‘g-tune’

‘g-tune’

This piece is an introduction to reading tablature, position playing and string picking patterns.

Melody

Each horizontal line of the notation above represents a string on the guitar. The bottom line is the thickest string and the top line is the thinnest.

The numbers indicate which fret to play on that string.

Here the melody is played on the third string (G).

This piece covers a large range of the fretboard and is essential not to move your fretting hand more than is necessary.

You could play all of these notes with the same finger moving along the third string. However, it is inefficient to play a series of notes that are within four frets of each other with one finger. This is because the fretting hand will have to move each time a note is played.

So, ‘position playing‘ is used. This is where your fretting hand hovers in one area and each finger focuses on a particular fret.

The first four notes of the ‘G -Tune’ are between frets two and five.

Your fretting hand should be hovering with your:

For the first bar of the tune your index finger should play the first note at the second fret of the third string.

Then, your third finger plays the note at the fourth fret and fourth finger plays the note at the fifth fret.

In the second bar, move your hand up the fretboard so that your fingers are covering frets four to seven.

Your fourth finger plays the note at the seventh fret, the second finger plays the note at the fifth and first finger plays the note at the fourth fret.

Finally, move your first finger down to the first fret,

The last two bars repeat the first two, apart from the final note. This note is played with the first finger at the ninth fret.

Now, play each melody note followed by the first string and then the second played open.