7/26/2019 DaleTurner_Tabs.pdf http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/daleturnertabspdf 1/12 DALE TURNER’S GUIDE TO ACOUSTIC ROCK GUITAR THE ULTIMATE DVD GUIDE!
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DALE TURNERrsquoS GUIDE TO
ACOUSTIC
ROCK GUITAR THE ULTIMATE DVD GUIDE
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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1 HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos
pick-style acoustic moves
2 CRASH COURSEA look at Dave Matthewsrsquo revolutionary
rhythm playing on ldquoCrash into Merdquo
3 TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking
style of James Taylor
4 CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox
fingerstyle grooves
5 THE FREEWHE ELINrsquo
STRUMMERA look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy
acoustic style
6 UNPLUGGINrsquo AT
THE CROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle
approach
7 FLEET-FINGERED
MAC-OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos
unique Travis-picking rhythms
8 TAKE THIS PAIR OF
STRINGS amp LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo
magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
9 STRUMrsquoS THE WORDExploring the elements of Pete Townshendrsquos
energetic acoustic rhythm style
10 BLUEGRASS
BARN-BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo
the great Doc Watson
1 HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos
pick-style acoustic moves
2 CRASH COURSEA look at Dave Matthewsrsquo revolutionary
rhythm playing on ldquoCrash into Merdquo
3 TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking
style of James Taylor
4 CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox
fingerstyle grooves
5 THE FR EEWHEELINrsquo
STRUMMERA look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy
acoustic style
6 UNPLUGGINrsquo AT
THE CROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle
approach
7 FL EET-FINGERE D
MAC-OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos
unique Travis-picking rhythms
8 TAKE THIS PAIR OF
STRINGS amp LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo
magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
9 STRUMrsquoS THE WORDExploring the elements of Pete Townshendrsquos
energetic acoustic rhythm style
10 BLUEGRASS
BARN-BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo
the great Doc Watson
C O N T E N T S
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HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos pick-style acoustic moves
CHAPTER
1
NEIL YOUNGrsquoS CAREER
now spans half a century and with
more than 30 albums under his
belt the Canadian born folk-rock icon has
shown time and again that hersquos adept at
wielding electrified axes (In the Sixties and
Seventies his blues-rock riffing in Buffalo
Springfield and Crazy Horse rivaled that
of Cream and Led Zeppelin profoundly
influencing Nirvana Pearl Jam and Sonic
Youth) But for many fans worldwide itrsquos
the magic that happens when Young puts a
Martin D-45 in his hands and picks through
haunting classics like ldquoNeedle and theDamage Donerdquo (from his classic 1972 album
Harvest) that has kept him in high rotation
on their play lists for decades
To grasp some of the many elements of
Youngrsquos acoustic style in this chapter wersquoll
examine how a progression based solely
upon open ldquocowboycampfirerdquo chordsmdash
like those in FIGURE 1 (D Em G C A)mdash
gets ldquostylizedrdquo with the types of techniques
Young uses in ldquoNeedlerdquo By the end of this
chapter we will have modified these basic
chords with 1) upper-register common tones
2) open-chord ornamentation and 3) Youngrsquos
ldquooutsiderdquo pickingstrumming ingredients
that should inspire you to similarly tinkerwith your own chord changes
Instead of opting for mundane ldquostalerdquo
chord sounds Young is a fan of adding
ldquocolorfulrdquo tones to his open shapesmdashas the
fancier chord names in FIGURE 2 reveal In
bar 1 of this example the simple changing
of notes along the first string mutates D to
Dsus4 and Dsus2 However itrsquos the chords
in bars 2-4 that really get the unique Young
treatment Here the fret-handrsquos ring finger
remains anchored on the note DmdashB string
third fretmdashand is played in tandem with
the open high E throughout This creates
the atmospheric and ldquomodernrdquo flavors
associated with chords like Em7 G6 Cadd2and A7sus4mdashsounds that in addition to
ldquoNeedlerdquo also enrich other Harvest tracks
like ldquoHeart of Goldrdquo
Country-tinged accompaniment moves
also figure prominently in Youngrsquos acoustic
style sounds derived in part from a guitar
approach popularized by Maybelle Carter in
the country standard ldquoWildwood Flowerrdquo In
FIGURE 3 this ldquoCarter strummingrdquo takes our
initial chord sequence a step further adding
melodic ornaments (beat threersquos hammered-on
notes performed with the fret handrsquos index finger)
and strums on beats two and four Speaking of
strumming now that wersquore getting into deeper
Young territory itrsquos worth noting that in contrastto his Seventies singersongwriter contemporaries
players like James Taylor Paul Simon and John
Denver Young is not a fingerstyle acoustic player
but rather a very inventive pick-style strummer yet
another component of his distinctive sound Hence
in tackling this example make sure you use the
alternating pick strokes as indicated
Now that wersquove got Young-style chord
enhancements under our fingers letrsquos add the
final touch to capture his ldquoNeedlerdquo vibe ldquoOutsiderdquo
pickingstrumming played with a triplet feel
groove as depicted in FIGURE 4 To cop a triplet
feel subdivide a four-beat pulse into triplets (three
evenly spaced attacks per beat) picking only the
first and last bits of each triplet grouping (countedone-uh-let two-uh-let three-uh-let four-uh-let)
with alternate down and up strokes As your pick
hand locks into this groove pay strict attention to
the note pairs indicated throughout this examplemdash
especially in bars 2ndash4 Here downstrokes strike
each chordrsquos lowest note pair while upstrokes
alternately focus on strings 2-3 and 1-2 on the
delayed (due to the triplet feel) upbeats If you
execute it properly yoursquoll almost hear a melodic line
in the upper register of each passing chord
0 0 0 0
0
D
0232
Em
022000
G
320003
C
32010
A
02220
0D
0232
FIGURE 2
D
0232
Dsus4
0233
D
0232
Dsus2
0230
0
Em7
02
2030
0
G6
32
0030
0
Cadd2
3
2030
0
A7sus4
0
2030
0
D
0232
FIGURE 3
Dsus2
let ring
0
30
= downstroke
0
230
sim
Em7
0
= upstroke
030
02
2
030
G6
3
030
00
2
030
Cadd2
3
030
A7sus4
00 2
030
=
3
FIGURE 4
D
let ring
Dsus4
02
32
02
33
D Dsus2 Em7
02
32
03
02
03
02
30
02
03
sim
G6
00
20
32
03
32
30
32
03
Cadd2
00
2
0
A7sus4
32
03
32
30
02
03
02
30
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 1
F I G 4
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TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking style of James Taylor
CHAPTER
3
IN 1968 THE BEATLES signed
a young singer-songwriter by the
name of James Taylor to their label
Apple Records releasing his self-titled
album that same year (It would be JTrsquos
only Apple album James Taylor was later
re-released by Warner Bros in 1972)
Despite his connections with the Fab
Four Taylorrsquos brand of folk-pop and unique
fingerstyle approach didnrsquot catch on until
1970 with the release of Sweet Baby James
Spearheaded by the track ldquoFire and Rainrdquo
(which reached Number Three on the
charts) Sweet Baby James put the spotlighton Taylorrsquos commanding acoustic guitar
presence That light shines just as brightly
today He recently came off the ldquoTroubadour
Reunionrdquo tour working his cedar-top SJ
model Olson acoustics while sharing the
bill with Carole King In this chapter wersquoll
examine the playing techniques in the song
that started it all ldquoFire and Rainrdquo a master-
work of chord ornamentation and pianistic
guitar sounds (Note Though Taylor plays
this song with a capo across the third fret
wersquoll forego capo-ing in this chapter)
Letrsquos kick things off by examining a sig-
nature James Taylor sound yoursquore perhaps
most familiar with the decoration of open-position chord shapes with hammered-on
pulled-off embellishments All these moves
involve fingerstyle plucking using your
thumb ( p ) index ( i ) middle ( m ) and ring ( a )
fingers as specified beneath the TAB staff
If you look at the open D chordrsquos
treatment in FIGURE 1 yoursquoll notice its
highest note Fs (first string second fret)
is sounded by a hammer-on from the open
first string Be sure to arch your fret-hand
fingers so that their tips point straight
down onto the strings You donrsquot want
your fret-handrsquos ring finger crowding the
first string and damping the effect of the
hammer-ons (and ensuing pull-offs) Allchord tones should ring clearly throughout
after theyrsquore plucked FIGURE 2 shows this
same approach applied to an open A chord
which along with D Taylor plays similarly
in this songrsquos intro and verses
In the chorus JT opts for a contrasting
accompaniment texture trading some
ornament activity for a piano-like sound
similar to FIGURE 3 a passage that features
a descending bass line (like a pianistrsquos left
hand) and upper-register chords (like a
pianistrsquos right hand) At first glance yoursquoll likely
ldquodefaultrdquo to fingering these chordsmdashD (played the
conventional way) DCs Bm11 and E7sus4mdashwith
your fret-handrsquos ring finger fixed on the second
stringrsquos third fret throughout switching around
the other fingers as needed To alleviate this finger
scrambling in these types of passages Tayloractually reverses the ldquoouterrdquo fingers traditionally
used to fret an open D shape using his index finger
to fret the highest chord tone Fs (first string
second fret) and middle finger for A (third string
second fret) This makes it possible to keep both
the middle and ring fingers planted throughout this
chord sequence
FIGURE 4 similarly depicts another ldquopianisticrdquo
portion of the chorus Here descending sixth-
string bass notes (each fretted with the middle
finger) are plucked simultaneously with notes on
the third string creating harmonious-sounding
10th intervals (a 10th is two pitches 10 scale steps
apart) Again arch your fret-hand fingers from
above to achieve maximum note clarity this time
to make room for the droning open D string struck
between the 10th intervals A sweet E7sus4-E7
move caps things off in bar 2Wersquoll conclude this chapter with FIGURE 5mdasha
full ldquoin the style ofrdquo passage that juggles Taylor-like
ornaments (on open D and A chords) with some
familiar seventh-chord sounds (E7sus4 and E7) as
well as some new shapes (Gmaj7no3) The opening
moments of this example are spiced up with sliding
triad moves on the top three strings of standard A D
and E sixth-string root barre chords Pluck the bass
notes (the open A D and E strings) that correspond
to each shape as you slide up the third string then
arpeggiate for maximum Taylor-esque tastiness
p
FIGURE 1
let ring
p = thumb m = middle finger i = index finger a = ring finger
Dsus2
mi
D
p
0
30 2
mi
Dsus2
p mi
232 0
0
D
30 2
2
FIGURE 2
p
Asus2let ring
mi
A
p
0
20 2
mi
Asus2
p mi
222 0
0
A
20 2
2
i p
FIGURE 5Alet ring
a m
0
4 6
5
i i p
D
56
a m
09 11
10
i i p
E
1011
a m
0
11 13
12
ami
p
A
()12
0
9109
p
D
mi
0
9109
0
Dsus2
m p
Asus2
32 0
3
0
mi
A
m p
Asus2
2
20 2
i p
Gmaj7(no3)
0
02
i m a p
3
03
2
m i p
E7
strum
3
30
0
E7sus4
a
2010
2
0
p strum
E7
00
02010
2010
am p
FIGURE 3
Dlet ring
i am p
DC
i am p
Bm11
0
32
2
4
32
2
i am p
E7sus4
2
30
2
0
30
ami
p
0
A
0222
FIGURE 4
m p
Glet ring
i m p
DF
i m p
E7sus4
3
40
2
20
i m p
Em7 E7sus4
0
20
0
00
020200
strummed
E7
0020100
020100
F I G 1
F I G 3
F I G 5
F I G 4
F I G 2
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p
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger
FIGURE 1
let ring Em
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 2
p
Emlet ring
0
2
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 3
i ppre-positioning of finger
Em
00
i i p
X
X 0
i
X
X 2
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5
CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox fingerstyle grooves
CHAPTER
4
EQUAL PARTS ELECTRIC
bluesman acoustic guitar phenom
and pop singer-songwriter John
Mayer is a master of numerous styles who
has garnered the respect of his musical
peers (collaborations with BB King Eric
Clapton and Buddy Guy) along with chart-
topping success His eclectic playing style
satisfies hardcore guitar heads while it
exposes a new generation of players to his
heroesmdashStevie Ray Vaughan Jimi Hendrix
and othersmdashwithout turning off his singer-
songwriter fan base
Letrsquos examine the musicianrsquos fingerstyleprowess by digging deep into the unortho-
dox fingerstyle groove of his song ldquoNeonrdquo
While Mayer originally played the song on
electric guitar on his 2001 breakthrough
album Room for Squares nowadays he com-
monly performs it on his Martin OM-28
John Mayer signature model acoustic
The groove approach Mayer uses in
ldquoNeonrdquo is (in his own words) ldquoinspired by
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunterrdquo who employs
an eight-string guitar to cover a wide range
of sonic territory and complex contrapun-
tal ideas Though we will forego detuning
in this chapter Mayer actually detunes his
sixth string down two whole steps to C inldquoNeonrdquo to emulate the low-register content
of Hunterrsquos style and alternates his pluck-
ing handrsquos index finger ( i) and thumb ( p ) to
infectious percussivesyncopated effect
Letrsquos break down the technique Mayer
uses in this song into manageable bits
applying each element to an open Em
chord Before attacking the octave shape
in FIGURE 1 position your plucking hand
over the strings almost as if yoursquore preparing
to ldquostrumrdquo themmdashnot ldquostiff-armingrdquo style
but rather with your wrist slightly bent
for a relaxed ldquorotating at the wristrdquo-type
movement donrsquot rest your hand on the
bridge or any other part of the guitarrsquos bodyNext with your thumb pointing toward the
headstock give a powerful thumb strike
(like a slap bass player) to the sixth string
pushing through it until your thumb rests
up against the fifth string (whatrsquos known
as a rest stroke ) Then hook the fourth
string with the tip of your index finger
and use a quick upward pulling motion
to sound the string The two movements
combined should feel relaxed like a down
up strum motion from a ldquolooserdquo wrist Try
doing thismdashalternating with your thumb and index
fingersmdashin an even eighth-note rhythm as written
FIGURE 2 adds the open G and B strings to the
equation which are attacked in the same manner
with the thumb and index fingers respectively
This requires the somewhat awkward move
of bringing the thumb over to hit the G string
immediately after plucking the octave shapemdashby farthe most complicated part of the entire groove
FIGURE 3 depicts the last part of this right-hand
patternmdashthe simultaneous thumb smack on the
muted sixth string indicated by an x (lightly lay
your available fret-hand fingers across the strings
to deaden them) and the preparatory touching or
ldquoplantingrdquo of your pick-hand index finger on the G
string in anticipation of the next move so you can
catch it then snap it back with a pluck FIGURE
4 puts these three bits together into Mayerrsquos
complete two-beat ldquoNeonrdquo pattern
Now wersquore ready to have some fun with this
technique You may have noticed that wersquore only
plucking strings 6 4 3 and 2 Good news Any
chord voicing that falls on these four strings can
have this groove applied to it Letrsquos first test this
theory using the various Em inversions (same notes
different low-to-high arrangement) illustrated in
FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
takes these inversions andemploys Mayerrsquos ldquoNeonrdquo groove to carry them up
and down the neck
Of course the most common chord types using
strings 6 4 3 and 2 are sixth-string-root major
and minor barre chords sevenths extended and
suspended shapesmdashsimilar flavors to what Mayer
uses in ldquoNeonrdquo Despite eschewing Mayerrsquos Drop-C
tuning the voicings in FIGURE 7mdashCm11 EfAf
Bfsus4 and G7f9Bmdashmanage to cop a similar vibe
Try carrying the ldquoNeonrdquo plucking pattern through
these and other chords
FI G 1 F I G 2 F I G 3
F I G 7
6fr
2 3 4 1
Cm11
E
A
4fr
1 4 4 4
B
sus4
6fr
T 3 4 1
G7
9B
6fr
2 1 3 4
let ring
p
Em
i p i i p
pre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i
4fr
2 1 3
Em
1
Em
8fr
2 3 1
Em
X
X
0
X
X 2
FIGURE 6Em
F I G 5F I G 4
let ring
p
FIGURE 6Em
i p i i ppre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i sim
X
X
0
X
X 2
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
0
79
8
X
X 9
X
X 9
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
F I G 6
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FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 912
FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 212
1 HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos
pick-style acoustic moves
2 CRASH COURSEA look at Dave Matthewsrsquo revolutionary
rhythm playing on ldquoCrash into Merdquo
3 TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking
style of James Taylor
4 CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox
fingerstyle grooves
5 THE FREEWHE ELINrsquo
STRUMMERA look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy
acoustic style
6 UNPLUGGINrsquo AT
THE CROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle
approach
7 FLEET-FINGERED
MAC-OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos
unique Travis-picking rhythms
8 TAKE THIS PAIR OF
STRINGS amp LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo
magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
9 STRUMrsquoS THE WORDExploring the elements of Pete Townshendrsquos
energetic acoustic rhythm style
10 BLUEGRASS
BARN-BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo
the great Doc Watson
1 HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos
pick-style acoustic moves
2 CRASH COURSEA look at Dave Matthewsrsquo revolutionary
rhythm playing on ldquoCrash into Merdquo
3 TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking
style of James Taylor
4 CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox
fingerstyle grooves
5 THE FR EEWHEELINrsquo
STRUMMERA look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy
acoustic style
6 UNPLUGGINrsquo AT
THE CROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle
approach
7 FL EET-FINGERE D
MAC-OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos
unique Travis-picking rhythms
8 TAKE THIS PAIR OF
STRINGS amp LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo
magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
9 STRUMrsquoS THE WORDExploring the elements of Pete Townshendrsquos
energetic acoustic rhythm style
10 BLUEGRASS
BARN-BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo
the great Doc Watson
C O N T E N T S
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 312
HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos pick-style acoustic moves
CHAPTER
1
NEIL YOUNGrsquoS CAREER
now spans half a century and with
more than 30 albums under his
belt the Canadian born folk-rock icon has
shown time and again that hersquos adept at
wielding electrified axes (In the Sixties and
Seventies his blues-rock riffing in Buffalo
Springfield and Crazy Horse rivaled that
of Cream and Led Zeppelin profoundly
influencing Nirvana Pearl Jam and Sonic
Youth) But for many fans worldwide itrsquos
the magic that happens when Young puts a
Martin D-45 in his hands and picks through
haunting classics like ldquoNeedle and theDamage Donerdquo (from his classic 1972 album
Harvest) that has kept him in high rotation
on their play lists for decades
To grasp some of the many elements of
Youngrsquos acoustic style in this chapter wersquoll
examine how a progression based solely
upon open ldquocowboycampfirerdquo chordsmdash
like those in FIGURE 1 (D Em G C A)mdash
gets ldquostylizedrdquo with the types of techniques
Young uses in ldquoNeedlerdquo By the end of this
chapter we will have modified these basic
chords with 1) upper-register common tones
2) open-chord ornamentation and 3) Youngrsquos
ldquooutsiderdquo pickingstrumming ingredients
that should inspire you to similarly tinkerwith your own chord changes
Instead of opting for mundane ldquostalerdquo
chord sounds Young is a fan of adding
ldquocolorfulrdquo tones to his open shapesmdashas the
fancier chord names in FIGURE 2 reveal In
bar 1 of this example the simple changing
of notes along the first string mutates D to
Dsus4 and Dsus2 However itrsquos the chords
in bars 2-4 that really get the unique Young
treatment Here the fret-handrsquos ring finger
remains anchored on the note DmdashB string
third fretmdashand is played in tandem with
the open high E throughout This creates
the atmospheric and ldquomodernrdquo flavors
associated with chords like Em7 G6 Cadd2and A7sus4mdashsounds that in addition to
ldquoNeedlerdquo also enrich other Harvest tracks
like ldquoHeart of Goldrdquo
Country-tinged accompaniment moves
also figure prominently in Youngrsquos acoustic
style sounds derived in part from a guitar
approach popularized by Maybelle Carter in
the country standard ldquoWildwood Flowerrdquo In
FIGURE 3 this ldquoCarter strummingrdquo takes our
initial chord sequence a step further adding
melodic ornaments (beat threersquos hammered-on
notes performed with the fret handrsquos index finger)
and strums on beats two and four Speaking of
strumming now that wersquore getting into deeper
Young territory itrsquos worth noting that in contrastto his Seventies singersongwriter contemporaries
players like James Taylor Paul Simon and John
Denver Young is not a fingerstyle acoustic player
but rather a very inventive pick-style strummer yet
another component of his distinctive sound Hence
in tackling this example make sure you use the
alternating pick strokes as indicated
Now that wersquove got Young-style chord
enhancements under our fingers letrsquos add the
final touch to capture his ldquoNeedlerdquo vibe ldquoOutsiderdquo
pickingstrumming played with a triplet feel
groove as depicted in FIGURE 4 To cop a triplet
feel subdivide a four-beat pulse into triplets (three
evenly spaced attacks per beat) picking only the
first and last bits of each triplet grouping (countedone-uh-let two-uh-let three-uh-let four-uh-let)
with alternate down and up strokes As your pick
hand locks into this groove pay strict attention to
the note pairs indicated throughout this examplemdash
especially in bars 2ndash4 Here downstrokes strike
each chordrsquos lowest note pair while upstrokes
alternately focus on strings 2-3 and 1-2 on the
delayed (due to the triplet feel) upbeats If you
execute it properly yoursquoll almost hear a melodic line
in the upper register of each passing chord
0 0 0 0
0
D
0232
Em
022000
G
320003
C
32010
A
02220
0D
0232
FIGURE 2
D
0232
Dsus4
0233
D
0232
Dsus2
0230
0
Em7
02
2030
0
G6
32
0030
0
Cadd2
3
2030
0
A7sus4
0
2030
0
D
0232
FIGURE 3
Dsus2
let ring
0
30
= downstroke
0
230
sim
Em7
0
= upstroke
030
02
2
030
G6
3
030
00
2
030
Cadd2
3
030
A7sus4
00 2
030
=
3
FIGURE 4
D
let ring
Dsus4
02
32
02
33
D Dsus2 Em7
02
32
03
02
03
02
30
02
03
sim
G6
00
20
32
03
32
30
32
03
Cadd2
00
2
0
A7sus4
32
03
32
30
02
03
02
30
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 1
F I G 4
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7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking style of James Taylor
CHAPTER
3
IN 1968 THE BEATLES signed
a young singer-songwriter by the
name of James Taylor to their label
Apple Records releasing his self-titled
album that same year (It would be JTrsquos
only Apple album James Taylor was later
re-released by Warner Bros in 1972)
Despite his connections with the Fab
Four Taylorrsquos brand of folk-pop and unique
fingerstyle approach didnrsquot catch on until
1970 with the release of Sweet Baby James
Spearheaded by the track ldquoFire and Rainrdquo
(which reached Number Three on the
charts) Sweet Baby James put the spotlighton Taylorrsquos commanding acoustic guitar
presence That light shines just as brightly
today He recently came off the ldquoTroubadour
Reunionrdquo tour working his cedar-top SJ
model Olson acoustics while sharing the
bill with Carole King In this chapter wersquoll
examine the playing techniques in the song
that started it all ldquoFire and Rainrdquo a master-
work of chord ornamentation and pianistic
guitar sounds (Note Though Taylor plays
this song with a capo across the third fret
wersquoll forego capo-ing in this chapter)
Letrsquos kick things off by examining a sig-
nature James Taylor sound yoursquore perhaps
most familiar with the decoration of open-position chord shapes with hammered-on
pulled-off embellishments All these moves
involve fingerstyle plucking using your
thumb ( p ) index ( i ) middle ( m ) and ring ( a )
fingers as specified beneath the TAB staff
If you look at the open D chordrsquos
treatment in FIGURE 1 yoursquoll notice its
highest note Fs (first string second fret)
is sounded by a hammer-on from the open
first string Be sure to arch your fret-hand
fingers so that their tips point straight
down onto the strings You donrsquot want
your fret-handrsquos ring finger crowding the
first string and damping the effect of the
hammer-ons (and ensuing pull-offs) Allchord tones should ring clearly throughout
after theyrsquore plucked FIGURE 2 shows this
same approach applied to an open A chord
which along with D Taylor plays similarly
in this songrsquos intro and verses
In the chorus JT opts for a contrasting
accompaniment texture trading some
ornament activity for a piano-like sound
similar to FIGURE 3 a passage that features
a descending bass line (like a pianistrsquos left
hand) and upper-register chords (like a
pianistrsquos right hand) At first glance yoursquoll likely
ldquodefaultrdquo to fingering these chordsmdashD (played the
conventional way) DCs Bm11 and E7sus4mdashwith
your fret-handrsquos ring finger fixed on the second
stringrsquos third fret throughout switching around
the other fingers as needed To alleviate this finger
scrambling in these types of passages Tayloractually reverses the ldquoouterrdquo fingers traditionally
used to fret an open D shape using his index finger
to fret the highest chord tone Fs (first string
second fret) and middle finger for A (third string
second fret) This makes it possible to keep both
the middle and ring fingers planted throughout this
chord sequence
FIGURE 4 similarly depicts another ldquopianisticrdquo
portion of the chorus Here descending sixth-
string bass notes (each fretted with the middle
finger) are plucked simultaneously with notes on
the third string creating harmonious-sounding
10th intervals (a 10th is two pitches 10 scale steps
apart) Again arch your fret-hand fingers from
above to achieve maximum note clarity this time
to make room for the droning open D string struck
between the 10th intervals A sweet E7sus4-E7
move caps things off in bar 2Wersquoll conclude this chapter with FIGURE 5mdasha
full ldquoin the style ofrdquo passage that juggles Taylor-like
ornaments (on open D and A chords) with some
familiar seventh-chord sounds (E7sus4 and E7) as
well as some new shapes (Gmaj7no3) The opening
moments of this example are spiced up with sliding
triad moves on the top three strings of standard A D
and E sixth-string root barre chords Pluck the bass
notes (the open A D and E strings) that correspond
to each shape as you slide up the third string then
arpeggiate for maximum Taylor-esque tastiness
p
FIGURE 1
let ring
p = thumb m = middle finger i = index finger a = ring finger
Dsus2
mi
D
p
0
30 2
mi
Dsus2
p mi
232 0
0
D
30 2
2
FIGURE 2
p
Asus2let ring
mi
A
p
0
20 2
mi
Asus2
p mi
222 0
0
A
20 2
2
i p
FIGURE 5Alet ring
a m
0
4 6
5
i i p
D
56
a m
09 11
10
i i p
E
1011
a m
0
11 13
12
ami
p
A
()12
0
9109
p
D
mi
0
9109
0
Dsus2
m p
Asus2
32 0
3
0
mi
A
m p
Asus2
2
20 2
i p
Gmaj7(no3)
0
02
i m a p
3
03
2
m i p
E7
strum
3
30
0
E7sus4
a
2010
2
0
p strum
E7
00
02010
2010
am p
FIGURE 3
Dlet ring
i am p
DC
i am p
Bm11
0
32
2
4
32
2
i am p
E7sus4
2
30
2
0
30
ami
p
0
A
0222
FIGURE 4
m p
Glet ring
i m p
DF
i m p
E7sus4
3
40
2
20
i m p
Em7 E7sus4
0
20
0
00
020200
strummed
E7
0020100
020100
F I G 1
F I G 3
F I G 5
F I G 4
F I G 2
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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p
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger
FIGURE 1
let ring Em
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 2
p
Emlet ring
0
2
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 3
i ppre-positioning of finger
Em
00
i i p
X
X 0
i
X
X 2
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5
CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox fingerstyle grooves
CHAPTER
4
EQUAL PARTS ELECTRIC
bluesman acoustic guitar phenom
and pop singer-songwriter John
Mayer is a master of numerous styles who
has garnered the respect of his musical
peers (collaborations with BB King Eric
Clapton and Buddy Guy) along with chart-
topping success His eclectic playing style
satisfies hardcore guitar heads while it
exposes a new generation of players to his
heroesmdashStevie Ray Vaughan Jimi Hendrix
and othersmdashwithout turning off his singer-
songwriter fan base
Letrsquos examine the musicianrsquos fingerstyleprowess by digging deep into the unortho-
dox fingerstyle groove of his song ldquoNeonrdquo
While Mayer originally played the song on
electric guitar on his 2001 breakthrough
album Room for Squares nowadays he com-
monly performs it on his Martin OM-28
John Mayer signature model acoustic
The groove approach Mayer uses in
ldquoNeonrdquo is (in his own words) ldquoinspired by
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunterrdquo who employs
an eight-string guitar to cover a wide range
of sonic territory and complex contrapun-
tal ideas Though we will forego detuning
in this chapter Mayer actually detunes his
sixth string down two whole steps to C inldquoNeonrdquo to emulate the low-register content
of Hunterrsquos style and alternates his pluck-
ing handrsquos index finger ( i) and thumb ( p ) to
infectious percussivesyncopated effect
Letrsquos break down the technique Mayer
uses in this song into manageable bits
applying each element to an open Em
chord Before attacking the octave shape
in FIGURE 1 position your plucking hand
over the strings almost as if yoursquore preparing
to ldquostrumrdquo themmdashnot ldquostiff-armingrdquo style
but rather with your wrist slightly bent
for a relaxed ldquorotating at the wristrdquo-type
movement donrsquot rest your hand on the
bridge or any other part of the guitarrsquos bodyNext with your thumb pointing toward the
headstock give a powerful thumb strike
(like a slap bass player) to the sixth string
pushing through it until your thumb rests
up against the fifth string (whatrsquos known
as a rest stroke ) Then hook the fourth
string with the tip of your index finger
and use a quick upward pulling motion
to sound the string The two movements
combined should feel relaxed like a down
up strum motion from a ldquolooserdquo wrist Try
doing thismdashalternating with your thumb and index
fingersmdashin an even eighth-note rhythm as written
FIGURE 2 adds the open G and B strings to the
equation which are attacked in the same manner
with the thumb and index fingers respectively
This requires the somewhat awkward move
of bringing the thumb over to hit the G string
immediately after plucking the octave shapemdashby farthe most complicated part of the entire groove
FIGURE 3 depicts the last part of this right-hand
patternmdashthe simultaneous thumb smack on the
muted sixth string indicated by an x (lightly lay
your available fret-hand fingers across the strings
to deaden them) and the preparatory touching or
ldquoplantingrdquo of your pick-hand index finger on the G
string in anticipation of the next move so you can
catch it then snap it back with a pluck FIGURE
4 puts these three bits together into Mayerrsquos
complete two-beat ldquoNeonrdquo pattern
Now wersquore ready to have some fun with this
technique You may have noticed that wersquore only
plucking strings 6 4 3 and 2 Good news Any
chord voicing that falls on these four strings can
have this groove applied to it Letrsquos first test this
theory using the various Em inversions (same notes
different low-to-high arrangement) illustrated in
FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
takes these inversions andemploys Mayerrsquos ldquoNeonrdquo groove to carry them up
and down the neck
Of course the most common chord types using
strings 6 4 3 and 2 are sixth-string-root major
and minor barre chords sevenths extended and
suspended shapesmdashsimilar flavors to what Mayer
uses in ldquoNeonrdquo Despite eschewing Mayerrsquos Drop-C
tuning the voicings in FIGURE 7mdashCm11 EfAf
Bfsus4 and G7f9Bmdashmanage to cop a similar vibe
Try carrying the ldquoNeonrdquo plucking pattern through
these and other chords
FI G 1 F I G 2 F I G 3
F I G 7
6fr
2 3 4 1
Cm11
E
A
4fr
1 4 4 4
B
sus4
6fr
T 3 4 1
G7
9B
6fr
2 1 3 4
let ring
p
Em
i p i i p
pre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i
4fr
2 1 3
Em
1
Em
8fr
2 3 1
Em
X
X
0
X
X 2
FIGURE 6Em
F I G 5F I G 4
let ring
p
FIGURE 6Em
i p i i ppre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i sim
X
X
0
X
X 2
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
0
79
8
X
X 9
X
X 9
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
F I G 6
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FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
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7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
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HARVESTReaping the benefits of Neil Youngrsquos pick-style acoustic moves
CHAPTER
1
NEIL YOUNGrsquoS CAREER
now spans half a century and with
more than 30 albums under his
belt the Canadian born folk-rock icon has
shown time and again that hersquos adept at
wielding electrified axes (In the Sixties and
Seventies his blues-rock riffing in Buffalo
Springfield and Crazy Horse rivaled that
of Cream and Led Zeppelin profoundly
influencing Nirvana Pearl Jam and Sonic
Youth) But for many fans worldwide itrsquos
the magic that happens when Young puts a
Martin D-45 in his hands and picks through
haunting classics like ldquoNeedle and theDamage Donerdquo (from his classic 1972 album
Harvest) that has kept him in high rotation
on their play lists for decades
To grasp some of the many elements of
Youngrsquos acoustic style in this chapter wersquoll
examine how a progression based solely
upon open ldquocowboycampfirerdquo chordsmdash
like those in FIGURE 1 (D Em G C A)mdash
gets ldquostylizedrdquo with the types of techniques
Young uses in ldquoNeedlerdquo By the end of this
chapter we will have modified these basic
chords with 1) upper-register common tones
2) open-chord ornamentation and 3) Youngrsquos
ldquooutsiderdquo pickingstrumming ingredients
that should inspire you to similarly tinkerwith your own chord changes
Instead of opting for mundane ldquostalerdquo
chord sounds Young is a fan of adding
ldquocolorfulrdquo tones to his open shapesmdashas the
fancier chord names in FIGURE 2 reveal In
bar 1 of this example the simple changing
of notes along the first string mutates D to
Dsus4 and Dsus2 However itrsquos the chords
in bars 2-4 that really get the unique Young
treatment Here the fret-handrsquos ring finger
remains anchored on the note DmdashB string
third fretmdashand is played in tandem with
the open high E throughout This creates
the atmospheric and ldquomodernrdquo flavors
associated with chords like Em7 G6 Cadd2and A7sus4mdashsounds that in addition to
ldquoNeedlerdquo also enrich other Harvest tracks
like ldquoHeart of Goldrdquo
Country-tinged accompaniment moves
also figure prominently in Youngrsquos acoustic
style sounds derived in part from a guitar
approach popularized by Maybelle Carter in
the country standard ldquoWildwood Flowerrdquo In
FIGURE 3 this ldquoCarter strummingrdquo takes our
initial chord sequence a step further adding
melodic ornaments (beat threersquos hammered-on
notes performed with the fret handrsquos index finger)
and strums on beats two and four Speaking of
strumming now that wersquore getting into deeper
Young territory itrsquos worth noting that in contrastto his Seventies singersongwriter contemporaries
players like James Taylor Paul Simon and John
Denver Young is not a fingerstyle acoustic player
but rather a very inventive pick-style strummer yet
another component of his distinctive sound Hence
in tackling this example make sure you use the
alternating pick strokes as indicated
Now that wersquove got Young-style chord
enhancements under our fingers letrsquos add the
final touch to capture his ldquoNeedlerdquo vibe ldquoOutsiderdquo
pickingstrumming played with a triplet feel
groove as depicted in FIGURE 4 To cop a triplet
feel subdivide a four-beat pulse into triplets (three
evenly spaced attacks per beat) picking only the
first and last bits of each triplet grouping (countedone-uh-let two-uh-let three-uh-let four-uh-let)
with alternate down and up strokes As your pick
hand locks into this groove pay strict attention to
the note pairs indicated throughout this examplemdash
especially in bars 2ndash4 Here downstrokes strike
each chordrsquos lowest note pair while upstrokes
alternately focus on strings 2-3 and 1-2 on the
delayed (due to the triplet feel) upbeats If you
execute it properly yoursquoll almost hear a melodic line
in the upper register of each passing chord
0 0 0 0
0
D
0232
Em
022000
G
320003
C
32010
A
02220
0D
0232
FIGURE 2
D
0232
Dsus4
0233
D
0232
Dsus2
0230
0
Em7
02
2030
0
G6
32
0030
0
Cadd2
3
2030
0
A7sus4
0
2030
0
D
0232
FIGURE 3
Dsus2
let ring
0
30
= downstroke
0
230
sim
Em7
0
= upstroke
030
02
2
030
G6
3
030
00
2
030
Cadd2
3
030
A7sus4
00 2
030
=
3
FIGURE 4
D
let ring
Dsus4
02
32
02
33
D Dsus2 Em7
02
32
03
02
03
02
30
02
03
sim
G6
00
20
32
03
32
30
32
03
Cadd2
00
2
0
A7sus4
32
03
32
30
02
03
02
30
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 1
F I G 4
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7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking style of James Taylor
CHAPTER
3
IN 1968 THE BEATLES signed
a young singer-songwriter by the
name of James Taylor to their label
Apple Records releasing his self-titled
album that same year (It would be JTrsquos
only Apple album James Taylor was later
re-released by Warner Bros in 1972)
Despite his connections with the Fab
Four Taylorrsquos brand of folk-pop and unique
fingerstyle approach didnrsquot catch on until
1970 with the release of Sweet Baby James
Spearheaded by the track ldquoFire and Rainrdquo
(which reached Number Three on the
charts) Sweet Baby James put the spotlighton Taylorrsquos commanding acoustic guitar
presence That light shines just as brightly
today He recently came off the ldquoTroubadour
Reunionrdquo tour working his cedar-top SJ
model Olson acoustics while sharing the
bill with Carole King In this chapter wersquoll
examine the playing techniques in the song
that started it all ldquoFire and Rainrdquo a master-
work of chord ornamentation and pianistic
guitar sounds (Note Though Taylor plays
this song with a capo across the third fret
wersquoll forego capo-ing in this chapter)
Letrsquos kick things off by examining a sig-
nature James Taylor sound yoursquore perhaps
most familiar with the decoration of open-position chord shapes with hammered-on
pulled-off embellishments All these moves
involve fingerstyle plucking using your
thumb ( p ) index ( i ) middle ( m ) and ring ( a )
fingers as specified beneath the TAB staff
If you look at the open D chordrsquos
treatment in FIGURE 1 yoursquoll notice its
highest note Fs (first string second fret)
is sounded by a hammer-on from the open
first string Be sure to arch your fret-hand
fingers so that their tips point straight
down onto the strings You donrsquot want
your fret-handrsquos ring finger crowding the
first string and damping the effect of the
hammer-ons (and ensuing pull-offs) Allchord tones should ring clearly throughout
after theyrsquore plucked FIGURE 2 shows this
same approach applied to an open A chord
which along with D Taylor plays similarly
in this songrsquos intro and verses
In the chorus JT opts for a contrasting
accompaniment texture trading some
ornament activity for a piano-like sound
similar to FIGURE 3 a passage that features
a descending bass line (like a pianistrsquos left
hand) and upper-register chords (like a
pianistrsquos right hand) At first glance yoursquoll likely
ldquodefaultrdquo to fingering these chordsmdashD (played the
conventional way) DCs Bm11 and E7sus4mdashwith
your fret-handrsquos ring finger fixed on the second
stringrsquos third fret throughout switching around
the other fingers as needed To alleviate this finger
scrambling in these types of passages Tayloractually reverses the ldquoouterrdquo fingers traditionally
used to fret an open D shape using his index finger
to fret the highest chord tone Fs (first string
second fret) and middle finger for A (third string
second fret) This makes it possible to keep both
the middle and ring fingers planted throughout this
chord sequence
FIGURE 4 similarly depicts another ldquopianisticrdquo
portion of the chorus Here descending sixth-
string bass notes (each fretted with the middle
finger) are plucked simultaneously with notes on
the third string creating harmonious-sounding
10th intervals (a 10th is two pitches 10 scale steps
apart) Again arch your fret-hand fingers from
above to achieve maximum note clarity this time
to make room for the droning open D string struck
between the 10th intervals A sweet E7sus4-E7
move caps things off in bar 2Wersquoll conclude this chapter with FIGURE 5mdasha
full ldquoin the style ofrdquo passage that juggles Taylor-like
ornaments (on open D and A chords) with some
familiar seventh-chord sounds (E7sus4 and E7) as
well as some new shapes (Gmaj7no3) The opening
moments of this example are spiced up with sliding
triad moves on the top three strings of standard A D
and E sixth-string root barre chords Pluck the bass
notes (the open A D and E strings) that correspond
to each shape as you slide up the third string then
arpeggiate for maximum Taylor-esque tastiness
p
FIGURE 1
let ring
p = thumb m = middle finger i = index finger a = ring finger
Dsus2
mi
D
p
0
30 2
mi
Dsus2
p mi
232 0
0
D
30 2
2
FIGURE 2
p
Asus2let ring
mi
A
p
0
20 2
mi
Asus2
p mi
222 0
0
A
20 2
2
i p
FIGURE 5Alet ring
a m
0
4 6
5
i i p
D
56
a m
09 11
10
i i p
E
1011
a m
0
11 13
12
ami
p
A
()12
0
9109
p
D
mi
0
9109
0
Dsus2
m p
Asus2
32 0
3
0
mi
A
m p
Asus2
2
20 2
i p
Gmaj7(no3)
0
02
i m a p
3
03
2
m i p
E7
strum
3
30
0
E7sus4
a
2010
2
0
p strum
E7
00
02010
2010
am p
FIGURE 3
Dlet ring
i am p
DC
i am p
Bm11
0
32
2
4
32
2
i am p
E7sus4
2
30
2
0
30
ami
p
0
A
0222
FIGURE 4
m p
Glet ring
i m p
DF
i m p
E7sus4
3
40
2
20
i m p
Em7 E7sus4
0
20
0
00
020200
strummed
E7
0020100
020100
F I G 1
F I G 3
F I G 5
F I G 4
F I G 2
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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p
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger
FIGURE 1
let ring Em
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 2
p
Emlet ring
0
2
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 3
i ppre-positioning of finger
Em
00
i i p
X
X 0
i
X
X 2
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5
CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox fingerstyle grooves
CHAPTER
4
EQUAL PARTS ELECTRIC
bluesman acoustic guitar phenom
and pop singer-songwriter John
Mayer is a master of numerous styles who
has garnered the respect of his musical
peers (collaborations with BB King Eric
Clapton and Buddy Guy) along with chart-
topping success His eclectic playing style
satisfies hardcore guitar heads while it
exposes a new generation of players to his
heroesmdashStevie Ray Vaughan Jimi Hendrix
and othersmdashwithout turning off his singer-
songwriter fan base
Letrsquos examine the musicianrsquos fingerstyleprowess by digging deep into the unortho-
dox fingerstyle groove of his song ldquoNeonrdquo
While Mayer originally played the song on
electric guitar on his 2001 breakthrough
album Room for Squares nowadays he com-
monly performs it on his Martin OM-28
John Mayer signature model acoustic
The groove approach Mayer uses in
ldquoNeonrdquo is (in his own words) ldquoinspired by
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunterrdquo who employs
an eight-string guitar to cover a wide range
of sonic territory and complex contrapun-
tal ideas Though we will forego detuning
in this chapter Mayer actually detunes his
sixth string down two whole steps to C inldquoNeonrdquo to emulate the low-register content
of Hunterrsquos style and alternates his pluck-
ing handrsquos index finger ( i) and thumb ( p ) to
infectious percussivesyncopated effect
Letrsquos break down the technique Mayer
uses in this song into manageable bits
applying each element to an open Em
chord Before attacking the octave shape
in FIGURE 1 position your plucking hand
over the strings almost as if yoursquore preparing
to ldquostrumrdquo themmdashnot ldquostiff-armingrdquo style
but rather with your wrist slightly bent
for a relaxed ldquorotating at the wristrdquo-type
movement donrsquot rest your hand on the
bridge or any other part of the guitarrsquos bodyNext with your thumb pointing toward the
headstock give a powerful thumb strike
(like a slap bass player) to the sixth string
pushing through it until your thumb rests
up against the fifth string (whatrsquos known
as a rest stroke ) Then hook the fourth
string with the tip of your index finger
and use a quick upward pulling motion
to sound the string The two movements
combined should feel relaxed like a down
up strum motion from a ldquolooserdquo wrist Try
doing thismdashalternating with your thumb and index
fingersmdashin an even eighth-note rhythm as written
FIGURE 2 adds the open G and B strings to the
equation which are attacked in the same manner
with the thumb and index fingers respectively
This requires the somewhat awkward move
of bringing the thumb over to hit the G string
immediately after plucking the octave shapemdashby farthe most complicated part of the entire groove
FIGURE 3 depicts the last part of this right-hand
patternmdashthe simultaneous thumb smack on the
muted sixth string indicated by an x (lightly lay
your available fret-hand fingers across the strings
to deaden them) and the preparatory touching or
ldquoplantingrdquo of your pick-hand index finger on the G
string in anticipation of the next move so you can
catch it then snap it back with a pluck FIGURE
4 puts these three bits together into Mayerrsquos
complete two-beat ldquoNeonrdquo pattern
Now wersquore ready to have some fun with this
technique You may have noticed that wersquore only
plucking strings 6 4 3 and 2 Good news Any
chord voicing that falls on these four strings can
have this groove applied to it Letrsquos first test this
theory using the various Em inversions (same notes
different low-to-high arrangement) illustrated in
FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
takes these inversions andemploys Mayerrsquos ldquoNeonrdquo groove to carry them up
and down the neck
Of course the most common chord types using
strings 6 4 3 and 2 are sixth-string-root major
and minor barre chords sevenths extended and
suspended shapesmdashsimilar flavors to what Mayer
uses in ldquoNeonrdquo Despite eschewing Mayerrsquos Drop-C
tuning the voicings in FIGURE 7mdashCm11 EfAf
Bfsus4 and G7f9Bmdashmanage to cop a similar vibe
Try carrying the ldquoNeonrdquo plucking pattern through
these and other chords
FI G 1 F I G 2 F I G 3
F I G 7
6fr
2 3 4 1
Cm11
E
A
4fr
1 4 4 4
B
sus4
6fr
T 3 4 1
G7
9B
6fr
2 1 3 4
let ring
p
Em
i p i i p
pre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i
4fr
2 1 3
Em
1
Em
8fr
2 3 1
Em
X
X
0
X
X 2
FIGURE 6Em
F I G 5F I G 4
let ring
p
FIGURE 6Em
i p i i ppre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i sim
X
X
0
X
X 2
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
0
79
8
X
X 9
X
X 9
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
F I G 6
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 712
FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
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7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking style of James Taylor
CHAPTER
3
IN 1968 THE BEATLES signed
a young singer-songwriter by the
name of James Taylor to their label
Apple Records releasing his self-titled
album that same year (It would be JTrsquos
only Apple album James Taylor was later
re-released by Warner Bros in 1972)
Despite his connections with the Fab
Four Taylorrsquos brand of folk-pop and unique
fingerstyle approach didnrsquot catch on until
1970 with the release of Sweet Baby James
Spearheaded by the track ldquoFire and Rainrdquo
(which reached Number Three on the
charts) Sweet Baby James put the spotlighton Taylorrsquos commanding acoustic guitar
presence That light shines just as brightly
today He recently came off the ldquoTroubadour
Reunionrdquo tour working his cedar-top SJ
model Olson acoustics while sharing the
bill with Carole King In this chapter wersquoll
examine the playing techniques in the song
that started it all ldquoFire and Rainrdquo a master-
work of chord ornamentation and pianistic
guitar sounds (Note Though Taylor plays
this song with a capo across the third fret
wersquoll forego capo-ing in this chapter)
Letrsquos kick things off by examining a sig-
nature James Taylor sound yoursquore perhaps
most familiar with the decoration of open-position chord shapes with hammered-on
pulled-off embellishments All these moves
involve fingerstyle plucking using your
thumb ( p ) index ( i ) middle ( m ) and ring ( a )
fingers as specified beneath the TAB staff
If you look at the open D chordrsquos
treatment in FIGURE 1 yoursquoll notice its
highest note Fs (first string second fret)
is sounded by a hammer-on from the open
first string Be sure to arch your fret-hand
fingers so that their tips point straight
down onto the strings You donrsquot want
your fret-handrsquos ring finger crowding the
first string and damping the effect of the
hammer-ons (and ensuing pull-offs) Allchord tones should ring clearly throughout
after theyrsquore plucked FIGURE 2 shows this
same approach applied to an open A chord
which along with D Taylor plays similarly
in this songrsquos intro and verses
In the chorus JT opts for a contrasting
accompaniment texture trading some
ornament activity for a piano-like sound
similar to FIGURE 3 a passage that features
a descending bass line (like a pianistrsquos left
hand) and upper-register chords (like a
pianistrsquos right hand) At first glance yoursquoll likely
ldquodefaultrdquo to fingering these chordsmdashD (played the
conventional way) DCs Bm11 and E7sus4mdashwith
your fret-handrsquos ring finger fixed on the second
stringrsquos third fret throughout switching around
the other fingers as needed To alleviate this finger
scrambling in these types of passages Tayloractually reverses the ldquoouterrdquo fingers traditionally
used to fret an open D shape using his index finger
to fret the highest chord tone Fs (first string
second fret) and middle finger for A (third string
second fret) This makes it possible to keep both
the middle and ring fingers planted throughout this
chord sequence
FIGURE 4 similarly depicts another ldquopianisticrdquo
portion of the chorus Here descending sixth-
string bass notes (each fretted with the middle
finger) are plucked simultaneously with notes on
the third string creating harmonious-sounding
10th intervals (a 10th is two pitches 10 scale steps
apart) Again arch your fret-hand fingers from
above to achieve maximum note clarity this time
to make room for the droning open D string struck
between the 10th intervals A sweet E7sus4-E7
move caps things off in bar 2Wersquoll conclude this chapter with FIGURE 5mdasha
full ldquoin the style ofrdquo passage that juggles Taylor-like
ornaments (on open D and A chords) with some
familiar seventh-chord sounds (E7sus4 and E7) as
well as some new shapes (Gmaj7no3) The opening
moments of this example are spiced up with sliding
triad moves on the top three strings of standard A D
and E sixth-string root barre chords Pluck the bass
notes (the open A D and E strings) that correspond
to each shape as you slide up the third string then
arpeggiate for maximum Taylor-esque tastiness
p
FIGURE 1
let ring
p = thumb m = middle finger i = index finger a = ring finger
Dsus2
mi
D
p
0
30 2
mi
Dsus2
p mi
232 0
0
D
30 2
2
FIGURE 2
p
Asus2let ring
mi
A
p
0
20 2
mi
Asus2
p mi
222 0
0
A
20 2
2
i p
FIGURE 5Alet ring
a m
0
4 6
5
i i p
D
56
a m
09 11
10
i i p
E
1011
a m
0
11 13
12
ami
p
A
()12
0
9109
p
D
mi
0
9109
0
Dsus2
m p
Asus2
32 0
3
0
mi
A
m p
Asus2
2
20 2
i p
Gmaj7(no3)
0
02
i m a p
3
03
2
m i p
E7
strum
3
30
0
E7sus4
a
2010
2
0
p strum
E7
00
02010
2010
am p
FIGURE 3
Dlet ring
i am p
DC
i am p
Bm11
0
32
2
4
32
2
i am p
E7sus4
2
30
2
0
30
ami
p
0
A
0222
FIGURE 4
m p
Glet ring
i m p
DF
i m p
E7sus4
3
40
2
20
i m p
Em7 E7sus4
0
20
0
00
020200
strummed
E7
0020100
020100
F I G 1
F I G 3
F I G 5
F I G 4
F I G 2
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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p
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger
FIGURE 1
let ring Em
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 2
p
Emlet ring
0
2
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 3
i ppre-positioning of finger
Em
00
i i p
X
X 0
i
X
X 2
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5
CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox fingerstyle grooves
CHAPTER
4
EQUAL PARTS ELECTRIC
bluesman acoustic guitar phenom
and pop singer-songwriter John
Mayer is a master of numerous styles who
has garnered the respect of his musical
peers (collaborations with BB King Eric
Clapton and Buddy Guy) along with chart-
topping success His eclectic playing style
satisfies hardcore guitar heads while it
exposes a new generation of players to his
heroesmdashStevie Ray Vaughan Jimi Hendrix
and othersmdashwithout turning off his singer-
songwriter fan base
Letrsquos examine the musicianrsquos fingerstyleprowess by digging deep into the unortho-
dox fingerstyle groove of his song ldquoNeonrdquo
While Mayer originally played the song on
electric guitar on his 2001 breakthrough
album Room for Squares nowadays he com-
monly performs it on his Martin OM-28
John Mayer signature model acoustic
The groove approach Mayer uses in
ldquoNeonrdquo is (in his own words) ldquoinspired by
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunterrdquo who employs
an eight-string guitar to cover a wide range
of sonic territory and complex contrapun-
tal ideas Though we will forego detuning
in this chapter Mayer actually detunes his
sixth string down two whole steps to C inldquoNeonrdquo to emulate the low-register content
of Hunterrsquos style and alternates his pluck-
ing handrsquos index finger ( i) and thumb ( p ) to
infectious percussivesyncopated effect
Letrsquos break down the technique Mayer
uses in this song into manageable bits
applying each element to an open Em
chord Before attacking the octave shape
in FIGURE 1 position your plucking hand
over the strings almost as if yoursquore preparing
to ldquostrumrdquo themmdashnot ldquostiff-armingrdquo style
but rather with your wrist slightly bent
for a relaxed ldquorotating at the wristrdquo-type
movement donrsquot rest your hand on the
bridge or any other part of the guitarrsquos bodyNext with your thumb pointing toward the
headstock give a powerful thumb strike
(like a slap bass player) to the sixth string
pushing through it until your thumb rests
up against the fifth string (whatrsquos known
as a rest stroke ) Then hook the fourth
string with the tip of your index finger
and use a quick upward pulling motion
to sound the string The two movements
combined should feel relaxed like a down
up strum motion from a ldquolooserdquo wrist Try
doing thismdashalternating with your thumb and index
fingersmdashin an even eighth-note rhythm as written
FIGURE 2 adds the open G and B strings to the
equation which are attacked in the same manner
with the thumb and index fingers respectively
This requires the somewhat awkward move
of bringing the thumb over to hit the G string
immediately after plucking the octave shapemdashby farthe most complicated part of the entire groove
FIGURE 3 depicts the last part of this right-hand
patternmdashthe simultaneous thumb smack on the
muted sixth string indicated by an x (lightly lay
your available fret-hand fingers across the strings
to deaden them) and the preparatory touching or
ldquoplantingrdquo of your pick-hand index finger on the G
string in anticipation of the next move so you can
catch it then snap it back with a pluck FIGURE
4 puts these three bits together into Mayerrsquos
complete two-beat ldquoNeonrdquo pattern
Now wersquore ready to have some fun with this
technique You may have noticed that wersquore only
plucking strings 6 4 3 and 2 Good news Any
chord voicing that falls on these four strings can
have this groove applied to it Letrsquos first test this
theory using the various Em inversions (same notes
different low-to-high arrangement) illustrated in
FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
takes these inversions andemploys Mayerrsquos ldquoNeonrdquo groove to carry them up
and down the neck
Of course the most common chord types using
strings 6 4 3 and 2 are sixth-string-root major
and minor barre chords sevenths extended and
suspended shapesmdashsimilar flavors to what Mayer
uses in ldquoNeonrdquo Despite eschewing Mayerrsquos Drop-C
tuning the voicings in FIGURE 7mdashCm11 EfAf
Bfsus4 and G7f9Bmdashmanage to cop a similar vibe
Try carrying the ldquoNeonrdquo plucking pattern through
these and other chords
FI G 1 F I G 2 F I G 3
F I G 7
6fr
2 3 4 1
Cm11
E
A
4fr
1 4 4 4
B
sus4
6fr
T 3 4 1
G7
9B
6fr
2 1 3 4
let ring
p
Em
i p i i p
pre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i
4fr
2 1 3
Em
1
Em
8fr
2 3 1
Em
X
X
0
X
X 2
FIGURE 6Em
F I G 5F I G 4
let ring
p
FIGURE 6Em
i p i i ppre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i sim
X
X
0
X
X 2
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
0
79
8
X
X 9
X
X 9
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
F I G 6
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 512
TAYLOR MADETackling the timeless sweet fingerpicking style of James Taylor
CHAPTER
3
IN 1968 THE BEATLES signed
a young singer-songwriter by the
name of James Taylor to their label
Apple Records releasing his self-titled
album that same year (It would be JTrsquos
only Apple album James Taylor was later
re-released by Warner Bros in 1972)
Despite his connections with the Fab
Four Taylorrsquos brand of folk-pop and unique
fingerstyle approach didnrsquot catch on until
1970 with the release of Sweet Baby James
Spearheaded by the track ldquoFire and Rainrdquo
(which reached Number Three on the
charts) Sweet Baby James put the spotlighton Taylorrsquos commanding acoustic guitar
presence That light shines just as brightly
today He recently came off the ldquoTroubadour
Reunionrdquo tour working his cedar-top SJ
model Olson acoustics while sharing the
bill with Carole King In this chapter wersquoll
examine the playing techniques in the song
that started it all ldquoFire and Rainrdquo a master-
work of chord ornamentation and pianistic
guitar sounds (Note Though Taylor plays
this song with a capo across the third fret
wersquoll forego capo-ing in this chapter)
Letrsquos kick things off by examining a sig-
nature James Taylor sound yoursquore perhaps
most familiar with the decoration of open-position chord shapes with hammered-on
pulled-off embellishments All these moves
involve fingerstyle plucking using your
thumb ( p ) index ( i ) middle ( m ) and ring ( a )
fingers as specified beneath the TAB staff
If you look at the open D chordrsquos
treatment in FIGURE 1 yoursquoll notice its
highest note Fs (first string second fret)
is sounded by a hammer-on from the open
first string Be sure to arch your fret-hand
fingers so that their tips point straight
down onto the strings You donrsquot want
your fret-handrsquos ring finger crowding the
first string and damping the effect of the
hammer-ons (and ensuing pull-offs) Allchord tones should ring clearly throughout
after theyrsquore plucked FIGURE 2 shows this
same approach applied to an open A chord
which along with D Taylor plays similarly
in this songrsquos intro and verses
In the chorus JT opts for a contrasting
accompaniment texture trading some
ornament activity for a piano-like sound
similar to FIGURE 3 a passage that features
a descending bass line (like a pianistrsquos left
hand) and upper-register chords (like a
pianistrsquos right hand) At first glance yoursquoll likely
ldquodefaultrdquo to fingering these chordsmdashD (played the
conventional way) DCs Bm11 and E7sus4mdashwith
your fret-handrsquos ring finger fixed on the second
stringrsquos third fret throughout switching around
the other fingers as needed To alleviate this finger
scrambling in these types of passages Tayloractually reverses the ldquoouterrdquo fingers traditionally
used to fret an open D shape using his index finger
to fret the highest chord tone Fs (first string
second fret) and middle finger for A (third string
second fret) This makes it possible to keep both
the middle and ring fingers planted throughout this
chord sequence
FIGURE 4 similarly depicts another ldquopianisticrdquo
portion of the chorus Here descending sixth-
string bass notes (each fretted with the middle
finger) are plucked simultaneously with notes on
the third string creating harmonious-sounding
10th intervals (a 10th is two pitches 10 scale steps
apart) Again arch your fret-hand fingers from
above to achieve maximum note clarity this time
to make room for the droning open D string struck
between the 10th intervals A sweet E7sus4-E7
move caps things off in bar 2Wersquoll conclude this chapter with FIGURE 5mdasha
full ldquoin the style ofrdquo passage that juggles Taylor-like
ornaments (on open D and A chords) with some
familiar seventh-chord sounds (E7sus4 and E7) as
well as some new shapes (Gmaj7no3) The opening
moments of this example are spiced up with sliding
triad moves on the top three strings of standard A D
and E sixth-string root barre chords Pluck the bass
notes (the open A D and E strings) that correspond
to each shape as you slide up the third string then
arpeggiate for maximum Taylor-esque tastiness
p
FIGURE 1
let ring
p = thumb m = middle finger i = index finger a = ring finger
Dsus2
mi
D
p
0
30 2
mi
Dsus2
p mi
232 0
0
D
30 2
2
FIGURE 2
p
Asus2let ring
mi
A
p
0
20 2
mi
Asus2
p mi
222 0
0
A
20 2
2
i p
FIGURE 5Alet ring
a m
0
4 6
5
i i p
D
56
a m
09 11
10
i i p
E
1011
a m
0
11 13
12
ami
p
A
()12
0
9109
p
D
mi
0
9109
0
Dsus2
m p
Asus2
32 0
3
0
mi
A
m p
Asus2
2
20 2
i p
Gmaj7(no3)
0
02
i m a p
3
03
2
m i p
E7
strum
3
30
0
E7sus4
a
2010
2
0
p strum
E7
00
02010
2010
am p
FIGURE 3
Dlet ring
i am p
DC
i am p
Bm11
0
32
2
4
32
2
i am p
E7sus4
2
30
2
0
30
ami
p
0
A
0222
FIGURE 4
m p
Glet ring
i m p
DF
i m p
E7sus4
3
40
2
20
i m p
Em7 E7sus4
0
20
0
00
020200
strummed
E7
0020100
020100
F I G 1
F I G 3
F I G 5
F I G 4
F I G 2
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 612
p
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger
FIGURE 1
let ring Em
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 2
p
Emlet ring
0
2
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 3
i ppre-positioning of finger
Em
00
i i p
X
X 0
i
X
X 2
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5
CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox fingerstyle grooves
CHAPTER
4
EQUAL PARTS ELECTRIC
bluesman acoustic guitar phenom
and pop singer-songwriter John
Mayer is a master of numerous styles who
has garnered the respect of his musical
peers (collaborations with BB King Eric
Clapton and Buddy Guy) along with chart-
topping success His eclectic playing style
satisfies hardcore guitar heads while it
exposes a new generation of players to his
heroesmdashStevie Ray Vaughan Jimi Hendrix
and othersmdashwithout turning off his singer-
songwriter fan base
Letrsquos examine the musicianrsquos fingerstyleprowess by digging deep into the unortho-
dox fingerstyle groove of his song ldquoNeonrdquo
While Mayer originally played the song on
electric guitar on his 2001 breakthrough
album Room for Squares nowadays he com-
monly performs it on his Martin OM-28
John Mayer signature model acoustic
The groove approach Mayer uses in
ldquoNeonrdquo is (in his own words) ldquoinspired by
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunterrdquo who employs
an eight-string guitar to cover a wide range
of sonic territory and complex contrapun-
tal ideas Though we will forego detuning
in this chapter Mayer actually detunes his
sixth string down two whole steps to C inldquoNeonrdquo to emulate the low-register content
of Hunterrsquos style and alternates his pluck-
ing handrsquos index finger ( i) and thumb ( p ) to
infectious percussivesyncopated effect
Letrsquos break down the technique Mayer
uses in this song into manageable bits
applying each element to an open Em
chord Before attacking the octave shape
in FIGURE 1 position your plucking hand
over the strings almost as if yoursquore preparing
to ldquostrumrdquo themmdashnot ldquostiff-armingrdquo style
but rather with your wrist slightly bent
for a relaxed ldquorotating at the wristrdquo-type
movement donrsquot rest your hand on the
bridge or any other part of the guitarrsquos bodyNext with your thumb pointing toward the
headstock give a powerful thumb strike
(like a slap bass player) to the sixth string
pushing through it until your thumb rests
up against the fifth string (whatrsquos known
as a rest stroke ) Then hook the fourth
string with the tip of your index finger
and use a quick upward pulling motion
to sound the string The two movements
combined should feel relaxed like a down
up strum motion from a ldquolooserdquo wrist Try
doing thismdashalternating with your thumb and index
fingersmdashin an even eighth-note rhythm as written
FIGURE 2 adds the open G and B strings to the
equation which are attacked in the same manner
with the thumb and index fingers respectively
This requires the somewhat awkward move
of bringing the thumb over to hit the G string
immediately after plucking the octave shapemdashby farthe most complicated part of the entire groove
FIGURE 3 depicts the last part of this right-hand
patternmdashthe simultaneous thumb smack on the
muted sixth string indicated by an x (lightly lay
your available fret-hand fingers across the strings
to deaden them) and the preparatory touching or
ldquoplantingrdquo of your pick-hand index finger on the G
string in anticipation of the next move so you can
catch it then snap it back with a pluck FIGURE
4 puts these three bits together into Mayerrsquos
complete two-beat ldquoNeonrdquo pattern
Now wersquore ready to have some fun with this
technique You may have noticed that wersquore only
plucking strings 6 4 3 and 2 Good news Any
chord voicing that falls on these four strings can
have this groove applied to it Letrsquos first test this
theory using the various Em inversions (same notes
different low-to-high arrangement) illustrated in
FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
takes these inversions andemploys Mayerrsquos ldquoNeonrdquo groove to carry them up
and down the neck
Of course the most common chord types using
strings 6 4 3 and 2 are sixth-string-root major
and minor barre chords sevenths extended and
suspended shapesmdashsimilar flavors to what Mayer
uses in ldquoNeonrdquo Despite eschewing Mayerrsquos Drop-C
tuning the voicings in FIGURE 7mdashCm11 EfAf
Bfsus4 and G7f9Bmdashmanage to cop a similar vibe
Try carrying the ldquoNeonrdquo plucking pattern through
these and other chords
FI G 1 F I G 2 F I G 3
F I G 7
6fr
2 3 4 1
Cm11
E
A
4fr
1 4 4 4
B
sus4
6fr
T 3 4 1
G7
9B
6fr
2 1 3 4
let ring
p
Em
i p i i p
pre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i
4fr
2 1 3
Em
1
Em
8fr
2 3 1
Em
X
X
0
X
X 2
FIGURE 6Em
F I G 5F I G 4
let ring
p
FIGURE 6Em
i p i i ppre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i sim
X
X
0
X
X 2
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
0
79
8
X
X 9
X
X 9
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
F I G 6
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 712
FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 612
p
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger
FIGURE 1
let ring Em
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 2
p
Emlet ring
0
2
i p
0
2
i
FIGURE 3
i ppre-positioning of finger
Em
00
i i p
X
X 0
i
X
X 2
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 5
CAPTAIN NEONDissecting John Mayerrsquos unorthodox fingerstyle grooves
CHAPTER
4
EQUAL PARTS ELECTRIC
bluesman acoustic guitar phenom
and pop singer-songwriter John
Mayer is a master of numerous styles who
has garnered the respect of his musical
peers (collaborations with BB King Eric
Clapton and Buddy Guy) along with chart-
topping success His eclectic playing style
satisfies hardcore guitar heads while it
exposes a new generation of players to his
heroesmdashStevie Ray Vaughan Jimi Hendrix
and othersmdashwithout turning off his singer-
songwriter fan base
Letrsquos examine the musicianrsquos fingerstyleprowess by digging deep into the unortho-
dox fingerstyle groove of his song ldquoNeonrdquo
While Mayer originally played the song on
electric guitar on his 2001 breakthrough
album Room for Squares nowadays he com-
monly performs it on his Martin OM-28
John Mayer signature model acoustic
The groove approach Mayer uses in
ldquoNeonrdquo is (in his own words) ldquoinspired by
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunterrdquo who employs
an eight-string guitar to cover a wide range
of sonic territory and complex contrapun-
tal ideas Though we will forego detuning
in this chapter Mayer actually detunes his
sixth string down two whole steps to C inldquoNeonrdquo to emulate the low-register content
of Hunterrsquos style and alternates his pluck-
ing handrsquos index finger ( i) and thumb ( p ) to
infectious percussivesyncopated effect
Letrsquos break down the technique Mayer
uses in this song into manageable bits
applying each element to an open Em
chord Before attacking the octave shape
in FIGURE 1 position your plucking hand
over the strings almost as if yoursquore preparing
to ldquostrumrdquo themmdashnot ldquostiff-armingrdquo style
but rather with your wrist slightly bent
for a relaxed ldquorotating at the wristrdquo-type
movement donrsquot rest your hand on the
bridge or any other part of the guitarrsquos bodyNext with your thumb pointing toward the
headstock give a powerful thumb strike
(like a slap bass player) to the sixth string
pushing through it until your thumb rests
up against the fifth string (whatrsquos known
as a rest stroke ) Then hook the fourth
string with the tip of your index finger
and use a quick upward pulling motion
to sound the string The two movements
combined should feel relaxed like a down
up strum motion from a ldquolooserdquo wrist Try
doing thismdashalternating with your thumb and index
fingersmdashin an even eighth-note rhythm as written
FIGURE 2 adds the open G and B strings to the
equation which are attacked in the same manner
with the thumb and index fingers respectively
This requires the somewhat awkward move
of bringing the thumb over to hit the G string
immediately after plucking the octave shapemdashby farthe most complicated part of the entire groove
FIGURE 3 depicts the last part of this right-hand
patternmdashthe simultaneous thumb smack on the
muted sixth string indicated by an x (lightly lay
your available fret-hand fingers across the strings
to deaden them) and the preparatory touching or
ldquoplantingrdquo of your pick-hand index finger on the G
string in anticipation of the next move so you can
catch it then snap it back with a pluck FIGURE
4 puts these three bits together into Mayerrsquos
complete two-beat ldquoNeonrdquo pattern
Now wersquore ready to have some fun with this
technique You may have noticed that wersquore only
plucking strings 6 4 3 and 2 Good news Any
chord voicing that falls on these four strings can
have this groove applied to it Letrsquos first test this
theory using the various Em inversions (same notes
different low-to-high arrangement) illustrated in
FIGURE 5 FIGURE 6
takes these inversions andemploys Mayerrsquos ldquoNeonrdquo groove to carry them up
and down the neck
Of course the most common chord types using
strings 6 4 3 and 2 are sixth-string-root major
and minor barre chords sevenths extended and
suspended shapesmdashsimilar flavors to what Mayer
uses in ldquoNeonrdquo Despite eschewing Mayerrsquos Drop-C
tuning the voicings in FIGURE 7mdashCm11 EfAf
Bfsus4 and G7f9Bmdashmanage to cop a similar vibe
Try carrying the ldquoNeonrdquo plucking pattern through
these and other chords
FI G 1 F I G 2 F I G 3
F I G 7
6fr
2 3 4 1
Cm11
E
A
4fr
1 4 4 4
B
sus4
6fr
T 3 4 1
G7
9B
6fr
2 1 3 4
let ring
p
Em
i p i i p
pre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i
4fr
2 1 3
Em
1
Em
8fr
2 3 1
Em
X
X
0
X
X 2
FIGURE 6Em
F I G 5F I G 4
let ring
p
FIGURE 6Em
i p i i ppre-positioning of finger
0
20
0
i i p
i sim
X
X
0
X
X 2
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
0
79
8
X
X 9
X
X 9
0
54
5
X
X 4
X
X 5
F I G 6
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 712
FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 712
FIGURE 1
0
G
320003
= downstroke
0
C
3201
0
= upstroke
Csus2B
2001
0
DA
00232
0Th
DF
X2
0232
0
G
320003
FIGURE 2
let ring G
3
000
3
3
000
3
sim
C
3201
Csus2B
2001
DA
0023
2
Th
DF
2
023
2
G
3
000
3
3
000
3
FIGURE 3
Glet ring
3
0003
003
3
sim
C
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
Th
DF
0232
232
2
G
0232
232
3
0003
003
3
0003
003
FIGURE 4
let ring
G
3
0003
C
3
003
0003
003
3
Csus2B
201
01
2
DA
001
01
0
D
0232
232
0
DF
Th
2
G
3
0003
0
3
0003
003
THE FREEWHEELINrsquo STRUMMER A look at Bob Dylanrsquos relaxed and groovy acoustic style
CHAPTER
5
IN THE EARLY Sixties Bob
Dylan lit up the hipster folk music
scene in New York Cityrsquos Greenwich
Village with socially-conscious poetic and
often politically-charged lyrics memorable
melodies and tons of attitudemdashall supported
by understated (yet deceptively intricate)
guitar playing Back then Dylanrsquos penchant
for penning ldquoanthems of peacerdquo prompted
journalists to refer to him as a protest singer
(Furthermore songs like ldquoThe Times They
Are A-Changinrsquo rdquo and ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo
were adopted as anthems by civil rights and
anti-war activists) But Dylan would havelasting appeal even in mellower times Today
more than 60 years into his career the singer-
songwriter is still going strong even recently
receiving the Pulitzer Prize for his ldquoprofound
impact on popular music and American
culture marked by lyrical compositions of
extraordinary poetic powerrdquo
In this chapter wersquoll focus on country
folk-like strumming in the style of ldquoBlowinrsquo
in the Windrdquo the opening track on Dylanrsquos
second studio album The Freewheelinrsquo Bob
Dylan released in May 1963 and his first hit
While the original version has Dylan playing
with a capo at the seventh fret various other
performancesmdashclips on Martin ScorsesersquosDylan documentary No Direction Home for
examplemdashshow him playing with a capo in
different positions or with none Hence we
will forego the capo for this chapter
Before we get started herersquos a little
commentary Overly ldquotechniquerdquo-minded
guitarists often donrsquot ldquogetrdquo what Dylan
is about as a player many have a hard
time recognizing andor appreciating the
subtleties of his style For starters Dylanrsquos
pick-style acoustic playing always sounds
very natural relaxed and spontaneous (In
ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo hersquos also singing
and blowing harmonica while playing
guitar) With the goal of sounding ldquorelaxedand groovyrdquo in mind to help the chops-
obsessed cop the right vibe each figure will
include a technical explanation of how to
not sound technical But first get a grip on
the open G C Csus2B DA DFs and G
shapes in FIGURE 1
The first Dylanesque element wersquoll tackle
is the ldquoboom-chick boom-chickrdquo move in
FIGURE 2mdashpicking the bass notes on ldquoonerdquo
and ldquotwordquo and alternately strumming the
remaining upper notes of each chord with
a downstroke on the ldquoandrdquo of each beat As you
pick through implement our first ldquonon-technicalrdquo
tip Pick a little lighter than you ordinarily might
so that all the subtleties and nuances of your pick
handrsquos dynamics come out Also donrsquot squeeze
your pick tightly hold it relatively loose (the pick
should just be ldquosittingrdquo in your hand in a relaxed
grip) so that as you rake the pick across the stringsa little extra percussive ldquoclickrdquo accompanies your
strums Yoursquoll find the combination of these two
small things makes a big difference in producing an
airier more ldquoopenrdquo acoustic sound
Now letrsquos add double strumming to the picturemdash
hitting the notes in the upper register of each chord
twice (two eighth notes) using a down-up strum
after each bass note as in FIGURE 3 Due to some
of the upstrokes occurring right before each chord
change you may find it tricky to redeploy your
fret-hand fingers to the next chord shape in time
But fret not Herersquos another ldquoanti-techniquerdquo tip
Itrsquos perfectly okay to lift your fingers off the strings
on that last eighth-note strum before each chord
change (without modifying your strumming) This
will allow you ample time to reposition them while
at the same time (as your pick hand is still grooving
along) causing the top three or four open strings
to ring briefly These ldquoall-purpose passing chordsrdquoare part of what makes passages like this one sound
natural relaxed and ldquoDylanrdquo-like
FIGURE 4 is a spontaneous-sounding mixture
of all the ldquoBlowinrsquo in the Windrdquo elements wersquove
just examinedmdashquarter-note bass notes and chord
strums interspersed with down-up eighth-note
strumsmdashas well as a more active ldquobassrdquo part and a
touch of ornamentation (hammering-on to the root
of the G chord from the open sixth string) Now all
thatrsquos missing is your voice and harmonica as you
strum along
F I G 1
F I G 2
F I G 3
F I G 4
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 912
FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
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UNPLUGGINrsquo AT THECROSSROADSEric Claptonrsquos smooth acoustic fingerstyle approach
CHAPTER
6
ERIC CLAPTONrsquoS SIXTIES
work with John Mayallrsquos
Bluesbreakers Cream and Blind
Faith established him as a pioneer of modern
electric blues and rock guitar Dubbed ldquoSlow
Handrdquo in his early days (a reference to his
tasty blues phrasing as well as the speedmdashor
lack thereofmdashwith which he changed strings
onstage) Clapton began to branch out on
his own in the Seventies following his now
legendary recording with Derek and the
Dominos As a solo artist he cut such classic
rock staples as ldquoLay Down Sallyrdquo and ldquoI Shot
the Sheriffrdquo while in the Eighties his musicwas featured in movies (1984rsquos The Hit and
1987rsquos Lethal Weapon ) and commercials
(ldquoAfter Midnightrdquo for Michelob in 1987)
Then to the surprise of many at
the height of the electric guitar herorsquos
popularity Clapton put down his signature
Strat and performed on MTVrsquos live show
Unplugged a concert that premiered on the
network in March 1992 and was released
on CD the following August The album
which included the somber ldquoTears in
Heavenrdquo (written in tribute to the memory
of Claptonrsquos five-year-old son) received a
Grammy for Album of the Year and quickly
climbed to Number One on the Billboard charts The Nineties also saw Clapton
contibute ldquoChange the Worldrdquo another
classic acoustic moment to the soundtrack
to the movie Phenomenon While Clapton
is still going strong today playing both
electric and acoustic it is his particularly
ldquounpluggedrdquo era that wersquoll focus on in this
chapter
ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo opens with one of the
most recognizable acoustic guitar intros of
all time a passage kicked off with an open-
A-chord move involving hammer-ons and
pull-offs to and from the chordrsquos sus4 tone
(D third fret B string) FIGURE 1 illustrates
a similar approach applied to both the Aand open E shapes For the A barre across
strings 2 through 4 with your index finger
and use your middle finger for the hammer
pull ornamentation Fret the E chord
conventionally using the pinkie for the sus4
embellishment on the third string Be sure
to follow the pick-hand fingerings shown
beneath the tab FIGURE 2 focuses on the
fingerpicking groove employed throughout
the songrsquos vocal sections Here Clapton uses a form
of accompaniment reminiscent of how a pianist
would accompany a singer quarter-note chord
partials in the upper register (the guitarrsquos second
and third strings) sounded over syncopated bass
notes (plucked with the thumb on the sixth string)
Again fret the A using an index-finger barre to
facilitate the AndashEGs changeNow letrsquos look at some of the chord voicings and
accompaniment moves Clapton uses in ldquoChange
the Worldrdquo FIGURE 3 features chord shapesmdashE
Aadd2E and E7mdashsimilar to those heard in the
songrsquos verses These chords are the result of moving
a sixth interval (two notes that are six scale steps
apart) along the third and fifth strings with the first
second and sixth strings ringing open Note the x on
the fourth string in the tablature mute this string
throughout (with the fleshy pad of your fret-hand
middle finger) Meanwhile between Claptonrsquos vocal
phrases in ldquoChange the Worldrdquo yoursquoll often hear an
accompanimental fill that features the open first and
second strings plucked in alternation between hits
of the open low E string This is similarly depicted in
FIGURE 4mdasha nice break for your fretting hand
FIGURE 5 combines many of the techniquesgleaned from ldquoTears in Heavenrdquo and ldquoChange the
Worldrdquo and plugs them into a progression similar
to that heard in the chorus of the latter song using
familiar open shapes (E and A) barre chords (Gs
and Csm) the occasional ldquoslashrdquo chord (EB and
BA) and other tones In extended passages such
as this to avoid frustration get comfortable with
the basic chord shapes first then grapple with the
plucking-hand intricacies
F I G 6
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index m = middle a = ring
A
i m
0
2
i p
E
2 3 22
p mi
0
2
p
FIGURE 2
mi
p
A
10
2 12
p mi
p mi
p
EG
0
22
0
22
0
p mi
p
4
45
4
45
4
3 3
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4
p p
FIGURE 3
E
02X100
Aadd2E
04X200
E7
FIGURE 4
p
E
05X
04
0
m p
0
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i p
0
0
0
m
0
0
FIGURE 5
p
FIGURE 5
p i p
E
3 4
2
p mi
0
2
p mi
p
G
10
2 12
p mi
mi
p
C
m
4
54
4
54
4
65
p mi
p
EB
4
65
4
65
47
45
7
45
7
3
mi
p
A
p mi
BA
p mi
p
F m7
0
22
0
44
0
p mi
p
B7
p mi
p
E
2
20
2 7
75
7
m p
0
09
0
i p m p
0
0
0
i
0
0
0
p i
0
3 4
2
FI G 1 F I G 2
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
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FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 912
FLEET983085FINGEREDMAC983085OUSTIC MADNESSDelving deep into Lindsey Buckinghamrsquos unique Travis-pickingrhythms
CHAPTER
7
WHEN LINDSEY Buckingham
joined Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 he
helped transform the veteran British
blues-rock band into an incredibly successful
mainstream pop act In his formative years
Buckingham drew inspiration from Elvis
Presley guitarist Scotty Moore who was an
early practitioner of Travis picking within a
poprock and roll context This somewhat
country-like fingerstyle approach was named
after Fifties country session musician Merle
Travis Buckingham was also a huge fan of
Chet Atkins Couple these influences with
his experience playing banjo as a youngsterand you have the foundation for the unique
fingerpicking guitar style which Buckingham
employed to great effect during his tenure with
Fleetwood Mac
In this chapter wersquoll tackle his famous
polyrhythmic Travis picking style via a pas-
sage modeled after parts in ldquoLandsliderdquo from
1975rsquos Fleetwood Mac Buckingham performed
the studio version with a capo across his
Martin D-18 acousticrsquos third fret Wersquoll forego
capoing in this lesson
Letrsquos begin by building up Buckinghamrsquos
intricate fingerstyle passage over the Cadd2
chord in FIGURE 1 While holding down this
chord and those that follow Buckinghamplays a quarter-note bass line alternating
between different chord tones (plucked
with the thumb p ) as in FIGURE 2 Over
this Buckingham arpeggiates a descending
cascade of notes on strings 1 through 3 a
repeating three-note passage played in eighth
notes plucked with the ring ( a ) middle ( m )
and index ( i ) fingers (a ldquobanjo-stylerdquo roll)
as seen in FIGURE 3 Note that the first six
eighth notes ( two groups of three think of it
as ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) are capped off with the two
eighth notes (think ldquo1 2rdquo) at the measurersquos end
Buckinghamrsquos use of ldquo1 2 3rdquo notes plucked
in a rhythm of twos creates whatrsquos referred
to as a polyrhythm the simultaneous convey-ance of two or more contrasting rhythms
This particular polyrhythm has its own
name hemiola the rhythmic relation of three
against two Yoursquoll find plucking this arpeggio
part over Buckinghamrsquos bass line is trickymdasha
groove that could be illustrated as (bass notes
occurring where underlined) ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2rdquo
Letrsquos break this passage down into
bits adding one string at a time from the
arpeggiated figure over the thumbed bass notes
beginning with the first string (pluck with ring
finger) as in FIGURE 4 Take note of each moment
your thumb and other plucking-hand fingers sound
notes simultaneously coordinate those first and it
will become easier to add the ldquobetween the bassrdquonotes FIGURE 5 adds the second string (plucked
with the middle finger) to the picture while FIGURE
6 incorporates the third string (plucked with the
index finger) for Buckinghamrsquos complete figure
FIGURE 7 runs Buckinghamrsquos complete plucking-
hand pattern through Cadd2 Em7 A7sus4 and G
chords Notice that each of these chords shares
the same note pair on the top two strings The only
mechanical difference between FIGURE 6 and the
approach in FIGURE 7 is that the thumb plucks the
sixth string for the Em7 and G chords to sound their
respective roots
We described FIGURE 3 with the terms
polyrhythm and hemiola In that example a repeating
three-note pattern (ldquo1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo) is capped off with anextra pair of ldquocompensatingrdquo notes (ldquo1 2rdquo) creating
a user-friendly passage repeatable at each chord
change If yoursquore up to the challenge FIGURE 8
shows the result of a relentless ldquo1 2 3rdquo pattern (a true
hemiola) yielding a groove that feels like ldquo1 2 3 1 2
3 1 2 3 1 2 3rdquo with the bass notes occurring on the
underlined beats As chords change (at beat ldquoonerdquo)
the first upper-register note plucked will be on a
different string each time
2 1 3 4
Cadd2
p
FIGURE 1
All examples played fingerstyle p = thumb i = index finger m = middle finger a = ring finger
FIGURE 2
Cadd2let ring
3
p
2
p
3
p
2
FIGURE 3
a
Cadd2let ring
m i a m
33
0
3
i a m
30
33
a p
FIGURE 4
Cadd2let ring
3
3
p a p
2
3
3
a p
2
3
FIGURE 5
a p
Cadd2let ring
m p a m p
3
33
2
3
3
3
a p
m
FIGURE 6
a p
Cadd2let ring
2
33
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m
3
30
2
33
a p
FIGURE 7
Cadd2let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
Em7
3
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
A7sus4
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
0
33
20
3
i a p
m a p
GB
0
30
2
33
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
a p
FIGURE 8Cadd2
let ring
m i p
a m p
3
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
Em7
3
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
A7sus4
0
33
20
3
i a p
m i p
0
30
2
33
a m p
i a p
GB
0
0
3
2
30
m i p
a m p
G
2
33
00
3
i a p
m
3
30
0
33
F I G 1
F I G 4
F I G 7
F I G 8
F I G 5 F I G 6
F I G 2 F I G 3
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1012
CHAPTER
8
THE BEATLESrsquo ldquoBLACKBIRDrdquo
performed entirely by Paul
McCartney using his Martin
D-28 was released on the 1968 album The
Beatles (commonly referred to as the White
Album) From a guitar standpoint the songrsquos
roots and inspiration can be traced back to
McCartneyrsquos early experimentation with a
well-known piece by JS Bach titled ldquoBoureacutee
in E Minorrdquo which he woodshedded in his
youth (Lyrically ldquoBlackbirdrdquo was penned in
reaction to escalating racial tensions in the
US in the late Sixties) To this day guitar
teachers find that the tune is one of the mostcommonly requested songs among their
fledgling fingerstyle students Letrsquos examine
what makes this classic track tick
Throughout ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
uses his pick-hand thumb ( p ) and index
finger ( i ) to sound strings while fretting
only two notes (mostly on the A and B
strings) plucking the open G string on
the eighth-note upbeats For the basics
of this technique have a look at FIGURE
1 As indicated pluck the first two notes
simultaneously with your pick-hand thumb
and index finger These two notes along
with the open G string imply a C chord (C E
G) As the figure unfolds this shape frettedwith the same two fingers is shifted up
the neck with the notesrsquo spacing modified
slightly to accommodate notes in the C
major scale (C D E F G A B) Pluck the open
G string in between each shifted shape with
your thumb
Additionally in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo McCartney
plucks passages like the one shown in
FIGURE 2 In this ldquobusierrdquo groove as
your thumb alternates between the A and
G strings your pick-handrsquos index finger
strikes notes on the B string between
thumb-picked notes
Now letrsquos look at how these kinds of
moveable two-note shapes can implya chord progression In the following
examples wersquoll extract two notes at a time
from stock chord shapes yoursquore likely
already familiar with such as those shown
in FIGURE 3 Next wersquoll play these note
pairs (on the A and B strings exclusively) at
different spots on the neck plucking them
McCartney style
To illustrate in FIGURE 4a three
different pairs of chord tones from C (C E G)are fretted along these two strings plucked in
conjunction with the open G Use your index finger
and pinkie to fret all the notes A7 (A Cs E G) gets
a similar treatment in FIGURE 4b Notice that
this chord has four different notes in it yielding
an extra shape at the end of the example G (fifth
string 10th fret) and A (second string 10th fret)
fretted with the ring finger and pinkie respectively
For Dm (D F A) locate the chord tones on the
fifth and second strings and then pluck the threeresultant shapes illustrated in FIGURE 4c
FIGURE 5 illustrates this approach in an expanded
progression that incorporates a variety of chords
Notice the new shapes involving notes on the first
string For these fret the fifth- and first-string notes
with your middle and index fingers respectively
The passage ends with an interesting C voicing the
result of shifting a common open G chord shape five
frets up the neck to C
TAKE THI S PAIR OF STRINGS
AND LEARN TO FLYExamining Paul McCartneyrsquos ldquotwo-fingerrdquo magic in ldquoBlackbirdrdquo
i p
FIGURE 1 C major scale in ldquo10thsrdquo intervals
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p
0
i p
5
6
p
0
etc
7
8
p = thumb i = index
0
8
100
10
120
12
130
14
150
15
170
FIGURE 2
i p
C
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
F I G 1 F I G 2
FIGURE 3
0
C
32013
0
A7
02023
0
Dm
0231
FIGURE 4
a)
i p
C
3
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01013
i p
b) A7
0
2
p
0
i p
4
5
p
0
i p
7
8
p
0
i p
01010
i p
c) Dm(add4)
5
6
p
0
i p
8
10
p
0
i p
01215
i p
FIGURE 5C
let ring fingerstyle
3
5
p i p
05
i p
3
50
i p
A7C
4
5
p
0
i p
4
3
p
0
etc
Dm(add4)
5
60
6
5
60
B7D
6
70
6
5
0
Em
7
80
8
7
80
Fadd2
8
10
8
100
10
8
G
10
120
E7 9G
11
10
0
Am7
12
130
13
11
130
A maj7
11
130
13
11
130
11
130
13
11
130
Dm(add4)
5
60
G7F
8
7
0
CE
7
8
08
7
80
C
8
0088
F I G 3 F I G 4
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1112
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5
7262019 DaleTurner_Tabspdf
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulldaleturnertabspdf 1212
CHAPTER
10
FLAT-PICKING PHENOM
Doc Watson just celebrated
his 88th birthday and he still
wails like no other maintaining a regular
touring schedule to this day Arthel Lane
ldquoDocrdquo Watson was hugely responsible for
popularizing the acoustic guitar as a lead
instrument in folk country and bluegrass
and his style seamlessly melds ultra-fast
open-chord strums with ripping single-note
runs reminiscent of bluegrass fiddle licks the
guitarist picked up in his youth
In the Fifties Watson (who was stricken
blind by his first birthday) spent equal timeplaying electric and acoustic guitars banjo
and even some harmonica During this era
Watson was regularly employed as an elec-
tric guitarist in country swing bands Hersquod
often find himself in a lineup without a fiddle
player (an instrument that plays a key role
in country swing) and would be asked to cop
some fiddle lines to authenticate the bandrsquos
sound By the Sixties at the dawn of the folk
music revival the guitarist transferred this
approach to his acoustic (a Martin D-18 and
later a Gallagher G-50) and the sound for-
ever associated with Doc Watson was born
This chapter features numerous exam-
ples inspired by Watsonrsquos blistering per-formances of ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo a con-
cert staple that features many of his trade-
mark techniques (Docrsquos recorded versions
of this song go back as far as 1963 and con-
tinue to the present day Many of these fea-
ture his late son Merle on second guitar)
FIGURE 1 illustrates a chord and ldquofiddlerdquo-
like riff similar to that heard in the song Flat-
pick notes from the C major pentatonic scale
(C D E G A) between the cracks of a ldquodouble-
strummedrdquo open C shape (strum down-up on
the ldquoandrdquo of beat ldquoonerdquo throughout) Keep all
fingers fixed to your C chord using only your
fret handrsquos middle finger to hammer-on and
pull-off to and from the notes on the D and Gstringsrsquo second frets Allow all notes to ring
together as much as possible
FIGURE 2 depicts another approach
taken by Watson in ldquoBlack Mountain Ragrdquo
that of mimicking both fiddle lines and
bass guitar parts Here the last two notes
of each measure function as ldquoapproach
tonesrdquo pointing to the root of a forthcoming
chord The C chordrsquos root is preceded by an
ascending AndashB scalar line and the F chordrsquos
arrival is set up with the notes D and E
Meanwhile in FIGURE 3 our familiar C chord gets
elevated to C7 status (bar 2) In addition to middle-
finger hammer-ons and pull-offs this passagefeatures pinkie pull-offs from Bf (G string third fret)
to the open string and requires some tricky ldquocross
pickingrdquo Follow the picking suggestions above the
tab staff to avoid any kinks that may exist when
playing this passage at full speed
Watson is also renowned for blazingly fast
alternate-picked runs played in open position
executed at a ldquostop-time breakrdquo (where the band
or sole rhythm guitarist stops playing and a solo-
ist erupts in an improvisation) FIGURE 4 a spi-
raling sequence of notes within the lower strings
of open C illustrates one Doc-style run Alternate
picking is used throughout save for the pull-offs
at the beginning and end of bar 2 which are usedto help smooth out the line
FIGURE 5 is a barn-burning ldquoin-the-style-ofrdquo
passage that will melt some picks It combines
many of the techniques explored in this chapter
weaving in a few new chords as well including an
open G7 and a ldquothumb voicingrdquo of F (fret the low
E string with your fret-handrsquos thumb)
Approach all these examples slowly at first
gradually increasing the tempo as you try to
keep you pick hand as relaxed as possible while
minimizing the amount of movement
BLUEGRASS BARN983085BURNINGYour prescription for flawless flat-pickinrsquo the great Doc Watson
FIGURE 1
let ring
C
= downstroke
0
2010
010
0
2 0
= upstroke
0
2010
010
2
03
FIGURE 2
let ring
C
3
010
010
0
2
F
3
211
211
0
2
F I G 1 FI G 2
FIGURE 3
C
3
010
010
C7
0
201
3
31
02
21
FIGURE 4
NC(C)
00
201
3
2
3
0
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
2
0
3
0
1
2
FIGURE 5
let ring
C
0
2010
010
0
2 0
0
2010
010
2
03
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
3
211
211
2
03
G7
0
001
001
0
20
3
001
001
0
2
0
F
1
211
211
3
211
211
0
1
2
03
NC(C)
3
2 3
0
(G)
2
0
2
3
0
2
03
C
2
0
0
2
3
2
010
2
03
GC
0003
C
0003
2
1
F I G 4F I G 3
F I G 5