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Premier Clinic: Fingerstyle
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Soldier’s March
from Jamsire Ernoir’s Fingerstyle Funk
This is a straight piece, with eighth notes that are always going, always pulsating to the beat with a little snap on the high strings. It’s a groove that we can do in any key because the trick to this song is using what we call an “ornament.” In music (primarily classical genres), ornaments are quick flourishes that aren’t necessarily related to the song’s melody, but simply serve to dress things up. Many ornaments are performed as “fast notes” around a central note or theme, and you’ll see that in this short march.
The idea is make the ornamental notes quick enough that you feel them more than you hear them. In this piece, we play a straight eighth note groove on the bass and our top two fingers operate slightly off the beat. Our ornaments exist as quick ghost notes on the second and sixth strings – these can all be played as pull-offs, but the real beauty with these is that you can really do whatever you want. Because these notes exist to add more feeling, instead of to add harmonic elements, you can really experiment with what gives your playing the most impact. You can move this groove anywhere on the neck.
A major part of this song does lie in the groove. As you’re playing, remember to bounce with it and feel the snap. You may want to set a metronome or work with a drummer to set the best foundation possible. Remember that coordination is the absolute pre-cursor to speed! All techniques should be done slowly at first; this piece may seem simple, but it requires serious coordination to do the pull-offs and snaps in perfect time. Try it with a little overdrive – thumping hard will bring you to another place in your groove.
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