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Premier Clinic: Fingerstyle
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Daughter of Pete’s Feet
from Richard Gilewitz’s Fingerscapes
This exercise is the opening segment and main theme of a piece entitled “Daughter of Pete’s Feet” which can be heard on Richard Gilewitz’s release, Thumbsing. You can also hear a live version of the tune on Live at 2nd Street Theatre. If you have the inclination to track down both versions, you’ll be able to hear the differences between the two versions – there’s a little more sense of freedom during the live performance, especially when Richard’s slide comes into play.
This song is in open D tuning, and in a unique twist, the most crucial moment of the song arrives at the very beginning. It’s essential to strike the first beat forcefully with your thumb and ring finger to set the upcoming melody in motion; it is also very important that during pull-offs you actually “pluck” the strings with the first and third fingers of your left hand, as opposed to simply releasing them. Doing this allows for a continuation of the melody, which needs to be kept as even as possible.
Before you begin the song, make sure you have your left hand set in the proper position – the index finger should be above the third string, third fret and the ring finger should be on the high D, fourth fret. As you pinch the opening notes with your right hand, you will simultaneously hammer-on both notes with your left. It’s a tricky maneuver to begin a tune, so you’ll want to spend some time making sure both of those movements are well coordinated. You’ll also need to make sure that your opening pluck is extremely strong – you’re going to need whatever sound there is to sustain the first two triplets, which consist entirely of hammer-ons and pull-offs. Focus on producing all of these initial notes as cleanly as possible.
After the first two triplets, we’ll use essentially the same chording of the left hand for the rest of the measure, except that the ring finger will move from the high D string to the high A. Plucking on the fourth beat of the measure, as well as the next two beats will keep the song moving and “reactivates the tune.” You may find it handy to use your thumb for the low E in the fourth measure, as it will give you a little room to get your hand in position for the coming measure, but for those playing classicals or guitars with wider necks, your middle finger will do.
In measure 3 the intro section is repeated; it’s similar to a calland- response motif like you might find in blues music. We simulate this by playing the hammer-ons and pull-offs on the fourth string in the second measure, and by moving those notes to the fifth string in the fourth measure. Measure 5 again revisits our intro riff, but measure 6 changes things up.
Measure 6 was written to try and bring out the melody a bit more. The second beat of the measure entails a very quick movement from the second fret to the fifth – a great trick is to simply look at the fret you want your fingers to move up to – if you do it right, you’ll guide your fingers right where you want them. Also notice the unique fingerings at the bottom of the measure – these quick alternations between fingers will keep you moving in a spot that’s easy to get tripped up in. Y “Daughter of Pete’s Feet” is a fast moving song with a lot of technical moves, but once you get into the song’s rhythm, you should have a lot of fun with it. Experiment with these kinds of rapid hammer-on/pull-off combinations in your own playing – practice building up themes and variations around them. They are an oft-overlooked technique that can really spice up a melodic line.
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