Robben Ford Discussion

[fenderbender]

hey everyone,

newly minted Robben fan here. i have a question regarding Robben's fingerings and position shifts in relation to his phrasing

in analyzing some of his solos from some tab books, i noticed that Robben likes to shift positions at the end of certain phrases even though the notes can be played within position, which would seem easier and more "logical" in terms of fingering

does he do this just to move around the fingerboard as to avoid getting stuck in one position?

or does he do it achieve certain phrasings? for example, if he's playing a phrase in A minor pentatonic in the 10th fret position...if he hit the A note on the B string (10th fret), he would shift up to the A note on the G string 14th fret so he could pull off to the G

i noticed that when playing the root with his index finger he likes to shift and hit the root with his ring finger so he could pull off to the flatted 7th...so simple yet sounds so sweet...

thanks in advance for your input

ray

[JackD]

Robben does tend to jump around a bit and do things that don't seem to make economical fingerboard sense. The bottom line is that it's all about the sound rather than what's the most convenient way to play a note. That, coupled with his use of "the claw" (first finger and the fourth finger backed up by the third finger) makes it some times difficult to see what he's doing. When I've transcribed some of his solos of CDs, if I just focus on the sound, I end up jumping around too!

[Buffaloe]

Robben is a master at playing through the chord changes by using the various modes. This can send him a lot of places on the fret board. He will also intentionally not end up on the high E string because he can't get the vibrato he likes without pulling the string off the fret board. He always pulls down for vibrato.
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Ham Fisted Bloozer

[jconstant]