Kite Guitar Exercises and Techniques

Exercises for the Kite Guitar, assumes the downmajor tuning. They are for a 6-string guitar, but can be adapted to a 7- or 8-string. Once you master them, no need to practice them further, because you will naturally reinforce them in the course of playing actual songs.

Half-fret Bends

The fact that each 41-edo note only occurs on every other string makes certain scales awkward to play, for example scales with pythagorean or neutral 3rds. But for 5-limit or 7-limit scales of low odd-limit, it often works out that you're forced to move to the next string just about when you would want to anyway. For example, 1/1 -- 9/8 - 5/4 - 4/3 -- 3/2 - 5/3 -- 15/8 - 2/1. The double dashes indicate where you have to move up a string.

There are however two problematic scenarios:

• You run out of strings. You're playing 4/3 on the top string, and you want to go up to 3/2.
• You're playing 4/3 and you want to hammer on or slide up to 3/2.

The solution to both is to move 3 frets up from 4/3 to the down-5th and do a half-fret bend. It's a good idea to practice doing accurate half-fret bends. Here are some exercises that involve playing an off-perfect interval and bending it into tune. No need to learn them all, just find one you like.

1) Play a note on the 6th fret and bend it up a half-fret to make a unison with the next highest string.

2) Same as #1, but played up the neck. Put your 4th finger far up the neck where 6 frets is not too big a stretch. Put your 1st finger 1 string higher and 6 frets back. Bend the lower (4th finger) note up.

3) Same as #2, but your 1st finger is 7 frets back. Bend the higher (1st finger) note up.

4) Put your 1st finger on any fret. Put your 4th finger 5 frets higher on the next string up. Play as an interval, this is a down-5th. Now bend the higher (4th finger) note up half a fret to make a good 3/2.

5) Put your 4th finger on any fret. Put your 1st finger 2 strings higher and 5 frets lower. This is a down-4th, so bend the higher (1st finger) note up half a fret.

6) Same as #3, but your 1st finger is only 4 frets lower to make an up-4th. Now bend the lower (4th finger) note up.

In relative tab, these exercises are unison = (+1 -6.5), 5th = (+1 +5.5) and 4th = (+2 -4.5).

The Circle of 5ths

The most common intervals for root movements are 4ths and 5ths, so it's good to practice moving by these intervals. This exercise walks you through the entire circle of 41 frets.

First play the circle as a bass line:

• Play a low Ab, 6th string 1st dot.
• Move up a 4th to Db. In relative tab, the move is (+1 +2). This puts you on the 5th string.
• Move up a 4th the same way to Gb. This puts you on the 4th string.
• Move down a 5th by (-2 +1) to return to the 6th string.
• Continue cycling through the lowest 3 strings, 6th -> 5th -> 4th -> 6th, until you reach the 4th dot.
• Move down a 5th by leaping down 3 dots, which is (0 -12).
• Continue as before, moving up a fret or two and cycling through the lowest 3 strings.
• When you reach the 4th dot (or overshoot it by 1 fret), leap down as before.

After 5 leaps, you should return to where you started.

To sum up, there are three valid moves: (+1 +2), (-2 +1) and (0, -12). This exercise moves up by 4ths and down by 5ths, i.e. fourthward in the circle. There is a complimentary exercise that moves fifthwards. Starting at Ab, leap up 3 dots to Eb. Then slowly walk down, cycling through the strings 6th -> 4th -> 5th -> 6th. Once you reach the 1st dot, leap up again. The moves are (-1 -2), (+2 -1) and (0 +12).

Once you get the general idea, test yourself by counting the notes out loud as you go. If Ab is #1 and the next note is #2, you should return to Ab just as you say "42", which is after all The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything!

Get to the point where you can play this 42-note bass line in under 15 seconds. The final step is to play an actual chord over each of these bass notes. It can be a v7 chord or an ^m7 chord, or any chord you want to practice. Use an open voicing for root-6 chords, a close voicing for root-4 chords, and either for root-5 chords.

To really learn your music theory, rather than counting to 42, say the actual note names:

Fourthwards:

• Ab Db Gb=vF#
• vB vE vA vD vG vC vF vBb=^^A
• ^^D ^^G ^^C ^^F ^^Bb=vvB
• vvE vvA vvD vvG vvC=^B
• ^E ^A ^D ^G ^C ^F ^Bb ^Eb=D#
• G# C# F# B E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab

Fifthwards:

• Ab Eb Bb F C G D A E B F# C# G# D#=^Eb
• ^Bb ^F ^C ^G ^D ^A ^E ^B=vvC
• vvG vvD vvA vvE vvB=^^Bb
• ^^F ^^C ^^G ^^D ^^A=vBb
• vF vC vG vD vA vE vB vF#=Gb
• Db Ab

Because 41 is a prime number, any one of 41edo's intervals will generate a similar circle (except the octave of course).

Leaping by 5ths

Being able to leap up or down by 3 dots can be handy, as the last exercise demonstrates. Again, start with a bass line, and add chords over them later.

• Play Ab, leap up to Eb, and leap back down.
• Move up one fret to vvA, leap up to vvE and back down.
• Move up to A, leap up and down, move up to ^^A, leap, etc.

Try to get a steady rhythm going. Keep going up fret by fret until you run out of room, then move down fret by fret. A complimentary exercise starts at Eb on the 4th dot, leaps down to Ab and back up. Then go up one fret and continue.