Help on B note

[Rickey]

Ok this is a real newbie type question -however I’m proud to post this , my first technical question . I am currently going through just the melody notes on the strings and wonder if there is a rule concerning playing the B note located on the middle line of the staff. There is a choice or decision to be made when i see that particular note-how do I know whether to play the open string B or the fourth fretted G string. Is this purely a preference ? Thanx so much every1 :cheese: Dawn

[Rickey]

It depends on what notes you have before and after. If you have G A B and using a pick you could prefer doing it all on the G string. After all there’s a bit of science and physics into it but mostly it’s about personal preference.

[Rickey]

TYVM ramzhh-

[Brian]

I would agree with ramzhh – there are no hard / fast rules with using open strings versus playing notes on the fretboard. It’s really a matter of 1) whichever sounds better and 2) whichever is easier. I was once told that learning to play guitar is a lot like golf – the name of the game is to use the least amount of strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. So if you can play a B note on another string and it makes your life easier… go for it.

[Rickey]

@Brian wrote:

I would agree with ramzhh – there are no hard / fast rules with using open strings versus playing notes on the fretboard. It’s really a matter of 1) whichever sounds better and 2) whichever is easier. I was once told that learning to play guitar is a lot like golf – the name of the game is to use the least amount of strokes as possible to get the ball in the hole. So if you can play a B note on another string and it makes your life easier… go for it.

Just want to add one comment to Brian’s comment. In general I agree, but having said that, I also believe one of the key differences between playing an open string vs a “closed” one is, that it’s more difficult to control an open string. But again, it all depends on which ever sound you’re looking for.

Cheers

Jakob

[bluesbird]

@Brian wrote:

there are no hard / fast rules with using open strings versus playing notes on the fretboard. It’s really a matter of 1) whichever sounds better and 2) whichever is easier.

This is where tablature has an advantage. It will show the exact fingering to use. There is often a subtle tone difference that goes with playing a note in different places on the fretboard and it is really a matter of choosing the fingering that sounds the best to you. This may not always be the easiest fingering.

[Author]

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