What Are You Working On Right Now?

[Ed DeGenaro]

Link doesn't play for me, but I'm sure it's a challenge, and sounds awesome, knowing you.

Here you go.
Fun starts at 1:54 if you don’t wanna sit through the hole thing

https://on.soundcloud.com/rXfCP2KkROmfRP0LRg

 

[ian_dissonance]

Fucking trying to down pick 16th notes for 16 straight measures at 100 bpm on some middle strings. One thing about playing your own music exclusively for a really long time is atrophying at really simple shit that you just never do.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Fucking trying to down pick 16th notes for 16 straight measures at 100 bpm on some middle strings. One thing about playing your own music exclusively for a really long time is atrophying at really simple shit that you just never do.

Think back... When you first tried that, were you at like 80 bpm (or whatever), and you had to work at it to get it to 100? Or was somewhere close to 100 natural for you, and you just had to build the endurance and accuracy?

 

[ian_dissonance]

Think back... When you first tried that, were you at like 80 bpm (or whatever), and you had to work at it to get it to 100? Or was somewhere close to 100 natural for you, and you just had to build the endurance and accuracy?

Up to about 94 (starting at 80) was cake. 95-97 were rough but doable. Everything over that still falls apart by ~ measure 8 or 9. If I was doing it on the bottom end, no problem. Not hitting lower strings is what is fucking me up. At the proper tempo I’m having an issue with speed versus wrist/elbow movement. There’s a switch from straight punk power chords on the E/A to metalcore riffing on the (lower) A/E and A strings and that is a catch as well.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Up to about 94 (starting at 80) was cake. 95-97 were rough but doable. Everything over that still falls apart by ~ measure 8 or 9. If I was doing it on the bottom end, no problem. Not hitting lower strings is what is fucking me up. At the proper tempo I’m having an issue with speed versus wrist/elbow movement. There’s a switch from straight punk power chords on the E/A to metalcore riffing on the (lower) A/E and A strings and that is a catch as well.

My initial speed would've been about 70-80, and I could barely do 8 notes at 80. And now after years of practice, my fastest is still only 90, and I can't maintain it for any real length of time.

I'm pretty convinced that we can build speed past our initial "comfort levels", but not by much.

I have a couple 32nd-note Petrucci licks I've been at for years, and I still can't seem to get them past about 80 bpm. Idk if I've reached my own personal speed limit, or if there's still some type of break through that is yet to come. But it's starting to get boring trying to get them up to speed.

And those are mainly 3 nps licks. Move to a 2 nps lick, and it slows even further, to maybe 140 (16th notes.)

It's frustrating, because since JP is my favorite guitarist, I'd like to be able to nail a few of his solos, and since every one of them has some shredding in it, that's what I start with, to practice.

 

[ian_dissonance]

My initial speed would've been about 70-80, and I could barely do 8 notes at 80. And now after years of practice, my fastest is still only 90, and I can't maintain it for any real length of time.

I'm pretty convinced that we can build speed past our initial "comfort levels", but not by much.

I have a couple 32nd-note Petrucci licks I've been at for years, and I still can't seem to get them past about 80 bpm. Idk if I've reached my own personal speed limit, or if there's still some type of break through that is yet to come. But it's starting to get boring trying to get them up to speed.

And those are mainly 3 nps licks. Move to a 2 nps lick, and it slows even further, to maybe 140 (16th notes.)

It's frustrating, because since JP is my favorite guitarist, I'd like to be able to nail a few of his solos, and since every one of them has some shredding in it, that's what I start with, to practice.

At this point it’s personal between me and myself, lol. If I can’t get this up to speed I’m quitting everything, selling all my shit, buying an overpriced Sunn stack and starting a blackened doom band or some shit, lol.

 

[TSJMajesty]

At this point it’s personal between me and myself, lol. If I can’t get this up to speed I’m quitting everything, selling all my shit, buying an overpriced Sunn stack and starting a blackened doom band or some shit, lol.

I've felt that way from time to time.

Mine is also a personal quest, and I gotta say when I play one of those riffs at about 80 bpm, it does make me smile!

 

[ian_dissonance]

I've felt that way from time to time.

Mine is also a personal quest, and I gotta say when I play one of those riffs at about 80 bpm, it does make me smile!

I barely touch real lead guitar. Learning Trooch leads seems nuts to me.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I barely touch real lead guitar. Learning Trooch leads seems nuts to me.

It is nuts on some levels, but it has really opened my eyes to the vastly different ways that one can put notes together to form melodic lead lines. And keeps maintaining his creativity, after all these years!

Here's 3 that I think are so fucking creative, and sound cool af:

 

[TSJMajesty]

I just about got my Home riff @ 85 bpm tonight. Almost there!!