Left-hand technique for A9b13 chord in "Improvisation #

Bill McNeill · September 2005

What's the best way to achieve the suggested fingering of the A9b13 chord in measures 74, 76, and 96 of "Improvisation #2"? I keep switching back and forth between two techniques:

1) Holding a bar on the 5th fret across the four highest strings with my 1st finger, picking up the B on the 7th fret with my 3rd finger, and picking up the C# and F on the sixth fret with my 2nd finger using a one finger double stop.

2) The same as (1), except I use the 2nd finger to make a bar over the three highest strings on the sixth fret.

In general if I see a chord in "Unaccompanied Django" that can be played with a double stop I use one, both to practice the technique and because I can usually see why one works in context. In this particular context, however, it's not clear to me if the double-stop has an advantage, so I'm wondering if people have opinions as to whether there's a "right" way to hit this chord.

MichaelHorowitz · September 2005

i'd use a conventional bar technique in that context. There are certain situations when a double stop is necessary, but that isn't one of them.

good luck!

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Bill McNeill · February 2006

Another question about this chord from: where is your thumb when you play it? I find that this particular stretch forces me to leave my thumb on the back of the neck. This is a problem because it breaks the whole thumb-hanging-over-the-low-E-string hand position that I otherwise try to maintain. For example, I find measures 11-12 of "Parfum" difficult because I'm throwing my thumb all over the place when I move between the CM6 and CM and the intervening G9b13.

MichaelHorowitz · February 2006

billmcn wrote:

Another question about this chord from: where is your thumb when you play it?

It's in the classical position...the thumb is in the middle of the neck.

billmcn wrote:

For example, I find measures 11-12 of "Parfum" difficult because I'm throwing my thumb all over the place when I move between the CM6 and CM and the intervening G9b13.

You should also play that whole passage in the classical position.

Good luck!

'm