Anyone Here Still Working On Their Technique?

[DrewJD82]

One of these days I should start seriously working on technique and discipline. I started the house from the roof, about 40 years ago, but the foundation has never been cemented

+1 on practicing clean, or edge-of-breakup or unplugged. And add a scalloped neck, so you will learn to apply the minimum necessary pressure over the strings (otherwise it goes out of tune, specially with chords). Your prospective tendonitis will appreciate that.

Every time I picked up a YJM Strat I sounded like complete ass on it, I couldn’t play a single note in tune on the things for the longest time. The last 15 years I REALLY changed the way I set up my guitars after dealing with carpel tunnel, dropped my action way down and really worked on understanding string tension/neck relief and how they relate. The last time I picked up a YJM Strat I totally understood why Yngwie loves them and why Vai has been doing shallow scallops on his necks more and more.

Definitely something I want to explore more. If there’s any one thing I’ve focused on technique wise over the years more than anything, it’s vibrato. Gilmour‘s whammy bar vibrato, Vai’s circular vibrato, Wylde/Yngwie’s whole-step vibrato, EJ’s vibrato he snagged from Clapton, they’re all different types I utilize nonstop and there’s not really a better way to capitalize on that than having a scalloped board.

 

[Piing]

I think that you get the same result of Vai's circular vibrato by moving the finger back and forth in the direction of the strings, in the same way that a violin or cello classical player applies vibrato (which, by the way, is much easier to do in a scalloped neck because there is more room to displace the pitch). That gives more precise control than the normal vibrato moving the string up and down, since there is no friction of the string against the fret

 

[DrewJD82]

I think that you get the same result of Vai's circular vibrato by moving the finger back and forth in the direction of the strings, in the same way that a violin or cello classical player applies vibrato (which, by the way, is much easier to do in a scalloped neck because there is more room to displace the pitch). That gives more precise control than the normal vibrato moving the string up and down, since there is no friction of the string against the fret

Yeah, it’s essentially doing the same thing, I think the physical, circular aspect of it is more of a feel/internal thing that lends itself to the intent, or some hippie sh*t along those lines.

 

[Eagle]

No honest person is ever "finished."

 

[Eagle]

This guy is excellent. He plays great, practises what he says and says it like it is.

 

[MindCrime]

Always !

 

[duzie]

I’m fascinated watching Michael’s picking technique .
He appears to utilize upstrokes quite frequently…

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Constantly...just not on shred style stuff.
And if for no other reason then fir some if my students that want to learn to burn.
Personally the one chops thing I've done lately is gypsy picking where going to a new string is always a down stroke. Fine to go to a higher string but a plain going from a downstrokes on a lower string on a higher one.

I wrote one of those out first is straight alternate, then inside and economy, then outside and economy, then gypsy...

The other thing I've been working on playing chromatic stuff with one finger sliding or picking and keeping strict time.

 

[duzie]

2 note per string pentatonic scale alternate picking to a metronome .
Starting with downstroke , then also starting with an upstroke.
WTF some nights I feel like I’ve never picked up a guitar before

 

[TSJMajesty]

2 note per string pentatonic scale alternate picking to a metronome .
Starting with downstroke , then also starting with an upstroke.
WTF some nights I feel like I’ve never picked up a guitar before

I find 2 nps riffs harder than 3!

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I find 2 nps riffs harder than 3!

I used to as well before i worked on my outside picking or just started on an upstroke.

 

[duzie]

I used to as well before i worked on my outside picking or just started on an upstroke.

This has become something that I’m truly working on , and struggling somewhat with consistency from day to day .

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

This has become something that I’m truly working on , and struggling somewhat with consistency from day to day .

Im actually not sure why i ever subscribed to having to master outside picking, since everything worked fine via inside but hey if there’s a mountain sometimes you just gonna have to climb it.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Im actually not sure why i ever subscribed to having to master outside picking, since everything worked fine via inside but hey if there’s a mountain sometimes you just gonna have to climb it.

Lotta riffs I play use both. If I start the riff with the opposite stroke, it just puts the inside or outside in a different place. Even switching a portion of the riff to use one more note on a string prior to a string change, just doesn't work.

Especially playing harmonic minor riffs. There's only so much you can do with those.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Lotta riffs I play use both. If I start the riff with the opposite stroke, it just puts the inside or outside in a different place. Even switching a portion of the riff to use one more note on a string prior to a string change, just doesn't work.

Especially playing harmonic minor riffs. There's only so much you can do with those.

Well as far as inside goes it only flips if after the string change its even number of notes before returning, like a lick that cycles.

I mean since yngwie likes to leave the string descending on a upstroke (supposedly) if you flip the picking itll be all inside the way its arranged.
Plus for economy theres always sweeps to the bew string when its flipped.

The only reason i mention it is you had said in a previous post you’re more comfortable with 3nps stuff than 2nps. That usually happens when outside picking isn’t happening yet.

But what would harmonic minor have to do with any of this?

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Here is a D harmonic minor or better A phrygian dominant work

 

[TSJMajesty]

But what would harmonic minor have to do with any of this?

It might be hard for me to explain...

I meant it as when you'd try to keep an even number of notes on a string, so your string changes would all be whichever is easier for you. But because of the wide interval between the 6th and 7th pitch, I find it hard to either make the riff 4 or 2 notes to a string, because then it involves extra position shifts. I'd rather just try to keep it 3 nps, and be forced to use both inside & outside string changes.

Plus, I have to simply memorize the pattern/shape; As soon as I try to use different notes, again, to get the riff to either use 2 or 4 nps, so I can keep to only inside, or only outside, string changes, I just get lost. I mean, I can learn it, but then when I realize it's just easier to use 3 nps, with minimal position shifts, and go back to the original riff shape, I kinda have to re-learn it. And this is all in the context of when I'm first learning the riff.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I had to change this (starting @ 139):

To this for a couple reasons:

Too many notes on the high e at the end of 139, and I needed to land that high C# with my 2nd finger so it would be easier to do that quick shift down to 14th position and be able to grab the e at the 17th fret with my pinky.

It does involve (for me, the way I do it) a 1st finger shift from 13 to 14 at the beginning of the lick, and shifts to the 20th and 22nd frets, on the A and G string. And once I hit the D string, I only use my first 3 fingers. I couldn't see any way to change the tab to use an even # of notes per string for this run, to be able to keep to either inside or outside string changes.

This is an example of where I find harmonic minor riffs harder to be flexible with. There's usually only 1 way I can work them out to play, and it always involves using both inside and outside string changes. I find it best to just get comfortable with being able to use both.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I had to change this (starting @ 139):

View attachment 8159

To this for a couple reasons:

View attachment 8160Too many notes on the high e at the end of 139, and I needed to land that high C# with my 2nd finger so it would be easier to do that quick shift down to 14th position and be able to grab the e at the 17th fret with my pinky.

It does involve (for me, the way I do it) a 1st finger shift from 13 to 14 at the beginning of the lick, and shifts to the 20th and 22nd frets, on the A and G string. And once I hit the D string, I only use my first 3 fingers. I couldn't see any way to change the tab to use an even # of notes for this run, to be able to keep to either inside or outside string changes.

This is an example of where I find harmonic minor riffs harder to be flexible with. There's usually only 1 way I can work them out to play, and it always involves using both inside and outside string changes. I find it best to just get comfortable with being able to use both.

For this if you're talking economy you sweeping to the next string if necessary. I'm this this is an Yngwie lick? What tempo is it?

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Just saw 7string so clearly not Yngwie lol