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Here's a couple Paul Gilbert lessons I've found helpful.
Nice, very nice. Definitely for the Beyonds.
Steve Cass
Solid Walnut Music/ASCAP
Becoming a great guitarist has less to do with fancy moves than it does becoming a master of the basics and learning musicianship.
It's not what you can't do. It's how you play what you already know.
I'm nowhere near that fast lol. I just like the way he teaches as he gives you ideas to use in a scale and build skill from practicing. I know my fingers are definietely stronger from practicing the lick.
I also like the way he explains what the right hand is doing during those fast runs as it gives you something to work on and understand.
I agree it's not for a beginning guitarist but it's not a bad idea to get familiar with the exercises once you get a handle on the basic chords.
I THOUGHT THOSE WERE NEAT!!!! I've never seen anyone do all those things with a guitar on that level!!
Hi Aunt Doty. It is amazing isn't it? I remember watching Victor Wooten (a renowned bassist) talk about how they (He and his brother Reggi) would get ideas from watching how people play different instruments and applying those techniques to the bass or guitar.
He was talking about how say a pianist might look at a guitar if they'd never played one or how a golfer might look at one or a horn player etc. He was saying they got some of their best (unorthodox) ideas from just handing a guitar over to someone that never played and observed how they approached the instrument.
It is humbling to see so many different approaches to the guitar and all of the different things you can do with what seems like such an ordinary instrument.
This lick here isn't for beginners either, but it has helped me more than anything else to get my index finger to descend a string to quickly catch a note. I had a lot of trouble before I really practiced ths lick over and over and now my pointer finger is moving a lot better up a string or two to anchor a note in a "quick" descending riff.
I'm nowhere near that fast lol. I just like the way he teaches as he gives you ideas to use in a scale and build skill from practicing. I know my fingers are definietely stronger from practicing the lick.
I also like the way he explains what the right hand is doing during those fast runs as it gives you something to work on and understand.
I agree it's not for a beginning guitarist but it's not a bad idea to get familiar with the exercises once you get a handle on the basic chords.
You're right. There's some good stuff to be weened from the moves even if you're not necessarily going for the lick as a whole. He does have some great ideas and explains them well. He breaks it down really well.
One of the things I get stuck on as an instructor is sometimes thinking that ALL guitarists try and learn things above their playing level and then get frustrated because they don't understand the basics first. What I often fail to realize is that most guitarists are just taking what they can from the lesson and building that in to where they're at. Adding what they can to their understanding. I guess I sometimes feel that guitarists are totally missing the basics. I know that's true of many beginning guitarists, but I also know that this is a misperception of mine and that many 'get it' eventually. We all do in our own time.
I'll get it right somehow. I guess that's often the disadvantage of the lack of feedback that a 1:1 lesson can give.
I'm really glad you showed me these licks! They offer some great technique exercises. One area I lack in is a good back and forth picking style. I like the Bird lick, too. It just goes to show that many of the riffs, regardless of style, use hammer ons and pull offs.
Steve
Steve Cass
Solid Walnut Music/ASCAP
Becoming a great guitarist has less to do with fancy moves than it does becoming a master of the basics and learning musicianship.
It's not what you can't do. It's how you play what you already know.
The main thing I always have to remind myself of is that it takes time and dedication and lots of practice to get better regardless of style. Granted, there are some that learn very fast but those folks are the exception, not the rule.
I need to start practicing the licks and scales with a metronome as I think that's a good way to go about it. Practice slowly and gradually, as you basically master a speed then increase it slowly as you progress.
Eventually you start getting faster and more comfortable. You could do the same idea with changing chords. A good song to practice is "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers as those chord changes are a bear (for me anyways)to get right in time.
I want to start learning some basic classical chord progressions as those are very difficult and requires that the left hand be nimble to change the shapes as quickly as they do.
My fingers are getting there and my brain is starting to gel. I really need to focus on my right hand and get better at picking.
You're right, a lot of the stuff these guys play involve pull offs and hammer ons. When you break it down it doesn't seem all that complicated, but it takes a while for most to execute the ideas.
And this guy here, this is the kind of stuff I hope to be able to come close to playing one of these days (maybe lol). I consider this to be TRUE shredding. He only posted this one vid and honestly, I don't think anymore needs to be said!
The main thing I always have to remind myself of is that it takes time and dedication and lots of practice to get better regardless of style. Granted, there are some that learn very fast but those folks are the exception, not the rule.
I need to start practicing the licks and scales with a metronome as I think that's a good way to go about it. Practice slowly and gradually, as you basically master a speed then increase it slowly as you progress.
Yep. And I always advocate to learn to play cleanly before increasing speed. Playing with a metronome is a good thing for a couple of reasons: it shows you that time marches on and doesn't wait for you, and it's the basis for learning regulation and eventually how to find and nail the groove.
I never owned a metronome, but it's still a great idea. It's just that when I was learning, I decided to learn via Chord Planting, from the lesson Form Chords and Switch Between them Quickly. In a nutshell, it's a method very similar to what you're saying as far as practicing slowly and gradually. In this case it's about learning the basic chord formations and forming them in the air and then 'pouncing' on the fretboard. It's a mechanical learning angle that has no regard to rhythm or timing.
After I got that into my routine, I started becoming acutely aware of switching on time and learning how to 'not look back'; learning to live with my decision on the fretboard and just go forward from there. This was easier because the byproduct of Chord Planting is that I learned to switch chords so quickly and cleanly that even if I made a mistake I could quickly change to the correct chord within a sixteenth (certainly and eighth) note of the rhythm (if my brain told me that a course correction was necessary).
But that's just how I started. And what really was a great teacher of the groove for me (and still is) is playing with a band; playing with a good drummer. It's taught me how to lay back on the beat; wait for the beat, find the groove and the emphases within.
Quote:
Originally Posted by testekleez
You're right, a lot of the stuff these guys play involve pull offs and hammer ons. When you break it down it doesn't seem all that complicated, but it takes a while for most to execute the ideas.
Sure does. It's that famous brain/hand connection. I guess that's why I always advocate learning and mimicking mechanically first and then bring musicianship in second. But that's just how my brain works. These clips you showed are beautiful examples of that.
Steve
Steve Cass
Solid Walnut Music/ASCAP
Becoming a great guitarist has less to do with fancy moves than it does becoming a master of the basics and learning musicianship.
It's not what you can't do. It's how you play what you already know.
That Chord Planting sounds interesting. So the rythm isn't important to practice slowly, just basically getting your hand in the "shape" of the chord all at once in the air and then applying them to the fretboard?
Never really thought of that before. I like that technique about keeping the pick in your fingers without dropping them but I'm not sure what you mean exactly. If you have the time a quick vid on that would be very helpful. I should explain what I mean I think lol. Is it as simple as just placing the plectrum on the different fingers and playing that way and changing them around while playing?
No kidding. I play bass, and I ask for feedback from other bass players and they just shake their heads like I don't know what's up. Here I think I'm being all relaxed and playing only the groove.
Quote:
Originally Posted by testekleez
Here's one of the best versions of one of the all time fav solos of many a guitarist.
This is my fav too by far. This guy really gets a good flavor for Eddie. I don't play it so quickly any more. Uncle Arthur starts kicking in half way through the tapping routine. But what I always do is continue on through You Really Got Me. I just love the whole sequence of the two songs.
This is cool. My fav delay routine is playing either Steve Miller's intro to Jet Airliner or Run by Pink Floyd. Delay is so fun. It's a great tool, too. It can teach you how to harmonize with yourself like this guy's doing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by testekleez
And this guy here, this is the kind of stuff I hope to be able to come close to playing one of these days (maybe lol). I consider this to be TRUE shredding. He only posted this one vid and honestly, I don't think anymore needs to be said!
No kidding! This guy has got it. I'm going to watch this some more this morning.
Steve
Steve Cass
Solid Walnut Music/ASCAP
Becoming a great guitarist has less to do with fancy moves than it does becoming a master of the basics and learning musicianship.
It's not what you can't do. It's how you play what you already know.
That Chord Planting sounds interesting. So the rythm isn't important to practice slowly, just basically getting your hand in the "shape" of the chord all at once in the air and then applying them to the fretboard?
Right. When you get your hand in the shape of the chord, it helps:
Preventing the lag that accompanies 'feeling' for the chord one string at a time
Learning to judge the right amount of pressure to apply to the strings to 1) play with authority and 2) to prevent fretbuzz
In changing to other chords more quickly. You'll always have the chord formation you want at the ready.
Quote:
Originally Posted by testekleez
Never really thought of that before. I like that technique about keeping the pick in your fingers without dropping them but I'm not sure what you mean exactly. If you have the time a quick vid on that would be very helpful. I should explain what I mean I think lol. Is it as simple as just placing the plectrum on the different fingers and playing that way and changing them around while playing?
Well, are you referring to the Pick Control Challenge? It's basically twirling the pick counter-clockwise while playing to develop superior control. There is a video on that page. It's slow loading from some reason, but it's in the upper left corner of the page.
Steve
Steve Cass
Solid Walnut Music/ASCAP
Becoming a great guitarist has less to do with fancy moves than it does becoming a master of the basics and learning musicianship.
It's not what you can't do. It's how you play what you already know.
Download the PDF of the 'Guitar Chord Slide Rule', print it out, fold it together and you'll have at your disposal a very neat tool that will not only show you all the positions for the main flavors of chords, but will also teach you a very important lesson about how the guitar works... It consists of a folded sleeve and six double sided inserts, instructions for cutting it out and folding it together are included with the PDF ... it's very simple to do, and if you botch it, you can simply print it out again!
