Cliffs Solo Practice

Show and Tell
#1

Just a clip of a practice session on Cliffs of Dover Solo - first real attempts at full speed. Apologies for shocking audio - my shitty phone and late night practice volumes I’m afraid.

There is plenty of flubs and only posting for fun. My main focus is to navigate the widdly fast bit in a way that is repeatable, so I’m not going for strict copy here (not that I really know what that is anyway!)- just something close enough to the solo for the listener to recognize and enjoy.

I’m not using the EJ picking method at all in this (I suck at it), so 99.9% is alternate picking. I can’t hybrid either so that was a laugh with the old 'pincer move! :rofl:

I’m just happy to be playing at the moment- have had issues with my fretting hand and arm that are largely taken care of, still struggles at times.

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How to achieve consistency in musical performance?
#2

Such a slick transition between the picking and the fingerstyle, then back! Lol

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#3

I really dig it! I do have a question about the vibrato…Eric seems to do more of a weird up/down vibrato where as yours is more traditional side to side. The up and down gets a faster shift between the two pitches, so its like a faster vibrato. I’ve always wondered how he does that because my vibrato is exactly like your style.

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#4

Hehe. God I wish I could play that bit properly!

#5

Although I didn’t make any specific attempts to copy vibrato, I did find that because of the tempo and max note duration, my vibrato a bit faster and less wide than I would normally do - definitely wouldn’t say it always feels or sounds good and I will seek to refine as I start to nail the solo a bit more.

Its fair to say that vibrato is one of the 1st victims of ‘red light syndrome’. From what I remember (I could be wrong) EJ employs both traditional vibrato (thumb over the top, rocking movement) and one where the thumb is off the back of the neck and shakes the hand/arm up and down with possibly activating fingers a bit more (a bit clapton like maybe?). This tends to be a faster vibrato that if you are not careful, becomes very amateurish (think Kirk Hammet/angry wasp). I’m not sure whether he also does the more ‘violin’ type vibrato - is what you are referring to? where you pull the string toward nut and bridge or the clapton?

#6

Hey @PickingApprentice just wanted to say very nice job! You’re definitely on the home stretch with it. Eff that whole hybrid picking thing lol! Your thumb/finger picking is awesome and it sounds great :metal: :metal: :metal:

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#7

Good going there, it’s happening :+1::grinning::partying_face:

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#8

Thanks chaps! Much appreciated. I wish I could record with some decent audio. I might pick up a captor X and a cheap audio interface

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#9

Your playing is fantastic.

For recording, those little Tascam devices are quite nice and user-friendly.

#10

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I did wonder about those devices - any experience?