Several threads ago a good member stated a good practice technique invlolving the basic 1-2-3-4 up the neck run up and run down in 16th notes to boost your speed. I talked to my teacher about an embelished version of this practice technique, and he showed me his own rendition which could strenghten your alternate picking, upstroking, downstroking, and economy picking at high speeds and also when skipping strings. Now beware these techniques are not for the unpatient, itll take time and effort into building your speed, and dexterity with these excersie, but in the end it will make you very well rounded.

Technique From Hell

First lets start with 4 basic exercises that extend past the basic chromatic scale run up/down the board.



The numbers dont necessarily mean fret numbers, think of it as finger numbers and it can be played anywhere on the fretboard.

Now the key is to play each of these with differant picking styles, and in differant combonations. First choose one excersise then pick it all down picking, then Strict alternate Down-Up, then all Up strokes, then in triplet form like Down-Up-Down-Down-Up-Down or more simply D-U-D, then reverse that to U-D-U-U-D-U.

The next step makes it even more complicated with even more variables, after you know how to practice each technique with differant picking techniques you must now play each excersise in a differant order or fingering.

For example, instead of always pinky-ring-middle-index or 1-2-3-4 fingering each exercise try doing it in differant order.
1234
1243
1324
1423
1432
2134
2143
2431
and so on.....

EX

After you know all this get 5 pieces of paper, preferably graph paper. Now make a table with all the fingering possibilities on the Y Axis or the Vertical, and all 4 excercises on the X Axis. Its gonna be a pretty big graph with all the differant fingering combonations. Now make a huge table for each differant picking/stroking techniques using all 5 pieces of paper. Once you have the tables for every finger for each excerise on every picking technique you start recording your BPMs you can hit each one at cleanly with a metronome, take one exercise and take down the BPM's you can play it at cleanly and knock it down 2 clicks, or around 8 BPM.

EX- if you can play Excersise 1 with the upstroke picking on the 1243 fingering combonation at 60 BPM's cleanly without messing up, start practicing at 52 BPM's and work your way up recording your Current BPM's you can hit on your table.

You dont have to go to this extreme making all the tables for everything, but if you have some free time and or you are intent on playing better/faster and get good technique this IMO is a damn fucking good way to do it. Ill most likley eventually make some kind of powertab for these techniques.

Please leave feedback on what you think

and good luck to those who attempt, i salute you
Here is an HTML file that has a good table for the TfH
TfH Table

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im trying it now
that's one kickass lesson dude.
got anymore.

keep it up

agreed, i like getting new exercises, just keeps me focused on practicing, not just sitting there playing riffs, which of course i like doing, but i like training my fingers to do new stuff

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Awesome lesson, I printed it out and showed my former school guitar teacher and he said if his Guitar 1 class gets finished the curriculum, hes going to try to teach them this. I hope you dont mind me spreading the knowledge wealth.

go ahead man, spread the wealth, try and keep the name Technique from Hell

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thats a "Technique from Hell "??? that was one of the first things my guitar teacher taught me

another good one thats similar is to do
1-2-1-3-1-4 on all the strings then reverse it
4-3-4-2-4-1 <-- good to strengthen up your pinky

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Yea those are also nice exercises.

Its only from hell cause there so much shit you gotta do, and it takes lots of time and dedication, and hell is gr1m cvlt duh...

Alright i put an Html file up on the first post with a nice table you can print out.

Feel free to send it to your teacher and let his class use it.

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I like this little thing:

------------------- -------------2-3-4--- (etc, go down)
-------------- ----------2-3-4-------
------------ ------2-3-4--------------
----------- 2-3-4--------------------
-----2-3-4--------------------------
--1--------------------------------

You keep the index finger on at all times, and play the usual chromatic scale. It improves stretching and finger strength

Hopefully it isn't hard to figure out the rest from the above example.

yea my guitar teacher is all into jazz, so he likes exercises that build his felxability and will improve his more chordal jazz playing. He does the same stretch exercise except not chromatic, he just runs normal scales.

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Thanks alot man I'm sick of hearing the same chromatic excersizes being recycled over and over again as those can only take you so far. Thanks for switching it up.

This shit doesn't belong in here. It's a fucking sweep, and sweeps go in the sweep thread. I moved it there for you.

jackass.

haha same here man

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i can play it 200bpm so far.

play what at 200bpm? and why did you post all that sweeping and crap and all that tapping shit, that has nothing to do with this thread, then you had to qoute it so it shows up twice, noobs ..... please put it in another thread.

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I think he's on crack

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that is a nice one. the rest bores me, it's a nice practise, don't get me wrong but I can't play it for longer then a couple of minutes before I fall asleep.

same goes with learning chords and shit, took me ages because they bored me, I'de rather spend my time making kickass riffs, till I found out chords can come in handy for impressing chicks while playin an acoustic. . I allready have the spead I want but I'm still working on a lot of scales and sweeps. I love the way you can use arabic sounding scales for solo's and shit. I don't like learning chords but I know all the important ones from the top of my head now.

Haha, like what? Anything particulary interesting or worthy of mention? Or just the plain jane chords?

just the 'plain jane' chords work fine if you can sing a bit too.

on acoustic some chords just sound great even though they're simple, like A7, Am, Am6, Am7, Asus4, Amaj7, B7, F7m, Fmaj7... just link a couple together, put on your Barry White voice and you're getting pussy. I guarantee

yea no shit, i reported it as a bad post, it annoys me the fact that he qouted it, and put something non related in my thread... phff... this is my thread bitches god damn...jk.....

anyways yea def, i tried doin it last night and i got like 1/60th through recording all my metronome times down, it takes forever and yes it is boring, but itll help me in the long run.

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This may have been answered but what do you do when you are descending, same thing or reverse? Let's say we are using the 1234 pattern. Would you descend with 4321 or 1234? How about 2134; would you descend with 4312 or 2134?

i would go backwards so
1234 up then 4321 down

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you could do it both ways, your not always desending on the frets when your going down in strings, so it would be good to practice both ways to build speed for all types of movement

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this is a thing my teacher calls a retro, im going to use the lydian scale it would be better u learn the scale before practicing this

1|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
2|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
3|----------------------------------------------------------2----2-4-|
4|------------------------------------2----2-3--2-3-5--3-5----5-----|
5|--------------2----2-3--2-3-5--3-5----5--------------------------|
6|-1-3-5---3-5-----5------------------------------------------------|


|----------------------------------3-----3-5---3-5-7---------------|
|------------3-----3-5--3-5-6--5-6----6---------------------------|
|-2-4-5--4-5----5--------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|


the world is sick and fucked

heres another, a little bit harder, the same lidian scale.

1|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
2|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
3|---------------------------------------------------------------------2-|
4|---------------------------------------2-------2-3-----2-3-5--2-3-5---|
5|--------2-------2-3-----2-3-5--2-3-5-----3-5--------5----------------|
6|-1-3-5----3-5--------5------------------------------------------------|

|-------------------------------------------------------3------3-5------|
|---------------------------3------3-5----3-5-6--3-5-6----5-6----------|
|-----2-4-----2-4-5--2-4-5----4-5------5-------------------------------|
|-3-5------5------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|---3-5-7-------|
|-6-------------|
|---------------|
|---------------|
|---------------|
|---------------|

nice little run there basstard...sounds good. I think you meant the Lydian Scale though, no biggie...just helpin to keep things straight

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Nice exercises guys. I'm going to practice strictly this summer and try to get good. At the moment my primary exercise is this, but not the sweeps on track 4 (yet):

yep sorry is lydian , anyway heres another.

1|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
2|------------------------------------------------------------3-----5----|
3|-------------------------------------------2-----4--2-5--4-----5------|
4|-------------------------2-----3---2-5--3-----5-----------------------|
5|---------2----3--2-5--3-----5-----------------------------------------|
6|-1-5--3----5----------------------------------------------------------|


|---------3----5--3-7-----|
|-3-6--5----6-------------|
|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|

i allways practice with this

string 1|-------1-3-4--------2-4-5.....----------9-11-12-12-11-9---------|
string 2|1-2-4-------2-3-5-------......9-10-12---------------------12-10-9|

and so on until my fourth finger reaches fret 12, and then go back.
then go up to strings 2 3, then 3 4 and so on.when i finish all the strings i add 10 bpm.

also

string1|--------1-3-5---------2-4-6-.....---------8-10-12|
string2|--1-3-5--------2-4-6--------.....8-10-12---------|

this one can cause u pain in the hand so be carefull

this is a string skipping exercise i do at the moment because my string skipping is truly abysmal. Good exercises btw - definitly one for the speed guitarist in us all


Ex1 - A REGULAR picking exercise

|---------------------------------------------6-7-8-9-------------------|
|------------------------------------5-6-7-8-----------8-7-6-5-etc------|
|---------------------------4-5-6-7-------------------------------------|
|------------------3-4-5-6----------------------------------------------|
|----------2-3-4-5------------------------------------------------------|
|--1-2-3-4--------------------------------------------------------------|

Ex2 Using the same format but for string skipping

|-------------------------------7-6-5-4---------------------------------|
|---------------------3-4-5-6-------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------8-7-6-5-----------------------|
|-----------2-3-4-5-----------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------9-8-7-6--------------|
|--1-2-3-4--------------------------------------------------------------|


Ex 3 For speed picking strange patterns

|----------5----------------8---------etc-------------------------------|
|---5---------------8---------------------------------------------------|
|-------------6----------------9----------------------------------------|
|-------7---------------10----------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|

picking pattern should be d u d u

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some 5 string sweep shit.

|----------------9---12-12--9--------------|
|------------10----------------10-----------|
|---------9------------------------9--------| major
|-----11------------------------------11----|
|-12--------------------------------------12|
|--------------------------------------------|

|---------------8--12-12--8-----------------|
|-----------10---------------10-------------|
|--------9-----------------------9----------| minor
|----10-----------------------------10-----|
|-12------------------------------------12-|
|-------------------------------------------|

|--------------8--11-11--8----------------------|
|----------10----------------10-----------------|
|-------8-------------------------8-------------|
|----10------------------------------10---------| diminished
|-12-------------------------------------12-----|
|-----------------------------------------------|


when yuo can do them fast they sound very cool

Here's a string skipping within arpeggios exercise I do all the time, compliments of John Pertrucci.

Here's the major shape. To do minor just move the 6 on the G string back to the 5th, and the 9 on the high E back to the 8th fret. This pattern sounds cool with delay and intervals of minor 3rd (3 frets).

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|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------14-15-16-17------------------|
|----------------------------14-15-16-17---------------14-15-16-17-----|
|-14-14-14-14-14-15-16-17----------------------------------------------|


|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------14-15-16-17---|
|---------------14-15-16-17----------------14-15-16-17-----------------|
|-14-15-16--17---------------14-15-16-17-------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|----------------------------14-15-16-17--18-17-16-15------------------|
|---------------14-15-16-17-----------------------------18-17-16-15----|
|-14-15-16-17-----------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|-19-18-17-16-----------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------19-18-17-16---------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------19-18-17-16-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------19-18-17-16--15-16-17-18---|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|-17-16-15-14------------------------------|
|---------------17-16-15-14----------------|
|-----------------------------17-16-15-14--|

hope it hepls

wow, lots of good practices,

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|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------6h7h9p7p6h7h9----|
|----------------------------------6h7h9p7p6h7h9--------------------|
|-----------------5h7h9p7p5h7h9-------------------------------------|
|-5h7h9p7p5h7h9-----------------------------------------------------|

|--------------------7h9h10p9p7-/-9h10h12p10p9------------------------|
|-7h9h10p9p7h9h10--------------------------------12p10p9h10h12p10p9-|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|

|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-12p10p8h10h12p10p8-----------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------12p10p8h10h12p10p8-------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------12p10p8h10h12p10p8---|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|-10p9p7h9h10p8p7---|


enjoy

^^^
Hey man, nice legato warm-up, even sounds cool

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http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdo...ching/index.php

I only liked the worm exercise

Here we go. I just tabbed this out, and added a metronome. It is set to 120bps but you can increase or lower that. It has the whole set. It repeats 4 times so you can do different picking methods each time. Hope this helps. Allot of stuff to remember but helps. Thanks for the practice btw

Attached Files

WorkOut.gp4 (4.4 KB, 170 views)

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Fuck dude its just one massive solo!

Good luck!

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it didnt seem that hard. just one scale in diff arpeggio forms. that's the only bad thing about shred. usually its only in one scale, just shreded. but seems like a nice warm-up

*bump

Wow, I remember talking with hx about the TfH ( original post ) some time back ... the HTML file is a great idea.

I wonder how long it'll take before it shows results? I'm about as shitty as a lead player you can get, my long finger & ring finger are about as dexterous as a can of paint..

Will i notice anything in a months time or so if i practice this 30 minutes a day?

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You should see a big improvement if you do it 30 minutes a day. If not, you're doing it wrong.

If only i could do it My hands start to hurt after 10 minutes or so. Not so much pain, but they're really tired and it seems like I'm straining them. Mayme the neck on my guitar isn't ideal..

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I have advanced 7 bpm!!

I'm now at 67 bpm.. 16th notes

I = utter suck

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it's alright.
i suck too.
i don't use metronomes but... i dunno, im not sure what my speed is.
the important thing is, i'm not using my elbow anymore.

What's even more important for effective lead playing is to actually learn leads and solos in addition to your scale practice, Jopop. I could give plenty of recommendations if you don't know where to start. Actually, if given the choice of just one or the other, hypothetically speaking, learning leads and playing along with the records is more beneficial than practicing scales to a metronome.

My best tip for practising is: If you're playing something (riff or solo), and you don't play a note absolutely perfect, start again. Even if it's the 2nd to last note of a necro solo and you don't bend it quite right, start over. Be really vicious with yourself, it'll pay off when you can play the section perfectly instead of 'alright'

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Yeah, that's something that I have an issue with ... Like the other day when I was learning Spirit Crusher, even when it would have not taken very long to memorize a couple of riffs, ( those right before the solo ), I kind of improvised to what the riff kind of sounds like, and of course over the solo I just play my own leads. Note to self : STOP DOING THAT !!!

Would you recommend this exercise on bass?

I'd recommend any exercise on bass.

NOTE: this applies even if you're practising some really slowly- if you're playing a passage that includes alternate picking a string skipping, if you play the correct note, but you downstroke when you should have upstroked (and vice versa), start over, because it'll mess up the rest of the passage.

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Uh, wouldn't that mean you're limiting your picking hand's freedom and flexibility quite a lot locking it to a single pattern? Making mistakes and being able to recover from them gracefully is gold..

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Couldn't be more true in my case, I used to learn a lot of songs, kept my playing up and I didn't get bored (unlike what some of these practices will do to you). I stopped learning songs for a while and could totally tell my playing declined.

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OMFG, it's hax5w479d8!

Some of those practices are cool!

I like to practice lead licks from Symphony X, sure I'm not as fast as Romeo, but hey, all practice is good practice!!!! Classical is where it's at, some fantastic string-skipping/ alternate picking excercises and FAT runs if you look close enough

In fact, what the fuck am I doing on my computer when I could be practicing!?!?!?!?

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I fully agree. When I don't learn new tab and songs, my playing gets stale and boring. I need to keep learning new stuff and keep the chops fresh.

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Those are actually pretty cool exercises. Well done!

wow thats a pretty cool lesson. i usually just get lazy and start playing what i already know instead of doing excersises like this. good one

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Oldass thread... Cool stuff.

I've recently discovered something that'll help your wrist tremolo picking a LOT, making it a lot faster and more consistent(read it on another forum).

The trick is to practice a lot of downpicking, not alternate pick as fast as you can with a metronome! Alternate picking with a metronome will get you nowhere.

Practice downpicking as fast as you can as much as you can. You will cramp up. When you do, stop and find a different angle or minor alteration to your wrist pivoting, rest a little and keep doing it. You will find a sweetspot that wont get your wrist/forearm tired as fast. Then keep practicing on that one at a slower comfortable speed and keep practicing it for quite a while, gradually going faster and hold it for like one minute when you reach the max. Rest. When you reach that max keep practicing it with the same position you were using it before.

Do this for 5-10 minutes, relax, then go play something with a lot of tremolo picking, do it all from your wrist and you will notice a HUGE difference. I can't wait to see how it feels if I do this for prolonged periods every single day.

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Interesting, I'll have to try that.

I was thinking that it would be a very good idea to put excercises that can keep me occupied in guitar pro, that cover sweeping, legato, tapping, alternate picking, string skipping, trem picking, and can keep me occupied for an hour at a time. That isn't atonal, and sounds decent.

I figured this would be a good idea, considering, I lost my metronome, and GP has a built in one. Plus I tend to fuck around too much when I practice, and having a set curriculum would end that. I hate learning songs on electric guitar, atleast right now, considering the low level I'm at.

Any advice, or recommendations on this, I thought this would be the right place to ask.

THIS TOTALLY WORKS!!!
i can't believe it,z i thought that the only thing to get better was practice but if i do this for five minutes a day i'm warmed up and fuckin fast!!!
thanks soeru

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I know Steve Morse recommends doing that with upstrokes ... something I'll do tonight at my new house.

Also I think it's worth mentioning that I use retardedly high pick gauges. I think pick and string gauges are overlooked too much when they really have a big impact on playing fast comfortably.

The purple dunlop big stubby 3.0mm ones are like all I use nowadays, I just bought 2 dozen of em.

I used to use those purple tortex 1.14's and the light purple nylon 1.5's a lot but they flop and bend a lot when you use high gauge strings, the big stubby 3.0's are fucking impossible to bend though, and smooth, so you never feel like you're getting stuck on the strings, you just rip through with them with little effort. There's also the stubby jazz 3.0's which are exactly the same but with a pointier edge, haven't tried those. It'll sound like dull shit on low tunings with thin strings so consider trying stronger strings if it flops and sounds bad to you. I got a guitar in B with 59-13's(a 7-string set taking off the high E) and it sounds awesome with it, and my picking is practically flawless.

I wouldn't suggest it for anything that involves a lot of barre chord strumming though.

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