Recuerdos de Hybrid Picking - a weird tremolo project by Tommo

[tommo]

Some recent discussions on string tracking motivated me to go back to this little crazy project I had for a while: playing classical tremolo with DWPS (with escaped upstrokes) using the pattern Down-pluck-down-up.

The string changes work fine, but I have some discomfort string tracking when the jumps become large (i.e. a 5-6 string range), and when the tremolo happens on the high E string, because there is no rest stroke. So I wrote my own Recuerdos ripoff etude, which only features a tremolo on the B and G strings [I will share a transcription soon]. This is very hard to do for me - a bit of a work in progress so please be nice - but constructive feedback is appreciated

Tommo - Recuerdos Híbridos: a tremolo etude for electric guitar. Shaftesbury 3412 + Overloud TH-U.

I would also like to some technical feedback from anyone who might want to try this technique. Let’s take the worst case scenario: one note on the low E, three on the high E:

---0-0-0---
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-0---------
 D m D U

The goal is roughly 16th notes @150-160 for these kinds of tunes, a bit faster than what I managed above. I’d be curious to know how these big jumps feel for the rest of you. Is there some way to make the 1st to 6th string jump comfortable? One thing I tried in the last couple of days (not sure if it will work) is to use the ring finger of the right hand, instead of the middle, for the wider skips. Please let me know what you come up with

Finally this is my original thread on the technique for a few more details /context:

DWPS - hybrid picking pattern for Recuerdos de la Alhambra - can it work?

Recuerdos is one of my favourite classical guitar pieces. “Of course” I hear you say, it’s a shreddy one! (With all due respect to Tarrega ). I’ve been toying with the idea of playing this with hybrid picking, but the 3-finger tremolo thingy probably is not feasible with fingers 2,3,4. However I noticed a few days ago that it is in principle possible to do the pattern with DWPS and a single hybrid plucked note with the m finger. The basic idea is shown in the video below. Some big jumps …

[tommo]

Small update, I did the Soundlslice tabs (little effort as I tabbed this in Guitar Pro a while ago). I notated only the bass + melody notes for simplicity - but of course it should be done as a tremolo (well - I managed that almost all the time )

Recuerdos de Hybrid Picking - a classical tremolo etude for electric guitar

Also, this is the signal chain I used in Overloud THU - thank you @BillHoudini for the many discussions on tones I used some free Impulse Responses from the Seacow Cabs studio pack. In particular I used the Vox AC30 IRs labelled 1 and 2 (mixed with a small delay).

As you can see/hear I killed a lot of the mids and highs because tried to reduce as much as possible the “snap” you get from metal strings, trying to (vaguely) approximate the warmth of nylon. For the delay/reverb I didn’t think too much, just tapped a random tempo on the delay and played with the effects volume until it pleased me, apart from that I just used the stock settings for both (too much choice can be paralizing for me!)

[BillHoudini]

Too much choice can be paralizing indeed! It sounds great @tommo , great work as usual!

[Danish]

Tommo, a beautiful composition and performance.

[tommo]

Thank you! It’s two takes glued together, it may be obvious where the transition happens

I am quite happy with it but I think it would sound better if I could do it 10% or so faster, and if I could make the attack more similar between picked and plucked notes. I think the delay + reverb + low pass filter helped a bit in this sense.

Also, I would be very curious to hear how this sounds when played by a good classical guitarist!

[snake]

I have a finger style tremolo technique, I’ve played around with using the pick but never got it up to your speed. I also have a developed string skipping technique so moving from the 6th to 1st string is not difficult.

An alternative technique to yours would be Down, Pluck, Down, Pluck; this is what I use.

I’m now working on your technique.

[snake]

Here’s an exercise that cycles between Alternate Picking, my method and your method.

This is simple way to start before worrying about changing strings. Looping one bar at a time would be the first thing to get down.

[MikeAnblips]

Hi Tommo,

thanks for this inspirational video. I like the composition, it’s really nice to hear, and also the tone you use is pleasing.
This technique is really enticing me, not only because it’s direct ‘tremolo’ applications, but also because it might open up interesting patterns not usually easy on guitar, meaning catching intervals of 3rd and above while articulating ad higher speed (articulating means not being bound by the classic sweep arpeggios).

The only thing that I’m not happy with, which I’d need to study myself to see how to overcome, in case, is a classic issue I’ve always encountered when mixing pick and fingers: tone/volume balance.
The first note of your tremolo is much softer than the next two, which you pick, and this ‘reduces’ the tremolo effect one can hear (and target to, at least in my view), for instance from Yepes: ♫ Recuerdos de la Alhambra / Narciso Yepes - YouTube
(OK, that’s a big shot )

[altaykacan]

Hello @tommo and everyone!

I am completely amazed by this and it sounds beautiful, I never thought of being able to play this piece with a pick (not that I can play it without a pick perfectly but anyways…)

I had some ideas pop into my mind while reading this, I just saw the post. I guess I am a little bit late to the party.

@tommo

This is very hard to do for me - a bit of a work in progress so please be nice - but constructive feedback is appreciated

I think it sounds really good as it is but I agree with @MikeAnblips about the tone and volume difference between the fingers and the pick.

I am not sure of this but perhaps using a compressor might help balancing out the volume difference. I don’t have the means of testing this out but it might be worth a shot. Also about this:

@tommo

The string changes work fine, but I have some discomfort string tracking when the jumps become large (i.e. a 5-6 string range)

Do you think it might be a viable option to use hammer-ons from nowhere for the bass notes? Sure it won’t work for the open strings, but it might give some advantage in large jumps in some chord shapes.

Another idea I had was that maybe combining both the ring finger and the middle finger after the first downstroke. So something like this:

Down- pluck (middle) - pluck (ring) - up

(or first the ring finger than the middle, whichever would be more comfortable)

A further idea of mine was alternating between the middle and the ring finger to get the tremelo effect. So:

Down- pluck (middle) - pluck (ring) - pluck (middle)

This might also help out to balance the volume/tone differences. But one might say it takes away the picking part out of the hybrid picking and makes it really similar to pure fingerpicking.

(I don’t have acess to my guitar right now so I can’t really try these myself but they seem like a good ideas or at least ideas in my head. I always think that to have good ideas one must have bad ideas too )

I am no expert but just wanted to share my thoughts just in case if it is useful to anyone or to you.