Hey!
So this is my first posting in this part of the forum, really scary!
The things in the videos is very much a work in progress when it comes to technique, so any critique is welcome!
The CAGED arps, different combinations of 1nps and 2nps
1nps arps on all six strings
Jack
Great foundation. Itās tough to tell for sure, but it looks like you are using a really nice forearm/wrist mechanic, and possibly a bit of finger/thumb movement as wellā¦ but Iām not 100% sure.
From my perspective, it really looks nice. I canāt think of anything you need to improve on (but maybe I have a bias here, since I actually use a similar mechanic.) But maybe Troy and others have some suggestions.
Just curious how long you have been practicing this, and what technique you used before.
Sometimes, i play it really relaxed, thats the way i want it, but it is easy to tense up. When it feels like i am sweep picking i know i do it right! What about you?
I have been practicing it for several years by now, picking scales took a long time, picking arpeggios was easier for some reason.
UWPS in the early years, then pure DWPS, then i found out all the stuff hereā¦i guess i use a mix of everything now
Definitely keeping everything from tensing up is really important. Especially when you really start to jump around the strings.
I started from mostly DWPS, and tried to do a bit of 2WPS. and then to X-picking, about two years for me.
As far as problems with CAGED scales. That was an issue for me as well. Specifically going from the 3NPS to 2NPS, really required that I āunlearnā old habits. I had to do a lot of 3-2-3-2-3-2 and 1-2-1-2-1-2 practicing without fretting to to overcome that.
Interesting about feeling like a sweep. For me, the two still feel very different. I tend to use the āinertiaā of the pick-stroke to help with the movementsā¦ so on 6 string arpsā¦ I tend to pause on the outside transfer, and move quicker on the inside transfers. It just sorta happened., I donāt know if itās better or worse. I also use gliding instead of anchoring with the pinky/ring.
Interesting to hear. Now days i have no problem playing the CAGED scales either, even though i usually move around a bit. I think my technique is different on the acoustic, due to string tension and other things, have you noticed that as well?
About the anchoring, it just started recently haha, Do you have any videos of you playing something similiar? It would be nice to see it done differently.
The 6 string arps is not something i usually do when improvising, i guess it is the frontier of my technique. With some work it can get real useful i hope.
Iāve had issues with muting on the electric, but thatās gotten better. I still donāt like the feel of loose strings, so my electric is .11 gauge. A big problem for me is with .09s, is the strings start vibrating too much, especially at high speed.
Iāll try and make some video shortly. I still have reliablility issuesā¦ but its getting better. Sometimes the 1nps stuff sorta dissappears for meā¦ probably from tension. Also the outside string alternation comes and goes.
Well itās Halloween, so youāre allowed to be scared!
Thanks for posting, and great playing. In general this all looks good. Accuracy is perfect, tone is perfect, and the progressions are cool. Nice work.
If youāre concerned about whether youāre doing this with the best form, thatās harder to say. The best test is to speed up and see what happens. If you can go pretty fast and it stays smooth, but gets a little sloppy where you start swiping strings or missing notes, then Iād say your form is probably correct. Good form ādegrades gracefullyā is how I like to see it.
On the other hand, if you canāt go much faster than this, and you feel tension, and the playing stays accurate, then itās possible the form could be flattened out a little.
Hehe, i like the idea of that:P
I will try out various technical approaches and see what sounds best when i fail!
Usually when i play bluegrass stuff and other things these motions just come by from time to time. Playing arpeggios for a sustained amount of time is way harder.
I have .09s. on my electric, because of bends and vibrato. (my hands are a bit weak)
if i play mostly acoustic for a long time, i canāt do any picking on the electric. It takes a couple of days to get the touch right again.
Hmm, outside string alternation has always been the hardest for me too.
Yeah me too, sometimes itās just enough to put the guitar down, go out of the room, have a glass of water and come back in, and there it is again.
5&6 nps for sure does it for me too as I donāt do that very often - and to be honest itās not something you need to pull off for every tune you play. But 3&4nps OTOH are pretty much ingrained.
More specifically, what Iām suggesting is that you take these two examples youāve posted, with the exact same form youāre using in these clips, and just do them faster. What happens when you do that - do you hit a speed limit with arm tension, or does it get substantially faster while feeling smooth, and a little sloppy?
If itās sloppyā¦ thatās good! Strangely enough, but it is.