A condemning fear strikes down, Things they cannot understand..An exscuse to cover up weaknesses that lie within.
Need new warm-up, practice routine.
Alright...I really need something challenging. String skipping arps with sweep picking, i dunno. Something that'll take me forever to get. I'm currently working on doing random scales, alternate picking in groups of 3's and 4's. Any suggestions? Thanks!
# 1
Try perhaps taking a break off technique and doing some ear work. Try playing some songs just from hearing them. Easy, right? Now try playing some sax lines just from listening to them - sax players use interesting lines that aren't that easy to duplicate on guitar.
Hmmm, try working on accents in your picking. Play an A Minor scale, 4 note ascending pattern, accent the 1st beat of each measure. Here's an example, capital letters are accented. A, b, c, d, B, c, d, e, C, d, e, f, D, e, f, g, and so forth. Now, try accenting the 4th note in each measure, which is the last note in each pattern. a, b, c, D, b, c, d, E, c, d, e, F, d, e, f, G, e, f, g, A, so forth. Different feel, different sound, exact same notes. It might feel easier to start with an accented note, so try this if you can't do it. C, a, b, c, D, b, c, d, E, c, d, e, F, so forth. It feels easier, because you're accenting the last note in the pattern, but now it's the 1st beat of each measure instead of the 4th. Can you swing well? Practice.
Can you connect arpeggios well? Not just your stock major and minor and diminished arpeggios, I'm talking 16ths, half measure each of something like Dbmaj7 to C7 to Fm to Ebm7 (hehe, that's "Just the Two of Us", but cut time).
Work on some cascading/crosspicking patterns. Here's a neat one (obviously in E Minor). Let all the open notes ring. (this is from memory, no guitar around, so I hope it sounds right)
Haha, this seems easy, but playing the pentatonic scale patterns, picking each note, 2 notes per string is not that easy to play fast... I can play a full blown 3 notes per string A Minor scale faster than I can play the A Minor pentatonic picking every note.
Try alternate picking arpeggios instead of sweeping them.
Try improvising over a progression using a glass slide only (no fingers, you'll find it's a bit difficult when you can't rely on your old buddies to hammer on and pull off... this makes the melodic content of the solo ultra important)
Learn a song from a genre you don't necessarily like... for me, that was learning a couple country songs. It gave me a better appreciation for bending one note while playing a triad, or harmonizing in 6ths rather than 3rds, and some goofy sounding licks to pull off when the occasion demands.
Learn to play drums. They're fun and help your rhythm immensely. Or, if you want to stick to just guitar, when playing with a drummer, match his accents with your own. If he's playing something like a typical pattern, but with a triplet on the high hat before hitting the snare on 2, implement a triplet in your playing right before the 2nd beat. Tight syncopation is really cool, and the basis of good funk or metal.
Learn some new chord voicings. I just learned a new augmented 7th voicing yesterday as a dominant substitution.
Still bored? If you can do all of the above, you're a better guitar player than most of the rest of us! This stuff takes a lifetime to master. Don't get caught up in trying to play scales/sweeps fast. There's more to music than that.
Hmmm, try working on accents in your picking. Play an A Minor scale, 4 note ascending pattern, accent the 1st beat of each measure. Here's an example, capital letters are accented. A, b, c, d, B, c, d, e, C, d, e, f, D, e, f, g, and so forth. Now, try accenting the 4th note in each measure, which is the last note in each pattern. a, b, c, D, b, c, d, E, c, d, e, F, d, e, f, G, e, f, g, A, so forth. Different feel, different sound, exact same notes. It might feel easier to start with an accented note, so try this if you can't do it. C, a, b, c, D, b, c, d, E, c, d, e, F, so forth. It feels easier, because you're accenting the last note in the pattern, but now it's the 1st beat of each measure instead of the 4th. Can you swing well? Practice.
Can you connect arpeggios well? Not just your stock major and minor and diminished arpeggios, I'm talking 16ths, half measure each of something like Dbmaj7 to C7 to Fm to Ebm7 (hehe, that's "Just the Two of Us", but cut time).
Work on some cascading/crosspicking patterns. Here's a neat one (obviously in E Minor). Let all the open notes ring. (this is from memory, no guitar around, so I hope it sounds right)
|---8-7-----0------------------0~--|
|-------8-7-------0------------0~--|
|-------------7/5-----0--------0~--|
|-------------------7-------0--4~--|
|-----------------------7/9----2~--|
|-0----------------------------0~--|
Haha, this seems easy, but playing the pentatonic scale patterns, picking each note, 2 notes per string is not that easy to play fast... I can play a full blown 3 notes per string A Minor scale faster than I can play the A Minor pentatonic picking every note.
Try alternate picking arpeggios instead of sweeping them.
Try improvising over a progression using a glass slide only (no fingers, you'll find it's a bit difficult when you can't rely on your old buddies to hammer on and pull off... this makes the melodic content of the solo ultra important)
Learn a song from a genre you don't necessarily like... for me, that was learning a couple country songs. It gave me a better appreciation for bending one note while playing a triad, or harmonizing in 6ths rather than 3rds, and some goofy sounding licks to pull off when the occasion demands.
Learn to play drums. They're fun and help your rhythm immensely. Or, if you want to stick to just guitar, when playing with a drummer, match his accents with your own. If he's playing something like a typical pattern, but with a triplet on the high hat before hitting the snare on 2, implement a triplet in your playing right before the 2nd beat. Tight syncopation is really cool, and the basis of good funk or metal.
Learn some new chord voicings. I just learned a new augmented 7th voicing yesterday as a dominant substitution.
Still bored? If you can do all of the above, you're a better guitar player than most of the rest of us! This stuff takes a lifetime to master. Don't get caught up in trying to play scales/sweeps fast. There's more to music than that.
"You must stab him in the heart with the Bone Saber of Zumacalis... well, you could stab him in the head or the lungs, too... and the saber, it probably doesn't have to be bone, just anything sharp lying around the house... you could poke him with a pillow and kill him."
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Universal Re-Monster
# 2
Oh dude i completely agree with you. And actually, i find alternate picking arps easier than sweeps..hehe. I don't know why though. I'll definitely work on some sax lines, thanks for that. Accents? I'll work more on those, although i do some in my writing, probably just the basics though,heh.
Connecting arps? hmmm. Alternate picking, sweeping, finger picking? Any specifics on that?
Glass slide,huh? I've never been able to grasp the use of a slide. I have two metal ones. But i can never make it sound good.
Other styles? Yeah i really need to do that, i'll probably go up to the library later and pick some cds up. Learn some new stuff.
This is gonna be a bitch..Thats the way it should be..thanks alot!! Oh and, name some Sax players i could check out...Thanks!
Connecting arps? hmmm. Alternate picking, sweeping, finger picking? Any specifics on that?
Glass slide,huh? I've never been able to grasp the use of a slide. I have two metal ones. But i can never make it sound good.
Other styles? Yeah i really need to do that, i'll probably go up to the library later and pick some cds up. Learn some new stuff.
This is gonna be a bitch..Thats the way it should be..thanks alot!! Oh and, name some Sax players i could check out...Thanks!
A condemning fear strikes down, Things they cannot understand..An exscuse to cover up weaknesses that lie within.
# 3
Take you forever to get?
I'd pick up a copy of one of Shawn Lane's videos, he's got some pretty strange stuff.
Maybe try some of Vinnie Moore's hybrid picking.
If you play 7 string, try playin in Rob Johnson's style.
Wait, I've got it. Try playing one of the long atonal passages in a Greg Howe song, just try it.
I'd pick up a copy of one of Shawn Lane's videos, he's got some pretty strange stuff.
Maybe try some of Vinnie Moore's hybrid picking.
If you play 7 string, try playin in Rob Johnson's style.
Wait, I've got it. Try playing one of the long atonal passages in a Greg Howe song, just try it.
# 4
Oh man. I can tell this is gonna be interesting. Keep'em coming.
A condemning fear strikes down, Things they cannot understand..An exscuse to cover up weaknesses that lie within.
# 5
and that's exactly why I LOVE this forum!!! You guys have some of the best advice I never even knew I needed!!!!
thanks guys!
thanks guys!
"The one truly great thing about this life is that noone can sincerely and truly help someone, without helping themselves"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
# 6
Since you're a metal-guitarist, try working out some of our own Terry Couch's tricks. Why? He's a country picker, and you'll end up a much more rounded musician. Who knows, you can probably add heavy distortion to some of his licks, and have a fine metal solo! :D
~Incidents
~Incidents
# 7
