Temple of Speed

by Ben Higgins

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  • Difficulty: 9

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  • Welcome to my new lesson. This time the focus is on playing ultra fast licks that use odd note groupings like 7 and 5. Us guitarists can get used to using only triplets and groups of four so when a different kind of pattern comes along, it really knocks us on our backs.

    I wrote a post here that looks at how we can use more notes on one string to increase our speed potential. If we play for longer on one string before changing then we're not spending as much energy on string switching all the time. Theoretically we can devote more energy to tearing it up on the string that we're on. We still change strings, as you will see in this lesson, but not so frequently as if we were only using 2 or 3 notes per string.

    Using groups of 5,7 or more on one string is something you can hear in the playing of Shawn Lane and Rusty Cooley, both at the top of the speed picking tree.

    But not only is it useful for generating great speed with less string switching, it also sounds brilliant. Because the licks don't end or begin where you expect, it really throws a curve ball at the listener who is bombarded with a bewildering array of notes that seem to defy logic!

    I've kept the lesson mainly technical so you can get a chance to just dive in and focus on the patterns. There's no phasing in this lesson, just scalar runs. As soon as you've got a grip on the licks try to work them into your own playing so you don't get tunnel vision with exercises!

    As always, enjoy!

    Tuning:
    E A D G B E - Standard Tuning
    Tempo:
    185bpm
    Key:
    B
    Gear:
    Ibanez RG7421, Nick Crow 8505 Amp Plugin, Guitar Suite Tube Screamer, Poulin LeCab 2.
    Scales:
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