Hey Friend,
Well, Wednesday was a mess, yes?
I got an email from my bud Michelle up in NYC, and after reviewing what I sent out, no wonder there’s some confusion! It’s like my brain went dyslexic all of a sudden.
So I’m going to try to undo the mess today.
Fortunately, I didn’t see anything wrong with the tabs. Since they sound like they should, I feel reasonably safe to refer back to the PDF and MP3. Here they are again in case you need them:
It appears only my sparse instruction needs a reboot.
Everything is straight-up with the Styx example. When you can use an open string and its octave at the twelfth fret with minimal fingering, the riff is really easy to get proficient with quickly.
On the Lit example, however, how’d that get past my editor?!
Sheesh, I’m gonna have to fire that guy!
When Michelle emailed me, I saw my typos right away and the mistake I made suggesting it’s your ring finger doing the muting.
And I actually thought about that as I wrote it! I had written ‘index’ finger first - then my brain got in the way and “corrected” me. Unbelievable!
Like the song, I am "my own worst enemy."
Here’s what I replied to Michelle:
The first two bars and the last two bars are identical, of course. When you finger the first notes (the 6th fret of fifth string and the 8th fret of the third string), these are the same notes an octave apart. The fourth string is muted, so you don't hear it. Finger with your index and ring fingers, unless it's easier to use the pinky on the third string.
Your fingers slide together as a single unit to the 7 and 9 frets (so yes, that's a slide - look at the slanted line between the two notes and the fact that they're tied with the curved line underneath the notes). They're not really chords because there is only one pitch - D# slides up to E, with the fourth string muted. Yes, you strum the strings as if it were a chord, strumming on each half beat, or eighth note.
The last beat and a half ARE chords, but they're power chords, not minor chords. There is no minor third note tabbed - so it's just B to A. Watch the Lit video and listen to the intro. When he gets to the solo, he uses this same technique. It gives the riff a fuller, more aggressive sound.
Does that make more sense?
To clarify the glaring mistake about the ring finger, it’s your INDEX finger that mutes the fourth string.
This technique of doubling the notes is a little awkward at first because muting strings is not something that’s usually taught in the beginning (or even intermediate) levels.
The way you do it is to adjust your index finger slightly by angling it towards the fingerboard - just enough to lightly touch the fourth string.
All you're looking to do is deaden the string so it doesn’t vibrate when you strum it.
Try it again and let me know if you have any questions. I’ll have a word with my editor and get him straightened out…
It’s Friday, so let’s get this day over and get the weekend started - Rock on!
Peace~
Dave
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