Fingering melodies on my zouk issue... [Archive]

Big Dog

May-13-2008, 1:50pm

It stands to reason that playing up and down the neck of a bouzouki should be similar to playing up and down the neck of a guitar. #

I am a novice Irish tune player on my TC bouzouki (tuned in Gdad), and so I am wondering how many of you more accomplished players apply good guitar technique to your bouzouki playing. #In particular, when playing a tune (melody) that requires your left hand to move up and down the neck, how important is it to position your hand over the fretboard in a regular, sequential, “standard” manner throughout the tune? #Doing so would, for example, have your index finger playing (most of the time) on the first, fifth, and ninth frets, except when an easy stretch can be made by your pinky. #On the other hand I have found that sliding a finger up a string to a fret, something I rarely do when playing guitar, is sometimes faster than jumping up and over to it.

I believe that ultimately good technique, as hard as it is to develop at the beginning, pays off in the end. #I am just unsure of what good bouzouki technique is. #

I look forward to hearing your advice and about your experiences.

Thanks.

Big Inquisitive Dog

Danny Packer

May-15-2008, 6:40am

Dog,

I don't play guitar, but I do play some mando and mainly OM tuned GDAD. My approach is to figure out what movements work best for a given tune (mostly Klezmer) -- when to shift so that the melody lays out most efficiently. I'll spend time right when I am learning a tune not just learning the melody but also planning out the fingering. Then I practice the heck out of the phrases where the movement happens so I can burn the right movements into my muscle memory. I don't use a fixed notion of position, I just figure out what works best for a given tune. What do others do?

Danny

groveland

May-16-2008, 8:40pm

Good bouzouki technique? I suspect the instrument remains amply undefined, and likewise the technique to play it!

bouzouki should be similar to playing up and down the neck of a guitar

I tune GDAE.
Because of the extra stretch required for fifths tuning on a long scale, I use this general fingering strategy/technique: Finger a tetrachord per string, leverage half step moves with the pinky and index finger where possible, and there are no set positions. Closed voicings rule, and open strings are treated as exceptions. Example fingering strategy for me is often like:

<span style='font-family:courier'>===|===|===|===|=4=|===|=2=|===|=1=|=1=|===|| G
===|===|===|=4=|=4=|===|=2=|===|=1=|=1=|===|| D
===|===|===|=4=|=4=|===|=2=|===|=1=|===|===|| A
===|===|===|=4=|===|=3=|=2=|===|=1=|===|===|| E</span>

You get the idea. Or sometimes the more typical

<span style='font-family:courier'>===|===|===|=4=|=3=|===|=2=|===|=1=|===|===|| G
===|===|===|=4=|=3=|===|=2=|===|=1=|===|===|| D
===|=4=|===|=3=|===|=2=|=1=|===|===|===|===|| A
===|=4=|===|=3=|===|=2=|=1=|===|===|===|===|| E</span>

... kind of thing.
(<-- bridge -- nut -->)

Pull-offs and hammer-ons, two handed tapping, slapping, 3, 4, and 5 note (cittern) chords are all fair game. #Some sounds are harder to produce on the bouzouki than the guitar.

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