Can anybody give tips on Crossroads by Steve vai?

[Lightningboy2]

Good day! i was wondering if anyone knows how to play the song and tips to give me with the picking song, its so damn hard but i wanna learn the song.

Also whats a good excersice for the appregios in the song?

thanks

[lalimacefolle]

http://www.multimania.com/elricodelparis/tabs25/steve_vai%20eugene.htm

the best way to play this thing is to work on your sweep picking. Best exercice? Come on that tune IS an exercice. Practice slowly and with a metronome

[Lightningboy2]

How do you do the speed part? i mean the picking style because whenever i try it it doesn't sound right or my speed is not quick enough?

[lalimacefolle]

practice it slow with a metronome, increase. It's economy picking. It means you play a stroke towards the string you are going to pick.

[Christoph]

I learned that thing a long time ago and have since forgotten it. I assume you're talking about the part at the end of the movie.

The only thing I can suggest is patience. It takes a long time and a lot of repitition to get it into your head so you can play it fast and smooth enough, without even thinking about it.

[crazyguy]

When I got the tabs for "Crossroads", I didn't even know what it was. I was playing it at about quarter speed, because I liked the melody. At some point, someone told me what it was and I saw the movie. Although giving up had crossed my mind, I was surprised how easy it was to speed up( not to the full speed ) because I'd been playing it slow for such a long time.
The most in-your-face thing about this piece is absolute precission, so have patience and the speed will gradually develop.

[OmegaMonster]

It's called "Eugene's Trick Bag" and if you're gonna play it note for note...GOOD LUCK! Keep in mind that Steve Vai went through a 10 hour workout everyday for many years. To be honest, you can still hear a little bit of "slop" between the changes in the beginning part. This just goes to show that if Steve Vai can't drill it with his tremendous chops, it's hard for the average non-shredder to pull off.
My advice is to work it out slowly, measure by measure, and strive for accuracy, the speed will come in time. Also, towards the end there's a part where Steve jumps all over the neck between arppegios. This part is just a two string pattern shifted around quite a bit. If you can find an easy way to approaching this part...let me know. That part in particular discouraged me quite a bit and reminded me "Practice makes one almost perfect".
Good luck, and practice hard. Speed will come with time but accuracy and smoothness must be dealt with up front. If not you just end up with fast slop.