Beat's Bootcamp, Earn or Burn!!!! 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!

https://bit.ly/beatsbootcamp

Practice!
Sarge

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!

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Apr 17 2020, 09:03 AM

[Beat Zbinden]

My first Lesson.. 160 BPM

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!

This post has been edited by Beat Zbinden: Apr 20 2020, 08:20 AM

[Todd Simpson]

Welcome to BOOTCAMP SOLDIER!!! You are off to a flying start!! I typically have 3 elements that I'm looking for in each Mission. However, in this case I think it's important to focus on just one thing. You clearly have good hand synch, well beyond what is required for the first few missions. Also plenty of speed, well beyond what is required as well so CHEERS there! I wanted to ask what type of pick you are using? For these I suggest something pointy and 1.0mm thick or better. If you are already using something like that, great! As for the guitar. You could not have made a better choice imho. That instrument will serve you very well in every single mission. It's built to kill and that's what we do here in BOOTCAMP!!!

My only issue is with the tension in your pick hand. It's important to adress this early on so that we can work on it as we go. Your picking is solid! Never missing a strike. Muting is solid as well! You are NOT picking from the elbow which is also great news. At the speed you are playing, I do see your pick hand starting to tense up a bit which is something that can inhibit your top speed and can reduce your stamina.

Learning to pick with precision/speed/while not tensing is the challenge every player must face at some point. We will work through this and get you on your way to greatness. The first dozen or so missions are well below your playing ability so use them to try to focus on relaxing your pick hand without losing performance. It's tricky.

Here is a quick demo video. Watch my picking hand. Notice that it never really tenses up and that I'm articulating most of it using the thumb and first finger, not so much the wrist. This despite the fact that there are some pretty quick picking bits. It's possible to use the thumb/finger combo to great effect and it allows for very solid palm mute. Only at very extreme speeds do I end up needing the wrist as the finger/thumb articulation method does have limits. It uses very little energy though and is very precise.



As for your first Mission you killed it and just..

LEVELED UP!!!!

My first Lesson.. 160 BPM

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!

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Apr 21 2020, 05:59 AM

[Beat Zbinden]

Hello Todd

Thanks for your feedback.
I have a 1.14 Dunlop ULTEX pick. I've been using it for a long time.
I'm now trying to play more with my thumb and forefinger. That's why there are two videos so you can see this better ... Hopefully..

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!

[Todd Simpson]

That pick is a fine choice. Nice and pointy as well as nice and thick! What string gauge are you using btw? As I watch your playing I can see you are trying to articulate more with the thumb/first finger on the pick which is good news! It looks like your pick hand is a pinch tense up. Each strike also has a lot of intensity behind it. Hard pick strikes make a great way to create dynamics between lighter strikes. Try to back off just a pinch if possible in terms of how much power you are using on the picking hand. You want to use as little pressure as you can and still keep up the tone you want from the strike. This will keep your pick hand from getting tired over a long practice session.

Endurance comes from practice but also from taking the right approach. Being able to control the intensity of pick strikes is the key to creating a dynamic playing style. It's natural for the hand to tighten up when playing at speed, but it's something worth trying to overcome. It's just another small part of what goes in to making a truly good player.

Your hand synch is quite good here and you don't lose the beat or drop any pick strikes which is awesome!

Each pick strike should be just enough to excite the string to create the note. In later missions, we will take the picking hand out of the way entirely and I'll have you just use your fretting hand. These drills help work on left hand power as they take picking out of the equation.

I've been using a more conversational style on your Bootcamp reviews rather than my usual approach of focusing on 3 expected elements that i look for in each. Hope this works for you too

You clearly have this drill well in hand and I can see improvements from the last mission. Keep it up! You are still in the "starter pack" of lessons where we work out any glitches. The only technical glitch so far is that I can hear the metronome a bit louder than your guitar. It's great hearing the metronome but maybe turn yourself up a pinch or turn the metronome down a pinch if possible.

Looking forward to your next Mission Soldier!

You just..

LEVELED UP!!

Onward!

Sarge

Hello Todd

Thanks for your feedback.
I have a 1.14 Dunlop ULTEX pick. I've been using it for a long time.
I'm now trying to play more with my thumb and forefinger. That's why there are two videos so you can see this better ... Hopefully..

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!

[Beat Zbinden]

Hello Todd
Thanks for the detailed feedback on lesson 2 !!
By the way, I use strings with the strength 09/46 ....
Here is my lesson 3. I continue to work on my looseness while playing ....

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!

[Todd Simpson]

Good choice on string gauge as well! You have got a good flow going on this Mission Soldier! It's designed to burn the hand out if it's being done improperly. It's built to try to guide your hand in to using less pressure to fret and strike so that you can play longer without scorching your muscles! Pick hand is looking good! not tensing! I was about to badge it up but around 9 seconds through 11 seconds you seem to drift from the beat a bit. I can tell that this may be near the edge of your ability which is where progress happens! Maybe a few more reps and maybe a pinch harder on the palm mute in order to make each note a bit more distinct. They are bleeding together just a bit. It's still clean, but a harder mute would help with note separation which is a very handy skill to have when playing at speed.

This one is looking good but needs either a few more loops through the fingers or maybe back off the speed just a pinch so you can keep better control on timing. I'd say push down on the palm mute a bit more either way and make sure to keep your pick strike fairly shallow and only move as little distance away from the string with the pick each time as needed. Listen to the tone in the demo video I put in the lesson. It's the harder mute that is creating note separation at speed and giving it the metal grinding bit of tone.

You are on the brink Soldier!! One more BATTLE!!


Sarge

Hello Todd
Thanks for the detailed feedback on lesson 2 !!
By the way, I use strings with the strength 09/46 ....
Here is my lesson 3. I continue to work on my looseness while playing ....

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!

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Apr 27 2020, 06:56 AM

[Beat Zbinden]

Once again....

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!

[Todd Simpson]

BINGO!! This is what I wanted to see soldier. Can you hear the difference in tone? I sure can!! This is a really solid mute and it helps to keep notes separate and keeps string noise at bay and gives each note more oomph to each note. Not to mention it just sounds cooler. Let's Debrief!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

*PICKING TECHNIQUE: First thing I want to see here is solid picking technique. The picking is really the core of everything we are going to be doing so it's great to see you have a good handle on it!!! keep it up!!

*MUTING: Secondly I wanna see a really good strong palm mute. Without a solid palm mute, all is lost. Your palm mute is spot on and no string noise is escaping. The tone is also much improved due to the stronger mute. SCORE!

*SYNCH: Lastly I gotta see good hand synch. Keeping your right/left hand synch is another crucial part of this. You've got very solid hand synch and you are ready for what's next Soldier. Prepare yourself for BLOOD!!

You just..

LEVELED UP!!!

Onward!
Sarge

Once again....

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!

[Beat Zbinden]

Hello Todd
Here is my lesson 4 .....
I always warm up to the lessons I have already passed.
I slowly increase the speed. Focus is more on the loose right hand ...

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!

[Todd Simpson]

NICE!!! You've come a long way in a short time Soldier. BTW NICE IBBY!!!!!!! Your also using your thumb/first finger more to articulate and a bit of wrist which is working well as a combo. Your timing is much improved as well. You are getting much better at being able to focus on the lick and focus on the click and keep them both synched. Let's Debrief!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

*PALM MUTE STEADY ON: First thing I'm looking at here is your palm mute. This lick has non stop string traverse. If you don't mute, you get string noise and you don't get good note separation. Your mute is nice and tight!! keep that up!

*PICKING STEADY ON: The Second thing I want to see if steady picking. No rushing, no lagg This will serve you well as you work on your speed/precision moving forward.

*ENDURANCE: Finally, this one is about endurance. You've been taught the tools of the trade to allow you to play for extended periods without your arm burning off and you are doing great!

You just..

LEVELED UP!!

Onward!
Sarge

Hello Todd
Here is my lesson 4 .....
I always warm up to the lessons I have already passed.
I slowly increase the speed. Focus is more on the loose right hand ...

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!

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Apr 30 2020, 03:33 AM

[Beat Zbinden]

Hello Todd
Here is my lesson 5.
100 BPM
When I try to play faster my hand is too tight ... I'm working on it ...

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!

[Todd Simpson]

This is the correct speed for this Mission soldier and you are playing it plenty fast given the complexity. I do notice that you are rushing/leading the beat/metronome just a pinch. I think you may be concentrating on the fingering so much that you are losing track with the clicks. It's not by much, but just enough to register in my ears. I think you could bring the metronome up to meet you a few more BPM or relax back in to the beat a bit a slow your playing just a bit to let it fall to the beat of the metronome. The good news is your mute is very good as is your picking technique! This Mission is more about precision than speed so focus on the clicks and try to strike on beat each time. I know thats not easy given the pattern is complicated. I ask you to loop it so I can hear the same thing played over several bars. That way any drift in timing will stand out and be heard. You are coming along really well and I love that Ibby!! Try this one one more time, either speed up the click a bit to catch up with you, or slow your playing a bit to lock in with 100 bpm.

Onward!

Sarge

Hello Todd
Here is my lesson 5.
100 BPM
When I try to play faster my hand is too tight ... I'm working on it ...

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!

[Beat Zbinden]

Again with 100 BPM .... I feel a little better.

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!

[Todd Simpson]

Much Improved Soldier!! Your timing is getting better each time! Let's Debrief!

MEDALS OF HONOR

TRAVERSE: The first thing I look for on this Mission is good "Traverse" e.g. moving between strings and or frets. If your string or fret traverse is off, this entire thing falls apart. String Traverse is a tricky thing. It's easy to stumble on it. This take is very much better than the first and I can see the work in the vid! Well done!!

PACE:The second thing I look for on this Mission is pace. Are you rushing or lagging, basically. It's very easy to rush or lag on a lick like this where your focus is on the lick due to it's complexity and not on the click / metronome. This is quite common and it's part of why this lick is here. To get your brain to be able to divide attention between finger bits and timing bits. You play very evenly which is what I like to see.

ARTICULATION: Lastly, I look at your articulation e.g. how you are striking each notes. You are not picking from the elbow which is great. It's actually normal to stiffen the entire arm and elbow pick which is a bad habit and hard to break. You are articulating the pick very well. You are not tense, and you are not wagging the pick hand to far from each strike. Nice!

Well Fought Soldier!
Onward!

Sarge

Again with 100 BPM .... I feel a little better.

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!

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: May 4 2020, 07:37 PM

[Beat Zbinden]

Lesson 6
100, 110 and 120 BPM

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!

[Todd Simpson]

Well Fought! That first one has the best synch to the metronome from the sound of it. I can see that the two really fast passes were very solid and clean as well. I think you are tied to the metronome, just doing it in a different way than I might do it which is still just fine as long as the playing is steady, that's what matters most. Congrats on gaining speed on this lick! It's a handy shreddy lick for using in Solos!

let's Debrief!!

MEDAL ON

ALT PICKING: Firstly I want to see consistent alternate picking. Without consistency, speed is hopeless. It's consistent and that's what I'm looking for. Nice!!

MUTE: Secondly you gotta have a good palm mute with no string noise. Very solid work on the palm mute. Also critical. If you can't mute, you will get string noise. Not a problem here!!!

SYNCH:Lastly, there is NO gap in the notes so you gotta have good hand synch! Right/Left hand synch is the core of this drill. If your synch is off, the entire thing will fall apart. Again, not a problem here! Your synch is spot on!

Keep this in your pocket for use in solos!

You just...

LEVELED UP!!!

Sarge

Lesson 6
100, 110 and 120 BPM

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!

[Beat Zbinden]

Hi Todd

My Lesson 7... 100 Bpm

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!

[Todd Simpson]

Well Fought Soldier!! You are getting better and better with each passing Mission. Your synch with the metronome on this is the best yet. You are able to focus on the click and focus on the bit being played. Your hands seems to be adapting to these complicated looping licks as well! Also, your endurance is quite good! Let's Debrief!!

MEDALS OF HONOR

ALTERNATE PICKING MADNESS - Firstly, this is all about alt picking. So if the alt picking is bad it all falls apart. Your Alternate picking has improved quite a bit since Mission 1! You are on the right path Soldier!! keep fighting!!

TRAVERSE IN STYLE - Secondly, I wanna see traverse. This one is non stop string and fret traverse. Starting to see a theme? I have many of these where I force the hand to shift strings and frets. It trains the hand to be more comfortable going between strings and between frets until it's second nature. Nice!

SILENT AS DEATH - Lastly, Palm muting is always critical. If the mute is loose, string noise will ruin the take. You keep a solid mute and Each note is distinct. Score!!

You are doing very well Soldier. I'm sure you can feel the progress!! These Missions will get more tricky as we move forward. But I think you are ready!!!!
You just.....

LEVELED UP!!!!

Onward!!

Sarge

Hi Todd

My Lesson 7... 100 Bpm

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!

[Beat Zbinden]

My lesson 8

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!