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Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 6 2019, 12:11 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!
QUICK TIPS TO PREPARE YOU FOR BATTLE
*Make sure you get both hands in the shot when shooting your video*Make sure you use a metronome for the first several Missions and that the metronome can be heard.*After you complete a mission, shoot me a PM and let me know it's ready and I'll give you a debrief! These are pass / fail, so if you pass you BADGE UP and if not, I'll give you some feedback and you head in to the breach once again.
*The first several missions are VERY simple. They are just to get you used to the bootcamp process.
*Most importantly, there is NEVER a speed requirement in bootcamp. I want you to push yourself to play as brisk as you can, but NEVER at the expense of precision. If you find you are missing a note here and there, slow down a bit. Speed is just a byproduct of precision so my goal is to make you a very precise player. At that point, speed just happens.

Posted by: Potsau Dec 13 2019, 02:07 AM

What? Sounds great. I love it.

Just embed for starting.



Thank u so much.

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Dec 6 2019, 12:11 AM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 14 2019, 06:04 AM

Welcome to the fight Soldier! I like the way rever/delay sounds on a tone as well, bu it makes it harder to grade since the delay covers up mistakes in your playing. Some reverb is fine, just kill the delay. You are doing well here. I That way I can hear you and not the delay. Ok soldier? can see that you start to loose precision a bit when you change strings but we can work on that as we go. Let's review!!
MEDALS OF HONOR
*FORM: You are displaying solid technique here Soldier. keep it up! Muting, clean strikes. Nice!
*TEMPO: Not rushing or lagging, Spiff!
*AGGRESSION: Jumping in with aggressive style!! Score!!
You are ready for what awaits you!

You just ...
LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Dec 12 2019, 09:07 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Dec 15 2019, 04:00 AM

🍺🤟🍺

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 16 2019, 12:18 AM

You are ready to move on to MISSION 2! A bit of reverb is fine, just try to cut back on delay since it makes it hard to grade the Mission. Make sense? I love delay Just not when trying to judge precision strikes.
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Dec 14 2019, 11:00 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Dec 19 2019, 10:34 AM

Hi Todd

next is up.



Thx for checking.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 19 2019, 11:05 PM

NICE!! These first few Missions are mostly about getting your production process smoothed out and getting you accustomed too the rigors of BOOTCAMP. You are doing a great job! I can see both hands in the frame, which is critical and takes some folks several vids to sort out, I can hear your guitar, also sometimes takes several vids and I can see the metronome. You have a great start here Soldier!!! Let's Debrief!!!
MEDALS OF HONOR

*FORM: First thing I'm looking for here is good form. You are displaying solid technique here Soldier. keep it up! Muting, hand synch, clean strikes. Nice!
*TEMPO: Second thing I wanna see on Mission 2 is smooth and steady pace. Not rushing or lagging, Score!!
*AGGRESSION: Lastly I wanna see a bit of bloodlust!!! Jumping in with aggressive style for sure!
You are ready for what awaits you!

You just ..
LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Dec 19 2019, 05:34 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Dec 20 2019, 12:50 PM

Thx Todd

with your Threat 😅 I see there is a real problem in my right hand technique. But i would hopefully say that I can probably crack the code to insta shred sometimes. See ya next time.
🤟🍺🍺🍺🤟

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 21 2019, 03:29 AM

These Missions are all built to make you ready for the day when you can Shred like a HOLY TERROR. Each one builds on previous work. You are off to a good start! Keep it up!!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Dec 20 2019, 07:50 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 11 2020, 02:28 PM

Ay Sarge, here is my Status report.

First one 176.
Second. 192.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 11 2020, 06:56 PM

Nice! I can see the metronome in the background so I can tell you are in tight synch with it even though I can't hear it. As long as I can see it I don't really need to hear it. You have the right guitar for this work thats for sure.Nice Ibby!! Your fingers are working their way up as well! Nicely done. Let's Debrief!!
MEDALS OF HONOR

*PICKING TECHNIQUE: Solid picking technique. The picking is really the core of everything we are going to be doing so it's great to see you have a good handle on it!!!

*MUTING: Without a solid palm mute, all is lost. Your palm mute is spot on and no string noise is escaping. Keep that up!!!!!

*SYNCH: Keeping your right/left hand synch is another crucial part of this. You've got very solid hand synch and you are ready for what's next!!!
You ticked all of the boxes I'm looking for in this mission and played at a precision/speed I really didn't expect. Clearly spending time in the Wood Shed!! You are more than ready for the next Mission.
In other words you just.....

LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 11 2020, 09:28 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 11 2020, 08:52 PM

🤩 great thing thanks Todd. But im feeling very uncomfortable with my right hand. Its like not from the wrist. 😭.

Ibanez Prestige Pcm 180. Slightly Guitar.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 13 2020, 12:19 AM

Your right hand does have a pinch of stiff arm to it. This is a natural response to speeding up. You must focus on the picking hand and try to start picking from the fingers back, instead of from the arm forward. Does that make sense?
Sarge




[

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 11 2020, 03:52 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 13 2020, 03:39 AM

I see. Thats the problem. Focussing on next mission. thx

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Jan 13 2020, 12:19 AM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 13 2020, 08:24 PM

Your playing is improving with each and every Mission. I usually don't see this much improvement this early on in the process to be honest. It's clear that you are putting enough work in to each and every one. This will serve you well as you continue. As you move forward, try to play each drill with just the picking hand and focus entirely on the picking during practice. Just mute all the strings with the left hand. This will feel STRANGE at first. It's part of learning to separate your hands so that you can control both of them at once later one. Sort of how drummers need to learn to separate hands and feet to play properly. It will let you focus on right hand (not stiff arming) while you focus on fretting with the left hand.

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 12 2020, 10:39 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 18 2020, 04:58 AM

Here is a guitar pro file and pic for Mission 4.
 4Fix.gp5 ( 2.07K ) : 1146

Posted by: Potsau Jan 19 2020, 06:09 PM

Hi Todd

im already playing no4. Focussing right hand. Need some time to calm down right hand stiffy thing. Got some ache 2days ago.

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Jan 18 2020, 04:58 AM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 20 2020, 02:25 AM

It's natural for the body to tense up when one starts to play fast, but, it's important to work through it and get to the point where one can stay relaxed and still play precisely and briskly. Isolating the hands helped me. E.G. Only using he picking hand and then only using the fretting hand, then playing with both together.

Tensing up is something that kills endurance as it burns out the arm/hand and it kills precision since one can start to pick all the way from the Elbow which is like trying to to detailed drawing by holding on to a pencil by it's eraser. That said, it hasn't stopped wads of players from adopting the stiff arm style. There are many fine players who simply can't play any other way. However, if at all possible, I do suggest avoiding it

It's more important to be able to play in a controlled and relaxed fashion with precision, rather than just gaining a few BPM at the expense of gaining a bad playing habit that's very tough to fix later on.
Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 19 2020, 01:09 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 20 2020, 03:34 AM

Here is an updated Guitar Pro 5 file for MISSION and tab pic.
 5Fix.gp5 ( 2.31K ) : 1059

Posted by: Potsau Jan 21 2020, 10:08 AM

Hi Sarge

many work there for Right Hand. Loosin Always Stamina at the whole end. But I can now just trigger my Right Hand to watch out.
Trying to Speed up later. 3 Hours of practising.

This one was some Kind of Challenge.

Therefor I got many problems at the treble part of the Guitar.
10. to 46. Strings

Posted by: Potsau Jan 21 2020, 11:22 AM

Mabey I can offer some Stiffy Right Hand Guitar Technique Lesson at Gmc. 😂

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 22 2020, 07:42 PM

The good news is you've got this!!!! I see what you mean about losing stamina. You are doing just fine at first. I can't see your left hand to start with so better framing of the first shot would help, but then towards the end your hands lose traction and it sorta falls apart. However, if you would have just cut the video before that, it would have been just fine. For progress videos (just to get some feedback from me) leaving mistakes in there is fine. For MISSION VIDEOS, where you want me to look at it for badging up to the next level, It should show both hands the entire time, and be free from mistakes.

Keep in mind, you have hundreds of Missions to get through. As you go, your hands will adapt and earn more stamina and speed So playing each Mission well, will get you where you want to go. Even if you dont play each mission "Fast". Fast comes from repetition and there are 400 Missions so there is plenty of repetition ahead.


Your Picking looks good here and you have good hand synch! I'd say slow down just a pinch so that your hands are not so tense. It's that tension that will KILL your endurance. You'll notice when I'm playing a fast passage, I barely look like I'm using any force at all. As a result, I can keep it up forever. My hands don't get tired.

Here is a quick demo. Just some random shreddery.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 21 2020, 05:08 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 22 2020, 09:43 PM

Hi Todd

Your picking is really impressive.
thx for your critics, now I really know what to do to get straight through. (new songtext 😅?)

Next vid will be briefing.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 22 2020, 10:00 PM

Thanks!!! The key to being able to pick with precision and speed is to find your "zen". A calm place in your mind where you can let your hands speed up or slow down without tensing your body. This just takes practice. Once you get used to it, you will be able to play as fast as you want for as long as you want.
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 22 2020, 04:43 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 23 2020, 07:47 AM

I really did feel something sometimes. Then it raises to high tension in my mind (not my hands) like a risk bar and my hands not connected with my Zen or Mojo anymore. Got this feeling already many years ago. Lost it and trying
to find again.

Posted by: Potsau Jan 23 2020, 09:54 AM

Please dont be Angry. Im sorry. This is my weakness. Trying to reach the highest Level.
I really try to Speed down. But than the Feeling Comes true and the Velocity rises.

Hope this is good.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 23 2020, 09:48 PM

Congrats on sorting out your fingering/picking/muting, it's all there!!!! There's only one problem. The speed drifts up. In much later missions, this sort of thing wouldn't be an issue. Here at the start I really need to see that you are able to play without drifting in terms of your timing. Does that make sense? I'm sure that you can. I just need to see it in a Mission Video. You can use a metronome to help keep you on an steady track, even if you don't record the metronome itself I just need to hear you play this bit without drifting faster or slower. I hate to send you back to fight yet again. I should have been more clear in my last critique. Just a few bars would do it. You don't need to travel all the way up the neck, just a few bars where you play at a steady speed without drifting faster or slower. You are ready for the next Mission Soldier! We just have to sort this vid out first.
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 23 2020, 04:54 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 24 2020, 10:32 AM

Ok Todd



I tried this piece 5. Estimated practice time 90minutes

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 24 2020, 09:06 PM

Well Fought Soldier!! I can see the metronome going and your playing looks to be consistent with it. It sounds smooth and evenly played which is what I need to see in order to badge ypu up! Let's Debrief!!
MEDALS OF HONOR

*PALM MUTE STEADY ON: Your Palm mute is good at what it's meant to be doing which is preventing string noise. Cheers there! I did notice that it looks like you've developed a habit of not planting your palm on the bridge. As a result, you are muting over the strings instead of over the bridge. This is a habit that will not serve you as you progress. In future Missions, try to plant your palm on the bridge as you can see me doing in the vids. It's the best placement for it given what we are trying to do in these Missions.

*PICKING STEADY ON: Your picking is very even and solid as it should be. It will get more controlled and steady as we go. I wanted to ask what type of pick you are using? For our Missions, a thickness of 1.0mm is suggest and it should have a point. Many pointy picks are available, jazz picks, petrucci picks, etc. Having a pick with zero bend/flex is crucial and the point will help a lot with precision. If you are already using a 1.0 mm jazz pick, then it's sorted


*ENDURANCE: I have not had a chance to really see your endurance on display until Mission 4 and I'm impressed. This Mission is one that can burn your arm off if you are not doing it correctly which is sorta the point of Mission 4. if one tries this mission using the STIFF ARM picking technique, for example, it won't last long. The good news is you are picking from the wrist not the elbow! Well done. You may have to re train your hand a bit as you shift your palm to rest on the bridge instead of on the strings in the middle of the guitar.

You are ready for the next Mission Soldier!! You just..


LEVELED UP!!!!
Sarge
PREVIEW OF MISSION 5.


You've got the pattern down which is a great start. When you put your mission vid up, make sure you are planting your right hand on the bridge instead of picking over the neck pickup. Also, it sounds like you are having a pinch of drift as you may be playing near the edge of your ability. By the time you make your mission vid, you may be able to play at this speed and do it with precision. If you find you are still feeling a bit out of control, just back off the tempo a pinch for the Mission vid.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 24 2020, 05:32 AM)

Ok Todd



I tried this piece 5. Estimated practice time 90minutes

Posted by: Potsau Jan 25 2020, 02:39 AM

Thanks for badging up, 🤟 Thx for the great critics. Next thing I really does not recognized tge right position of right hand. I tried many things. Only positioning on bridge for complete damb palm muting. I ve never learned a good position of a rest point for my right hand. I knew there is a lack. But did not know anything. Not before a Hint. 🥳 I will go on and be prepared for the absolutely nightmares of picking. Come on 😏

Posted by: Potsau Jan 25 2020, 09:07 AM

Its a Jim Dunlop Ultex Jazz III

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 25 2020, 07:22 PM

The Jazz III is a fine choice. Nice and pointy and not to much bend/flex. One tip on picking, make sure you barely dip the pick point past the strings. Don't pick too deep. Especially for what we are doing, I'm trying to train your picking hand to use fairly shallow picking and just use the very tip of the pick and not let the tip go far beyond the string. E.G. The space between the string and the guitar is the gap that the pick should just barely enter. The more deep one does pick, it slows the time to recover for the next pick strike.

Right hand position is very important. We need to work on getting you a good habit of resting your right hand on the bridge. Even if you are not muting, hold the hand right above the bridge so that you just need to drop the hand down just a bit to get a solid mute. Picking over top of the neck pickup isomething to be done just for getting a specific tone. It's not where you want to keep your hand for practice. Once you develop a better habit on this, everything will get a bit easier. Try it on the next Mission!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 25 2020, 04:07 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 28 2020, 11:07 AM

There I go

Why is it reversed?

Here is Mission 5 at 126bpm



I tried no6



My 1st target is that I can Play the neclassical etude no1 by Marcus.

I know he wrote that it is an easy piece but there is a lot Right Hand technique. I dont think it is an 5. I would say its a 7.
Do you confirm?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 29 2020, 07:16 AM

Progress!!! You are getting it soldier. Let's Debrief.

MEDALS OF HONOR

*TRAVERSE: String Traverse is a tricky thing. It's easy to stumble on it. You start out playing really well. It's only near the end that it starts to get a little wonky. It's not enough to prevent you moving on. It's worth mentioning though as you may be pushing your Mission vids just a pinch beyond your actual ability. You need to push in order to progress. If you see a run getting sketchy, you may need to slow down just a pinch temporarily.
*PACE: You have solid pace the entire way. Not rushing or lagging. [/size]
[size=2]*ARTICULATION: You are not picking from the elbow which is great. It's easy to stiffen the entire arm and elbow pick which is a bad habbit and hard to break. You are articulating the pick very well. I would suggest trying to reduce the overall range of pick motion just to keep things as minimal as possible which reduces the amount of time required to make the next pick strike.

TIP TO TRY : I'd like to introduce you to "Thumbless" technique. Just pull your left thumb off of the neck when playing the next drill. It takes some getting used to. It prevents you from using too much pressure and wearing out your hand. When you fret hand gets tired, it starts to miss notes. It's only natural. Going thumbless will extend your endurance and teach your hand to use the finger tips. Give it a try!


This one is sorted. you just......


LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 28 2020, 06:07 AM)

There I go

Why is it reversed?

Here is Mission 5 at 126bpm



I tried no6



My 1st target is that I can Play the neclassical etude no1 by Marcus.

I know he wrote that it is an easy piece but there is a lot Right Hand technique. I dont think it is an 5. I would say its a 7.
Do you confirm?

Posted by: Potsau Jan 29 2020, 10:24 AM

Great.

Now I started with 8th at 208




Thumbless. Trying to reduce Right Hand moving.


Next approx at 144 16th



All thumbless

last at 152 16th








Also I reduced the Speed to where i am. To recover more safety

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 30 2020, 12:28 AM

Well Fought Soldier!! Nicely done. Let's Debrief!
MEDALS OF HONOR

ALT PICKING: Your doing great on your Alternate Picking here. This is a pure alt picking drill which is a foundational skill. Being able to alt pick and keep hand synch is critical for moving forward. Nice!
MUTE: Very solid work on the palm mute. Also critical. It's very easy to let the mute go soft and end up with string noise. Good job on keeping a steady mute! Being able to mute while doing tricky picking work is also a foundational skill that we will use quite a bit.
SYNCH: Right/Left hand synch is the core of this drill. If your synch is off, the entire thing will fall apart. This drill is great at revealing any drift in hand synch as there is no space in between to allow for any mistakes. One missed strike sticks out. You have made great progress even since your preview vid! Congrats!
I also noticed your thumbless technique and must say well done. It's a great way to play, especially when learning a new lick. When learning new things and trying to play them briskly, the body automatically tries to tense up. A good way to combat this is to pull the left thumb off the neck which prevents the hand from being able to tense up. It resets tension on the hand so that when you place the thumb back, it serves as a guide not as a clamp. It's the natural trend of the left hand to clamp down that ruins endurance. Being able to play with a relaxed hand is the key to being able to play with precision and speed and endurance. Well done!

You've got this one sorted Soldier. Your improving quite quickly! Onward! You just..
LEVELED UP!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 29 2020, 05:24 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jan 30 2020, 07:54 PM

Hi Sarge

thanks for that .

Got this Progress for you. 45min practice. approx

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 31 2020, 02:00 AM

Form here is top notch! If this were on Electric I'd be grading it right now! Speed is good and precision is spot on. Not missing any notes, notes losing synch. Also looks like you could keep this up for days! Nice!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 30 2020, 02:54 PM)

Hi Sarge

thanks for that .

Got this Progress for you. 45min practice. approx

Posted by: Potsau Jan 31 2020, 03:34 PM

With my classical I did it with 133.

This one is at 120



Next one is at 126. I feel more safety at this Speed but some Tension.
I want this for briefing.



Thanks

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 31 2020, 11:40 PM

Well fought!MEDALS OF HONOR
ALTERNATE PICKING MADNESS - Alternate Picking is the core of these drills. It's a foundational skill. You really can't move ahead without it. Yours is coming along nicely!! One quick tip. At the risk of wrecking a perfectly good guitar pick, get a very sharp knife (don't cut yourself of course) and shape the tip of a single guitar pick to a very fine tip. Then play this drill just for kicks. Compare it to your regular pick. I've found the sharper the better.

TRAVERSE IN STYLE - In addition to Alternate picking, this requires nearly non stop string traverse. Miss it one time and the lick falls apart. That's a big part of shredding. Being able to play at high speed with consistency and across strings without losing pace. Shredding a single string lick is sometimes easier, except for Mission 6 of course which is built to be hard. Good traverse skills!

SILENT AS DEATH - Palm muting is always critical. You are doing a good job keeping noise at bay!! I notice you are muting the high strings with your fretting hand and low strings with your pickig hand. Your picking hand is angled up and not flat on the bridge. This is fine until we get in to licks that require you to take your left hand off of the guitar. In those licks you'll start hearing noise. Try to spend a bit of time each day planting your picking hand palm on the bridge and not lifting while picking. Playing over the middle of the guitar is a hard habit to break, but it's possible. In the end, if you can't break it, you can still be a great player. Look at marty friedman. Worst right hand technique i've ever seen and he's a MONSTER player. Still, it's something that will make everything to come much easier.That said, you just...

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 31 2020, 10:34 AM)

With my classical I did it with 133.

This one is at 120



Next one is at 126. I feel more safety at this Speed but some Tension.
I want this for briefing.



Thanks

Posted by: Potsau Feb 1 2020, 03:07 AM

My Badge. I died and someone (Ybritt) stole it XD

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 4 2020, 06:24 AM

Not to worry Soldier!! Here is a freshly Minted Badge!! Looking forward to your next Mission Video!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jan 31 2020, 10:07 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 7 2020, 09:38 PM

Palm is located on Bridge. Many Noise. This is aprogress vid

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 8 2020, 05:03 AM

GREAT PROGRESS!!! You are doing much better hear. Your techique sounds cleaner already. Once thing I noticed, your palm is still a little high on the bridge. Try to lower it just a little so that your palm is also muting the high strings. You can also use your pinkpinky as an extension of your palm to mute these. There are many ways to do this. It's an advanced muting technique and it does not work for everyone. If you can make it work for you, It will open up your playing in ways you can't yet imagine.
These are MISSION QUALITY videos IMHO. So if you want to make more please do. These are of great quality though.
NEXT THING TO TRY: Secret Sauce to Shredding Part IITry to articulate/move the pick using only your fingers. Try to not use your wrist, just the thumb/first finger. This is VERY hard at first. Give it a try, at a slow speed.
Here is a video demo.

Keep it up!!
Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 7 2020, 04:38 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 9 2020, 02:45 PM

After some Excercise there is something new I can feel. It is like I can reach much higher velocity. My wrist is dedicated from my forearm. My little girl was ill this week. Tomorrow I can take more time to record and practise

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 10 2020, 02:03 AM

I'm very sorry your little girl is ill I hope she gets better soon!!! I want to make sure you are NOT "PICKING FROM THE ELBOW". It's tempting to stiffen the entire arm and not use the fingers or wrist. This is NOT proper form and I advise against it. Can you make a vid when possible showing what you are talking about? One should pick from the fingers back, not the elbow forward. Does this make sense?

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 9 2020, 09:45 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 10 2020, 07:42 PM

Sometimes I can reach high velocity. But most of all iam very uncormfortable.
Look at this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sa_KsZ0G5_Y

I have pain in my pinky and annular. Dont know why.
Guess it is the week i did not play much guitar.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 11 2020, 04:36 AM

It's a work in progress trying to break some old bad habits. I can hear extra string noise which means you are losing contact with the bridge. Before you can play at light speed, you have to be able to play with proper technique. Even if that means slowing way down to even slower than you started with improper technique. I know how frustrating this can be. Once you get accustomed to playing this way, it will remove the barriers that are holding you back. That chair you are in looks like it is forcing your fretting elbow to be pulled in to an awkward position. Does it feel that way? Maybe pick a new chair? Your picking hand is doing better but I see you are moving your entire hand instead of keeping a mute and trying to move the pick with the thumb and first finger. The results in moving the palm off the bridge and you lose your mute. Forget about speed entirely for just a moment. Play as slow as humanly possible. Just make sure you don't live your palm off the bridge. Just as a test. Plant your palm on the bridge, mute every single string and then pick very very slowly and carefully by just moving your thumb and first finger. Don't move the entire hand using the wrist as a fulcrum. This is an entirely separate technique and we will get to that later. For now try it with your hand planted. Forget how fast it's going. Work on playing with a planted palm mute and using your fingers to move the pick even if you play at 2 beats per minute. I"m hoping to train your hand to correct a habit that has been years in the making. It's not easy, but it's at least worth trying. watch this vid for example. I'm using my thumb and first finger to move the pick. The back of my hand stays planted on the bridge. I start playing slow, then in the second half I speed up but I don't lift my mute. This is the technique I'm trying to share with you. Keep both your hands relaxed. This should not feel painful.
here is a good example, one string one note. Try this. Notice the back of my hand stays planted on the bridge.


some folks call this "circle picking" I just call iti not lifting your mute so you dont' end up with tons of string noise
Here is another example. Remember, speed comes later. You gotta break bad habits first.


[IT'S A WOquote name='Potsau' date='Feb 10 2020, 02:42 PM' post='774674']Sometimes I can reach high velocity. But most of all iam very uncormfortable.
Look at this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sa_KsZ0G5_Y

I have pain in my pinky and annular. Dont know why.
Guess it is the week i did not play much guitar.


[/quote]

Posted by: Potsau Feb 11 2020, 07:41 PM

Thanks for your kind words and your work you put in. Im looking forward to send u a vid about this.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 11 2020, 11:37 PM

Glad to help Soldier!! Give this technique a shot in your next Mission! It may require you to play much slower than you are used to. That's OK. Once you get the technique comfortable, your speed will start to increase at an incredible rate!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 11 2020, 02:41 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 12 2020, 11:46 AM

Just a little right hand workout. I did my excersises before...

Posted by: Potsau Feb 12 2020, 03:43 PM

Another workout. See if its good?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 13 2020, 02:19 AM

BINGO!!!! That's PERFECT!!! You are muting the entire bridge and articulating the pick with your fingers. This is a crucial technique for playing these Missions as you'll see
Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 12 2020, 06:46 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 13 2020, 10:08 AM

Great. 😅 Trying to play the mission in that way mabey in Allegro.

Posted by: Potsau Feb 13 2020, 10:49 AM

The Chair I used to sit in in this one vid was a tiny child chair. Was looking for my little girl. Playing Lego and recording Guitar.

Posted by: Potsau Feb 13 2020, 10:48 PM

Gotta managed to get the proMetronome as an input Signal to audiobus3. So I get rid of my analogue Metronome and you can hear a real Metronome signal in further vids. 🤟

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 14 2020, 12:35 AM

Progress! Yeah, use a bigger chair next time so your arms are not so contained. Looking forward to it!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 13 2020, 05:48 PM)

Gotta managed to get the proMetronome as an input Signal to audiobus3. So I get rid of my analogue Metronome and you can hear a real Metronome signal in further vids. 🤟

Posted by: Potsau Feb 14 2020, 01:02 AM

Try to conquer my Monster

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 14 2020, 04:20 AM

I appreciate your aggression soldier! You can add a "BLITZ" take in your Mission vid. I also need to take a look at you playing in time and with precision. You start string but just a few bars in you start to drift away from the metronome. I understand you want to shred. I get it. really I do. I always wanted to shred myself. I had to do the same thing. You've got to slow down in order to speed up. If you can't play with control, you'll never be able to actually shred. It will always come out sloppy. You are well on your way to being able to do what you want to do. But you gotta learn tight control first. Gotta learn to play like a Robot to shred like a god and that means keeping perfect time with a metronome. It's just step one.

Please slow down a bit. You are still in the starting section teaching foundation skills like playing with a metronome. We have 400 Missions to work on your speed. Before we get there we gotta work on your precision. Remember, in BOOTCAMP there NO POINTS for speed. Only precision. Speed is a byproduct of precision, not the other way around. Try this one more time soldier and slower where you can match the metronome exactly. Your timing is holding you back and we need to fix it before you can move forward. You can do it!!

Here is a decent example of playing within the beat. At the end I play sort of around the beat. If I miss a single note in the initial scale run it all would fall apart. I spent a LOT of time with metronome to get my timing right.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 13 2020, 08:02 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 14 2020, 04:34 PM

You right. That makes sense. Im a stupid dumb. Should known better. Next week I am ready to take off. Thanks for your critics. Have a nice weekend with your loved peoples!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 15 2020, 03:27 AM

You are too hard on yourself. You are a very smart guy and making very good progress!! I'm just hear to try to keep you on a good path that will lead you where you want to go as quickly as possible. I"m here to help!! Take a break for a day or two and come back and try one more time. Enjoy your weekend my friend!!!
Here is another demo video that may help. I'm using my pinky finger to mute the parts of the bridge that my palm is not touching. Notice that I just rotate my hand a bit when going up and down the neck. I'm not moving my hand up and down. That's a habit that is natural to have and yet not good. It's something worth working to avoid. have a watch at this vid.




Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 14 2020, 11:34 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 17 2020, 10:27 AM

Really Nice. You too.

After some vacation in West Germany, I took my mind from this pressure.
I think I got really Progress in my head.

At first I tried a free rotational Training.





I recognized some circle Problems here at no 08.



You just wanted to pm those all but I want to see the whole Progress in this thread.
With all the shitty Things I did. As a Progression.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 17 2020, 07:46 PM

Congratulations Soldier!!!! You are getting the hang of it!!!! You keep a solid palm mute while moving/articulating the pick with the thumb/first finger. Some folks call this "Circle Picking". It's a way to use very little energy and still have precise picking. When done correctly, one can keep this up for extended periods of time without hand fatigue. Let' Debrief!!!
MEDALS OF HONOR


TRAVERSE OF KINGS Being able to "traverse" (go from one string to another) is a foundational skill. It's tricky! It takes work and you are getting a very good handle on it!

SOLID PACING You continue to improve on your pace! You were having trouble with rushing/lagging the metronome. It's gotten much better!!!! There is still a bit of it, but not nearly as much as before and it will fix itself along the way.

ALT PICKING FROM HELL Your alternate picking is improving as well with each take. As you keep making new takes and doing new Missions, you will continue to improve!

You just..

LEVELED UP!!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 17 2020, 05:27 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 17 2020, 08:50 PM

👏 Thanks for that grand shredmaster. Im very hopeful to reach a high level.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 18 2020, 01:57 AM

You are making great progress Soldier!! Each time you dive in to battle you come out the other side a better Soldier and a better player!!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 17 2020, 03:50 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 18 2020, 10:12 PM

Here is no 09.
I builded some speed. Especially with my classical. Still I got a very calm feeling. Just some tension in the right arm. But its still a fine feeling. My wrist gets down in movement mor and more. My forearm is not moving anymore that sick sht. Its a fine feeling. Thats 150. Thats today my cap. Speeded up from130. Mabey I can reach 155 - 160. Tomorrow.





Thats my sound. I think it wont last for long. Cause of its delay 😅 (short delay)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 19 2020, 07:03 AM

You are getting better with each Take Soldier!! Let's Debrief!!! MEDALS OF HONOR

SNIPER Picking with the the tactical precision of a Sniper. Precision is the KEY to everything. Keep it up!!
CONSISTENCY This is the most important thing you can practice. Precision is the foundation of everything that relies on it which is to say EVERYTHING.
MUTE TO KILL Also crucial is a good palm mute. Your palm mute has gotten a LOT better in just a few missions. keep this up and you are well on your way!!!!!
TONE CHOICE: Please avoid that patch in the future due to the DELAY. It makes it very hard to hear what notes are actually being played and which ones are from the delay. You can use that patch, just torn the delay all the way down or off.

Well Fought Soldier you just..
LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 18 2020, 05:12 PM)

Here is no 09.
I builded some speed. Especially with my classical. Still I got a very calm feeling. Just some tension in the right arm. But its still a fine feeling. My wrist gets down in movement mor and more. My forearm is not moving anymore that sick sht. Its a fine feeling. Thats 150. Thats today my cap. Speeded up from130. Mabey I can reach 155 - 160. Tomorrow.





Thats my sound. I think it wont last for long. Cause of its delay 😅 (short delay)

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 18 2020, 05:12 PM)

Here is no 09.
I builded some speed. Especially with my classical. Still I got a very calm feeling. Just some tension in the right arm. But its still a fine feeling. My wrist gets down in movement mor and more. My forearm is not moving anymore that sick sht. Its a fine feeling. Thats 150. Thats today my cap. Speeded up from130. Mabey I can reach 155 - 160. Tomorrow.





Thats my sound. I think it wont last for long. Cause of its delay 😅 (short delay)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 19 2020, 10:21 AM

Wow I didnt expect the badge up. Anyway thanks for that. I nearly killed the delay. I like the timbre of that sound. Now im going to 1/43.
See ya

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 20 2020, 07:04 AM

I like delay and the tone it gives. Especially on solos. But for the purposes of Bootcamp, it just makes things very difficult to grade. So now and then, when you realize you've recorded and left the delay on, it's not a deal killer Just try to avoid it in general for Mission videos. If you were not playing with precision, the delay would have made it very clear. Well played! You are ready for what's next soldier!!!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 19 2020, 05:21 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 25 2020, 11:04 AM

This is much for left hand. Now I can play ascending patterns much better. In free training my right hand does not move as much like in the video. Everytime I click the rec button, im getting nervous. 😂

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 25 2020, 05:35 PM

It's called "RED LIGHT SYNDROME" Soldier! It impacts us all. Once might play something perfectly and then when the red light comes on, the hands freeze up and it feels like playing in quick sand. It's something that is very normal. The good news is that it goes away over time. Eventually the red light won't bother you at all. Sorta like playing live, the first few gigs some folks get bad butterflies in their stomach, but after a while it's much easier.

You did well on this one Soldier!! It's a "FINGER TWISTER" so it's impossible to shred this. Despite that you manage to play it with precision and quite brisk! It seems that you started losing synch around 180 but that's ok. The other takes worked fine and it's good to include a take thats at the edge of your ability to allow me to see where you are at. After a few more Missions, this tricky riff at that speed won't be a problem. If you can play tricky bits at good speed with precision, the riffs built for speed will seem like a breeze!


Let's Debreif!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

LET'S TWIST: This is a true finger twister. It's so twisty that it's tough to play fast without losing it. Im impressed by how much speed/precision you got in the first few takes!
NEVER A MISS: Didn't miss a note. That's the second thing I always look for on this Mission and you nailed it in your early takes.
PRECISION DRIVE: Your precision continues to increase with each and every mission Soldier. The final thing I always look for on this is how precise can you play without thing falling apart. You got it going way faster than I expected. Nice!

In short soldier, you just...

LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 25 2020, 06:04 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 26 2020, 10:01 AM

Great. You right. Its like kicking in the water. Just binge drinking can help you out there. 🍺🤏🏻

This one feels very comfortable.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 26 2020, 07:31 PM

12 Tab!
 bootcamp12fix.gp5 ( 1.98K ) : 238

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 27 2020, 01:31 AM

Well Fought Soldier! The first bit is badgeworthy indeed! The second take is a bit less tight but I'm glad you included it. You should always push yourself beyond your comfort zone and allow your hand to find it's way. At higher speeds the hand may fail a bit but it will start to adapt to the higher speed. So playing just beyond ones ability is CRUCIAL in gaining speed once your precision is sorted. You have done great work getting your synch with the metronome to be tight. Keep it up!!! Let's Debrief!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

LOOPY: Firstly I wanna see if you can take a complex lick and loop it. If your hand fails at any time, it will stick out like a sore thumb. The good news is you have zero problem with repeition. This is so that you focus on the lick itself. Also, it allows me to see your playing over a distance of ground. If you rush/lag, it will stand out. Part of what I'm trying to teach you is Playing like a Robot in order to Shred Like a God. Paul Gilbert is a good example of putting loops of a given lick to good use. It's one way to build up steady speed. Of course, you can play one loop fast and then settle back in to a comfy speed for a "burst" approach as well.

NON STOP TRAVERSE: Secondly I wanna see you traverse without the lick falling apart. For you this is NO PROBLEM you killed it. This is a tricky lick and you traversed very well. I do lots of traverse drills. Partially to build endurance, partially to get your hands accustomed to playing long sequences of notes. This will serve you well when we start doing very long scale runs.

ARTICULATION: Your pick articulation and muting are much better than just a few missions ago. You are about to hit several missions with drills that are "built to shred". These are less complex patters that feel better when played fast.


You've got this down pat Soldier!! You just...

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 26 2020, 05:01 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 27 2020, 09:38 PM

Just little progress. Trying to get rid of arm movement.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 27 2020, 10:13 PM

NICE!!!! Sounds good to me. Try it with the bridge pickup if you can!

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 27 2020, 04:38 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 27 2020, 10:49 PM

Its the bridge pickup. 😉. I think its the sound. A little muff.

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Feb 27 2020, 10:13 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 27 2020, 10:58 PM

It is a bit muffled for some reason. If you have an over drive pedal, turn the gain on it down and volume up and tone to max and it will help your tone cut through without being too bassy. It's a classic tone trick

The good news is you are playing the bit well!

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 27 2020, 05:49 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 28 2020, 12:54 AM

I edit the sound like u said



I was motivated to work on right hand

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 28 2020, 02:06 AM

The tone is better! It's still a bit muffled though and lacks some clarity but I"m sure we can work it out. Can you tell me what gear you are using? It could just be overmodulation from too much recording level. It could be too much bass coming through. It's like tending a plant. Tone needs constant tweaking. Let's Debrief!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

ALT PICK OF DESTINY: The first thing I'm looking for here is your Alternate Picking. Without good alt picking technique, this lick won't work. It's the kind of thing you just cant play with all downstrokes and have it work well. Nice!!
TRAVERSAL OF FORTUNE: The second thing I want to see is good traverse. Non stop fret traverse is required on this one. You gotta slide a bit to make this work and you slide quite well!!!
PINKY TIME: Lastly I want to see PINKY POWER!! Good use of the pinky here! On the lower frets, Pinky Power is crucial.

You got this one sorted Soldier. You just..

LEVELED UP!!!
One Mission away from your next CHEVRON on your badge!

Posted by: Potsau Feb 28 2020, 01:38 PM

Could you please check out my right hand control and movement also if its nicely fixed on the bridge. Im feeling so much movement. Thx

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 28 2020, 09:55 PM

You've got it! Your hand is planted on the bridge and your picking with the thumb/first finger without lifting or wagging the hand. This takes a LOT of work and some folks just never get it. Well done!

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 28 2020, 08:38 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 29 2020, 06:55 PM

Sup. Can u please show me a vid of your right hand where you play a minor pentatonic over 6 strings. I cant imagine how my right hand should repositioning from 1st to 6th and 6th to 1st while its fixed on the bridge. You know what I mean? 😬

At this time I carry my arm high and low equal to 1st and 6th. I think I should change the angle of my fight hand but that implicates tha my palm cant stay fixed on the bridge.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 29 2020, 06:54 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 29 2020, 08:49 PM

I hear ya. It's a bit trick at first and it's ok to move the hand when needed, it's just a good idea to try to develop a center strategy where you can park you hand in the middle of the bridge and reach low or high just by tilting your hand. I'm using the "Lynch" technique in this vid and extending my mute by straightening my fingers out. You can curl the fingers in and get similar results.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 29 2020, 01:55 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 29 2020, 09:36 PM

Many thanks. Looks like your wrist changes position over 2 axes. Wrist to pinky over y axes. And thumb to 6th string x axes. Is that right?

When you on 1st string your thumb is really near to 6th string and otherwise far from 6th when you playing 6th string

I checked my vid. I did same with my wrist but was moving my arm up and down

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2020, 01:03 AM

After 2 hours metronome I cannot realize the beat anymore. But I improved about 20bpm. Tryin next week the double triple and quadripel

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 1 2020, 07:04 AM

Yup! It's ok to move the hand a bit if needed. I'm just trying to help you re train your hand to focus on a center strategy so that it becomes an instinct to try to keep your hand somewhere near the middle of the bridge so that you can hit all the strings and still keep a mute. This comes in handy later on when we start doing open string licks on every string and the left hand can't be used for muting. Make sense?

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 29 2020, 04:36 PM)

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 29 2020, 08:03 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2020, 07:38 AM

Ok great. Thx 👍

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2020, 08:59 AM

I decided not to play that much in 13. But I could see gret progress for myself. Approx 3 hours of practice.
You have great teaching skills.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 1 2020, 09:51 PM

Impressive work Soldier!!! This scale Inversion is complex. It's nearly impossible to shred it. It's more about just playing it without forgetting where you are in the pattern. You KRUSHED it and did all the multi picking as well!!! NICE! Let's debrief!


MEDALS OF HONOR

*TACTICAL PRECISION: Firstly I want to see precision. I want to see each note struck and not missed. You did a great job of keeping it together! This is a very complex lick and you nailed it. It's all about precision here. Without a high degree of precision, this lick just falls apart.

*STEADY PACE: You did well on your pacing. I noticed it drifting just a bit on the Triple and Quad picking but that's understandable. It takes a long time to be able to Quad Pick a complex lick at speed and keep it even. Your first two passes were quite steady.

*QUIET AS DEATH: Muting is CRUCIAL on these types of licks that use all the strings, it's very hard to keep it from generating string noise. Not a problem here! Silent as the grave!

Well fought Soldier! You just..

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 1 2020, 03:59 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2020, 10:24 PM

I tried 14. In 2 Tempi. To look how my habbits may change while playing in different tempi

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Mar 1 2020, 09:51 PM)

Impressive work Soldier!!! This scale Inversion is complex. It's nearly impossible to shred it. It's more about just playing it without forgetting where you are in the pattern. You KRUSHED it and did all the multi picking as well!!! NICE! Let's debrief!


MEDALS OF HONOR

*TACTICAL PRECISION: Firstly I want to see precision. I want to see each note struck and not missed. You did a great job of keeping it together! This is a very complex lick and you nailed it. It's all about precision here. Without a high degree of precision, this lick just falls apart.

*STEADY PACE: You did well on your pacing. I noticed it drifting just a bit on the Triple and Quad picking but that's understandable. It takes a long time to be able to Quad Pick a complex lick at speed and keep it even. Your first two passes were quite steady.

*QUIET AS DEATH: Muting is CRUCIAL on these types of licks that use all the strings, it's very hard to keep it from generating string noise. Not a problem here! Silent as the grave!

Well fought Soldier! You just..

LEVELED UP!!!

Sarge

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2020, 10:50 PM

And here is 16
I played the Triads over all three major chord modes in cmajor.
v i iv

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 1 2020, 11:17 PM

Maybe do two passes on 15, a slow one and a fast one. Your synch is drifting just a pinch at this speed. You are doing a GREAT Job on your muting hand!!! Your timing is improved as well! You are maybe an eighth of a second behind the metronome. Maybe slow this one down just a pinch for your Mission video. You have made great improvement. Keep it up!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 1 2020, 05:24 PM)

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 1 2020, 05:24 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2020, 11:29 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Mar 1 2020, 11:17 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 2 2020, 10:30 AM

I did my homework grandmaster todd. Had push it to 220. I didnt feel the cap there. In my starting there is a lack to join right in the tempo. But I can join better after 1st loop. I feel the starting point has to be more aggressive to join directly in the tempo. 😉

And in my first takes the metronome was way to pianissimo. Changed it on later takes.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 2 2020, 07:57 PM

Well Fought Soldier!! I can you muting position keeps getting better and you pick control keeps getting better as well. This drill forces the hand to do non stop string switching and there are no gaps so if you miss one note, it stands out. You have a very good handle on drill and it's a great warm up when practicing so keep it in your routine! You have come a long way in a short time. Congratulations! Your 14 Mission was very good and this one is quite good so let's test you out of 14 and Debrief 15, it's a bit more complex.

MEDALS OF HONOR


Sweep Shape: This is a "quasi sweep" it's not picked like a sweep, but the shape is similar to a sweep lick. It's complex. It requires a good left hand that can stick the landing with the pinky and keep tight control between the hands. This is the
most important part. You nailed it!

Follow Up: Making things even more complex. Part of this drill is a scale so you have to adapt from a sweep to scale shape. Getting this transition to be smooth is the entire point of the drill. It's very smooth so well done!!

Precision: Lastly, a high degree of precision is required for this entire thing. If you falter at any point it will stick out like a sore thumb. The good news is you never slipped. Score!!


Most Impressive. Your hand synch and work with the metronome gets better each vid you make. I can see the time spent when I watch your vids. I can hear the effort and practice when you play. This is what it takes to make true gains in your skills and your doing great! Keep it up!!!

You just..

LEVELED UP!!!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 2 2020, 05:30 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 2 2020, 09:36 PM

Great many thanks. You Right, I spent more than 7hours a week for the bootcamp. I can see how hard it is to self Control on practice time. But it is very nice Concept the bootcamp. So I rarely have to overcome myself.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 3 2020, 02:17 AM

I can hear the hours of practice in your playing. There is no way around putting in the time. If anyone says different they are not being truthful and probably want to sell you their own magical guitar course. It comes down to discipline and repetition. You have to spend time in the "wood shed" as we say Keep it up Soldier!!!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 2 2020, 04:36 PM)

Great many thanks. You Right, I spent more than 7hours a week for the bootcamp. I can see how hard it is to self Control on practice time. But it is very nice Concept the bootcamp. So I rarely have to overcome myself.

Posted by: Potsau Mar 3 2020, 10:44 AM

Now I can join the fight by now. My form is very constant. Last week I started practice at 150. Now I start at 190 without loosing synch. I know its a bit fuzzy and hardly drifting but im falling in a calm dream wrapped in blessed smoke. My head is clear. I think thats the feeling of a virtuoso. But its might not enough to play like a virtuoso. 🥳



g major c major f major triads

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 4 2020, 01:24 AM

LOOK AT HIM GO! This is based on a classical Etude and requires you to change strings non stop while keeping synch and sticking the landing with your pinky. It's a "mini" classical etude. Your hand has adapted very well to this and your timing with the metronome. You do drift just a bit now and then but it's not enough to keep you from moving on. You have really improved. Keep this up!! Let's Debrief!

MEDALS OF HONOR

SOLID MUTE: Firstly, a bad mute on this, means non stop string noise. The good news is that your mute has come a long way and you are keeping it all nice and tight!!!!

SYNCH OR SWIM: With every single MISSION your hand synch is getting better and better. Keep up your missions and it will keep getting better!

ARTICULATION: Very well done on picking articulation! Your hand is centered and your in control of your picking! You are NOT picking from the Elbow. Avoiding that bad habit is key to progressing. In short you KILLED IT!! Nicely done on your lesson Revision Video as well!!


This is a complex but of playing and you RIPPED IT UP!!! You just..

LEVLED UP!!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 3 2020, 05:44 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 4 2020, 01:41 AM

Greeeeeeat. This is very useful. Just the Habit to practice that much in those Little loops is amazing Progress for me. If I look the years ago there were something slumbering. And I tried to wake up the beast. But I lost ones way to that Monster. Now I can smell this Little Thing and im really convinced that I will chase it in a trap to overwhelme it to ask for its Name.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 4 2020, 02:21 AM

You've got the tiger by the tail Soldier! Swing it around and make it your own!

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 3 2020, 08:41 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 5 2020, 11:34 AM

The Beast escaped In the woods today. I was too exhausted after chasing it.



I have the problem to pick the whole fretboard on the y axis.

The last 2 at 125. Its covered by the water sign

Posted by: Potsau Mar 5 2020, 11:01 PM

The backing is written in e aeolian which is the 6th mode of ionian g equal to the g major. The chord progression is as followed:
vi i v iv
e. G. D. C.

In part b there is a modulation to the mode G ionian augmented which has the 5th augmented to an D sharp.

Everytime I improvise I cant remeber some of the parts 🤨. All of a sudden I did something without my cunsios.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 6 2020, 01:01 AM

IMPRESSIVE WORK SOLDIER!! you are getting sharper with every Mission. Each time you dive in to the fight and come out bloody, I can see the results. It's making you a better player each time you dig in. I can see you pushing the envelope of your speed as well. It's a good thing. Keep it up! let's Debrief!!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

PLAYING WITHIN ABILITY AND AT THE EDGE OF ABILITY: You show full control and then go beyond to push the edge. That is where progress happens. At the very edge of ability.

NOT TENSING UP: Not tensing your arms is the key to shredding. Tension is Death for shredding. It wrecks your speed, kills your precision and causes injury. Great to see you not tensing!! Thumbless technique (taking the left thumb off the neck is one way to keep tension down.)

PACING: Lastly I'm looking to see if you can keep this lick flowing smoothly without rushing or lagging. You have come a long way with your work playing with a metronome. Your timing is improving each time and your getting more precise and faster. Keep itup!!

You KRUSHED this one. You are ready for the tricky bits that are yet to come. UNLEASH THE BEAST!

You just.

LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 5 2020, 06:34 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 6 2020, 12:07 PM

Thank you 😁

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 7 2020, 12:09 AM

Watching you make these gains has been inspiring Soldier!!! You freaking RAWK!!!


Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 6 2020, 07:07 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 7 2020, 03:14 PM

🤩
🍺
👆

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 8 2020, 11:56 PM

Looking forward to your next Mission Soldier! You are fighting like a champ!!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 7 2020, 10:14 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 9 2020, 12:18 AM

Thank you. Needed some Hand vacation. In recent years I had carpal tunnel Syndrom. I checked it now again on my thumbs. If somebody wants to know something about its symptoms and whats up with your daily treatment, just pm me.
I got it sometimes if I work too hard with my hands. But with your technique I can imagine that it wont be something thatll rely on my guitar play anymore.

Posted by: Potsau Mar 9 2020, 09:42 AM

Some attempts on 19

Posted by: Potsau Mar 9 2020, 10:24 AM

No20 warmup and workout

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 10 2020, 02:19 AM

LOOK AT HIM GO! Part of this one is taking a very familiar blues lick and running it in a very controlled way. It's a great way to run this scale and is handy for solo work as well. Each Mission you complete I can hear your precision increase. I"m sure you can hear it too! keeping all these vids in a single playlist on youtube will let you go back and see how much you have improved!!

Let's Debrief!!!!

MEDALS OF HONOR


*CONTROL- With each Mission your control gts better. Control over your fingers is one of the most important things I'm trying to teach here. If your fingers are out of control, out of synch, you will never be able to shred. You are getting better and better as we go. Keep itup!!

*ARTICULATION - The second thing I'm looking for here is solid pick articulation. This used to be a problem but you've sorted it out!! Very nice articulation on this one. It's got several bits to test your picking and you nailed it!!! Nice. I

*MUTE- Per usual I wanna see a solid Mute!!!!! These licks are built to show flaws in muting and picking. They simply can't be played properly if there are gaps in someones skill level. Your mute is solid as a rock these days. DOUBLE SCORE!!

You got this sorted out and you are ready for the crazy bits to come. You just..

LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 9 2020, 05:24 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 10 2020, 07:47 AM

I played the other thing.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 10 2020, 08:53 PM

Well done! You may have noticed that these bits are similar to the first bit. Once I saw you play the firs vid, I knew you were ready to progress to the next Mission. Well done on these as well! I'd say the same feedback applies. The only miss is where you go to 150 at the end, but that's ok as I like to see one take where you play beyond the edge of your ability. It's in this area where progress happens. One has to push the envelope in order to get faster. It's that simple. Otherwise your speed will hit a plateu and not increase. You will get used to playing on the edge and eventually it will become smooth as glass and your new "edge" will be further up the metronome. Keep it up!
Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 10 2020, 02:47 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 10 2020, 08:57 PM

👏🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🤟

Posted by: Potsau Mar 11 2020, 10:43 AM

Progress!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 11 2020, 07:47 PM

This is a VERY hard lick to play. It's got two entirely different riffs stitched together. You have to play at one speed, the double the speed to play the scale run, then land back in to the original slow speed part. I put these two back to back to make it really hard to play in order to force the hand to adapt to really bizarre speed changes in a single riff. It will teach your hand how to make a really strange transition. Your doing great on this lick. You have it nearly perfect in different spots on each take. Not one single take is perfect all the way through, but you have it all clearly in hand. One solid take doing just one string will be enough to badge you up. I can tell you have been working hard on this. One last push and you are ready! You can put more than one take on your vid, just make sure that at least one take for one string is as clean as you can get it. That's the one I will critique. The others you can push the speed on or try various picking and I'll just use them to see how your playing is progressing!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 11 2020, 05:43 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 11 2020, 08:01 PM

The speed changes are the great things. But its worth it. In „Scarified“ by racer x I asked me many Times how Paul plays a 16th row and suddenly three 32th triplets And again 16th. This ability is really amazing and it has been a massive distance for me to that point of playing.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 11 2020, 08:11 PM

Well said!! These speed changes can help you to be able to play a wide variety of very complex things. Lots of RACER X music has drastic speed changes in the middle of a riff. It's part of what makes their music sound so cool and makes it so challenging to play. Also it's why you see so many people doing racer x covers on youtube. It's a right of passage almost for many players. To be able to have a version of SCARIFIED or another racer X classic, shows that a player has 'Arrived" and can play just about anything.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 11 2020, 03:01 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 13 2020, 08:07 AM

Cant push it further after approx 90min practice

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 14 2020, 04:34 AM

NICE!!!! Using ECON picking to get between the two strings before the fast run can help a lot. I see you are using ECON. If you isolate just those three notes. Start with an up stroke so that you have two down strokes to use when traversing to the higher string from the lower string. That will smooth things out a bit and set you up to be ready half a beat earlier for the shreddy scale bit. I hope that make sense? ?It won't make it any faster but it makes it easier to play

Also, Isolate the shreddy scale bit in a loop. Just play that one part on repeat. It will burn it in to your brain so that hooking it up with the other bit will be easy on your fingers.

Just a couple of tricks I used when I was writing this thing. It's got two bits at very different speeds so it's a bit tricky to play. You are doing great with it!!

Todd


Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 13 2020, 03:07 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 15 2020, 07:45 AM

Got the sound of destiny. I certainly can play like Paul

Posted by: Potsau Mar 20 2020, 08:57 PM

Im feeling im going to old habits so I decided to slow down a bit. Hope you doing fine. I need more booze. 🍺🍺💊💊🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺☹️

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 20 2020, 11:21 PM

This is a great riff for getting used to going between two different speeds of play. The lick starts off mid paced and then goes in to a very fast scale type thing with a racer X sort of vibe. You can loop that fast bit with the metronome to work on pure speed. I'm glad you slowed down on this just a pinch as it's now well within your range. Keep this one as a warm up lick and pull it out now and then to see how much faster you can play it with your metronome as time goes on. This is one of the cleanest takes at this speed that I've seen so well done!! Let's Debrief.

MEDALS OF HONOR

*MUTE OR DIE Your progress with your muting hand continues to serve you well Soldier! Your technique is very solid and you keep a good mute despite having to change speeds. NICE!

*PRECISION Without Precision, this lick and many like it will just fall apart. Your precision is solid and your hand synch is very tight. SNIPER KILL!

*CONTROL Your overall control has progressed by a huge amount since you began bootcamp. No extra string noise, no unwanted notes and very even and deliberate pacing. BAM!!

You are working your Axe Soldier!! Keep it up!!!!! You are ready for the next challenge.

You just..

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 20 2020, 03:57 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 21 2020, 03:56 PM

Great 🤝

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 21 2020, 08:19 PM

The good news about this corona virus craziness is more time to practice!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 21 2020, 10:56 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 22 2020, 04:21 AM

My girls at home. 😅 So cant practice that much.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 23 2020, 02:25 AM

I hope you and yours stay safe and well during all this craziness!!!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 21 2020, 11:21 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 24 2020, 09:56 AM

Allright here. Except the peoples hysteria of the phantom. 👍

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 25 2020, 08:27 AM

DON'T LET THE PHANTOM GET YOU SOLDIER!! You've put in too much work to lose the fight to the invisible enemy!!! This Mission is a MILESTONE. It guards the chasm between everything below and everything above. It's a LEFT HAND POWER Mission that forces the fretting hand to do ALL of the work. Most folks can play this by this point. Some folks struggle like crazy with it. Let's Debrief!!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

*MUTE OR DIE I wanna see a good mute on this one. You can mute as you are doing up near the nut, or at the bridge. Either way is fine for this Mission and this type of lick. You do a good job of keeping string noise at bay and not letting sympathetic string vibration ruin the lick. Nice!!

*PRECISION The second thing I focus on in this Mission is PRECISION. You are Precise as a Scalpel. You only hit the notes you want to hit. That's what I wanna see!!! SCORE!

*CONTROL I also wanna see you in FULL CONTROL. Are you playing the guitar or fighting it? Are you running the scale or is it running you? Soldier, you show it who is Boss!!!! No extra string noise, no unwanted notes and very even and deliberate pacing. MEGA KILL!!


This is a very flashy lick and works well on stage. It just looks cool when played this way. Try to add this in to your next solo or live gig, if we ever get back to live gigs!!! Well Fought Soldier.

You just..

LEVELED UP!!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 24 2020, 04:56 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 25 2020, 08:52 AM

😍

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 26 2020, 02:31 AM

Stay safe Soldier!! You have a war to fight!! A war with the Guitar!!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 25 2020, 03:52 AM)

Posted by: Potsau May 10 2020, 12:56 AM

Almost 2 Months. Studying more Fingerstyle stuff. But im more than ready to get back in fight. Read some about superimposition. Got many new input for knowledge. Fingernails are growing. Picks are hanging down the Picktree. There I see I must fight further in Bc. Its overwhelming 🤟

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 10 2020, 02:00 AM

Look forward to your next Mission Soldier!! Adding fingerstyle picking and other elements is always a good thing imho. It's a great way to add things to your playing style. Score!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ May 9 2020, 07:56 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 18 2020, 10:20 AM

Hi Todd

back in the hood. Hope everyone is find here. Shitty times. But wrote my playbook ensemble.

Need some routine here. I gues I got bad synch

Posted by: Potsau Jun 18 2020, 10:28 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 19 2020, 12:30 AM

A valiant effort Soldier!! The first one feels easier than the second one at speed yes? Trying to get ascending and descending riffs to work at the same speed is part of what this is about. The second one is just a pinch beyond where your fingers seem to be. You can slow the metronome down a pinch and get a clean take. Or just put it on a loop and slow down a bit then add a couple of BPM each time. Watch the video and try too see if you can tell the difference between the first and second one in terms of being locked in to the click. If you can hear it, then you can fix it. Your lagging just a pinch on the second lick. But like I say you don't have to play it at the same speed as the first. There are plenty more licks to come that you can work on ascending / descending play.

Once more in to the breach!!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 18 2020, 05:28 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 19 2020, 01:02 AM

The world is in a bad way Soldier! Good to see you still fighting!! This is a LOOOOOONG lick! Putting this lick in to a solo is not an easy thing. But once you get used to playing long runs in solos, your solo skills will be one step closer to GOD LEVEL!

Let's Debrief!

MEDALS OF HONOR


PINKY TRAVEL This one requires that you move up the neck by leading with the pinky. This is a tricky thing and many fall to it's cruelty. Not you! Your pinky does a fine job of traversing up the neck. This means you are ready to play long shredddy licks that traverse over many frets. NICE!

PACING Not rushing, not lagging. It's an ascending bit which is tricky to start with and you play it nice and smooth the whole way. As soon as you can try to place this in a solo using any backing you like. Grab something from youtube that matches the key and see if you can fit it in to real music.

MUTING Nothing is so under rated as a technique as palm muting. Especially in a lick like this. Without a good mute, string noise will get crazy. Your palm mute gets better with each Mission!! SPIFF!


In short, you just ...
LEVELED UP!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 18 2020, 05:20 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 19 2020, 01:06 PM

thats right 😅

At 25 I use downward pickslanting sometimes. Do I get the Permission?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 19 2020, 08:39 PM

That second half of MISSION 24 is looking MUCH MUCH better. Not lagging like before. Well done. I'll start the debrief on that one. As for 25, it seems to be suffering from the same problem that I was seeing in the latter half of the 24 misison. It's just slightly off. You are not tight to the click. It may be a simple case of needing more repetition.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 19 2020, 08:06 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 19 2020, 09:19 PM

Nether at 200 or 210? I see it slightly at 230. Seems my concious isnt enough to feel the fault. Ill try it again

Posted by: Potsau Jun 19 2020, 09:48 PM

The best hint from you is by all the greatest. That one with thumbless. It takes down so much pressure. Just my right hand is out of control so crazy

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 19 2020, 11:29 PM

On Mission 25 you are a bit off at each and every speed. I saw you make a great deal of improvement on the second half of mission 24. I sense that you are pushing the envelope on speed on Mission 25 which is always a good thing. It's just not the best for a Mission take. You can include takes where you are pushing beyond your ability so I can see where I might give some tips and such, but to badge up I need to see one take where it's under control as much as possible. Mission 25 is not really built for speed. It's just too complex to be a "shred" lick. It's really about letting your hands guide you to find a "comfortable" speed no matter how complex the piece is. There are tons of missions where it's just about how fast can you play it and keep it clean. 25 is not one of those. It' s just about keeping it clean. It's too awkward (did you notice how awkard it feels to play it?) to be played as shred lick. For 25, Id say just back off the speed a bit and focus on keeping your strikes spot on with the metronome. Back off the speed until you can keep it dead on. Then add one BPM and try again. This is not easy. Its a very tricky bit to play and easy to drift since one part of your brain is trying to keep the pattern and one part is trying to listen to the click and keep it from drifting out of synch. This mission is about getting both parts of your brain to work together. So that you can still put enough brain power in to listening to the CLICK and forcing it to match your picking hand. Then using the other part of your brain to remember where you are in the overall pattern. This is best done by simple repetition. Sometimes, intense focus is what is required. Sometimes, a kind of "distant focus" can also help. Where you are not paying attention to the hands but instead letting your hand play without thinking. This can only happen once you have memorized the pattern completely. The pattern must be almost an instinct. Put it on a loop at at slow speed until you can play it without looking at your left hand. Until you can play it blindfolded. Then you are ready to speed up just a pinch to find your "comfy" speed. At that point, it will be solid and plenty fast.


24 ONE FINAL PUSH:
Ive watched all your MISSION 24 clips and It looks like you are ready to play both parts at the same time just like the demo video and play them all together. if you need to slow down the ascending part to make it match the descending part, that is ok. Just play them both in one take to show you keep a steady pace even when part of a lick is easier to play than another part. That's sorta the point on 24. To keep consistent speed even when the hand wants to play faster because part of a riff is easier to play.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 19 2020, 04:48 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 19 2020, 11:49 PM

I really thought I already can handle this thing. But u right. Focus is on control. I nearly try to get through the mission without focussing its issue. I try to gain 1% out of every Mission to reach the goal. I must get rid of thinking in time. Better thinking in abilities gaining while playing without thinking to get through the over 400 Missions. Its a Philosophia. Its about character and life. Calm down a bit. Do the thing without the daily Pressure. A Question of your Life Condition. Good Playing guitar is a question about how your life is like.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 19 2020, 11:54 PM

EXACTLY!! That's a big part of what I'm trying to teach Each mission is just a single footstep in a long journey. Keeping control of each step is what makes the journey possible. If you lose your footing at one spot, the journey itself gets harder at each step after. Just as in life. It's important to give full effort, but not to lose control. Striking that balance in all things is what gives life itself balance as well as creates balance as a musician.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 19 2020, 06:49 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 20 2020, 12:01 AM

Omg there is so much to learn about esoteric guitar playing. I believe in it. But everytime I see myself running through gaining abilities without gaining abilities. This is the most uncomfortable part. Thats the biggest issue gaining high speed and control. You really give me the mindset to control myself before controlling my body

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 20 2020, 04:15 PM

It's all about the skills you gain along the way. Two people can go to music school and graduate while one comes out a great player and one doesn't. They both have the same music degree. But only one is a great player. It's possible to advance and not get everything you can out of a program. It's more important to gain skills along the way. There are plenty of Missions. It's what you take from each one that's most important

Todd

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 19 2020, 07:01 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Sep 30 2020, 11:10 AM

Hello again 😄

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 1 2020, 03:38 AM

Impressive work Soldier!! This is a tricky lick and requires stamina. It's easy to let it fall apart haalf through. You played it all the way without dropping the ball. Nicely done!! Let's Debrief!

MEDALS OF HONOR

PICK AND HAMMER!: The "Pick and Hammer" is very important and you have a very good grasp here both ascending and descending. You can apply this to any scale!

MUTE OF DEATH: Very good control of leaving your palm in one place and using your fingers to make notes. Lots of finger power required and you have it!

TIMING: Very tight and very evenly played. This is not easy to pull off on this lick and you used your PINKY!! KILL CONFIRMED!

You krushed it soldier!
You just..

LEVELED UP!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Sep 30 2020, 06:10 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 1 2020, 09:44 AM

Great ❤️
Nexts up

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 2 2020, 03:00 AM

This shows good work Soldier but it's just too muted. You have a very solid palm mute but it's choking the notes off here. Each note should resonate just a bit. Lighten up on your mute a pinch. Some notes are choked off entirely. You have good finger movement here and good synch! Just a pinch lighter on the mute. Back to the front!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Oct 1 2020, 04:44 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 2 2020, 11:16 AM

Again. I did some training

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 3 2020, 01:12 AM

Soldier this is MUCH better! Your note choking the notes with your mute. However, you are pushing a bit past your current ability and losing synch with the beat just a bit. It sounds like your pushing past your current speed limit which I appreciate and it's the only way to get faster. However, it's not the best take to put up for critique as those takes are usually a bit more sloppy since they are at the edge of one's ability. I'd say slow this one down just a pinch to show control over the notes. I've run this scale about a million times over several decades. If you do anything for a couple decades, you'll get good at it. For just having played this for a relatively short time your doing quite well at it. Give me one take a bit slower where you play each note clearly and under control. I'm sure you know this lick. Just give me one clean pass and bam!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Oct 2 2020, 06:16 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 4 2020, 05:19 PM

Ok 😉

Posted by: Potsau Oct 5 2020, 10:33 AM

Another try. Feeling better.

Eco and alt pick i see i have bad synch. In this case I used to do many things with legato. In recent times

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 5 2020, 07:42 PM

BINGO! Under control, precise, in synch. I can see this drills has been a FIGHT Soldier! That's actually what I like to see. I want to see you find a big road block and just push through it til you are victorious. We fight against ourselves Soldier. Our discipline is to push through the things that challenge us. Guitar is a meditation on the idea of perfection. Unattainable but always something to strive for. It's through striving that we become better. This lesson applies to all of life. It's learned on the battlefield when one is alone and up against the wall, and it seems like it might be hopeless. Finding the courage to fight on is what makes us who we are. Well fought Soldier!

MEDALS OF HONOR

PACING Slow and Steady wins the race! : You do a great job of pick control on this one. Steady pace and even playing. This is the first thing I'm looking for and you nailed it.

NO MUTE NO DEAL: Very clean palm mute per usual as I've come to expect. I want to see a clean mute here and you have it in spades.

BACK AND FORTH Back and Forth like a champ!: This can a VERY VERY confusing lick. Also, tons of hand synch required here. You don't slip and push through to the end.

Congratulations Soldier. I know this one was a bit of a BEAST. It's in fighting that beast that we improve our fighting skills and prepare for challenges ahead.

you just ...

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Oct 5 2020, 05:33 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 6 2020, 01:07 PM

Great ❤️

Next

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 6 2020, 07:49 PM

WELL FOUGHT SOLDIER!! Using the pinky, keeping good synch, not choking the notes, and under control. This one is a tricky bit similar to the last one and you have adapted quite well! Let's Debrief!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

PLANTED LIKE A TREE: Planted palm mute and using your fingers to control the pick. This is tricky, it's hard not to choke the strings and keep a good mute. Your muting hand is getting better each time.

TRAVERSE FOR THE WIN Traverse is just plain difficult for many a Soldier. Traverse of course, just talking about moving from one string to another. Moving both hands in synch across the strings is a crucial skill and you've got it!

PACE WINS THE RACE: Even handed timing and synch. Not rushing or dragging, This will come in very handy as you progress.

You krushed it and

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Oct 6 2020, 08:07 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 6 2020, 11:33 PM

Greeeaaat

Yeah i had a load of problems to not choking. I cant control the discant high strings. Mabey I try thicker Strings. The 1st string is now at 9.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 8 2020, 11:06 PM

9s are good strings for playing lead stuff. It's just a matter of getting your pick hand used to both picking and relaxing and keeping a light mute all at the same time. It's usually easier at slower speeds. Speeding up takes twice the amount of effort to keep the mute hand from tensing/choking. You are making great progress Soldier!! keep it up!!


Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Oct 6 2020, 06:33 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 9 2020, 10:27 AM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 9 2020, 08:26 PM

Solid work Soldier!!!! There are a couple of small issues worth looking at though. I've listened closely and I can't tell if there is a noise gate in there clamping down a bit to hard or if your palm mute may be a pinch to strong and choking off the last resonance of a few notes as they are being muted, or if it's a bit of both. Let me know if you are using a gate here? Also, there is a bad note at the very end which sounds unintentional. The good news is that you are playing evenly and smoothly and have put a LOT of techniques together in one bit of play. There is a LOT to wrangle on this lick, which seems simple enough at first, until one starts traversing through it while muting


Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Oct 9 2020, 05:27 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Oct 9 2020, 10:13 PM

Certain Times I try the evertune. But even with low tension string, the string tension is very high. Mabey caused by the evertung mechanics. Im not that good at that guitar. Cant place the palm right on the brigde. My sound preset is the same as on the other guitars

Dont know whats up with the last note 😂. Did it died on the way out of the guitar?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 10 2020, 12:10 AM

I've heard from a few folks that the evertune feels tight to them. The only way I can think of to fight that would be to use light gauge strings like the YNGWIE .08 custom sets. I use those on my guitars and just add a low B from a .009 seven string set to my 7 string guitar. Also, I have read several times that palm muting can be tricky on an evertune compared to a floyd. Then again some folks have told that they have trouble palm muting on a floyd system. is that guitar in the video equipped with an evertune? I've never had one on a guitar as I've always used floyd rose style trems. a LOT of touring players use evertune systems these days. Can be a real life saver on the road!!

Are you using a noise gate in the last video? It almost sounds like the ending of the notes is being clipped off. It could just be because of palm muting on the ever tune if one is installed and it's making things harder. You are learning to pick and mute at the same time which is tricky no matter What, maybe switch back to the Purpe ibby and give it a go?

Onward!
Sarge

quote name='Potsau' date='Oct 9 2020, 05:13 PM' post='780957']
Certain Times I try the evertune. But even with low tension string, the string tension is very high. Mabey caused by the evertung mechanics. Im not that good at that guitar. Cant place the palm right on the brigde. My sound preset is the same as on the other guitars

Dont know whats up with the last note 😂. Did it died on the way out of the guitar?
[/quote]

Posted by: Potsau Jun 17 2021, 04:26 PM

Ok 🏹

Posted by: Potsau Jun 17 2021, 10:50 PM

Oh yeah its been about 8 months, since last vid. 😅
I was clarifying my mind. Hard times though

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 18 2021, 03:53 AM

Great to hear from you Soldier!!! I watched both vids and you've got this one. There is a pinch of string noise in the second one but not enough to keep you from badging up. In like the metronome in the first one as it shows you can lock to the beat, but it works without in in the second as it allows you more freedom to show slow and faster speeds. Congratulations soldier!!!

You just...


LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 17 2021, 05:50 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 21 2021, 07:25 PM

Great

nexts up, with apron of destiny

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 22 2021, 06:26 AM

Well Fought!! This is a great shred lick. You do a very good job on your picking and your muting here. You've worked your way up to this point through the sweat of your brow and you've earned it! This is the type of lick that can show you how far you've come. This lick is a great way to work on your picking, it's also a great way to work on your speed when without picking! For fun, try this lick with as few pick strikes as possible (not as a mission, just as a practice) and see how much of it you can can get away with hammering on and pulling off. It's much easier to play when you don't have to pick every note and you'll probably find that there is a lot more speed in your fretting hand that can be unlocked.

As for this one it's sorted and you are ready to move on!! You just..

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 21 2021, 02:25 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 22 2021, 08:35 AM

Right I did it as a legato lick for fun and the tempo was huge.
Make yourself ready for the apron. Its coming for your soulsucking.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 23 2021, 07:09 AM

Cool trick eh? Yeah, once you get the fingers moving, reducing the amount of picking can unlock HUGE speed gains!!! Its' what I often do when writing guitar solos. Try it with all of the bootcamp licks!! Give it a go full picking if it's a picking lick, then go as little picking and as much legato as humanly possible!!!

The big key here is PALM MUTING. If you keep a strong mute, it will sound almost like a pick strike even through it's just a hammered on note. For example. Here is one strike per string, hitting an open string and 3 hammer on notes per string. So I'm getting four notes per string from one pick strike!! The hard mute makes it percussive sounding almost like a ghost strike. Give it a listen.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 22 2021, 03:35 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jun 24 2021, 12:50 PM

I know what you saying, I used to play too much legato, I try to get away of this. My biggest Problem is an ascending strike while its going downward traversing. In recent times I played legato or downward pickslanting.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 25 2021, 05:42 AM

In general I always use a down stroke with ascending strings. Econ picking is a great way to take advantage of the direction the hand is already going. So I usually ascend with econ picking. Onward!

Very well done on these soldier. This first lick is one of my faves. It's in A blues. so any solo that you are creating that is in the key of A minor or A blues and it will work great. The best part is that you get three notes for every one pick strike. This one is very similar to the speed cheat lick. With a solid palm mute it can sound like all the notes are being picked. The harder you mute, the more percussive it will sound. Well played!\

The second one is easily the most useful lick I've ever learned. It lets you bar two strings and leverage alternate picking to make it sound like one is playing far faster than is actually happening. Part of shredding is being able to leverage all of one technique, muting, picking, to give the impression that what is being played is actually far faster and far trickier than is being done. So if one is playing at 80 BPM it can sound like 120 BPM. This has some very tricky picking in it that is easy to get wrong and you got it right!!!

You are making great progress Soldier! You are on a roll and you have some great momentum going. keep it up!!

You just...

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jun 24 2021, 07:50 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jul 8 2021, 11:48 AM

Nexts up

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 8 2021, 04:46 PM

Well fought Soldier!! These licks are all very handy for solo work. Each one is one of my fave pentatonic series licks. You are playing well here and keeping a solid mute, good hand synch and even pacing. These licks are probably similar to licks you may already know and already be using in solo work. If not, get over to youtube asap and look for a backing in the key of E. Try these licks over the backing to see if you can make them work in a musical context. Also, if you have not done so already, join the latest GMC collab and put these chops to use!!! Here is a link to the collab.


https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=62153&hl=

You did well on the crazy pinky stretch in the first lick as well Soldier!! You clearly have these in hand so it's time to push forward and declare your next victory!!!


You just..


LEVELED UP!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jul 8 2021, 06:48 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Jul 8 2021, 07:59 PM

Great to hear. Next will be challenging.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 8 2021, 10:01 PM

These three Missions together are all about solo work. It's taking all the drills we've done and using it in music. You are ready for the challenge Soldier!! Just keep in mind that these are less about precision than they are about musicality. If you need to change the lick, modify it, change the speed, etc. Feel free. the goal here is to just insert a few licks against a backing. For example if you were playing in a band and learning someone else solo so that you could play that bands big hit, you might learn the solo note for note, but you also might change it a bit to make it your own. Same thing goes here


Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jul 8 2021, 02:59 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 11 2021, 12:18 AM

Let me know if I can help in any way soldier!! Also, you can do a quick cell phone vid just using the mic in the video to make it easy to record if you want to d a test session for some feedback!!


sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Jul 8 2021, 02:59 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 7 2022, 07:35 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 8 2022, 06:14 AM

Solid work Soldier!! Your left hand is doing a great job on these. The picking hand may need a bit more refinement. It sounds like you are hitting two strings instead of one in various spots in the vid so i try to give some advice on how to work around it. I can see your putting in the time and I know these are not easy to play. The gains you'll get will pay you back in spades!

Posted by: Potsau Feb 8 2022, 09:26 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Feb 8 2022, 05:14 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 9 2022, 11:48 PM

So when I lift my fingers there is a hard string noise. Even if I play slow. Should I mute with the right hand?

Posted by: Potsau Feb 10 2022, 11:56 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 11 2022, 03:03 AM

Super job Soldier!! This is MUCH improved. These licks are all about forcing your hand to adapt to left hand only muting. Without realizing it, most folks cheat the mute by using their left hand to fill in the gaps for the right hand. these types of licks won't allow for that. it forces the hand in to a proper mute in order to avoid string noise. Your mute is greatly improved here so well done!!! You even got that pinky stretch lick down pat!

The timing is drifting around the beat but that's fine as it's a solo and open to dramatic interpretation. One tip for future missions, no time based effects (delay/reverb) in mission vids as I can't hear each note. But it's a minor thing. You killed it and ....

Posted by: Potsau Feb 11 2022, 03:12 AM

I should have had known the delay prob, but this mission was very hard to solve for me and the sound gave me some safety to get over this. Thanks. I love your new Video Style Review. 😎

The only solition to isolate the string noise was right hand for me. Glad that was right 🍻

Posted by: Potsau Feb 11 2022, 03:40 AM

I just compared my fist videos with the last ones and i recognized that my body is in a calm position. In my first vids my whole body was shakin through the movement of my arm and hand rotation. So I think thats a milestone for me. Just like you said in the 4th mission

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 11 2022, 05:52 AM

Super congrats!!! Getting to a point where you can relax the body and especially the hands, is a HUGE milestone in your playing. It opens up a new level of skill. Some folks never quite get over this hump. You are climbing over the top and killing it!!

I have created a drill just for you that I think will help you further focus your inside / outside picking technique. This one also requires solid palm mute technique since it's got two open strings in the same lick just like the other ones in this Mission. this is not a rank mission but I think this one drill will help you sort out the issues you are working on in this mission that you just completed. Let me know what you think!

 insideout.gp5 ( 2.25K ) : 106

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 10 2022, 10:40 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 12 2022, 09:35 AM

I think you should call it „The Pot Mission“ 🤩. Thx for creation. I will play it as a daily Excersise and show it to you when im ready to rec.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 12 2022, 06:17 PM

Good idea!! I hope this is helpful. Let me know what you think

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 12 2022, 04:35 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 24 2022, 10:56 PM

Im kinda lost in this lesson.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 25 2022, 09:11 PM

Well fought Soldier!!! This one is just about jumping and giving a solo a go. The good news is that bravery is rewarded. There is no wrong way to play this Mission. it's all up to you how you put the licks in. That is what makes this one a bit tricky for some folks and they never make it past this lesson. That feeling of being a bit lost in this is part of the Mission. The licks don't really fit with the timing of the backing. That's also the point. To throw you in to the deep end and let your fingers sort it out. Your fingers sorted it!! Score!!

Congrats you just..

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 24 2022, 05:56 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 26 2022, 07:46 AM

Great. I did not expect that🍻.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 27 2022, 04:28 AM

You did great! This one is all about just jumping in and giving it a go. That's what you did! It takes real stones to attack a solo with licks that don't actually fit. Score!

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 26 2022, 02:46 AM)

Posted by: Potsau Feb 28 2022, 07:53 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 28 2022, 11:40 PM

Great reach and pinky power! But I"m hearing some string noise here. Try to focus on your palm mute here. Even if you need to slow it down a bit, this one is about the stretch but also all about the palm mute which is why it uses every sting to show gaps in your mute. To wit!




\

QUOTE (Potsau @ Feb 28 2022, 02:53 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2022, 09:06 PM

Heres anotger try 🍻

Posted by: Potsau Mar 1 2022, 09:54 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 2 2022, 02:41 AM

This is more like it Soldier!! Your palm is resting firmly on the bridge and you are not lifting and the string noise is sorted!!! You have great reach and pinky power. I know this Mission is a pain to mute, but it's built that way to show gaps in your mute! You sorted them!!

To wit!!


Congrats Soldier! You just..

LEVELED UP!!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 1 2022, 04:06 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 2 2022, 03:01 AM

Great thx u 🤩

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 2 2022, 03:23 AM

You've got the lick down! But I'm hearing some unwanted string noise again and I can see your lifting a pinch on your mute. It's got the same issues as Mission 33 did on the first past. Give this one another go and do what you did on 33 to make it better. More solid palm mute without gaps. This lesson is a follow on from the last one to see if you fixed the gaps in your mute that 33 is designed to find. You can do this Soldier!!
To wit!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 1 2022, 04:54 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 2 2022, 03:31 AM

I can feel your pain by yelling „uh“ when my string noise attacks. 😂 Its a bad noise I can hardly endure in the meantime by thesemany lessons. Ill work on it Cheers sarge 🍻

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 2 2022, 04:07 AM

You sorted it on 33 for sure!! If you take that approach on 34 you'll have it!! Here is a handy muting video that I hope helps to give insight into my muting technique that I use for open string licks like these where the left hand can't help mute. Once the left hand is taken out of play, any gaps in the palm mute get exaggerated.

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 1 2022, 10:31 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 2 2022, 09:02 AM

Thats exactly what im trying to do in the last couple of months. But its still hard for me.

Posted by: Potsau Mar 2 2022, 09:28 PM

Posted by: Potsau Mar 4 2022, 09:43 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 5 2022, 05:49 AM

This is more like it Soldier! It's clean! It's tight! It's on point. I know this type of thing is not easy to pull off. It's worth it though as having a clean mute is something you can take with you forever. I knew you could do it!

To wit!



Congrats Soldier! You just...

LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 2 2022, 04:28 PM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 5 2022, 06:16 AM

Now your getting it! This Mission is based on the same type of muting. But this time your not playing an open string lick. It's still going over all of the strings through. Your hand is getting prepared to keep a solid mute over all the strings no matter what is happening. It seems tough at first, but as you go on it will get so easy that you don't have to think about it. It will just happen. Well Fought!!

To wit..


Congratulations Soldier you just...
LEVELED UP!!!

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 4 2022, 04:43 PM)

Posted by: Potsau Mar 5 2022, 07:55 AM

Great. One thing I see at the first mission was that my right hand had bad habits. And I never played alternate picking in a straight way. Aleays in combination with economy. So I could never build up speed. But now I know that this was the issue.

One critics goes out to other teachers or coaches out there who never see the importance of the right hand techniques like u. It is the same issue on the classical guitar where they never teach u the right way of the right hand technique.

The review at 34 is the same of 35. If u produced a video of 34 it should not be free. 🤓

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 6 2022, 02:15 AM

Im a real stickler for right hand technique it's soooooo important and often gets short shrift from some instructors as they sometimes have poor right hand technique themselves so they leave it alone. not a problem with GMC instructors thankfully We all have hardcore right hands or we don't get to work here

Thanks for the heads up on the 34 vid! I'll sort that.
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=60581&view=findpost&p=796936

Sarge

QUOTE (Potsau @ Mar 5 2022, 02:55 AM)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 12 2022, 06:14 AM

Here is the new bit for 36. It's the Minor scale done ascending. The 35 mission was major descending so this one is meant to show the same way of running a scale but just done in a different scale. The goal is to show you a way of running a scale that can be applied to any scale once you understand the pattern.

 Mission_36_full_scale.gp5 ( 2.25K ) : 241

Posted by: Potsau Sep 7 2023, 12:00 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Mar 12 2022, 05:14 AM)

Here is the new bit for 36. It's the Minor scale done ascending. The 35 mission was major descending so this one is meant to show the same way of running a scale but just done in a different scale. The goal is to show you a way of running a scale that can be applied to any scale once you understand the pattern.

 Mission_36_full_scale.gp5 ( 2.25K ) : 241

Posted by: Potsau Sep 8 2023, 10:58 PM

These were the records I played when I started using gmc 14 Years ago





Sounds from the boss gt8. Terrible in my opinion. At this time I was practising much more.

Posted by: Potsau Sep 11 2023, 10:32 AM

Posted by: Potsau Sep 11 2023, 06:20 PM

I know you left. But I will go on. Perhaps you will read this. Thank you for the content. I miss you 🍻

Posted by: Potsau Sep 13 2023, 02:04 PM

Posted by: Potsau Sep 13 2023, 03:47 PM