Technique Question

[dan321]

Hey

I have been trying for some time to master a technique and well...its taking ages. I was just actually wondering if it is actually possible to do.

When you have a piece of fast music e.g petrucci or vai, i find that moving the pick from string to string rather hard.

For example, if i am speed picking on the 3rd string and end on an upstroke, then i find that having to perform a downstroke on the 2nd string, near impossible without missing the string, or hitting the 3rd string on my way down. Is there any special technique involved in this, or do i jut have to do copious amounts of practice?

[barbarelaxe]

Originally Posted by dan321

do i jut have to do copious amounts of practice?

Yes. Both vai and petrucci were not born with this ability. Or any other impressive guitar player out there.

[HeavyMetal4Ever]

Slow your runs down and play them at the fastest speed you can whilst keeping the notes smooth and clean. Then gradually increase the tempo as you get better with practice.

If you always concentrate on playing cleanly, speed will come with practice.

Rock on!

[Eco]

I had the same problem, i made a bit of a drill out of it by ripping the triplet pattern out of Metropolis pt 1 (if you dont know the bit i mean i can post the tab) and just played it through guitar pro over and over gradually speeding it up.

It takes a little while to get your coordination and timing right but if you stick with it its not too bad.

[Rachmaninoff]

Those guys always say on interviews that they have always practiced a lot.
Such degree of domain of the instrument is not a coincidence.

Watch Petrucci's video, he teaches a lot of stuff to begin slow, then accelerate after.

[EL-CeeDee]

Originally Posted by Eco

I had the same problem, i made a bit of a drill out of it by ripping the triplet pattern out of Metropolis pt 1 (if you dont know the bit i mean i can post the tab) and just played it through guitar pro over and over gradually speeding it up.

It takes a little while to get your coordination and timing right but if you stick with it its not too bad.

Could you ? I'm always in for another exercise !

[MissMisstreater]

ul progress faster, (and also overcome future problems faster) if you come up with the reason and exercises to solve the problem, if you cant lead to a higher string after an upstroke with a downstroke (noone found this easy at first!)

play exercises that use it, keep creating them, metronome them all!!! gauge progress,

some starters

1. repeat inside picking, up on the b down on the e up on the b down on the e, over and over at semiquaver speed
2.play 3 note per string scales, if you play the classic a aeolian (E-5.7.8 A-5.7.8 D-5.7.9 etc) moving from the f (8th fret a string) to the g (5th fret d string) assuming ur alternate pickin this will be the mechanic you need to work on, keep playing the scale, all over
3.take an arpeggio sequence (anything by malmsteen for 3 string arps try cacophony/beckr for 6 string) and alternate pick these..... i know its more work but you gotta work to progress....

i like the last one, you cant play as fast, but they are in better time, artists life a7x and petrucci use this idea... gives a rock steady rhythm, better accents, and a nice continuous tone

[chaos731]

Above all, just don't forget to have a monkey grip on your guitar. It makes you shred faster...also, hot pink pup covers. Bees knees.


Just kidding...seriously, +1 to everyone else's advice. Practice practice practice. Metronome. Listen to a metronome while you're going to sleep. Get those rhythms pounded into your subconscious. It will help. Also, Paul Gilbert's video's are extremely helpful. In the first five minutes of volume one, he gives like twenty very solid examples of wonderful alternate picking exercises that will improve your speed and accuracy toot sweet.

Good luck!

[Eco]

Hey, sorry its took me a while to reply, havent had chance to check back :P

Heres the section i mean cut from guitar pro 5.

Its basically a straight forward triplet pattern for the first part with a few repeat sections, but the 2nd part has a little string skip in just to throw a spanner in the works.

I've been using this exercise for a while as a warmup and to help build my coordination and the skip still catches me out quite a bit.



hope it helps.

[newbieguitarmaker]

thats a pretty hard passage to get fast

[gu1tar]

Those are fairly common patterns. Based on the 3-note-per-string modes. A lot of people don't know them but you should learn and practice the 7 3-note-per-string modes (scales) umpteen thousand times until you get them and then this will become much easier. Of course string skipping is just another thing to practice until you get it.

Practice, practice, that's all you need. You don't have to have a metronome either because you can just play it along with guitar pro at the different tempos.

[GuitarAkuma]

Hey Eco is it me or is that GuitarPro 5 your using I recognise the bend notation party on!

If you want to get that syncopation without messing about with wierd stretches and unknown tunes. Simply pick the 4th and 3rd strings open really slowly, the gradually speed up. While your doing it try to hit one string harder than the others, then alternate that. Also do a nice easy scale like G Major up and down the 3rd string, then do a two string one octave version.

Try to make a tune out of it, most of these hyperfast players started to want to do these sorts of things because they were inspired by a melody they thought would be cool fast. So make one up and practice it, and remember if you are not enjoying doing it then stop because you won't learn anything!

Rock on!