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phrase. Slides are covered in more detail in Chapter 10, but it’s so close to a
shift, that I want you to try a slide right now to get you from home position to
eighth. Check out Figure 9-9 to help you with that slide.
Figure 9-9 shows the third-string slide on the left-hand third finger going from
fifth position to eighth. Play the note on the third string, seventh fret, and
while the note is still ringing and while still applying downward pressure on
the fretboard, slide your finger to the ninth fret. You should hear the gradual
glide in pitch between the two notes.
Track 52
Figure 9-9:
A slide that
facilitates a
shift from
fifth to
eighth
position.
164 Part III: Beyond the Basics: Playing Like a Pro TEAM LinG
L.H. 1 3 1
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A
B
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sl.
5 7
5 7
3 __ 3
sl.
9
1 3 1
8 10 8
1
8
When you don’t want to move,
just reach or jump
A reach involves the stretch of the left-hand finger — usually the third or
fourth if you’re going up — to grab a note that’s in the new position. A reach
is handy when you don’t want to change positions but need to grab one or
two notes from the new position. But you can also use a reach to bridge a
position shift if you prefer it over moving your hand.
Because a reach involves stretching the hand, it’s not the most comfortable
way to grab new notes, and if you have small hands, you may not find it a
viable option. Reaches do become more reasonable the higher up you go on
the neck because the frets become closer together.
A jump or leap is like a shift without the sliding action in between. You jump —
or let go of the string completely — and grab the new note. You often use
jumps when you want to shift to a position that’s not adjacent to the one
you’re currently playing in. In that case, it’s often easier to leave the fretboard
entirely to land on a distant part of the fretboard.