• From: Montevideo, MN
  • Registered: 2010-01-06
  • Posts: 29

Topic: Practice

Joe and fans, I have watched all of your lessons, even youtube lessons and have had a chance to slow down these videos to learn as much as I can step by step (slowed down this is still a feat). My question is...how do you tie all of this together, your vocabulary is so vast. Now, I know you don't play solos in traditional positions, but if there was any advice you could give on the number one thing to work on for guitarists, what would it be? As much as I have learned, I am still stuck in a rut. Was there a point where you felt that you broke the code, or was this a slow process? I just want to be able to play fast fluently.

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Practice

Interesting you should post this...im currently working on right/left hand synchronization while playing fast and when I slowed my playing down (after realising how unclean my playing was) I noticed that my picking hand was moving slightly too fast and that's what's been throwing me off. So if that's your problem just try slow it down and you'll be going fast in no time!:)

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: Montevideo, MN
  • Registered: 2010-01-06
  • Posts: 29

Re: Practice

I hear ya! I slow it down, play it clean and then gradually speed it up. I have the pick angled at 45 degrees, but as I speed up time and time again it is so choppy. I would assume Joe uses a pretty light touch. Is this both on the picking hand and on the fretting hand? For whatever reason it isn't meshing or clicking. I have practiced over and over sometimes the same lead for months and I just can't get it clean, at least on the faster runs. How do I get the pick to ever so gently brush the strings?

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Practice

rounsph wrote:

I hear ya! I slow it down, play it clean and then gradually speed it up. I have the pick angled at 45 degrees, but as I speed up time and time again it is so choppy. I would assume Joe uses a pretty light touch. Is this both on the picking hand and on the fretting hand? For whatever reason it isn't meshing or clicking. I have practiced over and over sometimes the same lead for months and I just can't get it clean, at least on the faster runs. How do I get the pick to ever so gently brush the strings?

well first off...you want your picking hand to be loose (without any tension) but accurate. For some reason i find angling the pick upwards ever so slightly (by upwards i mean towards your head) helpful. You want your left hand to be pressing on each note as lightly as possible so you can lift them back up quicker also. As for hitting the strings lightly, try to make sure that only a tiny bit of the pick is showing below your thumb and loosen up your wrist.

Hope I haven't been too vague!:)

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • Devan
  • Devan
  • BONAMETAL
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  • From: Darwin, Australia
  • Registered: 2010-04-13
  • Posts: 1,304

Re: Practice

As Jonny said here - practice SLOW first to make sure your technique is clean and good, before speeding up.

Also helps to practice whilst plugged into a tube amp.  No gain or reverb or delay or any other 'colouring' of your sound.  Just pure amplified guitar.  This will help you to clean up any other sloppiness in your technique, i.e. other ringing strings or uncleanly fretted notes or unclean picking...

I am currently getting back into guitar playing after a 15 year break, and am finding that I really need to go back to the very basics in order to start getting my playing back to the level it was before.  Good luck with it!

JBLP Gold Top #129 - redubbed "#1 in Oz"
  • Devan
  • Devan
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: Darwin, Australia
  • Registered: 2010-04-13
  • Posts: 1,304

Re: Practice

rounsph wrote:

I hear ya! I slow it down, play it clean and then gradually speed it up. I have the pick angled at 45 degrees, but as I speed up time and time again it is so choppy. I would assume Joe uses a pretty light touch. Is this both on the picking hand and on the fretting hand? For whatever reason it isn't meshing or clicking. I have practiced over and over sometimes the same lead for months and I just can't get it clean, at least on the faster runs. How do I get the pick to ever so gently brush the strings?

Don't forget too that Joe quite often uses a combination of finger AND pick on his runs.

Try different picks to see if they will help.  I recently started using v-picks.  They are a LOT thicker than my normal picks, but they have a nice edge that 'grabs' the strings so I don't have to hit them as hard.  Also, being thick, they forced me to clean up my picking technique in order to reduce the 'chirp' when hitting the strings.

I find the Screamer and Snake picks of theirs to be my favourites.

JBLP Gold Top #129 - redubbed "#1 in Oz"
  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Practice

Don't forget too that Joe quite often uses a combination of finger AND pick on his runs.

Yeah I've noticed that when he does his faster country licks

Also, jazz III picks are the best I've ever tried as they're small and sturdy...they make for great speed picking.

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: Montevideo, MN
  • Registered: 2010-01-06
  • Posts: 29

Re: Practice

Thanks all, great advice. I have used different picks throughout the years and have found Jazz III's to be the best for me. Part of the problem may be that I am using too much pick. I thought I had a pretty close grip with not much of the pick showing but it seems to me the less the pick comes in contact with the string the better. I also need to relax more. With the pick angled upward toward your head as mentioned, are you striking the string with the sharpest point of the pick?

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Practice

rounsph wrote:

Thanks all, great advice. I have used different picks throughout the years and have found Jazz III's to be the best for me. Part of the problem may be that I am using too much pick. I thought I had a pretty close grip with not much of the pick showing but it seems to me the less the pick comes in contact with the string the better. I also need to relax more. With the pick angled upward toward your head as mentioned, are you striking the string with the sharpest point of the pick?

Well when I angle it upwards, I just find that I'm making a stronger connection but having said that, still able to pick fast. I feel it just gives me more control as I can feel the strings better.

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Practice

being able to play fast escapes me, and I've been playing since 1994. How much do I practice to play faster? hardly ever. It's one of those things I wish I could have done right way. I've done exercises but I get really impatient with them.

I do have a tight strumming hand and I tend to push down hard on the strings... so I think I'm going to work on that.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

11 Reply by rounsph (edited by rounsph 2011-04-11 09:22:59)

  • From: Montevideo, MN
  • Registered: 2010-01-06
  • Posts: 29

Re: Practice

I would have to admit...I have been working on this for months and there are a lot of good intructional videos on youtube. Try to start with the basic fundamentals, like the proper way to hold a pick, you might be suprised as I was to learn I was doing this wrong. I thought I was doing things right but I have learned a lot just in the last 6 months. Maybe I am a little hard on myself or impatient. Looking back when I first started working on speed drills and comparing to today I have come a long way. The progress is gradual, and maybe I just expect myself to be further along than I am, but I have improved. I still have a long way to go, and really need to get cleaner. I have also learned some things from this post, and I thank you all for this.

  • Registered: 2009-10-10
  • Posts: 438

Re: Practice

As others just said, slow it down and play it clean. Make every note count. Speed will come.  The guitar is a funny instrument. Frustrating at times.  If my guitar progress was shown on a graph, I don't think it would plot a gradual incline on a straight line, it would show more sudden spikes and some long valleys.  It seems like you fight it for awhile, but then suddenly it is there.  Also, I find it really helps to think in terms of melody versus just burning through scales. Break them down into short melodic passages with accents in different places, and then start to combine them.  That is what makes Joe's pentatonic scales and other runs so great too me.  They are always melodic and musical, even when he is burning up a blues tune.

  • Registered: 2008-10-02
  • Posts: 373

Re: Practice

If you want exercises on playing faster than look at Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar by Troy Stetina I did a review for it here.
http://www.customshopmusic.com/reviews/ … for-speed/

and this is a lesson I did as well.
http://www.customshopmusic.com/lessons/ … he-finish/

Sorry about the plugs and I am not a guitar teacher, I just like to write and review guitar stuff.

Also I have been working on a lot of 3 note per string scales and modes and finding patters and building speed in those patters. I agree with everyone start  slow and clean and build up. Another key is being consistant and trying to work on these things a few times a week or everyday if you can.

Last bit of advice, Playing fast is great and all but really playing melodicly and using speed when needed is the better and harder route to go. Joe is great because he can play those blazing fast licks but still has the melody and phrasing to back it up. It takes a long time to do this well. Just keep at it, you will get there.

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Practice

Big E wrote:

Just keep at it, you will get there.

^ That's the best bit of advice

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic