ninja guitar techniques

[widdly widdly]

My teacher showed me a neat way of playing otherwise impossible chords. Finger a chord with you left hand. Use your right hand index finger to hold down a note higher up on the neck. Strum the chord with your right hand thumb or pinky, behind the index finger. You can add two or even three notes to chord to get really open chords that cover a lot of range, and unlike tapping the notes, the sound is the same for the left and right hand notes. You can even arpegiate the chord using the thumb and pinky.

Another technique you can try is what the LA guitar quartet call the "ninja thumb technique" where they use the LH thumb under the bottom of the neck to finger the notes on the high-e or b strings. Then they can play some strange, otherwise impossible voicings.

Ted Greene mentions a technique where he uses a LH barre but with a bent finger so the barre covers one fret on some strings and one fret lower on other strings.

Anyone else have any unusual guitar techniques to share?

[Bizarro]

You can fret two strings at one fret with one fingertip too, for a "mini-bar" effect. Eric Johnson does this.

Jake E Lee does the ninja thing. Check out the live video's of him w/ Ozzy in the 80's. He's a master at that stuff.

You can use your thumb over the top of the neck to play bass runs on the 5th and 6th strings.

[SkinnyDevil]

Man, I got to see Jake on 2 Oz tours doing that ninja thumb thing - once in a "classical" mode and once in pure rock screamdom. Incredible.

[UKRuss]

Damn! I wish I could think of these things!!!

I did come up with a tasty string skipping harmonics lick last night though:D

[SkinnyDevil]

Damn! I wish I could think of these things!!!
I did come up with a tasty string skipping harmonics lick last night though

String skipping simply does not make you a ninja, Russ. I'm sorry, but you'll have to do better than that to get into the ninja club. Perhaps you can work on "ninja toe techniques" while channeling Jerry Lee Lewis.

[Padawan]

man, this is a great idea, never thought of that! Maybe it will open new doors for my songwriting :)

[phantom]

Maybe it will open new doors for my songwriting

Yes, and the door to the next physiotherapist. :D

[mattblack850]

Don't forget about Alex Vynograd, the classical guy that has an 8 string guitar and plays organ pedal tone chords with his chin!:eek:


http://www.vynograd.com/



On a slightly different tack, there's always the 'fretting behind' when playing slide. For eg, tune to a D chordal tuning, slide up to the 12th fret, fret the top 'e' string behind the slide at the 10th fret to produce a D7, pull off so the string is now frtted by the slide again at the 12th returning back to a D.



I must admit to finding the use of nun-chucks and throwing stars a bit detrimental to my playing technique........not to mention quite dangerous for the front row of an audience!!!!
Although I think Phantdudes full on attack WITH the guitar takes some beating!!;) :D

[phantom]

Although I think Phantdudes full on attack WITH the guitar takes some beating

I guess you mean that "special move" on that picture. ;)

Unfortunately there is no pic of me doing the "boomerang guitar" trick.
That knocked the audience down. :D

[mattblack850]

hahahahaha, that's the one!!

Has he started legal proceedings to sue for 'Dental Damages' yet???

[phantom]

Has he started legal proceedings to sue for 'Dental Damages' yet???

:D
No he came to the next gig as well and said:
"Here take phiph beer .. but bleaph don't do phiph again"
What a nice guy.
:D


--------------------------

Thats him now. (http://bcd.tamhsc.edu/dentalhealthcheck/articles/Images/finished/tools08_190a.jpg)

[widdly widdly]

Don't forget about Alex Vynograd, the classical guy that has an 8 string guitar and plays organ pedal tone chords with his chin!:eek:


I though you were joking until I read his technique page....thats just crazy. Now if you had a cleft chin like john travolta you could play a harmony part.

[mattblack850]

:D
No he came to the next gig as well and said:
"Here take phiph beer .. but bleaph don't do phiph again"
What a nice guy.
:D


--------------------------

Thats him now. (http://bcd.tamhsc.edu/dentalhealthcheck/articles/Images/finished/tools08_190a.jpg)

That's him now! hahaha, I thought he might have been the Bad tooth Frog holder!!:D

[UKRuss]

String skipping simply does not make you a ninja, Russ. I'm sorry, but you'll have to do better than that to get into the ninja club. Perhaps you can work on "ninja toe techniques" while channeling Jerry Lee Lewis.

I think I'm so far away from Ninjadom it hurts.

However, I can disappear at will...watch....see?;)

[oRg]

Don't forget about Alex Vynograd, the classical guy that has an 8 string guitar and plays organ pedal tone chords with his chin!:eek:


http://www.vynograd.com/



On a slightly different tack, there's always the 'fretting behind' when playing slide. For eg, tune to a D chordal tuning, slide up to the 12th fret, fret the top 'e' string behind the slide at the 10th fret to produce a D7, pull off so the string is now frtted by the slide again at the 12th returning back to a D.



I must admit to finding the use of nun-chucks and throwing stars a bit detrimental to my playing technique........not to mention quite dangerous for the front row of an audience!!!!
Although I think Phantdudes full on attack WITH the guitar takes some beating!!;) :D
...lol...good call. I was going to mention him until I saw your post. He's an awesome classical guitarist with a crazy technique.

[Arachclaw]

Does anyone have any examples of those two-handed chords?

i really cannot imagine them, or how to play them, but it is a really really strange idea...so its cool ^^

[oRg]

http://vai.com/LittleBlackDots/84/twohandedchords.html

There's some examples of two handed chords. There's infinitely more.

[curiousgeorge]

I've come up with some pretty strange sounding chords, using my index finger to barre 2 frets at once, at an angle of course...One thing I do that seems to impress (maybe not ninja, maybe blue belt?!) is I can play chords and progressions with the guitar sitting on my lap, or I can do the same on someone else's guitar who is sitting across from me...Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiya!!!!!!!!! :mad:

[Bizarro]

I can play overhand fairly well. Don't know how or why I ever tried it, but it is *easy* for me for some reason. Just put your left arm over the neck instead of under and go for it... :)

I can also play chords with my right hand and strum with my left, in sort of a cross-handed way. Dorky. :) Ambidextrous-osity has it's advantages! :)

[curiousgeorge]

I also like using my pickhand finger as a temporary capo and using my frethand for legato and multi-string pull off tricks...fun!

[widdly widdly]

Here is an article on two handed chords from Acoustic guitar magazine (http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/143/143,6082,PRIVATELESSONS-1.asp)

Lots of good lessons on that site actually

[mattblack850]

Tune to an open D tuning and play using your thumb over the top of the neck and use the fingers for embellishments!! Sound confusing?? Not in the world of Richie Havens.....



http://guitar.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.richiehavens.com/HM3365.htm


I had the pleasure of meeting Richie last year after he played at the WOMAD festival, a very, very nice fella!!!

[UKRuss]

Speaking of Ninjaesque technique, I dreamt I could play like Greg Howe last night...very funny. The sound I was hearing was Greg as I played but:

Whenever I looked down to see what was happening on the fretboard I kept making bunches of wild flowers appear from behind the fretboard gripped in my left hand...

can ya do that Hmm? Can you? Hmm HMMMM?

[mattblack850]

Speaking of Ninjaesque technique, I dreamt I could play like Greg Howe last night...very funny. The sound I was hearing was Greg as I played but:

Whenever I looked down to see what was happening on the fretboard I kept making bunches of wild flowers appear from behind the fretboard gripped in my left hand...

can ya do that Hmm? Can you? Hmm HMMMM?

Indeed I can, but it takes several wheelbarrow loads of hallugenogens!!!:D

[curiousgeorge]

Tune to an open D tuning and play using your thumb over the top of the neck and use the fingers for embellishments!! Sound confusing?? Not in the world of Richie Havens.....



http://guitar.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.richiehavens.com/HM3365.htm


I had the pleasure of meeting Richie last year after he played at the WOMAD festival, a very, very nice fella!!!

Man, are you lucky! I've always loved his acoustic playing...He's a very underrated palyer...You'd know what I mean if you've heard his version of Just Like A Woman on the Bob Dylan double live tribute album...I wonder what tuning he used for that?

[mattblack850]

Man, are you lucky! I've always loved his acoustic playing...He's a very underrated palyer...You'd know what I mean if you've heard his version of Just Like A Woman on the Bob Dylan double live tribute album...I wonder what tuning he used for that?

As far as I know he plays everything in open D!! Wish I could have had longer to talk to him, unfortunately he had to leave quite quickly to perform another show that evening in London!

[curiousgeorge]

As far as I know he plays everything in open D!! Wish I could have had longer to talk to him, unfortunately he had to leave quite quickly to perform another show that evening in London!

cool! He played at Woodstock...you met a living legend...lucky bastard..I'm gonna try and meet Buddy Guy after the show in Toronto..

[smallbusrider]

If you break a wound string, and you are lucky enough to have it bust near the bridge, grab the winding (unravel some if it is not long enough)and pluck it, all the time pulling and releasing on it. Great swishy, funky sound (really I cant describe it)- seems to work best on the E string. It may not be ninja, but it is a testament to the state of mind I was in in 1990 when i first did it!!!!

[mattyvegas43]

To simulate a ring modulator sound, push the e string over the b and pick it.

[curiousgeorge]

Pick natural harmonics at the 5th fret of the G and B strings, then reach behind the nut and slowly depress the G string.You should hear one harmonic rising, and one or two ghost harmonics falling. Give it some wide angry vibrato at the end for max effect. Trippy.