Path Of Least Resisitance, Streamline your guitar playing Options

[Ben Higgins]

Path of Least Resistance: When to use it and when not to ?

The path of least resistance is a phrase we hear a lot. It means to take the easiest route on offer instead of slugging away at a more difficult course of action.

Sometimes, the phrase can have negative connotations and is used to imply that someone is not putting in enough effort and is coasting through something on autopilot.

However, when applied in a positive light, can it benefit us as guitarists ? I believe it can.

When you play certain licks, do your hands gravitate towards a certain way of doing them ? Does your fretting hand take on a slightly different angle in order to execute a particular run ?

Sometimes, when our hands do things that seem to look, or feel, different to the majority of our technique we often think that we need to correct them so that they stand in line with how we play the rest of the time. We think that it must be that we haven't put in enough effort to make them sit a different way or move a different way.

Sometimes, that is the case. But sometimes, it might not be the case.

Let's say that you play with a classical hand position most of the time. But there's a certain type of lick where you always angle your hand to play. Now that might upset you and you feel like you should work at it until your hand can play the lick with a classical positon.. like you do the rest of the time. But instead, what if you embraced it and just left it ? Instead, just work on making the lick sound the best it can, get it up to speed and don't worry how your hand looks.

That would be an example of taking the path of least resistance and scoring a great lick in less time than if you tried to 'correct' your hand position.

Now, imagine if you applied this philosophy to every aspect of your guitar playing. Take notice of what your hands and fingers are telling you when you play. If you find that you're 20% closer to nailing a lick by doing it one way as opposed to another way then take the way that is closer. You're more likely to get the lick sounding better and it frees your time up to learn something else. Doesn't matter if it doesn't seem to 'comply' with your overall approach or technique. If it works in this instance then use it.

The path of least resistance applied to guitar playing. Don't fight it, take it !

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[klasaine]

Path of Least Resistance: When to use it and when not to ?

If you find that you're 20% closer to nailing a lick by doing it one way as opposed to another way then take the way that is closer. You're more likely to get the lick sounding better and it frees your time up to learn something else. Doesn't matter if it doesn't seem to 'comply' with your overall approach or technique. If it works in this instance then use it.

I rarely ever look at the fingering suggestions of a lick or line unless I'm really having trouble getting it.
Most of the time my hand will follow the path it senses 'has the least resistance'.
I had a classical guitar teacher in college who told me that your ... arm > body > and entire playing position ... should always look graceful and relaxed.

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[Ben Higgins]

Most of the time my hand will follow the path it senses 'has the least resistance'.

Yep, whichever approach helps you nail the lick easiest and comes most naturally. I think if we embrace that and not try to force something which isn't so natural then we could potentially make more progress as a player.

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[Cosmin Lupu]

I totally agree on this and as an example There's this lesson here at GMC which I liked a lot:

https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/modal_...irajoshi_scale/

I learned it using totally different positions than the ones used initially - the important aspects? Keep the consistency of the sound - as long as it sounds like the original, everything is cool, REGARDLESS of how you play it You can't work this trick with open strings tho There's something in those frequencies that can't be replaced by anything else.

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[Ben Higgins]

I totally agree on this and as an example There's this lesson here at GMC which I liked a lot:

https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/modal_...irajoshi_scale/

I learned it using totally different positions than the ones used initially - the important aspects? Keep the consistency of the sound - as long as it sounds like the original, everything is cool, REGARDLESS of how you play it You can't work this trick with open strings tho There's something in those frequencies that can't be replaced by anything else.

Oh yeah, the Hirajoshi requires some weird intervals movements. It's not an easy one to get around but if it's used musically rather than just shred it can be brilliantly effective.

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[Cosmin Lupu]

Oh yeah, the Hirajoshi requires some weird intervals movements. It's not an easy one to get around but if it's used musically rather than just shred it can be brilliantly effective.

Exactly what I was thinking If you are able to build a melody and also spot some positions that allow you to speed up a bit, you can come up with some really nice phrases using this mode. As I said, I took the time to re-evaluate the positions used in this lesson and I found some that worked much more natural for me. I usually do this all the time and if I feel like I need to change something for the sake of efficiency, by respecting the notes I need to use, I will surely do it.

It's not how you play it, but how it sounds

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[Ben Higgins]

Exactly what I was thinking If you are able to build a melody and also spot some positions that allow you to speed up a bit, you can come up with some really nice phrases using this mode. As I said, I took the time to re-evaluate the positions used in this lesson and I found some that worked much more natural for me. I usually do this all the time and if I feel like I need to change something for the sake of efficiency, by respecting the notes I need to use, I will surely do it.

It's not how you play it, but how it sounds

Yeah I think that when we approach some music played by another guitarist it can be an exciting challenge to think how we can tackle the lines in our own way.

Here's Steve Vai using some Hirajoshi in this track. It's cool how you can use a scale made popular by Marty Friedman and yet not sound like Marty. The whole track's good but the bit I'm talking about is from 1:59 onwards.



Funnily enough, talking about Steve again... I remember a time when I couldn't imagine how anyone could use the Phrygian Dominant mode and NOT sound like Yngwie. Because running through the scale using any sort of run is always going to conjure up Yngwie. So we've got to be a bit more creative with how we use it and pick out different combinations of intervals in order to avoid falling into the Yngwie trap. So here's Steve using Yngwie's favourite scale and sounding totally STEVE !



It's the beginning of the solo I'm talking about... obviously it goes all over the place soon after

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This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Jul 7 2014, 08:55 AM

[Cosmin Lupu]

Great choices man!

I love Steve's Alive in an Ultra World because it brings SO MANY flavors from the musical heritage of the countries he has visited!

It's also a personality thing here Each of us perceives these sounds in another way. I bet you and me could come up with totally different stuff, if we would choose a scale and then use it to create a phrase or a set of phrases

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