QUOTE (dark dude @ Dec 24 2011, 05:30 PM)
Make sure that your picking hand is relaxed as it can be, that you're picking from your wrist (and not from your elbow). Focus on small movements, and clarity in your notes, but not at the expense of becoming tense. The same idea goes for your fretting hand, be as relaxed as possible. You shouldn't even need the thumb behind the neck to play the notes (it's possible without), so don't clamp the fretboard tightly, just enough to get a clear note out of it.
At first, it's likely that your fretting fingers won't be able to keep up with the speed due to endurance issues, or independence may not have developed enough yet, so you need to practice SMALL chunks of what you're struggling with (i.e. take 3 notes at a time), and with a metronome, play it many times as perfectly as you can. STAY RELAXED IN BOTH HANDS!!!! So important if you want confident picking.
When I'm practicing a tricky lick, I'll play it to a metronome for 10 minutes, take between 1 and 5 min break, depending on how intense it is (how my hands are reacting) and on how far into my routine I am (the further in, the more tired I am, the more likely it'll be more intense). I then repeat this once more in the following 10 min, this must be done regularly (i.e. daily). If I was practicing a specific lick, I'd play that lick all up and down the neck (fret 1 - 12) on the strings (in your case, 2 strings, G and
for a specific number of times, before bumping up the speed by perhaps 5 bpm or 10 bpm, whatever I'm comfortable with. I never treat it as a "well, I hit 185bpm yesterday, so today I have to better that!" scenario, I just make sure that I'm playing as well on that day as I physically can, all while keeping relaxed.
I tried hitting the notes without my thumb on the neck and found you are absolutely correct! I have been in a lot of pain from the top of my thumb all the way down to my wrist. Man, what a difference! I posted another take on this board of the 16th notes. Still not perfect but better than the first time. I know I have got to relax more. You and many instructors have told me to. I guess I'm just trying to make up for lost time.
Thanks for the direction!
QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Dec 24 2011, 04:48 PM)
Mate! First of all - MERRY CHRISTMAS! Relax, have a good time and treat your guitar right
patience is the key!
Remember to be relaxed when you play and focus only on what you are doing with your guitar there! DO NOT race through these lessons
there's no rush! Try and sing the lesson with your voice as well
you'll realize that once you have it in your system, things will be much easier to tackle, as your body already feels 'what's next'
Thanks Cosmin! Like I told DarkDude, I think I have been trying to make up for lost time. I know it won't happen overnight and I'm definitely going to try and have fun at this. My three year old son has taught me some lessons in patience but it looks like I have a lot more to learn. BTW: Thanks for the insight you gave me on my first REC and you have a Merry Christmas also!
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