The Shreddening

[Whizzinby]

I’ve always sucked as a lead player. Never really dug into scales or theory all that much. I’ve largely kind of relied on hearing an idea in my head and then brute force figuring it out on the fretboard with a lot of trial and error.

I think I’m going to try to force myself to practice on my lead play through the holidays and see how much I can progress.

I have a basic understanding of the minor pentatonic and minor scale. I can’t really fly through them though, so I think that’s my starting point, trying to lock down playing those with some accuracy and proficiency.

Anyways, since you dudes are face melters, do you have any practice tips, tricks etc? Is there a scale progression you recommend? How do you guys use scales without it sounding like you’re just playing a scale. (If that makes sense)

I’m going to download some backing tracks and try to work on it this afternoon while watching some foosball. I’ll try to record and share some noodling this afternoon for the lulz. Maybe monitor my progress if I can stick with it.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

I always start off with a variation on the spider technique warm up......which is chromatic.

Then I go into 3 and 4 note coils in major and minor pentatonic...in all positions....and in both ascending and decesending ...that is an excellent place to start.....then just use whatever scale or mode after that.....then you develop a pretty solid practice regimen quickly.

This is my 2 pennies

 

[PLX]

I’ve always sucked as a lead player. Never really dug into scales or theory all that much. I’ve largely kind of relied on hearing an idea in my head and then brute force figuring it out on the fretboard with a lot of trial and error.

I think I’m going to try to force myself to practice on lead play through the holidays and see how much I can progress.

I have a basic understanding of the minor pentatonic and minor scale. I can’t really fly through them though, so I think that’s my starting point, trying to lock down playing those with some accuracy and proficiency.

Anyways, since you dudes are face melters, do you have any practice tips, tricks etc? Is there a scale progression you recommend? How do you guys use scales without it sounding like you’re just playing a scale. (If that makes sense)

I’m going to download some backing tracks and try to work on it this afternoon while watching some foosball. I’ll try to record and share some noodling this afternoon for the lulz. Maybe monitor my progress if I can stick with it.

I use YouTube lessons from the following guitar instructors.. who have helped me a great deal in the past 18 months in getting better at the single-note stuff :

Ben Eller
Cameron Cooper
Ben Kerrigan
PDX Guitar Freak
AxeSlinger84
Curt Mitchell

 

[Alex Kenivel]

If you haven't already, learn the CAGED system to help you visualize all of the patterns of notes on the fretboard. I've been working with my son on this lately and showed him a cool video. I'll have to dig it up

 

[duzie]

I always start off with a variation on the spider technique warm up......which is chromatic.

Then I go into 3 and 4 note coils in major and minor pentatonic...in all positions....and in both ascending and decesending ...that is an excellent place to start.....then just use whatever scale or mode after that.....then you develop a pretty solid practice regimen quickly.

This is my 2 pennies

I’m not familiar with the term 3 & 4 note coils.
Care to elaborate.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

I’m not familiar with the term 3 & 4 note coils.
Care to elaborate.

I learned it from the guitar grimore books.

Also works with all scales and modes...
Vastly improved my playing.

 

[la szum]

I'd rather write and create killer chord progressions and riffs (and moods!), than shred
every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.







One of the things can exist without the other.

Also, if you hear stuff in your head lead-wise.... hum it out and then try and
find the notes/patterns on the guitar. I feel that ultimately the music comes
from within more than the mindless repetition of scales. Not that there is anything
wrong with that.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

I'd rather write and create killer chord progressions and riffs (and moods!), than shred
every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.







One of the things can exist without the other.

But can't people improve their skill set/toolbox?

 

[la szum]

Of course. Just an alternate take/perspective.

I try not to be repetitive and pile on what others might share.

I also think shred is a pretty heavy life to take up late in life. Wanking a tasty melody,
though, totally doable.

 

[Whizzinby]

Of course. Just an alternate take/perspective.

I try not to be repetitive and pile on what others might share.

I also think shred is a pretty heavy life to take up late in life. Wanking a tasty melody,
though, totally doable.

“Shred” is a bit of an overstatement of my intent. I’ve just never really developed any real lead playing skills. If I ever found myself needing to improvise, id be lost. And there are times where I’m like “a killer solo would be nice here” but I just cant pull it off. I’d just like to develop a little more capability when it comes to lead technique and theory.

 

[metropolis_4]

Hmm… I think my advice would be to start with three things:

1. Learn the basic major/minor scales, and learn their relationships to chords.
2. Train your ear by doing things like looping a chord and playing simple lines over it on one string only. Don’t think about notes and theory, just listen to what the notes sound like over that chord and follow your instincts.
3. Start to build up a “bag of tricks”. Find licks you like the sound of and get them under your fingers.

Next steps after that would be to start playing over simple progressions and think about how your line flows over those chords and how you’re transitioning between them. Then learning extensions, adding non-diatonic elements, stylistic elements, and other fun stuff to add more color.

Ultimately the goal should be to hear an idea in your head and be able to express it on the instrument

 

[Whizzinby]

Drilled the A minor scale for several hours. I did try to spend some time trying to do 3 note per string stuff at speed using two strings, trying to wake my fingers up to doing lead crap. I recorded some of it but I’m not going to make anyone suffer through replays of it.

I probably went over this backing track 50 times and only snipped this because you can tell the moment I said F it and went short-bus Lifeson.

 

[duzie]

Drilled the A minor scale for several hours. I did try to spend some time trying to do 3 note per string stuff at speed using two strings, trying to wake my fingers up to doing lead crap. I recorded some of it but I’m not going to make anyone suffer through replays of it.

I probably went over this backing track 50 times and only snipped this because you can tell the moment I said F it and went short-bus Lifeson.

I thought it fit in with the backing music very well.
It fit in not over

 

[unix-guy]

A few things I'd recommend that will help you become more fluid and not get stuck in the boxes. Start with one key to become familiar with these, then apply to other keys.

• Learn the "horizontal" major and minor pentatonic scale patterns
• Learn all the triad arpeggios on "sets" of 3 strings
• Learn the scales on 2-string sets moving up (or down) the neck
• Learn how the pentatonic scales (major and minor) "fit" within the diatonic scales

All of those things will help you to more easily connect the dots between positions and also you'll probably start to notice the recurring patterns that are shared all across the neck.

Good luck - it only takes practice and patience!

 

[DrewJD82]

I was just sitting down to pick a new scale to mess around with, good timing.

I never got anywhere looking at modes/scales on one position of the neck, I had to see it and memorize it up and down the neck-

It really helps me get the mode I’m playing in by noodling over a droning note, because you REALLY know when you hit a wrong note and it cements them in my head better. (For the 20 mins I focus on them….then they’re gonzo, so I just go back to the minor scale) Playing octave shapes is like the buy one get one free of learning scale/mode shapes, toss in some string skipping and you’re taking yourself right out of the ‘I’m playing a scale’ thing.

I tend to focus on all the half-step areas more than anything else, once I learn those I can connect the dots fairly easy.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Drilled the A minor scale for several hours. I did try to spend some time trying to do 3 note per string stuff at speed using two strings, trying to wake my fingers up to doing lead crap. I recorded some of it but I’m not going to make anyone suffer through replays of it.

I probably went over this backing track 50 times and only snipped this because you can tell the moment I said F it and went short-bus Lifeson.

Sounds good to me. You got this. Just keep doing what your doing. The more time you put into it the more it'll come together. There's some good advice already given here. Work around the triads and come up with melody lines, and then work on transition notes or lines between chord changes.
Repeat it up and down the fingerboard in different string positions and octaves. Most of the battle is in visualizing the notes across the fingerboard, but that's why learning triad positions is important. But most importantly, just use your ears.
It's a never-ending journey of learning.

 

[2112]

Drilled the A minor scale for several hours. I did try to spend some time trying to do 3 note per string stuff at speed using two strings, trying to wake my fingers up to doing lead crap. I recorded some of it but I’m not going to make anyone suffer through replays of it.

I probably went over this backing track 50 times and only snipped this because you can tell the moment I said F it and went short-bus Lifeson.

That's a pretty tasty solo!

Learning your favourite solos and adopting your favourite chunks is a great way to practice technique, musicality and structure it all.

Better yet, TRANSCRIBE your favourite solos.

 

[LeftyLoungeLizard]

Look, man - if you wanna shred, youse gotta soak yer head in it. Youse gotta give it all youse got.

This is standard issue for all shredders who wanna rip their callouses right off their fingertips, blow minds, and melt faces and eyeballs:

Hear 'n' Aid - Stars



Listen to it all the way through at a bare minimum of 100x; paying special attention to the 5,000 guitar solos section, until all you hear in your head all day and night long are pinchie squealies, dive bombs, flurries of hammer-ons/pull-offs, twisted finger tappings, and incendiary arpeggios.

Only then will you understand your true purpose and mission in life.

(this post approved by Bill Gates)

 

[Whizzinby]

A few things I'd recommend that will help you become more fluid and not get stuck in the boxes. Start with one key to become familiar with these, then apply to other keys.

• Learn the "horizontal" major and minor pentatonic scale patterns
• Learn all the triad arpeggios on "sets" of 3 strings
• Learn the scales on 2-string sets moving up (or down) the neck
• Learn how the pentatonic scales (major and minor) "fit" within the diatonic scales

All of those things will help you to more easily connect the dots between positions and also you'll probably start to notice the recurring patterns that are shared all across the neck.

Good luck - it only takes practice and patience!

Yeah I’m going take up your advice tomorrow and focus on a-minor horizontally. I feel like it’s easier to learn scales in a vertical box, but then you get trapped in them and it feels like everything you play sounds predictable. I’m going to focus on this.

Look, man - if you wanna shred, youse gotta soak yer head in it. Youse gotta give it all youse got.

This is standard issue for all shredders who wanna rip their callouses right off their fingertips, blow minds, and melt faces and eyeballs:

Hear 'n' Aid - Stars



Listen to it all the way through at a bare minimum of 100x; paying special attention to the 5,000 guitar solos section, until all you hear in your head all day and night long are pinchie squealies, dive bombs, flurries of hammer-ons/pull-offs, twisted finger tappings, and incendiary arpeggios.

Only then will you understand your true purpose and mission in life.

(this post approved by Bill Gates)

3:43 I was like yeah that’s exactly what I’d like to be able to bust out at will, then realized it friggin Yngwie.

Sounds good to me. You got this. Just keep doing what your doing. The more time you put into it the more it'll come together. There's some good advice already given here. Work around the triads and come up with melody lines, and then work on transition notes or lines between chord changes.
Repeat it up and down the fingerboard in different string positions and octaves. Most of the battle is in visualizing the notes across the fingerboard, but that's why learning triad positions is important. But most importantly, just use your ears.
It's a never-ending journey of learning.

Yeah I’m going to go back over minor triads tomorrow. I practiced them for a couple days on acoustic about a decade ago, and it was probably the best two days Ive ever been as a guitar player. I felt like I had a pretty good picture of the fretboard. Like most things, I squirreled and didnt hammer at it long enough to fully incorporate into my “repertoire”.

That's a pretty tasty solo!

Learning your favourite solos and adopting your favourite chunks is a great way to practice technique, musicality and structure it all.

Better yet, TRANSCRIBE your favourite solos.

Thanks broseph

“Can you improvise”…. “Yeah I can Limelight, Red Barchetta, and Subdivisions in 3-4 different keys”

Good shout to peek at some of my favorite solos and work backwards deconstructing them.

 

[unix-guy]

Yeah I’m going take up your advice tomorrow and focus on a-minor horizontally. I feel like it’s easier to learn scales in a vertical box, but then you get trapped in them and it feels like everything you play sounds predictable. I’m going to focus on this.

This set of patterns is easy to play and works really well with index and middle ring fingers only.

If you start with A, it's A minor pentatonic. If you start with C, it's C major pentatonic.

The minor is always 2 notes on the string where the root note is followed by 3 notes on the next string. Notes on each string are always a whole step apart.

The major is always 3 notes on the string where the root note is followed by 2 notes on the next string. Notes on each string are always a whole step apart.

When ascending, the 2nd to 3rd notes of each 3 note section (C, D, E in this example) are the "pivot" points where the position changes. Sliding from the second to third note facilitates very fluid movement.

When descending, the 2nd to the 1st handle the same thing.

In the image above, I marked out the movement for both A minor pentatonic and C major pentatonic starting on the E string.