The Usefulness Of Picking Exercises Options

[Vince Pergolizzi]

I was thinking about this the other day, why do we practice using exercises?

I can achieve a certain bpm doing fairly common patterns which people use to practice picking:

Things like 9-10-12 or 12-14-15 etc.

but I cant play any actual licks at that speed and I certainly cant improvise at that speed.

So I was thinking, instead of using exercises..why dont we just practice our technique by learning licks?

Of course, licks which are a bit beyond our technical ability..so that we have to slow them down and build up to it. This way you increase your technique (by playing things which are abit too fast for you) and also your vocabulary. I think Im going to start doing this from now on.

What are your thoughts on this?

[lcsdds]

I was thinking about this the other day, why do we practice using exercises?

I can achieve a certain bpm doing fairly common patterns which people use to practice picking:

Things like 9-10-12 or 12-14-15 etc.

but I cant play any actual licks at that speed and I certainly cant improvise at that speed.

So I was thinking, instead of using exercises..why dont we just practice our technique by learning licks?

Of course, licks which are a bit beyond our technical ability..so that we have to slow them down and build up to it. This way you increase your technique (by playing things which are abit too fast for you) and also your vocabulary. I think Im going to start doing this from now on.

What are your thoughts on this?

You should be able to turn those excercises into licks......check out Emir's or Muris's advanced lessons. They have bunches of "excercises" in them....

[sigma7]

exercises are just broad spectrum upon learning. They help u improvise and help warming up. They build strength. I just use exercises to mainly warm up and licks for vocabulary. They will increase your ability to play. Like i do a sweeping exercise and now i can sweep. Then i go try to play a sweeping pattern, the fingers just fall into place. It is recommended that u do the exercises.

[Pedja Simovic]

I really enjoyed reading your response Vince.

I very much favor improvising and creativity approach rather then running exercises up and down all day long. What I think you can achieve from your picking exercises is try to EDIT them and do it in such way that it ends up sounding both strong and original. Speaking of lick learning, you should definitely analyze your favorite solos and riffs, learn from it and perhaps apply some of it in your original style.

Hope that helps !

[Muris Varajic]

Each lick should be an exercise and each exercise should be a lick,
both in technical and musical way,
or at least try make them to work for you like that, that might be the key.

[Emir Hot]

Each lick should be an exercise and each exercise should be a lick,
both in technical and musical way,
or at least try make them to work for you like that, that might be the key.

+1

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Each lick should be an exercise and each exercise should be a lick,
both in technical and musical way,
or at least try make them to work for you like that, that might be the key.

Nicely put.

[Alexiaden93]

I find the exercises, should they be chromatic or follow a scale, are almost uniquely helpful to build finger-strength, and maybe stretch your fingers. Although you may not be able to play licks at this speed, the exercises do help strengthen your finger to build up speed even in licks...

You can gradually widen exercises that use small patterns, making them closer in length to licks. For example, instead of playing 12 - 14 - 15 - 14 - 12 over and over, you can expand it into:

------------------------12-14-12------------------------
------------12-14-15------------15-14-12-------------
12-14-15------------------------------------15-14-12-


Which will get close to a metal riff, that you can add into rhythm playing Hope it helps, and that the tabs are clear !

Alexander

I could add that played with alternate picking, this is a very good way to gain both speed and accuracy. Play this "lick" with a metronome continuously, and you will start feeling your hands get stronger.

This post has been edited by Alexiaden93: May 14 2009, 12:15 PM