Hey Friend,
Let’s do a little hybrid picking practice today. I put together a little progression to complement the video lesson I shared from Acoustic Guitar magazine the other day ( here it is again if you missed it).
A couple things before we get started...
First, notice the time signature.
This is in 3/4 time, which means there are three beats in each measure, and each beat is a quarter note. If it were 4/4 time (which is what you find for most songs in Rock), you would see four beats per measure, each counting as a quarter note.
Second, in the notation (the five upper lines in each system), you’ll see little “m’s” and “a’s” throughout.
These letters indicate a finger on your picking hand that pluck the string, versus your pick. If there is no letter, you use your pick to pluck the note.
The letters come from standard notation for fingerpicking, PIMAC:
P = Thumb
I = Index finger
M = Middle finger
A = Ring finger
C = Pinky
This was notation developed for playing Classical guitar, where using a pick is a big no-no!
So you see you are plucking the first note in each measure with your pick (held by your thumb and index finger) and plucking with your ring and middle fingers for the other two notes.
Here are the exercise files:
Hybrid picking is a different discipline and requires you to focus on your picking hand and the pattern. Don’t rush through this.
Get familiar with the style here - I’m not saying you’re going to use it a lot in Rock, but it’s good to be familiar so you can incorporate when necessary.
Let’s get this day over with so we can have a nice weekend - talk to ya later!
Peace~
Dave
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