i Love Guitar

Descending Fingerstyle Cross-Stringing Figure

A figure is a short rhythmic or melodic device that has the potential for creating sequences. We also classify technical & fingering patterns as figures.

Melodic Sequence

A melodic sequence is taking a melodic figure & repeating it, at a new pitch level. It the following descending fingerstyle cross-stringing figure, the motor hand figure remains the same [p-m-i]. p = thumb, m = middle, i = index for a new string couplet.

Cross-stringing can describe a number of things. In this instance, we are using the term to describe strings ringing against one another. Let the open strings ring over the fretted tones [campanellas].

The thumb starts the figure, the m is always an open string, then the i picks up the last tone in the figure. Besides the open B string in the 2nd measure, this is the A minor pentatonic.

The bracket connecting these two lines of tab indicates that they are the same thing. We call the bottom tab line, pima tab. It’s motor hand finger labels on tab. Use those fingers on those strings for whatever is above [in the normal tab], just like with regular tab.

You can use any fret numbers, & we encourage you to do this. Once you get the feel of the motor hand [always moving the hand over the string sets - keep the relative position the same for whatever string set you are picking], experiment with changing the fretting tones, either within P5 [Position 5], or shifting to other positions. If you shift, you may consider using the Pentatonic frames in A minor for the fretted tones.