Little Habits

[TSJMajesty]

Ever notice the little things we tend to do while playing, that can really make your playing stand out?

Like when you have a short pause on a note, but you still give it a quick vibrato. Even while practicing.

Or raking your pick across the adjacent strings, to give that note some extra bite.

Hitting a note, then immediately dropping a step and bending it right back to the original note.

Short bursts of pick scrapes.

What else do you find yourself doing, that you may not even notice, that gives that solo a bit of extra flavor?

 

[ghostrider]

Proper muting of adjacent strings is a big one.

I’m working on a song that has a medium OD on a verse but then transitions to a lead part with a pitch harmony an octave higher. I kept having an adjacent string ring just a bit on that transition and when that octave kicks on with that bit of ringing, oof. When I focus on properly muting it, it’s way better.

 

[PLX]

 

[OrganicZed]

I tend to bend notes sharp. That certainly gives my playing a unique flavor.

 

[Sleezy E]

I do pick rakes all the time to give a note the extra kerrang.. don't know when I started or even if I consciously learned it.. I only really started to notice it when I started over doing it....

See also, pinch harmonics

 

[PLX]

I do pickle rakes all the time

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Hammer-pull-slide-ups.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Hammer-pull-slide-ups.

One of the coolest things about how Petrucci plays is how he slides down into a note, but the timing of it makes it technically a grace note. Plus, he's the first guitarist I ever heard do that sort of thing, or at least with any frequency.

And it's on a higher level when he combines it with Wah, like here-

 

[TSJMajesty]

Oh and another one that I hear JP do, that has to be one of THE coolest sounds you can make on a guitar, is a pick scrape while back backing off the wah at the same time. It's more of a trick sort of thing though, but still very sweet.

 

[OrganicZed]

One of the coolest things about how Petrucci plays is how he slides down into a note, but the timing of it makes it technically a grace note. Plus, he's the first guitarist I ever heard do that sort of thing, or at least with any frequency.

And it's on a higher level when he combines it with Wah, like here-

I love that aspect of his playing as well. It adds dimension and emotion to his playing.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I love that aspect of his playing as well. It adds dimension and emotion to his playing.

You can learn all the notes of a solo of his, and even get it up to speed, but if you don't have all those little "extras"..., that's what sets players apart, imo.

Playing a fast riff, that has a repeating pedal-tone, and it moves btw that note and higher single notes that create a melody, but you keep the pedal note palm-muted, and only lift your hand for the upper notes..., shit like that can really make a lick!