My "Pop Tarts Lick" - The First Thing I Could Play Fast

Playing Technique
#1

Just as Troy had the Pop Tarts lick, I had an etude which gave me my first taste of playing guitar at high speeds - specifically when both the picking and fretting hands synchronize together.

This particular etude has become a staple in my private teaching and is used as a milestone to mark and big step forward in my students playing ability.

Not surprisingly, this etude shares some similar qualities to the Pop Tarts lick:

  • Can be handled with DWPS (no escape mechanisms, though)

  • Contains an even number of notes per string, when changing strings

  • Relies on chunked groups to make the mental organization easier

I put together a video which presents the etude:

If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can download the tab here.

What about the rest of you?

What was the first thing you could play that made you feel like you were really playing fast?

Cheers!

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#2

Cool! Sounds great, really good video, solid production. That sounds kind of similar to the intro that Slash plays in Anastasia.

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#3

Sounds good! You’re teacher that showed you that must have been a fan of Troy Stetina’s teaching methods. I recognized the etude that you demonstrated as excercise #33 from the book ‘Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar’, which was pretty much considered the shredders Bible back in the ‘90s. Lots of good stuff in there that stands the test of time, although it is nowhere near as in depth as @Troy, Troy Grady’s stuff! What is it with dudes named Troy and why are they so damn good? :slightly_smiling_face: Maybe if I change my name…hmmm.

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