Playing fast triplets after slow parts.. can't do it. Advice ?

[mindwalker]

Hey guys,

I've been playing the guitar for quite a while now (like 4 years), but recently I noticed that my right hand still can't pick very steadily and quickly, but also that my left hand has trouble doing fast triplet runs after slow parts...

For example.. I've been trying to play the 1st solo of Dream Theater's Count of Tuscany song. Basically there's a few simple notes in the beginning, a pinch harmonic and then there's 2 fast triplets followed by another note. I have tried to play this well around 200 times, and I just can't seem to do the triplets cleanly (even in legatto only style, thus eliminating my right hand from the equation). It's like my pinky gets stuck on the 3rd note of the first triplet and doesn't leave quickly enough.. and my index finger doesn't hit the string at the right time.. however if I do it again after the first failed attempt, I can do it without problems. Seems like my problem is going from 0 to 100 (sort of saying) the first time...

Have you guys experienced this in the past ? What took you to overcome it ? Practice and practice and metronome ? I can do triplets easily with a metronome at the required speed but then when I need to do them suddenly after slow notes they just won't come out at the first time... it's getting me really frustrated...

Do you guys have any good exercises for this and alternate picking in general ?

[mindwalker]

Oh I actually have one of my takes at this intro and the solo

http://sites.google.com/site/mindwal...es/tuscany.mp3

The triplet in question is at 0:42.. you can see it doesn't come out clean and not all the notes have been played. And this is like the best I can do so far...

[Sickbean]

Originally Posted by mindwalker

Hey guys,

I've been playing the guitar for quite a while now (like 4 years), but recently I noticed that my right hand still can't pick very steadily and quickly, but also that my left hand has trouble doing fast triplet runs after slow parts...

For example.. I've been trying to play the 1st solo of Dream Theater's Count of Tuscany song. Basically there's a few simple notes in the beginning, a pinch harmonic and then there's 2 fast triplets followed by another note. I have tried to play this well around 200 times, and I just can't seem to do the triplets cleanly (even in legatto only style, thus eliminating my right hand from the equation). It's like my pinky gets stuck on the 3rd note of the first triplet and doesn't leave quickly enough.. and my index finger doesn't hit the string at the right time.. however if I do it again after the first failed attempt, I can do it without problems. Seems like my problem is going from 0 to 100 (sort of saying) the first time...

Have you guys experienced this in the past ? What took you to overcome it ? Practice and practice and metronome ? I can do triplets easily with a metronome at the required speed but then when I need to do them suddenly after slow notes they just won't come out at the first time... it's getting me really frustrated...

Do you guys have any good exercises for this and alternate picking in general ?

200 000 times might be enough to get you to JPs level of picking ability, but not 200!

Unfortunately for us mere mortals without Shawn Lane freak nervous systems, it's all about repetition and working with a metronome as you said.
Get hold of John Petruccis Rock Discipline DVD, that helped me out.

[mindwalker]

Guess I'll need to practice slow... over and over again instead of going banzai and trying to play it up to tempo without ever succeeding because you're making the same mistakes all over again....

I've seen the DVD but I need to get it to see exactly the exercises JP proposes... I remember he had some nice ones that I also have trouble with! Practice practice practice... I should have done this way long ago before turning 29

[Sickbean]

Originally Posted by mindwalker

Guess I'll need to practice slow... over and over again instead of going banzai and trying to play it up to tempo without ever succeeding because you're making the same mistakes all over again....

I've seen the DVD but I need to get it to see exactly the exercises JP proposes... I remember he had some nice ones that I also have trouble with! Practice practice practice... I should have done this way long ago before turning 29

JP has a sort of addendum to the play slow and gradually build up - he occasionally tries to play things way faster than he can, just to make slower speeds seem easier.

Shawn Lane has also said that he believes it's better to play at full speed but sloppy, and then gradually clean up. Although he was such a physical freak of nature that I honestly don't think his advice applies to other humans.

[MattyG]

I have a couple of ways of going from '0-100' instantly as you put it.

When playing legato you can practice using a halfspeed/fullspeed system.
What this involves is setting up the metronome to a speed that enables you to play the exercise slowly, and at full speed in the same tempo.

Foe example:

Your top comfortable speed for triplet 16ths may be 110bpm
So maybe set the metronome to 105 to be safe.
Practice 8th notes triplets for several beats then pop out the run in 16th triplets to complete the bar.

Good patterns:

beats 1 2 3 = 8th
beat 4= 16th

beats 1 2= 8th
beats 3 4 = 16th

beats 1 3 = 8th
beats 2 4 = 16th

Aim for evenness in the rhythm and cleanness in the articulation.
Use this for all rhythmic groupings.
Make your own versions up.
This exercise works great when PICKING the notes too - in fact I think it's even more useful for alternate picking practice.


Now, when it comes to alternate picking '0-100', the above exercise works great, but when trying to literally go from nothing to suddenly picking fast you need another approach.

I have found that just before a fast picking run it helps to do some 'ghost strokes' (as I call them) where you pretend to strike the strings but don't.
It's a little bit like revving the engine with the clutch depressed, then engaging the clutch and getting a bit of wheel spin before speeding away. (maybe this is a bad analogy)
Maybe another way to think of it is like steping onto a treadmill that is already going at running pace - you would need to do some 'air running' before your feet hit the conveyor belt otherwise you would hit the deck pretty quick!

For example

If I need to pop out some semiquavers from nowhere, just before the run I'll do some ghost downstrokes at the speed they will occur in the run.

So if I have 16ths at 180bpm coming up maybe I'll do some ghost down stroke 8ths in this tempo to prepare.

I find this really loosens me up and cleans up my playing.

This approach will only work if the music has space for you to do it, which normally it will.

Otherwise the problem of 0-100 is something that is always going to be difficult - the main thing to do is practice with the metronome a lot, and gradually increase you speed limit!

I also think it's acceptable to not pick every single note in runs like this.
You may be able to hammer the second note in the run then pick the rest.

There are many options

[mindwalker]

This is great stuff!! Thanks a lot! Will definitely try that!