Rock and roll double stops in A
Two notes at once on neighbouring strings, two eighths each, down through the A minor pentatonic box from the B and E strings' 8th fret, then C and E rising to C sharp and E and an A with C sharp on top. Double stops are the sound of rock and roll guitar intros and blues fills, fuller than single notes and still clear with some crunch.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 130 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 130 bpm
- Starts at
- 78 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Barre each pair with one finger flat across both strings, and mute the strings around them with the other fingers and the picking hand.
Bar 1 plays pairs of notes two eighths each, down the A minor pentatonic box: G and C on the B and high E strings at the 8th fret (slid into), E and A at the 5th, then D and G on the G and B strings, and C and E at the 5th.
Bar 2: C and E, then C sharp and E with the G string at the 6th fret, then A and C sharp on the D and G strings, accented, and half a bar of rest. Bar 3 repeats bar 1, and bar 4 ends on an accented A power chord.
Keep both notes equally loud. With some crunch, a double stop where one note is weak sounds like a single note with noise.
Mistakes to watch for
- Hitting a third string, which turns the double stop into a chord.
- One note of the pair dying before the other because the finger isn't flat across both strings.
- The rests in bars 2 and 4 getting filled with ringing strings; stop them with both hands.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 78
- 85
- 91
- 98
- 104
- 111
- 117
- 124
- 130
That's 16 loops and about 3 minutes before you're playing at 130 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Rock and roll double stops?
The goal is 130 bpm in eighth notes, which is 4.3 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 78 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
What is a double stop on guitar?
Two notes played at once, usually on neighbouring strings. In rock and blues they're mostly thirds and fourths from the pentatonic, often slid into or bent, and they're the sound of rock and roll intros.
Should I pick double stops or use my fingers?
Pick them, as here, for a rock sound. Hybrid picking, the pick on one string and a finger on the other, is common in country and lets you play pairs that aren't on neighbouring strings.
More rock and blues exercises
All 24 rock and blues exercises · Scales on the neck · Fretboard notes trainer · All 107 exercises