One of my guitar learning projects for this summer is to work on improving my skills with double stops. I read about double stops and how they can help to spice up guitar sounds some time ago. But it seems that with being so concentrated on choosing the right notes in single note licks and solos I kind of forgot to put in double notes or double note licks.
To put that right and make myself more comfortable with playing them is the aim of my study this summer. In this lesson I'll review double stops to explain what they are and how they can be used. Then I'll take a look at some common fretboard positions for playing different kinds of double stops.
This lesson is the first in a series that will focus on double stops and show how to use different double stops in blues and rock rhythm and solo guitar playing.
A double stop is a pair of harmonized notes from a scale or a chord played simultaneously. Double stops create a fatter, fuller sound during single note licks and can be quickly moved around to create fills during rhythm playing. They are a distinctive part of the guitar's sound and a useful trick to add to your toolbox.
The pairs of notes most commonly harmonized in double stops are thirds, fourths, and sixths. Let's take a look at each of these in turn and see how they are played on the guitar.
Note that because of the guitar's tuning there are two different patterns for playing double stops. The same patterns can be used on the 6th 5th 4th and 2nd string, the guitar is tuned to a fourth between each of these strings and the next highest string. The patterns for notes on the 3rd string are different because this string is tuned a major third above the 4th string instead.
If this sounds complicated don't worry, you will understand more as we learn the patterns below.
Now you know what double stops are and the patterns used to play the most common forms on the guitar. In future lessons of this series we'll see how to include double stops in some guitar licks.
Note: This page has moved and improved! Please visit the updated lesson on double stops at Double Stop Guitar Lessons.
copyright all rights reserverd 20224