Question:
In my guitar book, I am learning a new song and I am a little confused about something. Let's say I have an Am chord made up of half notes and directly above that chord on the music measure there is a quarter note completely separate from the chord. I've come across the same thing except with a separate note directly below a different chord/note. I just don't know how I'm supposed to play that. If anyone can help me, I'd greatly appreciate it!
Answer:
If I understand the question correctly it is like a strum of the chord and a pick of the quarter note. I am playing in a guitar book also and that is how my teacher explained it to me.
So if I understand the question fully that is the answer.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Pikn4God If I understand the question correctly it is like a strum of the chord and a pick of the quarter note. I am playing in a guitar book also and that is how my teacher explained it to me.
So if I understand the question fully that is the answer.
Ok. So if there is a chord with a note above it, I play the chord and pick the note? And if there is a chord with a note below it, I pick the note and play the chord?
Answer:
Originally Posted by NoQuestion Ok. So if there is a chord with a note above it, I play the chord and pick the note? And if there is a chord with a note below it, I pick the note and play the chord? whatever comes first, play first. If there is a note, then a chord, play the note first, then the chord. If there's a chord first then a note, then play the chord first then the note.
Answer:
Might it also be a hammer on or pull off?
Answer:
Originally Posted by Funky 1 Might it also be a hammer on or pull off?
What would those look like in standard notation?
Answer:
I think by like a little arch. Looks like an upside down U, or a normal U and it connects one note with the other, telling you to keep a finger on one note, but also use the other finger to strike another note. In a hammer on, you don't strum the note, you simply strike it with a fretting finger.

Answer:
Originally Posted by teejman I think by like a little arch. Looks like an upside down U, or a normal U and it connects one note with the other, telling you to keep a finger on one note, but also use the other finger to strike another note. In a hammer on, you don't strum the note, you simply strike it with a fretting finger.
Sorry, that's not what I'm talking about. But thanks for explaining that to me! Now I know what a hammer on is!
Answer:
it's alright. I was just making sure that's not what your question is about.
Answer:
Originally Posted by teejman it's alright. I was just making sure that's not what your question is about.
Ok! Well, I have one more question regarding your earlier post. When you say if there is a note then a chord, play the note first, do you mean if the note is above the chord?
Answer:
Yikes. Stop. Disregard everything you've heard thus far. Ok? Got that?
Now... what you are seeing is something extraordinarily normal in notation.
When you see two different note durations notated on the same beat (i.e. "a chord with a note above it" as you are putting it), that simply means that the notes that occur on that beat will last for different durations. This isn't particularly relevant on an instrument with a decay as short as that of a guitar (except for counting purposes); usually, you'll see this kind of notation in music written for polyphonic (i.e. can play more than one note at a time) instruments with longer sustain (i.e. a piano, an SATB choir, an organ, etc).
Usually, this is an example of contrapuntal writing (i.e. two different melodies / musical ideas played at once) or of writing that includes both accompaniment and melody. Once again, this is something that isn't particularly relevant to guitar since you need both hands to play a musical idea (as opposed to a piano where you can play one melody in one hand and another in the other, and even two melodies in one hand). If I were you, as a matter of practice (NOT as a matter of theory; learn your notation the right way), I would treat all note durations marked down in the sheet music as simply a means of telling you WHERE the notes occur and NOT how long to hold them. That is to say, you should be using the note durations to count your way through the piece rhythmically, and simply playing whatever happens to fall on each beat (or subdivision thereof) without paying much attention at all to how long those notes are supposed to be held for.
In this case, for example, as a matter of practice (that is, playing the music effectively), you should play both the chord and the individual note together on the beat. If you wanted to get theoretically correct, you should sustain the chord longer than the individual note (since the chord has half notes and the individual note only a quarter note), but, as I said, this is probably a moot point since a guitar does not have terribly great sustain in most circumstances.
I hope that helps some.
In His love,
Nate
Answer:
Originally Posted by Nate Yikes. Stop. Disregard everything you've heard thus far. Ok? Got that?
Now... what you are seeing is something extraordinarily normal in notation.
When you see two different note durations notated on the same beat (i.e. "a chord with a note above it" as you are putting it), that simply means that the notes that occur on that beat will last for different durations. This isn't particularly relevant on an instrument with a decay as short as that of a guitar (except for counting purposes); usually, you'll see this kind of notation in music written for polyphonic (i.e. can play more than one note at a time) instruments with longer sustain (i.e. a piano, an SATB choir, an organ, etc).
Usually, this is an example of contrapuntal writing (i.e. two different melodies / musical ideas played at once) or of writing that includes both accompaniment and melody. Once again, this is something that isn't particularly relevant to guitar since you need both hands to play a musical idea (as opposed to a piano where you can play one melody in one hand and another in the other, and even two melodies in one hand). If I were you, as a matter of practice (NOT as a matter of theory; learn your notation the right way), I would treat all note durations marked down in the sheet music as simply a means of telling you WHERE the notes occur and NOT how long to hold them. That is to say, you should be using the note durations to count your way through the piece rhythmically, and simply playing whatever happens to fall on each beat (or subdivision thereof) without paying much attention at all to how long those notes are supposed to be held for.
In this case, for example, as a matter of practice (that is, playing the music effectively), you should play both the chord and the individual note together on the beat. If you wanted to get theoretically correct, you should sustain the chord longer than the individual note (since the chord has half notes and the individual note only a quarter note), but, as I said, this is probably a moot point since a guitar does not have terribly great sustain in most circumstances.
I hope that helps some.
In His love,
Nate
So I should play the chord and the note together and when the quarter note's one beat is up, I should mute it while the chord plays out for one more beat? And that's all I need to worry about?
Answer:
Unless it's an open string, you don't need to mute it; just move your finger to play the next note and it'll die on its own.