Chord Forms for Cross-Picking

[CrazyMandolin]

I've been doing a fair amount with the DUU roll and want to start working it into breaks. However I haven't been able to find any resources that talk about chord construction for this style of playing. What I have learned falls squarely outside the common chord forms I use for rhythm playing and is actually much closer to double stops but with an open string added to the mix. So what are the most common/useful forms to use when crosspicking?

Most of the threads that I've found in the Archives here are right hand-focused. Does anyone know where I can find out more on left hand arranging or have any tips from personal experience?

[pickloser]

I use a pdf entitled, "3 Note Chords," which I think I downloaded from the Cafe. it was written by a person I do not know, named Charlie Jones. I think it is quite a good resource, but since it is not mine, and I'm not positive I got it from a Cafe posting, I am hesitant to re-post it. Perhaps somebody has a link, or maybe Mr. Jones will stop by. I've tried doing a simple search, but my search skills are meagre. If you can't find it, send me a PM, I'll send you a pdf copy.

[Jordan Ramsey]

Here's a worksheet from my files, my favorite 1-4-5 positions in G, A, B, C, D, and E. These patterns all utilize an open E string, a la McReynolds.

[Rick Back]

It might have been Phil Vinyard's Three Note Survival Chords posted here in Feb.

Rick

I use a pdf entitled, "3 Note Chords," which I think I downloaded from the Cafe. it was written by a person I do not know, named Charlie Jones. I think it is quite a good resource, but since it is not mine, and I'm not positive I got it from a Cafe posting, I am hesitant to re-post it. Perhaps somebody has a link, or maybe Mr. Jones will stop by. I've tried doing a simple search, but my search skills are meagre. If you can't find it, send me a PM, I'll send you a pdf copy.

[Mandophyte]

Here they are.

[CrazyMandolin]

Thanks for the input and the two charts; I think they will prove very helpful!

[journeybear]

My general all-purpose go-to one-size-fits-all crosspicking pattern is 4D 3D 2U 3U 1D 2D 3U 2U, in which 4 = G string, 3 = D string, etc. I don't recall how I came up with this, as it was quite some time ago. You can see this combines repetitive patterns in pick direction (DDUU DDUU) and string selection (4323 1232). I am well aware this is quite different from the standard McReynolds pattern,* but it works for me. The key element is hitting strings 4 and 1 on the 1 and 3 beats of a measure; the other strings are sort of filling in, in a jingle-jangle way.

But that's the right hand, and you were more concerned about left hand. I don't know how much I can help you there; I tend to just play regular chords that are pretty much in the same position, nothing too out of the ordinary. I will at times employ an 8-7b pull-off, usually on the E string, as in the key of G, say, with an E7 - A7 - D7 - G progression, something like
A7 - D7 - G
A G F# A G

I don't use crosspicking a whole lot, but there are generally a few simple reasons why I do.

1) I find this works nicely in circle of fifths tune, as there is a lot of harmonic activity built into the progression already.
2) In simpler patterns this is a way to add a different texture or feel.
3) Crosspicking can fill out a band's sound, especially in a small one.
4) Sometimes I use this when I am just learning a song, because it sounds cool and as if I know what I'm doing, when in fact all I know is the chord progression.


*This subject was discussed at length a couple months ago, at which time I proposed that crosspicking is a technique and Reynolds-style is just one form of it, despite objections from some who contended that crosspicking IS Reynolds-style and anything else is - well, something else. My contention is that 3-3-2 rhythm, while cool, is a bit jarring, attention-diverting, and disrupts a smooth general 4/4 flow. And, again, is just one possibility of the crosspicking technique. IMHO.

[Phil Goodson]

My general all-purpose go-to one-size-fits-all crosspicking pattern is 4D 3D 2U 3U 1D 2D 3U 2U, in which 4 = G string, 3 = D string, etc. I don't recall how I came up with this, as it was quite some time ago. You can see this combines repetitive patterns in pick direction (DDUU DDUU) and string selection (4323 1232). ......

JB:
I see the first 4 note pattern and how it works, but how did you come up with the second 4 note pattern? Stroking down on string 1 followed by down on string 2, and then up on 3 and up on 2, seems to be masochistic with the backwards string crossings. Is there some function this difficult pattern serves that I haven't yet discovered? Maybe I just need lots more practice.

Just looks like DUDU on 1232 would be Sooooo much easier!