Guitar All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Going Up the Neck and Playing the Fancy Stuff

IN THIS CHAPTER

Playing up the neck and playing in position

Playing the movable pentatonic scale

Playing hammer-ons and pull-offs

Getting expressive with slides, bends, and vibrato

Access the audio tracks at www.dummies.com/go/guitaraio/

To sound like a true rock and roller and to share the stratospheric heights frequented by the legions of wailing guitar heroes, you must learn to play up the neck. Actually, you need to learn how to think up the neck.

Playing up the neck requires both a theoretical approach and a technical adjustment. In fact, it’s probably a little harder on the brain (at least at first) to figure out what to play than it is for the fingers to fall in line. Those smart-alecky digits, which acclimate very quickly, just prove the old saying, “the flesh is willing but the spirit is weak.” Or something like that.

Rock players play up the neck a lot — a whole lot. Many rock players play way, way up the neck, higher ...