Advice on how to improve my playing.

[exbest182]

Small rant incoming.

So I've been playing since I was 14 (27 now).. I grew up playing in punk bands (well, mid 90s punk.. bands like Nofx, No Use for a name, etc) my guitar teacher was in a local band that was pretty big in our area, and to be perfectly honest it was part of the reason I started taking lessons from him was because he was in the band, and being associated with him would get me into shows for free, and get me some local contacts for shows and stuff... I spent a lot of time learning his bands songs, and not focusing so much on the foundations of playing.. A year later brought me into my own band, and after 2 years of playing locally I ended up playing for a fairly popular punk/pop punk band out of central california, touring the country for the next few years.. Fast forward to 2004, I left the band due to just down time and headed from central Cali. to Southern California, and I put myself through Musician's Institutes Recording engineering program, I kept myself busy with school and work and didn't really play a whole lot through the next few years... after school I was out about a year, got married, had a baby, and took a more stable 9-5 job instead of staying as a engineer.... About a year ago, I started picking up the guitar again full time, putting in a few hours a day.... and I think I'm back up to my playing ability before I stopped playing..

but now I want more, I'm working on a new band, but I want to become a better player, and spending 7 years straight playing punk, I have a lot of habits to breaks, and I'm into different things, I always have been more of the rhythm players, and I want to improve at that, but I also want to get into soloing and becoming a better lead player... if say I had to do this in percentages in Metallica I'd want to be 75% Hetfield - 25% Hammett..

my problem is I don't know where to start, I have no idea what to do as far as improving my playing, breaking old bad habits (down picking with my arm vs. my wrist) and even where to start on soloing, I can do basic slower solos, like for instance the slower part of the solo in Master of Puppets, the dual lead thing, and thing of that nature I can do.. it's more when it's time to play fast is where I'm stuck... I've been playing the same style of stuff for so long I'm finding it hard to branch out to new styles... anybody have any tips? I don't know if I should seek another guitar teacher, or if i should just do it on my own... or what... just kind of at a stalemate right now.. I'm open to any and all opinions!

thanks!

 

[MesaGod666]

I hung out with Micheal Angelo Batio recently and one of the things he talked about was the best way to learn is through necessity by identifying what you want to accomplish and creating your own style to fulfill that need. Check out his vids on youtube and he'll get you in the ballpark.

You are your own best teacher. Just find the sounds you want to create and go where everit takes you. Don't impose any limits on yourself just go and finish what you start.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Your story is similar to my own. Except I started playing punk in the early 90s, quit playing in the last 90s altogether as the music at the time was making me sick, joined the army, toured the world, and started playing again in 2003.

I had similar bad habits too. Held the pick with three fingers and swung from my elbow.

Anyway, my suggestion is to pick songs you like and learn to play them. There's tools available via software that will allow you to slow down songs while maintaining the original pitch, so in the case of a complex solo you can play it slowly until you've developed the muscle memory and can gradually speed it up.

Guitar Pro (I use the iPhone version) is software that plays tablature, so you can play along while looking at it. You can also speed up/slow down the tab. My only complaint is that it doesn't allow looping of parts, which would be ace for learning a solo a couple bars at a time.

If you haven't already memorized the basic Pentatonic scale, I suggest doing that. Once you learn the box shapes it's easier to move up and down the fretboard in a musically sensible manner. Then, once you can do that it's easier to intelligently "ignore the rules" and start playing outside the box to achieve the sounds you're after.

If you watch Hammett play you'll notice that most of what he's doing is playing various box shapes in rapid fire, and a number of his solos have the same basic melodic theme... so, once you start to break down his style and understand it the rest will come easier.

And it's like that for everything (IMO). Once you understand one soloist it makes it easier to break down another soloist, which in turn makes the next guys style easier to undo. Then, you take a little bit of every style that you've digested and you start to develop your own style.

I'd ignore Hammett's wah work for now. Learning a soloists wah technique while learning the song is an added layer of complexity that you don't really need when you're trying to break down the basics of where to put your fingers.

On the rhythm side of things, if you're not already doing it then get in the habit of playing along with music instead of from your memory. It'll help improve your timing and keep your mind triggered on the drum/vocal cues, which will help when you start playing with a band again. I made the mistake of not doing this and it forced me to have to relearn a whole lot of songs because I'd have the main parts correct, but my details were all off.

Beyond that... practice.

 

[RR]

If you asks me to list 10 things to improve your guitar playing, I think 7 out of the 10 is "practice, practice, practice"! The other 3 is refer to the other seven. (lol).

 

[ryjan]

Use a metronome while practicing. Playing along to a cd is ok while learning the parts but using a metronome will help your timing.
Downpick any and all rhythm parts when possible. Alternate picking is for sissy girls. :lol:
Use your wrist for picking always. You don't want to look like some 'frisco Green Day reject who spastically picks by raking their whole arm up and down. :wink:

 

[YellowJacket]

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-many-hours-a-day-should-you-practice/

Here is some great practical advice about how to approach practicing. When I have a moment, I'll go into detail with some of my ideas on how to approach building skill on an instrument.

[edit] Some Ideas For Productive Practicing.

You should learn something new each time you pick up your instrument. This way you are making progress.

1) Divide your daily practice regime into sections and focus on working on two or three things each day.

Typically, I divide my time into:

i. Warmups and technique.
I do technical etudes first, like a variation of the four notes to a string ascending pattern.
I also do both pentatonic and major and minor scales. It is great to pick a scale per day or a scale per week and then really work the pattern up with a metronome. I also have been working on arpeggios using alternate picking, economy picking, and sweep picking.
For all technique work, I will start at a painfully slow tempo and bump the speed on the metronome up slowly until it is painfully fast. Like just at the edge of my capabilities. Then I back it down slightly until I can manage to play well and I play through a couple of times.
Approach to scale work
Playing the scale up and down using quarter notes, eighth notes, triplet eighth notes, and sixteenth notes is a good start. Another thing I got out of a book is playing using sequences or repeating note patterns. I don't know how much theory you know so ask me if you need clarification on this point. Ascending thirds alternating with descending seconds is a good one. (you reverse it on the way down) You can also do a four note pattern which is one note higher each time and reverse it on the way down. (Scalar ascending stepwise motion outlined by a fourth followed by a descending leap of a third)
There are countless other ideas such as playing a sequence using octaves, sixths, etc. One could even use 4, 5, 6, 7, or even 8 note patterns. You can also play a sequence using triads. The idea is to pick a sequence and stick with it until you can execute it properly from memory. Then you can learn another sequence and when you practice improvising, you can use the sequences as ideas for creating interesting solos.

This technique work may be frustrating but it is really productive for building good technique and dexterity.

ii. Learning pre - existing music.

Jazzers call this transcribing solos.
There are many opinions on this but the best approach is to learn solos that you want to play and then work them up as best you can.
To practice, it is good to learn the notes first and then use the slow to fast technique on the metronome. Starting out slowly is a great way to make sure the technique is working correctly.
Additionally, always look for 'trouble spots'. If you can play 75% of the solo well, then you don't really need to play it much more. Instead, concentrate on the 25% you are having trouble. Rather than just trying to bungle through the thing at top speed, slow it WAY down until you can play it perfectly. Analyze your note / finger / picking choices to make sure they are economical and make sense. Be sure you are not doing things the hard way if there is a better solution. Learning someone else's music will allow you to build your own chops up because you'll learn how that person thinks about music.

Don't forget to learn riffs and rhythm parts.
So many guitarists get so obsessed with soloing / shredding that they don't consider how to build up a memorized catalogue of interesting chords and other possible rhythm ideas. Playing in a 'chord melody' style or even playing two part melodic things can be a real change of pace from the usual.

iii. Improv.
To improvise you need to develop your own musical lexicon. Licks or other 2 - 6 note (gesture) ideas basically form the words that one uses to improvise. When you hear something someone else is doing, learn that and make it your own. There is a reason why you like it!
Jazzers have some ideas about this. Generally, they like to transcribe licks and practice playing them in every key. This is time consuming but it can be an effective practice to adopt.
Get used to listening to phrasing in solos. You can figure out how many measures you have to solo and then practice playing and trying to create interesting melodies on the spot. I find that a great solo will have a nice balance between legato melodic slower sections and fast passagework.

Screamingdaisy alluded to how Kirk Hammet uses shapes to play fast. The trick is to learn these shapes and practice stringing them together in an interesting way. These can then be used in places where lots of notes are necessary. Additionally, fiddle around and develop your own.

Look up jam tracks and play along with them. This gives you a framework in which to explore your musical ideas.

iv. Composition.
Write your own solos and learn them. This will allow you to develop your creative language and make music that people like to listen to. Just playing a lot of notes is boring. A musically interesting creation is far more profound. Consider that hundreds of you-tubers can shred the crap out of their instruments but only a handful of those people can most likely write something meaningful.

v. Listening.
Last but not least. Listen to lots of music and don't only stick to one style. Learn stuff from as many styles as possible. This will sharpen your ear and allow you to take elements you like from all styles and apply them to your playing. Other people can inspire us to create great art. I know hearing some Steve Stevens stuff has convinced me to dig into the guitar again, in spite of all my coursework. (I'm a trained composer)

 

[swbo101]

v. Listening.
Last but not least. Listen to lots of music and don't only stick to one style. Learn stuff from as many styles as possible. This will sharpen your ear and allow you to take elements you like from all styles and apply them to your playing. Other people can inspire us to create great art.

I couldn't agree more with this statement. It's extremely important just to learn music itself. You may not like ALL styles, but it doesn't mean you cannot learn from them.

 

[GD_NC]

Another idea is to switch instruments. Try something like the Banjo or Mandolin that has a completely different tuning.

Why?
It forces you out of your comfort zone.
Requires you to focus on the notes and your ear rather than depending on the familiar guitar patterns you have memorized.
HUGE emphasis on right hand technique
Introduces you to styles you probably haven't heard or tried before.

 

[YellowJacket]

Another idea is to switch instruments. Try something like the Banjo or Mandolin that has a completely different tuning.

I agree. I started with classical piano as a kid and I then learned guitar. I noticed that my lead playing and solos always sounded different from everybody elses, a fact I would learn was because I played major and minor scales, not pentatonic forms. My playing was very choppy though since pianists don't really have any concept of line.

The thing that really changed my guitar playing completely was studying Cello. If you have a bottomless pit of money and time, the gains from such a discipline are formidable. I learned a completely different way of thinking about left hand technique which greatly reduced tension, increased fluidity, and greatly mobilized my left hand. My right hand still can't keep up fully but I am working hard on that! (cello takes 2 - 3 hours a day of organized practice not to mention weekly and often expensive lessons. A STUDENT cello is as much as a VOS Les Paul and my cello, case, and bow cost more than my pro guitar rig)

 

[JOEY B.]

Downpick any and all rhythm parts when possible. Alternate picking is for sissy girls. :lol:

If you tried to downpick this entire song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkXGIRaxcI, your wrist would probably lock up. +1 to the posts that speak of learning from many styles.

 

[Jackie]

Guitar Pro (I use the iPhone version) is software that plays tablature, so you can play along while looking at it. You can also speed up/slow down the tab. My only complaint is that it doesn't allow looping of parts, which would be ace for learning a solo a couple bars at a time.

GuitarPro is a great piece of software - and it does have looping, at least the normal PC version does (how in the hell would I learn November Rain's second part?? xD)

And it's like that for everything (IMO). Once you understand one soloist it makes it easier to break down another soloist, which in turn makes the next guys style easier to undo. Then, you take a little bit of every style that you've digested and you start to develop your own style.

Yeah, you notice solo dudes like to use a certain mode over certain progressions and it just keeps popping up... for example, Slash uses pentatonic+mixolydian a lot. Figured that out while learning to improv the Godfather.

YellowJacket's post makes me dizzy... I agree with those tips and they are helpful, but if I would approach practicing like that it would turn guitar playing into a routine for me (i.e. not fun anymore). I spent 6 years playing piano (3 of those I forced myself just to finish music school) and it was SO liberating not having to sit down and say "oh now it's time to practice" when I started with guitar. No, I grab the guitar when I want and because I want to, and learn through necessity like screamingdaisy said - I think that's the best way to learn. When you learn a Van Halen lick, you hopefully improve your tapping. Learn Jeff Loomis, you might improve your sweeps. Play songs with wah, you improve your wah pedal expression etc. I learn stuff when I "have to". I never practiced/learned sweeps because I don't like the sound too much and how the sit, so I never learned them. I can sweep to save my life but I'm no sweep master, that's for sure.
I do think YellowJacket kicks my hairy *** at guitar skills though, so his practicing scheme will probably make for a better guitar player. But my philosophy is "Play, play, play some more, then play, and after that, play." and learn while having FUN because that's what it's all about for me. If I feel like playing I Can't Get No for 30 minutes I'll do that, without thinking "Geez I could play something more profound than Rolling Stones 1 riff songs" - if I feel like playing Satriani for an hour I'll do it.

 

[ozboy]

One of the keys has to be focussing in on exactly what skill you want to acquire. You need to break down a style into individual small bits, like a beat or a slur or an arpeggio or whatever and practice that individual component. Part of it is in your head and part of it is just the physical finger, wrist, arm training.

Secondly its probably good to get a few lessons. Whether its skiing, tennis, language, drawing getting a good teacher to show you some stuff and to critique is really helpful no matter what level you are at.

In the meantime a loop station is also very helpful, or at least so I've found, so I can play something and then listen to how it sounds. The boomerang 3 has been very helpful to me lately because essentially you can record what you are doing with just a tap of your foot and then turn it on or delete it or stack it just as you like. The biggest thrill I've had in my 37 years playing recently was laying down a rhythm blues 12 bars on the loop station and when I listened to it ...it sounded ok. Still not professional recording standard but plenty good enough to play lead breaks over.

 

[YellowJacket]

YellowJacket's post makes me dizzy... I agree with those tips and they are helpful, but if I would approach practicing like that it would turn guitar playing into a routine for me (i.e. not fun anymore).

Well, if the goal is to play for fun then it should be fun. If the goal is to play for cash to feed one's family, then there has to be work. I happen to like working on scale work and etudes for the same reason I like experience grinding in a J-RPG. I like the results. Doing organized, focused, and efficient practice is the fastest way from point A to point B, but it is also work. It makes the time investment manageable and you don't have to worry about playing related injuries. But to each his own...

 

[THTH]

Get rid of any tablature books you have - they will impede your progress as an artist.

Play as much as possible with other musicians and recordings - this will further develop your ears and improvisation skills.

Record yourself playing and analyze after. This will always point out areas for improvement.

 

[Shadow.Se7en]

One of the things that work for me is having some kind of a schedule. For instance, Mondays I'll work on songs I'm trying to learn from other artists. Tuesdays I'll work strictly on tone and effects (different tones and effects for different songs).
Wednesdays, I'll work on my songs. Thursdays, I'll work on learning something new (licks, techniques, scales, theory). Fridays is my free day, I do whatever I feel like doing or what I need to work on.

I change this up a bit every now and then. Come up with a schedule that works for you and it’ll keep you looking forward to practice!

Diversified practice, works wonders!!

 

[MrMarkIII]

Stop listening to other guitar players.
Learn Miles Davis solos.