![]() |
|||||||||
![]() |
Once you've mastered basic alternate picking, try your hand at a technique called chicken picking to spice up your lead rhythm playing...
Alternate picking simply involves using up and down picking strokes alternately. Not as easy as it sounds at first, so this lesson should help you gain accuracy, speed and confidence in these initial stages. See also: Alternate
Picking Exercises Some effective ways to use double stops - a lead technique involving two strings at a time. String skipping is pretty self explanatory. The idea is to "skip" over strings in your soloing phrases to create less linear patterns with wider intervals. This lesson provides the basics and some exercises to get your fingers physically used to these movements. Scale runs are about using alternate picking to negotiate linear and staggered scale patterns at moderate to quick tempos. This series will take you right from the basics to more complex run patterns. Great exercises to improve your picking technique. String bending really does liven up boring, flat solos, and every lead guitarist should be confident with using bends. Learn to bend with ease and precision with this two part series with video. Part 1 introduces the physical basics, before we move on to some staple bending techniques in part 2. Part 1: Bending
Basics Hammer ons and pull offs Hammer ons and pull offs are legato (non-pick) techniques. It's basically just another interesting texture to add to your soloing, just like string bending, vibratos etc. In these lessons I'll introduce the basic hammer on and pull off techniques, provide exercises to get all those fingers involved and finally look at how they work together. Part 1: Hammer Ons Explores Octaves and how to incorporate them into your playing. If you've just learned your scales, they are a great way to branch out from the "practicing scales" sound to something more melodic. Octaves are also helpful to memorizing the fretboard. Not to be confused with
"bottle-neck" sliding used in country music, this is a finger
technique which makes more use of single string lead guitar phrases.
Using slides allows you to glide over more of the fretboard and bridge
the gaps between the fixed scale shapes you learn over time. An
important guitar technique to learn - come inside! Get to grips with the physical side of this technique and your knowledge of scales will integrate naturally. If you follow both lessons below and take your time mastering various tapping rhythms and the physical side of it, it's actually not as difficult as it sounds! Part 1: The
Basics
< Return to Guitar Lessons Home
|
||||||||