GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
You can practice in any way that keeps you picking up the guitar Soldier. The real key is to just not stop playing. More than anything else, that's what gets in folks way. Always looks for things that you want to learn to play and start trying to learn them. So sure!
You can share any bits you like here in bootcamp. Try to put non bootcamp bits at the end of the vid if possible or in a separate vid to make sure it's clearly not bootcamp stuff and I'd be happy to give you feedback on it. You can work your speed up in any way that seems to work for you. I usually start slow and work up no matter what I'm playing.
Onward!! Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Dec 23 2020, 06:55 AM)
Hey Sarge.
I have a question. If i have a lick i have to learn for a song and i Am working for the bootcamp. Can i also practice that lick in the same time? So for examples. Im working on 80 bpm and play the bootcamp lick, then after that i play the other lick. Then ho 85 bpm and play both licks etc.
Is that possible or do i play one lick work my speed up and then work on the other lick from slow and then speed up?
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey Sarge,
here is my mission 9.
I played it at 145 bpm and skip a string and go backwards from fret 12 to 3 on the hig b and e string. The skip is not sounding right i know that but i just continued. I also tried to speed up and push the limit and recorded on 165 ad 175 bpm. Overall i really feel that my speed and precision increase.
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
WELL FOUGHT! This time you held things together quite well even at the higher speeds. You are making great progress!! You are not cheating at all either. You are picking each note, and keeping a solid mute and keeping good hand synch! Also, you are doing very well on being able to traverse strings and frets. This is the big challenge on these licks. If they stayed in one spot, it would be easier, but they don't. It's getting your hand ready to make fast runs up the neck without losing precision. Being able to play for long periods of time at speed without losing a note is the key and you've got a good handle on it! Congrats Soldier you just..
LEVELED UP!!!
Onward Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Dec 27 2020, 11:19 AM)
Hey Sarge,
here is my mission 9.
I played it at 145 bpm and skip a string and go backwards from fret 12 to 3 on the hig b and e string. The skip is not sounding right i know that but i just continued. I also tried to speed up and push the limit and recorded on 165 ad 175 bpm. Overall i really feel that my speed and precision increase.
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey Sarge,
Here is my mission 10. i have to say that this one is the most difficult one till now. At the beginning of the week my speed was 90 bpm and at the end 10 bpm more not so much. I ddnt have problems with the thirds but more with the seconds in the second half of the lick.
but ill have to say. this is a good one to use in my improvisations and i allready used it sometimes. I try to use all the licks before sometimes
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Nice One Soldier!!! There is a little miss toward the end but nothing that would keep you from moving up. This one is all aboout proving your endurance. I've set this up as a looping lick in order to give your hands enough time to burn themselves out if you are using improper technique. The good news is that your technique is quite good so your hands don't burn out!! If one tries to pick from the elbow, or use too much finger pressure, the hands/arms just burn themselves pretty quickly and the player has to stop playing and usually scream in pain. This is what I've been trying to train you to avoid. To use the minimal amount of strike pressure and finger pressure. This is key to shredding. By finding the minimal amount of force needed, you can keep shredding as long as you want, not just in short bursts like most players are limited to. You have good muting, synch and pace on this one Soldier. This isn't a "shred" lick per say as it's built to be impossible to play very fast. It's just too complicated. It's really just about endurance and showing that you can play over a stretch of ground. Well done!!
You just...
LEVELED UP!!!!
Onward! Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Jan 3 2021, 03:03 PM)
Hey Sarge,
Here is my mission 10. i have to say that this one is the most difficult one till now. At the beginning of the week my speed was 90 bpm and at the end 10 bpm more not so much. I ddnt have problems with the thirds but more with the seconds in the second half of the lick.
but ill have to say. this is a good one to use in my improvisations and i allready used it sometimes. I try to use all the licks before sometimes
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hello Sarge,
here are my new takes. I've done the shred mission. The last time i tried maximum speed in one position to see if i can make it but its a little too fast
I've also learned a yngwie malmsteen lick which i also praticed whole week and made a vid of. im curious what you think of it. thanks again
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
First off let me congratulate you on your picking!!! I noticed that in your Mission vid your hand has adapted!! You are keeping your palm mute in one place and keeping your hand from lifting while you are alternate picking. This is VERY VERY VERY hard to learn and you've done it!! It's one of the main things I'm trying to teach here in bootcamp and many of the Missions are focused on this very thing. Until one can pick and mute at the same time, it's almost impossible to play most of the licks in Bootcamp. You've done a great job of making progress by putting in the time. That's really what this is all about. There is no way to get better at guitar than simply putting in the time for practice. As an instructor I can hear the time put in when I listen to you play. I can also hear time not being put in when a student doesn't practice. This is what really separates folks making great progress from folks who are not. Also, your picking is very even and smooth. The reason this and many other licks, loop is to give you a chance to fail at some point along the way. Rushing or lagging, missing a note etc. You play with confidence and grace the entire time. Even on the fastest pass!! Well done.
On your Yngwie vid, this is clearly a challenging lick. I think you have it down though. The faster version starts to fall apart a bit as your fingers start falling behind. On the slower pass your hand is adjusting quite well. This is a complicated lick that requires lots of fret traverse and has no time in between parts so you have to stick the landing over and over. Your work in bootcamp has prepared you for something like this. It will just take more repetition. This lick is a bit more complex than what we have been working on. We will get to sliding licks all the way up the neck
In short you did great on your Mission vid. You just.
LEVELED UP!!! Onward! Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Jan 9 2021, 02:30 PM)
Hello Sarge,
here are my new takes. I've done the shred mission. The last time i tried maximum speed in one position to see if i can make it but its a little too fast
I've also learned a yngwie malmsteen lick which i also praticed whole week and made a vid of. im curious what you think of it. thanks again
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Really thanks man my hand is feeling so much more comfortable as in the beginning. With the yngwie lick it also felt like the last was too fast but i practiced it lot slower. Ill think for the coming week i go further with the bootcamp mission and integrate one more lick in my arsenal but focuss on precision
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey Sarge,
here is my bootcamp mission and also 1 other phrygian dominant lick i also practiced. In the mission at the end i noticed that i have to pick a mute string to get the tempo right and then execute the lick. Sometimes it also went well without but its difficult to start a lick on full speed from nothing .
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Impressive work Soldier! Your hard work is paying off!! Practice is always worth it in the end IMHO. It's simply the only way to get better. It's the crucible one must pass through on the way to being able to play the way one wants to play. The best thing Is that your hand has adapted to being able to mute and pick at the same time. I saw this starting a few missions ago and it keeps getting better. Notice in the vid how it almost looks like the hand is nearly split in half in terms of what it's doing? The back half stays on the mute as it should. This allows dynamic muting where you can lift or press in a split second. Then your thumb/first finger articulate the pick with the help of only part of the hand. This technique is just not easy to do. The hand wants to wag back and forth bending at the wrist. It's natural, but it's not helpful for playing this type of stuff. That's why nearly every lesson that has picking is muted. To give the hand practice doing this un natural thing. Nice!
Also, your left hand is keeping good pace with your right. This is also crucial or you'll lose hand synch. When you lose synch (as in tremelo picking which I don't advise to anyone) the notes are not connecting to the fretting and it just becomes a blur. Not here! You keep it all high and tight. Spiff!! You make good speed on this and hold it together until the fastest rate. This is just fine though as it's good to share a pass on the edge of your ability. Every other pass was plenty to pass muster. I understand about getting your picking hand up to speed before starting. Just sticking the landing on high speed alternate picking is a skill unto itself. Being able to hit the deck at a full sprint does take some time. But your on your way!!!!
The add on lick was very good as well. It's a very complicated asymetrical lick where you hand has to play only a couple of notes on one string from the look of it. I usually try to structure 3 notes per string even if I have to do a crazy stretch to do it just as it makes the timing easier, but that's just a personal pref. The lick sounds great!
You just..
LEVELED UP!!
Onward! Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Jan 16 2021, 03:23 PM)
Hey Sarge,
here is my bootcamp mission and also 1 other phrygian dominant lick i also practiced. In the mission at the end i noticed that i have to pick a mute string to get the tempo right and then execute the lick. Sometimes it also went well without but its difficult to start a lick on full speed from nothing .
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey Sarge,
here is bootcamp mission 13. i tried also to play the 16th notes at high speed but noticed that its difficult to play it 100 procent precise but i tried Ill have to say that this pattern now went better the the same pattern a few lessons before so thats nice
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
This is some fine work Soldier!!! I appreciate the sheer aggression with which you are playing. It's great to see you pushing the envelope of your playing. This is the area where progress really happens. it's always a good idea to share takes that are just outside of your current range to let me see where you are going. You are quickly approaching the next level in terms of your ability. can you feel it in your fingers yet? do you notice how they dance toward the next note almost on instinct at higher speeds? it becomes almost like a meditation. once you get in to the flow of it, things really start to take off. This is a very tricky bit of playing. This is my favorite drill. The Minor Scale inversion is something we will keep coming back to as a sort of mil marker for you to see how your hands are progressing. As you mentioned, your playing this much better than the last time and your playing it in double pick, triple, quad pick etc. You can apply multi picking to ANY SCALE and I sugest trying it out on every scale you know of. I use multi picking in just about every solo I play. It's a great technique for building tension in a solo.
NEXT STEPS:
STEP 1
I did notice that there were a few spots where your fingers were struggling a bit to keep up at these speeds. I want to work with you on your ability to use a critial ear on your own playing. What I'd like you to do, is re watch this clip. Make a note of every time where you hear/see your fingers getting a bit off the mark. I want to see if you can hear/see the same things I am. I applaud your effort on this one soldier and your making great progress. Part of that is being able to critique your own playing. Once you find the trouble spots, I want you to go back and play these bits one more time but at a bit slower pace so that you can increase your precision and control.
STEP 2
Also, in terms of your technique, your almost starting to to "pick from the elbow" at fast speeds where your entire arm is involved. This is a technique some folks use, but I want you to try and avoid it if possible since it tends to burn out the arm and create mistakes due to fatigue. Try to return to your previous technique of mostly using the fingers and wrist to create motion in the pick and keep the palm as planted on the bridge as possible. Try to use as little energy as you can for each individual pick strike and try to stay as close as you can to each string after each strike so that the next strike has less distance to travel before it finds the string again. A bit more gain, and a bit more volume as well if possible since I'm hearing the actual pick strikes on the strings on the guitar louder than I'm hearing the tone coming from your amp/speakers/whatever your using.
This is great progress soldier!! if we can dial it in a bit, I think you are on the cusp of making a great step forward!
Onward!!! Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Jan 23 2021, 03:10 PM)
Hey Sarge,
here is bootcamp mission 13. i tried also to play the 16th notes at high speed but noticed that its difficult to play it 100 procent precise but i tried Ill have to say that this pattern now went better the the same pattern a few lessons before so thats nice
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey Sarge.
Yes. Excuses me i was a bit in a rush and also wanted to show you how i deal with higher speed but this was too high.
The parts where i went Wrong was at 00.25 with the triplets. At 0.57.with the 16th notes. And also at 2.05.
I played the parts now at a lower tempo to be more precies.
I don't' play it trough my audio interface because its a lot of work to change the click track and record it in my interface. I know put my speaker some louder. I was already playing at high gain but my amp is in the ground so more difficult to hear.
I hope its better like this. The first vid is ok till the end of the double notes. At the end the triplets went Wrong so did them on lower speed but i forgot to cut away that piece. Thanks Sarge.
i also made an improvisation today. A metal improvisation. Way out of my comfort zone but i tried some shreddy things but the style is diffcult to me. This is recorded with my audio interface.
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Well Fought!! Your updated videos on mission 13 are a big improvement. It was good enough to pass muster before, but it's good to see you making corrections and improving as that's why were are here! Playing QUAD PICKING on that scale in version in 13 is NOT easy. It's great picking practice though. I use multipicking in just about every solo. Try it on during jam!! I can see your gaining precision and speed Soldier. Keep it up!! You gotta earn it but it's worth earning. I could hear better as well. Onward!
I really dug your solo improv as well. I can see that your mind is starting to put technique and musicality together. This is something that can only be done by writing solos, improv or one lick at a time at head of time. I liked the big bend around 50 seconds and your ability to jump around the neck is great to see. You are displaying some very high level technique which is awesome. One thing to remember in solos, and I often struggle with this myself, the notes not played are also important. As are the notes played with more distance between them. Building a solo up can create good dynamics. I will sometimes fly in to a lead and shred a bit, then slow down and build back up. Fast/Slow/Fast. Your hands will show you the way as you keep making cool solos! Score!
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey Sarge.
Thanks for your feedback. You are really helping me 😁 Im now writing a solo over the progression to get it more melodic. Its gonna be really cool i think 😎 When im done i will send you.
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hey sarge.
i recorded bootcamp mission 14 and try to get the most speed possible. i also recored a dorian fusion lick. And at least i recrded my phrygian improv/ composition. I hope you like it
Very nice song with your band
Ill skipp this week bootcamp and will fo further with it next week. Im working on diego's lesson fusion grooves and there is one part whats really fast with single notes and ghost notes. i want to spend the bootcamp time on it for 1 week so still keep buissy
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Great to see that your making such good progress Soldier!!! Your doing very well on that single string lick. It sounds like it's in synch but I can't hear the metronome for some reason once you start playing so I can't tell if it's drifting or not? One thing I'd suggest is to try to mute a little harder on that lick. Take a listen to the original video. Notice how percussive it sounds? I'm pressing in a bit harder on the mute to increase note separation and give it a more chunky/percussive feel. Also, it's very important to hit the fretted note only once while hitting the open string twice. I think that's what you are doing here, just want to make sure !
I enjoyed your solo work as well!! It's great to see you putting your skills to use making solos!! It's the entire point of all of this hard work so it's awesome to see!! Keep it up!!
Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Jan 30 2021, 05:08 PM)
Hey sarge.
i recorded bootcamp mission 14 and try to get the most speed possible. i also recored a dorian fusion lick. And at least i recrded my phrygian improv/ composition. I hope you like it
Very nice song with your band
Ill skipp this week bootcamp and will fo further with it next week. Im working on diego's lesson fusion grooves and there is one part whats really fast with single notes and ghost notes. i want to spend the bootcamp time on it for 1 week so still keep buissy
Experienced Tone Seeker Posts: 765
Joined: 28-June 13
From: Den Helder (Holland)
Hé Sarge
Thanks. Yes i was doing it but i had my volume too low icm with the metronome. The next time i will listen first before i going on of you can hear the mute. My apologies. This week i focuss on another lick. Next week i will go on with the further lesson.
GMC:er Posts: 25.297
Joined: 23-December 09
From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
You are making great progress Soldier!! Keep it up!!!
Sarge
QUOTE (tflava @ Feb 1 2021, 07:27 AM)
Hé Sarge
Thanks. Yes i was doing it but i had my volume too low icm with the metronome. The next time i will listen first before i going on of you can hear the mute. My apologies. This week i focuss on another lick. Next week i will go on with the further lesson.
