Guitar technique
Stretch, shift, string skipping: why the combination falls apart when each part works
In short
Technical difficulties don’t just add up, they compound: a stretch already in place makes a string change, a shift or a string skip costlier than it would be on its own. To check whether that’s your case, compare the speed loss of the same shift with and without a stretch. To improve, combine the difficulties one at a time instead of drilling the full passage.
It’s a baffling situation: you play the stretch cleanly, the string change cleanly, the shift cleanly… and the passage combining them falls apart. It isn’t a lack of work on each part: it’s the effect of combining them.
Why difficulties compound
A stretch puts your hand in an open position, with less freedom of movement and often a bit more tension. Adding a string change, a shift or a skip from that position asks a new motion of a hand that’s already busy. The speed loss is then no longer the sum of both losses: it’s often bigger.
Attention plays a part too: the more you have to handle at once, the more your working memory saturates, and the more the motion loses its automatic flow.
Measuring what the stretch adds
Take a shift (or a string change, or a skip) and measure your speed loss on fingerings without a stretch. Do the same on fingerings that already combine a stretch. If the loss is clearly bigger in the second case, the stretch makes the shift costlier: it’s the combination you need to work on, not each element separately.
The RIFFLEX report asks these questions for each type of difficulty: “Does an existing stretch make the shift cost even worse?”, “… the string-skip cost?”, and “Which fingering loses the most speed when a string change is added to this stretch?”.
Signs of a combination problem
- Each element of the passage, played alone, reaches a good tempo.
- The full passage tops out well below the tempo of its slowest element.
- Mistakes always happen at the same moment: when the second difficulty arrives while the first is still in place.
- Tension builds in your hand or forearm as the passage goes on.
Combining difficulties one at a time
- Start with the basic element, without a stretch, at a comfortable tempo.
- Add the stretch alone, until the speed loss is small.
- Then add the string change, the shift or the skip, always one difficulty at a time.
- At each step, only raise the tempo while the motion stays relaxed.
- Relax your hand between repetitions: built-up tension is often what makes the combination give way.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I play a passage when I’ve mastered each part?
Because difficulties compound: a hand already stretched handles a string change or a shift less well. You need to practice the combination itself, adding difficulties one at a time.
Should I practice the whole passage or break it up?
Break it up to find where it breaks, then rebuild it gradually, one difficulty at a time. Looping the whole passage mostly reinforces the mistakes.
Is tension to blame?
Often. A stretch held with effort leaves less room for the next motion. Relaxing your hand between repetitions and practicing below your top tempo helps a lot.