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THREE-NOTE
CHORDS
Q I’ve been enjoying
your Swing
Guitar Essentials lesson book, but I’m confused by the rhythm
style using three-note chords. Many of these chords have strings
that are not played between the notes of the chord. How do you mute
these strings and still strum the three notes?
Sally Blackman
Washington, D.C.
A In order to make Freddie Green–style,
three-note chords sound punchy and clear, you must lightly damp
the intermediate strings with the flesh of your adjacent left-hand
fingers. This is a little tricky at first but becomes natural with
experience. To get started, try playing a first-position, two-finger,
four-note A7 chord on the second fret—open A, E, open G, C#. Play
the E with your middle finger on the second fret and play the C#
with your ring finger on the second fret. Strum the four inside
strings so that all four notes ring out. Now gently bend your fingers
just enough so that the flesh of your middle finger between the
pad and the first knuckle lightly touches the open G string to damp
it. The ringing notes are now the open A, E, and C#—a three-note
A major chord that jumps over one string.
Swing progressions are more likely to include three-note chords
up the neck with no open strings, so let’s try an inversion of that
same chord in a higher position. Place your ring finger on the ninth
fret of the sixth string (C#), your index finger on the seventh
fret of the fourth string (A), and your pinky on the ninth fret
of the third string (E). Damp the open A string with the flesh of
your ring finger so that only three strings are ringing—the sixth,
fourth, and third.
With practice, you should get comfortable damping strings with
each of your fingers, and it will be much easier to make all of
the chord forms sound good. A lesson or two with a jazz instructor
will clarify things, but this should get you started on the technique.
Check out three-note chord backup styles, get some tips on swing
soloing, read about the history of swing guitar, and more in Acoustic
Guitar magazine's Swing
Guitar Essentials lesson book-and-CD package.
—Paul Kotapish
REMOVABLE
PICKGUARD
Q I recently bought a
custom guitar with a spruce top and high-gloss alcohol lacquer finish
but no pickguard. To prevent damage to the finish, I’d like to put
on a clear, nonadhesive pickguard. My local music retailers all
carry Clear-Guard, and the label clearly states that it’s not recommended
for nitrocellulose lacquer. Would it be safe to use on my guitar?
Joe Whyte
Williamstown, New Jersey
A I suspect that a nonadhesive pickguard
is made of vinyl and sticks through static-electric cling. Nitrocellulose
lacquer is easily damaged by prolonged contact with vinyl, so I’d
avoid using a vinyl guard. A pickguard probably wouldn’t hurt anything
if you didn’t leave it on the instrument overnight, but you’d have
to remember to remove it right after playing. I’m not familiar with
"alcohol lacquer," though, so I recommend that you contact the guitar
manufacturer for advice. I prefer the self-adhesive sheets that
are professionally applied and more or less permanent. When removed,
they frequently leave a small trace behind, but that can be polished
away by a skilled guitar repairer.
—Frank Ford
ALTERNATIVE
BRIDGE PINS
Q Do
you know of any sources for bridge pins made of water buffalo horn?
I saw a reference to them in a recent issue of Acoustic Guitar
(Shoptalk, May ’99).
Robert George
Princeton, New Jersey
A Many players and luthiers
like the added brightness and response that bridge pins made of
water buffalo horn provide. You can purchase horn bridge sets from
Schoenberg Guitars (www.wenet.net/~guitar;
[415] 789-0846) or from Allparts (www.allparts.com;
[281] 391-0637).
—Paul Kotapish
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