Lesson | Practical Intervals in Guitar Improvisation | 4 semitones - Major 3rd

165 fingering positions you should know for guitar improvisation
by Salim Ghazi Saeedi, Feb 2011

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4 semitones - Major 3rd

Starting finger

non B-G strings

B-G string

var #1

var #2

var #1

var #2

var #3

index

(*)

middle

(*)

(****)

ring

(**)

(*)

pinky

(**)

(***)

(****)

(*****)

It should be played with rolling technique. Always avoid jumping across strings with one finger. It is highly unstable.

This position is more prevalent than one may expect at first sight. Actually it lets hand's position more relaxed in semi-45 degree "electric guitar left hand position"; as opposed to semi-90 degrees angle left hand position that is more prevalent in classical guitar. These fingerings could also be seen as parts of chord fingerings.

***

This is an important preferences in fingering styles described in current lesson. However that it is somehow a long jump, it is very stable. Of course for impractical positions (as in frets lower than 5), other variations should be used. See the examples.

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****

I classify this type of fingering as "crossing fingering". It is useful for harnessing wild changes in left-hand's position.

Suppose that you want to repeat the bar provided in the tablature for unlimited times. Also suppose that you have started on B-string, fret 3. As you see in the tablature and video, if you avoid using "cross fingerings", the pattern will crawl the fretboard until it finds a suitable fingering somewhere between 12th and 17th frets. But if you adopt "crossing fingerings", the position change will immediately stop between 5th and 8th frets.

The video includes both ascending and descending examples for "crossing fingerings".

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*****

This is the same rolling technique as explained in (*) note, but I personally avoid it, since it is comparatively unstable; however that mastering it is practical.

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