Shred techniques?

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Shred techniques?

Here is an easy lick to get you started. It's all in A minor on one string, the high E, and it's a good lick to get your fingers warmed and to visualize the notes horizontally up and down the neck. Im playing it at about 130 in the example, which isn't blistering, but it's a good tempo if your just starting out, and it's not so slow that you will fall asleep playing it. You can certainly play it as fast or slow as you need to. the recording is not super perfect but you get the idea.

https://soundcloud.com/joeyvoltage/pedal-ex




If it's hard to read I can transcribe it properly later

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shred techniques?

Hey thanks for the concrete example! I like it. I had been working on all boxes.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Shred techniques?

There's certainly nothing wrong with boxes, if it helps you keep it up, but trust someone who has been down this agonizing road before, it will drive you nuts after a while, and eventually you are going to want to apply what you learn to actual music, so it's always good to try to kill as many birds with one stone as you can. I can come up with some more licks that are good for starting out if you want them.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shred techniques?

Sure, I'll use them. That 1st one is great. I hadn't been practicing along 1 string at all.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Shred techniques?

I just want to put my thought in on this Clint, but I actually advise to use your right middle finger when tapping notes with your right hand, that way you can keep holding the pick in the "standard" way which is very convenient to go back to regular or sweep picking after your right hand tap. Even if you'll find a lot of people who are indeed tapping (right hand) with their index finger, I'd really recommend doing it with the middle finger.
Here's a vid of one of my country's best guitar players, he seems to share my opinion:

When did people start tapping with the index finger? It is supposed to be executed with the middle finger since it's just natural that way. Why would people want to palm the pick or even worse, put it in the mouth if there's the middle finger right there?

Clint, with that 3 note/ Paul Gilbert style exercise sooner or later you'll sound like everybody else...lol. But I admire your zeal.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shred techniques?

WAT

 

[The JEM Ghost]

Re: Shred techniques?

When did people start tapping with the index finger? It is supposed to be executed with the middle finger since it's just natural that way. Why would people want to palm the pick or even worse, put it in the mouth if there's the middle finger right there?

Did I not say that??? I read in Clint's original post he was right hand tapping with his right index finger, since nobody mentioned anything about it I advised to use the middle finger so he would not get accustomed to using his index finger. You'll find enough people who use the index finger for right hand tapping, which (as you mentioned) is hindering their technique.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Shred techniques?

Sure, I'll use them. That 1st one is great. I hadn't been practicing along 1 string at all.

Is there anything in particular - any aspect or technique that you want to focus on right now?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shred techniques?

I'm looking for exercises or lines that show me how to sound hard rock or metal from the scales or chords or what have you so I can integrate it. Also looking for patterns that show me how to maximize economy with my right and left hand. Since I can play kind of fast but not really to the point where the whole thing sounds like a 16th note based shred solo.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Shred techniques?

I'm looking for exercises or lines that show me how to sound hard rock or metal from the scales or chords or what have you so I can integrate it. Also looking for patterns that show me how to maximize economy with my right and left hand. Since I can play kind of fast but not really to the point where the whole thing sounds like a 16th note based shred solo.

Okay, I've got some good ones for all of those. I can post them intermittently when time allows. I wouldn't get too caught up with speed at first. It comes naturally over time, and if you rush it right off the bat, you will start to develop bad habits that are harder to correct further down the line.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shred techniques?

Ok thanks

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Shred techniques?

Who are some of your favourite players?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shred techniques?

The best guy that I've been listening to the longest would be Kirk Hammett:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tvJcTPxHc

Guys that I listened to as a kid that I still like are classic rock guys like Jimmy Page:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsZG7n7ries

Or grunge guys like Billy Corgan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hYPo2py77A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j315yKGemHI

My personal favorite all time best shredder/composer is Beethoven:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WolqGAgiolM

Stuff that I've been getting into recently: I'm starting to really dig 80s sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3lxE4EsaSo

Or more brutal sounds haha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0V2WYGTJr4


I enjoy a lot of individual players like Yngwie or Jason Becker but I tried to focus on the music itself that I'd be most likely to listen to that has shreddy playing.
Would be interested to hear you guys' influences.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Shred techniques?

Many years ago, some time around 1993, John Petrucci had this exercise in his Guitar World column called "The Six-Minute Trill Drill." It was a trill (rapid hammer-on/pull-off, no picking) with your index finger and middle finger on the first and second fret of any string. You do that for a minute. Next you do index and ring, first and third fret for a minute, etc... It winds up going:

index and middle finger/first and second fret
index and ring/first and third
index and pinky/first and fourth
middle and ring/second and third
middle and pinky/second and fourth
ring and pinky/third and fourth

Use a metronome, and start slow enough where you can keep the same tempo for all trills. Not only will this get your left hand in killer shape, it ensures your pinky isn't curled and useless. Almost all of the shredders make great use of all fret hand fingers... sometimes all the pick hand fingers, too. I just listened to the episode of Jude Gold's podcast No Guitar is Safe with Rusty Cooley. He did a bunch of cool tapping tricks using all 8 fingers.