Hey everyone.
I've been playing guitar for around one year, but I learned by myself so I'm trying to perfect some techniques. So I bought a book (Troy Stetina's Metal Lead Guitar, not that I want to play only metal, but I've heard it's a pretty good instructional book), and I'm struggling on a "speed exercise" involving alternate picking.
The exercise goes this way:
15 - (h) 18 - (p) 15 on the second string, then 17 on the third string, and then it starts from the 15th fret again on the second string.
When I practice on it at slow tempos, it's all fine. I try to keep the picking hand and wrist relaxed, and reduce all unneeded movements. But whenever I speed up, I can't seem to keep the alternate picking to go to the right speed. Should I keep the wrist movement even on the hammer ons and pull offs? Without actually picking the string? Or, should I move the wrist only when I need to pick the string? (I'm using strict alternate picking here, down-up-down-up and so on.)
And, when I pull off the finger on the 17th fret, third string, I get some noise, like I'm pulling it off and letting it ring, so I had a look around on the web, and some tutorials said to mute the third string with the tip of the index finger. But I find this position to be very awkward. Is there any better way to mute the string when I pull off, so that I keep the pattern of the exercise going without any undesired noise?
Thanks in advance for your help, guys 8)
ciao.
duplicating a technique is difficult at first.
I find that the focus on the diagram and lesson removes my naturalness with my instrument.
when I watch myself play something I know very well. all efforts to play it are relaxed, loose and idiosyncratic.
meaning, I have developed my own way of playing some little passage, ie. a hammer on and pull off. the sound of the string banging around sounds fine. nice actually. I notice too that I have more time to put my fingers on the strings. before I could not keep up. now I have time on my hands?
I guess I am saying things become easy after time.
technically, you should be able to pick only when you need to. allowing the string to sound during very fast hammer -ons and pull offs gives character to the tone. I believe the style of guitar you lay the pick technique becomes more surgical.
leaning how to mute and damp strings is crucial to playing. right hand and left hand palm and fingers are all needed.
how to mute usually occurs to me when I need to do it.
Thanks for your help, I'll try to keep wrists movements as reduced as I can then.
And about the string not ringing on the pull-off, I really don't like that sound it gives, so I'd rather find a way to stop it if I can, but I'll try to stop it with either hand.
Gonna go back practicing now, thanks again! :D
