SOLOING STRATEGIES
Nuno Bettencourt is one of my favourite players because his playing is funky, rhythmic and solid, and his phrasing is spectacular. For me, he falls into that category of great lead players who are even greater rhythm players, and you can learn a hell of a lot from his riffery. But this particular column is about a technique he often employs in his leads, and it’s something he shares in common with Eric Johnson, a very different player: string skipping.
String skipping is exactly what it sounds like: skipping over a string when you’re playing a sequence of notes. Why do this? Well, it breaks up the monotony and enforces a wider intervallic leap than if you were simply running up and down, blasting your way through every string in order. There are two ways I like to use string skipping in my playing one is designed to really draw attention to the leap in intervals by playing a repeating pattern for a sort of sequencer vibe, and the other is more freeform. Let’s look at examples of each.
SEQUENCER STYLE
Figure 1 offers two variations (a major and a minor) on a pattern I use a lot. This is a good one for building up dexterity. In Figure 2, you’ll see that same pattern repeated faster. You’ll also notice that in both of these examples, there is no suggested articulation: try alternatepicking these exercises with a focus on nice and even dynamics. Once you’ve got that down, explore different dynamics such as picking harder on the highest note of the sequence.
Figure 3 offers two ways to break out of the rigidity of the pattern to make it a little more expressive. In the first bar of this figure, we’re hammering on/pulling off everything other than the first note on each string. This gives it more of a flowing, liquid vibe. In the second bar, we’re sliding the notes on the B string instead of hammering them. This version always cracks me up because it kind of reminds me of a slide whistle. I’m easily amused.
FREEFORM STYLE
Figure 4 is based on a pattern I’ve been using for years now, which evolved out of a particular lick in Eric Johnson’s “Manhattan”. What I like about this one is that it covers such a wide range of pitch that it has a real ‘floaty’ vibe (especially with the Lydian mode that it employs), which is further enhanced by the fact that it doesn’t go all the way back down to the lowest note at the end. The stringskip supports the higher notes rather than defining the whole melodic contour. It’s also great for enhancing with hammers, slides and taps.
I like to bring the two approaches together. Figure 5 is more of an ‘up and down’ thing, but I stumbled upon this one while searching for a melody. It has a really alien kind of vibe that I wouldn’t have hit upon if I was adhering to a specific scale when I wrote it. Again, the low notes set up a kind of bed from which the rest of the lick rises, and that jump from the A note on the 14th fret of the G string to the C# on the 14th fret of the B string, while note a string skip, is a wide enough interval to lift the melody even further. This one sounds great with some delay as well.
Come up with your own stringskipping patterns and see where they take you. They can be a great rutbuster when it comes to creating new melodies and riffs.