Using a metronome is probably one of the best methods you can use in order to build speed with accuracy, and can be applied to many techniques, including alternate and tremlo picking.
Players like Matt Heafy (Trivium), and John Petrucci (Dream Theater), are both advocates of using this as a way to build not only build speed, but also to synchronise your hands and increase strength and stamina.
You can either buy a metronome (most companies like BOSS, PLANET WAVES, KORG, etc. make them), or download a software version that you can use on your computer.
The key is to start off slow...choose a simple lick (something chromatic is usually good) and begin at maybe 80 beats per minute (BPM). Play this until you can play it accurately and consistently. Once you're happy at that speed, increase the metronome by 5-10 BPM. Once again, ensure you're playing accurately and consistently and just repeat the process.
If you maintain this discipline you'll soon see the results...
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Death Metal Guitar Lesson - 6 Fast Tips to Rip Through Metal Chords
As a guitarist, you'll have noticed that professional death metal guitarists can really give you a lesson in chords by the way they fly around the guitar neck. The progressions sound filthy and awesome and all of the skills they pull off almost appear effortless.
Learning to bust through fast progressions and chord changes for death metal is great to learn since it can be adapted to other genres of metal and rock. Check out these 6 fast and effective tips for playing chords faster, smoother, and more brutal.
1. Keep your fingers near the lower fret marks on the guitar neck. If there appears to be a lot of twanging and resonation in the strings that doesn't create strong tones, focus on adjusting your fret fingers to sit closer to the frets when you play. For example, if you play the 'F' chord in drop 'D' tuning, you would lay your finger across the third fret while keeping it relatively close to the 2nd fret.
2. Accommodate your fingerings for the next approaching riff. Many times when guitarists mess up during a death metal riff, it's only because they're not planning for the future of the song. There is more than one way to play any lick on the guitar, so plan wisely as how to play certain parts to be ready for the next one.
3. Slide between chords. A very choppy song can seem like the instruments are not working together when they perform. Try to slide between each chord in a very subtle way in order to create the illusion of continuity between chord progressions.
4. Prepare for more calluses. If you're playing death metal guitar, you're most likely playing in one of the drop tunings of 'D' or 'C'. With these tunings you'll be laying your index finger across three strings at a time to create power chords. You'll find out soon enough that more calluses will begin to form along the length of your finger.
5. The uglier the chord progressions, the better. A quick lesson to learn in this metal genre is that the chord progressions don't necessarily have to be pretty or make much sense. Experiment with progressions that only involve four chords exactly adjacent to one another. You might be surprised by the evil things you can come up with.
6. Get a mean growl from partially-open palm-muted chords. Death metal guitarists sometimes like for their palm-muted chords to resonate slightly to give a very eerie and dark feeling in their songs. Release a bit of pressure off the strings when playing palm-muted and you should be able to hear a firm strike with a dark humming that follows.
When playing death metal, really focus on what can make your tone dark, powerful, and aggressive all at the same time. Try out these effective tips and start really thrashing through your metal riffs better.
Kyle Hoffman is an experienced guitarist that has performed in a number of successful rock and hardcore bands over a period of years. Check out his tips on finding the best fast electric guitar course for your money at his popular guitar blog, How To Guitar Tune now!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Hoffman
Learning to bust through fast progressions and chord changes for death metal is great to learn since it can be adapted to other genres of metal and rock. Check out these 6 fast and effective tips for playing chords faster, smoother, and more brutal.
1. Keep your fingers near the lower fret marks on the guitar neck. If there appears to be a lot of twanging and resonation in the strings that doesn't create strong tones, focus on adjusting your fret fingers to sit closer to the frets when you play. For example, if you play the 'F' chord in drop 'D' tuning, you would lay your finger across the third fret while keeping it relatively close to the 2nd fret.
2. Accommodate your fingerings for the next approaching riff. Many times when guitarists mess up during a death metal riff, it's only because they're not planning for the future of the song. There is more than one way to play any lick on the guitar, so plan wisely as how to play certain parts to be ready for the next one.
3. Slide between chords. A very choppy song can seem like the instruments are not working together when they perform. Try to slide between each chord in a very subtle way in order to create the illusion of continuity between chord progressions.
4. Prepare for more calluses. If you're playing death metal guitar, you're most likely playing in one of the drop tunings of 'D' or 'C'. With these tunings you'll be laying your index finger across three strings at a time to create power chords. You'll find out soon enough that more calluses will begin to form along the length of your finger.
5. The uglier the chord progressions, the better. A quick lesson to learn in this metal genre is that the chord progressions don't necessarily have to be pretty or make much sense. Experiment with progressions that only involve four chords exactly adjacent to one another. You might be surprised by the evil things you can come up with.
6. Get a mean growl from partially-open palm-muted chords. Death metal guitarists sometimes like for their palm-muted chords to resonate slightly to give a very eerie and dark feeling in their songs. Release a bit of pressure off the strings when playing palm-muted and you should be able to hear a firm strike with a dark humming that follows.
When playing death metal, really focus on what can make your tone dark, powerful, and aggressive all at the same time. Try out these effective tips and start really thrashing through your metal riffs better.
Kyle Hoffman is an experienced guitarist that has performed in a number of successful rock and hardcore bands over a period of years. Check out his tips on finding the best fast electric guitar course for your money at his popular guitar blog, How To Guitar Tune now!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Hoffman
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Learn How to Play - Sweep Picking on the Guitar
If you've ever marveled at Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker or Marty Friedman and thought that you'd never get to that stage in a million years ... don't give up! They aren't robots, with a programmed ability to place every finger perfectly and pick cleanly at a million miles per hour from the beginning. They're human, like us, and needed to learn guitar techniques the same way we do. One of the favourite techniques of neo-classical players like Yngwie, Friedman and Becker is sweep picking. Here we break it down systematically to make it easier to learn.
Sweep picking is an advanced two-hand guitar technique, where three or more notes are played in quick succession, however not strummed together as with a chord. In sweep picking.
You will move up or down three or more strings at a time, sounding each string once.
Arpeggios are the note pattern usually used
The end note is usually accentuated above the other notes
You will use one of several techniques for making each note sound separately, rather than together. You might lift your finger off a note on the fret board as it is struck, or palm mute with your right hand, or mute with your left hand using a finger rolling technique.
When you need to sound more than one note on a string, hammer ons or pull offs are often used in order to preserve the natural sweeping motion, rather than alternate or economy picking a small section
Picking hand technique for learning sweep picking:
Think of the sweep as a controlled strum
Make sure that your pick is slightly angled up when you are moving down the strings, and down when you are moving up the strings
Don't hold the pick too hard
Maintain a steady rhythm for the sweep itself
Angle your pick a little more towards 90 degrees from the body for the last note, to accentuate it slightly.
Finger rolling is the easiest way to ensure that all the notes in a sweep sound clearly, but do not ring, while keeping up your speed. If you are moving down the bottom 3 strings, the finger rolling technique would consist of:
Pushing the tip of your finger down on the G string
Lifting it after the note is struck and pushing the middle of your finger down on the B string
Lifting that after the note is struck and pushing the lower part of your finger down on the E string
Sweep picking can be a difficult technique to master. As with all new skills that you're learning on the guitar, always practice first to get it right, and second to get it fast. Don't try to live up to Jason Becker's standard in your first week! If you teach yourself to sweep pick sloppily, for the sake of speed, it will be much more difficult to un-learn your bad habits.
Good songs for practising sweep picking:
A Tout Le Monde, Megadeth
Leper Messiah, Metallica
Bloodlust of the Human Condition, Unearth
Eugene's Trick Bag, Steve Vai
Beast and the Harlot, Avenged Sevenfold
Get FREE Beginner Guitar Lessons And Learn Guitar Online Guitar Lessons Here.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Gian
Sweep picking is an advanced two-hand guitar technique, where three or more notes are played in quick succession, however not strummed together as with a chord. In sweep picking.
You will move up or down three or more strings at a time, sounding each string once.
Arpeggios are the note pattern usually used
The end note is usually accentuated above the other notes
You will use one of several techniques for making each note sound separately, rather than together. You might lift your finger off a note on the fret board as it is struck, or palm mute with your right hand, or mute with your left hand using a finger rolling technique.
When you need to sound more than one note on a string, hammer ons or pull offs are often used in order to preserve the natural sweeping motion, rather than alternate or economy picking a small section
Picking hand technique for learning sweep picking:
Think of the sweep as a controlled strum
Make sure that your pick is slightly angled up when you are moving down the strings, and down when you are moving up the strings
Don't hold the pick too hard
Maintain a steady rhythm for the sweep itself
Angle your pick a little more towards 90 degrees from the body for the last note, to accentuate it slightly.
Finger rolling is the easiest way to ensure that all the notes in a sweep sound clearly, but do not ring, while keeping up your speed. If you are moving down the bottom 3 strings, the finger rolling technique would consist of:
Pushing the tip of your finger down on the G string
Lifting it after the note is struck and pushing the middle of your finger down on the B string
Lifting that after the note is struck and pushing the lower part of your finger down on the E string
Sweep picking can be a difficult technique to master. As with all new skills that you're learning on the guitar, always practice first to get it right, and second to get it fast. Don't try to live up to Jason Becker's standard in your first week! If you teach yourself to sweep pick sloppily, for the sake of speed, it will be much more difficult to un-learn your bad habits.
Good songs for practising sweep picking:
A Tout Le Monde, Megadeth
Leper Messiah, Metallica
Bloodlust of the Human Condition, Unearth
Eugene's Trick Bag, Steve Vai
Beast and the Harlot, Avenged Sevenfold
Get FREE Beginner Guitar Lessons And Learn Guitar Online Guitar Lessons Here.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Gian
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Playing Shred Guitar - Your Number One Enemy
Shred guitar is a term that many people are familiar with, but not quite certain what it means. Basically, when someone is playing shred guitar they are playing really really fast. There is a debate about just how fast a guitarist needs to play in order for it to be considered shred. It is commonly thought that anything over 10 notes per second is shred guitar. This is most commonly associated with metal music and hair rock of the 70's and 80's. I have been a fan of shred guitar for quite some time now. I even take a shot at playing some shred guitar. I'm not great, but I have picked up a few things over my playing career and I wanted to impart a piece of wisdom on beginning players today.
My most important piece of advice to beginners is to AVOID TENSION. Tension will be your worst enemy when playing shred guitar. You simply cannot go fast without tension. This is a bit counterintuitive for a lot of people. To illustrate, start playing a scale. Any scale, it doesn't matter. Play it at a nice comfortable pace.
Now, start to increase your tempo until you are playing it at top speed. I am willing to bet that as you speed increased, so did the tension in you arm, shoulder, hand and fingers. Now, try the scales again and instead of increasing tension as tempo increases, consciously focus on decreasing tension. It will be difficult and you will feel like you are holding back but trust me. You need to learn this. Think of the experts in anything, guitar, piano, tennis, whatever. Isn't one thing that they have in common that they make whatever they are doing look easy? This is because they are doing it without tension. All their actions appear to flow effortlessly. I am not trying to get all Zen on you, but this is so important.
On top of that, tension will not only keep you at a slow pace but it will also cause injury. I knew a guitarist who absolutely loved playing but had to quit because the tendonitis in his wrists was so bad. He was also one of the most tensed players I have ever seen. It crushed him. Don't let this happen to you. Avoid tension and start playing shred guitar!
Stop wasting your time and start getting better at guitar! How good could you be if you had the right tools? Come learn to play the guitar by ear [http://www.theguitarprofessor.com] with The Guitar Professor. It's free.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Gloman
My most important piece of advice to beginners is to AVOID TENSION. Tension will be your worst enemy when playing shred guitar. You simply cannot go fast without tension. This is a bit counterintuitive for a lot of people. To illustrate, start playing a scale. Any scale, it doesn't matter. Play it at a nice comfortable pace.
Now, start to increase your tempo until you are playing it at top speed. I am willing to bet that as you speed increased, so did the tension in you arm, shoulder, hand and fingers. Now, try the scales again and instead of increasing tension as tempo increases, consciously focus on decreasing tension. It will be difficult and you will feel like you are holding back but trust me. You need to learn this. Think of the experts in anything, guitar, piano, tennis, whatever. Isn't one thing that they have in common that they make whatever they are doing look easy? This is because they are doing it without tension. All their actions appear to flow effortlessly. I am not trying to get all Zen on you, but this is so important.
On top of that, tension will not only keep you at a slow pace but it will also cause injury. I knew a guitarist who absolutely loved playing but had to quit because the tendonitis in his wrists was so bad. He was also one of the most tensed players I have ever seen. It crushed him. Don't let this happen to you. Avoid tension and start playing shred guitar!
Stop wasting your time and start getting better at guitar! How good could you be if you had the right tools? Come learn to play the guitar by ear [http://www.theguitarprofessor.com] with The Guitar Professor. It's free.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Gloman
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Learning Alternate Picking
When you play guitar with a plectrum, there are two possible ways to use it to pick a string. You can start above the string, pick down towards the ground, and end up below the string. This is known as a down stroke. Or you can start below the string, pick up towards the ceiling, and end up above the string. This is known as an up stroke. When most people start playing the guitar, they use down strokes exclusively. It takes most beginners a while to develop the dexterity and wrist strength needed to correctly execute an up stroke.
Alternate picking is when a player alternates between down strokes and up strokes. The resulting picking pattern is then obviously down, up, down , up. Many guitar virtuosos use alternate picking as their main form of picking.
Most people start out using nothing but down strokes. This is appropriate in some instances because down strokes can create a heavy, thick sound. Some passages call for down strokes exclusively. But for passages which are faster, you might not be able to pick fast enough with only down strokes. This severely limits a player's ability.
The solution to that problem is pretty easy to solve if you analyze it. When you use multiple down strokes in a row, you must bring your pick back above the string to execute another one. If you do an up stroke as you bring it back up, you will in essence double the speed at which you pick at. This is why many people use alternate picking. Also, apart from doubling your picking speed, alternate picking produces very clock-like, clean sounding riffs, and maintains pulsing accents in a passage.
Alternate picking is pretty simple if you are staying on the same string. When you move from string to string is where problems start to arise. There are two basic situations you might encounter when you change strings with alternate picking, outside the string and inside the string. In both, you must remember to keep the "down, up, down, up" pattern that makes it alternate picking.
Article Source: http://guitarteacher.wordpress.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_D.
Alternate picking is when a player alternates between down strokes and up strokes. The resulting picking pattern is then obviously down, up, down , up. Many guitar virtuosos use alternate picking as their main form of picking.
Most people start out using nothing but down strokes. This is appropriate in some instances because down strokes can create a heavy, thick sound. Some passages call for down strokes exclusively. But for passages which are faster, you might not be able to pick fast enough with only down strokes. This severely limits a player's ability.
The solution to that problem is pretty easy to solve if you analyze it. When you use multiple down strokes in a row, you must bring your pick back above the string to execute another one. If you do an up stroke as you bring it back up, you will in essence double the speed at which you pick at. This is why many people use alternate picking. Also, apart from doubling your picking speed, alternate picking produces very clock-like, clean sounding riffs, and maintains pulsing accents in a passage.
Alternate picking is pretty simple if you are staying on the same string. When you move from string to string is where problems start to arise. There are two basic situations you might encounter when you change strings with alternate picking, outside the string and inside the string. In both, you must remember to keep the "down, up, down, up" pattern that makes it alternate picking.
Article Source: http://guitarteacher.wordpress.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_D.
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