EJ pentatonic sixes. A slightly different approach

Playing Technique
#1

[Hello everyone,

  For anybody that has followed the pickslanting and or cascade seminars, I would like your input on something I recently ran across.  The approach is quite similar, except it utilizes a sweep on the turnaround.  It's probably best if you look at the attached PDF so you can see what I mean.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3OXBzmYi7WgSjlvOGtPTGxIems/view?usp=sharing

Let me know if there are issues with the link.

Sincerely,

Brandon J. Roth

Making Colorado AWESOME with loud guitars, hot chicks, and Pugs

#2

Hi, Brandon. Welcome to the forum!

#3

Thank you Hanky_Pooh! Do you have any opinion on the information that I shared?

#4

Nice economy picking drill. For total consistency, you could start the first group on an upstroke as well so that each unit is played the same way and the sweeps are in the same place.

A downwardly-slanted player is still probably going to prefer the rhythm and single slant option of alternate picking.

#5

Hi Brandon, welcome to the forum.

I have tried your lick. If found myself alternating between downward and upward pick slanting to achieve the picking pattern you have posted. It didn’t feel very efficient to me. And I am not sure what would be the advantage of such an arrangement. Could you tell us the source of this tab?

In general, I don’t see why you would take a lick that perfectly fits the downward pick slating approach and apply a picking pattern different than strict alternate picking to it. Could you share with us why you’d like to play it that way? Does it have something to do with the tone?

#6

I have been really trying to work it out. At first glance, It would seem to have advantages in terms of speed/efficiency, but I have found that it does tend to get me off beat a bit. I think that I will adapt, but it does feel strange at first.

As far as your comments regarding starting on an upstroke, If started on a downstroke, the sweeps are always on the same string while doing 2 note per string pentatonic. I tried starting the exercise on a downstroke, and I’m not sure I am understanding. Could you please elaborate?

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated!

Branimal

#7

I mean do the first unit of 6 the same way you did every other unit of 6.

1 Like
#8

It came from a forum on Tom Hess’s forum. Nothing to do with tone. Those guys are VERY serious about what they call “Directional Picking”. It basically has the same “Laws” that Troy assigned to the Yngvie method.

  1. Use UWPS
  2. When the note ends on a downstroke sweep.
    etc… It was on a cracking the code episode.

Directional picking is the same as far as I can tell with the exception of this exercise. As you can see, if you have the opportunity to sweep, even on an upstroke, you do that in hopes that it is more efficient. In this case, I think that the sweeps are planned out so they occur in a pattern.

  I can say that it is rythmically difficult, but I am going to give this some time and see what happens.  A problem I have is that I look at SO much information that I don't stick with things as long as I probably should, as evidenced by my lurking on both Hess and Grady forums:sunglasses:

I’d love to hear what you think,
Brandon

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#9

Ahhh, ok. Thanks man. Sorry, kinda dense today.

#10

What Tom Hess calls directional picking is just economy picking without the systemised turnarounds that Gambale pioneered.

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#11

Hi, Brandon. I wasn’t sure what you were wanting to know. Like the other guys say here, it looks like an economy picking pentatonic lick to me.

The lick looks interesting. You could economy pick that as shown or use alternate picking. :+1:

1 Like
#12

I see how this can be made to work, but to me the pure alternate picked version (either fully DWPS or UPWS) feels easier: there is essentially only one movement to be repeated on each string. Also, The alternate version can be easily adapted to string skips, something that does not work with directional picking (unless one mutes the inbetween strings perhaps?).

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#13

Ditto. Some ideas don’t need to be re-engineered. On another hand, it’s fun to look at other options from time to time, because at least it reinforces why our favourite way is still our favourite way.

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#14

This is a very Cracking the Code-approved way of looking at things! I have no soap box to stand on when it comes to one technique versus another. All the colors in the Crayola 64 box are appropriate for something. Well, except “Raw Umber”, which was gross.

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#15

It tasted horrible too! haha

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#16

I agree. I have been working on this for about 12 weeks and it feels uncontrolled. It definitely looses some of the rhythmic quality that DW/UWPS provides.

Thanks for your insight.

Brandon

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#17

Ever try Elmers Glue Paste on Crayola? MMMM MMMMMMM :rofl:

#18

Paste was the best. There was something about that smell that was drug-like. That and Play Doh.

1 Like