Johnmathew's Bootcamp, Fight On Soldier!!! Options

[Todd Simpson]

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.

MISSON #1

THE MISSION

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

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

Which you will play SUPER PERFECT!. Speed it up bit by bit until you feel your ready to take it to WAR (Any speed, it's up to you, no points for speed, only points for playing in a precise manner as speed is simply a byproduct of precision) Shoot a video and post it as a reply to this post. Make sure to EMBED the video by clicking on INSERT SPECIAL ITEM above the smiley face and then you'll get a drop down menu. Click on INSERT YOUTUBE VIDEO and follow the instructions in the Pop Up Menu. I'll then offer a constructive and brutally honest critique.

THE AFTERMATH

Upon nailing the crap out of lesson one at a speed you didn't think possible, and playing it a clean as a freshly waxed floor, you will be given your first insignia of Rank in BOOTCAMP! You will then proceed to Lesson #2 and so forth. Here is the link to the entire 400 plus Lesson Library. https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/inde...rtal:Techniques

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

http://bit.ly/johnmathewsbootcamp

Practice!
Sarge

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[JohnMathew]

Hi Todd!,

This is my take on Mission 1. I did the exercise with 3 different speeds. I hope the videos are ok, I'm new to all these video/audio editing thing .





Cheers!

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This post has been edited by JohnMathew: Oct 29 2020, 03:49 PM

[Todd Simpson]

Progress is the goal here in bootcamp and you have made some very good progress. You are playing in time much better but not quite in sync with the beat. Still, since you did progress, I think we can work out the issue as we move forward. Move on to Mision 2 and slow it down enough to keep pick strikes match to clicks on the metronome. You'll need to play and listen to the metronome at the same time which takes a bit of getting used to. Your overall technique here is not bad! It's just the drift that needs repair. On to Mission two! You just...

LEVELED UP!!

Onward!
Sarge

Hi Todd!,

This is my take on Mission 1. I did the exercise with 3 different speeds. I hope the videos are ok, I'm new to all these video/audio editing thing .





Cheers!

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This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Oct 29 2020, 11:59 PM

[JohnMathew]

Here comes Mission 2. I think I am a bit off with the tempo. Now it is my new obsesion, play on time!

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[Todd Simpson]

Let's debrief!!
MEDALS OF HONOR

*FORM: You are displaying solid technique here Soldier. keep it up! Muting, hand synch, clean strikes. You are planting with the pinky but this is fine. I do it myself sometimes. The pinky acts as a fulcrum. In an ideal situation you won't need the pinky to be planted but it's not a deal killer.

*TEMPO: Not rushing or lagging. That is the entire point of this mission. To get you used to playing in time and steady. It's harder than it seems.

*AGGRESSION: Jumping in with aggressive style. I love the way you attack these missions. A bit of determined aggression is required to push through these. Get ready, these get harder and harder. It will push your boundaries of ability very fast but you are ready!

Super congrats on getting better playing with the metronome. You are ready for the BATTLE ahead!

You just...

LEVELED UP!

Sarge

You clearly have all the elements well in hand Soldier. You are ready for what awaits you!
You just ...
LEVELED UP!!!!
These missions will get more complex as you go. The first several are really foundational. It's good to see you are comfortable with most important techniques!!

[attachment=47960:2.jpg]

Sarge

Here comes Mission 2. I think I am a bit off with the tempo. Now it is my new obsesion, play on time!

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This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Oct 31 2020, 05:33 PM

[JohnMathew]

Here we are with Mission 3.

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[JohnMathew]

Here is Mission 4:

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[Todd Simpson]

Soldier, I appreciate your aggressive style. However, you are playing just a bit ahead of yourself here. There is never a speed requirement in bootcamp for the simple reason that when people push beyond their precision threshold, playing quickly gets out of hand and often out of synch. You are still playing a bit to loosely with the beat. Try to slow it way down to one pick strike for each click at a slow enough pace that you can hear each click and then listen for the pick strike/note and make sure they are in synch. I appreciate that your fingers can play in a brisk fashion and it will serve you well. First, we gotta get your precision at a level to match the speed at which your fingers want to play. Slow this one way down, maybe cut the speed in half. There are 400 of these Missions. It's a marathon more than a sprint. Once more in to the breach!!!

Sarge

Here we are with Mission 3.

Mission 4 is the BEST hand synch with the click track so far. Well done!! However, it sounds like you are not using any distortion at all on your tone. This is one way to reduce extra string noise. However, distortion can be your friend in showing any gaps in one's palm mute, or any string noise caused by improper technique. I see you have a very good palm mute which is great. I do notice that you are articulating your pick with the fingers which is also a good thing. One tip for Missions is to always use enough gain/distortion to allow any issues to heard, and to always use a very very sharp pick with a nice pointy tip, thats 1.0 mm or thicker. If you already are using such a pick, like one of the petrucci picks, then you are already there. Try to pick with just the tip of the pick. Don't let it go deeper beyond the string than the very tip. This is one of the crucial bits that shredders often use to play at crazy speed. A bit of gain / distortion will help on this count as well since you won't have to strike as hard. That's something else I'd like to see is lighter strikes so that you can get your pick speed as high as you want it.

In short, Mission 4 shows very good progress. Do 3 and 4 one more time with the adjustments mentioned. I hate to send a soldier back to the front, but it must be done in order to create proper hand discipline which is essential for playing at top speed for extended periods.

Once more in to the breach!!

Sarge

Here is Mission 4:

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[JohnMathew]

Here we go Take 2 of Mission 3 and 4:

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This post has been edited by JohnMathew: Nov 4 2020, 09:53 PM

[Todd Simpson]

I can't see these videos Soldier Maybe they are set to private? You can set them to unlisted and they will still work as an embed. I went to your youtube site and didn't see them either.

Sarge

Here we go Take 2 of Mission 3 and 4:

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[JohnMathew]

Sorry for that Todd, they were on draft state. Now they can be seen by anybody. I have uploaded Mission 5 too .

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[Todd Simpson]

You are on a roll Soldier!! I think you are getting the hang of playing with the metronome. This is a skill in itself. It will help you a lot in playing with backing tracks and with a drummer. Being able to play "in time" is key to being a well rounded player. I think you are ready for Mission 6 so let's review these past 3 and you can move on to Mission 6!

Let's Debrief!!

*TRAVERSE: String Traverse is a tricky thing. It's easy to stumble on it. You play it clean and confident. It's the first thing I am looking for on these early missions. Can you move between strings without getting stuck. good news is that you can!

*PACE:It's tempting to rush or lag these bits based on which sections feel easier or harder. This is why pace is the second thing I'm looking for on these early missions. You keep a solid pace in time with the metronome. Score!

*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. Articulation is something that I'm really hard on for these first missions as it's tempting to pick from the elbow. It's almost and instinct. But it's a very bad habit. The good news is you pick from the wrist forward which is as it should be.

You have shown that you have the skills to badge up these three Mission. You are getting jumped to LEVEL 5 Soldier!! Congrats!!

You just..

LEVELED UP!!

Onward!

Sarge

Sorry for that Todd, they were on draft state. Now they can be seen by anybody. I have uploaded Mission 5 too .

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

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[JohnMathew]

Mission 6 just baked:



See you Sarge!

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[Todd Simpson]

Soldier, I've been watching your video over and over trying to figure out what is happening with your pick hand. You've got a good mute and you are articulating the pick with the thumb and finger which is good. However, as many times as I watch it I can't seem to figure out exactly what is happening right where the pick hits the string. It seems you may be over articulating the pick and doing a sort of pull motion instead of a strike motion. This will get in your way as you start to speed. up. Also, it looks like your pick angle is almost horizontal to the string. This too may get in the way. ideally, only the very tip of the pick should strike the strings and it shouldn't go beyond / deeper than the string itself. Further, I do suggest a bit of an angle as this teaches the hand not to go to deep on each strike. Take a look at this video. It starts slow and thus there is more "pick wag" to start with. Then, when I play briskly, notice that there is very little wasted motion. I'm using the minimum amount of "pick wag" humanly possible in order to decrese recovery time for the next pick strike. Also, notice the pick angle. I'm always using a very sharp 1.0 mm pick. This is crucial. Let me know what type of pick you are using.

Try to emulate what I'm doing here in terms of picking technique. You can skip any left hand work for a moment and just focus on the picking. reduce it to one open string temporarily. Focus on just getting the motion as close to what you see here as possible.


All that being said, you are playing this Mission in a controlled manner and despite what is going on with the pick, I think you are ready for the next mission. I do hope we can address what is happening on the pick hand before it becomes burned in your brain and becomes very hard to change. There is just too much articulation happening on each strike which will serve as a speed barrier as you move forward. Your left hand will start to outstrip your right in terms of speed. For now, let's debreif!!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

ALT PICKING: The first thing I'm looking for here is that your picking is consistent. Without that, it's impossible to make progress. You are doing a fine job of it.

MUTE: Very solid work on the palm mute. Also critical. If you can't mute while picking, you will get string noise. Being able to mute during alt/econ picking is a crucial skill and yours is coming along nicely.

SYNCH: Right/Left hand synch is the core of this drill. If your synch is off, the entire thing will fall apart. You have gotten much better at staying in synch with the metronome and in terms of right/left hand synch.

Well Fought Soldier!! You are on the path! You just..

LEVELED UP!!!

Onward!
Sarge

Mission 6 just baked:



See you Sarge!

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[Todd Simpson]

Progress!!

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This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Nov 18 2020, 08:25 PM

[JohnMathew]

Hey Todd!,

I really appreciate this. I have spent last 3 days trying to get a better picking. It is a bit depressing having to go back to the beginig when you want to be a rock star .

I have been checking youtube videos for a lot of guitarrists among yours and definetely my thumb is not right. I see how people locks its thumb (as you dou). I need time to get the grasp of it. For example my wrist is suffering a bit of pain becaue I am doing movements I haven't ever done.

Will review your vids today and try to add the knoledge to what I have been retrieving these days.

Thanks Todd!

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This post has been edited by JohnMathew: Nov 11 2020, 10:17 AM

[Todd Simpson]

I feel your pain Soldier!!! I had to do something similar in my own journey. I got one of the training picks called a "stylus pick" and it trained my hand to just use the tip of the pick and not let it go too deep after each strike, below the string and close to the guitar. This took me a couple of weeks. When I had gotten used to it, I was able to come out swinging.

One thing about pain. Always take a break when you feel pain. The hand should never hurt. It can cause permanent damage. If you are having pain, stop playing for a bit. Massage the hand, perhaps even use some ice to reduce swelling. When you start again, try to use as light a touch as possible. This will reduce strain.

Always try to think of your hand as having two parts. It splits in the middle. The palm gets planted on the bridge and stays there. Then the other half of the hand does the picking. As you speed up, reduce the amount of pick wag. (how far you get away from a string after each strike), but keep very low tension. You can use the thumb/first finger to articulate the pick up to a certain point, but as you play faster, your will have to rely on a bit of wrist instead of just using finger articulation. The trick is to use a bit of wrist without lifting the hand. Don't let the wrist move the entire hand. Just the part holding the pick.

Hey Todd!,

I really appreciate this. I have spent last 3 days trying to get a better picking. It is a bit depressing having to go back to the beginig when you want to be a rock star .

I have been checking youtube videos for a lot of guitarrists among yours and definetely my thumb is not right. I see how people locks its thumb (as you dou). I need time to get the grasp of it. For example my wrist is suffering a bit of pain becaue I am doing movements I haven't ever done.

Will review your vids today and try to add the knoledge to what I have been retrieving these days.

Thanks Todd!

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net

Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

[JohnMathew]

Well here is mission 7. I can assure you todd that I have spent all week trying to imitate your movements but I think it is impossible for me. Today I feel a bit of pain on my wrist and elbow so, I will be leaving picking for a while and try for example tapping or whatever.



Cheers!

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Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

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[Todd Simpson]

We can work through this Soldier! Are you doing hand stretches before you play? if not, i'd say it's a good time to start. It can prevent pain and injury. Just rotate your wrists and push gently on your fingers to push them back a bit.. Not to the point of pain though.

Your a bit off synch with this one and I suspect it may be because you are rushing it a pinch to try to play faster. It's a marathon much more than a sprint Soldier. One can't cut corners and expect to improve quickly. It's worth it to get it right and build good habits as you go or you risk burning in bad habits that you can't fix.

One thing I just notices. Your thumb joint is almost straight. It should be bent just a pinch.
All of this extra note work is really just getting in the way and evidently causing pain so
lets' put it aside.

Pick just one note. Any note at all. Give me a video alternate picking that one note at a slow
speed and under control. Try to use good form. Don't tense, don't worry about playing fast,
just focus on technique. Playing ahead of yourself is something we are all tempted to do,
but it doesn't actually help. If we can slowly fix the issues at hand, all of these drills
will seem easy.

So just one note. Alt picked, with a click. I usually have to tell people to use more thumb
articulation, but in this case, I need you to use a bit less. One strike at a time is how we
will get through this Soldier!!

Sarge

Well here is mission 7. I can assure you todd that I have spent all week trying to imitate your movements but I think it is impossible for me. Today I feel a bit of pain on my wrist and elbow so, I will be leaving picking for a while and try for example tapping or whatever.



Cheers!

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[JohnMathew]

Hi Todd,

I have recorded a video with really slow picking. Sorry for the humming. I have muted the strings because I think this way it is easier to listen to the ping. By the way, in some parts time is totally off.



I hope it is usefull.

Thanks!

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This post has been edited by JohnMathew: Nov 16 2020, 10:05 AM