How do you play ascending runs?

[astrozombie]

I come from the three note per string school of faux shreddding, where hammer ons do 70 percent of the work, the pick does 10 percent and balls are your remaining 20.

But I’ve been wondering, how do you guys do it?

I like to rip through the minor scale for cheap thrills, maybe Paul Gilbert would giggle but to the general public you may as well be Zakk Wylde.

I can navigate harmonic minor and Phrygian mode but not as well as my hands seem to know your regular major and minor scales.

I swear it’s like my fingers are the ones that know how to play, not my brain.

Do you guys ever feel like you play so fast it’s like autopilot?

I’ve been feeling like this a lot lately.

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[Demanic]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

It's called muscle memory.

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[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

Don't do scale runs. It sounds rudimentary. Skip several notes and start not from the root to make your music sound hip.

When I ascend/ descend, I usually sweep pick.

 

[Sirion]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

It depends. Three-notes-per-string is the most comfortable for me if I am playing runs over more than a few strings. I can do slurred or picked, depending on the style required. I occasionally do four notes per string, but getting this as smooth is very difficult; it works better for sequential patterns, most of the time. If I want to be really flashy, I could probably get away with a four-notes-per-string tapping pattern, but I'm not sure if I would dare it in a band situation… descending runs are piece of cake, though!

 

[Demanic]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

Think Neil Young meets John Scofield. With a tasteful bit of John Petrucci thrown in for good measure.

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[Mincer]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

I do a lot of 3 or 4 notes per strings things, but I pick every note. I try to not do too many notes in sequence unless I want to get up to a higher note quickly. I try to play them in interesting note groupings, and not just up the scale.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

Been practicing my technique exercises since I have dumb fingers. Also working exercises and lines on bass seems to be really good since there's way more resistance.

This spider exercise is really good at 8 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCZN28AGdLY&t=1742s
And trills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlj5yvLaxi8&t=894s

An ascending pattern I worked out recently was the diminished scale where you go fingers 1, 2, skip a fret, 3, 4.
Also recently worked out the 5 positions of the blues scale. I already knew the pentatonic scale positions. Good for getting out of box 1.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

I alternate between economy picking, alternate picking, tapping, sliding, sweeping & bluesy bends ..whichever way the spirit moves me :laugh2:

..that's 'cause my goal is not to think about anything at all when I'm playing ..but to just listen & feel... letting my fingers do the rest.

Like this:

The only time I find myself stuck/****ing things up/at a loss for what to do is when I find myself actually thinking about what to do next :lmao:

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

I don't count while I play. I listen.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

Don't try and go through the scale notes 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, little sequences is the key here. Personally I gravitate toward sixtuplet runs but working on getting more 16th note stuff going on.

What kind of style are you into etc?

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

I play them exactly like I play descending runs ... poorly. I can play a few five or six note sequences very fast on auto-pilot, but outside of those few committed to muscle every attempt at speed results in slop.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

I do a lot of 3 or 4 notes per strings things, but I pick every note. I try to not do too many notes in sequence unless I want to get up to a higher note quickly. I try to play them in interesting note groupings, and not just up the scale.

I was thinking you do some very fast chromatic stuff as well.

 

[Mincer]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

I was thinking you do some very fast chromatic stuff as well.

Well, sometimes I have to add those notes in there because I like weird rhythmic groupings like 7 notes in the span of 4 16th notes. So I have to think of what notes will add up to the note I want to land on.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: How do you play ascending runs?

Well, you know what they say, 8 notes in the span of 4 16th notes is a crowd!