4-into-3 exercise for strumming or picking - Discussion Forums

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Playing Advice: All Other Styles
ARCHIVED TOPIC: 4-into-3 exercise for strumming or picking

Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/113696

Mirek Patek - Posted - 04/12/2008: 05:53:06

I am presenting the exercise which uses the opposite way of syncopation than the three-finger rolls in 4/4 measure. While we all know the result of fitting the three-note-segments to twice four-note space in one measure, the other way is also possible and brings interesting sounds. All the following examples will be executed by right hand armed by thumbpick + two fingerpicks on I&M, the strumming pattern also with ring fingernail downbrush.

Imagine there is need for 12 notes (four times three notes) in one period of time (you can call it 12/8 measure or 4/4 measure with triplets, or two measures of 6/8 etc.). And that you have four-notes-long repetitive right hand pattern. Some examples are strumming pattern A (in case you use also ring finger nail for downbrush), picking pattern B (here the thumb and index are crossing) or C (if you do not want to cross). The right hand fingers are indicated in the tabulature instead of numbers of frets, because you can use any chord.


  A         B         C
----R-I-M---------M-------M-----
--T-R-I-M-------T-------I---I---
--T-R-I-M-----I-------T---------
--T---------T-------------------
(------------------------------)

The goal is to play and feel this:
 A
-|--R-I|M---R|I-M--|R-I-M|-
-|T-R-I|M-T-R|I-M-T|R-I-M|-
-|T-R-I|M-T-R|I-M-T|R-I-M|-
-|T----|--T--|----T|-----|-
(|-----|-----|-----|-----|)
and not this
-|--R-I-M|--R-I-M|--R-I-M|-
-|T-R-I-M|T-R-I-M|T-R-I-M|-
-|T-R-I-M|T-R-I-M|T-R-I-M|-
-|T------|T------|T------|-
(|-------|-------|-------|)

For pattern B the goal is
-|-----|M----|--M--|----M|-
-|----T|-----|T----|--T--|-
-|--I--|----I|-----|I----|-
-|T----|--T--|----T|-----|-
(|-----|-----|-----|-----|)
instead of
-|------M|------M|------M|-
-|----T--|----T--|----T--|-
-|--I----|--I----|--I----|-
-|T------|T------|T------|-
(|-------|-------|-------|)

And finally the pattern C
-|----M|-----|M----|--M--|-
-|--I--|I---I|--I--|I---I|-
-|T----|--T--|----T|-----|-
-|-----|-----|-----|-----|-
(|-----|-----|-----|-----|)
and not
-|----M--|----M--|----M--|-
-|--I---I|--I---I|--I---I|-
-|T------|T------|T------|-
-|-------|-------|-------|-
(|-------|-------|-------|)

You can achieve this goal though the intermediate stage where you stress the first note also by adding a pause after it. Or you can take following example as separate exercise. Here I find especially challenging to break the strumming pattern in different places.

A
-|----R-I|M-----R|I---M--|R---I-M|-
-|T---R-I|M---T-R|I---M-T|R---I-M|-
-|T---R-I|M---T-R|I---M-T|R---I-M|-
-|T------|----T--|------T|-------|-
(|-------|-------|-------|-------|)

B
-|-------|M------|----M--|------M|-
-|------T|-------|T------|----T--|-
-|----I--|------I|-------|I------|-
-|T------|----T--|------T|-------|-
(|-------|-------|-------|-------|)

C
-|------M|-------|M------|----M--|-
-|----I--|I-----I|----I--|I-----I|-
-|T------|----T--|------T|-------|-
-|-------|-------|-------|-------|-
(|-------|-------|-------|-------|)

Mirek

http://www.geocities.com/patekstylebanjo

Edited by - Mirek Patek on 04/12/2008 09:21:03