Chords for Buster B. Jones teaches Right Hand Techniques Pt. 1

Okay, what I thought we'd do now is kind of focus in on the right hand a little bit and
some of the techniques that I use there.
What I'm going to do with my left hand is I'm just going to play a first position E chord.
Alright, and everything I do with the right hand will be on top of this chord.
So you don't have to really worry about your left hand at all here.
Okay, what I'm going to do is I'm going to start by showing you my thumb.
This is just a standard rotating bass, starting with the root note.
I alternate to the [B] fourth string, fifth, and back to the [E] fourth.
Now what determines which note you start [G] with is the key you're in.
If you're in the keys of [E] E, F, or G, you always start with the sixth string. _
[B] And it would look just like that.
If you're in the key of A, you'll start with the fifth string, which is an A.
For B and
C, you will also start with the fifth [A] string. _
[E] Play the fourth, and then to the sixth string.
Back to the fourth.
But [N] just for the exercise, we're going to stay in the key of [E] E.
_ [N] Okay, one of the things I would like to point out is that you should always practice, if
you can, with a drum machine.
It's more entertaining than a metronome.
I practice a great deal with one, and it's really good for your rhythm.
And to be a good lead player, you really should have a good sense of rhythm.
We're going to start with a real basic pattern.
We're going to pinch the fingers, which are on [E] the first, second, and third string.
_ We're going to pinch them every time [B] my thumb strikes the fourth string.
[E]
So you'll have thumb, pinch, thumb, pinch.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Okay, now we're going to try pinching these strings on beats one and three.
So that means that you'll pinch with the sixth string, _ _ excuse me, and the fifth. _
Pinch, two, four. _ _ _
_ _ Okay, [Ab] now using it in a one, four, five, it would sound [E] like this.
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ Okay, now putting the pinch on beats two and four with a one, four, five. _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ Okay, now what I'm going to do is mix it up a little bit.
We're going to put the pinch on beats one and four. _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
Okay, now on beats two and three. _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ Okay, now an accompaniment that I use a great deal is, I like to have my rhythm players
play the downbeat with a pinch. _
[B] And then a syncopated, I want the fingers to fall between beats three and [E] four.
So you have something like this.
_ _ _ _ _ Okay, using it in a one, four, five, it would sound like this.
_ _ [A] _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] Okay, now with a muffled bass you can kind of get a feel for it.
_ _ [Em] _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ [E] _ _ Now one thing you might notice here is that [A] I rest my pinky halfway between the rosetta
and the bridge of the guitar.
I just lay my little finger down, but I keep it straight.
It's very erect from here to here, and then it has like a pyramid right here.
And then I use the [B] side of my hand right here, like the flesh, or the meat part.
And I try to lay it across right here, halfway on the strings and halfway off.
So [E] I get kind of a, _ [D]
you [Gm] see how the string still sounds, [Bb] but it's not.
_ Come back.
[D] _
_ _ Okay, put [Em] the pinky down.
And if you look at my fingers as they play, they're not, this is a pluck.
_ _ [N] And now I use that sometimes, but when you want to play smooth,
which is generally what a rhythm player does, or if you're playing a pretty piece,
you want to play without the use of this knuckle on any of your fingers.
So you play through the string, and you can see how the finger kind of bends right there.
[E] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ Instead of plucking up to your hand, you're pulling in with this knuckle,
[Ab] getting that sort of an effect right there.
Okay?
Now watch very closely.
_ _ _ _ As opposed to this. _ _
_ _ Okay.
[C] Now, I guess while I'm doing that, I should point out that if you're doing a melody,
_ _ _ you can see how I [Ab] play that note right there, I get a very warm [C] tone.
_ _ [G] _
_ [Am] _ _ [C] As opposed to this. _ _
_ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ [C] So [F] moving your hand over and brushing through the [C] string.
It's a wonderful [Bm] technique.
It's very