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soho2014
Registered User
Joined: 07/02/10
Posts: 10
soho2014
Registered User
Joined: 07/02/10
Posts: 10
07/13/2010 3:43 am
I guess I'm zillions of years old compared to most people here, but finally I was able to afford a Fender Strat, and the desire to play never left me. I can actually play bass guitar pretty well, but nobody really wants to play bass guitar for their own enjoyment (I see it strictly as a band instrument), so I bought a 6 string to try to advance on that and entertain myself. Finally I have a nice guitar, after buying a Fender Strat American Standard Sienna finish. I just love it. When my wife plays on the 6 string, I play bass on a Fender Jazz bass. It's quite fun.

I'd classify myself as an intermediate guitarist, since I would have no problem playing any sort of barre chords for example, and my fingers are fairly comfortable on the fretboard. Where I fall down is in alternate picking, which is what I'm trying to get now. I can read music from piano, but I'd have a lot of trouble translating that to the guitar. I can probably spell out the tones of most of the chords. In the last couple of weeks I burned the pentatonic scale into my brain - all 5 patterns of it. I review those dots in my head when I'm stuck in traffic jams.

I whipped through part I here of the fundamentals at a fast speed, but I want to go through part II more carefully to make sure that I don't miss anything. I really like and appreciate the structure. I had taken some guitar lessons about 30 years ago, but the instructor just wanted to teach me 1 song after another, and I didn't know where I was going. I didn't even know what I was supposed to know, or where I was going. It just got to be pretty expensive too, and sometimes I wouldn't remember what was taught the week before. I was also a bit of a pain to always have to travel there for the lesson. So these on-line lessons are a nice idea.
# 1
BillCrandell
Registered User
Joined: 07/05/10
Posts: 22
BillCrandell
Registered User
Joined: 07/05/10
Posts: 22
07/13/2010 7:30 am
Hello Soho2014-

I've been working on some warm-up exercises as provided by Ben Lindholm that include alternate picking. The link is here: http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=915

This is just one tutorial that you may benefit from as regards to alternate picking. It is certainly helping me out and the advice to use a metronome is really proving beneficial as well.

Bill C
# 2
Razbo
Full Access
Joined: 03/02/09
Posts: 1,562
Razbo
Full Access
Joined: 03/02/09
Posts: 1,562
07/13/2010 11:20 am
Originally Posted by: soho2014In the last couple of weeks I burned the pentatonic scale into my brain - all 5 patterns of it. I review those dots in my head when I'm stuck in traffic jams.


Next guy that runs into me, I'm going to ask if he was daydreaming about pentatonics! ;)

Welcome to the site!
...so ever since then, I always hang on to the buckle.
# 3
drf46
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 11/22/01
Posts: 527
drf46
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 11/22/01
Posts: 527
07/13/2010 12:44 pm
Welcome to GuitarTricks soho 2014.
Doug
# 4
soho2014
Registered User
Joined: 07/02/10
Posts: 10
soho2014
Registered User
Joined: 07/02/10
Posts: 10
07/14/2010 11:49 am
Originally Posted by: BillCrandellHello Soho2014-

I've been working on some warm-up exercises as provided by Ben Lindholm that include alternate picking. The link is here: http://guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=915

This is just one tutorial that you may benefit from as regards to alternate picking. It is certainly helping me out and the advice to use a metronome is really proving beneficial as well.

Bill C


Thanks Bill, I'll check that out.
# 5
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,360
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,360
07/14/2010 12:06 pm
Hey & welcome!
Originally Posted by: soho2014Where I fall down is in alternate picking, which is what I'm trying to get now.[/quote]
Aside from the picking exercises & intro to scale exercises in the GF2 course, these tutorials might give you something to work on for picking:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=898
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=899

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=928
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=929
[QUOTE=soho2014]In the last couple of weeks I burned the pentatonic scale into my brain - all 5 patterns of it.

Then you might benefit from these tutorials that show different ways to practice, visualize & use pentatonic scales:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=185
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=722
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=737
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=843
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=914

Let us know how it goes. Have fun!
Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory
# 6
soho2014
Registered User
Joined: 07/02/10
Posts: 10
soho2014
Registered User
Joined: 07/02/10
Posts: 10
07/14/2010 9:46 pm
Originally Posted by: CSchlegelHey & welcome!

Aside from the picking exercises & intro to scale exercises in the GF2 course, these tutorials might give you something to work on for picking:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=898
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=899

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=928
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=929

Then you might benefit from these tutorials that show different ways to practice, visualize & use pentatonic scales:

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=185
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=722
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=737
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=843
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=914

Let us know how it goes. Have fun!


Well, I did the Visualizing patterns series 2, lesson 2, and it was quite excellent. I played my fingers off with it, but now it's time to research more on the Boss RC-50 looper, since these things can make practice more fun.
# 7

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