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 I
always wondered why anyone would need to practice exercises that
were clearly technical in nature when one can get the same benefits
from playing real music. I mean, why run mindless patterns up and
down the neck when you can play musical masterpieces by Bach or
Paganini?
I can’t imagine anyone getting a better
workout for their technique than by playing any of Paganini’s
Caprices. I’m sure those of you who’ve persevered through
the first section of Paganini’s Fifth Caprice (see “Wild
Stringdom,” GW, Oct. ’99) know exactly what I mean—it’s
a technical treasure trove of arpeggios, string-skipping, position
shifts and chromatic runs. But on top of that, it sounds beautiful,
too. So for those of you who are still with me, here’s the
second part of the Fifth Caprice.
One of the things guitarists often ask me is
how to apply the chromatic scale to practical playing situations.
I always say go to the source—listen to the great composers
who made chromatic lines sound musical. By learning the Fifth Caprice,
you’ll hear how Paganini used the chromatic scale in the context
of his composition, and see that instead of being just a tool to
build chops, the chromatic scale is a powerful melodic device that
adds plenty of color to your playing.
Since the chromatic scale is built on consecutive
half-step intervals (and therefore contains all 12 tones used in
Western music), it has no true tonal center. This means that, used
wisely, it can fit over any chord. But before you can apply chromatic
ideas to scales and arpeggios, you have to get comfortable with
the chromatic scale itself.
If you look at measures 6-7 and 8-9 of FIGURE
1, you’ll see a couple of extended chromatic scale passages
(two octaves in length, to be precise). If you’re not familiar
with the sound of the chromatic scale, isolate these two passages
and learn them as exercises. Follow the tablature carefully to really
get them under your fingers. Finally, as you’re playing them,
listen to how the chromatic scale creates melodic tension, and how
satisfying it sounds when the melody resolves to a chord tone.
Those of you who know my playing know that I often use diminished
arpeggios to connect chords. Needless to say, I didn’t come up with
this concept. All the great classical composers starting with Bach
(and including Paganini) have used this harmonic device extensively.
If you look at measures 10-11, you’ll see that Paganini uses the
A°7 arpeggio (A C Eb Gb) to connect the Ab (Ab C Eb) and Bbm (Bb
Db F) arpeggios, and the B°7 arpeggio (B D F Ab) to connect the
Bbm and Cm (C Eb G) arpeggios. This type of harmonic movement is
called voice leading, or the smooth connection from chord to chord.
Ideally, the general rule of thumb is that when changing chords,
each note, or voice, should move no more than a whole step up or
down. As you can see by the above passage, Paganini follows this
rule impeccably. Another great example of voice leading can be found
in measures 15-16, where Paganini effortlessly modulates from a
Db tonality to an Eb tonality by outlining (via arpeggios) a Db-Db7-D°7-Ebm-Eb
progression. Listen to how smooth this modulation sounds—it’s a
true testament to Paganini’s mastery of voice leading. That should
give you plenty to work with this month. Next month, I’ll give you
the third and final section of this brilliant piece.
See you then
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