Joe's fast pentatonic scale runs inquiry! -Help! (Page 1 of 2)

Welcome Bluez!

I wish I could answer that for you, maybe one of our guitar experts can help you. Joe himself has been known to post here from time to time, although he's currently touring in Asia and may not be able to check the forums as often as he regularly does.

Even if you're doing the right thing it's going to take time.  Remember that Joe has been practicing (or playing) long hours every day since he was a pre-teen.  Some of these skills just take hours on the fretboard, working at it.

I could be totally wrong, but my ears tell me he alternate picks runs like that (which isn't strictly a pentatonic run, btw, there's an F# in there).  I'd be interested to know if that's really the case.  I'm not sure I trust me ears..

It could be, but lots of really fast and clean players have very different mechanics.  It depends on your body, and what's comfortable for you.  In general you're better off picking from the wrist not the elbow, and don't anchor you hand on the bridge too much or it will slow you down when string skipping or doing runs across many strings.  Other than that, whatever works for you - if you keep at it and focus on the tone your body will work it out.

My advice - not that i'm any expert on JB's playing, take it for what it's worth - would be make sure every note is clean, even at a very slow tempo, and make sure that's the priority.  If it's not picked clean, it's not going to sound right.  Then also actually push yourself into uncomfortable tempos.  It's important to play slow and clean and get that foundation, but things change when the tempo speeds up so you need to practice that, too, and get your body used to it.

One other concrete thing, really pay attention to up and down strokes on each note.  I've noticed some fast runs I screw up half the time.  Usually this is because I enter that run inconsistently, so half the time I'd start on a downstroke, but when I sat down and practiced that specific run, I'd always start on an upstroke.  I was much less comfortable (and didn't practice) using the opposite stroke.  Sometimes this even happens within a little phrase - my body gets on autopilot and i'd sweep a couple of notes I wanted to pick, and that screwed up the upstroke/downstroke consistency in an upcoming section.  Being aware of that really helped me clean things up and get more consistent.

Also, good luck and have fun!  JB's a monster at those fast runs - he picks everything so cleanly!

Thanks guys for helpin me out. I've been trying to fig it out for months thinking if he's Maybe chicken picking some of the fast runs also bc it's so clean it's unbelievable. It never sounds sloppy and it's crazy fast! I was thinking there's gotta be some trick behind it because he does it so effortless. I know it's mostly alternate picking but I get caught up when I have to go back down or p to the next string in the fast run. I guess as frustrating it is, I gotta break down the entire riff in sections and work each one out at a time and to try and speed it up yet. It's those 5th,6th,7th note fast runs....and there's no pull offs or hammer ons..all picking...

...welcome Bluez' ...your having problems getting up to speed!? ...wait until you reach my age and you'll have problems getting anything up!

..."muscle memory"!?! ...hmmm ...oh yeah ...i remember!

These "runs" that the OP is referring to (IMO) is Joe's trademark style along with his vibrato. He uses the fast runs a lot in his playing. In 1986 ish I took lessons for a few months. My instructor taught me a bunch of scales and finger exercises he called "shapes". One of the shapes I learned sounds exactly like what Joe uses in his playing. So you say you are having trouble with getting the speed down? Keep in mind I have a pretty fast 80's style pick attack and have been practicing these "shapes" off and on for 25 years and I still can't get to the speed where Joe is. Perhaps that may tell you something about how limited my picking is or...perhaps that tells you just how gifted Joe Bonamassa truly is. I'm saying a bit of the former and a bunch of the latter!

he also uses his middle, ring and pinky a lot too.

my ears are hearing in his runs almost a 3-note on a string run.

try play 3 notes up. back 1 then from that back one count 2 more notes up (so the next set of 3) and then back 1, etc.
so 1,2,3, back, 1,2,3, back.

i could be way off but that's what my ears hear

Can you share what these "shapes" are?  I know the pentatonic scales in various positions depending on root notes.

I'm assuming it's similar but I'm always looking for a different perspective.

conorb

Beat me to it... Joe's style is similar to that of EJ's. You'll have to spend a lot of time practicing hybrid picking.