Playing ghost notes requires a feel for the rhythm of the song and what you want to project in your playing. You need the “feel” to make it sound good. I cover this basic technique and have guitar TAB examples.

What is a ghost note on guitar?

I try very hard not to use Wikipedia if I can help it, but when they sum up a topic better than I can, then I have no choice.

In music, a ghost note is a musical note with a rhythmic value, but no discernible pitch when played.

~ Wikipedia, Ghost note article

The actual technique involves playing a string that is muted by the fretting hand, though you can also use your picking hand and palm mutes. At some point, you mix in fretted notes so you get an off and on effect – muted and played.

They are notated either as a note in parentheses or with an “x”. You can also call them muffled notes since that is basically what you are doing. Another version of a ghost note is to play a faint note, drastically decreased volume but that is an exception as opposed to the standard ghost note. Experiment to find the sound you like.

Examples of ghost notes on guitar (rakes and muted chords)

Rakes and playing muted chords are common methods of playing ghost notes. Here is an example based around an A major chord.

Chicken pickin’ ghost note TAB examples

Chicken pickin’ is almost always played with hybrid-picking and is performed by picking a muted string(s) throughout your licks. The next three examples are from some country guitar books that I own.

You could also play the notes above on the “and” of each beat for a different effect.

This one uses triplets to lead up to your target note.

I don’t know this song, but if you do then have a listen and see if you can hear the ghost notes.

Final Thoughts

I see ghost notes on guitar as a way of getting a rhythmic feel to your licks. Playing a barre chord and then strumming the same shape while releasing pressure can create a great rhythmic effect. Especially if you mirror things the drummer is playing. You can tease the crowd by having them not know what song is coming. Then you break into a chorus and BOOM everyone knows the song! Give that a try.

Check out my 25 Guitar Techniques article for more solo and lick ideas.

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So what is a Gruppetto?

It’s easier if we start with some quotations:

THE GRUPETTO: “…a group of appoggiatura notes, composed of the principal note and its auxiliary note immediately above and below. It is indicated and performed in three ways: 1. By beginning with the principal note, 2. By beginning with the auxiliary note above, 3. By beginning with the auxiliary note below. The last one is called inverted…”

Carcassi: Classical Guitar Method (New Revised Edition, Carl Fischer), page 43, copyright 1946, reprinted 1962

And from Wikipedia:

A turn is a short figure consisting of the note above the one indicated, the note itself, the note below the one indicated, and the note itself again. It is marked by a backward S-shape lying on its side above the staff. The details of its execution depend partly on the exact placement of the turn mark.

An inverted turn (the note below the one indicated, the note itself, the note above it, and the note itself again) is usually indicated by putting a short vertical line through the normal turn sign, though sometimes the sign itself is turned upside down ~ Wikipedia

The symbol for a turn looks like the letter “S” on its side. The inverted turn uses either the same symbol but with a horizontal line thru it.

Definition of a turn in music (simplified)

Ok, let’s break those definitions down to plain language. A Gruppetto is an old term for what today is known as a turn in music. A turn in music is a sequence of 4 notes where the 2nd and 4th notes are your “main” note and the 1st and 3rd notes are the notes closest to your main note. You’ll see turns in one of the two the following pattern:

• The note in the scale above your main note, the main note, the note below the main note, and then your main note again
• An inverted turn just starts with the note below the main note and the 3rd note is the note above the main note.

It’s just a 4-note lick but there is a pattern to it. And the intervals involved will change depending on what scale or mode you are using as the source notes.

Examples of turns in music

The first two measures show the notes that would be played. Immediately below each measure is how a turn and inverted turn would be notated in standard notation.

So it’s just a turn and inverted turn for the note C from the C major scale. The two adjacent notes are D (the above note) and B (the note below).

Scale sequences as turns and inverted turns

I’m sure if you are reading this that you are familiar with practicing scales in sequences of 3, 4, or 5 notes. Try single string scales in the pattern of standard and inverted turns. Don’t worry about the timing of the notes just the sequence of notes.

Here is an example in C major on the B string.

Final Thoughts

Turns are just another tool in your lick toolbox. It’s a great exercise to practice turns and inverted turns as a scale sequence, similar to scales in 3’s and 4’s. Try that for position playing scales or for practicing scales on a single string. If you can do blocks of “turns” in your solos then it will lead you to some interesting licks.

Also, check out my list of Guitar Techniques for other embellishments that can improve your playing.

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Music ornamentation: The upper and lower mordent

The mordent music ornamentation comes from classical music and it is basically an abbreviated trill. Another way to look at it is a single hammer-on and pull-off.

How do you play a mordent?

If you know how to do HOPOs then you can play an upper or lower mordent. Here is what you need to keep in mind – your target note.

Have a principle note in mind that you want to embellish. You do that by hammering-on to the nearest note above your target note. Just one time – play your target note, hammer-on to the note above it, then pull off to the first note. Done. That would be an upper mordent.

A lower mordent is the opposite. You play your principle note, pull-off to the note below it, then hammer-on to the principle note again. And it depends on which scale you are using on how far away that upper or lower note is.

Guitar TAB of mordents in C major

Here are three examples of a mordent all using notes from the C major scale. For all of the TAB, I chose to notate the notes as a HOPO rather than use the symbol for a mordent.

The first tab shows an example of upper mordents thru the C major scale on the B string. In the last measure, I show an upper and lower mordent so that you can see the mordent symbols.

The symbol looks like a lightning bolt on its side. The one with a slash thru it is a lower mordent. Check the featured image above for large examples.

The next guitar TAB shows the lower mordent starting on A and ending on C at the 15th fret of the G string.

For the final TAB, I alternate between upper and lower mordents in the 1st two measures, then lower to upper mordents in the last two measures.

These are just examples and are NOT how you play mordents. Experiment with different combinations to find licks that resonate with you.

Final Thoughts

I think using the mordent is great for practicing the major scale, or any scale, on a single string. It’s kind of like practicing scales in sequences of 3’s, especially if you alternate between upper and lower mordents. Check out my Guitar Techniques article for a full list of techniques you should learn.

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Arpeggios: guitar chords one note at a time

Here is a simple question and answer about arpeggios:

Q: What is an arpeggio?
A: It is a chord played one note at a time typically in the order the chord is built.

Okay, let’s explain that a little better and keep it simple. For a more in-depth article on building chords, check out my What Is A Triad article. Let’s just look at the major scale – any major scale.

Triads are built from each note of the major scale in the pattern of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes, where the “first” is the note you pick. For example, in C major a C chord would have C as the “1st”, E as the 3rd, and G as the 5th. Just count it out – C (1) – D – E (3rd note) – F – G (5th note).

So a C major triad arpeggio would be played as the single notes C-E-G-C-E-G, etc. That’s it – just play the individual notes of any chord as opposed to strumming the chord. However, there are a lot of different examples and exercises of just how to practice arpeggios. I swear by the triad triplet exercises below.

Start with triad arpeggios

I first “got it” while watching a video by Rick Beato on Youtube. I can’t remember the name of the video, just search his videos with the keyword “arpeggio” or “fretboard”.

Don’t think about the CAGED system – just think starting on either the 1st, 3rd, or 5th of either a major or minor triad. Actually, the exercises below have you start on the 1st AND 3rd AND 5th of a triad.

The reason why starting with triads is best is that it works great for a triplet sound, there are fewer notes to worry about, and triad arpeggios lead into a great technique. And that technique is playing the “wrong” triad arpeggios over a chord (last section).

I-IV-V chords in E major

Talk about simple and basic. Here is a simple 1-4-5-1 chord progression in E major. I start by playing the bottom 3 strings of E major at the 4th fret. That is the lowest fret position I can play an E major without using open strings.

I then work up the neck by starting on the next chord tone that occurs on the 3rd string. That would be the E at the 9th fret and then G# on the 13th. Then I work my way back. FYI, that means you will be playing an E major triad for 5 beats – rooted on the 4th, 9th, 13th, 9th, and 4th frets.

I then repeat that pattern for A major then for B major. The 2nd exercise repeats all of that except everything is moved up one string. The first exercise is on strings 1, 2, and 3 (EBG) and the second exercise is on strings 2, 3, and 4.

What YOU need to do is figure out the patterns for strings 3, 4, an 5 and string 4, 5, and 6. That’s going to get you to learn the notes of each triad while learning those notes on the fretboard. Watch Rick’s videos if you get stuck, although he uses a 1 > b3 > 5 progression in C which results in a common tone for each chord (G).

Go as slow as you need to for either TAB exercise – you want to maintain a seamless rhythm.

Minor triad progression in A mainor

This is the same thing as above except there is only one example for strings 1, 2, and 3. Also, I switched the progression to i > v > iv because Am-Em-Dm-Am sounds better to me than Am-Dm-Em-Am. But switch up the chords however you like.

Advanced arpeggios on guitar

This may not be advanced but it will take your playing to a higher level. If you have any simple chord progression that stays in one key then you can play any arpeggio built on any scale degree over any of the chords. Let me explain.

If you have a simple I-IV-V chord progression (e.g., C, F, G) or a I-vi-V-V (e.g., C-Am-F-G), try playing any triad from C major over any of the chords.

So if you have a measure or two of C major, try playing a Dm, Em, F, G, or Am triad over the C chord. The same goes for an F, G, or Am chord – or any chord from C major. It would be hard to play a “bad” note.

So for extra credit, experiment with playing other arpeggios from the key over different chord progressions. For the E major examples above try playing C#m, F#m, and G#m over the changes.

Final Thoughts

Learn 3-note major and minor arpeggios up and down the neck. When you feel comfortable with that learn maj7, 7, and m7 arpeggios, or try major add9 and minor add9 chords. Check out the last 2 sections of my article C Major Scale Chords to see why major and minor triads and 7ths pretty much cover all popular chord progressions.

Besides Rick Beato, Michael Palmisano also covers the triad arpeggio approach to playing lead guitar. And if you are into Jerry Garcia, Michael has a lot of killer lessons on different Dead tunes. Here are the links to both of their Youtube channels:

Rick Beato

Michael Palmisano 

It may be boring exercises but eventually, you’ll get it. Just keep practicing until you do.

The post Arpeggios On Guitar (Guitar Soling Technique) appeared first on Every Guitar Chord.

Guitar dyads & guitar intervals

All the common guitar dyads, also called double stops, are the most harmonious intervals from the major scale. If you do not know all the intervals, then check out my Music Intervals Article. The music intervals most often used for dyads are the ones that sound good – plain and simple.

Diatonic music intervals for guitar

The intervals for scales or chord involve some form of 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, and octaves. When it comes to dyads, no one plays 2nds as far as I know, and rarely will you hear 7ths either. So that leaves 4 interval types.

In my opinion, the best double stops involve 3rds and 6ths, and I’m sure most other guitarists would agree. But 4ths and 5ths also sound good and don’t forget about octaves though those are a little trickier in include during fast licks.

The term “Country double stops” most often involves 6ths and they sound absolutely fantastic. I definitely love them more than 3rds. I also included some tritone shapes as well. For those and the 4th’s and 5ths, just focus on the bottom 2 notes in the interval shapes I included.

Guitar dyad or interval shapes

Here are some basic interval shapes for the guitar on the highest sets of strings. But check out the music intervals article I mention above for full coverage on the topic.

By the way, “M” is for major, “m” for minor, “P” for perfect (as in 4ths and 5ths) and the tritone is either an augmented 4th (A4) or diminished 5th (d5). For example, “m6” stands for minor 6th interval.

 

 

 

 

Guitar double stop TAB examples

Here are some basic examples I whipped up in Guitar Pro. Make sure to come up with your own so that you fully understand how to use them.

The first TAB example has the classic Jimi Hendrix major pentatonic licks in C major. Disregard the “T” which is normally for tapping. Guitar Pro has that as a hammer-on option and I selected it instead of regular hammer-ons.

This net TAB has various A major pentatonic licks but is best suited for A blues or as the V7 chord in D major IMO. Try them for yourself.

The final tab is in E and also good for E blues (1st 2 measures) or A major going from E7 > D (last 2 measures).

Also, give a listen to The Wind Cries Mary by Jimi Hendrix for major pentatonic guitar dyads. I personally like the tritone in a 7th chord where you hammer from the M3 to the P4 repeatedly, e.g. over a C7 try Bb-E to F-Bb on the 5th and 6ths frets of the E and B strings.

Check out these sources for more on guitar dyads:

Red Hot Country Guitar by Michael Hawley – there is a section on double stops (also available on Amazon)

Hot Country Guitar by Dave Rubin – Little Sister by Dwight Yoakum has nice double stops though the book is hard to find.

25 Great Country Guitar Solos by Dave Rubin – the last 2 songs have some nice guitar dyads: 1) The Claw, Jerry Donahue; 2) The World, Bad Paisley (also on Amazon)

Final Thoughts

We’re getting there. This is the latest in guitar techniques that should get your creative juices flowing. If you get stuck playing single notes then try some guitar dyads for inspiration and an alternative approach to soloing.

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Sliding on the guitar means to play a note and then slide your fretting finger(s) to a different fret while maintaining pressure on the string. The pressure allows you to lay multiple notes in a legato fashion. This article covers the basics of this guitar technique.

Slide guitar vs guitar slides

The coolest slide sound on the guitar is that which is made with a glass or metal tube on your finger. However, that is not what this article is about. But picture the blues guitarist or a lap steel country guitar player wailing away at his strings with a slide. That is slide guitar.

Guitar slides on the other hand is just a fretting hand technique that is an easy embellishment to incorporate into your playing.

Here is a quote from a very old classical guitar book:

“…the slide is performed by one finger of the left, which slides along the neck in passing over all the frets, from the 1st to the 2nd note, after having struck with the right hand the first of the two notes. The slide produces a good effect on the guitar because it imitates the sound of the voice…”

The Slide p.41 Carcassi Classical Guitar Method (New Revised Edition, Carl Fisher)

You can play a guitar slide as legato or as a shift slide

Legato slide: Play a note then slide to your 2nd note and let the note sustain.

Shift Slide: Play the 1st note then slide to the 2nd note and pluck the 2nd note as well.

Guitar slides can be played by sliding up to a higher note, down to a lower note, or both in combination.

Portamento vs Glissando guitar slides

It’s interesting that the book by Carcassi first published in 1836 doesn’t say anything about glissando or portamento. He only mentions “the slide” method or embellishment. If you try researching these two types of guitar slides you will find what I did – a lot of contradictory definitions.

So here is what I believe are the distinctions between the two types of guitar slides:

Glissando is when you slide a finger on a string from one note to another. The entire slide from 1st note to last note is played smoothly. Here is the definition from Dolmetsch:

… a continuous slide in pitch…the left-hand finger is placed on the string and then, as the note is played, the finger slides up or down the fingerboard. The beginning and endnote of the glissando are written and connected by either a straight or a wavy line. Usually the word gliss. or glissando will be written above.

And here is Dolmetsch’s definition of portamento:

…a smooth glide between the two notes, including all the pitches in between…For other instruments, such as guitar, it means sliding through all of the possible notes between the two written pitches.

Confused yet? Let’s keep it simple. You don’t have to take a test or remember definitions.

You are either:

1. Trying to play with a lot of feeling and emotion and so are going slow and sounding all the notes in between the first and last note (portamento).
2. Or you feel a need for speed and you are doing a quick slide and you don’t care about the notes in between the first and last note (glissando).

And for all I know I have the definitions of glissando and portamento reversed. The names and the definitions don’t matter. It’s knowing the differences as options to work into your solos that count. For free to comment below and school me on the proper definitions and I will make a change to the text.

Guitar sliding variations and Tab examples

Here are some ways to vary your guitar slides:

• Short interval slides, e.g. major 7th into the root.
• Large interval slides, e.g. minor or major 3rd into the perfect fifth or root.
• Legato slide: pick only the 1st note then slide to the 2nd note.
• Shift slide: pick both the 1st and last/target note.
• Sliding to a target note vs…
• Lifting off the string after sliding (no target note).
• Slides can also be performed with double notes.
• And finally, a 0playing fast slide vs slow slide.

A couple of things to think about are what to do after a legato vs shift slide. I would definitely have the target note for a legato slide as a chord tone and add vibrato. However, for the shift slide where you pluck the 2nd note, that screams guitar bend.

Here are some blues examples of portamento used over an E7. You can slide from the b3 to the perfect 5th as in the 1st measure or from the major 3rd as in the 2nd measure. For the last 2 measures, the slide is from the perfect 4th to the b5 and back to the 4 again. Experiment!

Here are examples of large interval slides from the b3 of the root E and then in reverse – E to G.

Final Thoughts

Guitar sliding or just “slides” are very simple to play. Jut keep the string pressure as you slide your finger and try every variation you can think of. Vary the direction of the slide, interval size, and speed and tack other guitar techniques on at the end of the slides. It’s woodshedding time.

Check out my 25+ Guitar Techniques article for more ideas for your lead playing.

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