How Good is Your Technique?

What's Hot
1246

Comments

  • BarneyBarney Frets: 614
    I fail to see why exercises like this could improve anybodies playing ...or am i missing something ...the only benefit i can see is just getting fluent at that one run....and to me its not the kind of thing that could be used musically ..
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • Old_SwannerOld_Swanner Frets: 24
    On Apr 30 Old_Swanner said:
    it's purely a technical test.


    On Apr 30 Old_Swanner said:
    A favourite test of mine, and the subject of my latest blog 

    On May 4 Old_Swanner said:

    This is proposed as a test, not an exercise.

    Barney said:
    I fail to see why exercises like this could improve anybodies playing 
    @Barney  To repeat again, this is not suggested as an exercise, it is a "test". 
    When other sites and teachers leave you frustrated: https://www.taplature.com/ 100% Unique, 100% Effective, 100% Free!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BarneyBarney Frets: 614
    On Apr 30 Old_Swanner said:
    it's purely a technical test.


    On Apr 30 Old_Swanner said:
    A favourite test of mine, and the subject of my latest blog 

    On May 4 Old_Swanner said:

    This is proposed as a test, not an exercise.

    Barney said:
    I fail to see why exercises like this could improve anybodies playing 
    @Barney  To repeat again, this is not suggested as an exercise, it is a "test". 
    A test for what though ..iff its for picking it will only really apply to that lick will it not ? ..i think for good fluent alternate picking there is a lot more to it than just a lick over 2 strings ...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • Old_SwannerOld_Swanner Frets: 24
    On May 4th Old_Swanner said:
    The pattern i use here is a "one size fits all" test to give a general overview of where things are at with their technique.  Takes about five minutes and can spark quite a lot of interest.


    When other sites and teachers leave you frustrated: https://www.taplature.com/ 100% Unique, 100% Effective, 100% Free!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • vizviz Frets: 10643
    Barney said:
    I fail to see why exercises like this could improve anybodies playing ...or am i missing something ...the only benefit i can see is just getting fluent at that one run....and to me its not the kind of thing that could be used musically ..

    It's useful for playing the Matrix theme. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DLMDLM Frets: 2513
    I can definitely play it faster with a pick than with my big toe.  Which do you think would be more musical?

    An extreme example, but the same idea applies to your question, just not as obvious.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • gitapikgitapik Frets: 19
    edited May 2017
    Barney said:
    I fail to see why exercises like this could improve anybodies playing ...or am i missing something ...the only benefit i can see is just getting fluent at that one run....and to me its not the kind of thing that could be used musically ..
    Can't say as I agree. It's a small sample used for a test but it's also a transferable exercise for alternate picking. A way to gauge where you're at with the technique and to help develop it, as well. 

    Definitely not about musicality so much as an exercise to further one technique that can be used to enhance it. 

    This Thorn video is similar. He goes over a very basic technique exercise which many of us might relate to at the beginning...but check out the section with the Paul Gilbert lick he got into when he was 16. It's at about 5:30 into the vid:


    G.A.S. = "Git a Sound"
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • VibetronicVibetronic Frets: 1036
    On May 4th Old_Swanner said:
    The pattern i use here is a "one size fits all" test to give a general overview of where things are at with their technique.  Takes about five minutes and can spark quite a lot of interest.


    I can see its value as a relatively useful exercise for ascending alternate picking runs using more than one string.

    As a test to give a "general overview" of where someone is at with their technique (and I assume you mean overall technique here, as you don't specify), it's not helpful in the slightest. They might be rubbish at picking but very good at lots of other stuff. And as @Barney said it doesn't even begin to cover all the different aspects of alternate picking itself. I think you'd have to expand it quite a lot, and devise similar tests for strumming, tapping, sweeping, muting, fingerpicking, use of dynamics etc etc. (or at least devise tests to cover the techniques a particular student would need in their chosen field/fields of interest i.e. blues, metal, country). 

    @DLM 's sausage looks tasty though.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • mellowsunmellowsun Frets: 2422
    Barney said:

    A test for what though ..iff its for picking it will only really apply to that lick will it not ? ..i think for good fluent alternate picking there is a lot more to it than just a lick over 2 strings ...
    I'm guessing from the title of this thread, that it's a test to measure how good your technique is.

    Problem for me is that the OPs responses come across as somewhat condescending, not really something that would make me want to book a lesson tbh.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • DanjiDanji Frets: 225
    @Vibetronic I agree, four notes in isolation isn't much of a test.  An etude which covers a broader range of technical ability may be an idea. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641


    A level for me.  I don't really practise things like this, but I should.  It builds dexterity and coordination and speed is handy even if you rarely use it.  I'm not into shred styles so don't have that particular motivation for practising things like this but you wouldn't have to spend 8 hours a day to improve, just 15 mins would improve most guitarists technique who don't do mechanical exercises like this.

    Or if I look at it another way, I don't play fast for 2 reasons, mostly I don't want to (most of the time) but the overriding reason is I can't.  If I could, I occasionally would.  I can play the styles I need to, get plenty of work gigging and people seem to like my playing, but I'm past the point now of thinking developing mechanical technique could ever be a bad thing.  It doesn't have to be your main focus, but I think it should be everybody's practise routine*


    *I don't have a practise routine, I've been playing 25 years and I'm still a lazy, disorganised twiddler.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BRISTOL86BRISTOL86 Frets: 1920
    Veganic said:
    BRISTOL86 said:
    I can play that at 260bpm but I can't change from an open chord to a barre chord. 

    I'm a long way from a guitar god!
    I struggle at 100bpm.
    Time to give up (or take up bass).
    Not at all! The sort of music I want to play will never require me to play that sort of thing at that tempo. 

    Much more valuable skills to me would be muting technique, coordination, good strumming, and being able to change between open and barre chords. None of which I can do very well at all!

    All of that would allow me to be a lot more musical than playing this at 250bpm!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Old_SwannerOld_Swanner Frets: 24
    Danji said:
    @Vibetronic I agree, four notes in isolation isn't much of a test.  An etude which covers a broader range of technical ability may be an idea. 
    .. which could be broken down into hundreds of similar tests.  The weakest of them would likely be the best place to spend time examining.
    When other sites and teachers leave you frustrated: https://www.taplature.com/ 100% Unique, 100% Effective, 100% Free!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Old_SwannerOld_Swanner Frets: 24

    I'm past the point now of thinking developing mechanical technique could ever be a bad thing. 

    +1

    Sometimes when discussing this, it's sounds to me like people are actually keen to argue that the worse your mechanics are, the more musical you can be :)
    When other sites and teachers leave you frustrated: https://www.taplature.com/ 100% Unique, 100% Effective, 100% Free!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DanjiDanji Frets: 225
    Danji said:
    @Vibetronic I agree, four notes in isolation isn't much of a test.  An etude which covers a broader range of technical ability may be an idea. 
    .. which could be broken down into hundreds of similar tests.  The weakest of them would likely be the best place to spend time examining.
    I'd rather play a Bach Partita for testing my ability, there is little context or use in playing a four note test, or a load of small groups of notes. I understand what you are saying, but it something that I wouldn't use as a gauge of technique, it's too narrow. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • gitapikgitapik Frets: 19
    Danji said:
    @Vibetronic I agree, four notes in isolation isn't much of a test.  An etude which covers a broader range of technical ability may be an idea. 
    Something like this? 



    Translates well to electric guitar. Not an etude...but definitely an excellent exercise in which alternate picking would be essential.

    I don't understand what the argument is here. The OP didn't say that the test was a be all and end all. Nor did he say that it's a test of musicality.

    If I can't do that one passage effectively (to tempo and in the pocket) and I want to develop that technique, then it's an indicator that I'll need to put some work into alternate picking, using other exercises and pieces. 
    G.A.S. = "Git a Sound"
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DanjiDanji Frets: 225
    gitapik said:
    Danji said:
    @Vibetronic I agree, four notes in isolation isn't much of a test.  An etude which covers a broader range of technical ability may be an idea. 
    Something like this? 



    Translates well to electric guitar. Not an etude...but definitely an excellent exercise in which alternate picking would be essential.

    I don't understand what the argument is here. The OP didn't say that the test was a be all and end all. Nor did he say that it's a test of musicality.

    If I can't do that one passage effectively (to tempo and in the pocket) and I want to develop that technique, then it's an indicator that I'll need to put some work into alternate picking, using other exercises and pieces. 
    Yes, something like that with little rhythmic variety.

    I'm not arguing as such, I'm stating that a four note exercise/test will only give you results for that example.  I agree it will in principle translate to other areas, however it isn't a holistic view of technical prowess on an instrument.

    I'm all for advancing what we can personally achieve on any instrument, however this exercise is not something I would use to judge ability. It's not very real world playing.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • VeganicVeganic Frets: 673
    BRISTOL86 said:
    Veganic said:
    BRISTOL86 said:
    I can play that at 260bpm but I can't change from an open chord to a barre chord. 

    I'm a long way from a guitar god!
    I struggle at 100bpm.
    Time to give up (or take up bass).
    Not at all! The sort of music I want to play will never require me to play that sort of thing at that tempo. 

    Much more valuable skills to me would be muting technique, coordination, good strumming, and being able to change between open and barre chords. None of which I can do very well at all!

    All of that would allow me to be a lot more musical than playing this at 250bpm!
    Yes, that video above really does sound shit but 250bpm is pretty impressive.  Imagine all the Albert Lee stuff I could nail with that kind of speed.
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • VibetronicVibetronic Frets: 1036
    gitapik said:

    I don't understand what the argument is here. The OP didn't say that the test was a be all and end all. Nor did he say that it's a test of musicality.

    no, he didn't say it was a be-all/end-all - but he did say he used it as a way to get an overview of someones technique. It doesn't give you an overview of someones overall technique. If he'd said it was a quick test to see how good their alternate picking on very short ascending runs was, then I wouldn't have had a problem with it. It's just not a good way to assess someones technique, particularly if you're charging them for it!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • gitapikgitapik Frets: 19
    edited May 2017
    Veganic said:
    BRISTOL86 said:
    Veganic said:
    BRISTOL86 said:
    I can play that at 260bpm but I can't change from an open chord to a barre chord. 

    I'm a long way from a guitar god!
    I struggle at 100bpm.
    Time to give up (or take up bass).
    Not at all! The sort of music I want to play will never require me to play that sort of thing at that tempo. 

    Much more valuable skills to me would be muting technique, coordination, good strumming, and being able to change between open and barre chords. None of which I can do very well at all!

    All of that would allow me to be a lot more musical than playing this at 250bpm!
    Yes, that video above really does sound shit but 250bpm is pretty impressive.  Imagine all the Albert Lee stuff I could nail with that kind of speed.

    I know a couple of metal shredders who can play that piece and a few of the other movements from these works for solo violin like reading their morning emails. Translates really well to their genre. 

    G.A.S. = "Git a Sound"
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.