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help with technique

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 8:15 am
by DBS
i'm currently trying to develop my sweep picking / arpeggio / speed building so i decided to attempt 'concerto' by cacophony. some may say slightly ambitious of me but it's certainly helped me a great deal in not only playing arpeggios but getting a better understanding of them. as i am nowhere near the standards of jason becker or marty friedman, i've slowed the song down to 130bpm (its played at something like 184) and am trying to build up my speed. however, i think my playing technique may be hindering any progress because i simply cannot go any faster without bumming every single note. i understand these things take patience and with time speed will come, but i was hoping somebody here could take a look at this little clip i made of the section i'm learning at the moment and tell me what i can do to help build speed and clarity.

any advice would be much appreciated :tup:

here's the video.....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6Kz9Y4HAw

i am aware my guitar's slightly out of tune.

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:35 am
by cottonmouth
well you already have the metronome going so I don't have any advice to give ya, sorry

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:54 am
by croninburg
Maybe get some lessons? Sweep picking takes fucking ages to learn, I know a couple of exercises that I have probably been playing for a couple of years and I still suck.. I do play a telecaster though :lol: You could try doing some sweeping exercises that are easier than the tune that youre trying to learn, 3 or 4 string stuff at first (assuming that concerto is a 6 string wankfest). Good luck :tup:

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:17 am
by DBS
croninburg wrote:Maybe get some lessons? Sweep picking takes fucking ages to learn, I know a couple of exercises that I have probably been playing for a couple of years and I still suck.. I do play a telecaster though :lol: You could try doing some sweeping exercises that are easier than the tune that youre trying to learn, 3 or 4 string stuff at first (assuming that concerto is a 6 string wankfest). Good luck :tup:
thats why i picked it there's various stages of difficulty. i've got the three string stuff down to a reasonable standard and up to speed, but now its all over the fucking shop with 5-6 string sweeps coupled with alternate picking sections. i don't want to give up on it cos it's really helped my playing and it's like a level on a video game that i HAVE to beat. i was wondering though if my playing style is all wrong for sweep picking?

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:31 am
by croninburg
I'm in no position to give advice on technique.. I just listened to the video, it sounds pretty decent so if you stick at it you're sure to make progress. One practice thing that I found useful is repeating a pattern or progression, but moving up and down the neck chromatically, maybe if you concentrate on certain parts in this way it would help?

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:39 pm
by Gnarkiller
mindless repatition... i think

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:19 am
by DeathSion
well you need to do sweeps over and over..if you're trying to learn them/practice them..why would you throw everything else in? it's a bitch but you must do it...learn simple arpeggios..and do them over..and over..and over again. then you move onto bigger and better things. first get your fretting fingers to know the patterns and get the flowing over the motion smoothly..then learn to sweep across..(which really is extremely easy) then you'll need to learn how to mute with both hands when zipping through them. then learn how to not make all that extra little crappy noise in there. Have fun sitting in your room for the next year with no contact to the outside world. Also remember arpeggio is just a chord played in progression...so you can take chords..and choose your notes..and apply them into your arps..

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 10:16 am
by Pfl?yd
Deathsion wins the thread.

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 12:44 pm
by Big Ben
Nice shirt :tup:

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:15 pm
by RandomRussianDude
croninburg wrote:Sweep picking takes fucking ages to learn, I know a couple of exercises that I have probably been playing for a couple of years and I still suck..
2 years? goddamn. :lol: it took me around 2 months to learn that. i had an obsession with them for a while. however i've been playing guitar for about 6 years before i got into sweeps.

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:24 pm
by croninburg
I never play them, apart from when I practice :lol:

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:50 pm
by CFH Eternal
Pfl?yd wrote:Deathsion wins the thread.

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:59 pm
by Pfl?yd
Try it on bass!

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:14 pm
by BassPhemy
I can do a few sweeping licks on bass. I use my thumb to sweep downwards and my index or middle finger to sweep upwards and then my fingers to pick any other notes if there is more than one on a single string.

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:06 pm
by Gnarkiller
BassPhemy wrote:I can do a few sweeping licks on bass. I use my thumb to sweep downwards and my index or middle finger to sweep upwards and then my fingers to pick any other notes if there is more than one on a single string.

Dude if thats the case u might as well toss ur stupid old rigity bass and pick up a real intrument to play. the electric guitar

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 7:41 am
by Pfl?yd
Gnarkiller wrote:
BassPhemy wrote:I can do a few sweeping licks on bass. I use my thumb to sweep downwards and my index or middle finger to sweep upwards and then my fingers to pick any other notes if there is more than one on a single string.

Dude if thats the case u might as well toss ur stupid old rigity bass and pick up a real intrument to play. the electric guitar
Why would he opt to go the easy route?

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 7:47 am
by Pfl?yd
BassPhemy wrote:I can do a few sweeping licks on bass. I use my thumb to sweep downwards and my index or middle finger to sweep upwards and then my fingers to pick any other notes if there is more than one on a single string.
I've been catching myself doing more technical stuff on the bass lately. I've mostly been in a more "groove" phase but the nature of my newer material kind of requires it because I've been composing more shit on keyboard or on the computer and then turning around and having to learn how to actually play it later. The same goes for my bandmates. The guitarist doesn't play chords at all and sometimes I prefer to do unison lines with him but he plays some outlandish shit. It's kind of a fun challenge.

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 9:19 pm
by Hero-Of-The-Day
Start trying d and c major sweeps those are very easy and great
to build up your speed. Then start doing like diminished sweeps.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:03 pm
by MÖTLEYCRÜE666
Hero-Of-The-Day wrote:Start trying d and c major sweeps those are very easy and great
to build up your speed. Then start doing like diminished sweeps.
couldn't of said it better myself. :tup:

Re: help with technique

Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:12 pm
by UNGODLIKE
DBS wrote:
any advice would be much appreciated :tup:

here's the video.....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6Kz9Y4HAw

i am aware my guitar's slightly out of tune.
god damn! can your highs be a little more ear piercing ? think you're clipping on the EQ there...