I need some shred tips.

[astrozombie]

with two things:

1 - My fretting hand gets tired when doing Eruption-style long tapping passages.

2 - how can i sweep pick this kind of shape better?

-------13p10------10------
------------10----10-----------
-------------10--10--------------
---------------12--------------
--------------------------------
---------------------------------

I'm having trouble on the part where its all in one fret. I tend to bar my 1 finger but its a pain in the ass to do that fast enough.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: I need some shred tips.

1. Practice

2. Practice

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: I need some shred tips.

with two things:

1 - My fretting hand gets tired when doing Eruption-style long tapping passages.

2 - how can i sweep pick this kind of shape better?

-------13p10------10------
------------10----10-----------
-------------10--10--------------
---------------12--------------
--------------------------------
---------------------------------

I'm having trouble on the part where its all in one fret. I tend to bar my 1 finger but its a pain in the ass to do that fast enough.

Endurance comes with lots of practice and playing. You'll get there.

As for that sweep, you do have to bar it in a sense but you have to roll your finger if that makes sense. If you're not comfortable with sweeps yet I'd try a simpler shape like a standard minor or major until you get the concept down pat.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: I need some shred tips.

1. Practice

2. Practice

This . . .

Often your hands get tired because you're too tense when you're playing. It really helps to playing the stuff slowly with a metronome . . . maybe half or less of the actual speed that you want to play the song, and then slowly increase the tempo each time you complete the passage. Not that I'm much of a shred guy, but this helps me reach faster speeds for what I do.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: I need some shred tips.

This . . .

Often your hands get tired because you're too tense when you're playing. It really helps to playing the stuff slowly with a metronome . . . maybe half or less of the actual speed that you want to play the song, and then slowly increase the tempo each time you complete the passage. Not that I'm much of a shred guy, but this helps me reach faster speeds for what I do.

Yeah this is what I used to do, then I decided I didn't want to be Steve Vai anymore and stopped. :banghead:

 

[El Dunco]

Re: I need some shred tips.

I think some of the best years for guitar practice come when you're an unpopular kid in high school with a blatant disregard for anything except guitar just because of the free time you can commit to it. I would practice 6-9 hours a day, some a fairly strict routine to get very good and very expressive in a shorter amount of time.

So I was forging the weapon that is my performance during the time where everyone else was playing grab-ass on the football field. All of them are now unskilled, braindead morons and I am now awesome.

That's not to say you can't do it with a busier life, it just takes longer and you'll find it harder to commit the same time during the day.

You may find the realization that alot of solos consist only of single notes at a time rather than many notes in a chord helpful.

That and fill your mind with modes so you've always got somewhere to 'go'. Practice economy of space.

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: I need some shred tips.

Aside from practicing furiously for long periods of time, I think it helps to pick some solos in songs you like and dissect them piece by piece. It's a really great way to practice certain techniques you hear and want to perfect for your own playing. IMO many, many players out there have done so much that it would be very difficult NOT to find a song that's got that shred/tapping/sweep lick, bend or whatever.

When I was 16 I remember trying to tackle Kirk's second solo in Metallica's "One", and it seemed impossible until I took the parts individually, slowed them down, and practiced them until I could play them well. Then I'd play the whole solo through at a slow speed. Then finally I would play it a bit faster and when I hit a part I had trouble with, I'd slow just that piece down until it was solid, then hit it running from the part before.

The point of this is that if you want to increase your hands' endurance for the Eruption-like tapping passages, you should practice that very passage slowly and accurately at first. You will give your fret hand a good workout this way so that when you do bring it up to speed, the muscles will be strong and ready to rock. If you're watching TV or something, sit on the couch with your guitar and just do some tapping licks for awhile.

When it comes to sweeping there's two approaches you could use. Say you're playing the standard Em 3-string sweep going from the high E-string to the G-string and back again. When you bring the pick up to cross from the B to the G strings, you could hit the G with an upstroke then pick the B and E with a downstroke; or you could hit the B with an upstroke and come back down to play the G, B and E strings in one downstroke.

Some people will tell you that the former method includes a bit of extra pick movement and string crossing, and that the latter method is easier. Personally I have always done it the first way and have never had any trouble, but that's probably because I spent a lot of time practicing it. If you're having trouble rolling your finger across the 10th fret in your example, it's best to just slow it down and make sure you can rake the pick across the strings to make each note sound out without cutting it off too early when moving to the next one.

Good luck!