Shred Guitar

A background on Sweep Picking

2010-10-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sweep picking can be a tough and scary subject for someone unfamiliar with the style of playing but the benefits of having a good competence in sweep picking far outweigh the benefits of proficiency in any other guitar technique.

Learning a good practical base in sweep picking can allow you to play fast and fluid guitar whilst following the chord progression of the song you're improvising over with minimal effort or thought.

As such, I feel it is probably the most useful area of guitar playing that someone interested in becoming an established lead player should study in order to gain skill and ability quickly.

The process of learning this technique isn't easy but by taking your time to slowly build your playing up, in the correct manner from the start, can turn two short months of 30 minutes practice per day into the level of skill and understanding that would typically be associated by many years of practice and development.

Measure twice, cut once.

Learning to play guitar with an alright, acceptable approach technique takes YEARS to refine into a mastery of guitar.

Learning to play guitar with perfect economy and conscious refinement of technique from the start can make the facade of mastery a quicker task,
it's tougher to conform to but much less work in the long run. Believe me, I took the long path through foolishness.

I learned to sweep basic three string shapes pretty well and could play them with decent accuracy and speed for a period of three whole years before I could even use them at all in my own playing. The limitations of my sweeping technique lay in a few party tricks alone with absolutely no outside musical application, whether it was improvisational or pre-written.

You see, the problem wasn't my lack of knowledge of sweep shapes or my ability to play them. It was my lack of understanding as to what they were and how they could fit into regular playing.

So, here I am today writing an introductary lesson for learning to sweep pick on the electric guitar that I feel is 10 times better than the technical primers I learned from and at least as good as any other material on the subject available today from any instructional producer.

These following few sweep picking lessons are aimed at beginners but are also suitable for advanced players looking to brush up on their playing.

I have structured this tutorial in a way where each post is one week of practical work with a good explanation of the musical use of the examples and how to integrate them into your normal, non sweep based guitar playing.

Assembled, this series of guitar lessons prepares you to play a whole sweeping guitar solo from Jason Becker called Altitudes. Arguably the most iconic sweeping guitar solo ever written.

On top of this, by the final week, you will be better than at least 95% of players out there who claim to be good at sweep picking.
It is the worst practiced guitar technique in the world but in the vast minority who do it correctly, it's mesmerizing.

~Aster

New Blog

2010-08-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the site relaunch. It has been a few years and the world has advanced and I have matured.

The site relaunch will bring many new lessons with tablature and audio accompaniments and perhaps video lessons in the near future. If anyone has any requests then I'll see what can be done.

The blog template will be meddled with continuously until it is brilliant.
Stick around.

2010 is a very exciting era for music and media quality, let's celebrate it.

~Aster

Learn to shred: Style; Joe Satriani

2007-01-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

now you have some technical skill we are going to
look at the playing style of Joe Satriani, and how to play like him.

Most of joe's solos use extreme legato runs,
and playing hese requires you to adapt your technique

Keep your fretting hand's wrist relaxed
your frethand should be parallel to the neck
your fingers should be positioned straight on to the frets, not skewed
your thumb should be on the back of the neck; relaxed
when a finger is not fretting a note; keep it close to the frets for economy of motion
when playing legato runs; you should be as relaxed as possible; to make you play better

When joe plays his legato solos he slides up and down the strings a lot.

here is a satriani type legato run

right hand muting technique:
joe has a developed muting technique using his fingers on his right hand to mute the strings
that are not being played.

to learn this practice a legato run slowly and conciously mute the open strings with your right hand fingers, do this a lot and it will soon be part of your subconcios playing

Satch harmonics.

in Joe's own words:

"You'll need a guitar with a whammy bar, an amp with a generous amount
of distortion, and a pick. You will also need to be familiar with the technique of creating harmonics with the right-hand thumb. This is accomplished byallowing a bit of your
right-hand thumb to touch the string or strings as they are picked.
Start with a broad downstroke across strings 4, 3 and 2, about four inches from the bridge.
Use the right-hand thumb technique to create two or three harmonics.
Simultaneously, reach over with your left hand, grab the bar, and swiftly but
smoothly bring it down, then up as far as you can. Hold it for a brief moment,
then quickly bring it down until the strings fret out.
This should take about four seconds."

Guitar Sound

2006-12-31T05:48:00.000-08:00

One thing that I get asked a lot is how do I get a better guitar sound? This is a rather broad question, the answer to which depends on a lot of factors and is very subjective. Some of the things that could influence your sound are what style of music you are playing, your personal playing style and technique, what equipment you use, and how well you use it.

It might come as a surprise to you that not many players really listen to the sound they reproduce. Many guitar players, predominately at the beginning and intermediate levels, are so enthralled by the physical aspects of playing that they forget totally about the aural side. Afterall, it is the sound that you reproduce that is “everything” when playing live or recording.

Here we will explore ten easy ways that you can easily improve your guitar sound no matter what style of music you play, level you are at, or sound you are striving for. If you implement any or all of these ideas you will improve your guitar sound immensely and the overall quality of your music. Get all the members of your band to make small improvements in their sound reproduction and collectively you won’t believe the difference it makes to your music.

1/ Tune your guitar

It is surprising how many people I come across that don’t know you should tune your guitar every time you pick it up to play it. Just because you tuned it yesterday doesn’t mean it will still be in tune today. If you are gigging you may need to tune up between songs and at least before starting every set. Always use an electronic tuner.

2/ Change your strings regularly

Everyone seems to know that guitar players should change their strings on a regular basis, but how many of you actually do it? How often you need to change them will depend on a lot of circumstances like how often you play, how much your hands and fingers perspire, how many gigs or recordings you do, etc. If you haven’t changed your strings for a while, do so and your sound will improve 100% immediately. When you do change strings, change ALL of them.

As a general rule I change strings before every second gig, and always before any recording date. If you are playing at home for your own enjoyment, then changing strings at least every three months should suffice.

3/ Use thicker strings

The thicker the gauge string you use the better the sound is a valid rule. If you play music where a lot of bending is required then sticking with a lighter set might have to do. But next time you change strings try the next gauge level up from what you are playing now and you will immediately get a better sound. One favourite trick of many rock guitarists is to use heavy strings and tune down one semitone. You may need to reset the action of your guitar if you do this, so see a guitar repair person first.

4/ Raise the action

Many beginning players tend to have the action (the distance between the strings and the frets) far too low, which results in a slight or bad buzzing sound. By raising the action only slightly you will immediately hear an improvement. The professionals all tend to have a reasonably higher than normal string action on their guitars. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is worth it.

5/ Buy a professional model guitar and amplifier

There is no doubt about it, but professionals play the best guitars and amplifiers that money can buy. You should to. If you haven’t got one then you should begin saving for one now. Having a guitar and amplifier like your hero plays won’t mean you will be able to play like them though. It just means you will most probably get a better sound than what you are getting now.

6/ Use quality cables

What is the use of having a good quality guitar and amplifier and using cheap cables? Cheap guitar chords just ruin your sound like you won’t believe. They are not very well shielded either, which makes them prone to interference - like picking up the local taxi service or radio station - while you are playing. Your local music store can advise you on what is best. If you use effects, then obviously you will need to upgrade all your cables.

7/ Use heavy picks

Using a heavier pick, one that is more than 1mm thick, gives you a heavier and fatter sound. A light one, less than 1mm, tends to give a more thinner or flimsier sound. Many beginners prefer the very light picks, but the sooner you get used to thicker picks the better. I do not know any professionals that use very light picks.

8/ Effects

If you are a guitarist who uses effects like distortion, chorusing, delays, and the like, then using them will have an affect on your sound. Just remember to not over do it as this usually ruins the song, so use them with taste. Digital and analog type units tend to have a different sound as well, so you should try out both as many players tend to prefer one or the other. Using power as opposed to batteries in the stompboxes is preferable as well.

9/ Practise more

The more you practise the more you will improve your sound reproduction; however, it might not come overnight so be patient. Remember that the sound you make is the end product of the chain of many commands both mental and physical, but it will pay big dividends at a later date.

10/ Record yourself and listen to the playback

One way that you can improve on what you are doing is to record yourself playing and on playback take a self-critical listen. The recording doesn’t need to be studio quality, but listen and then ask yourself things like; are you buzzing any notes? Using too many effects? Not staying in time? Guitar out of tune? Solo doesn’t fit the song? There are many things you could consider when listening to yourself play. You should do it often and maybe write yourself out a checklist, then work on improving it.

You should also be listening to your favourite players (both guitarists and other instrumentalists) and working out how they get their particular sound. If there is one activity you want to be good at in this game of music, it is that of listening.

I hope those ten cool ideas get you thinking about improving your sound and help you create a better guitar sound for you, your band, and your audience.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

This lesson was first published in the New Zealand Musician Magazine June/July 2004 issue.
(not by me)

Rock Discipline

2006-12-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

The True Rock Discipline

Have you ever learned a lick or exercise and stopped practicing it before you had mastered it?

your answer is probaby yes; and you're not alone; Why is that?

Why did you stop, when you know the lick you learned
would be a killer edition to your playing?

There are quite a few reasons for it,
but the main one I call a lack of "Rock Discipline" (thanks Petrucci ;) ).
This is the point when the initial enthusiasm of learning that new lick/exercise wears off.

It is no longer so new and exciting.

This is the time when you will have to use your self-discipline and complete your practice.

The point of discipline is when most guitar players quit.
Rather than using their self-discipline to TRULY master the lick/exercise,
they stop practicing it and move onto something new;
in doing so wasting valuble practice time and effort

We have all done it at some time or other when trying to improve your playing.
you will learn a lot of new licks but your overall level of playing will not get better.

without having a strict rock discipline attitude; you will never reach the killer level of guitar playing you want

Can you imagine guys like
Yngwie, Rusty Cooley or Petrucci quitting before
they have mastered what they are working on?

No way; they didn't attain their abilities on guitar by being a quitter .

They have a high level of discipline and they had to work at it;
they're only human!

You want to confront your technical difficulties and push the envelope.
You will know lots of little things but not enough to stand up onstage and impress

So what can we do about it?

Here are a few tips:

When you have decided on a new lick, set a speed goal.

Keep practicing the lick/exercise until the speed goal has been reached.
(Realise that this can take weeks, months or even years!)

Learn to enjoy being disciplined,
think of all the other guitarists not practicing correctly;
not making as much effort as yourself and feel proud of youself for each good practice session

never take your mind off your goal; imagine how good you will play in the future
because of practice.

Make a commitment to completion. refuse to quit.

I doth see a vision of fucking rocking all the time

The Importance of Warmups

2006-11-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

I have talked to a lot of technically great guitarists
who are unaware of what i am about to tell you

I often hear "I'm having a bad guitar day"or "I can't play for shit today"

and this is because they are unaware of the importance of warmups

Think about it;
You get home from work, pick up your guitar
and try to play some super fast guitar solo
It just Isn't going to happen, no chance

If you warm up correctly every day before playing
you will be able to play faster and more
accurate than f you did not

There is no such thing as a "bad guitar day,
only days where you do not warm up correctly
ortry to play something that is beyond your skill level

If you play some good warm up excercises;
everyday will be a great day for your playing

Q. Why does warming up make me play better?

A. A good warm up will make you play better because;

1. It will increase the amount of blood flowing through your hands

2. It will help synchronise your left and right hands,
making your playing more accurate

3. It will relax stretch all the muscles and tendons you use playing guitar

Warmup Excercises:

l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------
l-5-6-5-6-5-6-5-6-5-6-5-6-----
l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------

Play this lick slowly and accurately using finger groupings;
1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4
there is no need to even attempt speed here,
your goal is to increase accuracy and blood flow, nothing else

l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------
l----7-----7------7------7-------
l--------------------------------
l-5-----5-----5------5----------
l--------------------------------

Play this lick slowly and accurately using finger groupings;
1 and 3, 2and 4, 1and 4

also play different chords you know to help warm up
and most importantly relax :)

Learn to Shred part nine : basic music theory

2006-11-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Basic Music Theory

Music theory is an essential part of songwriting;
without it all you can really do to write songs is
mess about with chords and hope you strike lucky.
With theory you can choose a key, then write a riff using a scale
in the same key thenmess with the iming of your riff to make it unique

There are many methos of songwriting using theory, so lets go over the basics

The Major Scale

A scale consists of a series of pitches arranged in ascending order,
spanning an octave.
The major scale follows a strict pattern of tones and semi-tones
(tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone)

In the key of C there are seven notes in the scale; these are (in ascending order of pitch)

CDEFGAB

these notes are referred to by numbers

C is the root note (someimes called the 1st)
The conventional music term for this is the Tonic

D is the Second
The conventional music term for this is the Supertonic

E is the Third
The conventional music term for this is the Mediant
(this is becaus it is halfway between the tonic and dominant notes)

F would be the Fourth
The conventional music term for this is the Subdominant

G is the Fifth
The conventional music term for this is the Dominant

A is the Sixth
The conventional music term for this is the Submediant

B is the Seventh
The conventional music term for this is the Leading Tone
(this leads back to the tonic/root note)

Harmony guitar

You can play a guitar harmony
by having another guitar part playing in unison with you in Perfect Harmony

Perfect intervals are the unison(same note),
fourth, fifth, and octave.

Perfect intervals are formed in the major scale
when the lower note is the tonic(root note)

learn to shred : part eight; finger independence

2006-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

Working on your finger independence is a good way to improve your playing
and make your playing tight and accurate.

These licks will feel difficult to play and akward, but play them nice and slow as the goal is to have four fingers that are strong and can play technically akward passages

EX 1

l----------------4--5-----------------
l-------------5--------4---------------
l----------4--------------5-----------
l-------5--------------------4--------
l----4--------------------------5------
l-5--------------------------------4----

Play this excercise with your thumb on the back of the neck and with your third and fourth fingers on the 4 and 5th frets respectively; make sure there is little tension in your hands and that your playing is nice and slow.

Move on to using your second and third fingers instead and the your first and second fingers

EX 2

l-----------------4--6-----------------
l--------------6--------4---------------
l-----------4--------------6-----------
l--------6--------------------4--------
l-----4--------------------------6-----
l--6--------------------------------4----

Repeat as before but using second and fourth fingers and then first and third

EX 1

l----------------4--5--4-----------------
l---------4--------------------4----------
l------------5-------------5--------------
l-----5----------------------------5-------
l--------------------------------------------
l-4------------------------------------4----

Use finger groupings 3 and 4, 2 and 3, 1 and 2

and play accurately and slowly

learn to shred part 6 : harmonics

2006-11-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

Harmonics

The best way to learn to play harmonics is to understand what they are

harmonics are notes that are created using the wave physics of the string.
There are many, many incredibly complicated equations that prove how hey work,
beleive me I know of them from my advanced higher physics in school,
but just take my word for them. ( http://superstringtheory.com/basics/basic4a.html )

Q. What are harmonics

A. Well, each string has areas called nodal points; where the string length is equally divisible by the length between the next node

The fundamental is the length of the string that vibrates (ie from the bridge to the nut)
if you lightly touch the string directly over a nodal point you split the vibration of the string in 2 directions both moving away from your finger, this increases the frequency of the vibration and
this increases the pitch you hear made by the string

The amount of pitch increase can be determined
by what nodal point you create the harmonic from;
look at the above image and notice
that every second node has no vibration in the middle of the string;

These nodes will produce a note that is an octave of the origonal note ie nodes 2, 4 and 6
on an open string these points are above the frets;

12th fret (node 2 one octave above open string)
5th and 24th fret (node 4 two octaves above open note)
fret 3.2 and above middle pickup (node 6 three octaves above fretted notes)

now you understand what a harmonic is here is how to play them:

all harmonic types require a light touch above a nodal point to sound them

pinch harmonics:

A lot of people have trouble learning these and that is because they do not understand what their hand is supposed to do to play them;

how to learn them:
pick an open string; let it ring for a second or two
then touch above the 12th fret with the side of the thumb still holding the pick and create a harmonic;

This is what your hand is doing when creating a pinch harmonic it just does it with one motion instead of two,

now hold your thumb close to the tip of the pick and try to play a harmonic at the 12th fret of the open string with one pick motion clipping the nodal point with your thumb when picking

congratulations that was a pinch harmonic

Fretted pich harmonics: these are slightly different because whe you are fretting a note the fundamental length is changed from the bridge to the nut, to the fretted note to the bridge

This changes the position of the nodes,
the 2nd node now will be 12 frets above the fretted note,
try and discover more nodes yourself

How to show off:

play an open string and the touch the 5th fret node with your tounge to create a harmonic,
take your time and make it look sexy on stage making sure that any girls in the audience see your tounge impliying oral sex; this is a great move to get the girls; tried and tested ;)

oh and btw
artificial harmonics are just picking a fretted note and then using a right hand finger to touch the node

learn to shred part 7 : sweep picking

2006-11-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

Sweep picking

Sweep picking is when you play two or more notes on adjacent strings by using all upstrokes or downstrokes. when playing a sweep you should push your guitar pick lightly through the strings so that you essentially make only one movemant for all the upstrokes or downstrokes that are transcribed next to each other. It is important to note that each note when playing a sweep is played seperately and not as a chord; you have to lightly relase each note so that it does not rig out before you play the next note.
sweep picking is different to any kind of picking you may have done before,
in fact it will probably feel closer to strumming than picking

EX 1    sweeping over two strings

l-------12--15p12-------------------------
l--14---------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------

the most important part of this excercise is how you pick it; the first two notes should be played with one donwards picking motion that sounds both the b and e strings seperately, an upstroke is then played on the 15th fret of the e string and the a pull off to the 12th fret. This is a common rock speedlick used on many famous guitar solos that should be a very usefull tool to use when improvising

EX 2   sweeping over three strings

ex 2a donwards sweeping

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

The first three notes should be played with one donwards picking motion that
sounds the strings seperately, an upstroke is then played on the 15th fret of the e string

ex 2b upwards sweeping

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

the first note should be played with a downstroke,
then the last three notes should be played with
one upwards picking motion that sounds the strings seperately

EX3 the Steve Vai sweep

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

This should be played by downward sweeping the first three notes
and upward sweeping the last three notes,
essentially this lick plays six notes with only two pick motions.

This will allow you to play with amazing speed if you slowly synchronise your hands with a metronome (see learn to shred part two).

I call this the Steve Vai sweep because if you see Steve play liveand having a solo trade-off with another guitarist like Tony McAlpine he will always use this lick as a last resort if he feels he is being outplayed; because this is the fastest thing Vai can play whilst improvising
he will usually play this and move up the neck chromatically

Ex4 5 string dmajor sweep

   1 4   2 2 2 1   4
l------------5-10------
l----------7------------
l--------7--------------
l------7----------------
l-5-9-------------------
l-----------------------

how to play: Start by upstroking the first note , the sweep down the next 5 notes
(from the 9th fret of a to the 5th fret of e) and finish by upward picking the 10th fret
I have included the fingering above the tab; you will notice that 3 notes in a row are played with your 2nd finger you do this by rolling your finger in a "rubber stamp motion" to mute he notes after you play them

EX5 a 6 string dmajor sweep

   1    3    3    2   1      1     4
l------------------10-14------
l--------------10-------------
l-----------11----------------
l--------12-------------------
l-----12----------------------
l-10--------------------------

This should be played by sweeping the firs six notes the picking the last note,
also note that this is the same arpeggio as ex 5 but is a completely different sweep shape

What Now? Take the right hand sweeping patterns and apply different chord shapes, try playing them by sweeping both upwards and downwards.

tip: Try doing a six string donwards sweep and then play some finger-tapping in the same key

learn to shred part 5 : tapping

2006-11-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

Finger tapping

fingertapping is perhaps the most versatile technique you can use on the electric guitar
the most common tapping style is linear tapping; tapping notes along one string

building a good tapping technique will take time,
but will ultimately be hugely beneficial for you

the best way to use conventional tapping would be with the middle or ring finger ( anular )
on your right hand as this will allow you to still hold your guitar pick

one finger tapping (finger tapped notes are bold text)

l---12-5-7-12-5-7-12-5-7-12-5-7-----
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------

take this pattern and apply it to a scale over all six stings
and practice it slowly for a hyper speed fluent soloing technique

two finger tapping ( middle finger is red and ring finger is green)

l-21-14-16-17-19-17-16-14----
l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------
l--------------------------------

three finger tapping ( index finger is blue, middle finger is red and ring finger is green)

l--------10-------------10---------------10---------
l---13-----------------------13----------------------
l------------12-----------------------12-------------
l---------------10---------------10------------------
l--------------------12-----------------------12-----
l------------------------------------------------------

learn to shred part 4 : legato

2006-11-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

Legato

The word legato translated literally means smoothly. Legato on the electric guitar involves three techniques: hammering on, pulling off and slides

hammer-ons are played by hitting a fret with the tip of your finger without using any picking

pull-offs are executed by pulling a finger off from a fretted note creating another note either an open string or a lower note on the same string

Legato will probably be your most used technique on stage when improvising solos
because it is genneally easier to play than alternate picking when nervous

Legato Development

to have fluid and fast legato licks you will need to build stamina in your left hand

Building stamina

practice the legato lick below slowly and evenly and after a while you will feel a slight cramp or
"burning sensation" in your hand play for 5 seconds after you feel the burn and then stop.
Do not play more than 5 seconds after the burn as you may injure yourself play this lick twice a day using the 5 second burn method and in a few days it will take 5 seconds longer before you start to feel the burn. Repeat this and you will gradually be able to play for longer and longer periods of time and you will also get faster

l------5h6p5h7p5h8p5h9p5-------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------

legato licks

lick 1:

l-----------------------------------------
l-------5h7h8p7p5------5h7h8p7p5------
l--------------------8---------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------

lick 2:

l-------------12h14h15p14p12-----------
l--12h14h15--------------------15p14---
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------

lick 3

l---8p5h7h8p7p5-------------------------
l-------------------8p5h7h8p7p5---------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------
l-----------------------------------------

learn to shred part 3 : alternate picking

2006-11-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Before you undertake this lesson I reccomend you undertake my learn to shred lessons part 1 and 2; as they will help significantly here

Alternate picking

Alternate picking is picking with a downstroke followed by an upstroke repeatedly.

There are two main types of alternate picking; inside picking and outside picking

Inside picking is when you are crossing strings whilst picking and your pick travels in-between two strings. Inside picking generally feels more akward than outside picking

Outside picking is when you are crossing strings whilst picking and your pick travels over the next string and hooks around it> Outside picking is generally considered the most economical way of picking (except economy picking which i will explain later)

Alternate Picking Technique

Always pick by moving your wrist up and down not your elbow.

You should hold the pick at a slight angle to the string so it feels like you are slicing the string.
this is important as it encourages two things to happen

1. It will make you pick with a smaller amount of the pick (mainly just the tip) and pick lighter

2. It will stop the joints of your right finger and thumb from moving.
This is CRUCIAL if you want to pick really well and fast

I have created a lick for musically building speed and technique for outside picking that is made of the three
most important alternate picking patterns

l-------------------------------------------------------------------------
l-------------------------------------------------------------------------
l-------------------------------------------------------------------------
l----------7------------------7-8-7-------------------7-9-10-9-7---
l-7-8-10---10-8-7-8-10-----------10-8-7-8-10------------------
l-------------------------------------------------------------------------

use the metronoming technique from learn to shred part two
and build the speed as high as you can

learn to shred part 2; The metronome

2006-11-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

welcome to part two in my learn to shred lessons.

Today we are going to learn how to use a metronome .

A metronome is a timekeeping device that keeps a beat
for musicians to play along to.

We can play in different time signatures by playing a different number of notes to each click;

Each time the metronome clicks you should play a note at the same time and optionally more notes; either one, two, three, four or six notes per click.

Make sure to play the note that lands on the click of the metronome slightly louder to accent the beat.

Building speed with the metronome:

The metronome is a fantastic thing that can help make you a faster guitarist if you understand the principles of speedbuilding;

Take the chromatic excercise below and play it at four notes per click
at a speed of 66 beats per minute.

Play as accurately as you can with your left thumb behind the neck and with your
guitar pick at an angle, so it slices through the strings (repeat this excercise over and over)

l----------------------------------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------
l------------------------------------5-6-7-8-------
l-------------------------5-6-7-8------------------
l---------------5-6-7-8----------------------------
l-----5-6-7-8--------------------------------------

l------------------------------------7-8-9-10------
l-------------------------7-8-9-10-----------------
l----9-8-7-6-7-8-9-10----------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------

l--11-10-9-7---------------------------------------
l---------------11-10-9-7--------------------------
l----------------------------11-10-9-8-7-8-9-10--
l----------------------------------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------

l----------------------------------------------------
l----------------------------------------------------
l--9-8-7-6-----------------------------------------
l------------9-8-7-6-------------------------------
l------------------------9-8-7-6-------------------
l-----------------------------------9-8-7-6--------

Base Speed:

This is the fastest speed you can play accurately straight after you pick up the guitar

Working speed:

This is the fastest speed you can play accurately after playing the guitar for a while and properly warmed up

Now you understand the terminology lets get to the important bit;

How to build speed:

Take the above excercise and play it at 66 bpm ;

if you play it comfortably and accurately three times in a row then increase the metronome speed by 6bpm

if you make mistakes or feel uncomfortable decrease the speed by 6bpm

repeat this process for 30-45 minutes and write down this fully warmed up speed;
this is your working speed

repeat this everyday and you will notice that your working speed will gradually increase and you will find it easier to play faster with each day

A realistic speed after 2 months of this speedbuilding technique is 144 beats per minute and after 6 months you should hit 160-175 bpm

Intermediate to advanced development

2006-11-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

These excercises are aimed at an intermediate level player. They are focusing on building a good all round technique not just speed. This lesson is aimed at taking you from being an intermediate
player to an advanced player, concentrate on just one excercise at a time and do not move on through prematurely as you will only cheat yourself. Good Luck!

with these lessons I reccomend using a hard pick and a metronome, also set your amp to
the clean channel

All these excecises are to be repeated as clean as possible 100 times a day with a metronome for good improvement

THE THREE RULES OF GUITAR-these are your commandments, learn them

     1.                 Speed Comes With Practice
     2.                 Speed is a By-Product of Accurracy
     3.                 Technique isn't Just Speed

Ex1. inside picking and string crossing acuracy

l---------------------l
l---------------------l
l----5----------------l
l-------7--5--7-----l
l---------------------l
l---------------------l

D U D U

start this playing at between 60-80bpm (slower if needed) at four notes per click making sure you start with a downstroke. build your speed with this up to 100bpm before moving on

Ex2. co-ordination whilst string skipping

l-------------------------------5-----------------l
l-----------------5-------------------------------l
l---5---------------------------------------------l
l-------7--5--7-----7--5--7-------7--5--7---l
l--------------------------------------------------l
l--------------------------------------------------l

Repeat like ex1 building to 100 bpm. Remember accuracy IS more important than speed

Ex3. The 124 and 134 finger patterns (also known as scale fragments)

l-------------------------------------------l
l-------------------------------------------l
l-------------------------------------------l
l-------------------------------------------l
l-------------------- 7--9--10--9--7-----l
l-10--8--7--8--10-----------------------l

These patterns are very very common amongst pickers and this excercise is very good for developing speed Start at 75 bpm and build to 120bpm with your metronome

Ex4. fast picking with inside and outside picking

l--------------------------------------------------------------------l
l--------------------------------------------------------------------l
l------------------------7--9--10--9--7--------------------------l
l-------------7--9--10-------------------10--9--7---------------l
l--7--9--10-----------------------------------------10--9--7----l
l--------------------------------------------------------------------l

Start at 90bpm and build to 140 making sure your picking hand is nice and relaxed

Ex5 a fast picking run with position shifting

l---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l--------------------------------------------------------------------------7--9--10---l
l-----------------------7--9--10--9--7----------------------7--9--10--------------l
l---10--8--7--8--10---------------------10--8--7--8--10-------------------------l

l--------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l--------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------------9--11--12--11--9----------------l
l-9--7--------------------------9--10--12-----------------------12--10--9--l
l--------10--9--7--9--10--12------------------------------------------------l
l--------------------------------------------------------------------------------l

l---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l------------------------------12--13--15------------------------------13--15--17-l
l---------------11--12--14----------------14--12--11--12--14--16----------------l
l-10--12--14-------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------l

l---14---15--17--19--22--24------l
l---------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------l
l---------------------------------------l

Take your time and learn this slowly--making sure you're economic with your picking and that your picking is accurate. Start the metronome speed at 60bpm (yes I said 60) and build it up to 180bpm over the next 4-8 months. If you've made it this far congratulations, you are now a technically advanced player

learn to shred

2006-11-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

welcome to the first part of my tutorial: learn to shred,

where I shall take your playing and supercharge it with the secrets and techniques of shred guitar

Q.   What is shred guitar?

A.   Shred guitar is a style of playing the guitar in a fast and technically profficient way
       Listen to a song called Scarified by Racer X to see what correct practice can do
       for your playing ( search scarified on youtube to see the song )

Q. wow that is some good playing, how can I play like that? and how long will it take me?

A. Through correct practice and patience you could learn to play like this within 6 months

Equipment list:

for these lessons you will need: an electric guitar(check the link above) , a metronome
( http://www.metronomeonline.com/ )

A heavy guitar pick (plectrum) ; I reccomend the dunlop big stubby 2mm
and 30-60 minutes a day

Introduction

2006-11-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone I am John Aiton,
Through my experience of trying to find lessons on the internet for various subjects,
I have found out that a lot of the information I look for doesn't exist

so I will be creating various faq's and post them as blogs

most of my tutorials will be about the electric guitar;
lessons, advice about equipment and generaly I will go into more detail than other sources to give better advice

Another set of tutorials will be about role playing games and good resources I have found
generally reccomendations and reviews of games that are unique