Double stops

[larryb]

Does anyone know of any good books or drills for mastering double stops (especially 6ths) on various string combinations (1st and 3rd, 2nd and 4th...) and drills on how to use them in different settings?

[Davis Webb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NBXVhW1kHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZvLUAvnhYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDSlXd78wCE

Should get you started....

Enjoy!

[rick-slo]

Insanely good guitarist Scotty Anderson and some tips on what he does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bcTju0HfD8

[Davis Webb]

Hybrid picking is the darndest hard thing I ever tried to do on guitar. I can keep up with any country groove and hit it consistently, but those double stop 6ths and pedal steel bends, they are hard! Still working on them, frustrating as all heck. Thanks for the Scotty Anderson link too~!

[stanron]

To do double stops it helps to know what I call 'vertical' scales. That is scales up and down the strings as opposed to scales across the neck.

The formula for a major scale is T T S T T T S T where T = tone and S= semi tone.

In America I believe this is W W H W W W H where W is whole and H = half.

In terms of frets T and W = 2 frets and S and H = 1 fret.

So in frets it is 2 2 1 2 2 2 1.


So in C, C to D is 2 frets, D to E is 2 frets, E to F is 1, F to G is 2, G to A is 2, A to B is 2 and B to C is 1.

It might seem complicated to transfer this to two adjacent or not adjacent strings but in practice it falls to just two shapes for any one scale.

The first two strings in the key of C. These two strings are a fourth apart.

┌─0──1──3──5──7──8───10──12──╖
├─1──3──5──6──8──10──12──13──╢
├────────────────────────────╢
├────────────────────────────╢
├────────────────────────────╢
└────────────────────────────╜


Strings two and three in the key of G. These two strings are a third apart.

┌───────────────────────────╖
├─0──1──3──5──7──8──10──12──╢
├─0──2──4──5──7──9──11──12──╢
├───────────────────────────╢
├───────────────────────────╢
└───────────────────────────╜



This is the scale of E on first and third strings. These two strings are a sixth apart.

┌─0──2──4──5──7──9──11──12──╖
├───────────────────────────╢
├─1──2──4──6──8──9──11──13──╢
├───────────────────────────╢
├───────────────────────────╢
└───────────────────────────╜

There are plenty of other string combinations you can use. Experiment.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Insanely good guitarist Scotty Anderson and some tips on what he does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bcTju0HfD8

That was fun to watch. Thanks for putting it up.

[Pualee]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Insanely good guitarist Scotty Anderson and some tips on what he does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bcTju0HfD8

That made me want to practice...

Watching 10 minutes of that (the talking part) made a lot of things 'click' for me (I have been studying some boring stuff, and that tied it together). I've been learning a lot of voicings and intervals in multiple positions, but not really sure how to use it.

I don't have the speed (probably never will) but I can see how to invent double stops now... maybe even throw them into a phrase here and there. But it is amazing to watch those guys who can run from start to finish without ever losing their place or catching their breath.

[jseth]

I agree wholeheartedly with stanron's reply above... learn the major scale with both thirds and sixths; they are quite useful, and once you start messing with them, you will hear them in a lot of rock/country/blues/folk music.

Also, begin to listen for them in songs; once you know the do-re-mi scale with them, you can more easily "suss" out how they are being used.

As with all devices and techniques, I start out figuring out how someone else did them and used them, and then quickly I begin to experiment with my own patterns and feel for that sound.