Intro



Orkney Tuning: CGDGCD

The Mayo Jar is played in Orkney Tuning, a tuning very well suited for melodic fingerstyle guitar, and without the typical lack of versatility that other alternate tunings have. To tune your guitar from standard tuning to Orkney tuning:

• 1st string: down by a whole note
• 2nd string: up by a half note
• 3rd string: unaltered
• 4th string: unaltered
• 5th string: down by a whole note
• 6th string: down by two whole notes

 In Orkney tuning the tension of the 6th string will be very low, so you should be careful fretting this string or it will go sharp. If this is a problem for you, consider replacing the 6th string by a slightly heavier one.




The intro is short and simple. Nevertheless, there are four things you need to pay attention to: 

  • Let all notes ring out.
  • Don’t just play the 5-3-0-0 sequence six times in a row, as if you’re doing a fitness excercise, but ‘play' with the notes by slight variations in emphasis (volume). And note that every second time you play the 3rd string (5th fret) it is played very softly!
  • The 5th string in the last (double) note is played by a pull-off with the middle finger of your left hand.   
  • Perform slow and gentle lateral neck bends throughout the intro. Firmly clamp the neck between your thumb and the inner side of your hand (under the index finger) making sure to keep the chord in place. Bend the neck back and forth, sideways, about once a second. This will create an effect similar to a digital chorus. Don’t overdo it, it should be just enough to take away the monotony.


Instructions


Lateral neck bends

Lateral neck bends, as explained above, are a great way to add depth to the tone of your guitar. I use them often, particularly in slow ballads, for notes that sound longer then the others. It takes away the monotony, and brings a beautiful emphasis to the notes in the melody. In principle you can apply sideward neck bends all the time, but don't overdo it. Some of my students started to do neck bends non-stop, but that takes away the elegance, and it also looks as if there is something seriously wrong with you when you play. 🤣

Are you done? 

Can you play along with the audio loop above?

Then you can move on to the verse! 


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© Eltjo Haselhoff 2020