Shredding Technique

[DarkReality]

Hey guys! Just wanted to know how many of you are able to shred and what your practice routine is and what techniques you're especially fond of?

I've been playing guitar for 4 years and haven't really gotten anywhere. Recently I have a new found love for Jazz and so I decided to start from square one with my guitar playing. My ultimate goal as a guitarist is to be able to play some Jazz/Fusion stuff similar to Al Di Meola and even possibly John Petrucci. I discovered some tips and practice methods to build, speed, dexterity, and accuracy. And I've been going at it for a couple of weeks now but I feel like I may be doing something wrong. Is it wrong to have your hand anchored on the pickguard as you pick? Elaborate guys.

[Chad_Rushing]

Kind of depends. I usually have my pinky resting on my pickguard on slower passages, but when things get hairy, you might just want to keep your hand kind of floating above the strings. Alot of it really depends on what kind of attack you're going for. For any kind of strumming, you obviously need to let your hand move, but for, say, a quick passage on your high E string, resting your hand should be fine. It's really all about what keeps your hands comfortable and your playing clean. If resting on the pickguard works for you, then do it. If it doesn't, then don't.

Don't know that that helps, but good luck with your practice. Jazz is wonderful!

[DarkReality]

Awesome! This is something I've always wondered about it. I guess it's all about comfort then. I'll record myself shredding soon enough for you all to hear if anything.

[garageband]

Scales and arpeggios. Patterns descending. Patterens ascending. Thirds. Fourths. Chromatics. Whole tone (nice for augmented chords). If you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast. Think about the note you'll play as far before you play it as you can: while you are playing others.

Don't worry about the pinky. You've got other fingers to worry about. DO NOT WRAP YOUR LEFT THUMB. You're not Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix.

[Chad_Rushing]

I used to have that horrid habit... I'm self-taught, but luckily I've self-taught myself some good habits... Like wiping down my babies after I play them... And washing my hands... At least when I remember to, anyway, lol. Fret cheese... ugh...

[Cailyn]

Originally Posted by garageband

Scales and arpeggios. Patterns descending. Patterens ascending. Thirds. Fourths. Chromatics. Whole tone (nice for augmented chords). If you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast. Think about the note you'll play as far before you play it as you can: while you are playing others.

Don't worry about the pinky. You've got other fingers to worry about. DO NOT WRAP YOUR LEFT THUMB. You're not Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix.

Right in the first paragraph. I do all those, for at least an hour a day if I can.

Sorry but you're wrong in the second. There is no hard and fast rule about the thumb and creative players can dodge both ways. For a lot of shredding, I keep my thumb on the back of the neck, but that can compromise your bending control and vibrato, so I freely move my thumb up and over to add different sounds to my repertoire.

Rule #1 of guitar playing: there are no rules.

As for the picking issue, I let my hand float above the strings on fast passages. Doing so improved my speed greatly.

[garageband]

Rule #1 of guitar playing: there are no rules.

Not really.

Those were suggestions to someone who asked for assistance. I can't think anything more useless than thread posts that assert that there are no rules. It comes up in mixing, miking, mastering. playing and equipment discussions of all manner. There are pedagogical principles that govern every technical artistic endeavor and guitar playing (and singing, for that matter) is not somehow magically different.

[Cailyn]

Originally Posted by garageband

Not really.

Those were suggestions to someone who asked for assistance. I can't think anything more useless than thread posts that assert that there are no rules. It comes up in mixing, miking, mastering. playing and equipment discussions of all manner. There are pedagogical principles that govern every technical artistic endeavor and guitar playing (and singing, for that matter) is not somehow magically different.

In that case, declaring "DO NOT WRAP YOUR LEFT THUMB" is no more helpful than declaring there are no rules. Do you think many of the great players we respect today worried about a certain set of rules? I think not. Many made their names by ignoring drivel like "DO NOT WRAP YOUR LEFT THUMB". Especially followed by "You're not Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix".

[garageband]

There are always do's and don'ts.

Don't wrap your thunb. It tightens up your hand and kills speed and flexability. How many classical guitarists (whose literature requires the kind of technical proficiency he's looking for) wrap their thumb?
Pick as lightly and infrequently as possible. Incorporate as many hammer-ons and pull-offs as you can.
Don't practice your technique with all the distortion/delay/reverb/phasing/flanging/compression you'd normally use.
Do work out on a guitar with a longer scale (full-sized Fender)
Do sit up straight. Stand up if you can manange it.
Don't stare at your hands. Learn the fingerboard - you know, like typists do.
Do TUNE YOUR GUITAR.
Do learn to read music.
Don't use worn out strings.
Do listen to players you admire and figure out what they're doing and why.
Don't leave the seat up.
Do floss.
Don't be a solo hog.
Do tip the wait staff.

[Cailyn]

Originally Posted by garageband

There are always do's and don'ts.
Do TUNE YOUR GUITAR.
Do learn to read music.
Don't use worn out strings.
Do listen to players you admire and figure out what they're doing and why.
Do work out on a guitar with a longer scale (full-sized Fender))(or PRS)
Don't leave the seat up.
Do floss.
Don't be a solo hog.
Do tip the wait staff.

I'll give you these without argument.

Originally Posted by garageband

Don't practice your technique with all the distortion/delay/reverb/phasing/flanging/compression you'd normally use.
Do sit up straight. Stand up if you can manange it.
Don't stare at your hands. Learn the fingerboard - you know, like typists do.

Desirable but very optional.

Originally Posted by garageband

Don't wrap your thumb. It tightens up your hand and kills speed and flexability. How many classical guitarists (whose literature requires the kind of technical proficiency he's looking for) wrap their thumb?

I won't argue that keeping the thumb behind the neck MOST of the time is a good idea and definitely helps with speed and flexibility, BUT, wrapping the thumb gives you a different control of the strings that is not possible with behind the neck approach. My point is, don't limited yourself in style and technique. I don't care what classical players do. Blues players virtually all wrap their thumbs and if you think you have nothing to learn from the blues school as a shredder, I think you're mistaken. Again I object to the ALL CAPS: DON'T WRAP YOUR THUMB. Hard and fast rules are BAD. (with the exception of flossing, leaving the seat up, and tipping the wait staff )

Originally Posted by garageband

Pick as lightly and infrequently as possible. Incorporate as many hammer-ons and pull-offs as you can.

I take exception here as well. This is good some of the time. Sometimes picking most of the notes with a fluttering technique gives a solo more definition.

Peace.