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bad habits

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:42 pm
by slay
im sure we all have some.. mine is not using my pinky when i should be.. my pinky's stamina sucks :( must practice more


you guys?

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:50 pm
by The Doctor
Same. I only use it when I play chords.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:23 pm
by Gnarkiller
I only use pinky when I need to. for stretches and half-step, whole-step shit below 12th fret.

otherwise it seems pointless to me.

bad habits of mine would just be sloppyness and lack of styles (not style)

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:42 pm
by DBS
i pick my asshole

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:59 pm
by washburnML
overuse of pinch harmonics.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:00 pm
by Pfl?yd
Playing with my thumb over the neck when I don't need to.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:20 pm
by slay
washburnML wrote:overuse of pinch harmonics.

zacky be wyldes... im guilty of this aswell

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:24 pm
by Big Ben
washburnML wrote:overuse of pinch harmonics.
Pfl?yd wrote:Playing with my thumb over the neck when I don't need to.
I also hate finger-picking which really hurts my acoustic-playing.


Sometimes when I finish drumming a song or session I like to throw my sticks at something and it usually causes some sort of damage.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:31 pm
by PABassPlayer
Pfl?yd wrote:Playing with my thumb over the neck when I don't need to.
I think this is a "bad habit" all bass players have.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:45 am
by UNGODLIKE
excessive wanking

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:56 am
by Pfl?yd
PABassPlayer wrote:
Pfl?yd wrote:Playing with my thumb over the neck when I don't need to.
I think this is a "bad habit" all bass players have.
It's an extension leftover from when I played guitar more and when I did more chordal work on a five-string and needed the thumb to move the roots around.

But it just looks kind of stupid just playing regular lines with that just hanging out over the neck like that. And since it pivots your fingers at an angle when you do it, it cuts your speed in half.

I've been playing a five-string a lot more again, so it forces you to break that habit because just doing it without thinking just makes it uncomfortable, so you automatically just don't do it.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:53 am
by Kellan
I was always taught to never have my thumb even start to creep over the neck. With a seemingly endless myriad of chord voicings for a single chord, there's really no excuse for using your thumb; in my opinion.
I also never used to use my pinky and forced myself to start using it. It took about a year to build up sufficient strength in it, but things like sweep arpeggios and just general shredding is about 20x easier with the use of my pinky. It's vital, really.

I never use a metronome and I really, really should. That's one bad habit I can think of.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:05 pm
by slay
a metronome or a nice drum beat in the background would be something i could also use

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:24 pm
by Hunter/Killer
Kellan wrote:I was always taught to never have my thumb even start to creep over the neck.
srv, hendrix etc used their thumbs for chords.
try doing it. very challenging

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:26 pm
by cottonmouth
Every solo I play comes down to pentatonics, Im so used to it, I can't unlearn it
During fast palm muting I put my pick in too much of an angle with the snares, gives it a scratchy sound I don't want.

As far as drumming goes, I guess I can get too pumped up in a song and let the tempo progress while I shouldn't.

Despite this I'm still awesome though.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:30 pm
by PABassPlayer
slay wrote:a metronome or a nice drum beat in the background would be something i could also use
a very simple, but effective "computer drum machine" is called Rythm Rascal" it can be easily downloaded from Limewire.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:33 pm
by Kellan
Wayne wrote:
Kellan wrote:I was always taught to never have my thumb even start to creep over the neck.
srv, hendrix etc used their thumbs for chords.
try doing it. very challenging
That still doesn't negate the fact that there's a plethora of different chord voicings for a single chord, even on the same fret; which don't require your thumb. I just don't think it's necessary and that it's bad technique.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:36 pm
by slay
PABassPlayer wrote:
slay wrote:a metronome or a nice drum beat in the background would be something i could also use
a very simple, but effective "computer drum machine" is called Rythm Rascal" it can be easily downloaded from Limewire.

will check it out :tup:

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:36 pm
by AoD
i cant use my pinky its been broke too many times and is a useless finger, it never does what i tell it

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:36 pm
by Hunter/Killer
Kellan wrote:
Wayne wrote:
Kellan wrote:I was always taught to never have my thumb even start to creep over the neck.
srv, hendrix etc used their thumbs for chords.
try doing it. very challenging
That still doesn't negate the fact that there's a plethora of different chord voicings for a single chord, even on the same fret; which don't require your thumb. I just don't think it's necessary and that it's bad technique.
i guess it's more style/feel than anything else. and sometimes that trumps technique

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:34 pm
by Kellan
Well I guess then by that definition, thumb-over the neck isn't my style. But if it works for you, have at it
:tup:

no pun intended with the :tup: emoticon :lol:

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:32 pm
by BassPhemy
I've been working on muting strings I'm not playing that end up ringing sympathetically. I'm good at it on bass but I have a fuck of a time doing it on guitar.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:36 pm
by Pfl?yd
BassPhemy wrote:I've been working on muting strings I'm not playing that end up ringing sympathetically. I'm good at it on bass but I have a fuck of a time doing it on guitar.
Yeah, I avoid using open strings on a bass at all costs. I naturally mute strings all over the place, though. I don't even think about it. It was all that funk playing, I think.

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:42 am
by RandomRussianDude
my worst habbit and curse is falling asleep when i play. i can't explain it. one minute i'm wide awake but the moment i start strumming those strings i'm dozing off. standing up and putting cigs out on my arm doesn't help :(




i'm kidding about the cigs

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:03 am
by Pfl?yd
RandomRussianDude wrote:my worst habbit and curse is falling asleep when i play. i can't explain it. one minute i'm wide awake but the moment i start strumming those strings i'm dozing off. standing up and putting cigs out on my arm doesn't help :(




i'm kidding about the cigs
Sounds Pavlovian.

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:19 am
by croninburg
I don't even know where to start. I'm sure I have bad habits that I don't even know about yet.. I intend to take some lessons in the summe, hopefully I can find a decent rock tutor to help me with the mechanical side of things, and a jazz man to help me brush up on theory and improv..

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:34 am
by RandomRussianDude
Pfl?yd wrote:
RandomRussianDude wrote:my worst habbit and curse is falling asleep when i play. i can't explain it. one minute i'm wide awake but the moment i start strumming those strings i'm dozing off. standing up and putting cigs out on my arm doesn't help :(




i'm kidding about the cigs
Sounds Pavlovian.
yeah, but where the hell did it come from? this never happened when i was younger. i could play for 6 hours straight and feel nothing but adrenaline afterwards, now its 5 minutes and i'm ready for bed :x

Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:58 am
by whitemike
One bad habit I do have which I know of is sometimes I'll use the bridge of my floyd rose to create vibrato more so than from my finger movements, by a simple wiggle of my picking hand on top of the bridge.

I'm getting out of it though, glad I filmed a show of my playing... man I did it a lot. It just accentuates the vibrato a little to much.

Apart from that I amn't sure of any major ones apart from the usual just being shit at guitar.

Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:16 pm
by gay_hayride
i stick guitar strings up my urethra..and speed pick with the tip of my cock

Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:15 pm
by skiscem
too many harmonies on my bass lines

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:09 am
by drummer_goat
count-ins to song!
I always try to hum the melody in my head first, but on stage I can't always rember the melody quick enough, so I just have to count off. When that happens its often a little fast, so the first transition I have to adjust.

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:01 am
by Pfl?yd
drummer_goat wrote:count-ins to song!
I always try to hum the melody in my head first, but on stage I can't always rember the melody quick enough, so I just have to count off. When that happens its often a little fast, so the first transition I have to adjust.
I sometimes have to hum a melody for the new drummer in the one band I play with for just that reason. He always blanks out and I'm like "da-da-da da-da duh!" I'm sure it looks fucking stupid on stage.

Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:55 pm
by Hunter/Killer
My bad habit is that i don't practice enough

Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:16 pm
by Wrona
Wayne wrote:My bad habit is that i don't practice enough
Same as i was going to post.

Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:02 am
by long4theblur
Sometimes I jack off all over my guitar

Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 9:34 am
by Gor-Gor
i dont practice enough. especially since im playing in a gigging band. i know it should, and i get the urge to play, but with action of walking to the stack and picking up the guitar makes me lose all urge. i dont know what it is. and if it get as far as actually playing its only for about 10 or 15 min then i get bored with what im playing so i stop. it sucks ass

Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:41 pm
by Lord of This World
I use my thumb to fret all the time. It's done wonders for my playing. But I don't find myself having the thumb hang over when I don't need it. Guess I'm just beast like that. :tup:

I don't really have any bad mechanical habits that I'm aware of. I'm just not as good as I want to be. I guess my main complaint is that I wish I was more technically skilled at lead guitar, but whenever I'm playing lead I always end up only caring about phrasing, melodic ideas, and cool fretboard shapes/patterns to nerd out on instead of practicing my speed and picking skills. :x

I might get out my exercise books and start a daily routine to practice with a metronome. I did this for a few years when I first started but now whenever I pick up a guitar I immediately start playing something I've written, improvising, or playing a song I like. Once that starts, I don't even think about practicing scales and shit.

Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:30 pm
by Maelstrom
Pressing my thumb against the back of the fretboard too strongly. I'm not a very good player, that's for sure, but the damn cheap bass isn't making things easier :tdown:

Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:36 pm
by hippy
Maelstrom wrote:Pressing my thumb against the back of the fretboard too strongly. I'm not a very good player, that's for sure, but the damn cheap bass isn't making things easier :tdown:
practice without using your thumb at all. this will help with that and improve your finger strength

Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:03 am
by Maelstrom
hippy wrote:
Maelstrom wrote:Pressing my thumb against the back of the fretboard too strongly. I'm not a very good player, that's for sure, but the damn cheap bass isn't making things easier :tdown:
practice without using your thumb at all. this will help with that and improve your finger strength
Well I tried a bass in a music store and it was SO MUCH EASIER TO PLAY, I swear :lol:

(summary: my bass sucks)