What Are You Working On Right Now?

[la szum]

(But I'll play this every day, so I don't lose any ground on it either.)

That's my greatest challenge in technical improvements. Keeping the gains is never-ending. Like my
fingers want to get fat and lazy, lay on the couch and eat Doritos and drink Pepsi.

It's really become more like a fitness challenge for me. Have to apply myself at least 5 days
of the week or increases in my own personal capacity get lost..... or at the very least, regress.

 

[TSJMajesty]

The final sextuplet run in the Bark at the Moon solo. It's faster than I can even pick, but at the tempo I can pick it, I don't have my technique dialed in, which is all upward pick slant for me, since I start it on a downstroke.

Even when playing a riff that doesn't involve changing the pick angle, I still have tendency to rotate my wrist (like opening a doorknob) slightly, and jump over a string, instead of keeping my pick motions completely straight. (Shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line.)

Need to keep the pick moving in a straight line, and using the "escape point" to allow me to clear the string when changing strings, instead of trying to "hop over" it. Just one more bad habit I'm working on cleaning up, that I never even realized until I started getting serious about my technique, and watching guys like Ben Eller and Bernth show the mechanics.

So I'm trying to build the muscle memory, playing it slowly, and keeping all the picking coming only from an up/down motion of my wrist, and eliminating that damn rotation!

I've said it before..., I SO wish I'd practiced this stuff when I was much younger! Those brain pathways, that are bad habits, or at the very least, inefficient technique, are like paths worn down to dirt, through a grassy corner lot.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

The final sextuplet run in the Bark at the Moon solo. It's faster than I can even pick, but at the tempo I can pick it, I don't have my technique dialed in, which is all upward pick slant for me, since I start it on a downstroke.

Even when playing a riff that doesn't involve changing the pick angle, I still have tendency to rotate my wrist (like opening a doorknob) slightly, and jump over a string, instead of keeping my pick motions completely straight. (Shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line.)

Need to keep the pick moving in a straight line, and using the "escape point" to allow me to clear the string when changing strings, instead of trying to "hop over" it. Just one more bad habit I'm working on cleaning up, that I never even realized until I started getting serious about my technique, and watching guys like Ben Eller and Bernth show the mechanics.

So I'm trying to build the muscle memory, playing it slowly, and keeping all the picking coming only from an up/down motion of my wrist, and eliminating that damn rotation!

I've said it before..., I SO wish I'd practiced this stuff when I was much younger! Those brain pathways, that are bad habits, or at the very least, inefficient technique, are like paths worn down to dirt, through a grassy corner lot.

It’s also faster than he can pick since out of those 7 1/2 sets of 16th triplets only two are sixes the others are 5th.
But 150bpm is pretty hefty for 16thtriplets.

 

[TSJMajesty]

It’s also faster than he can pick since out of those 7 1/2 sets of 16th triplets only two are sixes the others are 5th.
But 150bpm is pretty hefty for 16thtriplets.

Yeah, I've gone back and forth on that one, whether the bottom note is repeated or not..., and it really doesn't matter. It's so fast (and he's not 100% accurate anyway), that as long as you hit the top note of each one on the beat, and stick the ending, it's good enough.

Ben Eller even played it by picking the 1st 4 notes, then doing a pull-off for the next 2, (ala Paul Gilbert) and you really can't hear any difference.

I'm mostly using it as an exercise to get my picking motion improved.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Yeah, I've gone back and forth on that one, whether the bottom note is repeated or not..., and it really doesn't matter. It's so fast (and he's not 100% accurate anyway), that as long as you hit the top note of each one on the beat, and stick the ending, it's good enough.

Ben Eller even played it by picking the 1st 4 notes, then doing a pull-off for the next 2, (ala Paul Gilbert) and you really can't hear any difference.

I'm mostly using it as an exercise to get my picking motion improved.

The old Steve Morse picking etude might be fun for your pick slanting exercise…

 

[TSJMajesty]

The old Steve Morse picking etude might be fun for your pick slanting exercise…

View attachment 46469

View attachment 46470

I'll check it out.

I have this area of alt-picking tempo that starts getting uncomfortable (falling behind, then catching up) right about 400 notes per minute. So I've been practicing that BATM riff from 100 to 130, but half-time, so triplets, and right about 130 it starts giving me trouble. (390 notes per minute, which isn't all that fast, with the types of stuff I'm after. And I can play some 16th note riffs at 150, as long as they're more "linear", i.e., not string-skipping.)

But if I stay at 130, but switch to 16th notes, I can play it fine. So usually, I skip over this tempo "problem area", and just bump the metronome up past it.

But today I decided I need to work through that. So I'm staying with triplets, and going to see if I can get from 130 to 140, comfortably. Iow, not increasing the speed until I can land every down-beat note, and play it clean.

And if I can get through that tempo 'dead-zone', and into more comfortable, albeit faster, territory, I'm fairly certain it will translate into me being able to play everything better/easier.


Someone characterized this 'zone' as the same type of transition from walking to running, saying that to run, you don't simply continue to walk faster, but instead, the mechanics of your stride actually change. I think this is quite accurate.

 

[TSJMajesty]

So I'm staying with triplets, and going to see if I can get from 130 to 140, comfortably. Iow, not increasing the speed until I can land every down-beat note, and play it clean.

So just as I suspected, triplets from 145 to 160 were a breeze. 130 to 145 is better than it was, so I'll need to spend some time "filling in that hole" from around 380 to 450 notes per minute. 16th notes at 110 still give me a little trouble.

But back to BATM..., so now I'm playing that ending run as sextuplets, starting at 80 bpm, and see how far I get until I either top out, or get completely bored with it, since that's pretty much been my focus today. But at least I improved my picking motion quite a bit.

 

[TSJMajesty]

THIS is my G.A.S! Just ran that sextuplet run up to 95 bpm, and even though it's still about 50% faster (which I may never get), that shit really excites me! And sounds cool as shit! I couldn't do that a few years ago.

And if I'd've whipped something like that out back when I was gigging, just as a little "seasoning" in a solo, it would've gave me a lot of enjoyment! And yes, I would've also eaten up turning my bandmates' heads.

I'm not trying to be a shredder, but the gear I've bought, mainly the Axe III and the Music Man guitars, have inspired me SO MUCH to practice, and has greatly contributed to keeping it all fun for me, even though I'm not in a band any more. I fucking LOVE this shit!

On to see if I can hit 100 before I call it a night.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

THIS is my G.A.S! Just ran that sextuplet run up to 95 bpm, and even though it's still about 50% faster (which I may never get), that shit really excites me! And sounds cool as shit! I couldn't do that a few years ago.

And if I'd've whipped something like that out back when I was gigging, just as a little "seasoning" in a solo, it would've gave me a lot of enjoyment! And yes, I would've also eaten up turning my bandmates' heads.

I'm not trying to be a shredder, but the gear I've bought, mainly the Axe III and the Music Man guitars, have inspired me SO MUCH to practice, and has greatly contributed to keeping it all fun for me, even though I'm not in a band any more. I fucking LOVE this shit!

On to see if I can hit 100 before I call it a night.

Yeah the walking/running came from me.

I used to have the same issue and pick slanting or escape didn’t fix it. What did is me noticing I kept my position even when going on other strings thus making an angle instead of a straight line

 

[TSJMajesty]

Bark at the Moon end run, main solo, again tonight. Started as triplets, but began @ 120 bpm instead of 100, up 1 bpm each time, playing it btw 1 & 4 x's, sometimes just staying on one set of notes and repeating it over and over; sometimes just doing the run once if it felt good.

Got to 160 then took it down to 80 and played it as sextuplets, again w/ 1 bpm increases, until I reached 100. Last night I got to 105; I'm going to see if I can get 115 tonight.

Edit: Nope. 115 too ambitious. I got 107, then had to start smearing through notes a little to be able to hit the downbeat. But, from 95 to 105 was much cleaner/articulate than yesterday, and I could do more 'reps' w/o making a mistake.

BUT, I let tension creep back in, and didn't even realize it until I was into blazing (for me) territory. So I couldn't just relax, because then I really start missing notes. I have to focus on keeping the tension out, from the slower speeds. So next time I'll pay closer attention to that, and start a little faster, say at 130 (triplets), and see if that helps get me a little further.

Got a pain in my wrist on my final run-thru @ 107, so I'm definitely done for the night. And yeah, it's 3am. Again. Lol

 

[maguchi]

Working on a new tune called "Fire at the Homeless Encampment".

 

[la szum]

Bark at the Moon end run, main solo, again tonight. Started as triplets, but began @ 120 bpm instead of 100, up 1 bpm each time, playing it btw 1 & 4 x's, sometimes just staying on one set of notes and repeating it over and over; sometimes just doing the run once if it felt good.

Got to 160 then took it down to 80 and played it as sextuplets, again w/ 1 bpm increases, until I reached 100. Last night I got to 105; I'm going to see if I can get 115 tonight.

Edit: Nope. 115 too ambitious. I got 107, then had to start smearing through notes a little to be able to hit the downbeat. But, from 95 to 105 was much cleaner/articulate than yesterday, and I could do more 'reps' w/o making a mistake.

BUT, I let tension creep back in, and didn't even realize it until I was into blazing (for me) territory. So I couldn't just relax, because then I really start missing notes. I have to focus on keeping the tension out, from the slower speeds. So next time I'll pay closer attention to that, and start a little faster, say at 130 (triplets), and see if that helps get me a little further.

Got a pain in my wrist on my final run-thru @ 107, so I'm definitely done for the night. And yeah, it's 3am. Again. Lol

BEAST!!!

 

[la szum]

I really enjoy trying to pluck out Arpeggios, various Chord Shapes, and Melodies by ear while
I am listening to Classical Piano. I swear it has led me directly to a couple of cool (albeit cheesy!)
80's style Hair Metal riffs.

Who knew?

Kind of makes sense, though, since pedal tones are massive in Classical Music, and then they
are all over the place as an essential part of 70's and 80's Rock and Metal.

 

[la szum]

Someone characterized this 'zone' as the same type of transition from walking to running, saying that to run, you don't simply continue to walk faster, but instead, the mechanics of your stride actually change. I think this is quite accurate.

There's a killer video from Andy Wood where he mentions that exact thing. I'll see if I can dig it up.

 

[TSJMajesty]

There's a killer video from Andy Wood where he mentions that exact thing. I'll see if I can dig it up.

I think I'm starting to notice another one at around 700 notes per minute. When I play that riff in Home, and play it in half-time, I'll start @ 80 bpm (so it's essentially 16th notes), and go up 2 bpm's each time. But I'll also attempt it at double speed (closer to the real tempo- blazing fast), and my picking motion seems to start to..., like, "flutter", in a way. Best way I can describe it.

 

[la szum]

Man, there's so many videos. I can't seem to locate the one I am recalling.

Andy really shows and describes how there are 2 different methods involved
in picking.... and one only applies to an all out sprint.

This is why I wonder if incremental attempts fail...... because it is just trying
walk really fast and go as fast as sprinting.

 

[TSJMajesty]

This is why I wonder if incremental attempts fail...... because it is just trying
walk really fast and go as fast as sprinting.

I think it's yes, and no.

Many of my posts mention my having trouble with inching up through that "transition zone", so there is that issue.

But when I dial something up to a fast tempo that I can pick pretty well, but my string changes aren't clean, it remains a bit sloppy, if I continue to practice it fast. (Plus, I'm risking ingraining that sloppiness, so there's that.)

But on the days when I only go up 1 or 2 bpm at a time, and work my way all the way up to faster than I can pick it, doing it that way definitely improves my accuracy. And it comes with the added bonus of being able to spot exactly where any tension begins, and also where my picking gets erratic, like starting to hop over a string, instead of keeping that stroke straight. Yeah, yeah, gotta stroke it straight, I know.

With all this practicing I've been doing, I've come to believe both are important. From time to time you gotta take that trained muscle memory from the slow speeds, and just go for it. But if it's the least bit sloppy, ya gotta back it down and gradually come back up. It's what's working best for me.

 

[Jazz Padd]

Just finished preparing lead sheets for the old swing standard Makin’ Whoopee. I’ve been practicing the tune in F with iReal Pro and I’d like to try playing it live with others.

I called it once at an open mic a while back with my brother on percussion and a 2nd guitarist who read it from his smart phone. It’d be nice playing with other instruments.

My main musical activity these days is participating in open jazz jam sessions. Most venues that hold jams have on hand copies of the 2 volume Jazz Standard Bible in C, Bb and Eb (similar to the Real Books).

Any of the 500 tunes in the JSB can be called at a jam. Makin’ Whoopee is not in the JSB, so to call it I’ll prepare and bring charts for the C, Bb and Eb instruments. Vocalists usually do this for their keys.

So at tonight’s jam at a venue that usually has alto and tenor saxes and trumpets, I’ll try calling Makin’ Whoopee. The charts that I made are based in a Real Book chart, but not many people will have that here. Like the guitarist at the open mic, others can use their phone but usually only the chord charts are available. So I think providing a chart with the melody can be courteous to the horn players, mostly intermediate level. If it goes over well, I might call it regularly.

It’s a fun tune to jam! So FWIW, here’s my ad-lib on it from that open mic a while ago:

 

[la szum]

Roadtripping this afternoon to go pick up some supplies for a job, and I am going to hit
a GC while I am in the "Big City."

Downloading some cool jams for the drive, and messing with a Mark IV Preset in
the Fractal to cop those cool-ass James Matheos tones. What a beast!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Time to practice. While you guys talk about new features, and figure out better ways for Fractal and Line 6 to run their businesses.

Got my Home riff to (barely) 160 bpm (as 16th notes; it's actually 32nd notes, but 160 sounds better, lol) yesterday, and a couple of my sextuplet riffs to 120! FUCK YEAH! Both within 10% of where I want to be to be able to play this shit up to tempo.