I’m really trying to improve my technique and speed however I feel like I have hit a wall and a big part of the reason is not really knowing WHAT to practice. I don’t like the “Just try to learn songs you like” approach. I have a solid understanding of the concepts taught in CTC as well as above average theory knowledge as well as more than enough fundamental scales and fingerings down (Major/minor Pents, 3 position major/minor scales, etc…). I feel my biggest challenge is knowing exactly what to practice in order to develop the skills taught here and how to do it. Any real world examples of what you guys have done is greatly appreciated.
1 Like
I’ve made PDFs for practicing different types of exercises. Stuff like single string 16ths and sextuplets for syncing, two string patterns, and 2 & 3 string sweeps. Then I’ll practice them on different strings and with different intervals. Here’s an example of some single string syncing exercises:
2 Likes
Hi! I am personally not super focused on which licks people play. However, there is a definitely “learning to walk” sequence to this stuff which I think we’re discovering everyone needs to follow, at least at first.
Specifically, you need to verify that you have a picking motion first, and that it is one of the pickslanting motions (as a starting point) that is efficient. This can be harder than it looks even when conceptually you may think you have things down. See the “pink arrow” animation on this thread for one example of how your mind can play tricks on you even when you think something looks correct:
https://forum.troygrady.com/t/dwps-alternate-picking-critique-please/Once you’ve established the movement, then you need to establish some degree of speed and smoothness with it on a single string. Again, the phrase you play is much less important than the movement. Could be tremolo, could be a repeating phrase. Whatever you want.
Then you take that movement and try it across the strings. Two is a good start. Any pickslanting motion that works on a single string can work on multiple strings. That’s part of their design. Again, phrase isn’t that important - four notes, six notes, some even-numbered pattern.
From what we’ve seen here, a lot of players get stuck on the initial phase of establishing the motion. Once you start moving quickly on a single string, I think questions like what to play can be answered by “whatever you like”. It’s important that you start applying the new technique to lines that reflect your musical preferences, otherwise your vocabulary can quickly turn into a bunch of exercises. Ask me how I know…
5 Likes
Whichever ones you end up liking, I find it helpful to learn how to link them together. This can be much harder than the individual exercises themselves. Being able to go smoothly through several different exercises at speed is a good way to start developing your own style. It’s when you have to stop or fudge your way from one lick to the next that it really sounds like practice rather than music
Thanks for these and your email. Very helpful.