LESSONS > FINGERSTYLE WORKOUT
my guitar playing. Check out Duke’s Piano
Reflections and Monk’s Solo Monk for the best
examples of this concept.
To begin, let’s look at some standard rhythm
changes in the key of B% as shown in Fig. 1.
When learning any new technique, it’s essential to play along with a metronome clicking
on beats 2 and 4, but be sure to start slowly.
Developing this technique requires your brain
to do some serious multitasking, and you
always have to be thinking a few beats ahead
to know where you are going. Working slowly
allows the muscles in your hand (and skull)
to learn what they need to do properly so that
later on, when you bump up that tempo, they
are well accustomed to all the moves.
In Fig. 2, things get a little trickier by adding the 3rd tone of the chord on beats 1 and
3. By raising the 3rd up an octave, you create
the interval of a tenth, which pianists have
been abusing for years in all styles of music.
The previous two examples require some
big leaps across the fretboard, so let’s look at
a way to do less leaping and more stretch-
ing. Fig. 3 is a real finger- and mind-bender,
but sounds pretty impressive when you get
it down. Using some chromatically descend-
ing standard chord changes, we can really
get a lot going on at once. This one is in the
key of E%. I’m purposely avoiding traditional
“guitar” keys, so that you can work without
the benefit of open strings. But you can
apply these techniques to other key signa-
tures and give your hands more freedom by
playing in the keys of E, A, or D.
Fig. 2
4 4 &bb
B¨OE„Š7 G7b9
oe
oe
oeoeoeoeoeoeoe n oeoeoeoe bn oeoeoeoe nb oe
C‹ 7 D¨º7 D‹ 7
oe
oe
oeoeoeoe oe
oe
n
b
oeoe oeoe ∫ bb ∫ oeoeoeoe bb ∫ oe oeoe
G7b9 C‹ 7
oeoeoe
oe
oeoe n oeoeoeoe bn oe
G¨ 9 F9 oeoeoeoe oe oeoeoe bb b b oe oeoeoeoeoe
˙
1
3
8
10
10
10
0
2
3
9
10
9
10
6
7
6
7
0
3
4
10
12
11
11
4
5
14
15
14
15
11
12
11
12
0
5
6
5
6
5
3
3
4
7
6
7
8
10
12
11
11
0
9
8
9
9
9
8
8
7
8
8
8
8
Fig. 3
4 4 &bbb
E¨ 6
oe
B¨7#5 oeoeoeoe oeoeoe
E¨ 6
oe
oeoeoeoe
oeoeoe
A‹11b5 oeoeoeoe n
A‹11b5 oeoeoeoe n
oe
oe
oen
D7b9
oe
oe oeoe
oen
D7b9
oe
oe oeoe
˙
10
10
11
11
6
7
7
10
10
11
11
8
8
8
7
8
8
10
0
7
8
7
7
8
8
10
0
7
8
7
6
6
0
0
6
6
& bbb
A¨‹ 11 D¨ 9
oe
oeoeoeoe bb oe b oe oeoe
A¨‹ 11 D¨ 9
oe
oeoeoeoe bb oe b oe oeoe
G‹ 11 oe oe oe oe
C9
C9
oe
oe
oe oeoe n
G‹ 11 oe oe oe oe
oe
oe
oe oeoe n
6
8
7
9
6
8
6
6
8
7
9
6
8
6
5
7
6
8
5
7
5
5
7
6
8
5
7
5
4
4
3
3
4
4
3
3
& bbb
F©‹ 11
oe#
oeoeoeoe n# n#
B9
oen
oe oeoe
F©‹ 11
oe#
oeoeoeoe n# n#
B9 F‹ 11
oen
oe oeoe oeoeoeoe oe
B¨ 9 F‹ 11 B¨ 9
oe oeoe oeoe oe oeoe
E¨%oeoe oeoeoe OE Ó
oe
oe
oe
4
6
5
7
4
6
4
4
6
5
7
4
6
4
3
5
4
6
3
5
3
3
5
4
6
3
5
3
2
2
1
1
6
10
10
8
6
2
2
1
1
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