Bad habits to get into?

[edsmith]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

There are other shortcuts. Some people have difficulty crossing strings, so they compensate by pulling off or hammering on the next string instead of striking it with the pick. EVH uses this method quite often. Economy picking uses the same direction when crossing strings instead of alternate picking. So if you are playing pentatonics, you will have down > up up strokes in the pick attack.

This is a good technique when improvising, but not so good to use with something played by memory. Having this habit tends to slur notes together or create a more uneven texture in runs.

I met this guy once though who was an amazing lead player. He was so fluid and so fast that I was mesmerized by watching him play. When I asked him if he picked all his notes, he told me that he uses a bastardized form of economy picking. I don't know exactly what that meant, but I took it to mean basically whatever it takes to play it good.

 

[donahue]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

So picking all of your notes besides hammer-on pull-off on the same string isn't necessarily a negative thing?

 

[edsmith]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

So picking all of your notes besides hammer-on pull-off on the same string isn't necessarily a negative thing?

No technique is negative really, it's just when you decide to employ them. Eric Johnson picks most of his notes, but only uses an occassional pull off or hammer on as he is running up or down as an effect in his playing. If you start doing it because you can't pick the run, then that's a problem. If you do it because that's the sound effect you are trying to acheive, then it's good.

Steve Vai says that you have to be concious of every nuisance of your playing. He says it's necessary to play extremely slow and notice everything you do. If you look closely at Malmsteen lessons on youtube, you will notice how his pick hits the strings and he deliberately uses different picking techniques.

I can only tell you what my experience has been. I don't consider my self an extremely talented player like Paul Gilbert, but I tend to play fairly fast and articulate. I was never able to acheive my level of playing until I got a metronome and really learned to feel the pick each time it hit the strings. You will probably find that the upstroke on a crossing string is the most common problem when playing fast. Some people will compensate for it, while others will try to nail that upstroke.

Paul Gilbert says that you should accentuate the upstrokes if you have to in order to master a run. It's all about habit and muscle memory. Watch a golfer practice his swing or a boxer practice his footwork. Joe Stump has a video where he explains that playing fast is like being an athelete and you have to keep in shape. Don't ask me how I know all these things, just know that I own a lot of videos and watch them religiously.

Probably the best thing you can do is buy an instructional video every two weeks. Watch it and practice along for two weeks and then go out and buy another one. There are a lot of great videos out there. Any of the following are good. I put a star by the ones that tend to offer a lot of great advice.

Frank Gambale
Yngwie Malmsteen
Paul Gilbert *
Eric Johnson *
Joe Stump
John Petrucci *

One super investment is the Boss BR 600. You can record yourself and it has a built in drum machine sequencer you can use for practice or recording your own tracks. It will be the best $300 you ever spent.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

Develop an ear - Sit down and learn songs from beginning to end without referencing tab or sheet music.

Learn On The Fly - Go to a jam session and play things you've never heard before. The more you find yourself having to pick things up the better you will get not just in regards to the mechanics of the notes, but the rhythm as well.

Don't get caught up in "needing" things to play. Concentrate more on knowing the gear you have. You can tell the sound of a player than knows how to play the guitar AND the amp from a mile away.

 

[Stratovarious]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

You can tell the sound of a player than knows how to play the guitar AND the amp from a mile away.

cause he has a very long lead?
haha



umm alternative and economy picking can both work for you if you become good enough, i think the learning process or the progress a guitarist would make is economy > alternative and then economy again but heavily laden with alternative picking
i think this because i think once you can alternative pick you work more on keeping your soloing alive and fresh and i think once you get into a rut of alternative picking you lose that, and i think thats why lots of the best "shredders" economy pick aswell as alternative pick depending on what they are trying to achieve of course

i hope that makes sense haha

 

[donahue]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

I think the alternate picking comes to me pretty naturally when I'm playing, but it seems like my brain and ears also tell me when its appropriate for more downstrokes/upstrokes etc so its all good. Economy picking, I've gathered to me, is just shortcuts when alternate picking.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

Get a recording device of any kind and any quality, just so you can hear yourself play. I am in the same boat (self taught and about 20 years of playing), you will notice just how much noise extraneous finger movements cause. It will also let you hear your own phasing kind of from a distance. The more I record, the more I realize just how bad my phrasing is....LOL.

Yeah. That's extremely important and my personal greatest challange. I would suggest that you learn some techniques for muting, and then don't outrun your ability to keep it clean.

Trust me, you don't want to be a 58 year old sloppy player.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

...or a 44 y.o. sloppy player....

Recordings reveal your deficits. Use them to improve.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Bad habits to get into?

Keeping a history is good.

Take some photos of your gear. Record things. You don't want to wonder how your first JB humbucker sounded in 20 years or so. Write down serial numbers of axe before you sell them or lose them.

There are a lot of people noticing sound changes after not playing one guitar for 6 months and wonder whether it's the guitar or their ears. Or after playing a Strat and thinking Les Pauls are bogus and did it change or is me?

A PC with a cecent soundcard is all you need, and stored mp3s don't cost a lot of space.