post your best technique excercise

vette6600 · #1 04-18-2006, 05:00 PM

i've been working a good deal lately to find the most efficient left and right hand workouts and i was wondering what other people have come up with or borrowed. i know there are a TON of practice ideas out there so i'd like to keep it to strictly:

left hand strength/dexterity

and

right hand speed/accuracy/endurance/yadda yadda

so post your favorites that you've found helpful (try not to include songs) and hopefully we'll come up with a giant practice routine with this thread.

i'll start;

left hand:
-------5-6-7-8-7-6-5-----------------------------------------------
----------------------8-7-6-5-6-7-8--------------------------------
-------------------------------------5-6-7-8-7-6-5-----------------
----------------------------------------------------8-7-6-5-6-7-8--
-------------------------------------------------------------------- etc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

i dont use a pick at all on this one. i try this on either my classical or acoustic guitar, since it requires a bit more effort. but the key is using all hammer ons and pull offs.

now for the right hand:

take any scale or arpeggio and alternate the initial pick stroke. for example, if you start off a scale with a down stroke all the time, try starting with an upstroke. then just continue your alternate picking throughout the scale.

im aware that there is more to playing than technique, but please just stick to left and right hand workouts.

ok, your turn

Eggy · #2 04-18-2006, 05:23 PM

Cool thread idea !

Legato only left hand wk'out.

--14-10-12-14-12-10--
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------

--9-10-12-10-9----------
----------------12-10-9-
-------------------------
--------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------

-------------------------
-------------------------
-11-7-9-11-9-7----------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------

-------------------------
-------------------------
-6-7-9-7-6--------------
------------9-7-6-------
-------------------------
-------------------------

-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-9-5-7-9-7-5------------
-------------------------

-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-4-5-7-5-4--------------
------------7-5-4-5-----

Good left hand technique that can be put into any A major shred run too !

Ben

Davey · #3 04-18-2006, 05:42 PM

Wow, I was just thinking this morning that someone should make a thread like this

I'll contribute tomorrow when I'm more awake

klp2332 · #4 04-19-2006, 02:20 AM

-12-13-14-15-14-13-12--
-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------
-------------------------

I do this all day sitting by the tv. hmm. Lazy me.
It really only improves the picking hand.
I also do it on diffrent strings.

nickcoumbe · #5 04-19-2006, 06:27 AM

I practice alot of patterns to help me move position better, and also to learn the scale across the whole neck. I would take three notes with any interval (for the sake of argument) root-semitone-whole tone. Then repeat that interval on every string, whilst remaining in the same scale.

G-major

e----------------------------------7-8-10
b---------------------------7-8-10-------
g---------------------4-5-7--------------
d---------------4-5-7--------------------
a--------2-3-5---------------------------
e--2-3-5---------------------------------

Then back down again.

Then still in G major:

e-------------------------------------------14-15-17
b----------------------------------12-13-15---------
g-------------------------11-12-14------------------
d-----------------9-10-12---------------------------
a---------9-10-12-----------------------------------
e--7-8-10-------------------------------------------

Obviously up and down again.

You can alternate pick this, use legato, whatever you like. It is great for building picking technique and speed, and also getting the left hand working across the whole neck.

Obviously you need to practice all possible interval combinations. Try also, root-whole-semi, and root-whole-whole. Start slowly and clean etc. Try more unusual interval and see how they fit in. I always try and tab new ones so they remain fresh in my mind.

I really got alot from this particulalry if you practice those different intervals in the same session. You really build up a picture of how to travel around a scale, without just doing runs up and down.

vette6600 · #6 04-19-2006, 12:46 PM

nice, good to see some interest in this.

Davey · #7 04-19-2006, 01:29 PM

Try this as a sort of major scale exercise that should help with dexterity and also bring your picking and fretting hands into sync with each other. Play it with alternate picking, the first note is a downstroke. You can take it all the way up the fretboard too so no need to stop where I have on the tab and you can also do this on other pairs of strings (obviously not G and B together) Play it as fast as you can!

E-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------2-3-5-3-2--------3-4-6-4-3--------4-5-7-5-4-------5-6-8-6-5----
D---3-5------------5-4-6------------6-5-7------------7-6-8-----------8--
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Davey · #8 04-19-2006, 01:38 PM

Oh wait, this is best exercise? not sure about that...

I think it should be limited to exercises you have made up yourself, otherwise I could rhyme off tons of good Paul Gilbert ones, but then you might as well watch his videos.

vette6600 · #9 04-19-2006, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibanez249

I think it should be limited to exercises you have made up yourself, otherwise I could rhyme off tons of good Paul Gilbert ones, but then you might as well watch his videos.

i know what your saying, but try to limit it to just one or two for each category, that way people are posting the ones that they have found most helpful.

Davey · #10 04-19-2006, 02:01 PM

That's what I mean, the one I posted I made up myself. It's just in case you get people posting the same licks over and over.

vette6600 · #11 04-19-2006, 02:15 PM

ok, gotcha

moro · #12 04-19-2006, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibanez249

E-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------2-3-5-3-2--------3-4-6-4-3--------4-5-7-5-4-------5-6-8-6-5----
D---3-5------------5-4-6------------6-5-7------------7-6-8-----------8--
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------

What fingering do you use for this?

The first seven notes are obvious: 2-4-1-2-4-2-1

Then how do you play the next three on the D string? 4-3-4? Or do you move up a position and do 3-2-4?

ivan · #13 04-19-2006, 04:22 PM

This is one of my favs. Try all combinations.

Palm mute this part
e-------------------------------------------9-10-12
b----------------------------------8-9-11---------
g-------------------------6-7-9------------------
d-----------------5-6-8---------------------------
a---------4-5-7-----------------------------------
e--3-4-6-------------------------------------------

and then

....T................................T(+slide).... .......................T(+slide)
e-13-12-10-9--------------------------------------------------------
b------------11-9-8-9-11-14-15-14-11-9-8---------------------------
g------------------------------------------9-7-6-7-9-12-13-12-9-7-6
d--------------------------------------------------------------------
a--------------------------------------------------------------------
e--------------------------------------------------------------------

.................T(+slide)........................ ..T(+slide)
e--------------------------------------------------------------------
b--------------------------------------------------------------------
g--------------------------------------------------------------------
d-8-6-5-6-8-11-12-11-8-6-5-----------------------------------------
a----------------------------7-5-4-5-7-10-11-10-7-5-4--------------
e--------------------------------------------------------------------

..................T(+slide)......................s lide
e---------------------------------0----------------------------------
b---------------------------------0--3-5-------------------------------
g--------------------------------------------------------------------
d--------------------------------------------------------------------
a--------------------------------------------------------------------
e-6-4-3-4-6-9-10-9-6-4-3-0-3-0-------------------------------------

you can also add same tapping used at e on all strings. Enjoy

Davey · #14 04-19-2006, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moro

What fingering do you use for this?

The first seven notes are obvious: 2-4-1-2-4-2-1

Then how do you play the next three on the D string? 4-3-4? Or do you move up a position and do 3-2-4?

I go 1-4-1-2-4-2-1-4-1 and change position on that last 1 that's what gives it the quirk to get your accuracy up with your index finger and also makes you change positions automatically. Cheers for pointing that out, I should've made that clearer before. Does that help?

moro · #15 04-19-2006, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibanez249

I go 1-4-1-2-4-2-1-4-1 and change position on that last 1 that's what gives it the quirk to get your accuracy up with your index finger and also makes you change positions automatically. Cheers for pointing that out, I should've made that clearer before. Does that help?

Yup, thanks!