There are three golden rules that I think are very important to adhere to if you are going to start developing your chops (guitarist slang word for technique).
• Practice the right thing.
Do not let yourself make any mistakes while working on technique. Do things very carefully, because there is no point in working a lot on developing a bad habit into a perfect bad habit!
• Start new things very slowly and only speed up when it's perfect.
Speed comes with time and a little help from a metronome, but fast runs must be played smoothly, accurately and clearly or they sound rubbish. The amazing thing about the really technical guitarists like Steve Vai or Eric Johnson is not just how fast they play but how cleanly they play. Slow it down to half or quarter speed and you can hear every note clearly - that is what you should be aiming for. Clarity.
• Keep all movements to an absolute minimum.
Try and keep all movements as small and accurate as possible. Try not to let your fingers fly too far away from the fingerboard, or to 'point away'. Also try and keep your picking under control using only the tip of the pick and not moving it too far from the string.
The following three exercises are very important in my opinion. I think they give a solid grounding for any further technique development in later stages, and have a good all round benefit for the majority of players. The Finger Gym is one that I have seen hundreds of students make drastic improvements after just a few weeks work on it (also had loads of emails praising this one). The Spider is quite a challenge (not good for beginners) and really works the alternate picking. And lastly scale picking works your speed development and hand co-ordination. All very important. 5 minutes on each of these every day would be a great start to a routine! You could easily spend more time if you have it to spare - see practice routines...
Learning licks is very important, they function as musical words, helping to learn new styles (languages) and showing you new and interesting approaches to things you already know. Two very important points to help you make the most of them...
Use the licks :
Use a backing track, a looper pedal or a jam buddy - just make sure you use them. Try and mix them in with licks you already know so they blend in a bit, you need to work on linking them, it's often getting into and out of a new lick that is the most difficult, so work on it!
Use a backing track, a looper pedal or a jam buddy - just make sure you use them. Try and mix them in with licks you already know so they blend in a bit, you need to work on linking them, it's often getting into and out of a new lick that is the most difficult, so work on it!
Find the essence:
Once you can play and use the lick comfortably then it's time to try and extract the essence of it and then try and use it to create new material. I think this is the most fun part. Try and find the thing in the lick that can be extracted and put into something else - look beyond the notes, though they are usually easiest to extract and re-apply. Think about exploring the dynamics, the phrasing, the techniques, the way a position was shifted, that kind of thing... and try and make up your own cool stuff using the essence.
Once you can play and use the lick comfortably then it's time to try and extract the essence of it and then try and use it to create new material. I think this is the most fun part. Try and find the thing in the lick that can be extracted and put into something else - look beyond the notes, though they are usually easiest to extract and re-apply. Think about exploring the dynamics, the phrasing, the techniques, the way a position was shifted, that kind of thing... and try and make up your own cool stuff using the essence.
More than a lick :
These videos are not a little 10 second clip of just the lick like you find some other places. I show it to you in quite a bit of detail and then most times I explain where it comes from, how to manipulate it and any concepts behind them, many times it's much like a lesson than just a lick demo!
These videos are not a little 10 second clip of just the lick like you find some other places. I show it to you in quite a bit of detail and then most times I explain where it comes from, how to manipulate it and any concepts behind them, many times it's much like a lesson than just a lick demo!
I was trying to do them every week but there are too many other things to do, so I've put them on hold, but will continue adding to them as I get time.
Finding the notes:
A major triad consists of the first, third and fifth notes of a major scale. If you are not sure how this works you will just have to trust me, and read up on some theory later.
In the key of F Major (F G A Bb C D E F) the triad notes would be F A and C. Lets start by finding them all on the guitar fingerboard. Notice that every note can be found on every string. On some strings the octave is shown to to help make the shapes clear later.
I would suggest if you do this yourself that you work out where each note is found on each string and then double check them. Mistakes in this kind of exercise can be a real pain.
Once you are sure you understand this bit, it's time to move onto the next lesson .
Questions from the forum I think will help you too!
I started playing classical-style with the guitar on the left leg. I think I should switch but it's hard. Help!
If you started playing with a ‘classical’ posture then your hands will be used to playing that way and making the switch will feel difficult, but not for long. As with most things, when you try something new it usually takes a little getting used to, and this is no exception. You should find that after a few weeks of playing it will feel better and you’ll probably have a hard time going back to the old way.
If you started playing with a ‘classical’ posture then your hands will be used to playing that way and making the switch will feel difficult, but not for long. As with most things, when you try something new it usually takes a little getting used to, and this is no exception. You should find that after a few weeks of playing it will feel better and you’ll probably have a hard time going back to the old way.
That said, some people simply prefer playing with the classical posture, and that is fine too.
How does one go about holding top-heavy guitars?
Top heavy guitars (where the headstock is heavy and the neck pulls toward the ground) can be a pain. My Gibson Les Paul Gold Top is really top heavy and the only thing I have found to help is to use a strap and stand up. I don’t practise a lot with Les Pauls for this reason, but I know other people who love the feel of them, so it’s just a preference I guess.
Top heavy guitars (where the headstock is heavy and the neck pulls toward the ground) can be a pain. My Gibson Les Paul Gold Top is really top heavy and the only thing I have found to help is to use a strap and stand up. I don’t practise a lot with Les Pauls for this reason, but I know other people who love the feel of them, so it’s just a preference I guess.
When I place all four fingers on the fretboard, my index finger tilts inward towards/away from my other fingers. Is this bad?
Everybody’s hands are a little different, don’t worry about it! There are some guitar freaks out there that seem to have ‘guitar-shaped’ hands with perfectly even finger lengths, that seem to be able to stretch to grab any chord with ease, but that’s not the case for most players. I have a tiny little finger, but I don’t find many chord grips I can’t play... I’ve seen dudes with HUGE ‘farmer’s fingers’ that can still play intricate jazz grips and little kids playing amazingly difficult stretches with tiny hands... it just takes practice!
Everybody’s hands are a little different, don’t worry about it! There are some guitar freaks out there that seem to have ‘guitar-shaped’ hands with perfectly even finger lengths, that seem to be able to stretch to grab any chord with ease, but that’s not the case for most players. I have a tiny little finger, but I don’t find many chord grips I can’t play... I’ve seen dudes with HUGE ‘farmer’s fingers’ that can still play intricate jazz grips and little kids playing amazingly difficult stretches with tiny hands... it just takes practice!
0 comments:
Post a Comment