How would you play this? (Fatal Tragedy solo)

Playing Technique
#1

After watching the Picking Primer and Antigravity (which are easily the best picking systems I have ever come across btw), it seems that string swiping is the way to go for the first 2 notes of this sequence. Is this how you would approach it? 2WPS just seems like a lot of movement since there is only one note on that root string.

However, the lick then uses string skipping, as the same sequence is played on a higher string. Would you simply string swipe through TWO strings to achieve this? If not, any ideas about how to most efficiently play this are welcomed.

Thanks!

IMG_9731
IMG_9731.jpg4032Ă—3024 1.66 MB

1 Like
#2

Actually Petrucci plays the last two notes of each group of 6 as pulloffs, much easier :wink:

Edit: in this video you can see him teaching exactly that picking + pulloff pattern:

4 Likes
#3

AH!! Nice, thanks so much. Been practicing this solo on and off for years and I never realized this. Definitely can’t always trust the tab books - I wonder what else they got wrong

1 Like
#4

Great video catch, Tommo. This is true in looking at other videos of him playing this solo. But! That doesn’t solve the issue with the first two notes of each sextuplet.

Try crosspicking the first two notes, i.e., downward escape then upward escape, and then upward escape the next four in each six-note group. After six notes, you’ll be clear of the strings and able to strike the pedal note. This is how I practice this portion of the solo and it doesn’t feel like that much movement.

1 Like
#5

Yes I was wondering about this, okay gotcha thanks. Good to hear that crosspicking can be a viable solution in areas like this. I haven’t watched much of the crosspicking videos here yet but I am familiar with the technique from Steve Morse stuff

#6

Yeah, pulling off would seem the logical way to do this. But I do think this is pickable up to a reasonable speed. It’s kinda an inversed Gilbert, with a string skip.

#7

Yes I was thinking the same exact thing. Was actually just working on one of those Gilbert type licks today!