November 30, 2009
Multi String Gilbert Mayhem
Scroll down to see the tabsThis lick is inspired heavily by one of Paul Gilbert's favorite speed picking licks. It's the old four-notes-up-and-down-much-harder-than-you-think-lick that I've taken across the strings while creating an uneven 3/8 feeling. It's an excellent alternate picking exercise since you get to perform the string shift with both and upstroke and a down stroke. Practice playing the first two bars over and over again before you move on to the third. And be patient with yourself! This lick can be a tough nut to crack, but everyone can do it. It's not a matter of ability or intelligence, only focus and persistence works here.
"Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time"Marabel Morgan
Posted by The Wizard. Posted In : Amazing Licks
October 25, 2009
Diminished String Skipping Legato Lick
Scroll down to see tabsThe 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 ... Continue reading...
Posted by The Wizard. Posted In : Amazing Licks
October 18, 2009
The Reversed Malmsteen Variation
Scroll down to see the tabsIn this lick, I use position shifting and a lick from one of the previous articles, to create a third lick. Combining licks in this way is a great way to develop the ability to improvise at very high levels of speed. The more you can combine what you know, the more choices you have.As an exercise, try to come up with at least one new way of using these ideas used in today's lick. See if you can play the whole thing backwards. Play the... Continue reading...
Posted by The Wizard. Posted In : Amazing Licks
October 10, 2009
One String Flying Triplets
Scroll down to see the tabsPlaying this lick always makes me smile. It's an insane way to utilize position shifting to create a one string sequence that looks and sounds this frantic. But it's also an incredible left hand exercise (If you're a right handed person) Think about it: In order to play any 3 notes per string scale pattern from string to string, you have to change fingering to match the notes on each of the six strings you play. You do the same thing here, ... Continue reading...
Posted by The Wizard. Posted In : Amazing Licks
October 4, 2009
The Reversed Malmsteen SequenceI've decided to create a category with nothing but licks in it. This allows me to offer you some value even when I haven't got much time on my hands. This is a sequence I came up with by reversing a well known Yngwie lick. I haven't included the original lick in this video but if you wonder what it is just reverse today's sequence. It feels extremely awkward to play these notes in the beginning. It's almost like there's something wrong with the lick! But be pers... Continue reading...
Posted by The Wizard. Posted In : Amazing Licks
September 24, 2009
Confusing Names And Symbols
Scroll down to see tablatureLet's keep the riff raff out
So we know what to call the white keys on the piano. But what about the black ones in between? Well they actually have two names depending on where you're coming from. "There's no reason to keep it simple" the monks said "The more complicated we make it, the easier it is for us to keep the riff raff out." Let's humor these guys from the past and see what they came up with.The note in between the C and the D is ... Continue reading...
Posted by The Wizard. Posted In : Easy Music Theory
