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Old 03-30-2021, 12:27 PM
Jersey jack Jersey jack is offline
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Default First Position Soloing

Do most of you anchor your solos in the first position? I've been doing a lot of soloing on my electric lately, and it occurs to me that much of the up-the-neck stuff that I'm working on simply doesn't transfer well to an acoustic guitar.

I've also been studying a lot of bluegrass guitar lately--where most players play most of the time in first position, and I wonder whether acoustic players in other genres take advantage of the ringing open strings and the richer texture of notes in first position.

Note that I said "anchor." I'm not suggesting that we remain in first position under any and all circumstances; rather I find that up the neck stuff seems to work better when when it appears as a brief variation from first position. Also, I'm not really referencing blues here, where up the neck playing sounds fine (to my ears) when there's a thumping open-string bass beneath it.
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Old 03-30-2021, 01:07 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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I suppose in theory it's best to use the whole neck as required, and I think most everyone uses little hammer-ons and lifts from the first position at times.

To the degree that I anchor off a location I tend to go to the 3rd fret to as high as the 7th for when I want to and am capable of dropping in little fills. High enough to get some contrast, low enough be reachable quickly from a first position chord shape, and in most guitar's sweet-spot for a robust timbre.

When playing "acoustic lead" I'm all over the neck and always have been. Not saying I'm a model, but that's my data point.
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Old 03-30-2021, 01:13 PM
NormanKliman NormanKliman is offline
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Well, a very cool thing to work on is reconfiguring those first-position melodies further up the neck and replacing fretted notes with their open-string equivalents. Wow, I've just read that last sentence and it sounds kind of stupid. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed often used that technique, and I’m sure others here can talk about it more eloquently.

For example, ascending a G Mixolydian scale (GABCDEFG), you can play G on the sixth string, A on the open fifth string, B on the sixth string, C on the fifth string, D on the open fourth string, E on the fifth string... See what I mean?
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Old 03-31-2021, 02:54 AM
Robin, Wales Robin, Wales is online now
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I definitely construct all of my lead breaks, licks and fills around cowboy chords. I'm playing solely to accompany myself singing so "lead breaks" have to be more "instrumental verses" so being able to add chord or partial chord strums behind the picked melody (with flourishes) fills out the sound. Tim O'brien is a master of this style.

I rarely stray more than 3 or 4 frets from the nut or capo.
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Old 03-31-2021, 04:41 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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I was just writing last night. I play wherever the melody requires it, and that often means right up past the 12th fret. I guess there's a reason why most of my acoustics have cutaways, huh? I was influenced by players like Maury Meuhliesen who played lead for Jim Croce, and by a plethora of rock lead players. Admittedly acoustic guitars are harder to play up higher. That's why Maury used ultra light strings on a VERY low action. Of course, you could hear the results in a slappy attack. I run lights on a respectable compromise action that allows lead, fingerstyle, and strumming on most of my guitars and that restricts my playing some. I just move the parts that require a bunch of bending onto electric, as I did last night.

Bob
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Old 03-31-2021, 10:37 AM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
... Admittedly acoustic guitars are harder to play up higher. That's why Maury used ultra light strings on a VERY low action. Of course, you could hear the results in a slappy attack.
There's an argument for the opposite, too. With heavier strings, quick little notes will have more "thump." So as long as your time is good, the impression is such that you're playing every note cleanly, even if you're not entirely.

I was a bass player first, and I picked this up from listening to Stanley Clarke play upright with Chick Corea. He'd play these blazing-fast lines with a long note at either end and a zillion little flyspeck notes in between, and it took me a while to realize he wasn't really clamping down on all those little notes -- it was more like a melodic drum fill.
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Old 03-31-2021, 05:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jersey jack View Post
Do most of you anchor your solos in the first position? I've been doing a lot of soloing on my electric lately, and it occurs to me that much of the up-the-neck stuff that I'm working on simply doesn't transfer well to an acoustic guitar.
Hi Jj…
Sounds like your soloing needs a backing player. And the answer is "I may start an acoustic solo in the low register, but I seldom live there…"

I play backing guitar, and electric guitar for our Worship Team. The worship leader plays the rhythm parts, and we only use one other guitarist on stage.

When he recruits me to play acoustic, backing parts are quite different than when he asks for electric, on the same songs with the same arrangement.

I make it my job to figure out how to translate what the leader wants using which-ever instrument is in my hands, and basing it somewhat on which keyboardist and bassist are in the mix for the day.

For fun while you are learning, you could throw down some chord progressions on a looper to solo over.

You could also find someone to jam with and trade off soloing.





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Old 04-03-2021, 03:01 PM
Jersey jack Jersey jack is offline
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Thanks for the responses. There's a lot of interesting stuff here.
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