Alternate Picking Workout Options

[Gert1973]

Hi Monica,

New lesson... first take...

I have been practising this lesson for 2 weeks now. Today I made the first recording and it hits me immediately when I see myself playing. I believed during practise, I made small movements with my fingers. And when I see myself play... it's the opposite

So that's already something to work on. I did the whole lesson in this first take. And I already know you're going to say I have to break it into pieces

But I just like to do the full lesson, so in one month from now, I can look back and see the progression.

So here it is...



Analysis:
I think there a good difference between muted and not muted.
11: missed a note
26: bad note
1.23: missed the note and vibrato
1.27: screwed this up
1.30: missed this note
2.16: missed this vibrato
2.21: tapping needs more work
2.27: missed a note

1.18-1.35: this part definately needs more work

Question:
1.21: Darius makes the vibrato with 2 fingers
1.28: Darius only uses one finger (see video 5 around 1.15)
1.33: Darius also uses one finger (see video 5 around 1.19)
Where he uses one finger, he does not tough the botton of the fretboard and kind of makes the vibrato with a loose finger. To me it does not look like the correct technique for vibrato, right?

Don't worry if I get feedback AFTER this weekend

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Hi Gert!

First of all, I want to say that I absolutely love to work with you. I know how many new things you have learned this week and I'm very proud of you and your awesome attitude.

Hahaha...you know me very well. I was going to say "to break it into pieces".
At least, for a short period until you fix the important issues that I will point out immediately. Then you can practice the entire lesson without any kind of problem because the lesson is based only on the alternate picking technique.

Let's start with the details:

Right hand:
1. Picking direction - you need to review this.
0:14; :21; 0:33, 0:39; etc - you don't keep a good picking direction assignment. You tend to do 2 downstrokes instead of the downstroke and upstroke. This makes you change the direction of picking and everything will sound different. You end the phrase with downstroke instead of upstroke as Darius did.
So, that's the most important thing to fix in your take.

2. You need to add more power to your right hand.
On the E lower string you make wide movements, which is perfect for this lesson. Unfortunately, when you switch on the other strings you start to minimize the movements. Due to this, your notes stop sounding equal, some of them sound shorter than they should be and give a staccato kind of feel, which is wrong. Also, some notes have a weaker sound.

3. Try to control a little better the difference between muting vs open strings.
You have already got which notes are played with muting and which notes are without muting. The problem is that sometimes 1-2 notes sound open in the palm muting part and vice versa.


Left hand:
4. Try to minimize your finger movements (you also noticed this issue ). Keep your fingers closer to the frets. Look at Darius' fingers and try to copy the same position/movements.
At this moment your pinky and ring finger seem to swim backstroke (look at 0:53 - 0:56).

5. Your question about vibrato.
No, the technique is not wrong. There are many types of vibrato: classical vibrato, soft, shallow, wide, vibrato with variable speed, etc. Each will deliver a different kind of sound.
In the slow video no 5, Darius makes a combination between:
- classical vibrato (that hand position and that finger used it's common when you make classical vibrato)
- vibrato with a random speed variation. This means just a fast vibration - similar to a trill, where you repeat two notes very fast, but there is no match with any beat measuring.

What I would like you to do, is to make the same kind of vibrato, like Darius does in the main video from the lesson (not like in the slow video 5). Let's first learn how to manage the normal vibrato, played using the hand position that you already know. We will have enough time in other lessons to approach many more types of vibrato.


Overall, you are going in a good direction. For next time, please prepare a shorter part () and try to fix the details that I pointed out earlier (and also the details that you highlighted).

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This post has been edited by Monica Gheorghevici: Apr 14 2023, 01:13 PM

[Gert1973]

Hi Gert!

First of all, I want to say that I absolutely love to work with you. I know how many new things you have learned this week and I'm very proud of you and your awesome attitude.

Hahaha...you know me very well. I was going to say "to break it into pieces".
At least, for a short period until you fix the important issues that I will point out immediately. Then you can practice the entire lesson without any kind of problem because the lesson is based only on the alternate picking technique.

Let's start with the details:

Right hand:
1. Picking direction - you need to review this.
0:14; :21; 0:33, 0:39; etc - you don't keep a good picking direction assignment. You tend to do 2 downstrokes instead of the downstroke and upstroke. This makes you change the direction of picking and everything will sound different. You end the phrase with downstroke instead of upstroke as Darius did.
So, that's the most important thing to fix in your take.

2. You need to add more power to your right hand.
On the E lower string you make wide movements, which is perfect for this lesson. Unfortunately, when you switch on the other strings you start to minimize the movements. Due to this, your notes stop sounding equal, some of them sound shorter than they should be and give a staccato kind of feel, which is wrong. Also, some notes have a weaker sound.

3. Try to control a little better the difference between muting vs open strings.
You have already got which notes are played with muting and which notes are without muting. The problem is that sometimes 1-2 notes sound open in the palm muting part and vice versa.


Left hand:
4. Try to minimize your finger movements (you also noticed this issue ). Keep your fingers closer to the frets. Look at Darius' fingers and try to copy the same position/movements.
At this moment your pinky and ring finger seem to swim backstroke (look at 0:53 - 0:56).

5. Your question about vibrato.
No, the technique is not wrong. There are many types of vibrato: classical vibrato, soft, shallow, wide, vibrato with variable speed, etc. Each will deliver a different kind of sound.
In the slow video no 5, Darius makes a combination between:
- classical vibrato (that hand position and that finger used it's common when you make classical vibrato)
- vibrato with a random speed variation. This means just a fast vibration - similar to a trill, where you repeat two notes very fast, but there is no match with any beat measuring.

What I would like you to do, is to make the same kind of vibrato, like Darius does in the main video from the lesson (not like in the slow video 5). Let's first learn how to manage the normal vibrato, played using the hand position that you already know. We will have enough time in other lessons to approach many more types of vibrato.


Overall, you are going in a good direction. For next time, please prepare a shorter part () and try to fix the details that I pointed out earlier (and also the details that you highlighted).

Hi Monica,

As requested... a shorter piece of the alternate picking lesson

I only played the first 8 bars.



I have payed attention to the picking direction, which is good now and also the movement of my right hand. I think I make more equal picking movements and strength. I think I also have a better difference between muted and unmuted notes.

My left hand (fingers) movement although is a little bit better. From my point of view, it always seems like I have my fingers close to the fretboard. But from a third person, it tells something different.

I have studied the left hand of Darius, and I can see he sometimes also has his pinky far from the fretboard. So I think it's something normal that the pinky is less controllable when you add force with the first or second finger. But I will try to minimise my movements a little bit more...

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Hi Monica,

As requested... a shorter piece of the alternate picking lesson

I only played the first 8 bars.



I have payed attention to the picking direction, which is good now and also the movement of my right hand. I think I make more equal picking movements and strength. I think I also have a better difference between muted and unmuted notes.

My left hand (fingers) movement although is a little bit better. From my point of view, it always seems like I have my fingers close to the fretboard. But from a third person, it tells something different.

I have studied the left hand of Darius, and I can see he sometimes also has his pinky far from the fretboard. So I think it's something normal that the pinky is less controllable when you add force with the first or second finger. But I will try to minimise my movements a little bit more...

Hi Gert!

I can say that you succeeded in improving a lot of things in such a short time.

I love the fact that now you play the notes equally. You added force to your right hand when you pick the notes and this highly improved the sound delivered.

You also minimized the left hand movements a little more and that is great. Overall, your left hand started looking better. Of course, you need to control these movements even more, but soon you will succeed in this.

Yes, the difference between palm muted and unmuted notes is awesome now!!! This is exactly what we need to hear. Good work!!!


Now there are two things that I really don't like and we need to fix them.

1. Your right hand doesn't look so good because it's too tense. There are moments when your hand looks like a piece of ice and moments when you try to play using weird positions for your hand.

0:18-0:21 and 0:24 -0:27 - in these spots your hand doesn't keep a good position, and you also change the angle of the pick.
When you play the open notes on the E lower string, please don't do that movement with your right hand. Don't switch the angle of your hand, the angle of your pick and don't take away your fingers from the strings in such a way. How you keep your hand to play those unmuted notes is wrong.

To fix this issue, you need to:
First thing - use your forearm to move your hand a little up on your guitar to reach the E lower string easily.
Second thing - keep your pinky finger on the higher strings and just release the pressure from the lower strings (leave a space between your hand and E lower string).
Please look at Darius' right hand and copy the same movement. On the slow video number 2 you will see perfectly how your hand should stay when you play the unmuted notes.


2. Left hand - starting with 0:16 you tend to keep your pinky finger in a very flat position. This adds tension to your left hand and it also doesn't look good. Relax your finger. Let him stay in a natural position like you do with the other fingers.


Overall, I'm very satisfied with what you have done today. For next time, try to fix the issues that I pointed out. You can add a few more bars.

Congrats on your awesome work!!!

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[Gert1973]

Good afternoon Monica,

I have been working on the issues you pointed out. And I think I managed to improve them...



Analysis:
6: this note was too weak
51: unwanted string noise from G-string

Overall I think I manage to keep my right hand very relaxed (I've been training for that and will continue doing off course)
My left hand is also more relaxed and more close to the fretboard

As always curious about your feedback

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Good afternoon Monica,

I have been working on the issues you pointed out. And I think I managed to improve them...



Analysis:
6: this note was too weak
51: unwanted string noise from G-string

Overall I think I manage to keep my right hand very relaxed (I've been training for that and will continue doing off course)
My left hand is also more relaxed and more close to the fretboard

As always curious about your feedback

Hi Gert!

You definitely improved a lot of things.

First of all, I like the fact that your left hand is more relaxed and the movements are more minimized. That is awesome.
But....I don't like the fact that you still play with your pinky finger in a flat position. This doesn't look good at all. You need to fix this issue because it will turn out into a bad habit and this will cause you trouble when you will learn to play legato, pull off, etc.

Your right hand looks less tense than the last time. With a little more practice, you will be able to play more relaxed.

I'm happy that you started fixing the right hand issue when you play the open notes on the E lower string. It's better but still not correct.
When you play open notes your fingers should not fly in the air. Rest your ring and pinky finger under the E higher string (but touching it). You need to block the strings to avoid unwanted noises.

Here you can see the difference between your hand and Darius' hand (the same spot of the song):


So...all you need to do is to keep your right hand like Darius. Let a space only where your hand touch the E lower string. The rest of the hand touches the other strings. Keep in mind that you need to change the resting point. In this way, you will have the open notes played clearly and you will avoid unwanted string noises.


Be careful because when you play with palm muting you press too hard with your hand on the strings and that's why the notes have a staccato sound. Also, because of that, you have moments when some notes have a "stuck sound".

How we add pressure matters because it changes the sound. Where we keep the hand also matters (near the bridge, further from the bridge and closer to the neck) and will change the sound.
A slight pressure will give you a light muting with a fuller sound.
A heavy muting (too much pressure added) will enhance the staccato effect and will make the notes less recognizable.

Now I want you to remember something. When we did the "Palm muting" lesson, we talked about the sweet spot.
In your previous take of this lesson, you kept the right hand in a better position regarding palm muting sound. You can make a comparison.
So, move your right hand just a little to the right side and the sound of the palm muting will be improved.

Another thing is timing. Don't rush the notes and play them equally.


For next time, try to fix the details that I pointed out.

Have a great evening!

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[Gert1973]

Hi Monica,

I made this recording to at least fix the muting problem. I was indeed pressing to hard on the strings and I think in this take it's better.


About the open notes on the low E-string: I need to practise this a little bit more but I managed to rest at least my pinky and a little bit my ring finger on the high E-string. It gives me a better controle to play those the open notes.




But the big issue I encounter is getting my hand the same as Darius.

When I don't play guitar and I let my right hand loose and relax it without holding a pic, my pinky is a little bit bend and goes away from my ring finger. They don't stay together. If I want my pinky next to my ring finger, I need to use a little force and my hand does not feel relaxed anymore.

I tried to play it in this take and hold my hand in the same way as Darius and tried not to stretch my pinky but I feel I need to use little force and it does not feel comfortable. Not in the same way as the last recording. Now my hand feels more tensed.

When I play the low E-string, my pinky, ring finger and middle finger do not come over the high E-string because they are too short.

I tried to play the low E, A and D-string with my hand fully relaxed and my pinky, ring and middle rush over the B-string and high E-string. But in a relaxed position, they are as in the previous take. My pinky looks stretched but it had very little tension and is quite relaxed. So I don't know if it's a good thing to have this tension I feel in this take.

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Hi Monica,

I made this recording to at least fix the muting problem. I was indeed pressing to hard on the strings and I think in this take it's better.


About the open notes on the low E-string: I need to practise this a little bit more but I managed to rest at least my pinky and a little bit my ring finger on the high E-string. It gives me a better controle to play those the open notes.




But the big issue I encounter is getting my hand the same as Darius.

When I don't play guitar and I let my right hand loose and relax it without holding a pic, my pinky is a little bit bend and goes away from my ring finger. They don't stay together. If I want my pinky next to my ring finger, I need to use a little force and my hand does not feel relaxed anymore.

I tried to play it in this take and hold my hand in the same way as Darius and tried not to stretch my pinky but I feel I need to use little force and it does not feel comfortable. Not in the same way as the last recording. Now my hand feels more tensed.

When I play the low E-string, my pinky, ring finger and middle finger do not come over the high E-string because they are too short.

I tried to play the low E, A and D-string with my hand fully relaxed and my pinky, ring and middle rush over the B-string and high E-string. But in a relaxed position, they are as in the previous take. My pinky looks stretched but it had very little tension and is quite relaxed. So I don't know if it's a good thing to have this tension I feel in this take.

Hi Gert!

Great, you found the sweet spot for muting, the notes have a fuller sound and that is good. It's exactly what we want to hear.

I also can see that you have got better control when you play the open notes on E lower string. Now your right hand has a good position to execute these notes. With a little more practice, this part will sound perfect.

Now let's go further and solve the other issues that you pointed out.

When I don't play guitar and I let my right hand loose and relax it without holding a pic, my pinky is a little bit bend and goes away from my ring finger. They don't stay together. If I want my pinky next to my ring finger, I need to use a little force and my hand does not feel relaxed anymore.

That's a normal thing and happens to all of us. If we keep the hand relaxed without holding a pick, the pinky finger will not stay glued to the ring finger. It will go away from the ring finger.

I tried to play it in this take and hold my hand in the same way as Darius and tried not to stretch my pinky but I feel I need to use little force and it does not feel comfortable. Not in the same way as the last recording. Now my hand feels more tensed.

When I play the low E-string, my pinky, ring finger and middle finger do not come over the high E-string because they are too short.

I tried to play the low E, A and D-string with my hand fully relaxed and my pinky, ring and middle rush over the B-string and high E-string. But in a relaxed position, they are as in the previous take. My pinky looks stretched but it had very little tension and is quite relaxed. So I don't know if it's a good thing to have this tension I feel in this take.

Don't worry, from what I see, your fingers are long enough to cover all the strings. They aren't too short.
No, you should not feel your hand tensed. Just a wrong hand position can create this.

To fix these issues be careful at:
1. Where you rest your wrist on your guitar. If it's placed too high on the guitar, the fingers will not be able to cover all the strings. Do an experiment and move your wrist in different positions (higher/lower) and you will feel when the hand is in the correct position.

2. Assure yourself that when you make palm muting, you rest your side (not the palm) of your hand on the strings. The side of your hand that is below the pinky finger.
I tend to believe that from here comes the issues with the tensed hand and short fingers.

Take a look at this lesson (video number 2) and you will see the explanation for the hand position:
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Palm-M...chnique/?part=2


Let me know how things work.



EDIT: I woke up and thought that the best way to convince you that your hand/ fingers aren't too short is to measure my hand and post a picture.
I know how many times I tried to explain to Darius that my hand is too short, but every time he destroyed my theories.

After you will make a comparison between our hands, I'm sure you will laugh.


As you see in the picture, from the tip of the longest finger (middle finger) to the crease under the palm, I have 16,3 cm.
My pinky finger has - 5,1 cm
Ring finger - 6,7 cm
Middle finger - 7,1 cm
Index finger - 6,6 cm

See...my hand is not as huge as you think. I'm very curious when you will make the measurements of your hand, if you will still believe that your fingers are too short.

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This post has been edited by Monica Gheorghevici: May 3 2023, 07:09 AM

[Gert1973]

Good morning Monica,

Hahahahaha.... thank you for this great picture and measurements

I just took a similar picture but I don't know how to insert an image here
I can see 'insert image' but it asks me to insert a url link...

So, something more you have to teach me

Anyway... our hands have very similar measures!!

Full hand: 16,5 cm
Pinky: 5 cm
Ring finger: 6,5 cm
Middle finger: 7,3 cm
Index: 6,3 cm

Conclusion 1: I have small hands for being a full grown male person
Conclusion 2: From now on when you say you can do it, I know it's possible with my hands too

Btw... I'm very interested in buying a new guitar: LTD MK 600. IT's a flying V type and great for metal!

-> I did some research in specs and I think this guitar can be very good for my hand size. It has some similar specs as my Gibson Les Paul, which also favours people with smaller hands.

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Good morning Monica,

Hahahahaha.... thank you for this great picture and measurements

I just took a similar picture but I don't know how to insert an image here
I can see 'insert image' but it asks me to insert a url link...

So, something more you have to teach me

Anyway... our hands have very similar measures!!

Full hand: 16,5 cm
Pinky: 5 cm
Ring finger: 6,5 cm
Middle finger: 7,3 cm
Index: 6,3 cm

Conclusion 1: I have small hands for being a full grown male person
Conclusion 2: From now on when you say you can do it, I know it's possible with my hands too

Btw... I'm very interested in buying a new guitar: LTD MK 600. IT's a flying V type and great for metal!

-> I did some research in specs and I think this guitar can be very good for my hand size. It has some similar specs as my Gibson Les Paul, which also favours people with smaller hands.

Hahaha....I knew you would laugh
I'm happy that we solved the fingers length problem.


Sure, I will explain to you how to post a picture. These are the steps:

1. Press "Reply"

2. Press "Browse" and select the file from your PC.


3. Press "Upload"


4. Press on "Manage Current Attachments":


5. Choose the spot in the message where you want the picture to be inserted and press on the first item:



About Flying V type of guitars. I personally don't like them.
Look, the neck is comfortable for playing and these guitars are suitable for metal, but I find them uncomfortable to play in a seated position. The guitar just slides right off your leg if you try to rest it on its side. It forces you to play in a classical seated position. For me, this is a minus.

My advice is to go to a music store and try one. Try more types of guitars and see which one it fits with you.
I recommend you to also try a Jackson guitar (not because I love them). From all of the guitars that I tested, Jackson remains for me the most comfortable guitar. It has a very slim neck and no matter how small you have the hands, it's very easy to reach the higher frets. It's suitable for many music genres including metal.
But this is just my honest opinion about it. Test more guitars and choose the one that feels more comfortable in your hands.
It's not all about the shape of the guitar. Also, the neck shape (C, V, D, U, asymmetrical, etc) matter when we talk about playing comfort.

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This post has been edited by Monica Gheorghevici: May 3 2023, 12:31 PM

[Gert1973]

Hahaha....I knew you would laugh
I'm happy that we solved the fingers length problem.


Sure, I will explain to you how to post a picture. These are the steps:

1. Press "Reply"

2. Press "Browse" and select the file from your PC.


3. Press "Upload"


4. Press on "Manage Current Attachments":


5. Choose the spot in the message where you want the picture to be inserted and press on the first item:



About Flying V type of guitars. I personally don't like them.
Look, the neck is comfortable for playing and these guitars are suitable for metal, but I find them uncomfortable to play in a seated position. The guitar just slides right off your leg if you try to rest it on its side. It forces you to play in a classical seated position. For me, this is a minus.

My advice is to go to a music store and try one. Try more types of guitars and see which one it fits with you.
I recommend you to also try a Jackson guitar (not because I love them). From all of the guitars that I tested, Jackson remains for me the most comfortable guitar. It has a very slim neck and no matter how small you have the hands, it's very easy to reach the higher frets. It's suitable for many music genres including metal.
But this is just my honest opinion about it. Test more guitars and choose the one that feels more comfortable in your hands.
It's not all about the shape of the guitar. Also, the neck shape (C, V, D, U, asymmetrical, etc) matter when we talk about playing comfort.

Ok, let's see if I can manage to insert an image...

Ok, let's see if I can manage to insert an image...

Yesss, I can

Although the colour of my hand looks very creepy

About the flying V-type...

I know these types are best to play in the classical position. It was Todd who recommended me to play in classical position and I feel very comfortable playing in that position. Sometimes I try to play in the casual position but then my guitar slides of my right leg after 30 seconds. So that's why for me a flying V type could be a good thing.

My teacher in Belgium has this LTD MK 600 and from all his guitars, this guitar is his favourite. That's why I got interested in it and started to do research. It's not that he recommended this guitar. But because he talks very positive about this LTD flying V, I got interested.

And yes, I learned that the neck shape is also important. The LTD MK 600 has a thin U-shape. When I started taking lessons with him half year ago (my God, time flies ), I played the guitar for a few minutes and I remember how tin the neck felt compared to my Gibson Les Paul.

Yesterday normally I had a session with him and I wanted to ask him if I could test his guitar for a little bit longer. But the lesson got cancelled because he spilt coffee on his interface
So I hope nothing got damaged. But next week is the next lesson and I will test his guitar then..

And I agree witth you it's a good thing to go to a store and test more guitars. The only problem with the LTD MK 600 is that at the moment, there's very limited stock. The nearest store is in Germany and a 5 hour ride from my place.

But I will certainly have a look at the Jackson guitars because you know what?? If you say they are good for small hands, then I believe you because I have the same size

Ok, practise time now...

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This post has been edited by Gert1973: May 3 2023, 02:32 PM

[Gert1973]

Ok, back real quick because I want to find a good hand position...

I made this quick recording (without interface):



Let me know if this is going in the right direction

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Ok, let's see if I can manage to insert an image...








Yesss, I can

Although the colour of my hand looks very creepy

About the flying V-type...

I know these types are best to play in the classical position. It was Todd who recommended me to play in classical position and I feel very comfortable playing in that position. Sometimes I try to play in the casual position but then my guitar slides of my right leg after 30 seconds. So that's why for me a flying V type could be a good thing.

My teacher in Belgium has this LTD MK 600 and from all his guitars, this guitar is his favourite. That's why I got interested in it and started to do research. It's not that he recommended this guitar. But because he talks very positive about this LTD flying V, I got interested.

And yes, I learned that the neck shape is also important. The LTD MK 600 has a thin U-shape. When I started taking lessons with him half year ago (my God, time flies ), I played the guitar for a few minutes and I remember how tin the neck felt compared to my Gibson Les Paul.

Yesterday normally I had a session with him and I wanted to ask him if I could test his guitar for a little bit longer. But the lesson got cancelled because he spilt coffee on his interface
So I hope nothing got damaged. But next week is the next lesson and I will test his guitar then..

And I agree witth you it's a good thing to go to a store and test more guitars. The only problem with the LTD MK 600 is that at the moment, there's very limited stock. The nearest store is in Germany and a 5 hour ride from my place.

But I will certainly have a look at the Jackson guitars because you know what?? If you say they are good for small hands, then I believe you because I have the same size

Ok, practise time now...

Great....the picture that reveals the truth. We really have similar hand sizes.

I think when you will test and feel more guitars in your hands, you will know exactly which one is perfect for you.
Make searches, analyze things, think about how much money you want to spend on a guitar and choose the best option for you and for that range price. Don't rush is the best advice that I can give you.

BTW, the neck shapes between Jackson and the LTD MK 600 are quite similar.

Ok, back real quick because I want to find a good hand position...

I made this quick recording (without interface):



Let me know if this is going in the right direction

Yes, you are going in a good direction. Your fingers cover the strings and also, when you play, the hand is not so tense anymore. The position looks ok. Just every time you start practicing the alternate picking lesson, assure yourself that you rest the side of your hand (below the pinky finger) on the strings.

​Have a great practice time!

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This post has been edited by Monica Gheorghevici: May 3 2023, 05:21 PM

[Gert1973]

Hi again

Practise day today, so here I am with a next recording.



I think my right hand has improved. I worked on the issue about my pinky gets stretched. In this take it looks ok to me...

I think I don't have small hands anymore

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Hi again

Practise day today, so here I am with a next recording.



I think my right hand has improved. I worked on the issue about my pinky gets stretched. In this take it looks ok to me...

I think I don't have small hands anymore

Hi Gert!

Hahaha....your sentence "I think I don't have small hands anymore" made my day.
See...a measuring tape always solves the small hands problem.


Your right hand starts looking nice. Just be careful because you have moments when you still tend to add too much pressure to the strings. We need to avoid having notes with a staccato sound.

The pinky finger also acts well and I like the fact that you understood how you need to keep the right hand when you play the open notes on E lower string. Good job!!!

Now, one little trick for the left hand regarding the open notes on E lower string. Before and after you play the G# note (E lower string/4th fret) with your index finger, use it to block the below string (A string). In this way, you will be sure that will not appear unwanted noises. It's better to prevent it before it happens.
If you look at Darius' left hand, you will see that he also does this (slow video no 2).

For next time, I think you are ready to add more bars. I will let you choose how many.

Great work for today!!!

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[Gert1973]

Hello Monica,

Here's a new take and I added 6 bars



Analysis:

17-19: when I play the open notes on the low E-string my pinky stretches
19: slightly hit the a-string
I see my pinky stays stretched for 10 seconds before it relaxed again.

I don't know if the muted notes are enough muted?

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Hello Monica,

Here's a new take and I added 6 bars



Analysis:

17-19: when I play the open notes on the low E-string my pinky stretches
19: slightly hit the a-string
I see my pinky stays stretched for 10 seconds before it relaxed again.

I don't know if the muted notes are enough muted?

Hi Gert!

Unfortunately, this time your take it doesn't sound so good. Maybe you were a little tired and that's why you couldn't focus at maximum.

First of all, you have timing issues. The weird thing is that in your previous attempts you did not have this problem.
At this moment, I think it is better to slow down the back track a little because you will not be able to play at this speed entire lesson.

Yes, the muted notes are not enough muted. You modified the tone? Somehow, it sounds different than the last time.

In your previous recording you played in a good way the open notes on E lower string. This time, it's like you make a huge effort to keep the right hand in a good way. I have the feeling that you fight with yourself to not take away the fingers from the higher strings.

I don't like how you do the upstrokes on the E lower string. Take a look at Darius' hand and try to copy the same movement/angle.

Today your right hand looks tense. You need to let some headroom for the wrist movement. To understand what I'm saying, take a look at this lesson "Alternate picking basics" made by Darius:
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Altern...sics/?part=main
Watch his slow videos about: hand position, resting points, wrist angle, pick angle. Try to apply his advice.

For next time, slow down the backing track and try to fix the issues that I pointed out.

Keep up your great work!

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[Gert1973]

Hi Monica,

I'm back with another take.

About the previous take...

I think the timing issues came from editing in Logic pro. I think I could not align the video of my phone and the backing track 100%. Maybe that's why it seems there was a timing issue. Because in the original video, I did not have it.

And about the tone... I think there was another 'sound' active together with the sound of the alternate picking lesson. I forgot to mute it. And then you get a blend of two sounds. That must be the reason because I did not change a thing on the sound of this lesson.

About my hand, yes... it looks like it was too tensed, Allthough I did not have that feeling. But you're right, I was too tensed. I was thinking too much about that right hand to keep it good.

The past days, I trained a lot on the right hand and to keep it relaxed. And I feel improvement.

I looked at Darius' hand and tried out some things. His hand moves just a little bit when he plays the open notes on the low E-string. It seems I need to move up my hand a little bit more to have that low E-string not blocked with my palm. And them my hand start to flood in the air. Thats why it tensed up in the previous take.

I don't know if I fixed this issue entirely.

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[Monica Gheorghev...]

Hi Monica,

I'm back with another take.

About the previous take...

I think the timing issues came from editing in Logic pro. I think I could not align the video of my phone and the backing track 100%. Maybe that's why it seems there was a timing issue. Because in the original video, I did not have it.

And about the tone... I think there was another 'sound' active together with the sound of the alternate picking lesson. I forgot to mute it. And then you get a blend of two sounds. That must be the reason because I did not change a thing on the sound of this lesson.

About my hand, yes... it looks like it was too tensed, Allthough I did not have that feeling. But you're right, I was too tensed. I was thinking too much about that right hand to keep it good.

The past days, I trained a lot on the right hand and to keep it relaxed. And I feel improvement.

I looked at Darius' hand and tried out some things. His hand moves just a little bit when he plays the open notes on the low E-string. It seems I need to move up my hand a little bit more to have that low E-string not blocked with my palm. And them my hand start to flood in the air. Thats why it tensed up in the previous take.

I don't know if I fixed this issue entirely.

Hi Gert!

Great to see a new take from you. This is definitely an improved one.

This time your right hand looks more relaxed. That's a really good thing.

Also, I like the fact that you kept quite good timing. There are just a few moments when you play some notes a little shorter than they should.

Try to play the notes with the palm muting a little clearer (as you played them at the beginning of the take).

Now about the open notes on the low E-string. I looked very closely at your hand and I noticed that you kept the wrist glued on the guitar. To make these notes sound good, you need to change the resting point.
I will try to explain you the hand position in a different way. Imagine that you have to play some chords and you need to execute strumming. When you do this, the wrist is not fixed on the guitar. Keep your wrist in the position for strumming and fix the pinky finger on the guitar after the higher E string.
Maybe this picture from the moment when Gabriel explained palm muting notes vs open notes, will give you a clear image of the hand position:

Of course, don't leave so much space between hand and strings.

I'm very satisfied with your today's take. Great work!!! For next time, you can add more bars.

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[Gert1973]

Hello Monica,

A new recording with some extra bars

I have practised on the issue of the open notes on the low E-string and I think it's better now. Also try to pay attention to the muted notes so they do not sound staccato.

Here's the take:



26: my E-strings rings against the fretboard
38: missed a note
49: missed a note

I'm quite happy with this take. Not too many mistakes. I don't know if I have to make the picking movements more wide?

Have a nice sunday!

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