Revamp Your Playing

We all at one time in our guitar playing 'careers' come to the point where we feel we are not improving, you suddenly come to a standstill. This is where im at right now. I've been playing a mere 2 years now and i am struggling to see where i can go with my playing. I was talking to my dad who used to play guitar, infact, he still occasionaly does and he told me,'Just keep playing and playing, Practise'.

Lets face it, Practise is boring unless it is something you enjoy. I have come up with some workouts for Lead playing and Rhythm alike. Sweep Picking, Alternate Picking,Stamina, Speed - It's all here. Recently i've found these to be very useful so i thought i'd post them is this lesson. My aim is to take you away from playing scales over and over again to improve your playing and to try and make your practise time a little more fun by experimenting.

Rhythm Playing

When i practise rhythm i usually play chords. Ill start of with major to miner to Chords with 7th's and 9th's.

Ill then add extra notes to them, to make them into like funky riffs and licks. This can really improve your chord playing and help you make what would normal boring chord patterns into exciting riffs.

Example 1 - Under The Bridge (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

|----------------------------|
|-9--9---7-(7)-7---7---------|
|-9--9---8-(8)-8---8h9p8---8-|
|-9--9---9-(9)-----------9---|
|-7--7---9-(9)---9-----------|
|----------------------------|

|-------------------5h7p5---|----------------------------|
|------9----9-4---5-------5-|-9--9---7-(7)-7---7---------|
|------9----9-4---6-------6-|-9--9---8-(8)-8---8h9p8---8-|
|-9s11-9-11-9-6---7---------|-9--9---9-(9)-----------9---|
|-9s11---11---6---7---------|-7--7---9-(9)---9-----------|
|---------------------------|----------------------------|

|---------------------5-----|
|------9----9---5-(5)---5---|
|------9----9---6-(6)-----6-|
|-9s11-9-11-9---7-(7)-------|
|-9s11---11-----7-(7)-------|
|---------------------------|

Hammer Ons and Pull Offs are used here aswell as broken chords. This makes them sound more technical and it really livens up the riff.

Example 2

|----------------|-------------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------------|-------------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-9-(9)---9---9--|--(9)-9------------|--------7--6--|-(6)----(6)--------|
|-9-(9)---9--11--|-(11)-9--9---9S=7--|-7-7--7-7--7--|-(7)----(7)--------|
|-9h11-----------|--------11--11S=9--|-9-7--7h9--7--|-(7)----(7)-----7--|
|-0-(0)----------|-------------------|--------------|------------7-9----|

|----------------|-------------------|--------------|--------|
|----------------|-------------------|--------------|--------|
|-9-(9)---9---9--|--(9)-9-11------7--|--------7--6--|-(6)----|
|-9-(9)---9--11--|-(11)-9--9---9S=7--|-7-7--7-7--7--|-(7)----|
|-9h11-----------|--------11--11S=9--|-9-7--7h9--7--|-(7)----|
|-0-(0)----------|-------------------|--------------|--------|

This is an intro to a song a made up. I took the same kind of ideas that Frusciante used in 'Under The Bridge' and mixed them with some bluesy chords.

You can use different techniques like Stacatto or different rhythmic ideas.

An example of a stacatto based riff would be Franz Ferdinand's 'Take Me Out'.

For Rock and Metal players, Rhyhtm playing is alot more about speed than it is about making chords sound 'good'. Alot of metal players nowadays uses Pedal notes and make use of Drop D. If you at bands like Trivium or older bands such as Metallica and Alice In Chains, you can see you use of detuning in most of their songs. Tuning down to drop D is a great way to speed up the playing of Power Chords.

Example 1 - 'Them Bones' (Alice In Chains)

||----------------------------|----------------------------|
||o-6-------------------------|-6--------------------------|
||--5-------------------------|-5--------------------------|
||--0-0-0-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-3-0-0-|-0-0-0-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-3-0-0--|
||o-0-0-0-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-3-0-0-|-0-0-0-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-3-0-0--|
||--0-0-0-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-3-0-0-|-0-0-0-1-1-1-1-2-2-2-3-0-0--|

This a typical Drop D riff.

Example 2 - 'Slither' (Velvet Revolver)

||-------------------|------------------||
||o------------------|-----------------o||
||-------------------|------------------||
||-------------------|------------------||
||o-0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4-o||
||--0-3-4-0-6-7-0-10-|-0-6-7-0-5-0-3-4--||

This is an example of using Drop D to speed up your power chord playing. It is alot easier to play this riff like this than it would be to playing it in regular standard tuning power chords.

Pedal notes have been ued since the birth of metal and before in various blues pieces and organ music. A pedal note is a drone which is a note sustained for a length of time or played in a unwavering rhythm to provide an anchor point for the chords played over them. Pedal notes are almost tremelo picked depending on what the tempo of the song is. More often than not, very fast in terms of metal music. Practise pedal notes can help increase your stamina if played regularly. It will also slowly improve your accuracy which in the long term could help your lead playing.

Example 1 - 'Can I Play With Madness' (Iron Maiden)

|------------------------------------|-^3--------------------------------|
||o-^3-------------------------------|-^3--------------------------------|
||--^2-------------------------------|-^x--------------------------------|
||--^0-------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-^2-------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|
||o----------------------------------|-^3--------------------------------|
||-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

|-3-------------------------------|-----3---2-------3---2-------3---|
|-3-------------------------------|-----3---3-------3---3-------3---|
|-0-------------------------------|-----2---2-------2---2-------2---|
|-0-------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-----0---0-------0---0-------0---|
|-x-------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|-3-------------------------------|---------------------------------|

Example 2 - 'Crazy Train' - (Ozzy Osbourne)

||----------------7---------|-5------------------------||
||o-------5-------5---------|-3---------2-(2)---------o||
||--------6-------4---------|-2---------2-(2)------2---||
||--------7-------6---------|-4---------2-(2)------2---||
||o-0-0-0---0-0-0---0-0-0-0-|---0-0-0-0-0-(0)------0--o||
||--------------------------|------------------3s4-----||

Example 3 - 'Pull Harder...' - (Trivium) - Drop D

||------------------------------|-----------------------------|
||o-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
||------------------------------|-----------------------------|
||--7-------------------------7-|-8-------------------------8-|
||o-5-------------------------5-|-5-------------------------5-|
||----0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---|

|-----------------------------|---------------------------------||
|-----------------------------|--------------------------------o||
|-----------------------------|---------------------------------||
|-8-------------------------8-|-7-------------------------------||
|-6-------------------------6-|-7------------------------------o||
|---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---|---7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7---||

Lead Playing

Lead guitarists are always looking to find new ways to help build their speed and improve technique. In this section i am going to look at rock and metal and Guitarists like Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen and Newer Guitarists such as Matt Heafy.

Warm Up - Prepare For A Gig Or General Practise

It is extremely important to warm up before a gig, to reduce the risk of injury and to increase the risk of pulling off a good solo. There more ready your fingers are, the more willing they will be. This is an exercise i found off a video interview with Matt Heafy (Trivium). It is all alternate picked (Down, Up, Down, Up). Start off slowly and eventually you'll be playing this at decent speeds. This is a pretty simple one, my fingers seem to fit nicely with this riff.

Example

Gtr I
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-12-14-15-14-12-14-15--|
|-12-14-15-14-12-14-15--|-----------------------|

E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-12-14-16-14-12-14-16--|
|-12-14-16-14-12-14-16--|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|

E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-14-16-17-16-14-16-17--|
|-14-16-17-16-14-16-17--|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|

E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-12-14-16-14-12-14-16--|
|-12-14-16-14-12-14-16--|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|

E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-11-12-14-12-11-12-14--|
|-10-12-14-12-10-12-14--|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|

E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-12-11-------11----------|-------------------------|
|-------14-12----14-12----|-14-12-------12----------|
|----------------------15-|-------15-14----15-14----|
|-------------------------|----------------------15-|

Remember! Alternate Picking!

Tremelo Picking

Tremelo picking is a popular technique used is alot of style of music. Basically Tremelo picking is playing notes at superhigh speeds by picking as fast as you possibly can. Just like pedal notes, Tremelo picking can improve spee and stamina greatly. Tremelo picking is one of the most easiest techniques to master because it is usually just on one string. But players such as Yngwie Malmsteen have incorporated string skipping.

Example 1 - 'Eruption' (Van Halen)

|--12----16-19-17--16--17---14--16---12-------------|
|--\\----\\-\\-\\--\\--\\---\\--\\---\\-------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------|

This is a very melodic piece of tremelo picking.

Example 2 - String Skippig with Tremelo Picking.

|---------------------------------------15----------|
|----------------------------13-12------\\-----15b--|
|-------14----12-------------\\-\\----------14--\\--|
|-------\\----\\--------15----------14------\\------|
|--12--------------15---\\----------\\--------------|
|--\\--------------\\-------------------------------|

This is alot harder to play than example one because you are changing strings regularly. This is a great warm-up however because it tests your picking hand and your fretting hand.

Tapping

Tapping was revived in the late 70's by Edward Van Halen and his brainchild that is 'Eruption'. It is the tapping masterpiece at the end that is played so cleanly and smooth that has made tapping an essential part of a lead guitarists. Not only does it sound awesome it is also relatively easy.

The best workout would be eruption but i am going to take the idea of it to make some simpler tapping runs for you.

Example

T T T T T T T T
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|-7h10-12-7h10-12-7h10-12-7h10-12-6h9-12-6h9-12-6h9-12-6h9-12-|
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------|

T T T T T T T T
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|-5h8-12-5h8-12-5h8-12-5h8-12-4h7-12-4h7-12-4h7-12-4h7-12-|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------|

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
|-6-9-13-6-9-13-------------------------------|
|---------------6-9-13-6-9-13-----------------|
|-----------------------------6-10-13-6-10-13-|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------|
|-6-10-13-6-10-13---------------------------------|
|-----------------6-10-13-6-10-13-----------------|
|---------------------------------6-10-13-6-10-13-|

The Adrian Smith Techniques

Guitarist Maiden Fans may of downloaded or watched the guitar lesson with Adrian Smith. He went through some random stuff and talked about his career.

There were two things that stood out from it for me. One was a warm up and one was a legato type technique which i have no name for so i just call it the Adrian Smith technique. The first was a Warm-up as i said. He uses it to build stamina in his fretting hand fingers.

It is a basic hammer on and pull off lick which could be used for a warm up.

|-5h6p5h6p5h7p5h7p|=5h8p5h8p5h7p5h7p|=5h6p5h6p5h7p5h7p|=5h8p5h8p5h7p5h7-|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

This does work but i reccomend when it starts hurting you should stop for 5 or 10 minutes.

The other technique was a classical style kinda lick that goes up and down the neck. It is on 2 strings. He has incorporated into hsi solo for the Wickerman, He does it on the Rock In Rio DVD.

Example

|-2-------2-------2-------|-3-------3-------3-------|
|---4p0h4---4p0h4---4p0h4-|---5p0h5---5p0h5---5p0h5-|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|

|-5-------5-------5----------|-3-------3-------3-------|
|---7p0h7---7p0h7---7p0h7----|---5p0h5---5p0h5---5p0h5-|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|

|-2-------2-------2-------|-3-------3-------3-------|
|---4p0h4---4p0h4---4p0h4-|---5p0h5---5p0h5---5p0h5-|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|

|-5-------5-------5----------|-3-------3-------3-------|
|---7p0h7---7p0h7---7p0h7----|---5p0h5---5p0h5---5p0h5-|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------------|-------------------------|

This really does help building stamina and fretboard accuracy and sounds really cool.

Sweep Picking

This is going to be the final part of the lead playing section. It is Sweep Picking. A technique that takes years to master but is really worth the time. I have not yet got much good at this but have got some routines which may help you pick up speed and develop ideas. Sweep Picking is used in most metal nowadays. Guitarists like Randy Rhoads,Yngwie Malmsteen and Herman Li,Yngwie Malmsteen and Dragonforce being the most extreme i've ever heard have all used sweep picking in there solo's. Sweep picking is basically using a sweeping motion with your picking hand to pick the notes but at the same time not letting the notes bleed into each other. It requires amazing coordination and accuracy. An example of some sweep picking would be at the end of the 'Pull Harder...' (Trivium) solo or in any of the Dragonforce solos. I have got one exericise to show you which uses classical inspiration.

Example - Battle Axe - (Quiet Riot)

|-------------5-9-|-7-5---5-------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------|-----9---7-9-5-------|---------------------5-|
|---------6-9-----|---------------------|-------------------6---|
|-------7---------|---------------9-6---|-----------------7-----|
|-----7-----------|-------------------7-|-5---5---------7-------|
|-5-9-------------|---------------------|---9---7-9-5-9---------|

|-----------------|----------------------|
|-6---------------|-------------6--6-5-3-|
|---7-------------|---------4-7----------|
|-----7-----------|-------5--------------|
|-------8-5-------|-----5----------------|
|-----------8-7-5-|-3-7------------------|

|-----------------|---------------------------|------||
|-5---------------|---------------------------|-2----||
|-5-5-------------|----3----------------------|-2----||
|-5---5-2---------|----3----------------------|-2----||
|---------3-------|----1----------------------|-0----||
|-----------5-3-1-|-0-------------------------|------||

That is all for this lesson. Everything here if used regularly and if it is experimented with, will help yur playing in some way. This is just a little something different for you to try. If there is a technique you don't understand, look it up.

Comments

[DaveGilmour1189]

?

okay....shouldn't this be in the LESSONS section.

and for the record never start sweep picking with 5 or six string sweeps, your not gonna get anywhere for awhile.

[GuitaPlaya]

^^agreed

[cashewchaching]

Same old stuff everyone else says.

[imnotcommunist]

dont use trivium as an example, and metallica's early stuff was e standard

[vampwizzard]

lots of spelling errors.. run through a spell checker next time!

[Morning Star]

Give the guy a break for a decent effort. Why not use Trivium as an example? Metallica have played drop D just because their early stuff wasn't is irrelevant.
I agree with the sweep picking comment beginners will need something easier but he never said it was aimed at beginner players.

Thanks for sharing your ideas Donkey.

[Absent Mind]

I disagree greatly with the sweep picking comment.

If a guitarist is branching out to the sweep technique, they probably arnt to much of a beginner, which means you can assume they can play on all 6 strings of their guitar equally.

Now to learn sweep picking, is to practice slowly, making the connection between your right and left hand getting in sync and playing smoothly, and what does any of that have to do with the number of strings you use? I dont think starting on 3-4 will make a differnce, if you play 5-6 and do it slowly and correctly you will achieve the same thing.

I myself have for around 3-4 years, and I am currently in this rut, I think its the transistion between intermediate to advanced techniques that gets people feeling they arnt going any where, because serious practice at the start gets you to intermediate very quickly, but advancing from that is always slow.

[Kakatara]

Morning Star wrote:

Give the guy a break for a decent effort. Why not use Trivium as an example? Metallica have played drop D just because their early stuff wasn't is irrelevant.
I agree with the sweep picking comment beginners will need something easier but he never said it was aimed at beginner players.

Thanks for sharing your ideas Donkey.

Metallica used dropped D in "The Thing That SHouyld not Be" and thats like the only early song that they did that in my knowledge

[Renfordoggz]

you know if you really feel you've hit a wall in your playing.....u could just leave the guitar alone for a while nd then pick it up later on (you decide when) i do tht nd when i come back to the guitar i come up with quite awesome riffs and stuff

[El Penguino]

actually....a LOT of this stuff is wrong and not that helpful, good effort though
to morning star first:it IS relevant because in the article he said most early metallica

now, not much of the rythmn playing stuff makes sence "Hammer Ons and Pull Offs are used here aswell as broken chords. This makes them sound more technical and it really livens up the riff."
i highly doubt fruc's intent was to make it sound mroe technical, it doesn't really either

Throughout the article you kind of through in musical terms like legato and staccato, without a definition, and since they aren't really used correctly, it leads me to assume you don't REALLY know what they are/therefor you shouldn't be giving people advice

and if someones playing has haulted, it's probably because theyre bored and giving them drop d with the explanation "it's easier to play powerchords" isn't gonna help them more then likely
drop d is good for rejuvenating playing, but not because it makes powerchords easy, that will more thne likely bore them more
some of the songs you used arent correct
and dragonforce isn't really that technical in sweep picking,trivium doesn't do it as much as you let on either
that iron maiden exercise (the first one) is called a trill
and if you can't sweep pick, you should not be telling people how to do it, you could potentially set them on a path of bad technique which could possibly cause physical pain
spell check is a must also

[rik23]

?

[sticknick]

Some of this advice isn't too bad for beginners actually.

The idea of using hammer-ons and pulls to spice up chords is a good one and can really liven up a boring chord progression.

As for dropped D, there is more to this tuning than just making power chords easy. With enough practice in dropped D you can manage to play rhythm and lead at once... or at least a reasonable hand drawn facsimile. I play nothing but DD and being the only guitarist in a four piece band it makes all the difference; ecpecially when people at shows come up to you after and say: "It sounded like there were two guitarists up there."

It's also funny that the people bitching about spelling have horrible, horrible grammar.

[mucaslooney]

"It's also funny that the people bitching about spelling have horrible, horrible grammar."

Amen.

[jrnjd]

I have also been playing for 2 years and I have a hard time learning solos. Maybe some of this stuff will help. Thanks.

[that1l)ude]

You don't have any right to write an article on revamping your playing after only 2 years. I say that and ive only played 2 years myself. You though seem to have any knowledge of music theory. All of this are things most players who aren't wasting their time or aren't brand new to the instrument know.
a couple of things that really stuck out.
The "Adrian Smith" technique is not just exclusive to him, millions of guitarists have used it extensively.
It doesn't take years of practicing sweep picking to get right, if you practice it hard at all. It only took me two months, but i practiced my ass off.

[Sonatafan]

Okay... So what if there are some typeos in the article? Those aren't too hard to figure out.

The "Adrian Smith" technique is not just exclusive to him, millions of guitarists have used it extensively.

He never said that it is exclusive to Adrian. He just has learned it from Adrians lesson.

A good lesson afterall man ...

[spartan 118]

This lesson would normally get a 9 from me, but you included Van Halen and Maiden, so I'm giving you a 10. Awesome dude. Just awesome.

[xavengedx]

really nice lession, but on tremelo picking, i mastered it along time ago by using "wasted years", it's a pretty good song to learn, and helps alot in tremelo picking even if you dont know
artist is "Iron Maiden"

[metallfiendVT]

Metallica using dropped "D" frequently? Um ... I think not, like, once or twice in 10 albums ...

[Teletubbies]

This post is OK, I give it a 7. Really though, for starting sweeps start with a simple 3 string sweep, then 4, then 5, then 6. Actually, I don't know if this was best, but I went in the order of 3, 5, 6, then 4. And about the Metallica thing, I agree totally. If your stuck in a rut, try a very challenging thing that you could never imagine that you could do. And I'm not talking about all that Yngwie-Rusty Cooley-Michael Romeo deal, try something a bit complex, like with really wierd picking patterns. Try like the solo to Damage Inc, or Master of Puppets worked for me. If you want to start sweeping though, and like a pinch of complexity, try the solo to Leper Messiah, awesome sweep and pretty cool solo. Symphony of Destruction is pretty cool too, and if you like any of the Classic Rock stuff, try some Journey or AC/DC. Also for tapping, i reccomend just experimenting with it. Use a pick if you want to, then try it with your finger if you feel comfortable with it. And when you feel confident that you've kinda got it, then go to a bit more complex stuff like some of Trivium's taps. As for tremolo picking, Wasted Years By Iron Maiden is definately a good choice. Damage Inc. Is pertty cool with the whole Tremolo-Esque picking thing at the start. I don't know how people get stuck in a rut, my cousin is in one now. I think people are just too lazy to tackle something that is a bit above their level of playing. Just try it and practice until you get better at it and TRUST ME, you'll get out of it. Practice, practice, practice. I've been playing for about a year and a half and I practice an average of 4 hours a day. Hardest thing I can play right now is The Intro to Blitzkrieg by Yngwie Malmsteen. Oh yea, once you get Alternate down a bit, that reminds me, try economy picking. I'm too lazy to explain it, but there are some halfway decent lessons on here you can look at. Hope my advice helped.

[The Kinzo]

Ahh its good to see Randys influence spread more and more each day.

But I dont think Randy Rhoads used sweep picking, he was more keen on the whole alternate picking thing. I could be wrong, but I dont think I am wrong.

[rusrec00]

El Penguino wrote:

Throughout the article you kind of through in musical terms like legato and staccato, without a definition, and since they aren't really used correctly, it leads me to assume you don't REALLY know what they are/therefor you shouldn't be giving people advice *you're giving advice, why should he?*

and if someones playing has haulted, it's probably because theyre bored *Assumption* and giving them drop d with the explanation "it's easier to play powerchords" isn't gonna help them *actually anything offered that your not currently doing can help break you out of a rut, be it playing, working out, or just life in general* more then likely
drop d is good for rejuvenating playing, but not because it makes powerchords easy, that will more thne likely bore them more
some of the songs you used arent correct
and dragonforce isn't really that technical in sweep picking *I've seen Herman Li do some very technical sweeping, hes quite good at it actually* ,trivium doesn't do it as much as you let on either *I only got that they do it from the article, not that they do it "much"*

and if you can't sweep pick, you should not be telling people how to do it *many perfectly good coaches can't actually do the things they are coaching, this doesnt mean they should not be coaching*, you could potentially set them on a path of bad technique *this I agree with you on* which could possibly cause physical pain *also tru, could cause injuries*
spell check is a must also *Your Spelcheck missed the following words: sence, aswell, mroe, thne. While were on the subject of grammer: through and haulted (both represent the wrong meanings....actually haulted doesn't even exist) i should pretty much always be I, and Im not sure what to think of this trick are/therefor. Also, you missed a s#!tload of apostrophes and periods.

[Donkey Fly]

To be honest...

I don't really care if you don't find it helpful yourselves. If only one person finds helpful then it's a job done.

And as for Grammar - I typed this up on Wordpad. I don't have Microsoft Word and so don't have access to a spellchecker unless i go on the internet which i didn't think of. My typing has always been bad because i rush things.

As for the Metallica Drop - D thing. I just guessed about it. I'm not really a Metallica fan to be honest but i thought as them as a popular metal choice and included them.

I didn't even think this would get accpeted but it did. But why won't they accept my Neo-classical article which has been approved in the forums?!

[oo4blackdog4oo]

wowww it seems like EVERYONE does that after playing for about 2 years...idk why. i went through that too though...

[Norse_Iron_King]

i wne through the rut at three years. Thats when i got into black metal, learned tapping and tremolo picking.

[CapnKickass]

alright.. not bad. and on a slightly related note 2 iron maiden songs in a row while listening to my music library on shuffle and reading this

[Larstastic]

i like what you wrote, i'm trying to make the same transition -- nice to know that this kind of thing isn't a rarity.

[Asthia]

What would have been a better suggestion than listing and explaining these techniques would be to learn different styles.
I got stuck after playing mostly metal... Then I learnt funk and ska and it's boosted me far beyond what I used to be.

[EatsP1es]

personally with sweeping i went straight for 5 string arpeggios and (admittedly after months of working at it) i've finally got it down at a good speed.

i think so long as you practise until you get it right, the extra string'age shouldn't make a difference

[Boogie1444]

i certainly enjoyed reading it, maiden wo0p =D 4 years but not really bothered doing all this stuff except tremoloes nd trills nd h/p obv., fingerpicking and traditional music i found interested me when i got in a rut, playing anything you can (i.e improv.) to songs wherever u hear them, like them or not, learnin ur theory so u know wat ur playing, etc. my mate just constantly writes songs nd tht works for him. the main thing, enjoy it, and make sure uve also got a life. wont get u nowhere w/out tchniques...

language changes, is stadardized by the dominant ppl frm 1755ish onwards since Johnson's dictionary as well as other factors i imagine.

ill probs not check back, but i hope this and the article has been useful to others.

tara lads
(wat a sexist comment)

[korn_dawg]

Your major point presented repeatedly throughout your article spells practice wrong... Presentation is everything; you want to present your topic like you know what you're talking about.. and like you know the language which you're writing in. :-P

[lachlandavis]

If your stuck... steal someone elses riff, duh!

Just kidding... It was an ok overveiw for beginers looking at where to go, i dont think its helpful for skilled guitarists who are "stuck in a rut"

I agree with what people have said about sweeping... dont start on 6 string sweeps. And if you were going to make a good sweep lesson, try and explain it a little, explain different chord shapes and right hand technique ext

But over all the warmups are useful.

[BobChicken]

DaveGilmour1189 :
?

okay....shouldn't this be in the LESSONS section.

and for the record never start sweep picking with 5 or six string sweeps, your not gonna get anywhere for awhile.

Rubbish! i started on 5 strings and i can sweep well!... although im wierd coz my upstrokes are better than my downstrokes.....

[mack attack]

Practice, not practise

[JeffWiredBeck24]

mack attack wrote:

Practice, not practise

Ever hear of England?

[korn_dawg]

For the record, I retract my earlier statement, and feel a great deal stupider. Sorry, not much exposure to England over here in Kentucky. Also, kudos on including Alice in Chains =)

[Black_Fender]

DaveGilmour1189 wrote:

?

okay....shouldn't this be in the LESSONS section.

and for the record never start sweep picking with 5 or six string sweeps, your not gonna get anywhere for awhile.

Umm... I started on a 5 string sweep and got it down in a few weeks, so I guess you're wrong.

[jetfuel495]

"Guitarists like Randy Rhoads,Yngwie Malmsteen and Herman Li,Yngwie Malmsteen and Dragonforce"

lol

[friendly fire]

Its not a typo- he must have been talking about a different yngwie and herman li

[Ian_Hendrix]

I think this was a pretty decent article so stop b***ing at him about it.

[H1ghGa1n]

It wasn't bad... not worth bashing thats for sure, but certainly worth joking about the spelling and grammar errors lol.

In all honesty though it was a pretty good artical. Getting stuck in your playing like that sucks... I've been playing for only 2 years my self. Nice job on the article.

[flying jello]

Adrian technique...is that not a trill? I beliiieeevveee it is, I could be wrong.

[carpe-diem]

^^The first Adrian example is pretty much a trill, using three different intervals. Call it what you want; trill, or hammer-ons and pull-offs (Y)

[Rancidmaniac13]

Asthia wrote:

What would have been a better suggestion than listing and explaining these techniques would be to learn different styles.
I got stuck after playing mostly metal... Then I learnt funk and ska and it's boosted me far beyond what I used to be.

I agree. I play electric and classical guitar so I don't really get stuck in ruts too much. I also think that this article's title is a bit too ambitious.

[daniel.mycoe]

If it helps, I always suggested to my old students that buying some form of recording mechanism, preferably a USB Audio interface such as an M-Box, Black-Box (the list goes on), is the best thing you can do to improve. Though playing spontaniously while you're watching TV (which is great for songwriting by the way) or playing out of a book, you can sometimes believe it's better than it is (couldn't think of a nice way to put it sorry!). If you record yourself playing, preferably to a drum track or backing track to add depth, and listen back and think it is honestly fantastic then you've mastered it. If not, keep trying!

[lord of stones]

Great article!!!

[akarguy]

Wow! You guys need to lighten up. Poor Donkey Fly takes the time and the effort to put this thing up, and all most of you do is rip him.

[timzee117]

grammar distracts from the main point of the writing

[n0e]

"*I've seen Herman Li do some very technical sweeping, hes quite good at it actually*"

Haha A maj 7 actually... *sigh* dragonforce is shit

[Silky Smooth]

The Adrian pattern is simply an easy way to play a fast diminished lick!

[autumn-offering]

nice thanks for poeting im a beginer so i took it all on board and it has helped me get out of the rzt i was in.. pissed off john petrucci wasnt mentioned in the sweep picking though dragonforce adn malmsteen are nothing compared ta petrucci

[hippotato7]

ive hit that wall at 8 months, does that mean im advanced? (for the people who like to go on ego trips...im kidding)

[Paul P. Webb II]

Just reading these posts is really funny. I didn't even read the article. Thanks for the entertainment kids...

[A-C-I]

i found this info to be pretty helpful.

[ponnightingale]

"It is extremely important to warm up before a gig, to reduce the risk of injury and to increase the risk of pulling off a good solo"

The risk? Lol I think you mean chances but I know what you meant... pretty good! But The Thing That Should Not Be isn't drop-d as far as I know, I think it's just standard or D-standard?
What, like playing a solo is a bad thing?

[CLVPX]

It's been damn near 2 years I've been playing and I seem to be at this stage, There seems to be little motivation as it is nearly constant theory I'm learning from teacher, any advice?

[daniel.mycoe]

ponnightingale wrote:

"It is extremely important to warm up before a gig, to reduce the risk of injury and to increase the risk of pulling off a good solo"

The risk? Lol I think you mean chances but I know what you meant... pretty good! But The Thing That Should Not Be isn't drop-d as far as I know, I think it's just standard or D-standard?
What, like playing a solo is a bad thing?

One member of my band has a wank before playing gigs. He is danger of breaking his banjo string.

[CLVPX]

friendly fire wrote:

Its not a typo- he must have been talking about a different yngwie and herman li

Yes, the one who plays with Herman & The one who plays with Dragonforce..

[cjimil419]

if youve only played guitar for two years, you shouldnt be trying to teach lessons on here. I've been playin for almost five years, and i've never used warmups, no one needs them. Some people like them, but its better to just play.

[dickie_kak]

I'm going through the rut too. And you pretty much mentioned all the guitarist/bands that started me playing guitar. Thanks, I think this might help. But TOOL has to cool licks/riffs that will definately pick that interest back up again. Cheers to all.

[Mihyaeru]

I find the best exercises to get you started on sweeping is found in John Petruccis Rock Disciple dvd, which starts wth 4 fingers, in fanct i found it easier to do 3 or 4 fingers than to just do 2 :S

[Mihyaeru]

if youve only played guitar for two years, you shouldnt be trying to teach lessons on here. I've been playin for almost five years, and i've never used warmups, no one needs them. Some people like them, but its better to just play.

You'll end up damaging your wrist and hand if you dont warmup. Warming up gets you prepared and ready to do some seriously intense stuff never ever fly straight into doing something at 220bpm without warming up you'll justp ull a muscle. Like any other hpysical exercise you should stretch and warmup before playing intensely. I a sore wrist now and whenever I play barre chords it hurts, whether this is because I ddint warmup properly for the past 5 years I'm not sure but I think its part of it. It at least improves your playing if anything at all which is always a good thing...

[alecoholic]

Dude, learn how to spell practice

[Otisbum]

Dude, learn that that's how it's spelt in England.

Anyway, great advice.

[xitlight]

Errr.. spell check your articles.

This article was an epic waste of time. Usually when players are "in a rut", it's from one of two factors: The don't practice enough, so they lack the technical proficiency to pull off more advanced material; or they have come to a standstill in creativity and originality in their playing... the latter of which will most likely not be solved by reading this article, and the former is due to lack of dedication.

[Gsus I.B]

The most famous guitar players are built of years of practice maybe is boring but when you learn some song it becomes practice every time you play it you get more ability to play why take a lesson where you should follow some songs that you maybe dont like and that makes it boring so i think your lesson is for some players, with any kind of song you get a little better its ok the picking stuff but step by step beginners realise that there are things that are dificult for them so they just have to practice and that it maybe boring but it is what it takes

[Officer Nasty]

come on,give this guy a break.he seems to know a lot about guitarists' personal attributes for only playing 2 years.ie:evh tapping,yngwies' sweeps.

[chris_libby_88]

officer...thats pretty common stuff...people that dont play guitar know about eddies tapping and masteems sweeping.

[Cheesepuff]

Nice article dude. Make another article about combining the techniques if you can.

[swinghead]

oh c'mon! u've been playing guitar for two years and you come out n say "i'll teach you every cool technique so you can have fun and become great guitarists without practicing"

[A7X666]

this is still practising and for the record on these others guys moaing that uve been playin 2 years im the same but a lil longer n ive come to the same standstill. this is being a big help but its still practising.

good article!!

[micksbiggestfan]

Honestly, I don't think you have any idea of what you're talking about. I don't know about the rest of the tabs you used, but crazy train is off. Nice try though. I've played for 6 years and I don't think I sounded much better at 2. I would say that it's good advice for amateurs that truly aren't going to rise to a more professional level.

[micksbiggestfan]

Honestly this article is bad. Good effort though. And by the way, those of you who say that this is a good article are noobs because you don't know any better.

[BCWarlockRICH]

Metallica used dropped D in "The Thing That SHouyld not Be" and thats like the only early song that they did that in my knowledge

thats beatallica, not metallica, same band essentially but different songs

[snuggleblade]

It's funny because most of the people that complain about and correct this information never take the time to post anything themselves. For some reason it reminds me of all those bands that keep saying "support the local scene" but they never go to your shows and are the first ones to leave town and go on tour or get signed.

[tommy_razor]

hey, i like the article and i like the intro to that song you wrote but this should be in the lessons section, haha

[Donkey Fly]

Yes i know Lol.

It's in both for some reason.

[jpage73]

Honestly, this doesnt help me at all. This was practically aimed at metal players, i will never use and never plan to use tapping and tremolo picking. Wasnt this designed to help me get out of the rut i happened to be in? It honestly didnt but hey thats just me at least metal fans/players are in luck.
"Practise" haha at least your british