Vai Inspired Ascending Alternate-picked run

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#221

Yeah just a sweep basicly.
You can try muting the strings for timing, so just placing the finger on the string and not fretting fully. Good for syncing up.

Just basic downward pickslanting picking. I think it’s worth putting the time into it over alternate.
Trying it just now I do, do upward sweeping, though I don’t even think about it… Thought I did it less. Though I guess that shows how natural it feels. I use lots of pull offs at higher speeds though. I find it helps legato a lot, if I was to alternate pick everything I’d always be thinking about my picking, despite it only being up down up down over n over, I have to guide my hand to much. It’s to much thinking for me. Perhaps thats just me.

To really get good at it you can learn full on gypsy jazz style, really solidifies the picking, it’s improved my picking more than anything.

#222

To me economy picking is both downward and upward sweeping to change strings depending on which direction you are going. You hear people call it directional picking too, which is just an extra term made up for the same thing by people who take things too literally.

On that note they are both just extra made up terms for plain old sweep picking, because that’s all it is.

#223

I practice the one way method. It works well with the forearm and wrist blend, like the gypsy jazz guys. Can’t sweep the opposite way with that blend of motions, would have to switch to wrist only or something for up sweeps.

#224

I wouldn’t worry too much about the anchoring with a finger thing. I only really do it when I’m trying to mute certain strings. But I always do keep my hand planted somewhere between the bridge pickup and the bridge.

I would certainly work with the metronome or drum machine though. It will affect the way you play and you’ll find you may even be forced to use different muscles and movements in order to play in time with it. It can be a pretty good litmus as to whether or not you are on the right track.

#225

Ok so once again thanks for the advice guys, just a quick progress update.

I have been anchoring on or near the bridge more but now have trouble moving my hand to go up or down the strings. If the hand is floating then there’s more freedom to move the hand up and down from top E to bottom E it makes sense of course.

I think I might have made a discovery that I am more a natural DSXer than a USXer, and I come to this conclusion based on the natural position of my hand especially when standing and the fact that when alternate outside picking, which is mt goto method, it’s the upstroke that requires the most problematic jerky unatural escape.

However I do still feel that my natural picking style is basically USX for descending licks and DSX for ascending licks it’s just an automatic thing I do without thinking, like I said it’s burnt in after years of playing. Even though my natural position is more DSX I always automatically slant down to go USX if I’m playing a lick starting on the top E.

I have now and then hit the DBX sweet spot of getting the escape angles and motions just right for the Paul Gilbert lick for example, it’s just hard to reproduce it every time fighting my bad habits.

Also I have to say that @Pepepicks66 paradiddles do help in that search for the most efficient escape motions.

Unfortunately yesterday I went a bit overboard and tried to play the For The Love Of God solo, those fast stretched pinky licks on the B and E strings, and when I woke up this morning my pinky was locked in a curled up position, it loosened up after a while and I could move it but it has been locking up all day on and off so I think I really need to lay off taxing left hand stuff for a while.

So I thought I would concentrate on doing some simple controlled tremolo picking of 2 or 3 or 4 attacks of the same note using simple pentatonic shapes and using paradiddles, in particular double down or up strokes, or just alternate picked to really get the picking motions down and the anchoring right, as well as the thumb movement although I am not 100% sure what I am going for with that there’s definitely something happening with it that’s positive.

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#226

@SlyVai I don’t know, I think you need to get on that doctor about testing for rheumatoid arthritis, or even potentially other diseases that may put you at risk for this. your kind of too young to have general arthritis to that degree.

#227

Not a doctor, but this sounds more like trigger finger (flexor tendon tendinopathy) than arthritis. My guess would be too much force being applied when you fret, combined with the finger being in the most stretched position possible (wide Vai fingerings) has caused injury to the tendon while being in a weak position; not warming up enough would increase the chances of this happening substantially.

Having dealt with things like this with climbing, you need to stop doing this until you’re healed. If it is trigger finger, it’s possible to make it “permanent” (only be able to be released by surgery) if you don’t mitigate these recurrences.

I would lay off anything that puts too much force through your fingers at high velocities (fretting) especially at end range of motion (wide fingerings). Ensure you warm up your core temp / forearms / hands before playing. You may want to lower your overall volume, and be more cognizant of left hand fret pressure (maybe even lower action / string gauge).

After a few weeks, you might be able to slowly reintegrate wide fingerings, but only with proper warm ups and adequate fret pressure. I would recommend some finger flexor strengthening as well. I have a few videos I could link for that.

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#228

Also not a doctor, but my grandfather had this. For years he thought it was arthritis and he gave up playing the guitar :frowning: He got a proper diagnosis much later but if he’d done so sooner he could have had what I understand to be a pretty simple corrective procedure. He would have had so many more years where he could have played. The only (selfish) silver lining in the whole thing is that since he stopped playing, he gave me his 1970’s Martin D-35 :slight_smile:

Moral of the story, get it checked out :wink:

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#229

Trigger finger can actually be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, and certain preexisting conditions like type 2 diabetes and other co-morbidities can make one more likely to develop it as well. The hope is that it’s just simple overuse, but it never hurts to have the proper tests done by a health care professional. No one should rely on the internet for this type of thing.

#230

Yeh I do think it’s arthritis unfortunately but the trigger finger thing is worrying I played a little earlier and my pinky is doing it again, not locked but is struggling to bend in and out.

I will have to get it checked out properly and until then I think I have to stop playing which will be hard.

Is arthritis in the fretting hand not a common problem with guitarists that have been playing for years and not necessarily looking after thems elves ? I’m sure I’ve heard of players having it as they get older.

#231

Keith Richards has pretty bad arthritis. Not exactly a shredder, though.

hand-arthritis-1-500x333

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#232

It is common, I think Yngwie even has some, but it’s not super common for your age group. It can happen though.

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#233

You can still slide up n down on a single string slyvai, it’s a really good way to get a feel for scales and interval jumps. You can turn this rest period into a learning one.

Hope your hands get better soon mate.

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#234

I’ll try to make that vid for you soon. I know it’s starting to become the Chinese democracy of the technique videos at this point, hopefully things will slow down after the holiday coming up.

#235

Hey no worries @Fossegrim, I’m sure it will be better than Chinese Democracy that album had like 2 or 3 good songs on it after the massive wait.
Also I’m trying to lay off playing anyway, although yeh I did play today for a bit, the best way to protect my fingers is not to play at all because I can so easily lose discipline and go into playing taxing licks when I shouldn’t.

I guess you mean the Thanksgiving holiday, which in the UK we don’t have, I always forget it’s happening, have some good time off anyway.

#236

Well it’s not so much thanksgiving itself, although I’m thrilled to have a day off work anyway I can get one, it’s more this is the time of year everything is wrapping up at work.