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Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 27 2016, 05:11 AM

Welcome to SHRED BOOTCAMP! I'll be your Drill Instructor! And I do mean DRILL! As in a large power tool used in slasher films and Paul Gilbert concerts. Here is were you EARN THE LIVING DEATH out of your fingers and break through any speed bumps/barriers to become a MASTER CHIEF of Shred!

THE MISSION

1.)Your mission is to go all the way back to the very start. The base of the mountain.

LESSON 1. http://bitly.com/gmclesson1

Which you will play SLOWWWWWWLLY, very SLOWWWLLLLYYYY until you master it at a crawl (As You'll Do With Each Mission, and focus on left hand FORM! Make it SUPER PERFECT!). Speed it up bit by bit until you feel your ready to take it to WAR (Any speed, it's up to you) Shoot a video and post it as a reply to this post. I'll then offer a constructive and brutally honest critique.

THE AFTERMATH

Upon nailing the crap out of lesson one at a speed you didn't think possible, and playing it a clean as a freshly waxed floor, you will be given your first insignia of Rank in BOOTCAMP!

Here is the link to your own PRIVATE HOUSE OF PAIN!...Er I mean.. SHRED!

http://bitly.com/Wyverexbootcamp

Todd

Posted by: Wyverex Sep 28 2016, 12:05 PM

Hey Todd,

here's mission 1!
Tried to kill it at 120 BPM. I can already see that my left hand fingers are moving too much but that's just one more opponent on the way to the top

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 30 2016, 09:47 AM

BINGO!!!! CONGRATS SOLDIER!!!! This is your FIRST MISSION and you KILLED IT!!!!! Let's debrief...

MEDALS OF HONOR

Welcome to a very Elite group Soldier!! You are off to a great start!

1.)Maintained splendid palm mute / right hand control.(one tip to follow)
2.)Maintained tight and precise picking. (well done there)
3.)Maintained control of each strike and it's timing.(I think your piano work is paying off!)


Very well played. Your left and right hand synchronization is quite good. I think your experience on drums and keys is going to benefit you GREATLY in your guitar playing. It's going to give you an advantage that few players are afforded. Being "multi instrumental" is one way to get better quicker at playing just about anything IMHO. Sort of like learning one language can make it a bit easier to learn the next one.

One tip, on your right hand technique. Try to see if you can start flattening out your right hand on the bridge a bit and articulating the pick more with your fingers. This is very hard at first. However, it will be more important as you continue as some mission won't let you mute with your right hand.

In short, you KRUSHED IT!!

Posted by: Wyverex Sep 30 2016, 10:44 AM

Thanks Todd!

I'm not quite sure what you mean with my right hand though. Do you mean I should move the pick with my fingers instead of my wrist/hand? Or keep less of an angle to the string? It's always so hard to talk about picking directions since there are so many angles one can talk about

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 1 2016, 05:41 AM

Yes That's exactly what i mean. Being able to mute all the strings on the bridge while using the fingers to pick, instead of the wrist opens up other techniques that require your left hand to be off the fret board so that it can't mute the high strings. IT's natural to mute the low strings with the right hand and then mute the high strings with the left hand. It's something I suggest every single student I've ever taught fight and fight and fight against. That technique limits the things that you can play cleanly IMHO. As you progress you will see what I"m talking about

It's HARD, very very very, hard to pull this off. It feels un natural. But it's worth learning Especially starting out. So try to keep a solid mute over all the strings on your bridge so that your left hand would not matter at all even if it were not on the fret board. Then start slowly picking with just your fingers. This technique permits a great variety of techniques to be employed and provides a great deal of control and precision/speed.

Here is a quick example vid.

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 1 2016, 06:16 PM

Ok, I'm thoroughly confused now

Let me get that right: You want me to pick using my thumb and index finger only? As far as I know, that's something virtually everybody recommends against. Obviously it works for you, so I don't want to question your ability But I'm not sure if that's the right path for me. As you said it feels very unnatural and I kinda like Ben's approach where he says to just pick the position that feels most natural to you and go from there.

But (correct me if I'm wrong), in your video you are also partially picking from your wrist, right? That's why I'm so confused. Isn't that more of a wrist or forearm rotation than picking from your fingers? Ever since I watched Troy Grady's Masters in Mechanics series (shortly before I joined GMC), I thought that I had gained some understanding regarding different picking styles and I now try to fit it in there somehow. And my guess would be that this is downward pick slanting with wrist/forearm rotation (kinda like Malmsteen does it) or a combination thereof. Which then would make sense to me

You also said that if I don't pick from my fingers, there will be techniques that I won't be able to play cleanly later on. Do you have some examples that I could try and see it for myself? Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning you, it would just make it easier for me to convince myself to embark on that long and stony road if I see "Oh, yeah, that sounds better with <Technique X>"

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 2 2016, 03:06 AM

I do use a bit of wrist action when the speed requires it. However, I try to articulate the pick from the finger and thumb. The reason for this is so that you can keep a constant mute on the bridge. Doing so allows you to lift your right hand off the fret board which is required for certain advanced techniques that we will get to later. Without this ability, such techniques are filled with extra string noise. So it's important to keep a good mute on the right hand

I"m just offering advice that I"ve seen work over my could of decades of teaching. But not all advice is for everyone, so please feel under no obligation to take it. It's just advice after all

Skip to Lesson 50 and go from there. Tha'ts where things get a bit tougher and you need your mute to be on point. However, if you can work around it, that's fine too Troy knows his stuff for sure. I do use a bit of wrist movement as well. But I start from the fingers and move backward, I don't start from the wrist and move toward the fingers. The wrist comes in when the fingers simply can't handle the speed. Make sense?

Also, I'm just talking about learning this on these first few lessons which don't yet get too crazy on the left hand. Once you have a handle on the technique you can blend it with lifting from the bridge if needed. Also, I suggest small finger movements in picking at high speed then add the wrist. At low speed, broad strokes are fine. Here are two more vids. I vary my bridge technique quite a bit but notice how I always try to go back to covering most of the strings with my right hand. This allows the kind of syncopated/muted/high speed picking technique that Troy Grady loves so much and struggled so hard to perfect. He made an entire video on this one subject, about Nuno Bettencourt.


Here is NUNO BETTENCOURT doing a great demo of the muting technique I'm describing. About 1:10 in to the vid, he mutes all the strings and continues to pick, giving a very staccato feel to the playing. Achieving this level of precision can take years which is why I try to start students early He is using very wide pick strikes, but focus on his muting of the bridge. That's why I'm sharing this video with you.



here is me again, playing with full mute. Skip to about 27 seconds in and watch as I speed up how my hand movement gets smaller and I still try to cover the bridge to avoid string noise.



Here is another one. Watch the fast run at the end and notice how the movement gets smaller in my right hand. Also, notice the finger articulation in the first lick, with just a hint of wrist. Again, picking from the fingers, backward, not the wrist forward.



this one has a bit of a better angle. Watch the finger tips on the right hand. They are leading the way, if they reach max speed, the wrist will come in to play, but I"m still trying to cover the bridge the entire time, and this is an 7 string guitar so the bridge is large.



Many players, never learn this technique at all. The Nuno Bettencourt bit I referenced would be a mess of noise without his full bridge mute. Many of my own full range scales would be the same. If you stay on one or two strings, this technique is pointless. If you plan to actually use every string on the neck in a single lick or passage, it's a must. BB King did not use this technique. He didn't need it.

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 2 2016, 12:19 PM

Wow, thank you for taking the time for such a detailed answer

I think I understand better now. So I tried to play with the palm of my right hand muting (almost) all strings and it kinda works. I noticed though that my hand isn't big enough to mute all 6 strings So I have to shift the hand when moving towards higher strings. But that also means that when playing on the low E string, I cannot reliably mute the high E string and used my curled ring finger for that. Don't know if that's appropriate or a bad habit in the making

One thing that really trips me up is that the volume knob is always in the way. I need to make a jump at some point where the unused fingers curl around the knob from that point on.

I recorded mission #2 this way. Please have a look. I'm still picking mainly from my wrist though. But at least the hand position should be better
I think I lost the metronome when switching to the D string and overall it's not completely clean. I guess I shouldn't have recorded at 160 while also trying to focus on the right hand

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 2 2016, 11:03 PM

NICE!!! Your right hand technique is much improved in a single Mission! BTW I'm happy to go in to depth on these issues as they are close to my heart as a player and teacher so it's no problem Some players use the pinky straight out like George lynch to cover the entire bridge.


or you can put your pinky on the closes knob and practice keeping it still just to learn how to "anchor". Later on you won't need to anchor after your hand has been trained. You should be able to go from high E to Low E without lifting your mute. This is a good work out to try every single day.

Try NOT to shift the hand if possible, look for a "center spot" where you can place your hand and get everything muted using one of the techniques above. Now and then, or when your hand is tired, you will notice it starts to drift up and down the bridge and you may start to anchor with your pinky. This just means you need a bit of a break.

You did a superb job IMHO on this lesson considering you are using an entirely alien picking technique that is somewhat rare and mostly done by technical / shredder type players. Thus the extreme difficulty of the technique. But hey, I"m a shredder That's what I teach It's just one aspect of play though. Being able to shift from Paul Gilber to BB King is the sign of a well rounded player. This is why having more than one mentor is a good thing. You'll learn entirely different things from each

You more than qualify to move on to Mission #3. KEEP THE WAR MOVING FORWARD SOLIDIER!!!

In short you just...

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 3 2016, 02:29 PM

Thank you Todd!

I tried around a bit more and while I can find one or two positions where I can reliably mute all strings (using a spread out pinky like you suggested), I've noticed a bit of a cramp in my right shoulder. I think it comes from artificially holding the right hand down on the bridge all the time. The spread pinky probably introduces some tension, too. Even when trying to reduce the pressure as much as I can, the cramp comes back after a while.

Maybe it's also related to the height of the guitar. I've been trying different strap lengths in the last days. While a lower guitar seems to improve picking and vibrato, a higher guitar feels way better for chords. Having so many variables it's not easy to find the right way

So I will try to practice this and see how it feels in a few days. If I can find a position that has no tension, I'm convinced to go down this route

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 4 2016, 05:38 AM

Believe it or not all of this is entirely normal as you find your way toward your own technique. Being able to straighten the fingers without having it cramp is almost a Yoga move. The guitar height will create different issues at each height. I"d suggest that you sit down, classical style with the guitar between your legs and see roughly where the guitar hits you on your chest. Then stand up keeping the guitar at the same spot by pressing it to your chest with your hands. It's roughly that point which is the "center point" of your playing position and I'd suggest trying to find a strap adjustment that allows the guitar to fall roughly in the same spot sitting as standing. It will allow your hands to find their way on the bridge without having to change angles sitting verses standing. Later on, you can adjust all this, but at fist while you are building muscle memory and finding your version of this technique, it's best to try to keep towards finding the right height/angle etc.

Once you have found the correct strap length, lower your hand on the bridge a bit from your normal picking position. Allowing more of your hand to lay lower towards the high string. Not tooo dramatic though, just shift down a bit and see if you can still articulate the low strings using your fingers. Not shred speed, just one note at at time. it's finding the balance between all these variables that will help you find what is right for your body/stance/height/guitar etc.

Also, I"d avoid tons of fast picking while you are trying all this as it will only increase tension in your body/arms/shoulder/hand. IT's just too many variables to conduct initially imho. Play something familiar, and focus mostly on RELAXING. Of course, STRETCH FIRST Your hands and your entire body as if you are going to the gym. Guitar is a physical activity and warming up really does help and prevents premature tension and cramping which can wreck a practice session.

Let me know if this helps
Here is a video I made to show some hand stretching techinques that I've learned from various physical therapists after recovering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome years ago. I do them before I play, and after. I've been doing them for many years so don't think you need to stretch this far.

Todd

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 4 2016, 10:15 PM

I already had some good results with trying to keep the guitar in the same spot when sitting and standing. That was what I did before I started experimenting over the last days. I wanted to try some lower positions since those seem to work well for so many players out there. I guess I'm going to go back to the method you suggested.

About the hand placement: At the moment it seems that I have to chose between easy access to the low strings and reliable muting of the high strings. Can't have both. In the latter case it feels like I will never be able to play the low strings fast. Ever
But I'll keep trying.

My vacation is over though, so the next mission will take while

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 5 2016, 06:21 AM

Sounds like you have very good instincts Eventually you can pull a "Slash" and wear the guitar on your knees and it won't impact your technique that much, but it will look cool Lowered guitars do tend to look meaner which is always handy for a live show. For learning the fundamentals, not so much IMHO.

I hear what you are saying about the hand position. It takes a while to find a "center spot" and you can always drift from center a bit here and a bit there, it's just a general idea to try to find a spot that mutes most things most of the time. As you play you'll adapt it to your own personal style and develop your own physical technique as you develop your own tonal style. Both will come together in what becomes your personal playing "Style" the same way Steve Vai, or Satch, or Nunno has their own style

I have seen many students sacrifice long term skills for short terms gains such as "trem picking" or "picking from the elbow" which is one of the quickest ways to learn to pick one string really fast. Of course, it gets tricky when you traverse (go between strings). So I would honestly not worry about speed at this point. After all, as they say "Speed is simply a byproduct of precision" once I finally learned to play with precision, the speed came with no additional effort.

Welcome back from Vacation and Practice! The good news is that the first 5 Missions are very simple and they have no requirement in terms of beats per minute.

Sarge

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 15 2016, 10:27 PM

Hey Todd,
life has finally caught up with me again and my progress is grinding to a slow halt at the moment as I expected. That's also why I probably won't submit a shtedfest recording this week.

That whole muting technique thing is still nagging at me though. In particular I was wondering if I might have misunderstood one important thing: Are we talking about using the right hand palm to mute all strings (i.e. deaden them to have no sound of them at all) or to palm-mute, i.e. have partially deadened notes. I guess the first one is important in any case.

If the first, how do you selectively remove the mute on a particular string while keeping it on the others?
If the second, do you really palm-mute the higher strings? Because frankly, doing that doesn't really sound good to my ears, especially when playing with relatively low gain settings.

So many questions

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 15 2016, 11:12 PM

Life is always getting in the way of important things, like playing guitar No worries!! On to the questions! BTW very good question indeed on muting.

First up, I usually keep a light mute on pretty much all strings at all times. Not a deep mute, just a light one In the case that I want a bend to shine through, I'll pull my mute entirely from a given string and mute the low strings with the left hand, and higher strings with the right hand, allowing the bend to go unmuted so that it resonates. So muting is a default position, unless I want particular notes/passages/phrases/chords to ring/resonate more than even a slight mute would allow. Make sense?

As far as tone and muting higher strings. It's really just about preventing string noise and being able to play bits that might not allow you the luxury of using your right hand to mute some of the high strings. This is one of the "Fundamentals" imho of lead playing. In terms of not sounding good, I think you may be talking about a really hard mute? You have to use you ear to determine how much or how little to mute at any given time. Sometimes, it's no muting at all, per above.

I hope this makes sense Let me know if it doesn't. This technique is something that some players simply never get a handle on. As a result, some licks are tougher for them, and have more string noise. Imagine that you want to string skip a lick. You want to strike, the G and High E strings in a given passage and go back and forth between them. Muting with the right hand would be tough. So being able to mute a bit, using the right, comes in handy.

However, please don't become too obsessed with this. It's something that takes years, like many things on guitar, and will come along as you develop as a player. We have started on a good path by giving your brain some bits to chew on and some workouts to try (The Missions). As you proceed, you will start to notice how the fundamentals that I'm always on about come in to play. But don't let difficult bit like this get in the way. It will come in time Just keep playing/practicing/moving forward.

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 16 2016, 09:28 AM

I just realized that we might be talking about different things when we say "higher strings"
For me "higher strings" are the thin ones (G, B, E) because they are tuned "higher", I think for you they are the thick ones because they are "higher" in relation to their physical position when playing. Did I get that right?

In that case I was talking about the G, B and E strings where I think that anything but really light (palm-)muting just doesn't sound good unless you go with high gain.
Having to (dead-)mute the E, A and D strings when playing the (my) higher strings (or generally all strings that are (my) lower than the ones you are playing) is of course always necessary. If I wanted to break it down to a simple concept, then I guess the new addition to what I was doing before is just to also always keep the palm/pinky on the (my) higher strings which is then not so different.



I think you wanted to write "Muting with the left hand would be tough"?

You are right about not worrying about those things too much at this point, though. I'm prone to overthinking things where simply doing them might give better answers. So I will continue with mission 3 and submit it when I got it to a decent tempo. Thanks for clarifying stuff

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 16 2016, 08:07 PM

We are on the same page "High" strings, means the thin ones. The "higher frequency" tone strings. The unwound ones The pinky solution is fine for muting the high strings.

I actually did mean left hand good catch! When then left hand is bouncing around trying to fret things, it makes it tougher to mute the high strings with it. At low gain, you don't need to mute nearly as much, especially on the high strings. I keep my hand close to the bridge all the time so that if I need to mute for a given phrase/lick, my hand is right there and I don't have to shift positions. But like we talked about, you will learn most of this as you continue to play through the missions. They are designed to allow you to find a physical way of playing that works for you no matter what the notes are. That way you can really play anything you like as the fundamentals of the physical bits will be instinct by that point.

Also, don't worry too much about getting a "decent tempo" so to speak. There is no tempo requirement on any mission. As long as you play in a precise fashion, speed is beside the point. Tempo happens as you go, just focus on moving forward like you talked about You are doing great keep going!

Sarge

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 19 2016, 09:56 PM

How is MISSION 3 coming along? Please let me know if you have any questions about it

Todd

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 19 2016, 10:27 PM

Still working on it
As I told Gabriel already I have to assign a bunch of my daily guitar time to rehearsal for a the annual gig at our company christmas party, so until the end of the year I have to cut back on GMC lessons a bit. But I try to do a video on the weekend It's working quite well already, just want to polish my timing.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 20 2016, 01:15 AM

No worries Just checking in on ya! Having a gig to work toward is good thing. Try to record it if at all possible, even if its' just cell phone video from someone in the audience. Keeping a visual record of live shows/gigs is a great way to see what you actually did/played and a great part of learning what works and what doesn't. The same way that recording practice is valueable. You may think you are KILLING a lick/drill, and watch the vid and think "what?". Then again you could be pleasantly suprised Either way, keeping a video log of progress is very important imho. You can create a "unlisted" or "private" list of these vids on youtube so that you can keep them in one playlist.

TOdd

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 23 2016, 02:52 PM

Here's finally Mission 3



It doesn't seem to be very smooth yet. Feels like there are a lot of micro-hiccups in there if you know what I mean

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 24 2016, 04:43 AM

Look at him go! It's not just the Ibby folks!! Great to see you making good gains Soldier!

DEBRIEF!!!!

MEDAL OF HONOR
1.)Vastly Improved Technique and Position: I see your pinky is fighting your hand a bit less each time and your muting is spot on.

2.)Very Clean Strikes and Fretting: No overlap in strikes or fretting.

3.)Consistent Speed/Precision: Solid as a RAWK.

In short Soldier, you just.......

LEVELED UP!!!!

Posted by: Wyverex Oct 30 2016, 11:28 AM

And Mission 4



What I'm worrying about right now is the general smoothness. Just as in the previous take, there are a lot of small hiccups, especially when moving between strings (I think). Is this something that just gets better with time or should I work on this now and make it perfect before moving on?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 31 2016, 05:35 AM

You are ripping it up Soldier!! Your playing seemed quite smooth to me! It's probably good though that you can see bits that need work, as one is never truly "Done", as it were. In this case, though, I"d say you've more than done enough! You are playing with precision, which is my main goal in life, to get my students to play with precision, you are using good technique and a very steady pace. You are ready for a DEBRIEF!!!

Let's Debrief....

MEDALS OF HONOR

1.)Solid right and left hand technique. String Traverse can be flat out HARD and you make it look easy. Nice!

2.)Precise Pick Control: Never wagging the pick to far in either direction, it's always ready to hit the next note.

3.)Good palm muting: Not one extra string noise!

These first few Missions are just to get you going down a path that will set you up to be able to play the crazy bits that are to come later and to allow you to find a style of play that fits you and your body, mechanics, approach etc. You are doing very well here. Just keep at it!!!!

In short, ...

You Sir have just earned your FOURTH MISSION BADGE!!!!

and ...

!!!!!!!LEVELED UP!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Wyverex Nov 6 2016, 02:24 PM

On to mission 05
Although the pattern is more complicated and I play it 20 BPM faster now, it feels smoother to me than the last mission. I guess that's that elusive thing called "progress"

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 6 2016, 11:02 PM

I notice that you are using ECONOMIC PICKING (Two Down Strokes in a row) when ascending from the B to E strings. WELL DONE! That is really the secret sauce to this type of lick IMHO.

MEDALS OF HONOR

1.)Precision and Control, together as they should be

2.)Tight right hand control and right/left synch

3.)good planted palm mute

Also, very good use of THE PINKY!!! Of course, this lick can be played without ECONOMIC PICKING and without THE PINKY. But I think it's perhaps "Best Played" using both, as those two things are fundamental to being able to progress through the crazy Missions that await you. You are on a ROLL Soldier!!

Congrats Soldier, you just ...

LEVELED UP!!

Posted by: Wyverex Nov 7 2016, 11:39 AM

Credit where credit is due, but not in this case. I was actually strictly alternate picking as proposed in the lessons so far. I guess it seems like economic picking because the audio is apparently not perfectly aligned to the video.

Btw: I read your pick discussion with Grappa the other day and when I bought some new strings some days ago, I saw a bucket of Dava picks at the store. I just bought one (the hardest of the Jazz III types) and so far I'm very happy with it. The best pick I've had so far because I have a very firm grip on them all the time. Thank you for sharing those

Now about lesson 6: I had a quick try yesterday and I'm already running into problems concerning the pinky. When starting the pattern at the 11th fret, I cannot place the pinky on the 16th fret in a comfortable way. Either I use your hand position (which I call the bluesy position), then I can just reach the fret but my first finger will also move in the process (even just a little but enough to take the sustain from the pedal note). Or I use the classical hand position where I have a lot more stretch but on the other hand, being on the higher frets, my pinky now naturally rolls to the side and I hit the fretboard with the lower part of the pinky before I can set the tip onto the target string. Personally I would just play the B on the B string instead of using the pinky here but maybe that's the point of the lesson?

I think it's not a general hand/pinky stretch issue because I can fret a perfect 4th at the 5th fret quite easily (comes from playing 9th chords on the bass I guess ). It only becomes a problem in the lesson's fretboard area because it's in the transition between classical and bluesy hand positions.

So my question really is, do you require playing exactly there on the fretboard or can I also play it at the 5th fret, for example? (Or even just with the string transition at the 11th fret). I will have to find a solution for this somehow but I'm not sure whether this is part of the lesson now or if it's enough to just practice that pedal note rhythm.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 8 2016, 11:02 PM

Glad the DAVA picks are working out!! They have that handy grip area and are shaped like jazz picks but use a bit harder material so they don't flex much which helps precision quite a bit You may end up using a .05 tortex for playing blues, but for these Missions, a pick like the DAVA can be a real handy thing!

MISSION DETAILS: The problems you are running in to with the stretch and pinky are, as you suspected, the entire point of the mission. It's meant to be hard to play and require you to push your stretch in to a new zone and use your pinky while doing so. It leaves the pinky out there to handle things by itself. It would be much easier to simply use another string. But that wouldn't get the same result in terms of "Sticking the landing" with the pinky and working your stretch.

You can adjust your hand in any manner you like so as to play the mission. Do attempt to play it as written, and don't worry about speed at all. You can do it at a snails pace if you do it clean and precise. If you find it's just a bit too much or if it causes pain in your arm, move to a starting fret that is a bit more workable. Remember, NEVER PLAY TO THE POINT OF PAIN. A minimal discomfort can be expected with doing bit stretches, but when you hit the PAIN Threshold you are doing more harm than good.

Sarge