I'm 2 years in and I can move rapidly up/down/across the major scale and minor pentatonic.
HOWEVER...
I really can only do this moving from one string to another and have a difficult time stretching my fingers more than 5 frets at a time -- for example, a 5-7-10 pentatonic minor stretch on the D string is next to impossible.
I think string skipping could be my next biggest obstacle to speed and accuracy. I look at tabs and see how there could be a quick little run between frets 12 - 15 on strings E and B, but then a tab requires you to move 5 frets down and up 3 strings. That's where I hit the wall. Even the intro to say, Sweet Child O Mine gives me trouble because Slash skips strings.
I'd really like to attack this weakness hard. If anyone has any great lessons they can point to that would be great. Or if there are tabs to some signature rock riffs that would be enjoyable to practice.
As for fret stretches, any advice here?
Thanks. KY
Stretching 7-10 between your ring and pinky... not going to happen.
If I were going to finger 5-7-10, I'd probably do it "unpositioned", that is, I would come out of the first position as I traveled to the target fret. I would actually finger it 1-2-4, and as I moved to play the 10th fret, I would let my hand totally come off the fretboard, but just for an instant. It's one of those things where you really need a video or a teacher to show you, but hopefully you sort of get the idea.
Of course, I would only do that if I needed that specific feeling, normally I would be reaching for the next highest string and staying in position.
For string skipping, I picked up some good exercised from "Rock Discipline" a cheesy older video with John Petrucci of Dream Theater. Lots of good info.
Anyhow, I do this:
------------------------
-------------------------1-2-4
------------------------
----------1-2-4------------
-------------------1-2-4---
--1-2-4-------------------
And then I vary it, go both up and down, do all combinations of fingers: 123, 124, 134, 1234, 13, 14, 23, 24, etc, ascending and descending.
I probably hit that for about 5 minutes a day, keeps everything working fine. Sweet Child o' Mine intro: the notes are fine, smoothness... another issue.
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
I'm not real great at putting code into my posts, so bear with my example.
Simple string skipping ex.
E--------------5-7-8---------7-8-10----------8-10-12-------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------
G------4-5-7---------5-7-9----------7-9-10------------------------
Just keep it diatonic as you continue it, then reverse it back down. If the stretches feeel too difficult at first, then transpose it to another key and start from a position higher up on the neck. It's very simple and meant to be, so that you can use it to build up speed.
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Undercat...I hear what you are saying about lifting your had and travel to the target fret. I try and do that and it sounds like crud. Amazes me how smooth other guitarists do it. They either have spider like hands or practice incessantly.
SirN...I like that exercise. I was thinking of just starting by taking the major scale positions and going 6th/4th/2nd string and then 1st/3rd/5th all the way up the pattern to start.
Funny...I just ran into Sweet Child O Mine as a string picking lesson...
Thanks. KY
Undercat...I hear what you are saying about lifting your had and travel to the target fret. I try and do that and it sounds like crud. Amazes me how smooth other guitarists do it. They either have spider like hands or practice incessantly.
How's your pinky strength/precision? Pratice the stretch in smaller intervals to work it up: like the same number of frets only higher up (and hence closer together) or between fewer frets.
Example:
15-18 with your ring and pinky, then move to 14-17, 13-16, etc etc. Focus on precision and evenness in timing, set your metronome! As you get faster and more precise, you'll find that the 5-7-10 thing isn't too bad.
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
