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String Crossing Lesson - The Romanza Improvisations

405 views · Published 4 October 2017 · 13:35 · Indexed 26 September 2026

Channel: Jon Michael Swift · 2017 · Music

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Looks at techniques for playing a melody that crosses strings with a simple fingerpicking pattern. With this you can get a lot of different melodies over a much wider space.

The Improvisation that goes with this lesson is here
https://youtu.be/iJ_9jrFokfg

Consider supporting me on Patreon if you found this lesson opened up something for you.

https://www.patreon.com/JonMichaelSwift

This is part of the Elevator Etudes series where I take pieces of music and create exercises that can be used in performances. You'll often find that you can perform ambient music in public while practicing certain techniques, if you structure the music correctly. This series explores that idea through specific pieces of music.

00:49 Starting with the B String 
00:57 The distance between the frets are all going to change 
01:18 Establish a slightly different finger pattern
01:34 Starting with the middle finger
01:50 Middle, Pointer, Ring Fingers 
02:00 Thumb Pinch  
02:20 Make outer strings Softer
03:00Finding the Minor Scale 
04:32 Integrate with your other notes
04:58 Make the Pointer and the Ring Finger softer 
05:52 Try Improvising
06:00 Keep your Fingers Arched 
07:00 Moving down to the G String Scales 
07:46 Invert the Pattern
08:43 Try Crossing Strings
09:50 Practice crossing from the B to the G
11:00 Practice Playing the Scales 

Playlist for the series 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrH2JK-Pi4oNaDURZ_YL_z73PCq6XWqtw

If you want to learn more about structured improvising, you can follow the series by subscribing to my channel to get updates on video releases and other projects I'm doing.

http://jonmichaelswift.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JonMichaelSwift
https://www.reverbnation.com/jonmichaelswift

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