#-G#-B 0 - E - G# - B# 0 - E - G# - B
F F -A-C -E F-A-C - Eb F - Ab - C- E F - Ab- C - E~
B" Bb - 0 - F - A Bb - 0 - F - Ab Bb -G- F-A Bb-G - F - Ab

El> EI> - G - Bb - 0 El> - G- B~ - Db Eb-0 - Bb-0 E~-0-Bb-D
81 "
Arpegg ios, Voice Leading,
and the Walking Bass
When the notes of any chord are played in succession instead of all at
once, the effect is known as an arpeggio. When the notes (voices) in a
progression of chords are arranged so that the notes of one chord lead
by the shortest possible distance into the notes ohne next chord, the
result is called voice leading. Voice leading shows up frequently on
the guitar in the construction of an arpeggiated bass line known as a
walking bass.
Suppose that a tune has a measure of G7 (G-B-0 -F) followed by
a measure of C (C-E-G). Figure 5-5 shows two possible walking bass
lines that progress from G7 to C. Observe that the notes in the bass
line outline a chord (that is, form an arpeggio) and that an attempt is
~1ade to have a minor-second interval (half step) whenever possible on
the transition from chord to chord. To allow for a more interesting
sound, walking bass lines frequently include scale notes and/or blue
notes between arpeggio notes.
Figure 5-5
G7 c G7 c
IT
v
A
... 3 v 3
-
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3 w
I 3
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fl
r r rrr
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I I &
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notes: G F • D · B c G · B · D · F E
THE BOOGI E-WOOGIE BASS

A boogie-woogie bass is a walking bass made up primarily of seventh
and diminished seventh chord arpeggios that progress from one to
another by means of voice leading. Sometimes, a guitarist will play
just a boogie bass throughout an entire verse of a tune, at which point ·
the boogie bass becomes a boogie break.
The C#7 Chord
The basic C#7 chord is merely the fretted portion of a C7 chord (see
figure 2- 17) raised up to the second fret. The open E string is, of
course, not part of the C#7 form, but it is often added to the chord as a
read ily available and interesting dissonance.
82
The Segno, D.S. al Fine ,
D.S. al -$- e poi Ia coda
As you recall, D. C. al Fine (Chapter 2) directs you back to the
beginning of a tune. When you need to return to any point other than
~ the beginning, that point is marked with a segno (SEN-yo), shown in
Figure 5-6 figure 5- 6. So the notation Dal Segno al Fine (D.S. al Fine) means
return to the segno and play until you see the word Fine. The nota-
tion D.S. al-$-e poi la coda means return to the segno, play until you
see the return to coda sign, then play the coda.
Geoff Bartley
Geoff Bartley is a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Cambridge,

MA. His playing style is a blend of country blues and chord-melody
guitar (see Chapter 7) with a dash of acoustic rock-'n'-roll influence
thrown in for seasoning. His album, entitled Blues Beneath the Sur-
face, is on Magic Crow Records.
Geoffs first instrument was clarinet, but he took up the guitar in
the early 1960s, when as he puts it, "the haunting ballads of early
[Bob] Dylan weaned me from clarinet duets and Broadway sound-
tracks. Lightnin' Hopkins [see Lightnin' Hopkins on Archoolie] mes-
merized me some years later with his dark hypnotic sound. Nowadays
my playing still owes a great debt to this fierce Houston bluesman, but
I try to arrange songs in my own style. In particular, I. often try to
make the guitar sound like a condensed jazz ensemble, complete with
spare horn punches and walki ng bass."
Geoff Bartley arranged this version of "Bullfrogs on Your Mind,"

a song first recorded by Lightnin' Hopkins. 2 Hopkins was known for
his exciting single-string blues runs and for the brooding intensity of
his performances. This tune was one of Lightnin's more playful num-
bers, and Geoffs arrangement, which appears on his Blues Beneath
the Surface album, emphasizes this aspect to the hilt. Geoffs break for
the tune features a boogie-woogie bass with syncopated treble inserts
to imitate a jazz horn section. An occasional walking bass quarter
note is turned into two eighth notes for rhythmic variety. See figure .
5- 7 for fingering diagrams.
Figure 5-7 * t
1 1
2 3 4 2<P <P3
( 4
2"Bullfrogs on Your Mind, " arrangemen t IC 1984 by Geoff Bartley.
83
Bullfrogs on Your Mind
Standard tuning
Key : E major (blues scale)
J = 116
arranged by Geoff Bartley
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.- (- ~r .-
rr r I
TECHNIQUE
Plucking Two Strings but Hammering On to Only One At the tran-
sition from the intro. & verse to the break, you are asked to strike both
the open G- and open-high £-strings simultaneously. Then, after a
half beat has elapsed, hammer on, with the first finger, to fret 1, string
3 (middle G~).
Compound Inte rvals
Intervals larger than an octave are known as compound intervals.

They are constructed by adding a simple interval (prime through
seventh) to an octave. Adding a second to an octave yields a ninth;
adding a third to an octave yields a tenth; adding a fourth to an octave
yields an eleventh; adding a sixth to an octave yields a thirteenth, and
so on.
TENTHS
The usefulness of thirds and sixths for fingerstyle was discussed in
Chapter 4. Tenths are another highly useful interval, made up of an
octave plus a third. An octave plus a major third is called a major
86
tenth, while an octave plus a minor third is known as a minor tenth.
Whether a given situation calls for a major or minor tenth depends, of
course, on the sequence of whole and half steps within the scale you
are using. Some major tenths include C-E'' F-A '' A-C#I ' and m-D';
some minor tenths are C-Eb ', F-A~', A-C', and m - D~ '.
TENTHS AND THE GUITAR

Tenths also form distinct patterns on guitar, as shown in figure 5- 8.
Observe that for all of these patterns, the two notes that form the tenth
are separated by two intervening strings . Major tenths are shown in
figure 5- 8a. On the low E-G pair of strings, they are all one fret apart;
on the A-B and D-high E pairs, they are two frets apart. Figure 5-8b
shows minor tenths. These are all one fret apart on the A-B and D-
high E pairs and on parallel frets for the low E-G pair. (Observe that
the open string pair, low E-G, forms a minor tenth interval in its own·
right. )
Figure 5- 8a Figure 5-8b
In many instances, a series of melody notes can be beefed up by

adding on a corresponding series of "tenth-below" harmony notes.
These tenth-below notes then become the bass notes of the passage.
When harmonically appropriate, one or more open strings between
the two tenth-apart notes can serve as inner voices.
Happy Traum
Happy Traum is one of today's most influential fingerstyle guitarists.

His instruction books, which were among the first to appear on finger-
picking, include Fingerpicking Styles for Guitar, Traditional and
Contemporary Fingerpicking, and The Guitar of Brownie McGhee. In
the late 1960s, he fou nded the Homespun Tapes Company of Wood-
stock, NY, which provides lessons taped by experts in a variety of
musical fields to would-be musicians around the world. Among the
87
series he has himself recorded for Homespun are "Fingerpicking
Guitar," "Country Blues Guitar," and "Flatpick Country Guitar."
He has performed extensively as a solo artist throughout the United
States, western Europe, and Japan. Among his numerous albums are:
Relax Your Mind (Kicking Mule)
American Stranger (Kicking Mule)
Bright Morning Stars (Greenhays)
Friends and Neighbors (Vest Pocket)
Happy and Artie Traum: Hard Times in the County (Rounder)
Happy started fingerpicking in the m id-l950s after seeing Tom Paley
play one day in Greenwich Village's Washington Square Park. "He
was playing 'Railroad Bill' and several other Hobart Smith tunes in
the fingerpicking style" writes Happy "and I was very impressed.
Before long, I was one of the many young people who were trying to
pick Elizabeth Cotten's 'Freight Train' with varying degrees of
success.
"In 1958 I started studying blues guitar with Brownie McGhee,
who helped my fingerpicking quite a bit and introduced me to finger-
picks, which I still use. At about the same time, I discovered the
playing of Merle Travis, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Rever-
end Gary Davis, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and dozens of others who
influenced me. Although I have taken my own path, these great
players have always been in the back of my mind, setting a high
standard."
This version of "Silver City Bound" was arranged by Happy

Traum and appears on his Bright Morning Stars album. 3 The song
was written by the great blues guitarist Leadbelly (his real name was
Huddie Ledbetter) as a tribute to his mentor and friend Lemon Jeffer-
son. Leadbelly started his career in Texas as "lead boy" for Jefferson,
guiding the blind artist from engagement to engagement. When times
were hard, the pair boarded passenger trains and played for contribu-
tions. When asked their destination, they would tell the conductor
that they were "S ilver City bound." Lead belly went on to become a
masterful blues singer and a pioneer of the 12-string guitar whose
playing style was known for its powerful bass lines. (See Leadbelly:
Take This Hammer, on Folkways. )
In the intro. section of this arrangement, H appy plays the melo-
dy on the bass strings. "To get a nice jump to it," he writes, "I often
alternate between thumb and index finger on the same string." The
result is a cross between Leadbelly style and country flatpicking. In
the verse section- which features some minor tenths in the first
couple of measures- and in the chorus section, Happy plays the
3"Silver City Bound," words and music by Hudd ie Ledbetter. Edited with new additional material by
Alan Lomax. TRO-© 1959 Folkways Music Publishers, Inc., New York, NY. International copyright
secured. All rights reserved including public performance for profit. Used by permission. Arrangement
© 1979 by Happy T raum.
88
melody on th e treble strings in a style reminiscent of Mississippi John
Hurt.
VERSE
Silver City bound
I'm silver city bound
Well I tell my baby
I'm Silver City bound
Me and Blind Lemon
Conna ride on down.
CHORUS
Catch me by the hand
Oh, baby
Blind Lemon was a blind
Man (He'd holler)
Catch me by the hand
Oh, baby
Blind Lemon was a blind
Man
Silver City Bound

Standard tuning by Leadbelly
Key: D major (blues scale) J= 138 arranged by Happy Traum
I l ntro I
i
- D
.. ... .. 1.. SL
-
-
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3
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-
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tt'~ '-"I 0~ or ~ I or ~....__/~ 2
or
SL
(continued)
D
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h _r-, r-1 .._..., l i 3;::::::;--3
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(continued)
v v UI
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or ) r I ~ r -
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TECHNIQUE
Brushing the Strings On numerous occasions in the piece, Happy
brushes down on several strings with a simple downstroke of the
thumb. This is notated in both tablature and music by a column of
notes with only a stem originating below the staff. For ease of in-
terpretation, eighth note pairs in which a thumb-played brush is
followed by a finger-plucked melody note are shown as two separate
single eighth notes. The stem for the brush originates below the staff,
while the stem for the finger note originates above the staff. This
particular notation appears in measures 3, 9, and 11 of the intro.,
measure 7 of the verse and measure 7 (fi rst ending) of the chorus.
Sliding with Tenths Intact In measure 2 of the verse, you are asked
to perform two between-beat double slides. Both slides start on a tenth
made up of fret 3, string 4 (middle F) and fret 4, string 1 (high A~ ) . To
get the right sound, maintain even pressure and keep the spacing
between both fingers intact as you slide up both strings to a tenth
made up of fret 4, string 4 (middle F~ ) and fret 5, string 1 (high A).
Sliding on One String with a Chord Form Intact In measures 3 and

7 of the verse and measure 7 of the chorus, you are asked to perform a
between-beat slide from fret 1, string 1 (high E~ ) to fret 2, string 2
(high Fn ). This slide appears in the midst of a passage that should be
92
performed while stopping a basic D chord form. To get this smooth,
drop the entire form down one fret (to fret 1) at the start of the slide.
Then, maintaining pressure only on the first string, keep the form
intact as you slide from fret 1 to fret 2. As soon as you reach fret 2,
reapply pressure to all strings in the form.
A Precise Notation for Country Blues

The rhythm for many hard-core country blues tunes is complex and
often difficult to notate and read, particularly in conventional ~ time.
In the country blues style, the four beats of a measure are each divided
into three subbeats or pulses, as shown in figure 5-9. You can get a
feel fo r this by tapping out the beats (1-2-3-4) with one hand, while
tlie other hand taps out three pulses per beat 1-2-3, 2-2-3, 3-2-3,
4-2-3).
Figure 5- 9
Beats: 2 3 4
Pulses: 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3
Since each beat is routinely composed of three pulses, musical

events can (and do) occur on each pulse. This sometimes presents a
problem in~ notation, where it is easy to divide beats by two (eighth
notes), four (sixteenth notes), and other multiples of two, but rela-
tively cumbersome to divide beats by three and multiples of three.
And while man y country blues tunes can be squeezed into ~ time
without too much distortion, many of the more complex tunes re-
quire a better fitting meter (time signature).
WTime
~ time is a meter that, in effect, has four beats per measure, each
made up of three subbeats". Figure 5- 10 shows two sample ~ mea-
sures. Observe that ~ time measures can contain as many as 12
Figure 5-10
TAB:
12
8
I 0I 0I
0 0
I
0 0 m I 0I 0I
0
I
0
~
0
I
0• b h 0I 0I 0I
0
Music:
12
J J J J J J J J J J J J I J )J. J ) J J J I
Count: 1 • 2 . 3, 4 . 5 • 6, 7 . 8 . 9, 10. 11 . 12, 1 · 2·3, 4 -5-6, 7-8-9, 10-11-12
or: 1 . 2 . 3, 2 . 2 . 3, 3 . 2 . 3, 4 . 2 . 3, 1 . 2 • 3, 2 . 2-3. 3 . 2. 3, 4 . 2 . 3.
or: 1 & a. 2 & a, 3 & a, 4 & a, 1 & a, 2 & a, 3 8t a, 4 & a,
93
eighth notes, divided into four groups of three, with an accent falling
on the first note of each group. The beginning of each group is
considered the "beat, " while the individual eighth notes of each
group are the pulses. ~ time can be counted in three ways, but the
most effective is the last way shown (1-&-a, 2-&-a, 3-&-a, 4-&-a),
which most emphasizes the idea of four beats and three pulses.
l time is related to both ~ and ~ times, which are discussed at
1
length in Fingerstyle Guitar and reviewed in Chapter 6. If you have

not yet tried a~ or~ piece, I suggest you play through the jig "Tobin's
Favourite" (Chapter 6) before proceeding.
1r VERSU S~ TIME
~ notation looks strange at first to those accustomed to reading :
. notation, but the transition is easily made. The basic unit in ~ time is
the quarter note, which is counted as l beat. In 1l the dotted quarter
note (equivalent to three eighth notes), is counted as 1 beat (see figure
5-1 0, measure 2). otes written as eighth-note pairs in~ time are
shown in ~ as quarter note-eighth note combinations. This notation,
which implies that the first note of each pair is twice as long as the
second note, reflects the actual way that these notes are played in the
country blues style. (These uneven pairs of notes are known to musi-
cians as swing eighth notes. ) otes written as triplets in ~ time are
shown in 1l as simple eighth-note groups. Figure 5-11 shows a single
measure in both ~ and ~ time.
Figure 5- 11
3
p
I- pT 1 h I
'T'
IZ
~-.-
._
-v
3
-v
3 v
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A
u
... N.
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l l I
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~
r . r· r r· .
Slapping the Strings

This is a technique used by country blues guitarists for rhythmic
punctuation. The plucking hand is angled up so that the thumb curls
under a bass string. The bass string is caught with the edge of the
thumb, lifted up, and allowed to slap back against the fretboard,
yielding a sound resembling a snare-drum beat.
"Big Road Blues" has been recorded by numerous blues
guitarists. The opening motif(distinctive phrase) in measures 1-3, in
94
which the player vigorously slaps all the sixth string bass notes, has
become quite famous and has been borrowed for use in other songs by
a number of artists, such as Taj Mahal (see Taj Mahal: The Natch'l
Blues on Columbia). Although you'll have to do some careful count-
ing to get the feel of this motif (see the "Techn ique" section), the rest
of the tune is pretty straightforward and should give you some good
practice in reading 1l notation. Observe that for this piece only, the
symbol " 0~" stands for an ordinary 0-form moved down to the first
fret.
Big Road Blues

Key: D major (blues scale)
J.= 104
arranged by Ken Per Iman
II · IV
"
~
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I Tl Tl Tj I Tj Tl Tl I Tl Tj Tl
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f\ JJ, I i i i
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-- l''-' u • -..__~.a. ~-
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(continued)
-
I
p
I l I ... I ... I
D
b_ I
II-IV
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I. .
T . ._.; ~
3 v 3-::::;: ~3 ... ... 3-a· ;.
A
....... . v •
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I I
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l ' ._.;_
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- r· --
- r
r· r·
TECHNIQUE
Interpreting If time Here's some help getting through the first mea-
sure of " Big Road Blues." T he idea is to understand exactly what is
going on at each "number count" (count l , count 2 .. .. ), each "&-
count" (first &-count, second &-count ... ) and each "a-count."
pickup note (a-count): play open 4th string (middle D) with i

measure 1, count 1: middle D tied over, slap open string 6 (low
D) with thumb
first &-count: both strings continue to sound
first a-count: play fret 2, string 4 {middle E) with i
count 2: middle E tied over, slap fret 2, string 6
(low E) with thumb
second &-count: both strings sound
second a-count: play fret 3, string 4 (middle F) with i
count 3: middle F tied over, slap fret 3, string 6
(low F) with thumb ...
The Stride Bass

The stride bass, sometimes known as double thumbing, is a powerful
rhythmic effect used by country blues guitarists. It is most often
associated with the playing of Blind Blake (p. 78). The technique
was created to imitate the left-hand sound of stride pianists like Jelly
Roll Morton (see felly Roll Morton: Piano Classics 1923-4 on Folk-
ways) whose playing represented an intermediate style between classic
ragtime (see Fingerstyle Guitar) and jazz piano.
In a stride bass, the thumb plucks one string (say string 6) in a
downward trajectory and rests heavily on the next higher string (in th is
case, string 5). The thumb remains in contact with this string, and ·
after a certain period has elapsed, it plucks the string with an upward
traj ectory. In effect, the thumb plucks two bass strings with one bro-
96
ken movement. The stride bass is notated as shown in figure 5-12,
where a slanted line connects hvo double-thumbed notes. Observe
that each stride bass begins on an a-count and that the first stride bass
note is an eighth note. The thumb lands on the next higher string,
waits for the beginning of the next number count, then plucks that
string. At the beginning of figure 5- 12, for example, the thumb
plucks open low-E on an a-count, and lands on string 5. It waits on
string 5 for V3 beat, then plucks the open string at the start of count 1.
Similarly, the thumb plucks open A on the a-count fol1owing count
2, and lands on string 4. It waits on string 4 until the start of count 3,
then plucks fret 2, string 4 (middle E), and so on.
Am
IT
IZ
. .
. n
-
~
1 ... 0 ~ -
1 ... v
I
v
~ -- I
I
v I
f\
.
. r - ---r .
@.)
Count:
--
a,
-- r1 & a, 2, & a, 3 & a, 4 & a,
I p-- 1
1 & a, . . .
Figure 5-12
THE STRIDE-DRONE BASS

\Ve discussed a one-note-per-beat drone bass in Chapter 4. This
technique also appears in ~ time and is notated as shown in figure 5-
13a. A more dramatic form of drone bass used frequently in country
blues is made up of a series of same-note quarter-eighth combina-
tions, shown in figure 5-13b. This is always phrased as shown in the
sounds-like segment of figure 5-1 2b, where each eighth note leads
into the following quarter note. Because the overall effect resembles
the sound of a stride bass, l call it a stride-drone bass.
Figure 5- 13a Figure 5- 13b

[_y_ T
IL' /
A
... I'(
. . . .
A
...... }'(
v v
1 I I I I v I v I v I ~
1'\ 1'\
4~ - - - - @I) - - - -- -- -
Count: 1 & a, 2 & a, 3 & a, 4 & a Count! 1 & a, 2 & a, 3 & a, 4 & a,
Sounds like: dum, da -dum, da- dum, da -dum, da -
97
"Hesitation Bl ues" is another tune that has been recorded by
numerous artists. I first learned it in the 1960s from an album called
Dave Va n Ronk Sings the Blues (Verve Folkways), but the best-known
version was recorded in the early 1970s by Jorma Kaukonen and his
band Hot Tuna. Note the stride bass in measures 1, 2, 3, 8, 11, and
12 of the intro. & verse and in measures 1, 3, 7, 10, and 12 of the
break. A stride-drone bass appears in measures 3 and 4 of the break.
Remember that any note with an attached stem originating below the
staff is played by the thumb, even when it also has an attached stem
originating above the staff (see Chapter 2). Special fingering diagrams
appear in figure 5- 14.
* VIII t I + IV § 11
.1 3( 2
3<P 3 4
4
Figure 5- 14
VERSE
Well, I'm standin' on the corner
With a dollar in my hand
I'm lookin' for a woman
Who's lookin' for a man
Tell me how long
Must I have to wait
Can I get you now,
Or must I hesitate.
Hesitation Blues
Standard tun ing
Key: A minor, C major (blues scale) J=96 arrangement and break by Ken Perlman
In tro and V erse I

Am E7 Am E7
Am
~
E7
I ~ I 'f t\ I I h I hI l h J I I
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.._,
~-
_,
., 3- 3 ._, 3
.._, ~ ~ _,
_,
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.._,
)..
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... 3
A
rr.
!""'
Q
...... . . . .. . . .
v-- I
~
V__- I I
~--- I
I
~-- I
I I. I I
~- I
(-
Am E7 E7
E~ I
Am Am
fl A -i ~.._, l I ~ I I. I .. I I. I ~I J ~2], .
'-' '-' '-'
~
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r "f -
-
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2
98
c c
~ I
ch Fm
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F
I I. I h I I h I h I I I h
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. ~ " a· a 3~3 " a_... a
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The F#7 Chord

The F#7 form is shown in figure 5-1 5.
F#7 X 0
Figure 5-15
T ) 1<P
2
J<P
Ton ic, Dom inant, and Subdominant Chords

The way in which any two chords interact is determined primarily by
the distance (interval) between their respective root notes .. Chords that
are most strongly connected are those in which the root notes are a
perfect fifth interval apart (Chapter 4). For example, given any major
key, the major triad named for the key is known as the tonic chord (C
major is the tonic chord of the key of C major, G major is the tonic
chord of the key of G major, and so on). The major triad whose root
note is a perfect fifth above the root of the tonic is known as the
dominant chord (G major is the dominant chord of C major, D major
is the dominant chord of G major, and so on). The dominant chord
tends to lead strongly back to the tonic chord.
The major triad whose root note is a perfect fifth belo"Wi-he root
of the tonic is known as the subdominant (F is the subdominant of C,
C is the subdominant of G, and so on). The subdominant tends to .
lead either on to the dominant chord or back to the tonic chord. The
tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords are not only the most
important chords in any major key, but are frequently the only chords
you'll need to harmonize a given tune. Figure 5- 16 shows tonic,
subclominant, and dominant chords for the major keys. Observe that
minor seventh intervals are routinely added to dominant major triads,
thereby turning them into seventh chords (see Chapter 4). These
dominant seventh chords have an even greater tendency to lead back
to the tonic than do dominant triads.
101
Figure 5- 16 TONIC DOMINANT SUB-DOM TONIC DOMINANT SUB-DOM.
c G(7) F F C(7) Bb
G 0 (7) c Bb F(7) E~
D A(7) G E~ B~ (7) A~
A E(7) D A~ ~ (7) D
E B(7) A lP A~ (7) 0
B Fl(7) E 0 D (7) 0
Fl 0 (7) B 0 0 (7) ~
a G#(7) F# ~ 0 (7) Bb~
The Circ le of Fifth s

Because of the nature of the dominant-tonic relationship, a progres-
sion of chords can easily be set up that includes every major triad (or
dominant seventh chord). One dominant chord (say G) leads to a
tonic (C), which itself becomes a dominant chord that leads to an-
other tonic (F), and so on. This series of relationships, known as the
circle of fifths, is shown in figure 5-1 7. Knowing how the circle of
fifths operates always allows you to find your way back to the tonic, no
matter how far away the harmony for a tune might stray. (Observe
that the chords listed in parentheses are alternative names for the
same groups of pitches.) ·
FigureS-17 ~c~
/ F G~
l
E~
\A
(G~ A~ l~l
\I)D~ ~ G~~r
.;B:t
(F#)
My favorite version of "Trouble in Mind" is performed by

Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry on a record called Brownie &
Sonny (Everest). The arrangement here features a drone bass, with
lots of thirds, sixths, and voice leading thrown in for added color.
102
Note the circle of fifths progression of chords in measures 5-7 in both
the verse and break, which moves from CP, to FP, to B7, and
finally back to E. See figure 5- 18 for fingering diagrams.
* II t IV v § II
T 1( 1([)
2 2 b
3([) 3< 3 4
4 4
II
** IX tt IX
2 ( 3 4 3 3
4( 4(
Figure 5-18
LYRICS
Trouble in mind, I'm blue
But I won't be blue always
The sun gone to shine
On my backdoor some day.
Gonna' rock down to the river

In some lonesome easy chair
And if my blues don't leave me
I'll rock on away from there.
103
Trouble in Mind
Standard tuning .
Key: E major (blues scale)
~. =76 arrangement and
break by Ken Perl man
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Dealing with Measures
of Different Lengths
Pieces do not always contain the same number of beats in every

measure. Sometimes one or even several measures of a tune have
either more or fewer beats than the number indicated by the primary
time signature. This is notated by placing a new time signature with a
different top number at the beginning of these measures. At the
conclusion of any short or long measures, the original time signature
appears on the staff once again. For example, say the main signature
of a tune is~- If a measure in the piece has only two beats, it is marked
with the signature ~; if the measure has three beats, it is marked with
the signature t and so on. When the tune returns to the original
number of beats per measure, a! signature appears on the staff.
There are two things to keep in mind when interpreting such
passages:
• The first beat of each measure is always accented, no matter how many
beats it contains.
• The length of each beat remains constant, no matter how many occur
within a measure.
So if a ~ measure appears in a ! piece, the count is 1-2-3-4-11-2-/

1-2-3-4-/; if a~ measure appears in a! piece, the count is 1-2-3-4-/
1-2-3-/1-2-3-4-, and so on.
Woody Mann
Woody Mann is one of the best-known fingerpickers and guitar teach-

ers of the New York City area. He is noted particularly for his mastery
of the country blues idiom, but his playing also includes significant
jazz and classical influences. He has clone a considerable amount of
studio work, accompanying on record such performers as John Fahey
(see Old Fashioned Love, on Takoma) and Jo-Anne Kelly (see Jo-
Anne Kelly on Blue Goose). His solo playing appears on two Kicking
Mule Records anthologies- Contemporary Ragtime Guitar and
Some People Who Play Guitar (Like a Lot of People Don't). He lias
recorded a six-tape instruction series called "Fingerstyle Jazz Im-
provisation," and he has written an instruction book called Early
Blues Guitarists.
Woody took up the guitar in the early 1960s and had the good
fortune to study with both the late great country blues guitarist Rever-
end Gary Davis and with jazz great Lenny Tristano. A regular per-.
former on the old New York City area coffee house circuit during the
106
late 1960s and early 1970s, he now performs frequently at folk clubs
and colleges throughout the United States.
"Cold Feet Blues" is a Woody Mann original. 4 According to

Woody, the tune was "inspired by the playing of Lonnie Johnson [see
Mr. Johnson's Blues on Mamlish] and Charlie Christian [see Charlie
Christian on Everest], whose styles in many ways overlap. The long
legato melodic lines that are a trademark of the two are combined
with a rhythmic country blues picking style." Woody mentions that
the two numbers that inspired the tune were Johnson's "Hot Fingers"
and Christian's "S tomp~n ' at the Savoy."
This tune is fairly difficult and should give your left hand a
workout along most of the fingerboard. Part A features a stride bass
and swing eighth notes. Part B features a relatively inactive bass
(observe all the tied notes) and lots of "triplets" (three-note groupings).
Part C is actually a pretty wild jazz-blues break made up substantially
of seventh and diminished seventh chord arpeggios interspersed with
scale notes and blue notes. "The country blues is a feel rather than a
set sound," writes Woody. "The act of improvising on different musi-
cal ideas seems to be the central theme of the form." ote that part B,
measure 5 is a ~ measure.
4 "Cold Feet Blues,"© 1985 by Woody Man11.
107
Cold Feet Blues
II.
Key: D major (blues scale) J=100 by Woody Mann
~ I. ~ I.
. ..
v SL III
~ II II
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108
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r· 109
"The Mississippi Blues." which was first recorded in the 1920s by
bluesman W illie Brown, is one of the best-known instrumental blues
pieces of that era. 5 In making this arrangement, I received con-
siderable assistance from Rory Block (p. 78), who had painstakingly
worked out many of the exact voicings used on the original recording.
(Rory's own version of the tune can be heard on the Kicking Mule
album How to Play Blues Guitar.) The break, which features a walk-
ing stride-drone bass under a series of finger-plucked triplets, is partic-
ularly interesting.
The tune is quite diffic.ult both to read and to play. Pay close
attention to the rhythm notation, making sure in particular to hold
over all tied notes. If not previously evident, the advantages of ~ are
certainly obvious in the notation for this tune, which would be impos-
sibly cumbersome to notate in ! time. Because most of the G-notes in
·this key-of-A tune are natural, it is considered to be in the A Mixoly-
dian mode. This is indicated by a key signature of two sharps (the key
of A major has three sharps- see Appendix A). Fingering diagrams
for the tune are in figure 5- 19.
Figure 5-19
* VI t v IV § III
1 ~ <P T p 1
2 p ~3 2CP 2 <P 3(p 4 2(
4 4 p
VII VII VII VII

1 1 p
2 D ( 3- cp 2 p ~3
4 4 ~ p4
** VII tt IV
~ - 1(p
2
3 ~ 3 ~
4 ~
5 "The Mississippi Blues," arrangement by Rory Block and Ken Perlman, © 1985.
110
The Mississippi Blues
Standard turiing
Key: A Mixolydian (blues scale) J= 88 Arranged by Rory Block
and Ken Perlman
I Intro I II Illh IV III
--.on
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112
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113
TECHNIQUE
Double Thumbing across an Unplayed String This maneuver ap-
pears in measure 3 of the intro. and in measure ll of both the verse
and break. In all three instances, you are asked to play the first stride-
bass note on string 6 and the second stride-bass note on string 4. To
get the right sound, strike string 6, skip over string 5, and rest the
thumb on string 4. Then at the proper moment, pluck string 4.
114
MslodiG Guitar:
Fiddle Tunes
and Related For111s
J
left, Gill Burns (photo by Peter Clare);
right, Wendy Grossman (photo by Charles Garvin)
We owe most of our fiddle (folk-dance) tunes and ballad melodies to

the rural musicians and vocalists of pre-1850 England, Scotland, and
Ireland. The music created by these individuals was largely modal
(that is, nonharmonic) in character. By this I mean that each com-
poser, having little or no notion of what we now call harmony (inter-
vals, triads, and the like), did not take harmonic principles into ac-
count when inventing a melody. Only the succession of notes in a
particular mode (see Appendix A) and the overall sound of the tune
'were considered important. By contrast, most popular melodies today
are composed by putting together a series of chord progressions; they
are rarely the product of careful note-by-note choices.
Even though folk-dance and ballad melodies are modal, har-
monic principles can be applied to most of them. In other words,
there is usually some progression of chords that fits as an accompani-
ment to each fiddle tune and ballad. The fact that such progressions
usually involve just a few simple chords does not mean that these
melodies are not complex. It just means that chords are an afte r-
thought when playing modal music.
Modal Music and Fingerstyle
When arranging a modal tune for fingerstyle guitar, the fi rst step is
establishing a simple but effective chord progression for the tune. The
fewer the chord changes, the more the melody shines through. Then,
notes from each chord are used to harmonize (be the bass line or
inner voices for) corresponding passages in the tune. Bass notes need
not be used on every available occasion- they need appear just fre-
quently enough to establish the harmony and reinforce the tune's
basic rhythm.
Tune Categories
Dance-tune categories were discussed at length in Fingerstyle Guitar.

For the most part, they can be distinguished by time signature. Triple
meter tunes (g, ~. and ~) are in the jig family. Cut time tunes divide,
under ratt-ier technical grounds into reels, hornpipes, and (in Ireland
only) polkas. ~ time tunes such as waltzes and mazurkas are usually
116
intermediate forms between modal music and the formall y composed
(that is, classical) music favored by the aristocracy of the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries.
Vocal melodies (which were until fairly recently performed un-
accompanied) partake of a variety of meters, but can be categorized on
the basis of theme or function- ballad, work song, drinking song,
and so on. A vocal melody played as an instrumenta l piece is known
as a slow aire.
Building Triads and Other Chord s

from a Scale
(Diatonic Triads and Sevenths)
So far, our discussion of chords has been concerned primarily with

instances in which you already know what the harmony is for a given
tune. You will often find yourself, however, in situations in which
you are faced with a melody and must determine what chords to use
with it. This is particularly true of modal music, where chords are not
even indicated in most printed sources.
A series of triads can be derived from any major, minor, or
modal scale by using scale notes for building blocks. These diatonic
triads can then be used to harmonize any tunc in that key. Using each
scale note as a root, we can add to it the scale note that is a third above
this root and the scale note that is a fifth above this root. The result is
a set of seven triads, one for each note of the scale. Figu~e 6- l shows
how this process works for the C-major and C-minor scales. The
order of whole and half steps within each scale determines whether a
given third is major or minor or if a given fifth is perfect or diminished
(see figure 4- 14). This in turn determines whether a particular triad is
major, minor, or diminished.
Diatonic seventh chords can be built by adding to each diatonic
Figure 6-1
C MAJOR SCALE C MINOR SCALE
ROOT 3RD 5TH CHORD ROOT 3RO 5TH CHORD
c E G c c £!, G Cm
0 F A Dm 0 F A~ oo
E G B Em E} G B~ E}
F A c F F A~ c Fm
G B 0 G G 0 Gm
A c E Am A~ *c E} A~
B 0 F so B~ 0 F
C' E' G' c C' E~' G' *Cm
117
Figure 6- 2
C MAJOR SCALE
ROOT 3RD 5TH 7fH CI IORD
c E G B C Maj 7
D F A c Om 7
E G B D Em 7
F A c E F Maj 7
G B D F G7
A c E G Am 7
B D F A Bo min 7
C' E' G' B' C Maj 7
C MINOR SCALE
ROOT 3RD 5TH 7fH CHORD
c El> G B~ Cm 7
D F A~ c o o min 7
E} G ~ D E~ Maj 7
F A~ c EP Fm 7
G ~ D F Gm 7
A~ c El> G A~ Maj 7
B~ D F A~ B~ 7
C' E} G' ~ Cm 7
triad the scale note that is a seventh above the root note, as shown in
figure 6-2. Aga in, the order of whole and half steps within the scale
determines if this seventh interval is major or minor, which in turn
determ ines whether a given chord is a major seventh or just a "plain"
seventh chord. Observe that the diatonic diminished seventh chord,
which features a minor-seventh interval, is rarely used. The dim in-
ished seventh chord used so frequently in blues and ragtime (Chapter
4), which features a diminished seventh interval , does not occur
diatonically.
MORE ON CHORD RELATIONSHIPS

We've already discussed tonic, subdominant, and dominant chords
(Chapter 5). If you look at any scale, the tonic corresponds to the
chord built on the first scale degree (scale note), the dominant is th e
chord bu il t on the fifth scale degree, and the subdominant is built on
th e fourth scale degree. In fact, the tonic is often called the 1-chord,
the dominant is often called the V-chord , and the subdominant is
often called the IV -chord.
The chord built on the third scale degree, which is halfway
between tonic (I) and dominant (V), is known as the mediant or III-
chord (Em in the C-major scale, a in the C-minor scale). The chord
118
built on the sixth scale degree, which falls halfway between tonic and
subdominant when the subdominant root note is set a fifth below the
tonic root (see Chapter 5), is known as the submediant or VI-chord
(Am in the C-major scale, Ab in the C-minor scale). The chord built
on the second scale degree is known as the supertonic or II-chord (Dm
in the C-major scale, Do in the C-minor scale), while the chord built
on the seventh scale degree is called the subtonic or VII-chord (Bo in ·
the C-major scale, m in the C-minor scale). Frequently, a mediant,
submediant, supertonic, or subtonic chord provides a better "fit" for a
given portion of a melody than the more commonly used tonic,
subdominant, or dominant chords. Figure 6-3 shows triads I through
VII for various major and minor keys. Observe that the kind of triad
(major, minor, or diminished) is constant from key to key at each
major scale degree and each minor scale degree. In other words, the
IV-chord in every major key is a major triad, the V-chord in every
minor key is a minor triad, and so on.
Figure 6-3
MAJOR KEYS
I II III IV v VI Vll
c Dm Em F G Am Bo
G Am Bm c 0 Em F~o
0 Em F#m G A Bm ao
A Bm am 0 E F#m c~o
E F'#m Gftm A B am OliO

B am Dl!m E A! G#m A~o
A! G#m APm B a Dl!m £#0

a Dl!m E#m F'# G# A§m B#o
F Gm Am Bh c Dm Eo
B~ Cm Dm Eb F Gm Ao
MINOR KEYS
II III IV v VI VII
Cm oo E~ Fm Gm Ab B~
Gm Ao Bh Cm Dm Eb F'
Om Eo F' Gm Am Bh c
Am Bo c Om Em F' G
Em F'#o G Am Bm c 0
Bm ao 0 Em F'#m G A
F#m G#o A Bm am 0 E
CPm 011 E F'#m G#m A B
F'm co Ab B~m Cm ~ E~
B~ m co ~ E~m Fm 0 A~
119·
Gill Burns
Gill Burns, a guitarist from Merseyside, England , has performed
extensively in Britain, Ireland , and northern Europe. Her playing
appears on The Women's Guitar Workshop (Kicking Mule), and she
has a solo album on No Such Records entitled Aloan at Last.
Gill took up the guitar in the early 1970s. "A college friend
taught me the chord C and without books or further human help, I
proceeded to discover the delights of the guitar fretboard." Some years
later she developed an interest in Irish and English fiddle tunes, and
after an unsuccessful attempt at learning to fiddle, she began working
out ways of adapting the music to fingerstyle guitar:
Lately, Gill has been experimenting with a custom-built seven-
string guitar, whose added high-A string (tuned above open high E)
· allows her to play just about every fiddle tune without leaving first
position. She has also become active in the Amsterdam Folk Collec-
tive, whose anthology album, Melange, includes some of her
material.
Gill Burns arranged for guitar "Tobin's Favourite," a well-

known Irish jig.' Jigs are in ~ time, wh ich means that each measure
contains up to six eighth notes. These are divided into two groups of
three, counted 1-2-3, 4-5-6; 1-2-3, 2-2-3; or most effectively, 1 & a, 2
& a. A quarter note can be substituted for any two eighth notes, and a
clotted quarter note replaces three eighth notes.
Gill's version of this tune, which centers on such basic chord
forms as C, F, and G7 shows very clearly the process 'o f how finger-
picked fiddle tune arrangements are constructed. Gill's bass line is a
direct outgrowth of the alternating bass style. She plays four bass notes
per measure. Two of these bass notes are quarter notes and are played
along with the first note of each eighth note group. The other two bass
notes are eighth notes and are played along with the last note of each
eighth note group. On a few occasions (part A, measures 3, 7, and 8
and part B, measures 3 and 7), one of these bass eighth notes is
employed as a melody note. If you've never played a jig before, I
suggest that you play through and get a feel for just the melody of this
tune before trying to add the bass line. Since the tune is ordinarily
played in the key of 0 Major, you'll have to place a capo at the second
fret in order to play along with other instruments.
l"Tobi n's Favourite," arrangement 10 1985 by Gi ll Burns.
120
Tobin's Favourite
Standard tuning
Key: C major
(Fiddler plays in D)
J.= 84 arranged by Gill Burns
Capo-2 with Fiddle F_ __
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121
Baroque Guitar Tuni ng (E-A-0-F# -B-E)
Prior to about the middle of the eighteenth cen tury, the third string of
the guitar was routinely tuned to F# instead of C. This means that the
major third interval on the instrument fell between strings 3 and 4
instead of between strings 2 and 3. Tuning the third string to F# gives
the guitar a slightly different tonality, and of course, means that
slightly different fingerings must be used for the various chord forms.
To obtain Baroque tuning from standard tuning, merely tune string 3
down to match the pitch of fret 4, string 4 (middle F#). Since the third
string is tuned clown a half step, standard notation users must re-
member that all pitches on the string are now located one fret higher.
Lynn Clayton
Lynn Clayton is a gu itarist and songwriter from Crawley, England.
She performs frequently at folk clubs and festivals in southern En-
gland and has toured parts of the United States. Her playing appears
on The Women's Guitar Workshop (Kicking Mule), and her solo
album, Lynn Clayton, is on Airship Records.
Lynn took up the guitar at the age of nine, having been inspired
by a recording of blues singer Big Bill Broonzy (see Big Bill Broonzy:
1930's Blues on Biograph). As to others who influenced her playing,
she mentions "Don McLean, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, and
guitarists too numerous to mention around the [English] folk club
circuit."
Lynn Clayton learned parts C and D of "Curranta for Mrs.

Elizabeth Murcott" from Dick Richardson. 2 These parts were com-
posed during Elizabethan times by Francis Pilkington. (A curranta is
a slow, elegant dance tune. ) Parts A and B were composed by Lynn,
who felt that since it was "a very short piece, it seemed a good idea to
lengthen it with something of my own." A fingering diagram appears
in figure 6-4.
Figu re 6- 4
* III
1(
3(
2"Curranta for Mrs. Elizabeth Murcott" (parts A and B) by Lynn Clayton,© 1985; arrangement (parts C
and D) by Lynn Clayton <!:> 1985.
122
Curranta for Mrs. Elizabeth Murcott
Tuning: E-A-0 -F #-B-E
Key: Parts A, C, and 0:
Part B: E Dorian
E major J= 100 Parts A and B: by Lynn Clayton
Parts C and 0 : by Francis Pil kington
II
A II
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A Hammer-on and Pu ll-off Warmup
Those of you who have tried some of the fiddle tunes in Fingerstyle
Guita r or in Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes know just how important
strong and even hammer-ons and pull-offs are to the overall effective-
ness of a rendition. Over the years, I've gradually perfected a daily
warmup routine that progresses gradually from the simplest to the
most demanding H and P maneuvers. As you practice this series of
exercises, concentrate in particular on refining and improving the
efficiency of your movements so that each H and P (or series of H's
and P's) is produced with the smallest possible effort.
The entire warmup is in second position, which means that all
second fret notes are stopped by the first finger, all third fret notes are
stopped by the second finger, all fourth fret notes are stopped by the
third finger, and all fifth fret notes are stopped by the fourth finger.
If you have trouble stretching out to perform any of the suggested
maneuvers in second position, take the whole exercise up the neck
one or more frets until you find a location where they are relatively
comfortable. Then, work your way back down to second position at a
rate of about one position per month. (If you are initially comfortable
in fifth position, stay there for a month, then try fourth position for a
month, and so on. ) Since the actual pitches played are unimportant,
the exercise is presented in tablature only.
124
Hammer-on and Pull-off Warmup
P...
nnnnn
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(continued)
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126
3
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Building Chords from Modal Scales
Diatonic triads and seven th chords can be constructed by applying the

same procedure to modal scales (Dorian, Mixolydian, and so on) that
was used for major and minor scales (see p. 11 7). In other words,
chords can be built using notes found in the scale on each and every
scale degree. The resulting chords are then numbered I through VII,
labeled tonic, dominant, mediant, and so on, and used for harmony
in the same way as major-key and minor-key chords.
ALTERED SCALES
There is one problem with this approach-namely that the official
dominants (that is, the V-chords) of the Dorian, Mixolydian, and
Aeolian modes do not strongly lead back to their respective tonic
chords. The Western ear is accustomed to hearing a major chord in
the role of dominant, but the V-chords for all Aeolian, Dorian, and
Mixolydian keys are minor traids. To deal with this state of affairs,
musicians invented altered scales in which the seventh degree is raised
a half step.
127
This raised seventh degree has the effect of ra ising the middle
note of the V-chord triad a half step, thereby turning it from a minor
to a major triad. This process is most often applied to the Aeolian
(natural minor) mode, which when altered in this manner is known as
the harmonic minor scale. For example, the A-natural minor scale
runs A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A and has as its V-chord the triad Em (E-G-B).
If the seventh degree of the scale is raised toG# , the V-chord becomes
E major (E-G~-8) . Occasionally, Mixolydian and Dorian scales are
also altered in this manner.
MODAL DOMINANT CHORDS

For unaltered Dorian, Aeolian, or Mixolydian scales- such as the
ones appearing in many fiddle tunes-the VII-chord (a major triad in
all three modes) usually serves the role of dominant. A quick way to
·determine the VII-chord for any of these scales is to find the major
triad whose root is a major second below the tonic note. For example,
the VII-chord for D Dorian, D Aeolian, or D Mixolydian tunes is C
major; the VII-chord for G Dorian, G Aeolian, or G Mixolydian
tunes is F major, and so on.
"Banish Misfortune," a three-part jig, was popularized in the

early 1970s by the well-known Irish instrumen tal group, The Chief-
ta ins (see The Chieftains # 2 on Claddaugh). Since then, the tun e's
unusual melody and its abil ity to translate well to a va riety of instru-
ments and playing styles have made it one of the most widely recorded
fiddle tunes. Since the tune is in the D Mixolydian m<;>de, the triad
that serves the role of dominant is the VII-chord (C major). Observe
the presence of the C# (fret 2, string 2) accidental in measure 8 of
parts A, B, and C. This temporary alteration of the scale appears in a
number of Irish D Mixolydian tunes and has the function of leading
to the last tonic note of each section with a greater sense of finality.
Remember that grace notes are played as pinches with bass notes,
even though they are written off to the left of the bass-treble alignment
of full-fledged notes (Chapter 3).
I have previous!; published two other versions of "Banish Mis-
fortune"- one in the Melodic Clawhammer Banjo book and one in
the April 1979 issue of Guitar Player magazine.
128
Banish Misfortune
Key : 0 Mixolydian J. = 104 arranged by Ken Perl man
H p
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TECHNIQUE
Anchoring H's and P's In part A, measures l, 2, 7, and 8, and in
parts B and C, measures 7 and 8, there's quite a bit of ham.m ering on
and pulling off going on. The fretting hand must be well-balanced to
accomplish this smoothly, and one effective balancing method is to
"anchor" a finger on a particular string while using other fingers to
perform H's and P's on neighboring strings. At the very start of the
piece, for example, press down fret 3, string 2 (middle D) with your
second finger before you start the H-P sequence with the first finger
that moves from open string l , to fret 2, string l , and back to open
string l (E-F#-E). Then, keep anchored on 0 , and pivot the first and
fourth fingers into position to perform a P from fret 5 to fret 2 (C-A);
string 3.
"Foxhunter's Jig" is a well -known Irish slip jig (§ time tune).

After all those ~ time tunes in Chapter 5, § should be a cinch, but I'll
review the meter here. Briefly, §measures can each contain as many
nine eighth notes divided into three groups of th ree with an accent
fa lling on the first note of each group . The count: l-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9,
or l -2-3, 2-2-3, 3-2-3, or ideally, l & a, 2 & a, 3 & a. I learned this
130
Foxhunter's Jig

J. =100
Key: 0 major arranged by Ken Perlman
Barre*
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[ID IV t II H H III * II H
* II tune from Howie Bursen, who plays a fine clawhammer banjo version
on his album Cider in the Kitchen (Folk Legacy), tablature for which
is in Clawhammer Style Banjo. ote the harp-effect fingering patterns
3 ( )\
1'f
(Chapter 3) in part B, measures l (marked with a dagger) and 3
4(
(marked with a double dagger). Fingering diagrams are in figure 6- 5.
"Swingin' on a Gate" is a ew England reel. Reels are fast dance

Figure 6- 5
tunes in cut time. Cut-time tunes have two beats per measure with
half notes counting as one bea t. (You'll get the right feel if you read
the tune in ~ time but accent only beats l and 3 of each measure. )
Th is particular tune is widely played at New England contra-dances,
where it is usually associated with a dance of the same name. During
the course of th is dance, the tun e is repeated endlessly, making it a
simple matter for a musician to learn the tune in a single session (this
is how l lea rned it). T his arrangement is fea tured on my Folkways
131
Swingin' on a Gate
Standard tuning
Key: G major arranged by Ken Perlman
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album, Ken Perlman: Clawhammer Banjo and Fingerstyle Guitar

Solos. Fingering diagrams are in figure 6- 6.
TECHN IQUE
Pla ying a Run of Several Notes on a Single String Anytime a run of
f!lOre than a couple of notes is played on the same string, it is very
likely that you will have to shift positions at least once. In part B,
measures 1 and 5, you must shift from second to fifth position and
back again- all without the benefit of a rest, open string, or even a
long note. Playing this passage smoothly requires excellent finger
balance. The first shift occurs after an H from fret 3-5 (G-A), string 1.
Cut fret 5 short, ride noiselessly (and very quickly) up the string to
fifth position 'and begin your P from fret 7-5 (B-A), string 1. Then cut
fret 5 short and ride noiselessly clown the string back to second
position.
Determining the Harmony for a Tune

An effective harmony for most tunes can be determined by examining
the melody notes within it, passage by passage. Each passage in a tune
either outlines (spells out) or suggests a particular triad or seventh
chord. The simplest case is when a run of melody notes actually spells
out the notes of a triad. In part A, measure 1 of "Taylor's T wist," for
example, the melody is D-A-F#-D, A-FH-D-A, spelling out the triad
D major (D-FH-A), which happens conveniently to be the tonic chord
fo r the key. An interm ediate case is when all the notes of a triad are
spelled out, but the passage also includes what are known as passing
or nonharmonic tones. The melody of the fi rst half of part A, measure
2 of ''Taylor's Twist," for example, is made up of the notes B-G-E-D.
Here, the triad G major (G-B-D), the subclominant chord in the key,
is spelled out, while E is considered a passing tone.
HARMONIZING AMBIGUOUS PASSAGES

Determining the harmony is most difficult when a passage offers a
number of possibilities. The melody might contain only one or two
notes, or it may be hard to decide which notes are harmonic and
133
which are passing tones. A good way to start deciphering these situa-
tions is to list all diatonic triads and seventh chords for the key along
with their "spellings" on a sheet of paper. You can then see at a
glance which chords are good possibilities for use in a given situation
and which are not.
If a passage is made up of only a single note, this suggests three
possible triads. For example, the note C in the key of C major suggests
the triads C (C-E-G), F (F-A-C), and Am (A-C-E). Which of these
triads you choose for harmony depends on your ear. When a passage is
made up of two notes, it will probably suggest a couple of triads. For
example, the melody line C-E-E-C (in the key of C major) suggests
either a C triad (C-E-G) or an Am triad (A-C-E). When a passage is
made up of several notes that could suggest a number of triads, the
final decision is made by your ear.
HINTS FOR CHOOSING CHORDS

The following hints will assist you in determining harmonies.
• For most melodies, the tonic (1-chord) is usually the most frequently
occurring chord. It tends to appear at the beginning, middle, and end
of a melody.
• The dominant (V-chord, VII-chord for some modal keys) is the second
most likely possibility. It tends to appear just before the middle and just
before the end of a melody. Observe that V-chords are nondominants
in unaltered modal keys; VII-chords are nondominants in major and
altered modal keys (see pp. 127- 128).
• If the tonic and dominant chords don't work, try the subdominant (IV-
chord). If the subdominant doesn't fit, try the II-, III-, Vl-, or non-
dominant V- and VII-chords and choose the one that sounds best to
you.
Looking at the second half of part A, measure 2 of "Taylor's Twist,"

for example, the melody notes are C~, B, A, and G. This could
suggest a G triad (G-B-0), an Em triad (E-G-B), an F~m triad (F~
A-C"), a c~o triad (C~-E-G) , or an A triad (A-C~ -E). I felt the best fit
was an A, or better yet, an A7 chord (A-C"-E-G), making B a passing
tone.
"Taylor's Twist" is an Irish hornpipe. Hornpipes are cut-time

tunes generally played at a slow-to-moderate pace with dotted pairs
(figure 2-8) instead of even eighth notes. In practice, the first note
(the dotted note) of each dotted pair is actually twice as long as the
second note of the pair, even though the notation implies that it is
three times as long. (Think of a dotted pair as a triplet in which the
first and second notes are tied. ) I learned the tune from an album
called Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds (Shanachie). This ar-
rangement, which appears on my Folkways album, Ken Perlman:
134
Clawhammer Banjo and Fingerstyle Guitar Solos, is quite difficult
and requires substantial practice to achieve the lilt so often associated
with Irish music. An arrangement of the tune is also in my Melodic
Clawhammer Banjo book. Fingering diagrams appear in figure 6- 7.
Figur.e 6- 7 * II
( 1
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Taylor's Twist
Tune 6th string to 0
Key : 0 major d= 63 arranged by Ken Perlman
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TECHNIQUE
More on Finger Balance Part A, measure 4 might be one of the
hardest passages you'll encounter in this book. Good balance is essen-
tial for getting the measure smooth. Start with an H-P triplet on frets
2-3-2 (C#-D-C#), string 2 played over an open A bass. Balance on fret
2, string 2 with your first finger and pivot your hand so that the fourth ·
finger can stop fret 5, string 6 (low G). Hold on to low G and perform
an H-P triplet on frets 0-2-0 (B-C#-B), string 2. Then pivot on your
136
fourth finger and get your first and third fingers into position to stop
fret 2, string 3 (middle A) and fret 4, string 6 (low F§). Use the first
finger to pull off fret 2, string 3, and balance on the third finger. Then
use the third finger as a pivot to get your first finger in position to barre
across fret 2 and your fourth finger in position to stop fret 4, string 2
(middle F#), and so on.
The Scotch Snap
The Scotch snap, so named because of the bowing movement that

produces it on fiddle, is a reverse dotted pair in which the sixteenth
note is first, as shown in figure 6- 8. In a dotted pair, as you know, the
first note is in practice twice as long as the second note. In a Scotch
snap, the first note is in practice only half as long as the second note.
To get the right sound, treat the snap as a triplet in which the second
and third notes are tied, count l & a, 2 & a, and so on. As figure 6- 8
indicates, play the sixteenth note on a number count and the clotted
eighth note on an &-count. Allow the clotted eighth to sound through
the a-count.
Scotch snaps, as you might expect, are a common feature of
Scottish dance tunes, where they mark points that call for energetic
leaps. The first note in a Scotch snap is usually accented -heavily.
Figure 6-8 T
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Dad-gad Tuning (0 -A-0-G-A-0)
A number of prominant guitarists who specialize in British and Irish

music have in recent years abandoned standard tuning in favor of
what has become known as Dad-gad tuning. Dad-gael gives the guitar
a beautiful tonality, opens up a number of interesting possibilities for
the guitarist, and is considered by some to be superior to standard
. tuning for playing modal music. To obtain Dad-gad from standard
tuning, tune strings 6, 2, and 1 as for open D tuning (see figure 3-
24), but leave string 3 at its standard tuning pitch.
137
Wendy Grossman
Wendy Grossman, an American guitarist now living in Ireland , is

also a fine vocal ist, concertina player, and clawhammer banjo player.
She has performed extensively at folk clubs, colleges, and festivals
throughout the United States, Canada and western Europe. Her play-
ing is featured on the Women's Guitar Workshop (Kicking Mule), and
she has appeared as backup instrumentalist on a number of LP's, such
as Archie Fischer: Man with a Rhyme (Folk Legacy) and Bill Steele,
Chocolate Cookies (Swallowtail). Her solo album, entitled Roseville
Fair, is on Lincoln House Records.
·wendy Grossman came up with this arrangement of the Scottish

tune "Bonnie Charlie" in Dad-gad tuning. 3 "Bonnie Charlie" was
the nickname of deposed monarch James II 's grandson, Charles
Stuart (1720-88), who led Scottish forces in a vain attempt to retake
the British throne. Wendy learned one version of the tune from
British folk singer Archie Fischer and another quite different version
from a Boys of the Lough album called Lochabor No More (Philo).
This arrangement takes elements of both versions and transforms the
tune into an elegant and unusual guitar piece.
Note the Scotch snaps in part A, measures 4, 5, 13, and 15.
Observe also that part A, measure 1 is in t
but the rest of the
arrangement is in ~- The count is 1-2-3-4-/1-2-3-11-2-3, and so on.
The six-string broken chord in part B, measure 3 is obtained by
merely brushing all six strings with a downward motio.n of the thumb.
A fingering diagram for the tune appears in figure 6- 9. Because so
many strings have been retuned, the arrangement is presented in
tablature only.
Figure 6- 9
* II
1
3 p 4
3"Bonnie Charlie," arrangement by Wendy Grossman, tC 1985.
138
Bonnie Charlie
Tuning: 0-A-D-G-A-D ~ = 92
Key: D major arranged by Wendy Grossman
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139
TECHNIQUE
Series of Uneven H's and P's from a Single Plucked Note In parts A
and B, measure 16, three notes of unequal time value are obtained via
H's and P's from a single plucked note. To get the right sound requires
considerable fretting-hand control. Start by plucking fret 2, string 4
(stopped by the first finger). Keep fret 2 sounding for one and a half
beats and, without removing the first finger from the fretboard, ham-
mer on to fret 4, string 4 with the third or fourth finger. Since you still
have the first finger down on fret 2, it is a simple matter, after a
quarter beat has elapsed, to pull off from fret 4 to fret 2. Balance on
the first finger at the conclusion of the P, then use it half a beat later to
perform an additional P from fret 2 to the open fourth string. Finally,
allow open string 4 to sound for a full beat.
In part B, measure 8, go through the same sequence of move-
·ments on string 1. Instead of allowing the open-string note to sound
for a full beat, however, let only a half beat go by, then perform
another H from the open string to fret 2, string I. Keep fret 2, string l
sounding for the last half beat of the measure.
"Billy in the Lowground," a well-known Southern fiddle tune,

appears in The Old Time Fiddlers Repertory. It is closely related to an
Irish reel called "The Sailor's Bonnet" (see The Legacy of Michael
Coleman on Shanachie). This version is based on a 1920s Lowe
Stokes recording reissued on Old Time Fiddle Classics (County), in
which he adds an extra measure to each pa rt. Observe that for South-
ern fiddle tunes, the notes falling on the second and fourth beats of
each measure are accented and that all eighth note pairs are played as
swing eighth notes (Chapter 5). An arrangement of this tune also
appears in Clawhammer Style Banjo. See figure 6- l 0 for fingering
diagrams.
Figure 6-10
* II t v
~
21)
j
4 2( 3(
( 4
140
Billy zn the Lowground
~ =138
Key: D major arranged by Ken Perlman
*
A II SL H H li
H H
,..--,P ·n
H
li
p Barre
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.
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0
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MORE H AND P EXERCISES

Here's another series of H and P exercises designed to build up your
agility and control. Master each exercise on the first string as shown,
then practice it in turn on each of the other five strings. When you are
able to perform an exercise smoothly on all six strings in second
position, try it in first position, fifth position, or any other position.
Since the actual pitches played are unimportant, the exercises are
presented in tablature only.
142
More H and P Exercises
IExercise II lExercise 2j
3 3
p H p H
nI I 1 I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I
I
MT::&;~___._
. :::;~.~·~---+---:::;:~· 11·
IExercise 31 !Exercise 41
H PH P H P H P
11
III II II II 1 I I .1 I I IIIII 11
F+A I IIIII IIIII
- : !;1:!~,9~~~~,
..,.--4;0.-e-; 9 ----.--e-e~~~~ e --nil
9 ~~~!10!-&--&---e-< :!1;!-e-.t---i<2~~--+::t11=--2--6-i!-2-..II
fE~<e---e-~........
\Exercise sl IExercise 61
p p p p
11
n n n )r n ~f1 .~tri
;(:.:--.· h::~ ~;s~ ~.:_..!
II
II I
~ ~~j ~ :: .• II
!Exercise 7l !Exercise 8l
H p p
H p p
n A'n ..-..n
t€ If!0----+---.e~fl±;~e
jExercise 91 IExercise 10 I
II~
1·.~~
H P PH
I I I I I I II I I I
II
II
H P PH
I II I I
..
II I I I
;r~,- --5~-4-+-.t~,..---......
143
"O'Carolan's Welcome" was composed by eighteenth century Irish
harpist Turlough (rhymes with Sherlock) O'Carolan. O'Carolan was
highly influenced by Baroque music and this tune in particular shows
a tension betvveen his folk roots and Baroque influences. Part A is
highly modal and would make an effective ballad melody. Part B, on
the other hand, is distinctly harmonic and contains a number of
Baroque cliches. The VII-chord (G major) is used in the role of
dominant for both sections. Observe how melodic fingering patterns
(Chapter 3) are used constantly to make the guitar mimic the tonality
of a harp. I play this arrangement on my album, Ken Perlman:
Clawhammer Banjo and Fingerstyle Guitar Solos (Folkways). Finger-
ing diagrams are in figure 6-11.
Figure 6- 11
* III t v v § III 0
II
1 )1 2 ~ 1
2(
( 2
2 ~ 2 4
3( <P 4 3 ( 4 4 p
4
O'Carolan's Welcome
Standard tuning
Key: A Aeolian J=100 3
l!l Ill II H IV
r-'1 ~ ~ I 1 I I I l ,.....;-.., I I
1..-
!{ 3 3 ,4,- -3
. v
.
-
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v
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or· - - - r -
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r 0
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144
l* 1
p VI III §
J I ! ! I I I I
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v 6 6 -- 3 6- -3 l 3
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v III p II p III § II
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_m_ ..&. *barre
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h I
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l
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2!r·
4 •
145
Fro111 Ragtime ·
to BiGhss: The ·
Frontiers of FingerstJ»le
left, Glenn Jenks (photo by Cindy La Rock);
right, Pierre Bensusan (photo by Yucky Cold/in)
Before 1650 much of the one-instrument contrapuntal music was

composed for guitar and the closely related lute. These instruments
had two important drawbacks, however. First, even relatively simple
counterpoints required a high degree of musicianship. And, since the
fretting hand can only stretch so far, certain combinations of tones
were impossible for even the most dexterous and accomplished
mus1c1ans.
To overcome these problems, luthiers (guitar and lute markers)
'devised what is known as the baroque lute, which added several bass
strings to the lute's normal complement of five or six strings. These
extra strings were played open and formed a descending scale whose
pitches could be altered to fit the key of a piece. (The hvo-necked
ea rly twentieth century instrument known as a harp-guitar was basi-
cally a steel-stringed baroque lute. ) As the number of strings in-
creased, however, limitations in the plucking hand's ability to stretch
created new difficulties.
The introduction of keyboard-plucked stringed instruments like
the virginal, clavichord, and harpsichord in the seven teenth century
eventually put an end to this experimentation. On a keyboard, com-
binations of tones that are impossible on guitar and lute are accessible
to virtual novices, and musicians of only modest skills are able to play
fairl y complex con trapuntal pieces. Before long, composers were writ-
ing more solo contrapuntal pieces for keyboards and fewer pieces for
guitar and lute. By 1800, both guitar and lute were regarded as quaint
anachronisms by the musical establishment.
Since that era, there has not been a great deal of material com-
posed specifically for fingerstyle guitar or lute. There is a relatively
small body of music by nineteenth and twenti eth century Spanish
composers, an even smaller J?ody of "new music" for guitar by adven-
turous present-day classical composers, and a fair number of country
blues pieces composed in the 1920s. Most of the fingerstyle pieces
now played have been adapted from music composed for other instru- .
ments- cello and harpsichord suites, piano rags, fiddle tunes, and so
on.
Today, when there are certainly more fingerstyle guitarists than
at any time in history, it is not surprising that many players would tire
of the standard repertoire and begin to compose their own tunes.
Many of the tunes in this chapter, along with some of the original
tunes presented earlier in the book, are representative of a new trend
among guitarists- an attempt to establish, for the first time since the
1700s, a new literature of guitar pieces and a new approach to the
148
guitar. Instead of trying to make the guitar sound like a cello,
harpsichord, piano, harp, fiddle, or other instrument, these com-
posers emphasize in their pieces the particular strengths and unique
possibilities offered by the guitar.
Compound Chords
When a compound interval (Chapter 5) is added to a triad or seventh
chord, this new entity is known as a compound chord. A ninth chord,
for example, is made when a ninth interval is added to a triad or
seventh chord; an eleventh chord is made when an eleventh interval is
added to a triad, seventh, or ninth chord; a thirteenth chord is made
when a thirteenth interval is added to a triad, seventh, ninth, or
eleventh chord.
NINTH CHORDS
When musicians use the term ninth chord, they are usually referring
to a specific chord composed of a seventh chord (that is, a triad plus
minor seventh) with an added major ninth interval. Chords in which a
major ninth interval is added to a major seventh chord are called
major ninth chords. Ninth and major ninth chords are made up of
four adjacent thirds. Some ninth chords are C9 (C-E-G-m-0), G9
(G-B-0-F-A), and Bm9 (B-0-F«-A-C«). Some major ninth chords
are CMaj9 (C-E-G-B-0), GMaj9 (G-B-0-F«-A), and BmMaj9 (B-0-
F«-A«-Cn).
ELEVENTH CHORDS
When musicians use the term eleventh chord, they are referring to a
ninth chord (as just defined) with an added perfect eleventh interval.
When a perfect eleventh is added to a major ninth chord, it yields a
major eleventh chord. Eleventh and major eleventh chords are com-
posed of five adjacent thirds. Some examples are C1 1 (C-E-G-m-D-
F) and Gm11 (G-m-D-F-A-C); CMaj 11 (C-E-G-B-0 -F), and Gm-
Maj 11 (G- B~ - D-F«-A-C) .
THIRTEENTH CHORDS
When musicians use the term thirteenth chord, they are referring to a
major thirteenth interval added to an eleventh chord (as just defined).
A major thirteenth interval added to a major eleventh chord yields a
major thirteenth chord. Thirteenth and major thirteenth chords are
composed of six adjacent thirds. Some examples are C13 (C-E-G-m-
0-F-A), Gml3 ( G-B~ -0-F-A-C-E) , CMaj13 (C-E-G-B-0-F-A), and
GmMaj 13 (G-m-0-F«-A-C-E).
149
Altered Chords
Quite often, one or more notes in a seventh or compound chord are

altered (raised or lowered one half step) to assist in voice leading or
better fit the melody of a tune. Th is is indicated by adding on to a
chord name the particular interval (fifth, seventh, ninth, and so on)
that is changed plus a notation to show exactly what is being done to
that interval. If an interval is raised a half step, it is proceeded by a
" + " or 'T '; if the interval is lowered a half step, it is proceeded by a
" - " or"~ " . For example, Cl3~5+9 indicates a Cl3 chord with a
flatted fifth and a sharped ninth (C-E-G~-Bb-0~-F-A), Gmll ~ 9 indi-
cates a Gmll chord with a flatted ninth (G- Bb-0-F- A~ -C) , and so on.
COMPOUND CHORDS, ALTERED CHORDS,

'AND THE GUITAR
Compound and altered chords are a harmonizer's dream. With so
many notes to choose from and the possibility of altering just about
any note to suit a given situation, it is a relatively simple matter to
effect multiple voice-leading from chord to chord. For example, mov-
ing from the dominant triad G {C-B-0) to its tonic triad C {C-E-C)
offers only one opportunity for voice leading-moving a half step
from the B-note in the C triad to the C-note in the C triad. Moving
from G7b9 (G-B-0-F-Ab ) to C l U9 (C-E-G-Bb-0"-F), however, of-
fers several opportunities for voice leading- B to C or m, 0 to 0", F
to E, and Ab to G.
In addition, some notes (in this case G and F) cari be held over
from chord to chord during the change, crea ting interesting suspen-
sions. The overall effect gives the guitar a very rich and interesting
tonality. In fact, there is a whole school of guitar playing known as
chord-melody style, in which tunes are arranged largely as a series of
compound and altered chords. The melody note is played as the top
vo ice of each chord, while the bass line and inner voices progress as
much as possible from one to another by way of voice leading and
suspensiOns.
Since a gu itarist has ava ilable only four fingers and six strings,
many compound and altered forms do not include the entire chord,
but focus instead on strategic notes. In other words, most of the
altered and compound forms you'll encounter are partial chords (see·
Chapters 3 and 4).
The Reprise
When an entire section is repeated in the midst of a long piece of
music, it is known as a reprise. In the interest of squeezing into the
book as many tunes as possible, reprised sections are not reprinted.
150
Instead, directions appear in the staff such as "Reprise part A," "Re-
prise part C," and so on. Unless you are instructed otherwise by the
text, play the reprised section through only once.
The Vi brato Choke
In a vibrato choke, the duration of a choked note is increased by using

the choking finger to rapidly move the string back and forth along the
surface of the fingerboard. Start a vibrato choke like an ordinary
choke, by pushing the string outward along the fretboard surface.
Then quickly reverse directions and pull the string in, reverse direc-
tions again and push the string out, and so on. Continue this process
for the entire time value of the note. The vibrato choke is primarily an
'electric guitar technique but it is used from time to time by acoustic
players. It is notated by placing a zig-zag line above a "ch" sign, as
shown in part B, measure 1 of "Tracy's Rag. "
Mic hael Soloway
Michael Soloway is a classical guitarist, teacher, and composer from

Brooklyn, Y, who has performed at a number of classic guitar
societies, concert halls, colleges, and folk clubs throughout the north-
eastern United States. In 1981, his formal debut concert at Carnegie
Recital Hall was highly praised by The New York Times.
Michael took up classical guitar at the age of nine. He studied
subsequently with Leonard Gitano, Stanley Solow, Aaron Shearer,
and Manuel Barruc~o, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar
from Manhattan School of Music. Some years ago, he became in-
trigued with the music of Scott Joplin and other ragtime composers
and transcribed a number of their tunes for guita r. In fact, his perfor-
mance at his debut concert of Joplin's Solace was singled out for its
ability "to bring technique and musicality most perfectly into bal-
ance." He has also composed a number of original rags for guitar,
some of which appear on his album. He teaches classical guitar at
New York University and the Third Street Music School.
"Tracy's Rag" is a ragtime-style piece by Michael Soloway. I

Classic rags have a standard format of four repeated 16-measure parts
(A, B, C, and 0 ), with a reprise of part A falling between parts B and
C. This piece has four eight-measure parts, with a reprise of part B
falling between parts C and D. (Note that part B is repeated during the
reprise for this piece.) (Text continued on p. 155.)
!"Tracy's Rag, " © 1980 by Michael Soloway.
151
Tracy's Rag
Standard tuning
Key: G major d=52 by Michael Soloway
!KJ G
G II SL IV UI *
A
~ Jl I I I I I ~-~ l 1 l I I ,br I r--1 I I I I
I~
3 3 3 3 3
3- -3 ._, 3--3 ~
3-=::;--3 - 3- -3 -
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152
lt. !lz.
Barre **P Barre ttp Barre :j::j: §§
v l I 11 xl l ' l r i Jill I III
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(continued)
07
D7.II
D7 112. D7
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1(~ ( 1 D 2 D
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2
3 2 2( 2 2(
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'...c.. v
154
Observe how altered chords are used in part C, measures 2 and 5
to add texture and interest to the part; observe also the small chord-
melody sections in part C, measures 7 and 8, and in part D, second
ending, measures 3 and 4. Note also the vibrato chokes in part B,
measures 1 and 3. Fingering diagrams for the piece are in figure 7-1.
Pierre Bensusan
Pierre Bensusan of Paris, France, is certainly one of the most dynamic
and innovative fingerstyle guitarists and guitar composers of our time.
His first album, Pres de Paris (Rounder), released in 1975 when he
was just 17 years old, won the 1976 Montreux Festival Grand Prix du
Disque and established him as a master of the fingerpicked fiddle
tu'ne. In fact, his version on that album of the Irish jig "Merrily Kiss
the Quaker" is now considered a classic of the style. He has since
recorded three other albums on the Rounder label devoted primarily
to his original guitar compositions. These albums are Solilai (winner
of an "Honorable Mention" at the 1983 NAIRD Awards), Musiques,
and Pierre Bensusan #2 . He tours extensively throughout western
Europe, Canada, and the United States.
Pierre was born in Oran, Algeria, and moved with his family to
Paris at the age of four, taking up the guitar at age 11. Some of the
players whose recordings served as an early inspiration are guitarists
Bert Jansch, Davey Graham, John Renbourne, and Martin Carthy
of Great Britain, and Eric Shoenberg, Stefan Grossman, an~ Ry Cooder
of the United States. Since early in his career, he has been intrigued
by open tunings and he now uses Dad-gad tuning (Chapter 6) almost
exclusively for playing and composing. "I found ," he writes, "that in
order to have a better mastery of guitar playing and a better ability to
express myself musically, I needed to concentrate on a single tuning
instead of switching back and forth between several tunings."
Pierre finds Dad-gad ideal not only for fiddle tunes and other
forms of modal music, but also for fingerstyle jazz, chord-melody,
classical guitar, and other styles usually played exclusively in standard
tuning. He is at work on a book devoted to original arrangements and
compositions in Dad-gad tuning, entitled Le Livre de Guitare de
Pierre Bensusan (Pierre Bensusan's Guitar Book).
"Le Voyage Pour L'Irlande" (Trip to Ireland), a composition in

Dad-gad tuning by Pierre Bensusan, appears on his Musiques al-
bum. 2 The tune is highly influenced by Irish dance music, borrowing
a general modal feel and a two-part eight measure format. The actual
melody and rhythmic style, however, is quite original and not deriva-
tive of any particular dance-tune form. Note how he drives the tune
2" Le Voyage Pour L'Jrlande," © 1979 Cezame Productions Editions. Used b)' special permission of
Pierre Bensusa n.
155
Le Voyage Pour L'Irlande
Tuning: 0 -A·D·G·A· D
Key: D Aeolian J =58 by Pierre Bensusan
H p
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T I I I I I
156
along by varying the rhythm in general and the location of ornaments
(grace notes) in particular from measure to measure. The dominant
triad for the tune, which is in the key of D Aeolian, is C major. Since
it is in an open tuning, only a tablature version is presented.
Acc identals, the Circle of Fifths,

and Harmony Determination
Accidentals (sharps and flats not in the key signature) do not always
have harmon ic sign ificance. In a melody line, accidentals may just be
passing tones (Chapter 6) or blue notes (Chapter 4). For the inner
voices or bass line, they may merely be altered tones inserted into the
harmony for voice leading purposes. Quite often, however, an acci-
dental in any voice is a sign that you must look beyond the diatonic
chords for a particular key (see figure 6- 3) to find the proper
harmony.
DOMINANT-OF-DOMINANT CHORDS
One place to look for additional chords is the circle of fifths (figure 5-
17). In the circle of fifths, a given dominant triad or seventh chord
(say G or G 7) leads to a tonic chord (Cor C7), which takes on the role
of dominant and leads to a new tonic (F or F7), and so on. Reversing
perspective, each tonic triad or seventh chord (say F or . F7), has a
dominant chord (C or C7), which can take on the role of tonic and
have its own dominant chord (G or G7), and so on. In other words,
the dominant chord of every key has its own dominant, known as the
dominant-of-dominant or double dominant chord. The root note of
the double dominant is a perfect fifth above the root note of the
original dominant. For example, the dominant of C (or C7) is G (or
G7), and the double dominant is D (or D7); the dominant of A (or A7)
is E (or E7), and the double dominant is B (or B7), and so on.
Similarly, the double dominant has its own dominant- called
the triple dominant- which has a root note a perfect fifth above the
root of the double dominant; the triple dominant has its own domi-
nant-called the quadruple dominant-which has a root note a per-
fect fifth above the root of the triple dominant, and so on. So if the
double dominant of C (or C 7) is D (D7), the triple dominant is A (or
A7) and the quadruple dominant is E (or E7); if the double dominant
of A (or A7) is B (or B7), the triple dominant is F" (or FP) and the
quadruple dominant is C" (or CP).
When an accidental serves a harmonic role in a piece, it is very
likely to be the third of one of these dominant-of-dominant triad or
seventh chords. For example, an F# accidental indicates a D major
triad or seventh chord (D-H -A or D-F"-A-C), a CU accidental indi-
157
cates an A major triad (A-C#-E or A-C#-E-G), an Eq accidental
indicates a C major triad (C-E-G or C-E-G-m ), and so on. The
spellings for most ma jor triads appear in figure 4- 18; spellings for
most seventh chords are found in figure 5- 4.
DOMINANTS OF OTHER DIATONIC CHORDS

Not only do tonics (!-chords) and dominants (V-chords) have domi-
nants-but so do 11-chords, III-chords, IV-chords, VI-chords, and
VII-chords. The dominant .for each chord is the major triad or sev-
enth chord whose root note is a perfect fifth above the root of the
original chord. These dominants, as it turns out, coincide with many
of the dominant-of-dominant chords for that key. In the key of C, for
example (see figure 6- l ), the dominant of the 11-chord (Om) is the
triple dominant chord A (or A7); the dominant of the VI-chord (Am)
is the quadruple dominant E (or E7); the dominant of the III-chord
(Em), is the quintuple dominant B (or B7), and so on. Put another
way, A7 can lead to 0 7 or Om, E7 can lead to A7 or Am, B7 can lead
to E7 or Em, and so on.
OTHER HARMONIC ACCIDENTALS

Here are some other commonly occurring harmonic accidentals.
Raised or Lowered Thirds From time to time, a diatonic major triad

or seventh chord is changed to a minor triad by lowering the thi rd of
the chord a half step, indicated by an appropriate accidental. Similar-
ly, a minor triad can be turned to a major triad by a raised accidental
third.
Altered minor scales When the seventh tone of a minor scale is

raised a half step, three triads are affected. The V-chord, as you know
(Chapter 6), becomes a major triad, the VII-chord becomes a dimin-
ished triad, and the III-chord, which now has a raised or augmented
fifth, becomes an augmented triad (see p. 168). In an altered A minor
scale, for example, the V-chord is E ma jor (E-C#-B), the VII-chord is
G#o (C#-B-0), and the III-chord is C augmented (C-E-G# ).
Tonic and Subdominant Seventh Chords For major keys, the sev-
enth chords built diatonically on the first (tonic) and fourth (subdomi-
nant) degrees of the scale are both major seventh chords (see figure 6-
2). By lowering the seventh interval one half step, these major seventh
chords are turned into "plain" seventh chords. For example, the tonic
seventh chord for the key of C major is CMaj7 (C-E-G-B). A m
accidental makes the chord C7 (C-E-G-m ). This C7 chord now ·
serves as the dominant of the IV-chord, F.
158
Diminished Seventh Chords Diminished seventh chqrds appear
when a seventh chord is built on the seventh degree of a harmonic
minor scale (Chapter 6). They resemble ordinary seventh chords in
their sound and overall structure and are sometimes substituted for
them- particularly in dominant-of-dominant situations. For exam-
ple, F#0 7 (F#-A-C-Eb) has pitches virtually identical to those found in
D7 (D-F~-A-C) and is often played in its stead. C~o7 (C«-E-G-Bb)
closely resembles A7 (A-C«-E-G) and is often played in its stead, and
so on.
The presence of a diminished seventh chord is often tipped off by
a pair of accidentals-the third of the closely related seventh chord
and the raised root note of that seventh chord. For example, an F«0 7
chord is indicated by an F~ accidental (wh ich implies a D7) plus an
a accidental. When, as is sometimes the case, the raised root of the
r~lated seventh chord is already in the key, only a single accidental
appears.
Diminished seventh chords have an interesting property. Each
diminished seventh chord is composed of three minor thirds. If you
take the root note of one of these chords, say F« 0 7 ( F~ -A-C-H ), and
move it up an octave, you still have a chord made up of three mi nor
th irds (A-C-H-GHF#]). This new chord is now called A0 7 and is
related to F7 (F-A-C-H ). If you now move the new root up an octave
you still have a chord made up of three minor thirds called c o7 (C-
H-G~-BH [A]), related to A~ 7 (A~ -C-E~ -G~ ), and so on. In other
words, each diminished seventh chord is actually four chords in one.
Glenn Jenks
Glenn Jenks of Camden, ME, is a fine guitarist, clawhammer banjo

player, vocalist, and songwriter. He is also one of today's best ragtime·
piano players. He performs at pubs, festivals, and folk clubs through-
out the state of Maine, occasionally venturing forth to do concerts in
southern New England and other locations in the northeastern
United States. His albums include Antidote and The Ragtime Project
(both on Bonnie Banks) and Background Music (Fretless).
Glenn started playing piano at the age of four and studied classi-
. cal music for 12 years. He took up the guitar in high school. At first,
he saw the instrument as a means to escape the intense discipline of
his piano studies, but he was soon devoting considerable energy to it.
By the time he finished college, he was composing songs and instru-
mentals on guitar and usi ng it as his major performing vehicle.
In the early 70s, Glenn discovered ragtime piano. He tried to
adapt some rags to guitar, found the task unrewarding, and decided to
compose some rags of his own for the instrument. He now has a
number of fi ne guitar rags to his credit.
159
"Hot Chestnuts" is an original guitar rag by Glenn Jenks, ap-
pearing on his Antidote album . 3 The tune is a classic rag in structure
with four 16-measure parts played in the order AA, BB, A, CC, DO.
As is customary for the genre, part C is in different key from the other
three parts. A four m easure bridge between parts C and 0 brings the
tune back to the original key. Observe how an F# accidental indicates
a 0 7 harmony in part A, measure 15, part B, measure 15, part C,
measure 14, and measure 3 of the bridge; how a en
accidental indi-
cates an A7 harmony in part B, the pickup m easure and measure 8
and in part 0 , measures 9, 11, and 12; and how a G § accidental
indicates an E7 harmony in part A, measure 11 and in part C,
measure 13.
Observe also how a Bb accidental creates the tonic seventh chord
C 7 in part A, measure 4, part B, measure 12, part A (reprise), m ea-
sure 16, and in measure 2 of the coda; and how two accidentals (F§
~mel a) indicate an F#0 7 chord in part A, measure 13, part B, mea-
sures 4 and 13, and in part 0, measure 12. Fingering diagrams are in
figure 7-2.
Figure 7-2
* VII t VIII t VI § X
( 2 2 <P 3 2 b 2 ) P3
3 4 3( 4
~4
VII VII VI
2 1( 2
2 3 (
-
4
3"Hot Chestnuts,"© 1978 by Glenn jenks.
160
Hot Chestnuts
Standard tuning
Keys: Parts A, 8, and D: C major d= 72 by Glenn Jenks
Part C: F major
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164
D. S. a/$ e poi Ia Coda
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TECHNIQUE
Runs of Same-String Plucked Treble Notes In part B, measures 2
and 10, there is a run of five plucked eighth notes, all of which occur
on the second string. To accomplish this, you can either pluck all the
notes with the same finger, or for extra smoothness, try alternating
plucking hand fi ngers. For practice in this technique, see the Segovia
scale study book discussed in Appendix B.
165
Finger-Stretching Exercises
If you've never played pieces like these before, you may be wondering
how your fingers will ever stretch out far enough to reach some of the
indicated positions. Here's two simple fi nger-stretching exercises to
help you in this rega rd. Since the actual pitches played in these
exercises are of no consequence, they are presented in tablature only.
lost of the stretch you can acquire is between the first and
second and the third and fourth fingers. Exercise 1 works on the
stretch between the third and fourth fingers. Starting in seventh posi-
tion, play fret 7, string 6 with the first finger, fret 8 with the second
finger, fret 9 with the th ird finger, but then stretch up and play fret 11
with the fourth finger. Then, hold onto fret 11 , string 6, and stretch
up with the first finger to stop fret 7, string 5. Release the fourth finger
· and proceed up string 5 in the same manner, stretching from fret 11 ,
string 5 to fret 7, string 4, and so on. On the way down, hold onto fret
7, string 1 with the first finger and stretch with the fourth finger to fret
11 , string 2, and so on.
Exercise 2 works on the stretch between the first and second
fingers. Stop fret 7, string 6 with the first finger, then stretch to play
fret 9 with the second finger, fret 10 with the third finger, and fret 11
with the fourth finger. Then proceed as in exercise l.
When you become comfortable with these exercises in seventh
position, take them down a fret to sixth position. When sixth position
is no longer a challenge, take them down to fifth position, and so on.
Eventually, you should be able to perform these exercises in second
and first positions, which will enable you to handle most of the
stretches you'll encounter. Expect the entire process of acquiring
stretch to take at least several months. Be aware that attempting long
stretches before you are ready can cause damage to your hand. For
additional stretching practice, see the Segovia and Leavitt scale stud-
ies discussed in Appendix B.
166
Finger-Stretching Exercises
!Exercise ll
VII
yII i !ttl ijY

Yr I i ! I
f
I
8811!
I I I
ii y Ir i i
i i r
li
li I
rt 1! ri j I tt
j i I I
I lt
I i i r 11
I
8
I
8
I '
!Exercise 21
VII
16 It
I j
li f
I
8
I
18
I
11
I
T i ·r ll
I I r j 't lt
I f i ·r 11
I
Ir i
t8
I y I I
u te
r I ~ t
li 11
I
18
I i r I
u
I ·r i r II
I
19
I j rI ll
I
18
I i r It
I
18
I
8
I '
I
I
167
Augmented Chords (Symbol: + )
Augmented chords, which appear routinely as the III-chords of al-

tered minor scales (see p. 158), arc triads in which the fifth is raised or
augmented a half step. They are composed of two major thirds sharing
a middle note. A C+ (augmented) chord is C-E-Gn; a G+ chord is G-
B-D#; and E+ chord is E-G§-B§, and so on. Augmented seventh
chords (notation: C7 +, G7 +, E7 +) are "plain" seventh chords with
an augmented fifth. Both augmented and augmented seventh chords
can substitute in some situations for dominant seventh chords with
the same root. They have a distinctive sound and often appear in jazz
and show tunes. Both barre and nonbarre standard forms for"+" and
"7 +" chords are shown in figure 7-3 . The notation above the tab-
lature staff for an augmented chord is a barre sign and/or Roman
·numeral with a"+" or "7+" suffix. An indication above the standard
notation staff shows the actual pitch of the chord.
Barre 1+
2 3 2 p P3
1
3 p 4
2 2·E=t=H=t
p
2 <b 3
4 p 4 p
Figure 7-3
Augmented chords have a property similar to diminished seventh

chords. If you take the root note of an augmented chord, say C + (C-
E-G~) and raise it up an octave, you still get a chord composed of two
ma jor thirds. The new chord is called E+ (E-G#-B#), and so on.
Each augmented chord, therefore, is actually three chords in one.
Sixth Chords
A sixth or "6" chord is made up of a triad plus the note a major sixth
up from the root. A C6 chord is C-E-C-A; a G6 chord is G-B-D-E; a
D6 chord is D-F"-A-B, and so on. lf you drop the major sixth note an
octave, the chord becomes a minor seventh chord. For example, ·
taking the A in a C6 down an octave yields an Am 7 chord (A-C-E-G).
Partial Barring with the Third

or Fou rth Fi ngers
To increase the number of strings that can be stopped for a given

chord or fingering form, guitarists sometimes use the underside of the
168
third or fourth finger end joints to perform partial barres. To make
this possible, an end joint must be allowed to go flat, or even concave,
relative to the middle joint of the finger. Sometimes these partial
barres are performed in conjunction with a full or partial first-finger
barre.
Third- and fourth-finger partial barres are indicated in fingering
or chord diagrams by a horizontal "barre line" accompanied by a
number (3 or 4) indicating the finger to be used.
Jazz Chords
Guitarists use the name jazz chords to describe a large body of mov-
able standard forms for compound and altered chords. Most of these
forms do not hit every note of a chord, but are actually partial chords
that focus on "strategic notes." Figure 7-4 shows some frequently
used jazz chords in first position. Each time a chord is raised a fret,
the pitch of the entire chord goes up half a step. The notation above
the tablature staff gives the name of the first position form plus a
Roman numeral to show at which fret it is played. An indication
above the standard notation staff shows the actual pitch of the chord.
Observe that some jazz chords use third- and fourth-finger partial
barres.
Figure 7-4
B9 F9 Bl3 Fl3
1 p 1 p 2(
2 ~ ...... 3 2 ) 2 p 3 ~ 3 i
3 ( 4 <P 4(
~4
Fll Cm7~5
1 1 1
P3 2
2 3
4
2
' 3 4 4 p
1(P
2(
3 p 3( 4
<P4
169
Andy Polan
Andy Polon is a versatile guitarist, teacher, and singer-songwriter

from New York City. He learned country blues and ragtime guitar
from Reverend Gary Davis and is very much at home in these idioms.
He has also studied and become quite adept in rock, jazz, and classi-
cal guitar styles. During the 1970s, he was a well-known performer on
the then-substantial 1ew York area coffee house circuit. He now
performs extensively throughout the northeastern United States and
tours occasionally in Great Britain and western Europe.
Andy spends a considerable portion of his time working in en-
semble settings. He has played with numerous bands, done a substan-
tial amount of studio work and accompanied such well-known artists
as Mary Travers (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) and Raun Mackinnon.
His solo album, Mad Metropolis is on ADP records.
"Andy's Augmented Rag" is an original guitar piece by Andy

Polon, so named because of the prominent augmented and aug-
mented seventh chords in part A. 4 The tune is definitely a cross
between Reverend Gary Davis style blues guitar and chord-melody
style guitar. Note the frequent use of jazz chord forms (see figure 7-4)
throughout the piece, the use of a third-finger barre in part A, mea-
sures 1, 2, and 3, and the use of a fourth-finger barre in measure 5 of
the coda. If you' re already familiar with jazz forms, the piece is not
substantially harder than most conventional alternating bass pieces. If
not, it will probably take you awhile to learn all the forms and play the
tune fluidl y. Fingering diagrams are in figure 7-5.
Figure 7-5
* III t v III § v , VII
** v
1 1 D
2 <P2 2( ~3
2<P 3 3 2 p 3( 4 3( 4
4
tt
1
VII
**
T~ 2P
v
3 4
§§
~1
III VII
1
2
3 4
r- - 4
4 "Andy's Augmented Rag,'' (C 1985 by Andrew D. Polan.
170
Andy's Augmented Rag
Standard tuning
Key : C major
Barre
J=108 by Andy Polon
Barre
Barret
* * *
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(continued)
D. C. Ia $ e poi La Coda
Barre !h barre ~ p
Barre
p F~ 7 ~~5-
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p vn 11 X ~ V1II
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11 n · ....__;
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• I!;Ti ii. r-, I 'C n I I
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1 1
Ru bato, a Tempo
Rubato is a musical direction indicating a nonmetronomic tempo.

Instead of playing a tune with a rock-solid beat, the player toys with
the rhythm. In some instances, the player slows down a series of notes
(leaves a longer space between notes); in other instances, the player
speeds up a series of notes (shortens the spaces between notes). This
process is done more or less by feel and is fairly difficult to bring off
effectively. Listen to some recordings of fingerpickers you admire and
see if you can distinguish the rubato passages. Eventually, this should
give you sufficient background to play rubato passages convincingly.
T he direction a tempo indicates that the piece is moving from rubato
to a metronomic (rock-solid) beat.
172
Sixteenth-Note and
Quarter-Note Triplets
The conventional triplet (also called an eighth-note triplet) is a group
of three notes played in the space of a quarter note (one beat i n~' or t
~ time). Other kinds of triplets exist and appear from time to time in
guitar music. A sixteenth-note triplet (figure 7-6a) is a group of three
notes played in the space of an eighth note (one half beat in !, or~t
time). A quarter-note triplet (figure 7- 6b) is a group of three notes
played in the space of a half note (two beats in !, ~' or ~ time).
3
r-3 ~
.T ,: ~
~
_A
.,..... _...
.....
3
1\ 1\ r-3----.
@.) @.)
Figure 7-6a Figure 7- 6b
The best way to count quarter-note triplets in ! time is to treat

the measure as if it were in cut time (~). As you know, in cut time
(Chapter 6) there are two beats per measure with half notes counting
as one beat. In effect, each beat in ~ divides the measure exactly in
half, with each half representing two ~ time beats. With the measure
neatly divided in half, it's a relatively easy task to divide one or both of
these halves into thirds.
Weak Harmonics
The most frequently used harmonics- found at the wire bordering
the upper end of the fifth, seventh, and twelfth frets on any stri ng-
are known as strong harmonics. Other harmonics can be obtained,
with some coaxing, over just about any freh.vire. These additional
harmonics are known as weak harmonics because their tone is sub-
stantially less powerful than the tone produced by strong harmonics.
Notation for most weak harmonics is identical to that described in
Chapter 4 for strong harmonics.
173
" a ve" HARMONICS
As you approach the nut, very high harmonic tones are obtainable
between fretwires. These are notated by placing an octave (Sve) sign
over a conventional harmonic notation, as in the last measure of
"The Way You Look in the Dark." Your job is then to hunt around
the first couple of frets until you find a harmonic tone an octave
higher than the notated harmonic. For example, if you have an "8ve"
notation above a harmonic on fret 5, string l (high A), you need to
find a harmonic pitched one octave above the fret 5, string l harmon-
ic. Since the fret 5, string l harmonic is two octaves above open high
E, you need to find a pitch three octaves above open high E. With a
little searching about, you can locate this harmonic slightly to the
nutside of the second fretwire.
Closed Melodic Fingering Patterns

Melodic fingering patterns are fingering forms that yield runs of melo-
dy notes when combined with open strings (Chapter 3). Melodic
fingering patterns can also be constructed that have no open strings.
These closed melodic patterns usually call for substantial finger
stretches, but the interesting tonality they impart to the guitar makes
them well worth the trouble. Since the sounds produced by all the
strings in a melodic fingering pattern should be allowed to overlap, all
notes in that pattern must be kept firmly stopped throughout the
duration of the run.
Colin Linden
Colin Linden of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is one of the few players
who use a fingerpicking style on both acoustic and electric guitars. He
is equally at home in the country blues, rhythm and blues, and
rock-'n'-roll idioms. He has performed extensively in Canada and the
northern United States with his band and as a soloist, and he has an
album with Ready Records called Colin Linden Live. He has played
behind such notables as David Wilcox and Leon Redbone and has
been employed as lead guitarist on several albums by a number of
artists, such as Amos Garrett (Amos Behavin on Stony Plain), Men-
delson Joe (Jack Frost and Let's Party on Boot), Morgan Davis (I'm
Ready to Play on Bullhead), and Sam Chatman (Sam Chatman & the
Barbecue Boys on Flying Fish).
Colin took up the guitar in 1970 at age 10, discovered blues
music at 11, and started performing at 12. In his early teens he had
174
the opportunity to meet and befriend the great blues artist Howlin'
Wolf, from whom he first learned about the country blues and rag-
time styles. He also learned about fingerpicking from Toronto
guitarist John Th ibodeau. He became a full-time musician at age 16.
In recent years, Colin has devoted himself primarily to songwrit-
ing and to recording this original material with his own music group.
"The Way You Look in the Dark" is an appealing tone portrait

written for guitar by Colin Linden. 5 The tune is based on chord-
melody ideas, and its overall sound is, as Col in describes it, "a cross
between ragtime and R & B [rhythm and blues] music." Colin built
the piece around a number of crea tive compound and altered chord
voicings that work out to be either open or closed melodic fingering
patterns. These patterns lead onto each other via suspension or voice
le<Jding, and the effect is extremely rich and evocative.
For example, the voicing for the E ll chord in measure 5
(marked with a double dagger) is a closed melodic fingering pattern.
This moves via suspension to an AMaj7 voicing (section mark) that is
an open melodic fingering pattern. The Amaj 7 is followed by a 0 9
voicing that serves as another open pattern , and so on. lote the
rubato sections in measures l-4 and in measures 17-25 of the coda.
Observe also the sixteenth-note triplets in measure 2 and in measures
ll and 22 of the coda, the quarter-note triplets in measure 24 of the
coda, and the weak harmonics in measures 24 and 25 of the coda.
Fingering diagrams are in figure 7- 7.
Figure 7-7
* VII t II v § VI VII
1<P -- (
3 ~
2
I 2
-\
}J
3 ( 4 2 T .\: 3( 4
3( 4
p4 3 4
** VII VII VII v tt

1
3 D
(
-
4
1
3 ( -
4
~ 1-
3<D - 2
4
2( 3
1
4
5"Thc Way You Look in the Dark," Cl 1985 by Colin Linden.
175
The Way You Look zn the Dark
Standard tuning
Key: E major ~ =66 by Colin Linden
v VII * V I H
n
A
~
or 2r
3
t
r r r
SL SL II
I I
D. C. a/$ e poi Ia Coda

I .
1.
i
176
Coda
v Barre
u
r·
v v
n
r (continued)
rr r r· rr r
rubato II
v
II I I - SL
IVVI
.A- I
v tt
I I Jl 3 .r-::1 I
:::
I
::
IV-VI SL
~.I I
fT
:::
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4
6 -= 6 6
y
u 6 ' f6 6~
r
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rl I 1.--1 l I
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E Ama·7h9 3
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wr 0 ~r~-
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IT
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--
=
-- Jj~ ...
8ve
l J I i L-J
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4
SL SL
178
TECHNIQUE
Double Hammer-ons and Pull-offs on Fretted Strings In measure 11
and in measures 14 and 16 of the coda, you are asked to stop a four-
string form (marked with a reversed paragraph sign) and then hammer
on at once to two fretted strings. To get the right sound, you'll have to
practice keeping firm pressure on the stopped form with fingers T, 1,
and 2, while fingers 3 and 4 perform a strong simultaneous H on
strings 2 and 3.
In measure 11 of the coda, there is a double fretted pull-off on
strings 1 and 3. To get the right sound, stop all four notes (two
plucked notes and two P-notes) at the same time. Keep the P-notes
(fret 5, string 1 and fret 6, string 3- A and C#) firmly stopped as you
pull off both plucked notes (fret 7, string 1 and fret 7, string 3-B and
D) simultaneously.
Modulation and the Circle of Fifths
A key change within a piece of music is known as a modulation.

When the modulation is long-lived, the key signa ture (Appendix A) is
changed. If not, the key change is indicated by a trial of tell-tale
accidentals.
All movement to circle-of-fifths double dominants, triple domi-
nants, and the like is considered a form of modulation. For exa mple,
when a double dominant chord (say 0 or 0 7 in the key of C major)
leads to a dominant chord (G or G7), that dominant chord in effect
becomes the new tonic chord of the passage (see pp. 102 and 157).
Until such bme as the G-chord resumes its role as the dominant of C
(leads back to a C-chord harmony), the key of the piece is officially
considered to be G major.
CHROMATIC MODULATIONS
Chromatic modulations are noncircle-of-fifths key changes effected
via voice leading. For example, taki ng an entire triad up or down a
half step is an ideal voice-leading situation that appears frequently in
guitar music. Each time a triad is moved in this manner, the new·
chord in effect becomes the tonic chord of a new key. In "Big Road
Blues," for example (see Chapter 5), when the harmony changes from
D to Th, the 0~ major chord actually becomes the tonic of the
passage. The tune is then considered to be in the key of I)!, major
until such time as the harmony moves from a 0~ chord back to a D
chord.
Alternatively, one or two voices in a chord can be raised or
lowered a half step to form the nucleus of a new chord, even when the
new chord is far away from the original chord on the circle of fifths.
179
T his new chord is then considered the tonic chord of the passage until
the next modulation occurs.
In part D, measures 12-13 of "Paragon Rag, " for example, the
harmony moves from C chord (C-E-G) to an Ab chord (Ab-C-B ) by
way of voice leading (G to Ab, E toE~ ) and a suspension (C to C). Ab
is then considered the tonic of the passage until the middle of measure
14, when the key returns via chromatic modulation to C major. As
you might expect, chromatic modulations are usually accompanied
by a large number of accidentals. The names of the chords involved
can then be determined by examining their spelling.
No collection of fingerstyle guitar tunes would be complete with-

out at least one classic piano rag transcription. For this volume, I've
arranged Scott Joplin's "Paragon Rag. " This tune, which was first
published in 1909 by Seminary Music Co. of New York, appears in a
·modern volume called Scott Joplin: Collected Piano Works. A fi ne
version of the tune is played by Joshua Rifkin on his album, Piano
Rags by Scott Joplin, Volume II. In his linea r notes, Rifkin observes
that "'Paragon Rag' unites the exuberance of [Joplin's] earlier music
with a mature subtlety of detail. "
T his arrangement is based on the original piano music and is in
the original piano keys (G major and C maj or). Fingering diagrams
are in figure 7-8.
Figure 7- 8
t VII III § II III ** II tt III

1 I> p2 1 I> 2 1-
2 3 2 3Cb
4 3 11
4 3C 3 4 4 4
4
I
tf III §§ 0
1 b2 1(
3 2 b
2 3 b ~4 4 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~3
III III
*** 1-
- 1
2
) 1 b
2
1 ~ 1
3 3 3 P4
4
180
Paragon Rag
Standard tuning
Keys: Parts A ab 6: G major
Parts C and D: C major J =63
by Scott Joplin
l lntro I
. r-1 i i i
!-r
3
3 .
'A II ":'
3 .
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(continued)
c G III* II G
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185
Erik Frandsen
Erik Frandsen has been an integral part of the Greenwich Village

Folk Music scene since the late 1960s. His mastery of the guitar has
earned him the nickname "The Old Professor" and the respect of his
peers. He has backed up many performers in New York and on tour
(often using such aliases as Fresno Slim) and has performed exten-
sively as a solo artist throughout the eastern half of the United States.
One of his banjo compositions appears in my Melodic Clawhammer
Banjo book.
Erik took up the guitar in the early 1960s. He studied country
blues style by listening to recordings of such players as Robert John-
son, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Spike Jones, and he is generally consid-
ered to be a master of the idiom. In recent years he has turned a good
deal of his energy to guitar composition. Erik has these words to say
for himself:
"Erik Frandsen was a disc jockey at the age of 15, has played as
well as M. C.'d countless concerts and festivals, done many recording
sessions, acted on Broadway, and was once a wheelman for the noto-
rious Danny "Extreme Unction" Shea. He lives in New York City.
He needs work. He is in the phone book."
"Mary-Joan or the Siege of Leningrad" is an Erik Frandsen

composition. 6 Erik notes that it was "written for my favorite actress
and frequent muse, Mary-Joan Negro, as a consolation prize fo r being
in a bad Russian play."
The piece is quite long and structured loosely with four parts of
varying length. Each section has a different theme, but short motifs
reappear frequently throughout the work. The piece is held together
by a well-conceived bass line, which takes the player via voice leading
through a large number of interesting and unusual harmonies. This
style of composition is very reminiscent of Baroque music, and the
piece can be thought of as a hybrid of the country blues and baroque
musical styles. Erik describes it as "a 17th Century English pastoral
Disco Bossa-Nova Gavotte. Mostly English, but it does contain ele-
ments of French, Russian, Italian; Roquefort, and Thousand
Islands."
Erik, who is noted for his wit, has offered a musical direction to
go with each part. Part A has the direction "AI Dente" (with bite), pa.rt
B has the direction "Con Brillo" (with steel wool), part C has the
direction "Con Molto Calamari" (with lots of squid), and part D has
the direction "Drano." Fingering diagrams for the tune appear in
figure 7- 9.
6"Mary-Joan or the Siege of Leningrad,''© 198 5 by Erik Frandsen.
186
Figure 7- 9
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187
Mary-Joan or the Siege of Leningrad
Standard t uning
Key : A major d=69 by Erik Frandsen
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192
TECHNIQUE
Different Length Measures and Cut Time In cut time, a half note
counts as one beat and there are two beats per measure. The signature
~ then, indicates a measure with one cut-time beat, while~ signifies a
measure with three cut-time beats.
1
Besides one ~ and a number of measures, this piece also in-
cludes one ! and a couple of ~ measures. The ! measure has a
duration of half a cut-time beat (the length of one quarter note) while
the ~ measures last one and a half cut-time beats (the length of a
dotted half note). Remember that the first beat of every measure is
always accented, no matter how many beats are within it.
Playing Open Treble Notes under a Full Barre In part A, measure 6

and in a number of other locations, you are asked to play an open
treble string (say string 2) while holding on to a barred bass note (in
this case, fret 2, string 5, or low B). To accomplish this, keep your first
finger in barring position, but raise up your arm and thrust your wrist
out considerably. This will permit you to lift the attached joint of your
barring finger off the treble strings, while still maintaining pressure on
the bass strings.
Nick Katzman
Nick Katzman is an outstanding guitarist and gifted composer from

New York City. He has accompanied such blues singers as Terry
Garthwaite, Rachel Faro, and Rory Block (Chapter 5) and has per-
formed extensively as a solo artist both in the New York City area and
in the San Francisco Bay area of California. His two albums recorded
for Kicking Mule- Mississippi River Bottom Blues and Sparkling
Ragtime and Hardbitten Blues- feature a number of exquisite origi-
nal guitar instrumentals.
Nick was born in Paris, but his family moved to lew York soon
afterwards. He studied blues guitar in the mid-1960s with Reverend
Gary Davis and Stefan Grossman. One powerful influence he men-
tions was the experience of being a young guitarist at the Newport
(Rhode Island) Folk Festivals of 1965 and 66, where he was able to
hear and learn from such legendary blues masters as Mississippi John .
Hurt, Son House, and Skip James.
Starting in the early 70s, Nick embarked on a formal study of the
guitar. He took lessons in theory, classical guitar, and jazz guitar, and
he even learned to play the baroque lute. By combining these formal
influences with his country blues background, he has developed a
powerful, crystal-clear yet lyrical style of playing and composing.
Nick also plays pick-style Chicago blues guitar. As lead guitarist
in the backup band for New York bluesman Guitar Crusher, he has
spent the last couple of years on tour in West Germany.
193
"Ph ilosophy Rag" is a Nick Katzman origina l, appearing on his
Sparkling Ragtime and Hardbitten Blues album (Kicking Mule). 7
Nick writes, "It's more of a chordal rag than a melodic one. It in-
volves unusual harmonies and deceptive cadences, and though based
on classic piano rag composition, it makes use of devices and musical
approaches unique to the guitar. "
The piece shows a wealth of musical influences. There are, of
course, melodic ideas and stylistic devices borrowed from classic rag-
time. In addition, Nick borrows ideas and conventions from the
country blues, baroque music, and even Gershwin. He has structured
the piece roughly like a classic rag, but there are some notable dif-
ferences. Classic rags, as you know, have four repeated 16-measure
parts. In "Philosophy Rag," part A, which is not reprised between
parts B and C, is 24 measures long .. Part C is 23 measures long and
not repeated, while part D is only nine measures long. In most classic
·rags, part C moves to a new key. In this piece, part B begins on the
relative minor key (F" minor) and ends on a new key (D major). Parts
C and D return to the original A major key. Observe the continual
circle-of-fifths and chromatic modulations throughout the piece. Ob-
serve also the constant use of unique fingering forms and creative
chord voicings.
The third ending of part A is to be used only as the coda of the
piece. Fingering diagrams are in figure 7-10.
--
Figure 7-10 * VII VI t VII 0 t VIII
111) 1 11p
3 I 4 1>2
3 4 p 3 p4 3(
4 ~
§ 0
** II tt II tt VII §§ VI
~
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1 2 ~\ 1 p
2 2( 3 4 I 2
( 4 3 ~ 3 D 3 4
4 ~4
7"Philosophy Rag," by Nick Katzman, © 1979 by Kicking Mule Publishing Co., Inc. Used by
permission.
194
Philosophy Rag
Standard tuning
Keys: Parts A. C. 0 : A maior
Part 8: F J minor, o ·major
d =63
by Nick Katzman
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199
TECHNIQUE
Playing Open Bass Notes under a Full Barre In part B, measures 1,
2, 4, and 9, there are open bass notes in the middle of barred fingering
forms. This means that you must maintain pressure on the treble
strings with the underside of part of the first finger, while rocking the
fingertip up off the fretboard over the bass strings.
200
left, Andy Polon (photo by Bernie Liebler);
right, Janet Smith (photo by Barbara Renan)
Appendix A:
Notes, Scales, and Keys
Most European and American music is based on a scale of seven

tones, each named for a letter of the alphabet:
E A D G' 8' E'
ABCDEFG
F t: F"
~ E' A:
I
These tones repeat over and over again at higher and lower levels. So
after any G, there is another A (followed by a B, a C, and so on).
G c F' D' G Before any A, there is another G (preceded by an F, an E, and so on).
8' The distance from any tone to the next higher or lower same-letter
I tone is called an octave. The guitar has a range of nearly four octaves;
A D G' C' E" A" the piano has a range of nearly 'seven octaves, and so on.
I
~" These seven tones (A- G) are called natural notes. When played
in order for the distance of one octave from any starting point (A-B-C-
8 E' A' D' 8 D-E-F-G-A, C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, and so on), these notes form a di-
I I
c F' G" c" atonic scale.

Figure 8-l shows a fingerboard diagram for the first 12 frets of a
8' E" guitar in standard tuning. Natural notes are listed in the locations
I I
[) G' c· ~" A" D where they occur. Notes in the low octave (low E, low F, and so on)
are shown without primes, notes in the middle octave (middle E,
I I I I I I
E' A' D' G" 8" E"'
middle F, and so on) are shown with one prime, notes in the high
octave (high E, high F) are shown with two primes, and notes in the
I I I I I I very-high octave are shown with three pri mes. Observe that a single
Figure 8- 1 pitch can occur at a number of different locations on the fingerboard.
By convention, notes on the guitar are written one octave above
their actual pitch. LowE's actual pitch is two E's below middle Con
the piano, but it is written as one E below middle C. High E's actual
pitch is E above middle C on the piano, but it is written as two E's
above middle C. The written pitch of the guitar's open strings is
shown in figure 8- 2. .
Figure 8-2
J J r F
' 4
lowE
J
A D G B high E
202
MAJ9R, MINOR, AND MODAL SCALES
The first widely used diatonic scales were what we now refer to as
modal scales. These include the Dorian scale (0-E-F-G-A-B-C-D),
the Phrygran scale (E -F-G -A-B-C-0-E), the Lydian scale (F-G-A-B-
C-0-E-F), ' and the Mixolyd ian scale (G-A-B-C-0-E-F-G). These
scales still appear frequently in American and European folk music.
The major scale (do- re- mi- fa- so-Ia- ti- do) and the natural
minor scale came into general use a few hundred years ago. The all-
natural-note major scale is C-0-E-F-G-A-B-C, while the all-natural-
note minor scale (also called the Aeolian mode) is A-B-C-0-E-F-G-
A.
SHARPS AND FLATS

(.THE CHROMATIC SCALE)
Look again at figure 8- 1 and observe that some natural notes are one
fret (a half step) apart, while most others are two frets (a whole step)
apart. The notes found on the frets between the natural notes are
known as sharps (#) and flats (~ ). For example, the note between C
and D is known as C# or 0~; the note between F and G is called F# or
G~, and so on. A series of notes that includes all the natural notes and
sharps and flats for the distance of one octave is called a chromatic
scale. Observe in figure 8- 1 and in the following C chromatic scale
(figure 8-3), that the notes E- F and B- C are only a half step (one fret)
apart and have no intervening sharps and flats.
Figure 8-3
C# D~ D# E~ F# G~ G# A~ A# 8~
I ' \ / ' \ / ' \ I ' \ I ' '\
C D E- F G A 8 -C
KEYS
If you take the all-natural-note major scale (C-0-E-F-G-A-B-C) and
compare it to the C chromatic scale you'll observe that the sequence
of whole steps and half steps is as follows: whole, whole, half, whole,
whole, whole, half. Only a natural diatonic scale beginning on C has
this particular order of whole and half steps. By using sharps or flats,
however, you can start from any natural note (or even from a sharp or
flat) and create the same order of whole and half steps.
Each series of notes with this order of whole and half steps is then
a major scale in its own right, and the starting note, known as the key
or tonic note, determines the key of the scale. For example, a major
scale beginning on G (called a major scale in the key of G, or simply
G major) runs G-A-B-C-0 -E-F#-G; a D-major scale runs 0-E.,F#-G-
203
A-B-C#-D; an A-major scale runs A-B-C#-D-E-F#-GH-A, an F-major
scale runs F-G-{\-Bb-C-D-E-F, a Bb major scale runs Bb-C-D-Eb-F-
G-A-Bb, and so 'on.
Similar principles can be applied to constructing minor and
modal scales in the various keys. The all-natural-note D Dorian scale
(D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D) for example, runs whole (step), half, whole,
whole, whole, half, whole. An A Dorian scale then, is A-B-C-D-E-
F#-G-A, an E Dorian scale is E-FH-G-A-B-C#-D-E, and so on. The
all-natural-note G Mixolydian scale (G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G) runs
whole, whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole. A D Mixolydian
scale, then, is D-E-F#-G-A-B-C-D; an A Mixolydian scale is A-B-CH-
D-E-F#-G-A, and so on. The all-natural-note A Aeolian (natural
minor) scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A) runs whole, half, whole, whole,
half, whole, whole. An E minor (Aeolian) scale, then, is E-FH-G-A-
.B-C-D-E; a B minor scale is B-C#-D-E-FH-G-A-B, and so on.
KEY SIGNATURES AND RELATIVE KEYS

Key signatures are placed at the start of each line of music to indicate
the key of that line. A signature of no sharps or flats, for example,
indicates an all-natural-note scale (C-major, D Dorian, and so on).
By examining the overall sound of the piece and, in particular, the
concluding measure or two, it is usually easy to determine which
natural-note scale is indicated. One hint: The very last note of a tune
is usually the tonic note of that tune. Another hint: Since more than
90 percent of the music you're likely to encounter is in a major key,
assume the piece is major unless there are strong indications to the
contrary. All scales with the same key signature are called relative
keys.
Figure 8- 4 Relative Keys

KEY SIGNATURES MAJOR MINOR DORIAN MIXOLYDIAN
no# or~ c A D G
AI G E A 0
F#, a D B E A
F#, Q, G# A F# B E
A!, a, ct D# E a AI B
A!, a, G#, D#, A# B G# a F#
Fll, Q, G#, D#, A#, E# F# D# G# a
B~ F 0 G c
B~, H B~ G c F
Bb, E~ , A~ E~ c F Bb
B~ , Eb, A~, Db A~ F B~ Eb
B~, H, A~ , Db, 0 Db Bb H A~
B~, H, A~, Db, 0, 0 0 E~ Ab 0
204
Similarly, a signature of one sha rp (always F~ ) indicates all the
diatonic scales made of six natural notes and F§, such as G-major, A
Dorian, E minor, and so on, all of which are considered relative keys.
Figure 8-4 shows some key signatures and some of the relative keys
they indicate.
Appendix B:
A Daily Exercise Routine
A 10- to 20-minute exercise routine to warm up your fingers is an
excellent prelude to daily practice. I'll discuss right- and left-hand
exercises separately. I'm not suggesting you do all of these every day.
Experiment with all of them until you find a routine that's right for
you.
RIGHT-HAND EXERCISES
Daily Fingerpicking Exercises (see Chapter 4). Time: about five
minutes.
Arpeggio Exercises There's a standard work called 120 Exercises for

the Right Hand by Mauro Giulianni. Learn about 10 exercises per
week (each is only two measures long). Once you are familiar with all
the exercises, run through about 20 or 30 per day as a warmup. Time:
about five minutes.
LEFT-HAND EXERCISES
Segovia Scales A book called Diatonic Major and Minor Scales by
Andres Segovia is very helpful in learning the fingerboard, facilitating
position shifts, achieving left-hand agility, and mastering a four-fret
stretch at each position. Learn one or two scales per week. Once
thoroughly learned, all 24 major and minor scales can be played
through in less than l 0 minutes.
Ja zz Guitar Scales A Modern Method for Guitar (Volumes 1-3) by

William Leavitt presents a collection of scales with a basic four-fret
stretch that often calls for a five-fret stretch. After a few five-fret
stretches, a four-fret stretch seems like a piece of cake! The book is
intended for flatpick style, but you can play through the scales by
alternating your plucking-hand fingers in the manner suggested by the
Segovia book. Read through one or two scale series a day. Time: less
than five minutes.
Hand P Exercises See Fingerstyle Guitar, Chapters 8 and 9 and this

book, Chapter 6. I suggest that you run through the "Hammer-on
and Pull-off Warmup" (Chapter 6) every day. For even more agility,
play the other exercises as well. Time: five to ten minutes.
205
Appendix C: Nai l Care
If you're going to pick with your nails, you'd better get used to the idea
of devoting considerable energy to keepi ng them in playing shape.
The nail grows out from the finger with sharp corners. These must be
filed so that the edge of the na il takes on a semicircular shape. The
best tool to use for this purpose is an "emeryll" or "diamond" fi le (a
metal file coated with fine particles). After fil ing, the edge of a nail
should extend about one-eighth of an inch past the fingertip and
about a quarter of an inch past the thumbtip.
To prevent tea ring of the nail while playing or during routine
use, file any ti ny nicks or dents smooth with ~ 500 or ~600 Carbide
(wet-and-dry) paper, which is available in hardware stores. If you have
soft or brittle nails, you can assist nature by applying a nail conditioner
on both inside and outside of the nail anywhere from once a week to
once a day. Nail conditioners, which are not shiny, contain gela-
tinlike substances that sink in and add mass to the nail. For safety's
sake, avoid brands that contain formaldehyde.
Appendix 0 : Metronomes
Metronomes are clocklike devices designed to click at a constant rate.
Th is rate can be altered by spinning a dial or moving a metal weight
along a shaft to va rious marked settings. A metronome setting of 72,
for example, causes the machine to click 72 times per minute. Musi-
cians play a tune or exercise at the rate of one beat per click. By
increasing the setting, the metronome beats faster, and the musician
is constrained to play at a quicker pace.
Notation using metronome settings is a useful way of indicating
the icieal tempo for va rious tunes. The kind of note counted as one
beat is determined (quarter notes in ~ time, half notes in cut time, and
so on), then equated with a metronome setting as follows:
~ = 96
J = 60
J.=n
The top entry means that a tt or ~ tune should be played at a speed
at which each beat coincides with a click on a metronome set at 96;
the second entry mea ns that a cut-time tune should be played at a
speed at which each beat coincides with a click on a metronome set at
60. The thi rd entry applies to meters like~' ~' or ~' where one click
covers the space of an entire eighth-note group (three eighth notes
206
equal one dotted quarter note). It indicates that a piece is to be played
at a speed at which the beginning of each group coincides with a click
on a metronome-set at 72.
Discography
Pink Anderson: Medicine Show Man. Prestige/Bluesville 1051.
Geoff Bartley: Blues Beneath the Surface. Magic Crow 1001.
B ENSUSAN, P IE RRE.
Pres de Paris. Rounder 3023.
Pierre Bensusan az. Rounder 3037 .
.Musiques. Rounder 3038.
Solilai. Rounder 3068.
Berkeley Fam1s. Folkways FA 2436.
Berkeley Out West. Arhoolic 4001.
Blind Blake: Bootleg Rum D11;.m Blues. Biograph BLP-1 2003.
Allan Block: Alive and Well and Fiddlin'. Living Folk 104.
BLOCK, RoRY.
Intoxication. Chrysalis CHR-1157.
You're the One. Chrysalis CHR-1233 .
High Heeled Blues. Rounder 3061.
Blue Horizon. Rounder 3073.
Rhinestones and Steel Strings. Rounder
Rory Block and Stefan Grossman: How to Pla y Blues Guitar. Kicking
Mule
Boys of the Lough: Lochaber No More. Philo 1031.
Big Bill Broonzy: 1930's Blues. Biograph BLP-Cl5.
Gill Bums: Aloan at Last. No Such GEB-875 1.
Howie Bursen: Cider in the Kitchen. Folk Legacy FSI-74.
Sam Chatman and the Barbecue Boys. Flying Fish.
The Chieftains #2. Claddaugh TA4.
Charlie Christian. Everest FS-2 19.
Lynn Clayton. Airship AP85.
Michael Coleman: The Legacy of Michael Coleman. Shanachie .
33002.
Contemporary Ragtime Guitar. Kicking Mule.
Reverend Gary Davis. Yazoo L-1023.
Morgan Davis: I'm Ready to Play. Bull head.
The Delmore Brothers: Brown's Ferry Blues. (County 402)
John Fahey: Old Fashioned Love. Takoma C-1043.
Archie Fischer: Man With a Rhyme. Folk Legacy FSS61.
Amos Garrett: Amos Behavin. Stony Plain.
207
Wendy Grossman: Roseville Fair. Lincoln House LHR 68001. (Avail-
able from Silo Records).
Lightnin' Hopkins. Arhoolie F1022.
Son House: The Real Delta Blues. Blue Goose 2016.
Mississippi John Hurt: 1928 Sessions. Yazoo 1065.
Blind Lemon Jefferson: 1926- 9 Vols. 1 and 2. Biograph BLP-12015.
] ENKS, GLEN .
Antidote. Bonnie Banks 102.
Background Music. Fretless 157.
The Ragtime Project. Bonnie Banks 103.
Lonnie Johnson: Mr. Johnson's Blues. Mamlish 53807.
Robert Johnson : King of the Delta Blues Singers. Columbia CL 1654
K AIRO, PETE .
Playing it Safe. Physical World PR32-006.
Hanging Out. Physical World PR32-014.
K ATZMA ' NICK.
Mississippi River Bottom Blues. Kicking Mule KM 111.
Sparkling Ragtime and Hardbitten Blues. Kicking Mule.
Jo-Anne Kelly. Blue Goose 2009.
B. B. King: Live at the Regal. ABC Paramount ABCS-509.
Leadbelly: Take This Hammer. Folkways 31019.
Colin Linden: Colin Linden Live. Ready L-1011.
Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds. Shanachie 29004.
Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry: Browny and Sonny. Everest FS-242.
Willie McTell: The Early Years. Yazoo L-1005.
ME OELSON, JoE.
Jack Frost. Boot.
Let's Party. Boot.
Melange. Amsterdam Folk Collective
Jelly Roll Morton: Piano Classics, 1923- 4. Folkways RF-47.
Old Time Fiddle Classics. County 507.
Charlie Patton: Founder of the Delta Blues. Yazoo L-1020.
Ken Perlman: Clawhammer Banjo & Fingerstyle Guitar Solos. Folkways
ITS 31098.
Andy Polon: Mad Metropolis. ADP 101 .
Malvina Reynolds: Artichokes, Griddle Cakes, and Other Good Things.
Pacific Cascades LPL-7081 .
Joshua Rifkin: Piano Rags by Scott Joplin , Vol. II. Nonesuch H-71264.
SEEG ER, PETE.
Singalong. Folkways FXM-36055.
Circles and Seasons. Warner Bros. BSK-3329.
The Bitter and the Sweet. Columbia CL-1916.
Circles and Seasons. Warner Bros. BSK-3329.
The Bitter and the Sweet. Columbia CL-1916.
Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger: Precious Friend. Warner Bros. 2BSK-3644.
208
SMITH, ]A ET.
The Unicorn. Takoma Al027.
I'm a Delightful Child. Pacific Cascades LPL-7027.
Some People Who Pla y Guitar (Like a Lot of People Don't). Kicking Mule
KM104.
Bill Steele: Chocolate Cookies. Swallowtail ST-8.
Taj Mahal: The atch'l Blues. Columbia CS-9698.
TRAUM, HAPPY.
Relax Your Mind . Kicking Mule 110.
American Stranger. Kicking Mule 301.
Bright Mornin' Stars. Greenhays GR70 3.
Friends & Neighbors. Vest Pocket VPOOI.
Happy & Artie Traum: Hard Times in the Coun try. Rounder 3007.
yA 1 Ro ·K, DAvE.
Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger. Prestige/Folklore 14012.
Dave Van Ronk Sings the Blues. Verve Folkways FVS-9006.
Just Dave Van Ronk. Mercury SR-60908.
Dave Van Ronk and the Jug Stompers. Mercury SR-60864.
Gambler's Blues. Verve Folkways FVS-90 17.
Inside Dave Van Ronk. Prestige/Folklore 14025.
Sunday Street. Philo 1036.
Somebody Else, ot Me. Philo 1065.
The Weavers: Together Again. Loom 1681.
The Woman's Guitar Workshop. Kicking Mule 139.
Bibliography
BE SUSAN, PrERRF:. Le Livre de Guitare de Pierre Bensusan. Paris: Pub-
lished by Author, 1984. (U.S. distributor-Mike Savicki, 44 Howe
St., Framingham, MA).
BLOCK, RORY A D GROSSMA ·, STEFA 1 • How to Pla y Blues Guitar.
Berkeley, CA: Kicking Mule Publishing, 1966. ·
CHRISTESON, R. P. The Old Time Fiddler's Repertory. Columbia, MO:
University of Missouri Press, 1973.
GIULIAN r, MA URO. 120 Exercises for the Right Hand. Italy: c. 1810.
Available in several editions.
]OPLit , ScoTT. Collected Piano Works. New York: New York Public Li-
brary, 1971.
LEAVITT, WILLIAi\1. A Modern Method for the Guitar, Vols. I-III. Boston:
Berklee Press, 1966, 1968, 1971.
MA , WooDY. Early Blues Guitarists. lew York: Music Sales, 1973.
"Fingerstyle Jazz lmprovization" (tape series) New York: Guitar Work-
shop Co.
NOTE: The bibliography includes listing of instructional tapes.
209
O'Neill's Music of Ireland. Chicago, 1903. Reprinted New York: Dan Col-
lins, 1973.
PERLMAN, KEN.
Clawhammer-Style Banjo. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1983.
Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes: Traditional Dance Music Arranged for Fin-
gerstyle Guitar. ew York: Chappell Music, 1978.
Fingerstyle Guitar. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1980.
Melodic Clawhammer Banjo. New York: Oak Publications, 1979.
New England and Irish Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo. New York:
Chappell, 1980.
"Clawhammer Banjo" (tape series). Woodstock, NY: Homespun Tapes.
"Clawhammer Style Banjo" (videotape series). Dunlap, IL: Video Music
Productions.
SEEGER, PETE. How to Play the 5-String Banjo. ew York: Music Sales,
1961.
SEGOVIA, ANDRES. Diatonic Major and Minor Scales. Washington, D.C.:
Columbia Music, 1953.
SHARPE, CECIL J. The English Folk Song: Some Conclusions. London:
Simpkin, 1907.
SMITH, JANET. Fingerstyle Guitar Solos. Fullerton, CA: Centerstream
Publishing, 1983.
TRAUM, HAPPY.
Fingerpicking Styles for Guitar. ew York: Oak, 1966.
The Guitar of Brownie McGhee. New York: Oak, 197 1.
Traditional and Contemporary Fingerpicking. New York: Oak, 1969.
"Fingerpicking Guitar" (tape series). Woodstock, NY. Homespun Tapes.
"Country Blues Guitar" (tapes series). Woodstock, NY. Homespun
Tapes.
"Flatpick Country Guitar" (tape series). Woodstock, NY. Homespun
Tapes.
210
A "Brown's Ferry Blues,'' 46-49 C minor scale, 11 7, 118
"Bullfrogs on Your Mind," 83-86 Coda, 42
Accidentials, 157, 158-59, 179 Burns, Gill, 115, 120-2 1 "Cold Feet Blues," 107-9
Aeolian mode. 203 Burscn, Howie, 131 Compound chord, H9, 150
All-natural-note major scale, 203 Contra-dance, I 31
All-natural-note minor scale, 203 Cooder, Ry, 155
Altered chords, I 50 Cotten, Elizabeth, 88
Altered minor scales, 157, 168
Altered scales, 127-28
c Cotton-picking, 23 (see also Pattern picking)
Country blues picking, 76-77
Alternating bass, 22, 76 "Careless Lo'·e." 69-71 Crusher, Guitar, 193
"Andy's Augmeutcd Rag," 170- 72 Carthy, Martin, 155 Curranta, I 22
Arpeggios, 82, I 07 Chatman, Sam, 174 "Curranta for Mrs. Elizabeth Murcott," 122-
Augmented chords, 168 Chieftains, The, 128 24
Choke, 28 Cut time, 131 , 173
Chord-melody, 155
B Chord progression, 116
Chord relationships, 118-19
Ballad melodies, 116 Chords: D
"Banish Misfortune," 128-30 altered, 169
Baroque lute, 148 ba rre, 33, 67 Da Capo al Fine, 18
Baroque tuning, 2 B minor, 57 Dad-gad tuning, 2, 137, 138. 155
Barre chords, 33, 67 Ct7, 82 Dance-tun e categories, 11 6
Bartley, Geoff, 21, 83-86 circle-of-fifths, 157 Davis, Cary (Reve rend), 3, 62, 76, 78, 88,
Bass, 107 compound, 149, 169 106, 170. 193
Bass line, 2, 157 dim inished seventh, 36- 37, 81 Davis, Morgan, 174
Beats, 9 dominant, 101-2, 158 D.C. al Fine, 18
Bensusan, Pierre, 147, 155 F minor, 38 Delmore, Alton, 47, 54
"Big Road Blues," 94- 96, 179 Ft, 57 Delmore, Rabon, 47
"Billy in the Lowgrouncl, ·• H0- 42 F!7, 101 Diatonic scale, 202
Blake, Blind, 3, 76, 78 major seventh, 81 Diatonic seventh chords, 117
Block, Allen, 78 modal dominant, 128 Diatonic triads, 11 7, 127, 134
Block, Rory, 75, 78- 80, 11 0, 193 movable, 33 Diminished seventh chords, 36-37,8 1, 159
Blue notes, 76, 82, 107 partial, 33. 68-69 Dominant chord, 101-2, 11 8
"Blue Railroad Train," 54-56 relationships, 118- 19 Dominant seventh chords, 102
Blue scales, 39, 76 seventh, 81 Dorian scale, 203
Blues turnaround, 69 subdominant, 101- 2 Dotted eighth, 137
B minor chord, 57 tonic, 101- 2 Dotted pairs, 134, 137
"Bonnie Charlie," 138-40 Chord symbols, 37, 57. 82. 9S. 168 Double dominant chord, 157-58, 179
Boogie break, 82 Christian, Charlie, 107 Double-stem note, 13
Boogie-woogie bass, 2, 82 Chromatic modu lations, 19-+ Double thumbing, 96
Breaks, 49 Chromatic scale, 203 Drone bass, 2, -+2, 76, 102
Broken chord, 18 Circle of fifths, 102, 103, 179, 19-+ Drop D tuning, 33
Bromberg, David, 78 Clavichord, 148 D.S. al Fine, 83
Broonzy, Big Bill, 122 Clayton, Lynn, 122-24 D.$. al ffi e poi Ia coda, 83
Brown; Willie, 110 C major scale, 11 7, 118 Dylan, Bob, 77, 83
211
E Harpsichord, 148 Measures, 9, 106
"Hesitation Blues," 98-10 I Melodic Clawhammer Bango (Perlman), 186
Eleventh chords, 149 Hopkins, Lightin', 3, 50, 83, 186 Melodic fingering patterns, 31, 144, 174
Exercises, 43, 72- 73, 143, 167, 205 1-lornpipes, 134 Melody, 2
"Hot Chesh1Uts," 160- 65 Meter, 9
House, Son, 78, 193 Metronomes, 206-7
Hurt, Mississippi john, 76, 78, 88, 89, 193 Minor keys, 119
F Minor scales, 127
"Mississippi Blues, The," 110-14
F minor chord, 38 Mitchell, Joni, 122
F! chord, 57, 101 Mixolydian scale, 203
Fahey, John, 106 Modal music, 116, 117, 137, 144, 155
Intervals:
Faro, Rachel, 193 Modal scales, 127, 203
compound, 86
Fermata, 38 Modulations, 179
gu itar, 59-60, 87
Fiddle tunes, 116, 155 chromatic, 179- 80
harmonizi ng, 61
Fingering diagrams, 16 (see also individual Morton, Jelly Roll, 96
sixths, 60, 61
tunes) Movable chords, 33
tenths, 86
Fingering patterns: Movable jazz-chord forms, 2
third voice, 61
harp effect, 31, 131
thirds, 60, 61
Finger-stretching exercise, 166- 67
Irish dance music, 155
Finger-style Guitar (Perlman), 2, 3, 7, 8, 9,
12, 17, 22, 32, 36, 50, 68, 94, 96, N
116, 124, 205
Fingerstyle jazz, 155 J Nail care, 206
Fischer, Archie, 138 Natural minor scale, 203
Flats, 203 James, Skip, 78, 193 Natural notes, 202
"Foxhunter's Jig," 130-31 )ansch, Bert, 15 5 ~ time tune, 130-31
Frandsen, Erik, 7, 186 Jazz chords, 169 Ninth chords, 149
Fretting hand: jefferson, Blind Lemon, 77, 88
barres, 14, 15 Jenks, Glenn, 147, 159
chord symbols, 14 jigs, 120 0
fingering diagrams, 16 Joe, Mendelson, 174
half barres, 14 johnson, Lonnie, I 07 O'Carolan, Tu rlough, 144
movable chords, 15 johnson, Robert, 3, 77, 186 "O'Carolan's Welcome," 144- 45
position notation, 14 Jones, Spike, 186 Octave, 202
Fretwires, 174 Joplin, Scott, 180 Open 0 tuning, 33, 79, 137
Open G tun ing, 33
Open tunings, 32-33, 155
K
G
Kairo, Pete, J, 39 p
Garcia, Jerry, 78 Katzman, Nick, 193
Garrett, Amos, 174 Kaukonen, Jorma, 98 Paley, Tom, 88
Garthwaite, Terry, 193 Kelly Jo-An ne, 106 "Paragon Rag," 180-85
"Georgia Camp Meeting," 37-38 Key signatures, 179, 204- 5 Partial barres, 169
Grace notes, 28, 29, 157 Keys, 203, 204 Partial chords, 33, 68-69, 150
double, 30 King, B. B. , 77 Passages, 13 3-34
Graham', Davy, 155 Pattern picking, 23, 25, 26
Grossman, Stefan, 78, 155, 193 Patton, Charlie, 77
Grossman, Wendy, 11 5, 138-40 L Paxton, Tom, 77
Guitar: "Philosophy Rag," 194- 200
acoustic, 151, 174 Phrygian scale, 203
"Le Voyage Pour L' lrlande," 155- 57
classical, 155, 170 "Piano Mover's Rag," 63- 65
Leadbelly, 3, 43, 50, 88
electric, 151, 174 Pickup notes, 9
Legato, 77, 107
jazz, 170 Pilkington, Francis, 122
Lewis, Furry, 88
rock, 170 Playi ng directions, 36, 37, 56, 77, 96, 15 1,
Linden, Colin, 21, 174-75
Guthrie, Woody, 77 166, 172, 174
"Living in the Country," 44-46
Lute, 148 Playing up the neck, 32-33
Lydian scale, 203 Plucking hand, 12
H advanced, 30-31
bass runs, 30- 31
H & P exercises, 142- 43 M exercises, 71-73
Hammer-on and Pull-off warmup, 124-27 harp effect, 31
Hammer-ons: McDowell, Fred, 78 thumb-index runs, 31
alternate-stri ng H, 25 McGhee, Brownie, 88, 102 "Police Dog Blues," 78- 80
double-string H, 25 Mackinnon, Rau n, 170 Polon, Andy, 170, 202
Half barre, 27, 33, 57 McLean, Don, 122 Proceed-to-coda sign, 42
Harmonic minor scale, 128 McTell, Blind Willie, 76 Pull-offs, 26
Harmonics, 2, 56-57 Mahal, Taj, 78, 95 H-P combinations, 26
octave sign (8"0) , 174 Major keys, 119
strong, 173 Major scales, 127, 203
weak, 173 Major seventh chords, 81 Q
Harmonies, choosing chords, 134 Mann, Woody, J, 106- 7
Harmony, 2- 3, 36, 133 "Mary-Joan or the Siege of Leningrad," 186- Quadruple dominant, 157
Harp-guitar, 148 92 Quick slides, 28
212
R Standard notation, 4, 168 (see also Tablature Tonic chord, 101- 2, 118
and standard notation) "Tracy's Rag," I 51 - 54
Rags, I 51, I 59 Stokes, Lowe, 140 Traum, Happy, 75, 87-93
classic, 194 Stride bass, 96-97, 98, 107 'Travelin' Man," 39- 42
Raitt, Bonnie, 78 Stride-drone bass, 97, 98 Travers, Mary, 170
Reels, 131 Subdominant chord, 101- 2, 118, 158 Travis, Merle, 77, 88
Reference marks, 16 "Sunday Street," 50, 51-54 Travis-picking, 23 (see also Pattern picking)
Relative keys, 204 Swing eight notes, 107, 140 Triads, 65, 81, 101 , 102, 11 7, 119, 133- 34
Renbourne, John, 155 "Swingin' on a Gate," 131 - 33 guitar, 66
Reprise, 150-5 1 Syncopation, 12, 24- 25 harmonizing, 66
Rhythm notation, I0, 137, 173 chord changes, 24- 25 voicings, 66
ha lf note, II Triple dominants, 157, 179
rests, II Triplets, 29, 107, 110, 137
syncopation, 12 T eight-note, 173
tied notes, II, 12 quarter-note, 173
whole note, II sixteenth-note, 173
Tablature and standard notation, 4, 8- 18:
Richardson, Dick, 122 Tristano, Lenny, 106
accent symbol, 18
Rifkin, Joshua, 180 'Trouble in Mind," 102- 5
augmented chords, 168
Roll sign (see Broken chord} Tunes, vii, 3 (see individual song titles)
broken chord, 18
Rubato, 172 Tunings, 120, 137:
choke, 17
drop D, 33
choke symbol, 17
open, 32
country blues, 17
open D, 33
Da Capo al Fine, 18
s diminished seventh chords, 37
open C, 33
~2 time, 93-94
directions, 17- 18
"Sailor's Bonnet, T he," 140 double-stem notation, 13
Scale notes, 82, 107, 117, 118 finger notes, I 2
Scales, 202-3 fretting hand, 14- 17 u
Scotch snap, 2, 137, 138 harmonics, 57
Sebastian, john, 78 harmony, 36 Up-the-neck bass notes, 32- 33
Seeger, Pete, 35, 77 meter, 9
Segno, 83 plucking hand, 12- 13
Seventh chords, 81, 107, 127, 134, 158 position notation, 32 v
Sharps, 203 reference mark, 16
Shea, Danny, 186 repeat signs, 17 Van Rank, Dave, 35, 50
Shocnbcrg, Eric, 155 rhythm notation, I0- 12 Vibrato choke, 2, 151
"Silver City Bound," 43, 88-92 simultaneous notes, 13 Virginal, 148
Simon, Paul, 122 slur signs, 16 Vocal melodies, 117
Sixteenth notes, 49 staff, 8 Voice leading, 82, 102, 150, 157, 179, 180
Sixth chords, I02, 168 symbols, 17-1 8 Voicings, 67
Slapping the strings, 2, 94 thumb notes, 12
Slide, 27 "Taylor's Twist," 133, 134- 36
half-barre, 27 Tempo, 17, 172 w
quick, 28 Terry, Sonny, 102
Slip jig, 130 Thibodeau, john, 175 Walking bass, 2, 82
Slow ai re, 117 Thirds, I02, 158 Walking-stride-drone bass, I I0
Smith, janet, 202 Thirteenth chords, 149 Watson, Doc, 77
Soloway, Michael, 7, 151 ·nlUmb fretting, 33 "Way You Look in the Dark, The," 174,
Southern fiddle tunes, 140 naumb-plucked eighth notes, 43 175-79
Staccato, 77 Time signatures, 9- 10, 106, 116 White, Bukka, 78
Staff, 8 "Tobin's Favourite, " 120-21 Wolf, Howlin', 175
213
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Advanced

Thanks to the many musicians and music lovers I've encountered

Copyright© 2003 CENTERSTREAM Publishing

Ken Perlman has been active internationally since the mid-1970s as a

He lives and works in the Boston area.

- Notes on the Accompanying CD-

2. Tablature and Standard Guitar Notation - 7

4. Alternating Bass Pieces - 35

5. The _Country Blues - 75

6. Melodic Guitar: Fiddle Tunes and Related Forms- 115

Introduction to the New Edition

To paraphrase one highly successful late-20th century ad

There's been such a wealth of interesting and challenging

How to Use this Book

As the title implies, Advanced Fingerstyle is not a book for

A New Life for Advanced Fingerstyle

Fingerstyle Guitar was probably the first book to attempt a

When I first put together this volume, I invited a number of

In alphabetical order, these guest pickers are:

In this chapter, I'll review the tablature system introduced in Fin-

In the first book, the tablature and standard notation versions of

TAB STANDARD NOTE VALUE IN

0• ~. Dotted quarter 1\/2 beats

~ d Half note 2 beats

0 0 Whole note 4 beats

Figure 2-13a Figure 2-13b

The Plucking Hand

THUMB VERSUS FINGERS

SHARING THE MELODY

Figure 2- 16a Figu re 2- 16b

POSITION NOTATION (I, II, Ill, V ... )

BARRES AND HALF BARRES

down one of the basic chord for ms shown in figure 2- 17 or intro-

CHORD FORMS MOVED UP THE NECK

Barre D7 Barre E7 Barre Am Barre C#m Barre Dm Barre Em

2 <P 2 I> 2 I> 2 2 (

Barre Am7 Barre Em7 Barre Dm7

SPECIAL FINGERING DIAGRAMS

When a note is produced by some action of the fretting hand, it is

Tempo Instructions ( ~ = 72 , d = 60)

the speed or tempo at which a tune is played can be suggested by

Other Symbols and Directions

FIRST AND SECOND ENDINGS

THE ACCENT SYMBOL

THE BROKEN CHORD

PLAYING DIRECTIONS RHYTHM NOTATION

In this chapter, I'll review much of the technical material presented in

Notes on the treble strings (strings l through 3) are played by the

. Syncopation is an important feature of fingerstyle guitar. Briefly,

SYNCOPATED CHORD CHANGES

In a hammer-on, a fretting-hand finger strikes down sharply on a

u (a) (b) (c) (d )

In a slide, notes are produced by gliding with full pressure up (or

In a choke, the pitch of a string is raised by pushing or bending that

A triplet is a group of three notes played in the space of one beat in :

Figure 3-1 9a- c

(a) (b) (c)

The Advanced Plucking Hand

In basic fingerpicking, the thumb plays bass notes on strings 4, 5, and

THE HARP EFFECT

CUTTING STRINGS SHORT

UP-THE-NECK BASS NOTES

Open Tunings In an open tuning, the guitar is actually tuned differ-