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Click on the lesson number below to view the respective lesson in this five part series by Judy Letostak.
The Need for Speed Part 4
letostak@ix.netcom.com (Judy Letostak)
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/agnetha/59/index.html
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Note: These lessons are for guitarists that want to really learn
their instruments. This is #4 in a "I'm not sure" part series of
technique lessons. Comments, questions, suggestions welcome.
Last lesson we just touched upon scales, patterns with scales and
sweep arpeggios.
Don't forget to always warm up at a slow speed. It's fine to
be ambitious, but you shouldn't cause damage to your hands and
fingers in the process.
Here's two excercises to warm up with.
------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------10-----------
------------9-10---------9-10-12-------9-10-12--------9-10--
----9-10-12------9-10-12---------10-12-------------12-------
-12---------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------10----------------
----10-12---------10-12-13-------10-12-13--------10-12-13---
-12-------9-10-12----------10-12--------------12------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-10-12----------10-12-13~-----------------------------------
-------10-12-13---------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
#2
-13-12-10-----------12-10-------------10--------------------
----------13-12--10-------13-12-10-------13-12-10-----------
-----------------------------------12-------------12-10-----
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-13-12-10---------12-10-------------10----------------------
----------12-10-9-------12-10-9--------12-10-9-------12-10-9
--------------------------------12-------------12-10--------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-12-10-9----------------------------------------------------
---------12~------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
Really the same based excercise in A Minor, but the first in ascending
the 2nd is descending. Hey, at least it's not boring chromatics :)
Now we're going to work on some 3-4 string arpeggios, rather
than 6 string ones.
Here's some examples of A minor arps on 3 strings or so...
-------12-17-------------12-17p12---------------------------
----13----------------13----------13------------------------
-14----------------14---------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-------12--17p12----------12-17p12--------------------------
----13-----------13----13----------13~----------------------
-14-----------------14--------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
It's the same arpeggio, but a little variation. Same old story
as last lesson, no distortion, play clean, mute the notes after
you've played them. etc.,
You can also add a bit of stuff to the arp like this:
---------12--17p12-13-12-------------12tr17--12tr13--etc----
-----13------------------15-13----13------------------------
-14----------------------------14---------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
Rather than playing boring arpeggios up and down straight (gets
monotonous), add some stuff. You can add blues scales as well.
Or whatever u want. Arpeggios can sound however u want them to.
Don't just follow what everyone else is doing, add yer own
person to it. Make it your own style. The more you dick around
with it, the different types of ideas you'll come up with. Then
you can send them to me! :) The sweep picking you should be
familiar with...
-------12--17p12--------------------------------------------
----13-----------15p12--------------------------------------
-14--------------------15p14p12~----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
Actually, I've noticed that sometimes, a slowly played
arpeggio sounds a lot nicer than a shred one. They do sound
cool fast, but don't sacrifice harmony for speed. Speed has it's
place, but melody does also.
D Major G Major
---------10--14p10-----------------10--15p10----------------
-----10------------10-----------12-----------12-------------
-11--------------------------12-----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
C F A Minor
-----8--12p8----------------8--13p8------------4--7p4-------
---8---------8-----------10---------10-------5--------5-----
-9--------------------10-------------------4----------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-5----------------------------------------------------------
---5--------------------------------------------------------
-----5------------------------------------------------------
-------7----------------------------------------------------
---------7--------------------------------------------------
-----------8--5~--------------------------------------------
You can figure out your own arpeggios this way:
I III V scale steps makes up an major arpeggio
I bIII V scale steps makes up a minor arpeggio
So, if you want an E Major Arpeggio it would be: E F# A
Simple huh? You can add the VII (D#) for a 7th arpeggio
Diminished, Augmented, any scale has it's own arpeggios...
you just have to figure them out. It is probably best to figure
them out yerself, than having them all written out for you. It's
easier to remember when you figure it out, rather than to read it.
Diminished Arpeggios
--5p2-----------2---5----8p5-----------5--8-----------------
-------4-----4----------------7-----7-----------------------
----------5----------------------8--------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-11p8--------------8---11------14p11--------------11---14---
-------10------10---------------------13------13------------
-----------11-----------------------------14----------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
With the diminished arpeggio and chords, you can just move
them up 3 frets, all the way up the fretboard.
Pretty much with all arpeggios, there's a pattern to them.
You really only need to memorize the patterns, remember where
the root note is, and your all set. I remember them by shapes,
and where the root note is.
Is a Minor Arpeggio, the root is A in this case, you can
play this arpeggio anywhere on the neck, it's always a Minor
Arpeggio.
-5------------
---5----------
-----5--------
-------7------
--------------
--------------
-5------------
---5---------- This is always a Major Arpeggio
-----6--------
-------7------
--------------
--------------
Major Arpeggios
---------2-------------------------3----------5-------------
-------3-------------------------3-------2--5---------------
-----2--------------2----------4-------2--------------------
---4--------------2----------5------------------------------
-5--------------4-------------------------------------------
--------------5---------------------------------------------
r r r r
Minor Arpeggios
----------------2-------------------------------3----------3
-------------3-------------------------------5--------3--5--
----------4-------------------------------4--------2--------
-------4----------------------3-----2--5--------------------
-2--5----------------------3--------------------------------
---------------------1--4-----------------------------------
r r r r
These are the foundation for Arpeggios, figure out new ones.
If you don't want to use the sweeping technique, you can use
string skipping or more notes on one string for arpeggios,
Nuno Bettencourt does it. So I read.
------------5--8--5---------------------------17--20--17----
------------------------------------------------------------
------5--9-----------9--5-------------17--21----------------
--7------------------------------19-------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
You could use hammerons and pull offs or just alternate picking
for these.
For you pentatonic freaks, here's some speedy pentatonic stuff.
[1]
-15-12------------------------------------------------------
-------15-12-15-12------------------------------------------
-------------------14-12-14-12------------------------------
-------------------------------14-12-14-12------------------
-------------------------------------------14-12-14-12------
-------------------------------------------------------15-12
[2] [3]
Repeat Repeat
-12-15-12----12-15-12-----|-15-12----12-15-12----12--------|
----------15----------15--|-------15----------15-----------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
[4] [5]
-12----------12-----------|-----12----------12-------------|
----15-12-15----15-12-15--|--15----15-12-15----15-12-------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------------------------|
2-5 make for good excercises and if you're not familiar with
the pentatonic scale, or have problems with it, this should
help you out a bit. Pentatonics are cool to mix with any
other scale for a different feel.
Any suggestions for #5? Would appreciate it, running out of ideas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to touch on a few topics that aren't discussed in lessons
very often. The first, is vibrato. There are many types of vibrato,
everyone has a different way of doing it. Vibrato is a VERY important
aspect of a guitarists playing. And it's something that's overlooked
or passed off as being unimportant. There are only a handful of players
that actually took the time to develop their vibrato...Yngwie is one,
Steve Vai, Angus Young, Alex Skolnick, Joe Satriani etc.,
Yngwie has a unique vibrato: Hit's a note, then starts the vibrato
slow, then speeds it up. He doesn't start the vibrato right away,
he makes it breathe, like a vocalist would.
Angus has a tight quick vibrato, he starts the vibrato right away and
it is a quick vibrato for the length of it.
I prefer the first version, but it's really important to develop the
type of vibrato that reflects your playing. Speed is all fine and
dandy, but there's other things that are more important in your playing.
Vibrato can be used for chords as well as single notes...Whatever you'd
like...
Another thing is the actual sound of your playing. People email me asking
how to sound like this or that...Or how to make your playing sound
smoother, less distorted...You can get a clean sound with distortion, it's
all in the way that you play. How you pick, and fret your notes. I don't
recommend a lot of effects when you're first starting to play. Actually,
I don't recommend effects at all...I know, you're shaking yer head
saying that it makes a song sound a certain way etc., which is fine used
sparingly, but quite a few ppl, use effects and totally kill their
natural sound. I've played quite a few gigs, and have been in my share
of bands. The more processing in your sound, the worse it sounds...IMHO.
There are pros that use it successfully, but you have to learn how to
use effects like you would your instument. My suggestion,
is to lay off the effects and concentrate on what YOU sound like. It
doesn't matter the type of amp, whatever sounds good to you, it's not
going to alter your sound that much, because it should come from your
fingers, not your amp. The guitar, it should be what's most comfortable.
I use a Fender American Standard, X-Tra thick neck, wide frets, high
action, and 11 gauge strings. It's a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar, a blues
style guitar, but I play Hard Rock/Metal with it. It's comforatble for
me. Some ppl like thin necks, 8 gauge strings and low action, whatever
works for you...Don't buy a guitar or amp because your favorite
guitarist plays it, it should feel good for you....
Anyway, concentrate on how YOU sound, your technique, is it sloppy
or clean? do you miss notes when you play, do notes ring out when
you don't want to? What do you have problems with? This should be
thought out and worked on...work on your weaknesses at home and save
your strengths for the stage! and blow their minds!!!!
November 10,1997
Judy Letostak
letostak@ix.netcom.com
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