I'm Getting Frustrated!!

[DrewJD82]

Because @la szum’s comments, I started learning this yesterday, once I get it up to speed I’ll see if I can give you any pointers, but right out of the gate I know I need to start the entire phrase on an upstroke as moving from string to string is where I’m getting hung up and depending on if you start with an up or downstroke, you can either alternate pick your way to the adjacent strings or economy pick, but that jump has to be dead nuts in time!

 

[FuzzyAce]

Because @la szum’s comments, I started learning this yesterday, once I get it up to speed I’ll see if I can give you any pointers, but right out of the gate I know I need to start the entire phrase on an upstroke as moving from string to string is where I’m getting hung up and depending on if you start with an up or downstroke, you can either alternate pick your way to the adjacent strings or economy pick, but that jump has to be dead nuts in time!

That's what makes it so difficult, it's one thing to be super fast -- but also to be super clean like JP with his alternate picking across the strings.
I'm so set in my ways, I naturally use economy, hybrid, legato... so learning to play alternate picking just like JP would be a labor of not so much love.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I know this might come across provocative, but: Why not look for something that you fingers like to play fast?
The only things I can play fluently are within my comfort zone(s) - and I always found it to be much more rewarding to expand those comfort zones rather than doing completely unrelated things.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I know this might come across provocative, but: Why not look for something that you fingers like to play fast?
The only things I can play fluently are within my comfort zone(s) - and I always found it to be much more rewarding to expand those comfort zones rather than doing completely unrelated things.

I agree to a point. The only time I really enjoy going out of my comfort zone is with improvisation, but that's more about the ear than technique.
Although imo, expanding your technique can be a good thing, but everybody is different. But if you have to sacrifice your natural tendencies to do that, it could be detrimental.

 

[DrewJD82]

That's what makes it so difficult, it's one thing to be super fast -- but also to be super clean like JP with his alternate picking across the strings.
I'm so set in my ways, I naturally use economy, hybrid, legato... so learning to play alternate picking just like JP would be a labor of not so much love.

I hear ya, if I couldn’t alternate pick my way through this I wouldn’t even bother. I’m saving up all my new technique headspace for getting that Tele and learning country licks!

 

[FuzzyAce]

I hear ya, if I couldn’t alternate pick my way through this I wouldn’t even bother. I’m saving up all my new technique headspace for getting that Tele and learning country licks!

Teles are so much fun. I only played my 2 teles yesterday and didn't miss my 'strats' at all.

 

[2112]

I had a quick crack at that lick here (slightly sped up because I enjoy punishing myself). Ending is trash but the start/middle is pretty straightforward Shrapnel era shred stuff.



This PG sequence really helped me back in the day with alternate picking & string crossing. (14:02)



Also, I practice this a lot with these kind of sequences to get around tension and any mental blocks

 

[Los-D]

I had a quick crack at that lick here (slightly sped up because I enjoy punishing myself). Ending is trash but the start/middle is pretty straightforward Shrapnel era shred stuff.



This PG sequence really helped me back in the day with alternate picking & string crossing. (14:02)



Also, I practice this a lot with these kind of sequences to get around tension and any mental blocks

Money! All great examples for sure. That last video is killer.

 

[Chocol8]

Teles are so much fun. I only played my 2 teles yesterday and didn't miss my 'strats' at all.

Time to seek immediate medical attention!!!

 

[FuzzyAce]

Time to seek immediate medical attention!!!

Black one is not a partscaster though ... 1996 MIJ (still modded by me lol).

 

[Chocol8]

I have a black non-parts caster Tele on my wall as well! It’s a great guitar but I still think Tele sessions that last more than 4 hours without Strat time require immediate medical attention.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I have a black non-parts caster Tele on my wall as well! It’s a great guitar but I still think Tele sessions that last more than 4 hours without Strat time require immediate medical attention.

View attachment 57065

Nice tele.

 

[Jasco]

Not to down play the difficulty of the lick the original poster cited, but here's the good news.
1. It's all diatonic scale 3 note per string based, up and down scale fragments. Which is the easiest way to play fast picked lines, except for sweep picked arpeggios.
2. It's fairly patternistic.

Luckily it doesn't have a lot of random note choices or big interval jumps at high speed, like for example Oz Noy or Allan Holdsworth. And luckily he's only doing one thing at a time, unlike Sabicas for example who will shred lines like this by picking them with his index and middle while simultaneously playing bass notes with his thumb.

Here are some ideas for the original poster:
Have you've broken the line into small fragments to practice as repeating drills, especially focusing on string crossings? If so, do you practice by alternating a few reps at half speed then a few reps at full speed (shifting from 8 notes to 16th notes on the same drill, or 16th to 32nd)?
Do you know all your 3 note per string scale patterns like the back of your hand so you understand where these lines are derived from, as opposed to just memorizing the lines by rote?
Do you practice other 3 note per string drills besides this?
Do you practice accenting string crossings (which will help awareness and decisiveness)?

Also, it does take a large time investment to achieve 'shreddability'. Decades ago when I took a few lessons from Paul Gilbert, his advice was 2 hours per day every day for picking skills. Which is, not coincidentally, the same time frame that classical guitar virtuoso Ricardo Iznaola recommends for technique. If you're doing less than this, you may never hit the target you've said your aiming for.

 

[ᛗᛜᛜᚺDᛜᎶ Ꮤᛨᚳᚴ]

Best wishes on your quest TSJMajesty! I would caution that the "die on that hill" commitment may interfere with you accomplishing other great things musically. Find your limits, find your style and create. I would also say that for something as complex as this, if you are not practicing EVERY day, it will be even more difficult to get there. That said, I also have a rule about not playing the same thing over and over. Speaking with a producer a few years ago who has some impressive accomplishments under his belt, he said he will not let artists play anything more than 3 times in a row when they are tracking (I know, you are practicing/learning, not tracking but still applies IMO to a large extent) because things generally start to deteriorate after that and they come back and revisit it another day or later in the day. I have implemented that in my practices and have found it does me well. I have successfully violated this practice, but try to walk away and revisit later after I have taken a few good shots at it.

 

[FuzzyAce]

but try to walk away and revisit later after I have taken a few good shots at it.

 

[FuzzyAce]

More importantly @TSJMajesty , have you tried this little gem of a warm up?

 

[TSJMajesty]

Have you've broken the line into small fragments to practice as repeating drills, especially focusing on string crossings? If so, do you practice by alternating a few reps at half speed then a few reps at full speed (shifting from 8 notes to 16th notes on the same drill, or 16th to 32nd)?

Yes and yes.

Do you know all your 3 note per string scale patterns like the back of your hand so you understand where these lines are derived from, as opposed to just memorizing the lines by rote?

No

Do you practice other 3 note per string drills besides this?

Yep

Do you practice accenting string crossings (which will help awareness and decisiveness)?

I think I know what you mean, so yes.

Also, it does take a large time investment to achieve 'shreddability'. Decades ago when I took a few lessons from Paul Gilbert, his advice was 2 hours per day every day for picking skills. Which is, not coincidentally, the same time frame that classical guitar virtuoso Ricardo Iznaola recommends for technique. If you're doing less than this, you may never hit the target you've said your aiming for.

I probably average 2 hours a day, and have for a long time. But there's no way I can do 2 hours every single day.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Best wishes on your quest TSJMajesty! I would caution that the "die on that hill" commitment may interfere with you accomplishing other great things musically. Find your limits, find your style and create. I would also say that for something as complex as this, if you are not practicing EVERY day, it will be even more difficult to get there. That said, I also have a rule about not playing the same thing over and over. Speaking with a producer a few years ago who has some impressive accomplishments under his belt, he said he will not let artists play anything more than 3 times in a row when they are tracking (I know, you are practicing/learning, not tracking but still applies IMO to a large extent) because things generally start to deteriorate after that and they come back and revisit it another day or later in the day. I have implemented that in my practices and have found it does me well. I have successfully violated this practice, but try to walk away and revisit later after I have taken a few good shots at it.

My efforts get better the longer I practice them/ the more reps I do. I'm at my most accurate/fastest just before I quit for the day.

 

[Jasco]

I would caution that the "die on that hill" commitment may interfere with you accomplishing other great things musically.

Agreed 100%.

 

[Stone]

That you can even play Petrucci is impressive Tom, but remeber never let playing be a chore you have to be enjoying it and having fun