Thats interesting as I think isometrics are a great way to increase the signal to your muscles and to strengthen them in various ranges of motion.
I should get back in the gym and see if isometric training with my left hand will help my fretting. Hanging one handed or something
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Gave it some fast attempts:
It’s getting pretty cold over here (why I’m wearing a hoodie) and was trying to warm up, but never felt like I did. As much as I love winter, it makes my playing feel sluggish and permanently capped at like 85%.
@WhammyStarScream you can see my little trill practices in the middle of this one.
@SlyVai this variation is fun and has more of the trills, but I don’t know if I’d say it’s necessarily easier than the other?
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That’s it !
Cool to see someone play it really fast, good job.
Maybe it’s not easier, just a bit shorter, I’ll post my descending version this week, I sort of got side-tracked with trying to do some Vai tapping stuff again. I think you need to train the muscles in your right hand and arm to be able to tap like him so it’s a process.
I’m wearing a jumper and a hoody today as it’s noticeably colder here in the UK this week !
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You know the more I hear these, the less and less I think I would ever associate these types of licks with Steve Vai. They sound closer to some sort of Paul Gilbert and John Sykes hybrid.
Hi @Fossegrim, you’re right, for sure he wouldn’t alternate pick them all, that’s why I put the version on there with the pull-offs to be a bit more Vai like.
It’s a bit like a shredding version of those runs with the trills on Passion and Warfare, where he mostly uses the up trills like:
/h\/p\
|--10-11-10----10----------
|-----------13----13-11-10-
but he also uses the ‘down’ trills in a few ascending lines like:
|-----------10----------10-
|--10-11-13----13-11-13----
Another classic Vai line could also be said to be a PG or Sykes line, like the 5s or 7s, they show up all over the place on Vai’s stuff, from early to late stuff:
|-----------------------------------------10-12-13
|--10----------------10-11-13-11-10-11-13---------
|-----13-11-10-11-13------------------------------
Even in his tapping he uses those 5s and 7s a load, they are key to his tapping technique, together with the quick double tap and the use of groups of 2 or 3 strings, which requires some good muting technique as well (although I have a hairband on for a lot of it nowadays). I get exhausted trying to do it, I’ve started to get tapping callasses in my right hand fingers now, maybe that will help.
Anyway, good point.
Can’t say I know Vai’s stuff very well, but I definitely don’t associate this playing style with him. I always think more whammy bar, legato, tapping… Pretty much all the things I never do lol
Those are the exact things I associate with him too, and a more quirky melodic sense.
I think Mr Vai has said a few times before he is no shredder, and it’s all about the melody to him, but he certainly had his shredding moments back in the 80s and 90s. I can give examples like the Attitude Song which uses those 5s and 7s and some picked trills and there’s plenty of fast stuff on Passion And Warfare and the next few albums and of course the Crossroads lick that Troy analysed has those fast picked 5s and 7s again.
The one I love is the Windows To The Soul fast ascent from the Ultra Zone 1999, because it just comes out of nowhere, using tremolo picked open strings and fretted notes to play a melody and build up the picking speed then goes into the fast run. after the song being very melodic and legatoish it’s like whoa !
Wondering where you got that super short strap 
My straps are all way too long for me so I can only pull off complex things while standing if I support my left foot on something or I bend my back like Quasimodo.
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It’s this one!
I wanted a very padded and short strap, this was one of the best I found with that in mind. I have mine as short as possible, so if you’re shorter than me the guitar might be a bit lower on you (I’m 5’ 10").
Thank you. I’m much shorter than you haha (5’ 3") but it’s a good starting point, I’ll look around to find something super short then.
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@gabrielthorn This one is shorter but not padded. I was thinking of getting this one for bass:
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I mean there’s always a piece of cloth and some duct tape (or just the duct tape) if your really hard up to find something or need something custom. It works just sayin’
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That would look great with the chrome boy or the pia for sure 
Off topic but out of interest do you favour the PIA for playability over the Chrome boy ?
I played a red Satch model once which I guess was the same as the Chrome boy pretty much in terms of neck and bridge, and I liked it but it still felt a bit Strat like, which is fine now but at the time I was into the heavy heavy riffing thing so it didn’t suit me.
Personally I find the pia a better guitar for shredding, but I also noticed I can do (or can’t do ) pretty much anything on all my guitars after spending a few minutes on them to get the feel of the neck. You are correct, the chrome boy has a stretched out Fender strat neck. The body is very ergonomic, light and sexy however. The pia’s pickups also have much higher output.
I have an arsenal of different guitars, including 5 or 6 of the ibanez, and the biggest thing I notice isn’t really the necks on them more so the layout of all the stuff on the body. Particularly the placement of the volume knob. If it wasn’t so ugly to have a random hole in the body, I would personally paul Gilbert all my ibanez and move the volume down where the tone is, and just leave that space empty.
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Totally agreed. I hate the cheap quality, ultra-sensitive volume knob on my chrome boy.
@gabrielthorn I replace most of the electronics the minute I get the guitar. I’ll typically grab a high rotational life 24mm bourns or cts pot. I hate their plastic selector switches too, so I’ll replace those with the typical fender style spring loaded blade switch.
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Not sure if I’d alter anything on the chrome boy, nowadays I play more and more on it again, and it’s kind to my heart, this is the guitar I started my guitar journey on a year ago. I’m too worried about messing it up or someone messing it up 