Acoustic Riffing part 2

        Written by:  Jeff Fiorentino

       Copyright © 2006 JFRocks   All rights reserved

These lessons are structured much the same way I do things on the main site jfrocks.com.  These lessons will cover various aspects of acoustic guitar and things to practice.  Mostly dealing with steel 6 string acoustic as that's what I play.  However, some lessons will deal with Nylon string acoustic guitar as well.  Either way the lessons covered here are interchangeable between the two guitar string types.  Although I recommend learning and practicing on Steel string acoustic.  This is because its more difficult to play and you will improve your electric playing immensely because you will build finger strength.  Also acoustic is less forgiving than electric.  Mistakes can and will be heard and are not covered up by effects or heavy reverb.  Updates to this page will be as often as I can.  I'm only human and while I have help with jfrocks.com, I'm on my own with this off shoot.  LOL  I will strive for an average update of 1 per week.  To be alerted of updates to this site or the main site, please sign up for our alerts on the main website.  You will receive an email when updates to either site have been made. 

** Standard tuning may be used for this lesson.  My guitar happens to be tuned flat 1/2 step this time around. 

 

 

Lesson Features
The song track	The Jam along track	The Video Guitar Lesson
N/A	N/A N/A

 

Tabs & Lesson

 Original score by:  Jeff Fiorentino

  Transcription by:  Jeff Fiorentino

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This Lesson's difficulty level  1-10 scale

4

Performance notes

This lesson is part 2 basically of another lesson we did where we took a simple chord pattern and noodled around and made it more interesting by adding our own little accompaniment to it.  This lesson is similar to that one but a different example of course.

Often times what happens when we pick up an acoustic guitar is we get locked into strumming chords and only strumming chords.  My goal here is to simply give you some ideas to work with to get out of that. 

This pattern is very melodic but also very common in acoustic playing.  At least here in the southwest where I live anyway but if you like the Eagles and stuff you'll dig this pattern.  It's G, B7, C, D and or D7 as a turnaround.  Then it can drop to Em for a bridge or something.  Not sure how far I'll take it in this lesson but in future lessons I will give you a whole song to work with on acoustic and explain how the chords work together etc. 

The idea for this is to keep time as best you can of course but also to realize that as long as you stay in scale you can get away with most anything.  The leads fills or noodle sections as I call them in this lesson compliment the chord pattern.  I always say you don't want to do a happy fill over a sad chord pattern or visa versa.  This is a melodic chord pattern and we will keep a melodic theme using double stops and single note patterns that groove with the feel of what is being strummed. 

Be sure to download the video lesson as you have no idea what the feel of this is from the tabs below of course.

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Main Lesson

Key of G:  G, A, B, C, D, E, F#

We will more than likely go out of Key in a couple spots such as including the Eb in the B7 chord but that's no big deal.  For our leads or noodle sections we will stay in key. 

Below is the scale area we will be working with.

** Notice this is not a true in scale, scale.  As with a lot of the scales I show you here some of the notes repeat.  That's ok, we don't play a straight up scale for our leads that would be silly.  These are real world positions and notes that are used for this key in this position.

E_________________________________________0_2_3____________________
B_________________________________0_1_3_5__________________________
G_________________________0_2_4_5__________________________________
D_________________0_2_4_5__________________________________________
A_________0_2_3_5__________________________________________________
E_0_2_3_5__________________________________________________________

Chords we will be using

D is optional.  I will more than likely use the D7 in this lesson.

       G      B7      C       D      D7

E__3_______0___2___2_________________________________
B__0___0___1___3___1_________________________________
G__0___2___0___2___2_________________________________
D__0___1___2___0___0_________________________________
A__x___2___3_________________________________________
E__3_________________________________________________

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Exercise

For this exercise we will do a strumming pattern 1 time through and then the same strumming pattern with some lead fills added in. 

In some cased for the leads double stops (two note chord sections) will be used.  Be sure to note that the pitches contained in those double stops are still in key.  This whole lesson is designed to give you some ideas so don't just learn the tab, understand the pitches of the notes.  I will help you out a bit on the video with this process of course.

       G                                               B7                                           C                                       G                     D7

E__3__3___________3_____________________________________________3__________2_2_____
B__0__0___________0______0__0____________________1__1___________3__0_______1_1_____
G__0__0___________0__0___2__2_________2__________0____0_________0__0__0_0__2_2_____
D__0__0___x_______0__0___1__1__x____1___1_0___2__2_________2____0__0__0_0__0_______
A__x_____________________2________2___________3__________3______x__________________
E__3_________3_3______________________________________________0_3_______________0_0

Same chord pattern as above but this time we use transitions or notes from our scale to lead us into each chord change.  This creates a certain feel.  The notes you choose to use as transitions will determine how your audience perceives the chord changes.  Choose a bad transition note and even a common G, C, D chord pattern can go horribly wrong.

**Only chord changes are tabbed, not the pattern of our little example here.

     G                              B7                        C                             G                  D7

E_3__3__________________________0__________3__3_______2__
B_0__0______________0___________1__________0__0_____1_1__
G_0__0___________2__2________0__0__________0__0_____2_2__
D_0__0___0_______1__1_____0__2__2__________0__0_____0____
A_x______x____0__2_____2_____3______3_2_0__x_____________
E_3______3__3______________________________3_____2_______

And repeat if you want to or go into what is tabbed below and feel free to embellish at will.

Retain the feel of the tab line above and add in the lead fills.  The lead fills here act as vocals or would noodle around the vocalist.  Either way it's far more interesting to listen to than what is above. 

     G                                                               B7                                                                             C

E_3__3___________________________________________________________________________
B_0__0___0_1__1---3___3_3_3_3_0_____0___0__0__0__0______________________1_________
G_0__0___0_2__2-- 4___5_4_5_4_0 _2__ 2___2---4__ 2__0_0_________________0__0_________
D_0__0_________________________1__ 1______________2--4--2--0__ ___ _____2__2_________
A_x____________________________2__________________________2-0_______3____________
E_3______________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                     G           D7                                                          G

E_0__0_______________________________  3________2__2-3-2-0__5_0__3_0_____  3__
B_3__3-5-3-0__0__0____________0_1--3--1__0_____1__1________3____3_____3___ 0__
G___________ 2__2-4-2-0_______ 0_2--4--2__0_____2__2___________________2-4__0__
D_____________________________________0__0_  0__________________________ 0__
A_______________________2-3____________________________________________ x__
E_____________________________________3________________________________3__

You may continue on and embellish and try other patterns.  I'm sure I will demo a few other patterns or some Embellishments on the video but what I've tabbed should point you in a good direction for moving beyond just strumming this simple chord pattern in the open position.