This segment welcomes back acoustic guitarists and guitarists who use fixed-bridge guitars (last time, we talked about tremolo use). Once again, I'll provide examples of straightforward guitar lines that are okay, but a bit bland. We'll use basic, easy-to-understand techniques to spice 'em up, without venturing into super-complex territory. There will be musical transcriptions of each example, so you can save them and add them to your practice regimen for your own musical "toolbox."

This time out, we'll look at one of the most basic techniques available, but one that is very often overlooked: ringing notes. Simply put, this is a note that is allowed to ring longer than the duration of the normal note division, or simply played open to accent fretted notes. This technique is well-known even to beginning guitar players, but usually only in the context of rhythm and chordal work. Applying this technique to leads, though, can give your playing an edge beyond just noodling. Letting notes ring out can add flourish and color to an otherwise stale-sounding lick. For the first example, play the strings with standard picking, and play the notes cleanly - do not allow them to ring

Nothing exactly "wrong" with the line, but it's not as flavorful as it could be, either. Now, by simply incorporating open strings and allowing them to ring out, we can add a resonance to the line that is very much more interesting than it began:

The second line sounds "fuller" even though the same notes are being played, and they are of the same duration. Why is the first line played at the 7th fret, whereas the second is at the lower end of the neck? The reason is to illustrate that this technique can apply to various areas of the fretboard, not just in the "basic" chord positions of the first few frets. Here's the same line, but incorporating notes played higher up the neck, and using the sliding technique discussed in Part One:

This example illustrates how different tones can be produced by simply placing the notes in different areas of the fretboard, and adding the ringing notes where available to enhance the basic scale tones. Each bar contains a variation of the same lick, but has a different flow due to the variations of open strings and slides.

Taking what we know from standard strumming with ringing notes, we can embellish leads with full chords and give an almost liquid feel to certain lines. Try playing the following example:

Whereas many players would simply approach this two-bar line with sweep picking and play each note individually, by letting the notes ring out, we've added a certain halo to the sound that is simply not produced by any other method.

This idea can be developed much more thoroughly; take the basic premise put forth here, and develop your own interpretation. You can use ringing tones as little or as often as you like. It's all just part of how you cook up your own recipes for tasty guitar licks and build upon things you already know - and have FUN! If a line sounds boring to you, rather than immediately resorting to warp-speed picking or using other-worldly effects (although these are useful, too), try tasteful application of simple techniques as spice, and see if you can't re-invent your idea. Many times, a new approach to the same idea can make all the difference. And, until next time,
Happy Shredding!