La búsqueda de Otilia como resistencia ante la desesperanza

In order for this technique to evolve whilst remaining within the confines of a static position, the lower two strings must be added. Figure 28 and 29 illustrate two examples of six and seven-string static position arpeggios found within the Caprices.

Figure 28

‘Caprice No. 24’, bar 148

Figure 29

‘Caprice No. 24’, bar 153

Figure 30 retains the established norms, being an alternate-picking component on both the highest and lowest strings, with the remainder between the turnaround points consisting of sweep-picking.

Figure 30

The addition of a major 9th note (B natural) and the accents are solely to aid in the retention of a solid tempo throughout, something commonly overlooked with longer sweeps.378 Although the accents occur on every beat of the bar, only beats one and three are defined accents, with beats two and four being implied accents.

Unlike Figure 30, which outlines a standard minor/major barré-chord shape, Figure 31 can be viewed as a singular shape or as two parts, each of which employ different arpeggio patterns.379

Figure 31

However, due to the seven-string range of the arpeggio, the fingering is different,

although the actual notes on both parts are the same. The first three notes are a derivative technique explored in Figure 30 whilst the remainder is indicative of Figure 23.

378

Gilbert, Intense Rock, 1988. 379

Still classed as a static position arpeggio, the altered fingering necessitates a subtle pivoting motion in order to retain the correct fingering position relative to the strings.380 Although this movement is required by the thumb, its actual placement on the neck should remain unchanged.

Figure 31 utilizes exactly the same finger usage with subtle stretching alterations to accommodate the change from the minor to major third. These shapes appear in root position whilst utilizing the same fingering, making them both easier to learn and remember as well as being transferable to any position on the neck.

Figure 23 illustrates how a diminished triad in root position can be inserted into this plectrum formula whilst still retaining the same plectrum turnaround points and sweeps.

Figure 32

Although similar to Figure 31, a slightly more extreme pivoting motion on the thumb in the left hand is required, this being largely due to the two whole tones between frets 12 and 8. In this case optional fingering is provided, to both simplify and retain a consistent spacing between the 10th and the 8th fret.

380

In many places throughout the Caprices, altered chords play an equally important role, especially in single-note melody. Therefore, the ability to manipulate the technique of sweep-picking in order to play these altered harmonies must be addressed. Figure 33 illustrates how in the first two bars the same plectrum pattern in Figure 32 can be employed, then in the second two bars how the order of notes can be altered.

Figure 33

In the first two bars, the addition of the 11th note to both the minor and major seven-string sweeps is made more striking by its placement at the highest point of the arpeggio. Being positioned at both the middle and highest point allows the first three notes of the arpeggio to establish the triadic harmony, without itself being altered.

In the first two bars, the 11th note replaces the third in the middle and upper octave of the arpeggio; in the second two bars, however, it appears in addition to the third.

This being the case, a natural evolution of the plectrum technique is required in order to fit all the notes into the established static arpeggio framework, illustrated here in Figure 34.

Figure 34

The consequence of this extra note adds an alternate-picking component to the sweep- picking strokes which in turn has two slightly different approaches. A valid argument can be made that the optional plectrum strokes are the more efficient, mirroring in motion the first two notes of the arpeggio. The given plectrum strokes create the longer sweep with the slightly more difficult movement of striking the D note with an upstroke, lifting the plectrum over the D note and continuing on with the sweep.

An alternative bracketed fingering option can be used to prevent the wrist from twisting out of position on the larger stretches, between the D and the E note with the third and first finger.381 For guitar players with smaller hands the stretch can be more difficult, which in turn can force the wrist out of position.382 Therefore, using the fourth instead of the third finger on the D note can make the gap more manageable. The relevance of this becomes more apparent the further down the neck the arpeggio pattern travels.

Figure 35 illustrates how, by manipulating the plectrum technique, it is possible to include diatonic non-triadic notes from the tetrachord, giving a jazz style harmonic ambiguity to the arpeggio.383 Subtle colouring can be created, by placing the seventh

381

Gambale, Monster Licks and Speed Picking, 1988. 382

Ibid

383

note in the middle of the arpeggio, flanked by strong triadic harmony in the lower and upper octaves. As sweep-picking speed increases, the notes on the upper and lower extremes become more aurally apparent, making the positioning of non-triadic notes relevant.

Figure 35

The alternative fingering in this exercise can aid the hand in avoiding any twisting which can occur during this type of exercise. When playing the finger-barré with the second finger this issue manifests itself more commonly in guitarists with a smaller finger spread.384

Figure 35 consists of two different styles of plectrum pattern, both of which exhibit similarities in the positioning of the alternate-picking component. The plectrum

technique in bar 1 is reminiscent of bars 3 & 4 of Figure 33, whilst the second bar differs from the established norm by means of a single note on the E string.

The relevance of fitting this style of arpeggio into the already established plectrum patterns, gives the guitarist the ability to target any non-harmonic melody notes, within a static position during sweep-picking. Technical modification then requires nominal

384

effort to target chromatically-altered harmony notes, chromatic passing notes and groupings of non-diatonic harmony notes.

The key factor in reaching these non-triadic and non-diatonic harmony notes is the position of the alternate-picking component. In the first bar, the alternate-picking

component is positioned on the E, D and high E string, whilst in bar 2 it occurs on the A, G and high E string. It is the range of harmonic alterations that can be reached using the same plectrum pattern, that make this technique valuable.

Figure 36, extracted from the above example, shows how it is possible to reach the seventh, octave, major ninth, minor ninth and even the ability to reiterate the third by stretching the fourth finger up to the 14th fret. All these alteration can be achieved using the same picking pattern.

Figure 36

Figure 37 is an example extracted from the Caprices, illustrating how this takes place in a real musical context.

Figure 37

‘Caprice No. 11’, bar 63

With a few alterations to notes and fingerings, it is possible to access alternate harmonic directions, without affecting the plectrum technique. The second bar demonstrates how, by canceling both the E flat and G flat, it is possible to convert the same passage into an A minor seventh chord.

The final two bars demonstrate how by chromatically altering the harmony whilst retaining the plectrum motion, it is possible to shift the harmonic centre thus facilitating modulation. By flattening any note of a diminished-seventh chord, that note then becomes the root of the dominant chord of the new key, in this case E. This simple modulation technique, in addition to basic chromatic alterations, widens the scope of keys to which one can move. Although rhythmically inappropriate, the examples exemplify the benefit of developing the ability to access other notes outside the arpeggio without changing the plectrum motion.

Although only a few examples of altered chord shapes have been explored from a technical perspective, they have rendered the technical repertoire required. Although, a

plethora of other altered chord shapes exist, their performance can be treated as an adaptation or natural evolution of the now evolved sweep-picking technique.