You can find this musically effective scenario in many songs – but it’s important to get the fingering right to nail it! Root-5-8 Fingering – Get the chops for root-5-8!

#A18

Root-5-8 Fingering – Get the chops

Video Transcript

Root – 5 – 8 patterns – you will encounter in so many different songs. All kinds of styles. They stay out of the way, they really cement the tonality but they still sound like they create movement and they kind of sound dramatic because they’re all these big jumps in there.

They do present a little bit of a technical challenge, however. There are typically two ways how you can finger these guys. One way has your first finger on the root and the fifth and the octave are spread out between two fingers. It’s perfectly fine to use this kind of fingering, especially when you only have, let’s say, roots, fifths, eighths and maybe flat sevens.

[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays a 1-5-8 groove 🎵🎵🎵 ]

As soon as you need the third, for example, you’re better off fingering these two notes with one finger. So it’s good to practice this movement in isolation.

[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays the drill 🎵🎵🎵 ]

You can, sort of bar these two, as long as you’re mindful of muting. You don’t wanna let them both ring. I aim to lightly tilt my hand, without too much movement. Make sure these notes are connected. I recommend you practice this with every single finger.

Go all the way, [ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays the drill 🎵🎵🎵 ]

And the other direction. [ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays the drill 🎵🎵🎵 ]

The most important thing is: do not over-grip. We tend to overwork. The goal is to let go of anything you don’t need. When I play these very slow, I sort of sit on the string and while I sit on the string I move my hand and it’s important to not do this:

[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari demonstrates what not to do 🎵🎵🎵 ]

That’s gonna knock your tuning out [ 🎵🎵🎵 ] Try to get these nice and clean and connected, then this is going to be there for you when you get to play one of those root-five-eight songs.