ab0msnwman
Yes, I was talking about that video. I have been practicing the C Major shape arpeggio for years, but never practiced it on just 3 strings. Like you, I find arpeggios covering all 6 strings difficult, but I do have a few down pretty good.
One of the most beautiful examples of this arpeggio with added notes is the riff from Long Distance Runaround by Yes (Steve Howe). Steve plays this with a clean tone, very fluid and beautiful. If you have never heard it, it is worth a listen.
e------------------15—13p12---------
b---------------13----------13------
g------------12-----------------12--
d---15-14h15------------------------
a------------------------------------
e------------------------------------
e------------------15—13p12--15/1715--11/12--
b---------------13----------------------------
g------------12-------------------------------
d---15-14h15----------------------------------
a---------------------------------------------
e---------------------------------------------
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Yeah I have the three string ones down OK now, I am working on 5 string major and minor ones, and I am at the point where I can sometimes get them clean up and down, but not consistently.
It will probably take a few more months.
I will definitely check that song out Wes.
I am not even diving into the 6 sting ones yet. I love the sound of cleanly done sweeps, so I hope I get it. Oh, and Wes, a tip I learned for the monster 5 and 6 string sweeps is to break them down into groups of three strings. Then you can usually isolate one group of three that is giving you trouble. Work on that and you can play them faster and cleaner, and you get more control/some mini arpeggios to boot!
Don't want to give anybody the idea I am an expert on arpeggios. But I practice them all the time.
Here are a couple I practice and have down pretty good. Not fast, but fluid. I especially like the last 7th chord arpeggio, that one feels really cool to play. But notice the very subtle difference between the Major and Minor arpeggios, they are easy to get mixed up when playing them.
A Major arpeggio (all downstoke sweep)
e--------------------5p---
b-------------2ih-5p------
g----------2i-------------
d-------2i----------------
a----4r-------------------
e—5p----------------------
A Minor arpeggio
e--------------------5p----
b-----------------5p-------
g----------2ih-5p----------
d-------2i-----------------
a----3m--------------------
e-5p-----------------------
A7 arpeggio
e-----------------------3ih-5m-
b--------------------5m--------
g-----------------6r-----------
d-----------5mh-7--------------
a----4ih-7p--------------------
e-5m---------------------------
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Sweet I will try those out.
AHH THE 5 STRING ONES FINALLY CLICKED!!!!
AFTER LIKE A MONTH OF TRYING I CAN FINALLY PLAY THEM CLEANLY AND FAST!!!!!!
man THIS is why i play guitar, these moments of insight are just totally awesome!
ab0msnwman
Way to go! :wink:
Just out of curiosity, at what speed can you play arpeggios well?
I am still working on that C Major arpeggio, got it up near 100BPM. You would probably laugh at that, but I am not naturally fast and have to work very hard at it. But I'm getting there slowly.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I am not naturally fast either Wes, I have to put a lot of work into it.
The one I just got down is a basic D minor 5 string shape
------------------------------13-13-----------------
--------------------------15--------15---------------
----------------------14---------------14------------
--------------------15--------------------15---------
----------------17---------------------------17------
-------------------------------------------------------
i can't play it cleanly very fast, i am going through all 10 notes at like 80bpm
the big hurdle was just getting the coordination down, so i expect to get this faster and cleaner pretty quickly
I'll have to try that later. You have made me feel a little better. :D
The other guitarist in my band is named Lane. We call him "Fast Lane" because he can really smoke on guitar. That does not help my ego at all. He did give me a compliment one night, he said, "well, you are not as fast as me, but you always hit pretty notes, I wish I could do that."
I have really been practicing speed techniques for about the past 2 years. Not because I want to be a shredder, most of that type of playing does not do much for me. But I would like to be able to play fast ideas when I get them. And I like some of these pretty arpeggios.
My problem is my picking hand. My fretting hand is pretty fast. If I hammer-on or pull-off, I can keep up with most anybody. But if I have to pick each note I am much slower. I think this is because I learned Blues style. It is hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, etc.... You don't do a lot of picking in this style. It has only been the last couple of years that I really want to develop my picking hand. Practicing scales and arpeggios has really helped. I have a lot better control now. Speed is coming along slowly.
Thanks for all the input, I'll have to try that arpeggio later. Let me know how fast you are on this next week.
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Dude same, I just got into shred stuff this year. I really only started practicing these techniques in earnest a few months ago. I just want to have another thing in my pallatte if that makes any sense. I am not huge into guys like Yngwie and stuff, but being able to play some of his songs is by no means a bad thing.
I am just like you, my fretting hand is way stronger than my picking hand. This compounded with the fact that I am left handed but play right handed has made getting myself up to speed a long, tedious process, but nonetheless a rewarding one. I have gained a lot of control in my picking hand in a relatively short amount of time, and while I am not blazing up and down the fretboard like my idols, but I can actually approach some of their music and realistically play it now, which is fine with me, speed will come in time!
ab0msnwman
You've got a great attitude, yeah, you'll get there soon. And I don't hate shredding, sometimes I hear licks and wish I could play them. Not really into the classical sound too much though. I like raw Blues type stuff. Rock and Roll. :twisted:
But I really do like the picking hand control. I have improved a lot in this area in the last few years. It feels good.
Lefty playing righty? Yeah, that has to be extra tough. It actually takes a lot of strength to pick correctly. But you must have a killer fretting hand for bends and stuff like that. :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
ab0msnwman
You've got a great attitude, yeah, you'll get there soon. And I don't hate shredding, sometimes I hear licks and wish I could play them. Not really into the classical sound too much though. I like raw Blues type stuff. Rock and Roll. :twisted:
But I really do like the picking hand control. I have improved a lot in this area in the last few years. It feels good.
Lefty playing righty? Yeah, that has to be extra tough. It actually takes a lot of strength to pick correctly. But you must have a killer fretting hand for bends and stuff like that. :D
Yeah I used to hate metal, and be really heavy into grunge stuff, but when I heard Buckethead about a year ago that all changed haha
Really? I would have never guessed.
I watched a few videos of Buckethead on YouTube. He can really play. I was impressed with how he holds his fretting hand. It is not usually good to bend your wrist that far, but Buckethead is very precise.
Gotta tell ya though, he kinda freaks me out. :D
But I have always been afraid of anyone with a mask. And I never liked clowns when I was a kid. :shock:
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Yeah he is weird, but I love the guy haha.
You should check out his album Colma Wes, you would like it I bet. It is mellow and really shows how great a musician he is . . . not just a shredder.
Here is a live version of one of the songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjbjONMadL0
And another song I just always liked . . . hehe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ntvX8QXs_s
:roll: sorry about that . . . anyway back on topic, I will try to post some clips of the sweeping when i clean it up in a few weeks so you can all give me some feedback on how it sounds
