Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

Department of Contemporary Improvisation

Erno Aalto-Urantowka

A Study of Interval Fingerings on Guitar Fretboard

Final Research Paper

Supervisor: Maarja Kindel

Tallinn 2017
A Study of Interval Fingerings on Guitar Fretboard

Abstract

This thesis is a study of fingerings of intervals on the guitar fretboard in the framework of position
playing. The main research question is to explore all the applicable fingerings one can find for
single intervals within one specific location (i.e. a "position") on the guitar fretboard. For this study
the principles of position playing are considered constant when determining the possible interval
fingerings while aspects like idiom or tonality are disregarded. The main objective of this study is to
list the fingerings of all intervals no larger than an octave in one position while the secondary
objective is to bring awareness to the technical aspect of the fretting hand in intervallic playing. The
results show that intervals have multiple fingerings on the guitar fretboard in one position. The
player must address the technical aspect of the different fingerings when playing intervals.

Key words: intervals, guitar, fingering, position playing, non-tonal harmony

Index
1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 3
2 Guitar Fretboard Mechanics .......................................................................................................... 6
2.1 Standard Tuning and Fretboard Diagrams ............................................................................. 6
2.2 Position Playing ..................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Technical Considerations ....................................................................................................... 9
3 Intervallic Concepts Found in Guitar Literature .......................................................................... 11
3.1 An Improviser's OS .............................................................................................................. 11
3.2 Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar ....................................................................................... 13
3.3 The Guitarist's Guide to Composing and Improvising ........................................................ 14
3.4 The Advancing Guitarist ...................................................................................................... 16
4 Interval Fingerings on the Guitar Fretboard ................................................................................ 18
4.1 Interval of 2nd ...................................................................................................................... 19
4.2 Interval of 3rd ...................................................................................................................... 20
4.3 Interval of 4th ....................................................................................................................... 22
4.4 Interval of the Tritone (augmented 4th/diminished 5th) ...................................................... 23
4.5 Interval of 5th ....................................................................................................................... 23
4.6 Interval of 6th ....................................................................................................................... 24
4.7 Interval of 7th ....................................................................................................................... 26
4.8 Interval of the Octave........................................................................................................... 27
5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 29
Sources ............................................................................................................................................... 32

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1 Introduction

When a musician takes up learning new musical material be it a composition, an exercise or a

concept for improvisation, the physical and tactile (i.e. technical) aspects of the instrument s/he uses
to mediate this new material is highly relevant. The musician has to find all the necessary pitches
and sounds on her/his instrument prior to successfully practicing or indeed performing the material
at hand. The following study addresses one specific instance like described above: what are the
technical issues one has to consider when playing intervals on the guitar?

The objective of this study is to examine how the mechanics of the guitar influence playing
intervals. As intervallic playing is covered widely in guitar instruction literature, the study at hand
expands on the subject by exploring intervals in non-tonal harmony (see Chapter 3 for further
discussion). The results of this research will yield data on the possible ways to play intervals on the
guitar in the form of different fingering approaches one can utilize in her/his own musical pursuits.

The genesis of this study can be traced to the notion of practicing intervals on the guitar with the
aim of being aware of all the possible ways any given interval can be played. As an interval can be
played on several locations with different fingerings on the guitar fretboard (see Goordick 1987: 93;
Van Eps 1980: 6), could the player say that s/he's "got it" if s/he can play the given interval at one
or two locations with one or two fingerings? The other possibilities to play the interval might be
more relevant or technically available to the musical context the player is operating at the time. The
recurring theme of this study is that the mechanics of the guitar lend themselves to find different
ways to play given musical construct. While it is important to acknowledge this kind of diversity of
technical issues inherent to the guitar, it is more vital to limit these possibilities while practicing the
musical material, say intervals, at hand.

One can devise improvisation exercises that target the technical, melodic or harmonic aspects of the
musical material on the instrument with several different variables in mind (see Crook 1991). One
variable on the guitar is the position of the fretting hand on the guitar neck. For the sake of this
study, the movement of the fretting hand is completely removed, thus bringing the focus of the
player to different fingerings and the melodic/harmonic content found on one particular location of
the guitar fretboard. This concept is known as position playing (Goodrick 1987: 27). As intervals
play a central role in understanding and constructing larger musical constructs such as motifs, scales
and chords, it is a natural starting point in practicing the control and direction of musical expression
3
(see Silberman 2003; Crook 1991; Friedmann 1990; Campbell 1988; Edlund 1964). Thus the
material this study covers is based entirely to two-note constructs, either melodic or harmonic (see
Chapter 3).

The central research method used in this study is the principles of position playing (Leavitt 1999,
vol. 1: 60; Goodrick 1987: 27) applied to non-tonal harmony on the guitar fretboard. This approach
identifies all the intervals and their multiple fingerings that are playable within any given position.
The used literature covers the topics central to this study including position playing (Leavitt 1999;
Goodrick 1987), intervals (Damian 2001; Goodrick 1987; Van Eps 1982) and fingerings (Van Eps
1980). Also the notion of improvisation is taken in account (Pett 2007; Crook 2006).

Intervals on the guitar fretboard have been studied before from various aspects. As a vehicle in
music education, Jesse S. Hale (2012) utilizes intervals as means to enhance the melodic content of
improvisation (Hale 2012, accessed 30 Dec. 2017) while James McFadden (2010) approaches
intervals as building blocks for fretboard harmony (McFadden 2010, accessed 30 Dec. 2017). Both
of these studies address the visual appearance of intervals on the guitar via fretboard diagrams1. But
the notion of fingering intervals is covered quite differently; while the other barely mentions
fingerings in the context of intervals (Hale 2012: 74), the other presents exercises that have the
student devise different fingerings to the music at hand (McFadden 2010: 87–89).

Generally fingerings are addressed in guitar instruction literature more often in the basic level than
in the advanced level (e.g. refer to Leavitt 1999: vol. 1; Leavitt 1999: vol. 3). This may lead to
instances that when the player is not explicitly instructed to explore different fingerings for notes,
intervals or passages s/he may disregard it entirely. There are of course notable exceptions to this
kind of tendency in the guitar instruction literature (see Van Eps 1980). It would seem that the
guitar's inherent complexity does not lend itself readily to the discussion of different fingerings or
note positions on the guitar fretboard (see Goodrick 1987, 93).

Considering the brief literature review above, the research for interval fingerings is needed in the
confines of position playing and non-tonal harmony. The study at hand is the first step in generating
material for the guitar player to explore the technical and musical application of intervals in position
playing and non-tonal harmony. This study starts by outlining the mechanics that form the basis for
playing any musical material on the guitar in Chapter 2. Topics covered include the tuning of the

1
A visual representation of part of the guitar fretboard (see Chapter 2.1).

4
guitar, common guitar notation and the principles of position playing. Also the technical aspects of
the fretting hand will be discussed. Chapter 3 is a literature analysis of selected guitar instruction
books with the focus of the way that each author utilizes intervals in a musical context. These
concepts are studied from the viewpoint of the research question stated above. The results of this
study, interval fingerings in one position, are presented in Chapter 4. The finishing Chapter 5 will
consider the application of these results elaborating the concepts discussed in Chapter 3 in the
context of position playing and non-tonal harmony.

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2 Guitar Fretboard Mechanics

This chapter discusses the mechanics of the guitar regarding its tuning system and so-called
position playing. Topics covered are the common notational practices of guitar music, the principles
of position playing and some discussion of the technical aspect of the fretting hand position.

2.1 Standard Tuning and Fretboard Diagrams

The standard tuning used in six-stringed guitar is from the highest string to the lowest as follows: 1st
E4; 2nd B3; 3rd G3; 4th D2; 5th A2 and; 6th E2 (Leavitt 1999, vol. 1: 3). In traditional notation, strings
are indicated with a number inside a circle (Damian 2007: xvii) (Ex. 1, observe that the guitar is
notated one octave higher than sounding pitch). In other words, guitar is tuned in the interval of
perfect 4ths on the string pairs ①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥ (see Chapter 3 for the definition of intervals).
On the string pair ②③ the tuning is a major 3rd. In the case of non-adjacent strings with one string
between them the tuning is a major 6th for string pairs ①③ and ②④ and a minor 7th on string pairs
③⑤ and ④⑥ (Ex. 2).

Example 1: Standard guitar tuning and string numbering.

Example 2: Intervals of string pairs.

The tuning plays an important role when playing any music on the guitar, including intervals. The
intervals occurring naturally on adjacent and non-adjacent string pairs are not the same. This
discrepancy in the intervallic relationships of the string pairs effects in the fingerings of intervals so
that the same fingering does not produce a similar interval on every string pair. For example, with

6
the 1st and the 3rd fingers of the fretting hand, if one were to play the string pairs ⑤⑥ and ②③, the
resulting intervals would be perfect 5th and an augmented 4th (Ex. 3).

Example 3: Same fingering on different string pairs produce different interval due to the tuning of the guitar.

The guitar fingerboard is fretted so that each consecutive fret alters the played pitch by a semitone;
e.g. open string ⑥ produces a pitch E, the fretted note at the 1st fret produces the pitch F, etc. To
help visualize the location of notes, scales and chords on the fretboard, one tool is to utilize
fretboard diagrams2 (Leavitt 1999, vol. 1: 24). Fretboard diagrams depict a part of the fretboard
with vertical lines representing the strings (leftmost line being the ⑥) and horizontal lines
representing the frets (upmost line being the nut or the lowest fret of the given position). A dot over
a string depicts a fretted note, an open circle and the symbol x above the diagram depict an open
string and a muted string, respectively. The fingering is indicated within the staff next to the pitches
in question (Ex. 4).

Example 4: A chord diagram and fingering for a F minor chord.

The diagram can also be utilized to visualize scale and interval shapes as well. In scale diagrams the
dots indicate the location of the notes on the fretboard that are contained within a certain scale.
Usually the locations of the dots on the diagram convey the fingerings of a scale or interval quite
univocally as shown in Ex. 5. On the occasions of finger stretches however, the fingering can be
more ambiguous (see Ex. 6).

2 The term chord template is also used (see Damian 2007, xiv).

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Example 5: A scale diagram for A minor pentatonic scale in the V position.

2.2 Position Playing

Position playing addresses the position of the fretting hand on the guitar neck in relation to the frets.
The principle in position playing is that each digit is placed on adjoining frets. The position is
determined by location of the fretting hand index finger and is indicated with Roman numerals
below the staff (e.g. the index finger is at the 2nd fret, thus the fretting hand is in II position). The
fretting digit is indicated with a number over the note (e.g. index finger 1 to the pinkie 4).
Additional principle in position playing is the notion of index and pinkie finger stretches. Fingers 1
and 4 can be used to extend the position by one fret lower or higher, respectively. (Leavitt 1999,
vol. 1: 60) There are a number of ways to indicate finger stretch; Leavitt uses abbreviation "F.S."
and "(s)" (Leavitt 1999, vol. 1: 60; Leavitt 1999, vol. 2: 3). For the purposes of this study, a capital
S will be used for the sake of visual clarity (Ex. 6). Note that the pitch F4 has two different
fingerings (see Goodrick 1987: 93).

Example 6: A fingering for F-major scale in the second position with 1 and 4 finger stretches.

One position covers the span of two octaves plus a perfect 4th on the fretboard with the possibility
to fret every note of the chromatic scale (Ex. 7). With this, in one position and in all positions, it is
possible to play any conventional tonal, modal and symmetrical scale or triad and four-part chord.
(Goodrick 1987: 27–28)

8
Example 7: Chromatic scale in the V position.

Considering the vast musical structures possible to play within a single position on the guitar neck,
position playing can be a powerful tool in both tonal and non-tonal (i.e. chromatic) musical context.

2.3 Technical Considerations

In this study the central issue to address is the technical possibilities and limitations of the fretting
hand in position playing. Considering the position playing principles discussed above the number of
playable frets in one position is 6 (4+1+1) across the 6 strings of the guitar neck. As this study
focuses on melodic and harmonic intervals this chapter will discuss two-note constructs only. The
number of possible finger pairs to fret two notes on either one or two strings is 6, including the
optional stretch of the 1 and 4 fingers3:

• 1S-2 and 1-2

• 1S-3 and 1-3
• 1S-4S, 1S-4, 1-4S and 1-4
• 2-3
• 2-4 and 2-4S
• 3-4 and 3-4S (Van Eps 1981: 4).

One could also view the fingerings by the frets the finger pairs cover:

• 2 frets: 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4

• 3 frets: 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 and 3-4S
• 4 frets: 1S-3, 1-4 and 2-4S
• 5 frets: 1S-4 and 1-4S

3
Two notes on different strings on the same fret can be fretted with a single digit (barre).

9
 • 6 frets: 1S-4S (Goodrick 1987: 27).

While playing either melodic or harmonic material, the technical aspect of the finger pair used to
fret the notes becomes evident. Although it is subjective as to which finger pair is the most
comfortable or awkward to use to play any given passage or interval, one could strive for equal
control with all finger combinations. In written music however, the player usually chooses the
fingerings with the musical context in mind, regardless of the difficulty (or the lack of it) of the
fingering. In the case of written guitar music, the optimal fingerings are often provided.

In improvised music, on the other hand, the player has to choose her/his own fingerings on
moment-to-moment basis. To some degree, muscle memory affects the player's choice of played
patterns and in so the fingerings and finger pairs used (Pett 2007: 7). With this in mind, it is safe to
assume that while improvising, the player's usage of certain fingerings or finger pairs may be
highlighted while the usage of others may be de-emphasized. This kind of unequal technique of
fingers can be a hindrance when considering musical expression. Van Eps argues that "[t]he ideal
technique must be able to handle the uncomfortable unusual situations that occur while
improvising" (Van Eps 1980: 3). In this sense it is profitable for the player to build a solid technical
command on all finger pairs to be thoroughly prepared for improvisational settings.

With the technical considerations mentioned above in mind, it is beneficial to organize any guitar
study material in an orderly fashion. As the idiomatic focus of this study is disregarded, the
structures that are usually associated to tonal or modal music (major/minor scales, modes, triads,
etc.) are disregarded. Thus the starting point of organizing non-tonal material would be the most
basic unit of any melodic or harmonic structure witch is the relationship between two consecutive
or simultaneous pitches, i.e. an interval (see Persichetti 1961: 9). The next chapter will discuss
playing concepts found in guitar literature that utilize intervallic approach as one possible starting
point for improvisation.

In summary, the tuning of the guitar and the principles of position playing define the possible
melodic and harmonic structures one can play. With the range of over two octaves, any and every
position contains the chromatic scale and all the smaller constructs derived from it. To be able to
fully express oneself musically on the guitar, the technical aspect of the fretting hand cannot be
disregarded. Different combinations of the fretting hand fingers and finger pairs are optimally equal
in precision and control while fretting notes on the guitar fretboard.

10
3 Intervallic Concepts Found in Guitar Literature

This chapter discusses intervallic concepts found in selected guitar-specific music literature. The
material presented does not only address intervallic playing but also topics related to the study at
hand such as improvisation, position playing and fingering technique. The concepts of each work
are introduced with the focus on the subjects listed above and analysed from the aspect of non-tonal
improvisation and position playing.

For the purposes of this study and the following literature analysis, it is necessary to define the
concept of interval. When two tones are sounded either in succession (melodic) or simultaneously
(harmonic), it is considered an interval and can be identified by the amount of letter names that the
two tones span. The interval is named by an ordinal numerical value from 2nd to 7th and specified
with an applicable quality name. Intervals 4th, 5th and with an addition of the interval octave
(basically 8th) are labelled as perfect, augmented or diminished. Intervals 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th are
considered either minor or major. The quality of the interval depends on the amount of half steps
within the interval. (Aldwell; Schachter 2003: 8, 22–23; Persichetti 1961: 9–10) For this study, an
interval is considered to be either a melodic or harmonic simple interval (i.e. no larger than an
octave).

3.1 An Improviser's OS

An Improviser's OS by Wayne Krantz (2004) is first and foremost a study in guitar-oriented

improvisation. Although Krantz points out that the concepts laid out in the book are applicable to
any instrument, the techniques and exercises are based on the guitar fretboard mechanics and
position playing (Krantz 2004: 43). The book lays out a way to practice improvisation in any
tonality or modality in the confines and possibilities guitar fretboard mechanics.

In short, the basic concept for improvisation according to An Improviser's OS is to choose a

tonality, a key and a position on the guitar fretboard. What differentiates this approach from the rest
of guitar method books is the definition and restriction Krantz employs to the notions of tonality
and position playing, respectively. Tonality, according to Krantz, is viewed as a formula consisting
of 1 to 12 units of chromatic functions that are identified as scale degree numbers with the flat
accidental if needed (e.g. a 4-note tonality could spell out as 12b35) (Krantz 2004: 40–41). Position
11
playing on the other hand is viewed as a vehicle for compositional playing, i.e. to be used to play
the scales, chord shapes, patterns, etc. that are previously learned, and in such, not in the realm of
improvisation. To circumvent all the learned patterns and shapes using the position playing
principles of one digit per fret contiguously and stretches with digits 1 and 4 Krantz simply forbids
to use the said finger stretches rendering one position's range from 6 frets to 4 (this method is aptly
called the "4-fret" exercise). (Krantz 2004: 45, 49)

How do the concepts and exercise rules discussed above relate to intervallic improvisation? Surely,
the way of defining and structuring a tonality as a formula with 1 to 12 chromatic tones opens up
intervallic possibilities that are not found in conventional tonal, modal or synthetic scales. As there
are 2048 different formulas, one is bound to find new improvisation material abundantly (Krantz
2004: 8–38). However, the 4-fret exercise described above is much more significant factor in
intervallic structuring and realization of a formula on the guitar fretboard. For example, if one were
to choose the formula of 12b35 in the key of F (pitches F, G, A flat and C) and play it on the
position IV using the 4-fret exercise, there would be only 6 playable pitches on 5 strings. If one uses
finger stretches 11 pitches would be playable in the same position utilizing all 6 strings (Ex. 8).

Example 8: Formula 12b35 in F played on position IV using the 4-fret exercise and finger stretches.

The 4-fret exercise thus on the one hand, inhibits the player’s access to certain pitches (depending
on the chosen formula, key and the neck position), while on the other, it provides a more condensed
view of the intervallic relationships between the pitches of the formula than via the basic position
playing principles. For instance, in the Example 6 above, the intervallic possibilities of the 4-fret
exercise with formula 12b35 in the key of F compared to the position playing are reduced to 15
instead of 55. It is worth noting that limiting oneself in an improvisational exercise using, for
instance, the 4-fret exercise mentioned above, can be beneficial to one's overall improvisational
ability (see Crook 2006: 63–64). Even if one chooses to inhibit a limiting factor to the
improvisation, other aspects of the music such as time-feel, note choice, phrasing, etc. can be
identified, examined and improved upon (Krantz 2004: 53–56).

Although one could choose to focus solely on the intervallic content of her/his improvisation of a

12
chosen formula, key and position, there are a few concerns to address. First of all, despite the
formulas being chromatically all-inclusive, the general outset of the formulas is tonally or modally
inclined (Krantz 2004: 68–69). This somewhat limits the concepts applicability in a non-tonal
harmony setting. Secondly, there is little to no viable way of figuring out a priori the intervallic
content of a formula. The locations of the pitches, applicable fingerings and the intervallic content
become realized only after the formula has been designated with a key and a position on the
fretboard. In such, the concept of formulas combined with a 4-fret exercise form a powerful tool to
practice different tonalities free of pre-learned shapes of melodic or harmonic material on the guitar
fretboard. But as a vehicle of intervallic improvisation in a non-tonal setting it is, in a sense, both
too broad (number of formulas) and too limiting (the 4-fret exercise) to systematically learn all the
intervallic possibilities in a viable way on the guitar fretboard.

3.2 Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar

George Van Eps' Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar (1980; 1981; 1982) is a 3-volume study in
harmony, fingerings and technical considerations for guitar. Subjects include various different
chord concepts, harmonized scales and diatonic intervals to name a few. Most of the material is
notated in all keys and both major and minor tonalities. With the total page count of nearly 900
pages, the 3 volumes cover a lot of the harmonic situations any guitarist is bound to come across in
most musical contexts.

One of the main focuses of the volumes is the fingering of the fretting hand. Van Eps goes into
lengthy detail of the fingerings in every concept he introduces. The fingering numbers are given on
virtually all the notated examples. Also the string sets one would play the given example is
explained explicitly (Van Eps 1980: 27–28). The reason for this kind of pedantic approach is found
from the complexity of the guitar mechanics: same pitch can be played with different fingers on
different strings (see Chapter 2.2). The notion of technique and the studies presented are viewed as
tools to be utilized to convey musical ideas (Van Eps 1981: 6).

Considering the studies in Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar in light of non-tonal intervallic
improvisation, one central concern is obvious: nearly all studies are tonal. Although the studies
cover many intervallic concepts like two-voice oblique and contrary lines (Van Eps 1981: 11–182)
and parallel 10ths and 6ths (Van Eps 1982: 17–60) and give valuable insight concerning the
technical issues in interval playing on the guitar in general, these studies do not address the non-

13
tonal musical situations. Few specific studies are chromatic (i.e. non-tonal) concerning intervals4
only: chromatic scales with either lower or higher note sustained and chromatic scales in various
parallel intervals (Van Eps 1980: 149–158).

Few potential concerns arise when the above-mentioned chromatic concepts are considered as
working material for non-tonal intervallic improvisation. In the case of the study at hand, the aim is
to map out all the intervals within a position on the guitar neck given the principles of the position
playing (see Chapter 2.2). In the chromatic exercises laid out by Van Eps, some of the fingerings
imply position shifts when changing string sets and some intervals are played with a "double
stretch" of fretting hand fingers (Ex. 9) (Van Eps 1980: 154, 158).

Example 9: Implied position shifts in chromatic major 3rds and a 2-fret finger stretch on minor 2nd.

Of course, these fingerings are for the purposes of the example only; as Van Eps points out, the
student should look for the fingerings not presented in the books (Van Eps 1980: 158). With this in
mind it is obvious that position playing or non-tonal harmony were not the main frameworks for
Van Eps' harmonic studies. But the notion of multiple fingerings for any particular harmonic
construct, interval, triad, etc., can be applied to any tonal or indeed non-tonal musical context. Thus
the main point taken from Van Eps' Harmonic Mechanisms is the notion of complete technical
control of the fretting hand concerning fingerings on any given string sets. The study at hand is
basically the above-mentioned philosophy applied to the concept of position playing and non-tonal
harmony.

3.3 The Guitarist's Guide to Composing and Improvising

Jon Damian (2001) discusses intervallic approach to 3-note motif playing in his book The
Guitarist's Guide to Composing and Improvising (Damian 2001). To form a motif, one would start
by playing two consecutive intervals. Damian utilizes a "Palette Chart" to organize different

4
Van Eps introduces a number of chromatic concepts that delve into triads as well but they are out of the scope of the
study at hand (see Van Eps 1980, 260–272).

14
interval combinations in an orderly fashion. (Damian 2001: 40–41) Figure 1 displays one set of
palettes5 starting with the interval of 3rd. These interval pairs are applied to any diatonic scale.
Example 10 shows the interval palettes on Figure 1 applied to C major scale.

32 33 34 35 36 37

Figure 1: Part of the Palette Chart designed by Jon Damian (2001: 41)

Example 10: Interval palettes applied to C major scale.

The concept of the Palette Chart covers every non-compound interval pair imaginable from two
stacked 2nds to two stacked 7ths. With 36 different combinations of interval pairs the possibilities
to formulate a melodic or harmonic 3-note grouping are vast. Perhaps due to this large amount of
potential melodic and harmonic material derived from these palettes Damian does not discuss the
playing position or fingerings (Damian 2001: 40–43). Therefore the task of figuring out the proper
fingerings is left to the student.

There are few concerns when the Palette Chart is applied to non-tonal context. First, the qualities of
the intervals are defined by the tonality and the scale degree one applies any selected palette to. In
the first degree in key of C major the palette of 32 spells out the pitches C, E, and F (major 3rd and
minor 2nd). On the second degree however the same palette gives the pitches D, F and G (minor
3rd and major 2nd). Thus some intervallic combinations are not applicable in certain keys or
degrees of any given scale. Second, the Palette Chart assumes that the applicable scale comprises of
7 scale degrees. While scales with fewer than 7 scale degrees (e.g. pentatonic scales) are applicable
to the Palette Chart, it is unclear how one would apply scales with up to 12 notes in them. One
would have to differentiate between the intervallic qualities such as minor and major, etc. to realize
all the intervallic combinations in a chromatic (i.e. non-tonal) context.

5
The colours and shapes surrounding the interval numbers are for grouping purposes (see Damian 2001: 41)

15
The Palette Chart is, however, a quite sophisticated tool of organizing interval pairs even in non-
tonal context. The palettes form a template one can utilize for figuring out the different chromatic
interval pairs; e.g. the palette 22 can be expanded by mixing minor and major 2nds (Damian 2007:
148–149). These can then be applied to the guitar fretboard with proper fingerings. As the study at
hand addresses single intervals only, the application of the Palette Chart to position playing and
non-tonal harmony has to be covered in a future research (see Chapter 5 for further discussion).

3.4 The Advancing Guitarist

Mick Goodrick (1987) presents a study in intervals in his book The Advancing Guitarist (Goodrick
1987). Goodrick approaches intervals from the aspect of counterpoint giving examples for parallel,
similar, contrary and oblique motion. The material is presented only in the key C major and as such
is a concept for the student to apply to different keys, modes, scales, etc. (Goodrick 1987: 19–24)
Intervals are also mentioned in the context of scalar playing. The chromatic scale is considered as
one topic to study on intervals with the notion that it's possible to play chromatic scale at intervals
of 4th up to a major 10th on the open position6 (Goodrick 1987: 25). Interestingly enough, this kind
of notion of intervals is not mentioned when Goodrick discusses position playing (Goodrick 1987:
27–29).

Although Goodrick's (1987) concepts and exercises are rarely self-explanatory due to the "do-it-
yourself" style of the book, some notions concerning the presented counterpoint exercises are worth
mentioning from the aspect of the study at hand. In a way of organizing contrapunctal interval
material, Goodrick lists out "interval moves" that exemplify oblique and contrary motion within the
pitches of the intervals. For instance, the interval of 2nd can be followed by an interval of 3rd to
form oblique motion whereas 2nd followed by 4th produces contrary motion (Ex. 11). (Goodrick
1987: 20) The application of these interval moves to non-tonal harmony and position playing is
discussed more in detail in Chapter 5.

Example 11: Interval moves 2nd to 3rd (oblique motion) and 2nd to 4th (contrary motion).

6
Open position is basically the I position with open strings (see Goodrick 1987:24).

16
As a summary from the literature presented above, guitar players have studied and written about
intervallic concepts from various different aspects. Krantz (2004), although not directly addressing
intervals per se, lays out a playing concept for scales within strict position playing that influence the
intervallic content of the improvised music. Van Eps' (1980; 1981; 1982) main argument in playing
any harmonic material, including intervals, is that the fretting hand, in tandem with the picking
hand, would be technically prepared to play any kind of material the music, improvised or
otherwise, calls for. Damian (2001; 2007) utilizes interval pairs to form a variety of distinct 3-note
motifs and chords. Goodrick's (1987) approach to intervals is contrapunctal by nature.

However, the concepts are presented mostly in tonal or modal contexts with an inclination towards
the idiom of jazz. As such they have inherent limitations or are not readily applicable in the setting
of free improvisation. Also, while position playing is discussed, it isn't the basis for most of the
intervallic concepts presented above or it is utilized in such a modified way that the basic notions of
position playing do not apply anymore. In the light of the literature review of this chapter,
intervallic concept specific to position playing in a non-tonal, non-idiomatic context for guitar is yet
to be found. The following chapter aims to address this deficiency in listing all single intervals
within a position on the guitar fretboard with all applicable fingerings. In Chapter 5 however,
further consideration is given to some of the intervallic concepts discussed above as a way to
organize and practice the interval fingerings presented in the following chapter.

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4 Interval Fingerings on the Guitar Fretboard

The following chapter lists out the possible melodic and harmonic intervals utilizing position
playing on a standard tuned guitar. The material is presented in ascending fashion according to the
interval type. If an interval is possible to fret on one string within the position it is listed first. Next
follow the fingerings of the same interval on adjacent string pairs. The fingerings for fretting the
interval on non-adjacent string pairs are listed last. The single-string intervals are notated with
slurred sequential quarter notes while intervals played on string pairs are notated with stacked half
notes.

The strings utilized to play the interval will be spelled out with the string numbers, e.g. ①③ would
indicate an interval played on the 1st and the 3rd strings. The notated examples given in each
interval fingering are presented on string pairs ⑤⑥, ②③, ④⑥, ①③, ③⑥ and ①④ only. It is not
necessary to notate the fingerings on the remaining string pairs because of the shared interval
relationship between string pairs: perfect 4th on {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥}, minor 7th on {③⑤ and
④⑥} major 6th on {①③ and ②④} and major 9th on {①④ and ②⑤}. The fingerings on given
string pairs are thus interchangeable to the remaining string pairs with the same interval
relationship. In the interval fingering description, the fingerings are presented as paired numbers
separated with a dash (e.g. 1-2) and in the notated examples they are marked next to the pitch they
are associated with.

All interval examples are given in the VIII position (i.e. frets 7 to 12, from B2 to E5). The interval
fingerings can be applied all over the guitar fretboard starting from the II position7. The pitches,
however, have to be transposed accordingly.

7
Position I is an exception: some of the pitches that would be normally fretted with either 1S or 4S can be played on an
open string (See Goodrick 1987: 24).

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4.1 Interval of 2nd

On any string the fingering for minor 2nd is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4 (Ex. 12).

Example 12: Fingerings for minor 2nd on the VIII pos. on a single string.

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for minor 2nd is 1S-4 or 1-4S. On the
string pair {②③} the fingering is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S (Ex. 13).

Example 13: Fingerings of minor 2nd on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On any string the fingering for major 2nd is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S (Ex. 14).

Example 14: Fingerings for major 2nd on the VIII pos. on a single string.

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On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingerings for major 2nd are 1S-4, 1-4 or 2-4S. On
the string pair {②③} the fingerings are 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S (Ex. 15).

Example 15: Fingerings for major 2nd on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

4.2 Interval of 3rd

On any string the fingering for minor 3rd is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S (Ex. 16).

Example 16: Fingerings for minor 3rd on the VIII pos. on a single string.

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingerings for minor 3rd are 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S.
On the string pair {②③} the fingerings are 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4 (Ex. 17).

Example 17: Fingerings for minor 3rd on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

20
On any one string the fingering for major 3rd is 1S-4 or 1-4S (Ex. 18).

Example 18: Fingerings for major 3rd on the VIII pos. on a single string.

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingerings for major 3rd are 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4. On the
string pair {②③} the fingering is 1S, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 4S (i.e. one digit on both strings) (Ex. 19).

Example 19: Fingerings for major 3rd on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On the string pairs {①③ and ②④} the fingering for major 3rd is 1S-4S (Ex. 20).

Example 20: Fingering for major 3rd on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

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4.3 Interval of 4th

On any one string the fingering for perfect 4th is 1S-4S (Ex. 21).

Example 21: Fingering for perfect 4th on the VIII pos. on a single string.

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for perfect 4th is 1S, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 4S (i.e.
one digit on both strings). On the string pair {②③} the fingering is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4 (Ex. 22).

Example 22: Fingerings for perfect 4th on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering for perfect 4th is 1S-4S (Ex. 22). On string pairs {①③
and ②④} the fingering is 1S-4 or 1-4S (Ex. 23).

Example 23: Fingerings for perfect 4th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

22
4.4 Interval of the Tritone (augmented 4th/diminished 5th)

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for Tritone is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4. On the string
pair {②③} the fingering is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S (Ex. 24).

Example 24: Fingerings for Tritone on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering for tritone is 1S-4 or 1-4S. On string pairs {①③ and
②④} the fingering is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S (Ex. 25).

Example 25: Fingerings for tritone on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

4.5 Interval of 5th

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for perfect 5th is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S. On
the string pair {②③} the fingering is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S (Ex. 26).

Example 26: Fingerings for perfect 5th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

23
On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering perfect 5th is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S. On string pairs {①③ and
②④} the fingering is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4, 3-4S (Ex. 27).

Example 27: Fingerings for perfect 5th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

4.6 Interval of 6th

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for minor 6th is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S. On the
string pair {②③} the fingering is 1S-4 or 1-4S (Ex. 28).

Example 28: Fingerings for minor 6th on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering for minor 6th is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S. On string pairs
{①③ and ②④} the fingering is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4 (Ex. 29).

Example 29: Fingerings for minor 6th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

24
On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for major 6th is 1S-4 or 1-4S. On the string
pair {②③} the fingering is 1S-4S (Ex. 30).

Example 30: Fingerings for major 6th on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering for major 6th is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4. On string pairs {①③ and
②④} the fingering is 1S, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 4S (i.e. one digit on both strings) (Ex. 31).

Example 31: Fingerings for major 6th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

On string pairs {①④ and ②⑤} the fingering for major 6th is 1S-4S (Ex. 32).

Example 32: Fingering for major 6th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings (two strings in between).

25
4.7 Interval of 7th

On string pairs {①②, ③④, ④⑤ and ⑤⑥} the fingering for minor 7th is 1S-4S (Ex. 33).

Example 33: Fingering for minor 7th on the VIII pos. on adjacent strings.

On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering for minor 7th is 1S, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 4S (i.e. one digit on both
strings). On string pairs {①③ and ②④} the fingering is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4 (Ex. 34).

Example 34: Fingerings for minor 7th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

On the string pair {③, ⑥} the fingering for minor 7th is 1S-4S. On string pairs {①④ and ②⑤} the
fingering is 1S-4 or 1-4S (Ex. 35).

Example 35: Fingerings for minor 7th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings (two strings in between).

26
On string pairs {③⑤, ④⑥} the fingering for major 7th is 1-2, 2-3 or 3-4. On string pairs {①③,
②④} the fingering is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4, or 3-4S (Ex. 36).

Example 36: Fingerings for major 7th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

On the string pair {③, ⑥} the fingering for major 7th is 1S-4 or 1-4S. On string pairs {①④, ②⑤}
the fingering is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S (Ex. 37).

Example 37: Fingerings for major 7th on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings (two strings in between).

4.8 Interval of the Octave

On string pairs {③⑤ and ④⑥} the fingering for perfect octave is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S. On string
pairs {①③ and ②④} the fingering is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S (Ex. 38).

Example 38: Fingerings for perfect octave on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings.

27
On the string pair {③, ⑥} the fingering for perfect octave is 1S-3, 1-4 or 2-4S. On string pairs
{①④, ②⑤} the fingering is 1S-2, 1-3, 2-4 or 3-4S (Ex. 39).

Example 39: Fingerings for perfect octave on the VIII pos. on non-adjacent strings (two strings in between).

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5 Conclusion

In this study, the main objective has been to list all the intervals and their fingerings that reside
within one position on the guitar fretboard. To understand how the intervals are constructed and
fingered on the fretboard, one must be fully aware of the mechanisms of the guitar, its' tuning, the
concept of position playing and the technical aspects of the fretting hand.

In Chapter 2, we found out that the tuning of the guitar is the foundation for constructing intervals
on the fretboard. Due to the different intervallic relationships between string pairs, the fingerings
for intervals have to be adjusted accordingly. When playing intervals or any material within a
certain location of the neck, the term position playing is used. The general rules of position playing
state that the fretting hand fingers each have a designated fret within the position and that the index
finger and the pinkie can stretch to a fret below or above their initial location in the position,
respectively. The fingers of the fretting hand, when playing intervals, are considered to be pairs that
each has different fret reach and technical properties within the position. Ideally all the finger pairs
would be readily usable when improvising. Thus conditioning and practicing the technical balance
of the different finger pairs is strongly recommended.

These aspects of guitar playing have been addressed in various ways in guitar literature. Chapter 3
discussed selected guitar literature that cover intervallic playing concepts. The analysis of authors'
work brought out a unique approach for playing intervals or how to alter the intervallic content of
improvised music. The concepts covered included the intervals within a position when playing a
certain scale, different fingerings for same intervals, building 3-note motifs or chords using interval
pairs and a contrapunctal approach to intervals that addresses the movement of the notes. All the
discussed concepts were either based on tonal constructs or with a strong inclination towards the
idiom of jazz.

Chapter 4 introduced the fingerings of single intervals within one position. This list of fingerings
and intervals are devoid of tonality, preference for certain finger pairs or musical idiom. Thus it is a
blank slate of sorts that can be utilized to realise both the intervallic possibilities and the technical
considerations of the fretting hand within one position. After this realisation, one can apply the
playing style, idiom, phrasing, etc. that one wishes to pursue to these intervals.

In the context of free improvisation, where there is no idiomatic commitment or pre-fixed

29
characteristics (see Bailey 1992: 83), the notion of listing units of musical material (e.g. intervals)
that can be applied to practicing improvisation is not new. For instance, Pett (2007) utilizes interval
exercises grouped according to the interval size (small, medium and wide). These are used to
practice the control of different interval sound characters and the extension of thinking habits (such
as chromatic playing). (Pett 2007: 12, 28) Crook (1991; 1995; 2006), although approaching
improvisation from the perspective of jazz, argues that practicing isolated musical material (e.g.
intervals) can enhance overall improvisational ability. In this sense, if the player chooses to
integrate some aspect of intervallic playing in her/his improvising, it may beneficial to organize the
intervals in a way that promotes the control of both musical and the technical aspect of them.

With over 140 possible fingerings to play single intervals within an octave on one position listed in
Chapter 4 one can be easily overwhelmed by idea of practicing them. As a list, interval fingerings
are nothing more than a display of technical possibilities on the guitar neck. Therefore it is
important to address the notion of organizing this material into musically meaningful parts or
segments. Thus the primary avenue to further research intervals and their fingerings on the guitar
would cover the different approaches one could utilize to practise this intervallic material in any
given musical setting. The concepts introduced in Chapter 3 could serve as a starting point for this
research.

As final remarks in this study two of the concepts analysed in Chapter 3 will be applied to the
context of position playing and non-tonal harmony. This serves as a preview for further research
mentioned above. First is the concept of contrapunctal "interval moves" introduced by Mick
Goodrick (1987: 20). Example 40 presents the interval move 3rd to 5th applied as major 3rd and
perfect 5th to a descending chromatic scale. The given example brings out the apparent technical
issue of 3 different fingerings and interval shapes for both major 3rd and perfect 5th in the strings ②
to ④. Rather than practicing the interval fingerings in isolation (i.e. one interval or fingering at a
time), utilizing the "interval moves" may offer a more comprehensive understanding on not just
voice leading, but how each voice moves from string to string with applicable fingerings.

Example 40: Descending chromatic scale harmonized in alternating major 3rds and perfect 5ths with different fingerings.

30
Applying Jon Damian's concept of interval pairs or palettes (Damian 2001: 40–41) to position
playing and non-tonal harmony can yield important observations about the significance of interval
fingerings. For example, if one were to apply palette 24 as major 2nd and perfect 4th to form 3-note
motifs ascending chromatically with alternating directions, the resulting fingering could be as
indicated in the first bar of Example 41. However, the second bar shows how changing the
fingering of the second motif removes the four consecutive fretted notes with the finger 4. Here the
technical problem rises from the notion of connecting two motifs that are one semitone apart with
the fretting finger 4 (pitches F# and G). By realizing the fingering options for this and similar
situations, the player can avoid any unnecessary position shifts if the music at hand demands it.

Example 41: Palette 24 played ascending chromatically with two different fingerings for the second motif.

The control and usage of intervals as building blocks for melodic and harmonic musical material is
a central topic for a musician to practice. For guitarists, the mechanics of the instrument further
emphasize the vastness and perceived difficulty of interval control. To practice intervals on the
guitar in a more organized fashion, one can limit the variables in her/his playing (see Crook 2006:
63–64). Removing the horizontal movement of the fretting hand the player has the opportunity to
discover multitude of fingerings for intervals. Exploring just one part of the guitar fretboard can
lead to realizations of technical and musical avenues not yet considered by the player. This kind of
mind-set is the path to true understanding of guitar playing.

31
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