Peter Gunn Theme

Hello, is it OK to play it down-up-down-up ( I think its called alternate) or has the use of down strokes some specific function or reason?

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@Stepan1988 Down-Up is indeed called alternate picking. If you can do it then go for it. Justin suggests Down strokes here to keep things simple, less to think about.

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Is it okay if the pinky touches strings 1 to 5 or should I try to only touch string 6 with the pinky?
Thanks

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Michael @Karu
First of all welcome to the community :+1:
I think I understand your query, your pinky should only really touch string 6. It took me a while to get used to playing it, so don’t get discouraged.
Michael

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Thanks for the fast reply @MAT1953 :blush:
Okay I better start practicing then :grin:

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Hello Michael, as (the other) Michael @MAT1953 has already said, yes, try only to touch the 6th string with your pinky. It is not only a great and fun riff to play, but also a fantastic finger practice for other things to come :slightly_smiling_face:.

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Michael @Karu
Nicole @NicoleKKB

If what a laugh see my attempts at this and other Grade 1 riffs

I think this link should work

Michael

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Hey everyone, I also found this a good exercise to do on the other 5 strings. Good to practise hitting the right string - doesn’t have to be too fast either

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Should’ve really really really did a tab lesson before this or at least just explained quickly the tab provided. It’s like incredibly hard to just get it by looking at someone playing it as a beginner. I had to figure out the tab and then I got it and actually understood how Justin was playing, but still pacing is really bad. I had no issue with actually stretching my fingers because I’ve done spider fingers exercises since I picked up the guitar, but this other aspect of this lesson was really off-putting.

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Alexandru, I remember this lesson very well, and for me it was actually a lot of fun getting the riff down bit by bit. I felt like a bit of an explorer, stopping the video every now and then, as well as testing if I could remember what Justin had explained at an earlier point in the video :slightly_smiling_face: But of course every one is different and prefers to learn in different ways.

Glad that you got on to good start with mastering the riff after all🙂

Could you specify what information you were missing? A tab? Information on how to read tabs? As far as I know the tab is available on this website and in a later modul in Beginner Grade 1, Justin explains the basics of reading tabs? So maybe you would have liked clearer information on further explanations being available from this and that link? :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hello Karu adn welcome to the community.

A perfectly valid question and, sorry folks, I feel I need to counter your advice on this.

There is no reason at all to arch your fingers in an extreme manner to avoid touching the other strings. That is an artificial way of playing single notes on the thicker strings when you are quite alright laying your fingers down a little flatter - which also mutes them should you accidentally knock those open strings.

It is different for chords where each string needs to ring out.

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Hi.
Today i learned the Peter Gunn theme, which i really enjoyed playing, but i noticed that my fingers kept moving high off the neck once i had played their note. Should i try and kep all 4 fingers hovering close above the neck instead? I found it hard to stretch them out across 4 frets, but hopefully practice will help with that.

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I have the same problem! Maybe i should glue weights onto them :laughing:

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I heard a piece of advice somewhere early on in my playing: don’t lift your fingers off, just relax the squeeze and they will come off.

I have kept to that except for cases that need something special and it helps my hand to stay relaxed as well as not moving fingers too far away. Sometimes a little nudge away is needed for speed, but not much, and I am in place to use that finger again without needing to travel so far back to the string.

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Hi, I am new to guitar and this site and I also got the app…but on the app there is no diagram for the riff, so hard to do on app. Just wanting to let you know

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Welcome to community Michele

True, there is no tab in the app only the video. For me that was part of the adventure :slightly_smiling_face: You can find the tab on the website… Right here:

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That feeling when you are annoyed of the fret-buzz while doing the Peter Gunn practice and take the guitar to the store and the “local guitar hero” pics up the guitar, do a couple of strokes, lays the guitar on the bench, and says:

“Let me just loosen up this a bit for you…” :sunglasses:

Fre-buzz is now gone, and the practice can continue and for all of you who suffer from finger pain, they are telling us the truth, it does get better. :innocent:

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usually when justin stresses that it’ll “seem impossible at first” i’m like yeah it’s real hard but i can see it being humanly possible but. man this seems impossible impossible. so far i can force myself to keep my fingers somewhat in the right range for about three seconds before it hurts too much

It takes several weeks for your body to adapt, so keep up with short practices. It took me a couple months to make a stretch I wanted to make. Hand ached a little oddly for about the first of half that time. I finally can make the stretch on a short scale, but stopped working to make it on the long scale. I have a new song in my immediate future that I need to start a similar routine…

It WILL happen, just need to keep working the stretch, not too much, and give it time.

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same lol, I’ll have to look into doing some finger yoga