Double stops

A double stop is two notes played together. It sits between a single-note line and a chord: thicker than a melody, lighter than a strum. Pentatonic double stops are the sound of rock and roll and blues lead guitar, and thirds and sixths are how players harmonise a melody with itself in soul, country and pop.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Play pentatonic double stops on the top two strings, including a bent double stop.
• Play C major thirds on the G and B strings.
• Play C major sixths on the G and high e strings, muting the B string.

A double stop is two notes played at once. It is fuller than a single note and lighter than a chord, which makes it ideal for lead lines that need more weight, and for harmonising a melody.

Pentatonic double stops. On the B and high e strings, the minor pentatonic box has pairs at the same fret that you can barre with one finger. In A minor box 1, fret 5 gives E and A, fret 8 gives G and C. Rocking between them is a staple of rock and roll and blues guitar. Add a bent double stop: bend the G string while holding a note on the B string, and the two notes squeeze together.

Thirds. Pairs of scale notes a third apart, on adjacent strings. On the G and B strings in C major, they move up the neck in a ladder of shapes: some at the same fret, some one fret apart. Thirds sound sweet and are the standard way to harmonise a melody.

Sixths. A sixth is a third turned upside down. On the G and high e strings, with the B string muted in between, sixths sound open and soulful: the sound of a lot of soul and country guitar.

Whatever the type, both notes must sound equally: one pick motion through both strings, or pick and finger together.

A rock-and-roll double stop.

1. Lay the index finger across the B and high e strings at fret 5. Pick both together with one short downstroke.
2. Put the ring finger flat across both strings at fret 8 and pick again.
3. Alternate fret 8 and fret 5 in eighth notes. Keep the strokes short and even.

The bent double stop. Ring finger on the G string at fret 7, pinky on the B string at fret 8. Pick both, then push the G string up a whole tone (to the pitch of fret 9) while the pinky holds. Release slowly.

Sixths. Middle finger on the G string at fret 5, ring finger on the high e at fret 5. Let the middle finger lean so it touches the B string. Pick the G string with the pick and the e string with the middle finger of the picking hand, together.

Do these in order. Each one is small. Tick the ones you have practised.

• 1.Pentatonic pairs

  4 min · 60 → 90 BPM

  1. Barre the B and high e strings at fret 5 with the index finger. Pick both together.
  2. Barre them at fret 8 with the ring finger (or pinky). Pick both.
  3. Play fret 8 then fret 5, eight times, as a repeating rock-and-roll figure.
  4. Now push the G string at fret 7 up a whole tone while the B string at fret 8 stays still: a bent double stop.

  You have it when

  • Both notes sound in every double stop.
  • The bent note reaches pitch while the other note holds.
  I practised this one

• 2.Thirds up the neck

  4 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. On the G and B strings: frets 5-5 (C and E), 7-6 (D and F), 9-8 (E and G), 10-10 (F and A), 12-12 (G and B).
  2. Play them up the neck and back, one per beat.
  3. Use fingers 2 and 3 (or 1 and 2) for the uneven pairs and one finger flat for the even ones.

  You have it when

  • You can play the five thirds up and back cleanly.
  I practised this one

• 3.Sixths and a melody

  4 min · 60 → 80 BPM

  1. On the G and high e strings: frets 5-5 (C and A), 7-7 (D and B), 9-8 (E and C), 10-10 (F and D), 12-12 (G and E).
  2. Mute the B string with the underside of the finger on the G string.
  3. Pick with the pick on the G string and the middle finger on the e, or pick both and let the muted B click.
  4. Make a short phrase: slide between sixths over a C chord.

  You have it when

  • The B string stays silent.
  • You can play a two-bar phrase in sixths over a C chord.
  I practised this one

Start at 60 BPM, one double stop per beat. Both notes must sound together and equally. Speed up to two per beat at 80 BPM.

• One note of the pair much quieter. Aim the pick through both strings in one motion, and check that both fingers press equally.
• The B string ringing in sixths. Let the finger fretting the G string lean slightly so its underside touches the B string.

Pentatonic double stops are a classic way to open or end a blues solo. Thirds and sixths harmonise a melody, and slide beautifully between chord tones. Play the pentatonic pairs over the 12-bar blues in A.

Try it in: 12-bar blues in A.

Short version (10 minutes)

Play the pentatonic pairs and the thirds up and down the neck.

Standard version (about 30 minutes)

Do all three exercises, then play one 12-bar chorus over the blues in A using only double stops.

• A double stop is two notes at once.
• Pentatonic pairs on the top strings sound like rock and roll.
• Thirds on adjacent strings, sixths across a muted string.
• Both notes equal: one pick motion through both strings.

You are ready to move on when you can honestly say:

• I can play pentatonic double stops, including one with a bend.
• I can play C major thirds and sixths up the neck.
• I can play a short phrase in sixths over a C chord.