A lil help here guys?

[don8ld]

i've been playing for 8 months. Im 14 k.
Currently im mastering my sweep but really problem when i move it upwards..
For Alternate Picks i can play insanely fast on 1 string when i move to another it just slows down.
On tapping i dont know what to do ; i only can do the eruption tapping (how to improvise)

P:S I have no theory background

[Wild_Child]

4 tips -

- Practice
- Slow everything down before trying to play it fast
- Play with a metronome
- Practice!

[toneboy]

Originally Posted by don8ld

P:S I have no theory background

You need to learn theory. All the flashy things you're learning to do mean nothing if you don't have the theory behind to actually make music with it.

With the Internet, learning theory is easier than ever.

[chaos731]

Originally Posted by toneboy

You need to learn theory. All the flashy things you're learning to do mean nothing if you don't have the theory behind to actually make music with it.

With the Internet, learning theory is easier than ever.

While I agree, in principle, that theory can be a very important part of playing and/or musical development, I think it's dangerous to suggest that without it, it's not possible to make music.

Take SRV, for example...guy never had a music lesson in his life, and he didn't need it. Sometimes, in art, it's perfectly reasonable to no nothing about the why's and wherefore's of the act of creating art, and still have the intrinsic skill, talent, and general ability to create are nonetheless.

It's like saying that if you hand a box of paints to a person who's never studied art, they could never create a beautiful painting...even one that has true artistic merit.

Theory's important, if you want it to be important. You can play a scale and a chord progression without knowing what it's called, being able to list five other pieces in which it was employed, and how it mathematically relates to all the other possible scales and/or chord progression. Anyway, I digress...


Anyway, don8ld, whether or not you decide to learn or consciously utilize "theory", it's probably a good idea for you to get a good practice regimen going. Devote equal time to all techniques. If you improve your left-hand legato technique, your two hand legato will no doubt improve (to at least one degree or another). If you work alt-picking exercises, play them to a metronome or drum machine. Sometimes, you do just have to tackle one string at a time. Start with that one string, and work your way to the others in turn, paying special note to making sure your transitions from one string to the next are completely clean.

Make up a good practice regimen, and resist the urge to simply sit there and play your two or fifty favorite licks over and over again. Branch out, technique-wise; it'll improve your skill and your ear.

[toneboy]

Originally Posted by chaos731

While I agree, in principle, that theory can be a very important part of playing and/or musical development, I think it's dangerous to suggest that without it, it's not possible to make music.

If you know the theory behind what you're doing, you can do it better and easier. Yes, you can play very well without theory but you will play much better if you know it. Why limit yourself?

[chaos731]

Originally Posted by toneboy

If you know the theory behind what you're doing, you can do it better and easier. Yes, you can play very well without theory but you will play much better if you know it. Why limit yourself?

Like I said, I'm not arguing that theory can make you a better (or at least more knowledgeable) player. That's pretty much indisputable.

What you said, though, was "All the flashy things you're learning to do mean nothing if you don't have the theory behind to actually make music with it."

To me, anyway, that just sounded a little more absolute than simply saying "If you know the theory behind what you're doing, you can do it better and easier."

Not trying to mince words...I just think absolutes like that have the potential to scare the crap out of new players who are trying to get their heads and hands around doing relatively simple concepts at first.

Anyway, we're pretty much on the same page...I just feel for the guy (gal?); I was there, once, a long time ago...like all of us are/were...and I wouldn't want him to get discouraged and think he intrinsically needs to get all scientific in order to play well.

[richard1973]

If i was in his shoes, I'd learn technique and style as well as starting basic theory and alltogether build up knowledge in all areas. Once he gets to a level he's happy with theory wise then steam ahead with technique.

I wish I did that, I went the 'tab' route and steamed ahead with style and technique, great if you only plan on doing covers, but learning no theory will mean you can never jam along to people without either being locked into a scale box on one part of the neck afraid of leaving that box in case you may (will) go out of key.

I've got basic theory and have that above scenario problem, so everything for me if its out my knowledge is trial and error or more to the point working out what would fit then play.

It's hard going back to early stages of theory to try and learn what you should have learnt years ago, so I say yes learn theory to a level your happy with

[rastachild]

i totally agree with chaos. theory is great and definitely helpful to any musician. but to assert that it is absolutely essential to make good music is a little too much. i always encourage musicians to learn as much as they can, but don't forget the goal is to be able to express yourself the best that you can musically. for some, it's not necessary to know every little piece of theoretical info, or even basic stuff like modes or extended chords. i doubt angus and malcolm young feel the need to know what chord they can play lydian over since it's not something they would ever use in the music they write. learn what you feel you need for the style of music you write and then focus on the myriad of other things that it takes to be a good musician and guitarist.

[Ibateur]

My advice is to try to get out of the flash side of guitar, and get down to the basics. Drop the improv for now and focus on learning about music.

"Insanely fast alternate picking on one string" can be done by everyone and does not mean anything.

Learn your scales, practice, listen to music. Learn to play consistently and cleanly before you start "mastering my sweeps". Turn off that distortion pedal.

[Matheau]

Originally Posted by Ibateur

My advice is to try to get out of the flash side of guitar, and get down to the basics. Drop the improv for now and focus on learning about music.

I agree with that. I've seen quite a few guitarists that are pretty good with tapping and sweeping and then they can't properly cut a power chord to make it sound decent.

[chaos731]

Originally Posted by Matheau

I agree with that. I've seen quite a few guitarists that are pretty good with tapping and sweeping and then they can't properly cut a power chord to make it sound decent.

Yes indeed...I call that "Guitar Center Syndrome".
There's theory and then there's basics. People make a flying leap to trying to play Vai solos and stuff, and maybe they succeed, maybe they don't, but when you do that and forgo learning how to properly play "Highway to Hell" or a good, basic blues-shuffle, or other basic rhythm stuff, you're missing out on a lot of information and stylistic goodness.

With or without theory, any monkey with a lot of good gear and a lot of time on their hands can train themselves to zip up and down the fretboard. It takes patience and soul and, dare I say, passion, to do it and have it sound like something worthwhile.

[don8ld]

recommend me a site which i can learn theory from

[Matheau]

Originally Posted by don8ld

recommend me a site which i can learn theory from

I'd just buy Fretboard Mastery by Troy Stetina. It is a very good practical guide to theory that also focuses specifically on the guitar. Very straightforward and very practical. Stetina doesn't sit there and spend pages arguing about the difference between scales and modes, which is rather arbitrary in the long run, but it is in depth (he does point out what the difference between scales and modes are, but he also points out it isn't an important distinction).

[Petie]

For alternate picking where you move to different strings, try circular picking: Imagine the pick is a tiny little pen, and use just the very tip of the pick to draw tiny little circles on the surface of the string. Don't dig in too far with the pick, and don't pick from the wrist: let the picking action come from the circular movement of your thumb and index finger instead. Try to relax your wrist as much as you can, because a lot of problems with playing fast are a result of having tense hands.

Also, it's extremely, EXTREMELY important to practice this stuff slowly at first. If you can play it cleanly at a slower speed, you'll be able to play it cleanly at faster speeds. If you try to play at full speed from the very beginning, it'll sound like a mess.

Here's a (very low quality) video of me which includes lots of circular picking. Notice how little my picking hand moves. http://youtube.com/watch?v=gOh_SqKecqw

Circular picking is not just for fast stuff: it can provide a nice even, flowing attack no matter what speed you're playing.

I always laugh when I see "How to play fast" articles in guitar magazines. Instead of all these tricks like tremolo-picking little 3-finger patterns and stuff, they should just have 2 steps:

Step 1: Learn to play guitar well.
Step 2: Do it really fast.

[nickcoumbe]

Originally Posted by Wild_Child

4 tips -

- Practice
- Slow everything down before trying to play it fast
- Play with a metronome
- Practice!

Good advice.

Make sure that you learn to play stuff cleanly.

When you get into it "Chord Chemistry" is a good book to.