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Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 21 2017, 06:11 PM

This is my new "Thing" here in the forum and it's called QUICK LICKS!!! It's going to replace the SHRED CHALLENGE. I challenge everyone to dig deep and make a vid of themselves playing this lick and get ready to add serious chops to your bag of tricks!!! This is the first one, so please do jump in and give it a shot!!!








You will get a brand new BADGE created for this new "Thang". Can't wait to see you guys rip it!!!

Todd

Posted by: fzalfa Oct 21 2017, 07:04 PM

Ho God !!

i'm in !!

can i use a backtrack ?

Cheers

Laurent

ps: prepare my badge !!!

Posted by: fzalfa Oct 21 2017, 08:03 PM

Hi Todd

This is my first take for this first Quick Lick !!!

Hope you'll like it !



Cheers

Laurent

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 21 2017, 09:24 PM

You can do it over a backing to show the lick in context or you can do it over a metronome just to show the lick itself. Either way works After all, it's about teaching you guys new tricks to learn when soloing! I dig what you did with it here! You are doing a double picking thing and working it in really well in to a solo. I like the rest of the solo as well which is the point of all of this really To be able to respond musically to what you hear, in an expressive way. You NAILED IT! AND you are the first recipient of the First Blood of the new QUICK LICKS Badge! Super Congrats

Todd

I

Posted by: PosterBoy Oct 23 2017, 07:55 AM

I'll be starting work on this tonight.

Quick ask. With these Quick Licks could you give an idea or 2 of the lick in context, ie how to get into the lick and out of the lick during a solo.

Posted by: Phil66 Oct 23 2017, 07:47 PM

Ooooh, that's a bit of a cheeky curve ball throwing in a 3/4 timing

I'll probably end up just playing the lick for now if that's ok. 3/4 messes with my head, I tend to think about it too much and get muddled not only that, I'm struggling to find a backing track in F minor 3/4 time, but I also see that there are notes note from F minor What key should I search for Todd?

Nice one Todd.

Cheers

UPDATE:

Found this drum only track in 3/4 but I keep getting lost in it Any tips?
For the time being I'm counting 1, 2, 3 on the red notes consecutively D Db B Bb A G A Bb B Bb A G


https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2504299861&feature=iv&src_vid=sSDgaKfyuMg&v=AqS85v7aheM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 24 2017, 02:49 AM

Good idea Sure thing! I'll start adding a bit in to the vids about how one might get in and out of it as a solo lick. With this one, holding the first note on start with vibrato, and exiting the same way would provide a bit of connective tissue to tie it in to a solo.

Playing it with a metronome is perfectly ok as well. That was the actual plan when we started but playing with backings is ok too This one Uses notes that are not in the E Minor scale but it will fit with a lot of E Minor Backings and will fit with E Blues backings as well. If finding something to go with it is proving to be a pain though, just playing the lick with a click track to show you can play it is perfectly cool

Todd

Posted by: Phil66 Oct 24 2017, 07:26 AM

Thanks Todd,

My mistake was that I searched for a key signature with four flats in not four sharps so I ended up with F minor instead of E major/C# minor.

The other problem is finding tracks in 3/4 time which is what your example is in. I think, but I'm not sure, that Laurent is using a 4/4 track so is it ok to play the same notes over 4/4 instead of 3/4?

Thanks for this new initiative Todd, it's going to be good. I really struggle with the amount of ammo I have in my armoury, the other thing I struggle with is putting new licks into my normal improvs, I tend to panic a bit when improvising and play the "safe bets".

Cheers

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Oct 24 2017, 03:42 PM

Hey Phil, even though Todd has written it in 3/4, you could probably also work on it as triplets in 4/4, if that makes approaching it easier. Not sure if I'm throwing anyone off even more here though.

Posted by: fzalfa Oct 24 2017, 07:57 PM

Phil:

like this ??



Cheers

laurent

Posted by: Phil66 Oct 24 2017, 08:16 PM

Thanks Ben and Laurent.

Laurent, I can't really follow the beat on your piece that you did for me, I can't hear if it's 3/4 or 4/4 or if you are doing triplets or not. I can play it with a metronome over 3/4 ok.

What I found odd, and it is probably my lack of understanding of music and/or GP6, is that if I alter the time signature in GP6, the first three beats of each bar strike on the same notes as in 3/4 time BUT the fourth beat comes in after the last note in each bar.

Sorry to digress Todd, I hope I'm not messing this new project up, kick me out if I am

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 24 2017, 08:37 PM

The good news is that this lick will work over nearly any key if played at speed Also, don't worry about the time signature. I just used 3/4 to get it to loop properly in Guitar Pro. You can play it in 4/4 and it still works and it will work against any 4/4 backing. Really any BLUES TRACK you can fine in E with a rock vibe from youtube will work fine

Todd

WELL SAID!! indeed it will work just fine as triplets and fit in 4/4 It can also work as single pick in 4/4 it just starts looping ahead of the bar count is all.



It's all good Any post with a question is a good post IMHO. That's how we learn and why we are here So go nuts!! You can set your metronome to 4/4 and just play the lick straight. I think you may be getting to focused on the 3/4 thing. Take the lick and think of it as just one note at a time and start a metronome clicking at a comfy pace in 4/4, then just play the lick one note at a time. You will find the loop point and then just bump up speed from there

Todd

Posted by: Phil66 Oct 24 2017, 08:57 PM

Ok,

I did just a very basic video, no backing just a click track, just an amp with no effects. I'm trying to use less gain when developing skills as it seems to hide a multitude of sins.

I tried to come up with some other notes around the lick and come back to it. I will try again later in the week with a better guitar tone and a backing but I'm really pushed for time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EmIvOx7AD4


Cheers folks

Posted by: yoncopin Oct 25 2017, 01:59 AM

I like this quick licks idea, gonna give it a go.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 25 2017, 06:40 AM

Works for me Just need to see you guys playing the lick with a Metronome to make sure you can play it in time and in a precise manner and your vid shows you doing just exactly that! I also did! So SUPER PERFECT!!!!! Your technique is spot on, your playing is smooth, you keep a nice mute, it's all there. Everything I was hoping to see. Also, it seems clear that your work is paying off! This is a technical lick and you sort it out no prob. Nice!!!

You are only the second person in GMC History to now be "Badged Up!" in Quick Licks. Congrats!

WELCOME ABOARD!!! You are one of our Highest Ranking Soldiers in Bootcamp so I'm stoked to have you badge up in Quick Licks! You nailed the lick and what I was originally looking for in this thing. Played well, in time, with a metronome, I can see your hands, nice mute, steady on, nice.

This is a really good demo vid, along with Phils, of what the plan was originally for Quick Licks, just turn on your camera and the Metronome and play the lick.

However, as was mentioned, feel free to also use the lick in context if you like, you can add a bit of you soloing with it, or modify it after doing a quick demo, add to it, etc. Go nuts, no limits once you meet the requirement it's all up to you guys. But it's meant to be "quick" so no production/writing/soloing is required. Back to topic, you KILLED IT!!!! Congrats One of the first to badge up

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Oct 27 2017, 01:14 AM

Here's a shot at it, doing triplets at 200 bpm, or maybe it was 190, can't remember now:

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 27 2017, 05:08 AM

NICE!! Dig the tone, dig dat Ibby, dig the playing! It's all there. Being able to dial in a good tone to get the notes to stick out and being able to mute lightly to let them ring just enough while keeping each one distinct can be a tough balance. You pull it off here with grace and style. As a bonus we get to see one of the dozen or examples of that spiff ibby in all of Europe, and some of the best playing in all of Dane Land to be sure.

It's all there, the picking is spot on, the mute is tight but not too tight, the fingers are flying, the synch is on point, and as mentioned the tone is perfect. All in all this is a great demo of this lick. Very stoked to have you on board for the first of the QUICK LICKS!! You just earned one of the first Badges. I look forward to hearing your next one!!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 28 2017, 08:56 PM

It's from our recent GABE BRIT METAL COLLAB! We are going to use the brit backing track for this so you can have a track to play over if yo prefer it to a metronome You can make your vid of the warm up or main lick or both
BACKING TRACK  British_Metal_Collab_V_Backing_by_Darius.mp3 ( 2.59MB ) : 175

*EXPLANATION VIDEO

P.S. This lick is nearly impossible to play at speed. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's something to work on that keeps paying dividends. Tablature to follow.

*WARM UP LICK!!
This lick is a warmup to the main lick. If you can get this down, the main lick should be no problem. Try to start with an upstroke if you can and keep it all inside alternate picking. However, if you are more comfy doing it another way, that's ok as well. In the end it's up to you how you want to play. I'm doing this as a purely inside picking thing simply because it's a bit more efficient for the hand and allows me to play the lick at speed. Another player may do it as all outside picking in order to play it at speed. Working through these type of things is part of your journey. When folks try to force you to play one way or another, it's usually because they play that way. In the end it comes down to you





Here is the actual lick. It's 16th notes done at about 200 bpm. As long as it fits, you can play it at really any speed you like. No matter how slow. And you don't have to do all the repeats if you don't want. Just one each would be fine I know this is pushing things a bit. please let me know if you have questions and let me know how I can help make this lick part of your bag of tricks!!

Posted by: PosterBoy Oct 30 2017, 09:11 AM

It's a holiday today in Ireland and I have no plans but to record and post up Quick Lick 1 & 2.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 31 2017, 01:27 AM

I look forward to it Please let me know if you need anything or if I can help in any way. Number 2 is a bit nuts but you can use the warm up lick or the main lick. With metronome or with backing track

Todd

Posted by: fzalfa Oct 31 2017, 10:30 PM

Hi Here

This is my fxxkin take... no vids because people are around....

https://soundcloud.com/dizy-laurent/tapedeck-2-oct-31-22-21-45

Turn up the volume and enjoy

Cheers

Laurent

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 1 2017, 02:43 AM

NICE!!! I like what you did with it! I can hear the lick in there. You are holding on the not changes which gives them
a bit more emphasis. It works out really well when done that way. I can hear that your still picking the B string quite briskly which gives it a nice counterpoint. I like the rest of the solo as well. Congrats on integrating this in to actual playing. I know this lick is a lot to ask of anyone. I plan on making the next one a bit more simple. KUDOS on being first out of the gate and the FIRST EVER GMCER to make it to ROUND 2!!!! Also, the only GMCer to have complete every existing Quick Licks (even though there are only two so far, you are still the only one to do them all) so I've added the Star of Merit to your badge. Well done!!

Todd

Posted by: sidthekid Nov 25 2017, 04:40 PM

Hi Sarge! This is my stab at at the first 2 quick licks together, over the british metal backing track. It was fun! The first section is about lick 1, just played it along with random blues/chromatic notes. The second section is lick 2, had a tune in my mind so tried to follow that.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 25 2017, 08:40 PM

WELCOME TO QUICK LICKS!!!! Great to have you on board!!! Also great to see you using the skills you have been gaining through practice and bootcamp to create solos!!! After all, that's the whole point of all of this These two bits are challenging to play on their own, and even more so in a solo context. You managed to get both licks in and then expand on them and make them your own which is GREAT. I love seeing folks taking these licks and making them something unique to each player. Well done there!!! I'm working on QUICK LICKS #5 right now and it wraps up the BRIT COLLAB licks. You can put 3,4 and 5 together in one solo and badge up for all three if you stick the landing!! Well played on this and a bit of good news you just....

LEVELED UP!!!!

Posted by: Phil66 Nov 25 2017, 09:40 PM

https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=58700&view=findpost&p=754012

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 26 2017, 03:55 AM

I hate to sound like a broken record, but ... It's really important that you don't let yourself get too hung up on speed. It's something that takes a great deal of patience and practice. That's probably what's so frustrating about it. learning to wait for speed to happen is something can only be done by doing it. Along the way it requires enormous faith in oneself that eventually, it will happen, and in spite of painfully slow gains, to keep pushing ahead. Having put in a couple of decades or so of non stop practice, I have a bit of an advantage in that I've already taken the slow path. Your seeing me closer to the end than the start. So when I post something at speed, it's to let you know what it will look like after years of work. If you can play the bit in a precise manner, at any speed, that's a victory. After that, it's time for patience, persistence and the slow path. If you can play the quick licks at any speed, with consistency, then you are ready to share them. I don't give any extra points at all for speed. They are graded pass fail based on individual effort. Nothing more. if I can see you are trying, and playing with precision, you pass Simple as that. I suspect you could pass them all in one go if you wanted.

Todd

Posted by: Phil66 Nov 26 2017, 09:57 AM

Thanks Todd,

I thought that we had to be at least somewhere near the speed you're playing it at. Apologies for misunderstanding.

Phil

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 27 2017, 02:15 AM

I take full responsibility. I should have been more clear. There is zero speed requirement Just want to see you playing with some degree of precision, striking and fretting at the same time, in synch and in time. That's all Do that and you win!!!

Todd

Posted by: sidthekid Nov 29 2017, 04:39 PM

Hey Sarge!! Here are my next round of quick licks, 4 and 5, over the british metal collab. I love quick licks, it lets me be creative and learn some licks for later use as well!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 30 2017, 11:04 PM

Well done! It's great to see folks taking these lick and making them their own. You did some very creative work on that first lick in adding something to it each time you went through a new rotation. I also like what you did with the ascending scale! You are using very good technique in terms of your picking and fretting. Also, you are playing on a 22 fret guitar, so you don't have the same amount of fret board that folks with 24 fret guitars have. Quick question, what gauge strings are you using? It looks like your having to use a good bit of force. Are those .9 or .10 gauge? I've often swapped between .9 and .8 gauge sets just to see what feels best on a given guitar. On some guitars I end up liking the .08 sets better. They are certainly not for everyone, some folks feel that using light gauges strings makes your hand weaker. I've found the opposite to be true in that it allows me to play for longer with less fatigue but to each his own. If you have not tried a light set, might be worth a go next time you change strings As for this one, you nailed and you just won the STAR OF HONOR For completing all of the Missions thus far. Congrats you just..

LEVELED UP!!!

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Dec 12 2017, 07:23 AM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 12 2017, 08:11 AM

NAILED IT!!!! Also I have to take a moment to just GAWK at that Ibby. My God. What an instrument. Only a handful made it to Europe and BEN is one of the lucky few on the entire continent that can say he owns one. There are HUGE rock stars in Europe that don't have one of these because BEN pulled the trigger a little faster and BAM!!!! Nice!

As for the lick, BAM! Just what I want to see. Quick in, quick out. Doesn't go nuts over it, just gets the vibe and makes a take. Well done Ben, you have knocked out ALL Of the remaining quick licks!!!!!!! And in grant form I might say!!!

Todd

Posted by: Phil66 Dec 19 2017, 09:22 PM

Hello Sarge,

My first take at the very very tricky #2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pb-M0PdmE

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 20 2017, 04:40 AM

Great to see you digging in to these Phil!!! This one was probably unduly difficult to be honest. I sometimes get excited about a given lick and don't take in to account that it's nearly impossible to play. The good news is that you got it!!!
You have good form here, solid technique and good timing. This lick can get very confusing in the picking pattern. Also, it's partially an open string lick, but it traverses strings as well, so yet another spot that can easily cause one to stumble, but not you! Solid as a rock. You have a good handle on the picking, and the string traverse. In short, you KILLED IT!!!! and just..

LEVELED UP!!!!

Posted by: Phil66 Dec 20 2017, 08:12 AM

Thanks Todd,

I wanted to get it down one way or another. Honestly, I can't see me ever using anything like that with the kind of things I play, it seems maybe more suited to high speed metal rather than melodic hard rock, maybe I'm wrong though and one day it might suddenly appear in a jam

Cheers buddy.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 21 2017, 01:18 AM

You are spot on It's well suited for tech/death/prog metal. I do hope you can find a way to work it in to future solos! Shoot me a link when you put it in something so I can check it out!

Todd

Posted by: George Hlio Feb 22 2018, 12:17 AM

Hey Sarge so here is Quick Lick No1...I tried to crank up the speed a little bit!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 22 2018, 12:35 AM

Welcome to QUICK LICKS!!! You can do these in any order you like. Also, once you play the written bit once, you can do anything you want with it and feel free to record what you end up doing with it if you like You did a great job on this one. This is a Paul Gilbert style "Shred" lick and it can be a bit of a finger twister as most of Paul's licks can be You have good hand synch, solid alternate picking and very good palm muting. Also very fine precision/speed. All in all you made short work of of a difficult bit!!!

In other words you just..

LEVELED UP!!!

Posted by: George Hlio Feb 22 2018, 12:41 AM

Thanks Todd! New to the quick licks realm...
Cool logo!!!! Very tasty licks I might say!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 22 2018, 12:54 AM

Thanks!!! I had a fun time making up the logo/badge Folks like to put their badges in their signature so that other folks can see where they are in each challenge. Just a way to have pride in what you've been working on

Glad you like the lick as well! There are many more ahead of you and I hope you can put each one in to your back of tricks!

Todd

Posted by: onetabmat Aug 3 2018, 05:41 PM

my take mate

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 4 2018, 06:28 PM

NICELY DONE!!! I can see in the vid that your picking hand and fretting hand are on point. You've clearly got this lick down. The only problem is that I can't actually hear anything being played other than the pick hitting the strings on the guitar. I almost hear a distorted tone in the background but it so low that I can't really pick it up. It's actually being drowned out by the pick/string noise of the guitar. I have watched ahead a bit and these seems to be happening in every vid that I see posted so far. The good news is I can see your fingers so I can tell what you are playing and I can still grade these. It would be great to be able to hear what you are playing as well! See if you can get a pinch more of your distorted/amp tone in to the recording if at all possible when you go for the next batch!
As for this one, you have a very good handle on the picking and fretting. Most of all, this is about HAND SYNCH. Getting your right/left hand to match up so that the lick sounds smooth. The good news is that you have GREAT hand synch. Even without really being able to hear it, I can see that you are striking/fretting in a very precise manner, which is what this is all about! Welcome to QUICK LICKS!!!!! No GMCer has completed every Quick Lick. With this kind of momentum and your obvious skill you could be THE ONE!!! In other words you just...

LEVELED UP!!!!!

Posted by: Adam M Jan 25 2019, 11:43 PM

Here's my Number 1. I don't know why I didn't start it sooner, they are super quick to record and process.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 26 2019, 06:03 AM

Welcome to QUICK LICKS!!!! This series is all about getting a new lick in your bag of tricks as quickly as possible. Each one is only a single drill/lick. For your first outing you did great! You nailed the lick and are showing very good technique in your picking and muting. Also, you are not lagging or rushing. Well played!! You just...
LEVELED UP!!!!

Posted by: Potsau Feb 13 2020, 02:02 PM

Hi Todd

tried no1 with my new technique

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 14 2020, 04:02 AM

NICE AND SHREDDY!!!! This is a shred lick. It's built for speed. Your new technique works great. You built up some very good speed on this. Did it feel good? Looked good!!! Welcome to Quick Licks!! These are grades a bit less strict than BOOTCAMP as they are meant to be "QUICK", learn them quick and play them quick without getting too bogged down. It lets you work through a lot of techniques quickly. Nice!!!!

You just....
LEVELED UP!!!!!!!!