Another name for both the hammer-on and pull-off techniques. These are called ascending and descending ligatures respectively. Be careful not to confuse this term with the ligature of value, which has a similar symbol as the hammer-on and pull-off, but combines two notes of the same height.
A lick can be a melodic fragment, a carrying phrase, or a sequence of precise very recognizable notes for one particular construction.
Some confuse this with the term pattern, but they are two substantially different modes, because the pattern is a geometric fragment that is transported around the fretboard.
In the example below, you can see a pair of licks, the first one "alla Knopfler"
and the second "alla Steve Vai".
This term indicates a sequence of notes in a certain order on the fretboard that are then transported on other strings or tones. It has practically the same meaning as pattern, but is less common.
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It's a system to play in a percussive way on the strings. It's obtained by stopping the strings with one or more fingers of the left hand, usually at a point in which you are normally playing: the result is a sound that won't have clearly defined notes, but rather a very interesting percussive effect from a rhythmic point of view. In the score its identified by the x. |
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Natural harmonic is obtained by placing a finger on an open string directly above the delimiting fret (i.e. the twelfth fret). It should be specified to just place the finger on the string and not to press on it, as the string doesn't necessarily have to touch the underlying fret.
The most common natural harmonics are obtained at the 5th, 7th, 12th, 17th, 19th and 24th frets. |
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This term indicates two very similar situations, but with some differences.
In the first case, we see an example played with the palm muting technique that develops a classical bichord riff on the fifth and fourth strings. Place the palm of the right hand on the bridge, in order to slightly stop the vibration of the strings. The muting action is done in the space between the dashes beneath the interested notes. It's a very common system for both riffs (see first measure of the example) and single notes (second measure). Be careful not to press the palm too hard on the bridge, because the strings could be squeezed and therefore be off-key. You need to "regulate" the pressure depending on the type of guitar you are playing.
The other way of muting is related to the cleanness of the sound. In fact, during a normal performance with the instrument, the strings not used in the fingerings can resonate due to the vibrations from the other strings,
but also due to accidental contact.
You can "quiet" the uninterested strings by muting them with both hands:
the right hand stops the lowest strings with respect to those played, while the left hand stops the possible vibration of the higher strings. Let's look at an example.
Suppose we are playing a single note on the fourth string with the middle finger of the left hand. The right hand supports the palm on the bridge in order to stop the sixth and the fifth strings. The left hand, with a part of the index finger, grazes the three high strings. To test this, place the middle finger on a fret of the fourth string and play all the strings one by one: the result is that every string, except the fourth, must be stopped. It's the same system for other strings, such as bichords, triads or chords: the uninterested strings must always be muted.
Most of the work is to prevent undesired vibrations or resonances of the strings. As a result you will have a clean and controlled sound that would otherwise be impossible to obtain. When you hear a guitarist play clean, he is surely using some sort of string muting. Treasure this technique.
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