Acoustic Guitar Central: Postscript

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Postscript
Music by Mark Hanson.

By Mark Hanson

IN THIS STORY

Audio Examples
Ex. 1: Postscript

More resources
More Fingerstyle Lessons

"Postscript” is a fingerstyle ballad that started life as a simple diatonic chord progression. While improvising in standard tuning, the melody and its setting just happened and very little has changed melodically in the A section since the first time I played it.

Though “Postscript” is in the key of D, it doesn’t come to rest on a root-position D chord until measure 16. Note how the F# note in the melody is used in a variety of ways. The A and B sections both start with an F# in the melody but are harmonized differently (the A section begins with a Gmaj7 while the B begins with a Bm11). Both sections are also immediately preceded by a sustained F# note in the same octave, which provides a smooth transition to the next part.

Fret the initial Gmaj7 with your middle finger on the sixth string, and your index on the first. Use your ring finger to fret the second- string D note later in the measure, setting you up for the D/F# in measure 2. I often fret that F# on the sixth string with my thumb, but you can also use the classical approach, with your index finger on the sixth string, as notated.

The final A note of measure 3 should be viewed initially as part of the preceding G chord: sustain the notes of the G until measure 4. At the end of measure 4, I quickly move my index finger from the third-string A note to fret the sixth-string F#. Sustain everything in measures 7–8 as long as possible to highlight the juxtaposition of fretted notes with open strings. In measure 16, you can enhance the tune’s harplike nature by sustaining the open E string while fretting the F# on the second string.

In measure 17, note the Bm11 fingering: fret the bass string with your thumb, and the second, third, and fourth strings like a first-
position A chord. This allows you to play the three-note descending melody on three separate strings, letting them all ring. If you can’t manage that, either use your index, middle, ring, and pinky on the sixth, fourth, third, and second strings, respectively, or use a seventh-fret barre and fret the E melody note on the ninth fret of the third string.

There’s another challenging Bm11 fingering in measure 19. Play a partial barre on the third, fourth, and fifth strings, with the first knuckle of your index finger bent backward enough to allow the open first string to ring. If that’s too difficult, fret the fifth string with your index fingertip, and finger what looks like a first-position D chord with your other three fingers. Once you’ve got “Postscript” under your fingers, you might want to check out the variations I included on my recording Author’s Notes (www.accentonmusic.com).

AUDIO: Postscript

/Media_Files/Songbooks/Postscript/Images/Postscript001.jpg

This article also appears in Acoustic Guitar, Issue #149

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