Guitar Case Studies & Practical Application 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A guitarist is learning a piece that jumps between first position and tenth position frequently. What technique minimizes the time lost during these shifts?
- Memorize only the first-position notes
- Use guide fingers (pivot fingers) that slide along the string to anchor the shift (Correct answer)
- Always use open strings to mask the transition
- Slow the tempo permanently
Correct answer: Use guide fingers (pivot fingers) that slide along the string to anchor the shift
Guide or pivot fingers remain lightly in contact with a string during a shift, providing a physical reference point that speeds up position changes.
Question 2: A guitarist is asked to play a Motown-style session. Which approach best suits the genre's rhythmic character?
- Heavy distortion power chords on the downbeat
- Tight, muted, rhythmic chord stabs emphasizing the backbeat and off-beats (Correct answer)
- Fingerpicked arpeggios throughout the arrangement
- Long sustaining notes with heavy reverb
Correct answer: Tight, muted, rhythmic chord stabs emphasizing the backbeat and off-beats
Motown guitar is characterized by tight, percussive chord stabs with palm muting, often emphasizing the backbeat in the groove.
Question 3: A classical guitarist is preparing a Bach piece for performance but is having trouble with an ornament (trill). What is the correct historical approach for Baroque trills?
- Start the trill on the main note and oscillate downward
- Begin the trill on the upper auxiliary note, not the main note (Correct answer)
- Play the trill only when the tempo is slow
- Avoid trills in Baroque music entirely
Correct answer: Begin the trill on the upper auxiliary note, not the main note
In Baroque ornamentation practice, trills typically begin on the upper auxiliary note rather than the principal note.
Question 4: A guitarist wants to achieve a volume swell effect (notes that fade in without a hard attack). Which technique or tool achieves this?
- Heavy downstrokes with a thick pick
- Using a volume pedal or rolling the guitar's volume knob down before picking and swelling it up after (Correct answer)
- Playing only open strings
- Using a compressor pedal
Correct answer: Using a volume pedal or rolling the guitar's volume knob down before picking and swelling it up after
A volume swell removes the pick attack by starting the note at zero volume and increasing it, creating a violin-like fade-in effect.
Question 5: You are setting up a practice routine for an advanced guitarist preparing for a college audition. Which daily structure is most effective?
- Practice only audition repertoire for three hours straight
- Divide time between technical exercises, repertoire, sight-reading, and ear training with short breaks (Correct answer)
- Focus exclusively on technique drills for maximum improvement
- Practice only when feeling inspired to maintain creativity
Correct answer: Divide time between technical exercises, repertoire, sight-reading, and ear training with short breaks
A balanced routine that covers multiple skill areas with breaks prevents fatigue, addresses all audition demands, and promotes comprehensive musicianship.
Question 6: A guitarist notices that their strumming sounds uneven — some strums are louder than others in an inconsistent pattern. What is the most productive diagnosis method?
- Change string gauge immediately
- Record the playing and listen back to identify which strums are inconsistent and at what point in the pattern (Correct answer)
- Ask the audience for feedback during a live performance
- Practice exclusively with headphones
Correct answer: Record the playing and listen back to identify which strums are inconsistent and at what point in the pattern
Recording and listening back provides objective evidence of dynamic inconsistencies that the player cannot fully perceive while focused on playing.
Question 7: A guitarist is playing a jazz gig and the bandleader calls an unfamiliar tune in the key of Eb. The guitarist knows the song in F. What is the fastest on-the-fly solution?
- Decline to play the tune
- Use a capo and mentally transpose the chord shapes, or comp from the chord chart while mentally shifting down a whole step (Correct answer)
- Play in F and hope nobody notices
- Immediately stop and look up the chord chart on a phone
Correct answer: Use a capo and mentally transpose the chord shapes, or comp from the chord chart while mentally shifting down a whole step
Transposing in real time — either mentally or with a capo — is a core professional skill that allows guitarists to adapt instantly to key changes.
Guitar Case Studies & Practical Application 5
A guitarist is learning a piece that jumps between first position and tenth position frequently.
What technique minimizes the time lost during these shifts?