Chasing Paganini

Picking It Up Again

T.M. — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:44:24 +0000

It is strange to pick up guitar after nearly 10 years of not touching the thing. And to pick it up with the intention of being great at it is just as strange (or even stupid).

I find that re-learning scales, arpeggios, chords, and to even be able to phrase in a nice way, is a bizarre experience. There is a constant newness in the day to day learning, but also an odd feeling of deja vu that comes along with it.

Perhaps the deja vu points to something important…

Perhaps it is saying, “Hey, you’ve already practiced this over and over, and it didn’t really help you much before, otherwise you’d have never put the guitar down in the first place. Why are you practicing this again??”

I understand there must be a certain amount of facility on the instrument, but I fail to see the point in incessantly running scales all over the place.

As musicians, we all must have sounds in our heads. Phrases, songs, small bits and large bits, all screaming to be heard. If we are able to listen to those sounds, they will teach us what we need to practice.

It is probably best to build our practice sessions based on the sounds already present within us, and not based on what every other guitarist is doing.

Let practice sessions be the knife that cuts through the cheese!

Q&A – Alternate Picking

T.M. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:45:20 +0000

Question:

What is the best way to hold the pick when performing fast alternate picking?

Answer:

Well, I have seen it done differently so many times, it becomes useless to worry about a ‘best’ way. Shawn Lane would tilt the pick up, Paul Gilbert tilts the pick down, and Marty Friedman is all messed up.

What you will want to do first is find a comfortable way to hold the pick. Start from there. Also, experiment with how much of the tip is exposed while alternate picking. Some players are good with just the slightest bit of tip exposed, while others prefer more of the ‘meat’ of the pick to be exposed. Your best choice will be based on the music you play, the techniques you use, and the overall comfort of the thing.

Beyond all of that, I have one last piece of advice: stop worrying about how to hold the pick, and just focus on playing your damn guitar!

Get practicing!

T.M.

Learning the Neck – 2nd Form Arpeggio Exercise

T.M. — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:00:37 +0000

In this video, we go over an exercise for the Form 2 arpeggio, along with 2 variations.

Have fun!

2nd Form Arpeggio Exercise

Learning the Neck – 2nd Form Arpeggio – G Major

T.M. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:14:46 +0000

In this video lesson, we learn the second form of a major arpeggio. In this case we use G Major, beginning on the second note of the arpeggio. The notes being B-D-G.

Have fun!

Fun with Scales – Alternate Picking – Crazy 8′s

T.M. — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:30:53 +0000

In this video we have a fun little exercise for strengthening your alternate picking skills. Includes numerous fingerings, along with an exercise for strengthening the 3rd and 4th fingers of the left hand.

Have fun!!

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Form 1 Arpeggio Exercise in A Major

T.M. — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:10:59 +0000

In this video, we take a look at a simple exercise designed to help cement Form 1 of the major triad.

Have Fun!

Learning the Neck – 1st Form Arpeggio – Right Hand

T.M. — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:22:42 +0000

Here we go into the right-hand picking for the First Form of the A Major triad (A-C#-E).

We learn: the motion of the pick while playing this arpeggio.

Learning the Neck – First Form Arpeggio – A Major

T.M. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:23:03 +0000

In this first lesson, we learn about the first form of a Major arpeggio (A-C#-E, in this case).

The fingering may be different from what you are used to, but it rolls off the fingers nicely.

Don’t Worry…

T.M. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:28:01 +0000

This site is coming along just fine, and regular updates are here. Just be patient.