Universal Mind (with extra crosspicking)

I was working on this fingering some time last year (I think):

I figure I would give it a go with a backing track, since it dawned on me that I could search for a backing track of this and, who knew, it exists lol:

Few things that I can improve on:

  1. Still getting used to the guitar.
  2. I recently tweaked my neck, so I’m in decent pain here, as well as on muscle relaxers (I’m guessing that might not help lol).
  3. I really hate monitoring on headphones for guitar, I should get an interface within a month that would allow me to use my actual monitors.
  4. Found it a little hard to keep tempo without a click for this one. You can tell the second time around the riff gets a bit off.
  5. I don’t think I like the backing track much and I might make my own.

All that being said, I’m loving the tones I’m getting with the Origin Effects RD Compact Hot Rod into a Darkglass Element. I’m also using a Walrus Audio Slotva to add some reverb.

I’ll update when I revisit. Until then, give me feedback. It’s always appreciated!

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Hey @Pepepicks66 glad to have you back :smiley:

Since IIRC you are primary DSX like me, you’d probably be able to play this twice as fast with the “pulloff trick” outlined in the post below.

I think the arpeggio part that you are crosspicking can also be played like that if you re-arrange it with larger stretches:

Lemme know what you think :slight_smile:

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I didn’t think I was DSX? Or maybe I’m just all over the place!

I specifically started playing it this way since I really don’t like to stretch if I can help it lol

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Love these kind of patterns, I tried the first pattern, cool idea, went Celtic on it :slight_smile:
Tried it at the same pitch, my action is too high to deal with the picking and the fretting at the same time, could play it an octave lower on the same strings, not sure if it’s up to speed. So many ideas with this pattern, thanks! Reminded me of that opening track from House MD for some reason.

Gave my hybrid picking a good workout, on a Bach trip lately and it’s all bow action, so yeah, hybrid!

Drive is sounding good. Keep at it, it will steady out.

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Man your trash playing is my gold playing, with all of those things holding you back its like you’re playing with weights on your fingers anyway, looks like you’ll perfect it in no time, I’m still stuck at 110bpm 🥲

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@Twangsta definitely tons of ideas and practice potential to come from this one pattern, probably why it’s one of my favorites of his!

@Thornus did you try @tommo 's recommendation of playing it at speed even if it’s sloppy, or if you can only maintain a few notes at a time?

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Yeah man, it did help, I think I can play the first 8 notes upto speed because of that advice, the last 8 are still not speeding up though.

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@Thornus have you tried isolated just the second “shape” at speed?

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Yeah, I’ve done that :’)
The max speed I could play the first 8 notes at was 160bpm, for the second it was around 140bpm. If I connect them my speed drops to 110bpm. Although I may have practiced the first shape way more, because whenever I felt out of sync with the metronome, I started again with the first note. Also the first shape is only on EBG, the second is EBGD, moving to D feels a bit unnatural, and at speed repeating the second shape causes tension in my picking arm, whereas that doesn’t happen much with the first shape.

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@Thornus I’d practice the second shape exclusively then, maybe even focusing on the G to D string transition (those 4 notes on loop) and throwing in the E string notes when you’re comfortable.

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Thank you, I’ll try that approach today.

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