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Tutorial - Finger Tone
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Finger Tone Part 3 - Funky Chord Vamp

Jody Mac 22 lessons

This lesson builds on what we learned in the previous video. It vamps on a Dm7 chord to achieve a funky rhythmic sound. Although we are only using one chord, the percussive stops and staccato feel give it an interesting flavour to be used across a number of different genres of music. By utilizing the thumb and fingers instead of a pick, we can keep a very tight, focused chord without sounding the unused strings. Its best to practice the rhythm slowly, then work into a faster groove as you become more comfortable. The right hand acts similarly to a piano damper, muting strings between each chord.

The Dm7 chord can be considered in two different keys; either the II chord in C Major, or a VI in F Major. For our purposes, we will treat it as the VI of F. It sounds more natural resolving from the minor VI back to the I chord if we were to use this example in the context of a solo section of a song where another guitar was providing a lead. This technique is only one example of how you can add rhythmic interest to simple chords. Feel free to apply this principle to the other chords contained within the key or song that you're working with.

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