Intervals question?

Here's the tutorial for reference:
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=10663&c_id=2&ch_id=10&s_id=362

Please fast forward to about 2:52. It's critical you do this so you can understand me better... <<<<

Mr. Schlegel explains that an interval of a fifth can be 5 strings back and two over.... The same as the other interval that I actually don't understand..

The catch is, though, that maybe I'm missing the WHY part of why he goes two strings over when he's coming down

WHY do you do it? Why can you go two strings over and play an interval of a fifth different ways? Please explain

I'm a little frustrated because I don't think I'm explaining myself correctly.

Originally Posted by: dalduqueHere's the tutorial for reference:
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=10663&c_id=2&ch_id=10&s_id=362
...
Mr. Schlegel explains that an interval of a fifth can be 5 strings back and two over...
WHY do you do it? Why can you go two strings over and play an interval of a fifth different ways?

Because you can play the same exact note in more than one place on the guitar. And often it's easier to play the same note in one place than it is in another.

Here are two notes A & E an interval of a fifth apart:

||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|

The A on the 5th fret is lower in pitch, the E on the 12th fret sounds higher in pitch. If you want to play those notes right after one another, it would be tricky. If you want to play those notes together at the same time you are out of luck, because you can't: they are on the same string.

Fortunately on the guitar we can sometimes play the same note in more than one place. Let's do so!

This is merely a result of how the guitar is layed out & tuned. The notes overlap & duplicate each other. So, we count five frets back & one string up.

||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|

Both of those E notes are the same exact pitch, the same sounding note. But one of them you can use to play along with the A & the other you can't. In addition, one of them is easier to reach from the A & the other is harder. It's good to have options.

Sometimes it's easier to play scale patterns is certain patterns, moreso than others. We can do our little trick again & find another place to play the E. Five frets back & one string up.

||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|-E-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||---|---|---|---|-A-|---|---|---|---|---|---|-E-|---|---|---|

Now, we have 3 different places to play the same E note! Make sense?

Now, why? What are all these Es good for? For options. Let's use the first E in a chord:

E |----0--(E)--------|
B |----2--(C#)-------|
G |----2--(A)--------|
D |----2--(E)--------|
A |----0--(A)--------|
E |------------------|

So that E works well if we want to play an nice open A chord.

E |----5--(A)--------|
B |----5--(E)--------|
G |----6--(C#)-------|
D |----7--(A)--------|
A |----7--(E)--------|
E |----5--(A)--------|

But that works well if we want to play an A barre chord.

E |----12--(E)--------|
B |----12--(B)--------|
G |----13--(G#)-------|
D |----14--(E)--------|
A |----14--(B)--------|
E |----12--(E)--------|

And finally, that E works if we want to play a barre chord E way up high on the fretboard.

It's good to have options & the guitar is loaded with them. Hope all that helps. :)

Thank you for the very thorough response. I clearly understand them now... I have no further questions; you explained so detailed that I understand now.


Best regards,
Daniel.