If you've ever encountered music that shifts keys or tonal centers by a half step, say from F Major to Gb Major, what can you do to change your fingering?

Basically, there are two options. One is move everything over a fret (Duh...). That's simple, but you don't have as much flexibility if you get multiple shifts or something complicated in chord progressions ahead. A better option to start working on is moving by FFcP fingerings.

This isn't as hard as it sounds. Improvising in the key of F and the music shifts to Gb, you could be playing the key of F with your first finger on the F (AKA 3rd position) as a 1st FFcP, and simply play the subsequent Gb with a 2nd FFcP fingering.

We've developed a great exercise to get you fluent with this sort of shift with our Fifth Lesson in the FFcP series, FFcP and Chromatic Mastering. It's a little more advance approach to improvising, but if you've already been working the FFcP exercises, this will be very easy to learn.

You might already be seeing improvement in your improvisation. If nothing else, this a fantastic study in tone and fretboard familiarity.

Read article and download exercise: FFcP and Chromatic Mastering

Posted by Ted at November 30, 2006 10:26 PM