Diminished String Skipping Legato Lick


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The main challenge of this Paul Gilbert inspired string skipping lick, is to get the string skipping right. But the secret to getting it right is to make sure that you are using "outside" picking when you do it. When you move from the G to the high E-string you start with a down stroke and end with an upstroke. This will make it very easy not to hit the B-string in between the two. When you go from the high E-string to the G-string you start with and up stroke and end with a down stroke. It's really quite simple and the picking pattern is described in the tabs as well.

Practice the first bar until you've memorized it completely. Then forget about the tabs for a minute and practice it until you can do it with your eyes closed. It's not important to play it fast at this point. Then forget about the first bar and do the same with the second bar. When you can play that without thinking too much about it, put the two together so they become one. When they're both easy to play at a slow pace you're ready to build some speed. Wear your guitar like a jacket until you master this pattern. What ever you do, don't put it down. If it's there in front of you all day, you'll practice every time your hands are available. You eat, you have conversations, you watch TV, you visit the bathroom, and you do all of these things with your guitar strapped to your body. See if you can go through an entire day like this. Make it a fun challenge!




"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it"

Robert Heinlein