Original lesson: Alternate Picking Chops by David Wallimann

Hi there, yesterday I received my new Von Hotch picks from mr Todd here at this forum (many thx Todd).
I decided to submit my third REC regarding this lesson.
I think my hand synch and timing is better this time but I feel that my timing still can be improved.

My previous clip is not uploaded in the last thread so here is the clip again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XG1isc4Ojc
And here is the previus thread:
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=56995



Links to previous attempts at this lesson:
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=56995

This post has been edited by Anders Karlsson: Jan 19 2017, 08:31 PM

Well done Glad to see the VON picks in their full glory being used for what they were designed for, smooth alternate picking I worked with Von for over a year on the design to get it to feel right and make string traverse a bit more natural. They are really the right tool for the job. It's like having a secret weapon But of course, without the obvious amount of practice you have put in, no pick in the world would help one bit. In in the end it really is you. You put in the time, the effort, the practice, the blood, sweat and tears to be able to play this piece well. The picks just remove some of the obstacles that traditional picks seem to foist upon unsuspecting players (e.g. too much bend/flex, to round/not pointy/etc)

Also I love the tone you are getting with the pick. It matches really well with what you are playing. It has a nice chimey chunky sound that makes each strike stick out and be distinct. This can be a burden if you have not practiced a given bit as it makes out of time strikes sound very obvious. The good news is you clearly put in the work to get this piece down. Congrats!!!

PASS!!!!


Todd

Hi mate,

Congrats on your new picks and this amazing take! Your alternate picking is getting really good! Most of the parts of this lesson sounds totally killer. Both hands sound in sync and everything sound clean, clear and tight.

There are just some little moments in which your timing is not totally precise or where your hands lost a bit the sync, or the pattern becomes less clear but this moments are a few and very short. (00:19, 00:23, 00:30, etc).

The overall sounds flawless, and your tone is just perfect for this style.

Well done mate!

Hi Anders, you've definitely got the speed and the overall hand co-ordination for this level of picking. Todd is right, the tone sounds nice and chunky.

The problem I'm hearing is that you're missing notes on those repeating sextuplets at 0:15 and 0:16. Your pick is catching the 3rd note twice instead of catching the note fretted by the index finger on the string above. So you're missing that note which should be caught by the upstroke on the adjacent string.

I think the issue lies in two places. First you need to make extra sure your pick is picking the string above and not just picking the string you started on. Secondly, lift your pinky off the string when you don't need it and make sure you concentrate all your attention on the index finger as it frets the string above.

Concentrate on those two things and that lick will soon start happening the way it should

Hey Andreas!

I would like to say you have perfectly judge your own take in those few words you gave:
"I think my hand synch and timing is better this time but I feel that my timing still can be improved."

Yes...it is better but still going back to a proper timing seems to be a problem of yours...I mean the moments right after breaks. Especially visible around 0:15. You tend to rush - start some of those lick too early. I have an idea for yoo to improve your practise method but it will take some DAW skills. You would need to export midi file from guitar pro and importa it to a DAW. Then get it in sync with backing track. Try to record your guitar while midi track being on a mute, a then rehear it with your guitar playback. You would easily spot where the problem comes in.

Aside from this issue there are a lot of good words we could say about your picking techniqe. Though your right hand looks sort of akward at some moments, but your picking has a good tone control and even response of each note.

I suppose you need to experiment on yourself and find a way to detect why this timming problems occurs. At many other moments you are quite efficient so somehow I have a belief that this is more an undewrstaning of the lick issue, than actuall practise mistake.

Pass: 7.25

Very cool - this one is a well deserved pass grade.

For most part the picking is pretty solid here, as pointed out! I would suggest you put the same amount of effort into your bending and vibrato - as they are mandatory to make the picking runs [even if well executed] sound cool.

Regarding further optimising of your picking/timing - at the beginning of each picking run we can hear your pick and left hand finger is not completely in sync. The is a common problem even among pro shredders. This happens because it takes a few milli seconds for both hands to really sync and lock into the speed.

My advice here is to practice speed bursts, and you will focus on this specific problem area.