I can't get better

[JoliKoV]

seems as though my progression has ceased in terms of guitar

or maybe i need to work on something different playing more clearly for instance (my right middle and ring fingers hit the strings often, and when i do pull off's say
3-2-0 on G, the B will ring when i pull off the G2)

also i would i atempt whammy bar excercises? (i'm trying to learn Shortest Straw metallica)

some of the other Hammett solos (i.e. Creeping Death) he plays fast as hell tremolo picking, but much finger position transitioning (horizontal on the fretborad) how would i approach practicing solos like these

(if not familiar of Hammett, think Yngwie malmsteen)

one last thing down palm muted picking (i'm just a tad slow): if i play 3-2-5-2-3 (on E) it's fine but when i try 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 the rhythm becomes sloppy

thank you lots for any replies! P.S. i don't expect on person to answer all these lol i'm not crazy... just whatever you guys can help me out on

[Skyport]

- Take a rest for a week or 2
- Start practicing again, use a metronome at relatively slow to moderate speeds. Instead of trying to reach your maximum limit, linger around the tempo where you feel comfortable and build endurance (like playing the same passage 4-5 times) instead of trying to speed it up and managing to play it cleanly just once.
- Obtain an instructional book and/or DVD like 'Speed Mechanics' by Stetina or 'Speed Kills' (or is it 'Speed Lives' now?) by Michael Angelo. There are also great exercises right here on this site. Great for improving speed and they give you one hell of a workout. Once again, concentrate more on endurance, repeating the passage many times at a comfortable tempo rather than just being able to play it cleanly one or twice at a fast tempo. Of course, after you've managed to play it perfectly about 6-8 times in a row without ANY mistakes whatsoever, you might wanna try to push up the tempo and see what happens when you let it rip.

Go through this process for about 6-9 weeks or so, then take another break and start over again. Trust me, it works.

[joeyd929]

seems as though my progression has ceased in terms of guitar

or maybe i need to work on something different playing more clearly for instance (my right middle and ring fingers hit the strings often, and when i do pull off's say
3-2-0 on G, the B will ring when i pull off the G2)

also i would i atempt whammy bar excercises? (i'm trying to learn Shortest Straw metallica)

some of the other Hammett solos (i.e. Creeping Death) he plays fast as hell tremolo picking, but much finger position transitioning (horizontal on the fretborad) how would i approach practicing solos like these

(if not familiar of Hammett, think Yngwie malmsteen)

one last thing down palm muted picking (i'm just a tad slow): if i play 3-2-5-2-3 (on E) it's fine but when i try 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 the rhythm becomes sloppy

thank you lots for any replies! P.S. i don't expect on person to answer all these lol i'm not crazy... just whatever you guys can help me out on

Hi. I have some problems with my hands kind of like what you have. My third finger does not bend or curve as well as my other fingers so I use it flat and then I have more control over my 4th finger.

I battle with tendonitis so if I play too much it just makes it harder to play. I agree with the last post. Sometimes the best thing to do is take a few days off and let the hands rest.

AS far as horizontal motion try playing exercises on one string and move around in 5ths or 4ths. This will force you to move up and down. One thing many guitarists lack is the ability to play fast in a horizontal direction..
Good luck.

[joeyd929]

seems as though my progression has ceased in terms of guitar

or maybe i need to work on something different playing more clearly for instance (my right middle and ring fingers hit the strings often, and when i do pull off's say
3-2-0 on G, the B will ring when i pull off the G2)

also i would i atempt whammy bar excercises? (i'm trying to learn Shortest Straw metallica)

some of the other Hammett solos (i.e. Creeping Death) he plays fast as hell tremolo picking, but much finger position transitioning (horizontal on the fretborad) how would i approach practicing solos like these

(if not familiar of Hammett, think Yngwie malmsteen)

one last thing down palm muted picking (i'm just a tad slow): if i play 3-2-5-2-3 (on E) it's fine but when i try 0-0-0-0-0-0-0 the rhythm becomes sloppy

thank you lots for any replies! P.S. i don't expect on person to answer all these lol i'm not crazy... just whatever you guys can help me out on

Hi. Try this exercise that I posted at guitar dreams.com, it helps with horizontal motion. Playing horizontal has to become part of your daily routine. Click this link to check out this simple exercise..

http://www.guitar-dreams.com/memberlessons+index-req-view_fulllesson-lessonid-95-exid-84.html

[Silhouette]

Hi! you might also want to pay some atteneion to the distance your pick travels from the string when fast AP'ing. Try to work on an economical right hand. It gave me better speed clearity and control. (as well as not hitting strings accidentialy)

PS- I liked Skyports advice...

[Padawan]

Hi! you might also want to pay some atteneion to the distance your pick travels from the string when fast AP'ing

That's very important! Practise to hit the strings as slightly as possible.

[EricV]

Well, I don´t know if trying to hit as slightly as possible is the right approach, as when you listen to PG for example, he has a loud attack even when picking very fast. I´d recommend to work on minimizing the motion by working on sticking as close to the string as possible.
Sven / Phantom once posted an exercise that I was taught at the MI, too, or at least a similar one:
Pick a certain string with a downstroke, and right after the pick has generated the note, move the pick upwards again and rest it onto the string from the other side ( as if you were doing an upstroke ). Do this as quickly as possible, without actuallly doing an upstroke.
You can do it the other way around too, starting with an upstroke. That way, you can pick rather loud, but you keep close to the string. If you do this on a regular base, you might be able to minimize the motion quite a bit. Take little breaks in between the notes, and later keep doing it over and over, speeding it up a bit
Hope I was explain it clearly enough
Eric

[Padawan]

With slightly I mean to pick only with the tip of the pick, so that you can't get hooked up at the string. It gives you control over your picking, and then when you have control you can try to pick hard :)
Sven gave me this exercise and I think it helped me, so I thought one might give it a try.

Edit: I just understood what silhouette wanted to say and sven gave me that exercise, too. But I think minimizing the motion just happens when you practise alot. And if there's not enough motion the problem will be that you have a constant noise from the pick.