Technique Building Practice Routine - here's mine

[jem7vwh]

*Alternate Picking Patterns:
These are all the different sequences I use for alternate picking. *Start on the first fret
and go from the 6th string to the 1st and back down.

1234 2341 3412 4123
1243 2314 3421 4132
1324 2413 3214 4213
1342 2431 3241 4231
1423 2134 3124 4312
1432 2143 3142 4321

(take a break, let the broken tendons heal, etc)

*Angles

This an exercise described by Steve Vai himself in an interview. *The specific goal of this is to increase your string-to-string speed. *
[font=courier]
e-1-2---2-----3-------4
B-----1-----2-------3--
G---------1-------2----
D---------------1------
A----------------------
E----------------------
[/font]

Take this basic design all the way up the fretboard, then move it down one string and do it again. *This should help your pinky control and also your string-to-string speed.

*Tapping:

In an attempt to keep up my tapping chops (what there are of them) I usually run through the following tapping runs

Juice (solo)
Big Trouble (solo)

(more tapping is also practiced during my sweeping section)

*Sweep Picking

I spend a little bit of time at the beginning of my practice just running through the standard arpeggio shapes.

Then I also run through Pachabels Canon. *The full tab to this can be found here in JEMsite in the lessons section.

*Trills

Start at the first fret and just trill between the first and second fret and move it all over the board. Then use the 1st and 3rd. *Keep going until you're just too damn tired to do it anymore, then do it a while longer. *Get creative with it. *See how many different ways you can
accent your trills.

*Scales

Duh...I always practice theory. *A typical practice ends with me setting up Fruity Loops to just play one chord over and over while I jam on a scale over it. *Every day something different. *It's a little thing and it's fun, but it will really help your improvisational skills.



(Edited by jem7vwh at 8:49 pm on Sep. 16, 2001)

[J ackson]

Sounds really really exciting. *You must have so much fun doing this. *I mean, I would hardly be able to contain myself! *1234, 1243, 1324, 1423...wow! *Sounds incredibly fun.

[jay ratkowski]

Are you all ready for this?

There was a time when I was a little tipsy on the juice... and I did 2345 5432!!!!

Can you believe it? *I've been too afraid to go back.

This type of exercising reminds me of what can be found in Trey Stetina's Speed Mechanics book... good for being fast and nothing else.

[jay ratkowski]

It might be helpful to add that this type of practice should be done with a metronome... many people skip that step.

[jem7vwh]

Quote: from jay ratkowski on 9:15 pm on Sep. 16, 2001

This type of exercising reminds me of what can be found in Trey Stetina's Speed Mechanics book... good for being fast and nothing else.

Unfortunately, there are no exercises I can give anyone to develop soul. *However, the title of this topic says it all TECHNIQUE building routine. *This is not to make you Steve Vai, this is to let you catch him if you need to!

[Josh Blagg]

Of course there are many different types of techniques besides picking four adjacent notes in various combinations. *Many are never even mentioned here, but I guess that is ok being a site that mostly attracts those who like the speed thing.

[Jay Satriani]

Jackson. Not all teqnique exercises are fun...

[JT Szymanski]

Quote: from jem7vwh on 6:44 pm on Sep. 16, 2001
*Alternate Picking Patterns:
*Sweep Picking

I spend a little bit of time at the beginning of my practice just running through the standard arpeggio shapes.

Then I also run through Pachabels Canon. *The full tab to this can be found here in JEMsite in the lessons section.

(Edited by jem7vwh at 8:49 pm on Sep. 16, 2001)

I can do the major and minor sweeps you use for Pachebels Canon. *It took me a couple of weeks to get it down, but now I am confortable with those two shapes. *I only know these two shapes. *You mention standard shapes... what are some of the other shapes I should know and be practicing?

(Edited by JT Szymanski at 10:21 am on Sep. 17, 2001)

[jem7vwh]

you could do any number of them. *If you remember, arpeggios are just picked forms of chords.

So, choose any chord you want to, and you can do a sweep out of it.

Another way to create interesting ones is to sweep the 1, 3, 5, and 7 from modes

E Lydian = E F# G# A# B C# D# E

Now, you could go figure it out, but remember a lot of the tonality of these things depends on the context it's played in. *As a shortcut, if you want E Lydian, just play B Major over an E.

[chilln2music]

what thread is this "Pachebels Canon" in?

[gitarguy]

I just wanted to say keep up the good work jem7vhw, some of us really do appreciate your effort. :thumbsup:

[Jay Satriani]

Quote: from jay ratkowski on 8:15 pm on Sep.

good for being fast and nothing else.

To become a good player, it is important to build a base to stand on. It should consist of three things (at least)
* Teqnique
* Theory
* Imagination

All three are important, but no one is good alone.

[Leary]

I don't know why Jackson is making fun of this exercise, because I've been doing it for years and my picking speed has increased DRAMATICALLY. *Works for me.

[J ackson]

"I don't know why Jackson is making fun of this exercise, because I've been doing it for years and my picking speed has increased DRAMATICALLY. *Works for me."

You misunderstood me; I was implying that yes, while they can prep you for super duper mega ultra speed passages they don't do much else. *Jay made this point very clear.

[jem7vwh]

Just a question: *If you are so opposed to learning technique, why in the Lords good name did you click on the link that said "Technique Building Practice Routine"?

No one said you have to shred mindlessly, speed is just another tool that some have a mastery of.