SMRO: Picking Exercise

[The Bash]

Here's a little ditty I put together to work my alt. picking and string crossing.

NP-Lynch Mob "Wicked Sensation"

[EricV]

Hey there,

I didnt get to check your exercise until now.
It is REALLY GOOD, thanks for sharing.
I take it that the title is supposed to be an abbriviation for "Steve Morse Rip Off" ? :)
Cuz it definitely is a bit Morse-like. I really like that.
Great exercise for cross-picking, and at the same time, quite melodic.
I take it you´re playing this with strict alternate picking ?

Warm regards
Eric

[The Bash]

Hey Eric, Thanxs :)

Yea it's my little Steve Morse Rip :)

I saw Steve do something like this in a few magazine lessons.
And Yea it's mean to be straight alternate picked.
(I just realised alt. could stand for alternative.)
Anyways, I thouht if I made up something kinna musical out of it
it'd have a duel purpose
1) Definatly work out the picking
2) Synch. Right and Left hand (Cause some of the fingerings/shifts I find kinna ackwards.)
3) Real World musical aplication since there's a lot of circle type movement etc. that may apply directly to chord changes of a real tune.

One thing I really liked about the Morse lesson was he showed some stuff like this and I found it to be great for warming up the lefthand as well because the reaches involved as you move down the neck.

My goals is to oneday actualy be able to play it up to speed :)
I know for you mega pickers the 120 Bpm ain't that scarey
but it's a good goal for me :)

I'm currently just isolating each section as it's own little excersise that I used as part of my picking and try to work each part up then when I'm happy with that I'll start stringing em toghter till
I got the whole tune.

I found working on stuff like this as well as sitting down with Steve Morse Songbook and making excersises out of his licks has really helped the picking hand as you never know what picking situation you might enconter :)
It's like Steve dosen't say, "Hmmm, this lick is really akward" he just kinna blows right though it. Grant it he didn't get that way overnight, but I always found that impressive.

[EricV]

Hey there,

I really like the melodic content of that "etude". Great stuff.
Are you fretting all those notes only when you play them, or do you keep some fingers in place ?
I think it helps the synchronisation more if you fret the notes right when you play them...

And yes, I also use that "find the problem, isolate it, eliminate it"-method. I picked it up from his video.
Of course, many of us do have a method like that, but it helps to have it defined and be aware of it.
That´s another thing I like about Steve... he really spends some thought on stuff, and comes up with great solutions and strategies.

I used to do the same thing: picking out single licks from his songs, to use them as exercises. I put some of those into the Morse-articles, and posted a bunch of them at the forums last year.
There are so many great licks which can help you with different aspects of playing. ( i.e. the whole mid-section of "The Introduction", before the solo... those arps and picking-passages )

Of course, he has an unusual picking-style, but those licks can work with the "floating hand" as well.
( Although I gotta admit that STeve´s way of picking, which I used for a while myself, has certain advantage when it comes to stuff like the "Tumeni Note" licks etc. I was even told that John Petrucci, who´s a big Morse-fan, occasionally uses that one-note-per-string-arps-alternate-picking-style a la Morse, i.e. for a tune called "Glasgow Kiss"... he played that one during the G3 tour ). And it´s just so challenging and fun at the same time to work on those licks.

Some favorites:
"User Friendly" Intro
Chorus of "Morning RUsh Hour"
The whole "The Oz" solo
Clean section of "The Introduction"
"Chorus" of "Cruise Missile" ( those chromatic runs )
fast D-A-triad arps at the end of "Simple Simon"
The main riffs of "Stressfest"
The clean passages of "tumeni notes"... that one is an awesome chopbuilder, and is a great addition to the PG-lick IMHO

Eric

[The Bash]

Hey Eric,
Yea I'm fretting each note as I play it as I found that much toghter :)
When I first saw Steve do something like this he used a
5th string root add9 chord dropping to the root to the 7th and back. I kinna made a liitle intro or midesection for a song outta that idea (as I've not actually finshed the song so I'm not sure just what'll happen :) ) and there I let the notes ring tother cause that's what the part I'm hearing in my head calls for.
I also found that to be a great warm up as I use the pinky in that case for the 9th then move him down to the root and drop finger 2 on the M7 etc. so as I move it down the neck it gets a nice reach going for the LH cause I got the index and ring finger held in place.
But yea, I'm doing the opposite here in this case.
Speaking of Morning Rush Hour don't those bends after that flurry of notes just kill ya I'll often sit and hit the back button on the Cd and just listen to that over and over :) that's definatly one of them goosebump moments.

Is it just me or does Steve often make some rather wide bends with pinky. I know he'll bend with it at times. But there's chromatic run in Punk Sandwhich that ends with a rather tough bend to do with the pinky. I mean I can do it but I can't milk it the way I could with the 3rd or second finger. As fast as he's playing it I can't see him actually doing anything but useing the pinky there. Anyway it's a good workout no matter what finger he's usin :)

[Bizarro]

Very cool tune/exercise. Nice work, and I hope you can record it some day. It's very strong melodically and it would sound great with bass and drums!

It reminds me of Morse picking-wise, but it sounds similar to some Nuno arpeggio sequences in a couple parts.

Eric, I used to play User Friendly many years ago. There's certain parts of that song that seem like they're too fast for mere mortals, and he's picking every note cleanly! I saw him play this live and I didn't hear a single mistake, and I was about 5 feet in front of him so I could hear and see everything he did! Absolutely amazing.

[EricV]

Originally posted by The Bash
Speaking of Morning Rush Hour don't those bends after that flurry of notes just kill ya I'll often sit and hit the back button on the Cd and just listen to that over and over :) that's definatly one of them goosebump moments.

Oh yeah... I love that part... also, that little pedaltone-style overdub in the chorus of that song... amazing...

Originally posted by The Bash
Is it just me or does Steve often make some rather wide bends with pinky. As fast as he's playing it I can't see him actually doing anything but useing the pinky there. Anyway it's a good workout no matter what finger he's usin :)

Yup, he can do really wide bends with his pinkie. Saw him do whole tone and minor third bends on the low strings with his pinkie... I think one of his warmups focusses on doing bends with all fingers separately...
Eric

[The Bash]

Hey Thnxs Bizzaro :)

Yea, hopefully oneday I'll rip off the Ole Eric's Etude/SMRO medley up ta tempo :)
Hmm, maybe I should write an Etudal Suite.
That's a scarey thought.

The Title User Friendly always cracks me up, cause that songs anything but User Friendly :)
But I assume he's referring to a computer as the songs kinna sounds like a computer to me. Don't ask my why :)
Man is amazing though both tech. and melodically.
He can impress ya and make ya cry at the same time.

[The Bash]

Lookout.

Actually That Nuno comment got me thinking. Besides being a cool cooment, cause I really like Nuno, I got to considering that statement cause some of the chord movements remind me a bit of some of the Beatle stuff on the B side of Abbey Road espically You Never Give Me Your Money. And Nuno being a big Beatle Head like me may have came about it the sameway. I mean the actual progession of chords not nessiarly the Arp. itself or how Nuno plays them. But I never considered that until I just listened again and you gotta good point there :)
Sorry, I'm just amazed at the strange ways influnces kinna creep out in sum way shape or form.

[EricV]

Hey Bash,

I´ve been playing "Eric´s Etude" quite a bit recently... hopefully I´ll get to record it in the near future. It´s really fun to play...
Eric

NP: SMB- Coast To Coast

[The Bash]

Hey Eric, very cool :)
I'm lookin forward to hearing it one day when ya finally get the
chance.

[EricV]

"Central Scrutinizer", huh ? Gee, I guess I need to listen to "Joe´s Garage" again... :)

Anyway, have ya checked out www.stevemorse.com lately ?
They have a TAB-section now, and it includes scans from guitar mags. Full songs ( some Purple songs, plus "Highland Wedding", "Native Dance"... ), plus scans from the booklet of the old Hot Licks audio tapes Steve did in the 80s ( some sight-reading required ), and... lessons from a guitar mag.
I think I remember the Guitar World one, has some cool exercises. There also is a scan of the recent Guitar School Morse-feature, and I think that one includes an exercise similar to SMRO...
So, check out the TAB-section, everyone, some really helpful scans in there. The solo of "( Cascades ) I´m Not Your Lover" is a killer, and "Native Dance" is a great song to start if anyone wants to learn a whole song by Steve ( I wrote about that awesome syncopated C-Part in one of my articles... the one with the steeldrum-overdub ), and "Highland Wedding" is simply beautiful and should be fun to learn on acoustic guitar
Eric

[The Bash]

Hey thanxs for reminding me :)
Actually I checked that out myself couple weeks ago and was gonna say something and I couldn't get online :)
And then I forgot all about it.

Anyway I really like the Night Flyer Lessons
I think its page 2 where he shows one his scale methods.
Which is basically staying put in one postion. Or operating on the concept you can and should be able to rip off a full 2 octaves of any 3 mode for one single postion.
Like A Ionian, B Dorian, C# Phrygian all from 6th postion with same set of fingers. This seems obvious but if your not used to making yourself start and stop on a certain note it can be a bit strange at first. That and the fact YOU Gotta use whatever fingers fall on that note so fingers can be strange.
Besides the fact you got 3 notes on some strings 2 and even just one on others make the picking not as user friendly as 3 note per string scales.

BTW. There's a typo in the C# Phygian Mode ther should be no
A# on the second string 11th fret. If I rember right it the acsending pattern that's got the typo.
He's using the key of A Major so ya might wanna check for other typos. I understood what he was doing and didn't really read the music so I haven't checked the other patterns close.

[The Bash]

Like Eric Said there's song tabs as well.
I really like Little Kids. That's a pretty song.
Can I say pretty and still be a hip Rock Star.

And remember the White Zone is for Loading and Unloading only :)

[EricV]

Originally posted by The Bash
I understood what he was doing and didn't really read the music so I haven't checked the other patterns close.

Again, I definitely have to agree... this is a quite important point to me... to pick up the basic idea and use it, building on it. Just trying to understand the concept, instead of learning a 84 bar-etude without even thinking about the concepts involved.
Believe it or not, I do the same thing. When I look at something like those lessons ( When I was in my teens, I used to collect them and work through them a lot ) I´d look at the explanation, take a quick look at the musical example, and then try it out yourself.
Also, it´s a good way to test and work on your fretboard-knowledge. If it says "Here, Steve´s playing an A Major scale, three notes per string, starting in 5th position", and you don´t look at the TAB but try to find the notes yourself, that´s a good exercise.

I think its page 2 where he shows one his scale methods.
I remember reading an old interview where he says that this is part of his warmup-routine ( the interview was from the late 70´s or early 80s I think )... to play through all the modes in one position, two ways.
Staying in one position, going Amaj-BDorian-C# Phrygian-D Lydian etc... No.1
No.2 would be: Play all modes starting on A... A Maj-A DOrian-APhrygian-A Lydian.
This really helps to improve the fretboard knowledge. Some people tend to switch patterns when they wanna go from one mode to the next. Sure, that´s ok. But to be able to play the two concepts above can be very helpful, too
Eric

[EricV]

Two more things that come to mind... after reading the Guitar School lesson...

First of all, I think it´s really cool that the editor points out how much of an influence Steve was on guys like Petrucci ( Petrucci does mention that frequently, too ). Cuz I think a lot of the younger players these days are not yet aware of Steve´s music, or of his influence on some of the "new generation" players.

And No.2... hey you know, I´d like to see an Etudal Suite. :)
And maybe one of these days, you might consider writing an article for ibreathe. I think things like SMRO etc. would be a great thing to base an article on... so...

Eric

NP: The Dixie Dregs- What If...

[The Bash]

Yep, I remember the same interview it took me (I'm Sad to say) a few times sitting down with guitar to dawn on me exactly what he was getting at "The Big Picture". Then I said well DUH.
I was sitting there thinking ok what finger am i suppose to use Steve said I got three choices :)
After the DUH Momenet was like well silly the same one you using in that shape before :)

Anyways I do really love that approach.
I think Steve said he got the idea from one of the Bass Teachers at the U of M. I can't say I'm 100% certain.

[The Bash]

Hey Eric, if You think a articles a good idea then so do I :)
My first thought would be, "Hey I'm no Virtuosso.)
My second would be, "So What." That in itself might give kinna neat twist to the subject of Tech. (in this case) from the standpoint of one who's in the process of beefing there own up.

Besides, I think Tech. is important regaurdless of if you can play 200mphs or not. Everything on does is Tech. I don't care if you wanna play Dream Theater or Creed Techs. still vital to whatever you do.

I also think the idea of taking what you learn like I did with SMRO and actually going about using it (thinking for yourself etc.) is a vital and often overlooked aspect of the learning process.
Maybe it cause I was always into writing that the idea of understanding what one is doing was always far more important to me that exactly what he's doing.

As far as pont one goes I totally agree
I think it's equally cool when Steve calls out guys like Page/Beck/Steve Howe as Major Impacts.

Thnxs for the input :)
I'll gladly take any suggestions and see what I can do :)

[EricV]

I completely agree. You don´t have to be a shredder or virtuoso to write articles. It´s actually quite the opposite.
Because... if you try to write about some basic techniques, you have a very distant point of view since you might not have any problems anymore at all with that technique. Know what I mean ?
Example: If you have been playing for 30 years, and you have to show someone how to fret a basic E Major chord, it might be difficult since it has been so long since you paid attention to the difficulties of that.

So, if you still kinda struggle with something, you can still write about it. You´re way more "inside the topic then", which might make it easier for the reader to understand and identify himself with it.

And you´re also right about technique being involved into the playing regardless of the tempo you´re playing at. Playing slow things needs a lot of technique ( muting, bendings ) too, and that is ignored way too often.

If there is a certain topic you really have worked on, something you really wanna tell people about, write about it !
Or maybe take apart SMRO, write about how you came up with the idea, how you wrote the whole thing, and maybe give some examples of how to use what you get out of it ( cross-picking etc )

You know, strategies, approaches, ideas. That´s often way more interesting and helpful than just a plethora of cool licks.
I pick the topics for my articles by checking out what people ask about at the forums, or I choose based on my experiences with students etc. It´s rather intuition, and I figured out that, for me, that works better than to have a "masterplan", or worrying about a concept or whatever.
Eric

[Bizarro]

Because... if you try to write about some basic techniques, you have a very distant point of view since you might not have any problems anymore at all with that technique. Know what I mean ?

Isn't that the truth! Just one more reason why I gave up teaching guitar! And then mix in how everyone's hands are different (size, shape, flexibility, fat/thin) and it's a real mess.;)

[EricV]

Guys, just wanted to point out one more time what a cool exercise "SMRO" is. Check it out !

Bash, did ya know that Steve uses this kind of stuff ( string skipping with all alternate picking ) in "The Well-Dressed Guitar" ? I heard it was recently transcribed in some guitar-mag... does anyone here have that ? Would ya mind putting up a Powertab of at least the first few bars ? Would be quite interesting...
Eric

[The Bash]

Hey Eric, (Happy B-Day BTW :) )
That's cool, I've heard of the song (I know he does it live with Deep Purple), but never actually heard it. I know it's on DP live at Rotterdam (but I ain't bought that one yet).
Where excatly did that song come from was it on a Complation GP CD, or Promo Cd as a Steve Morse tune first.
I remember hearing about it someplace but can't remember the exact story.

Hopefully hear in the next few weeks I'll get my little article toghter to go along with my Morse/Rip Tribute Etude.
Gee, how's it feel to be enshired next to steve morse in my little etudal Suite :)

Hey If I'm real lucky I'll have a Mp3 of Eric doing his Etude and Steve doing his :)

I always said I wanted to be Frank Zappa when I grow up, so...One of theses days, when I actually do grow up, I'll hire ya as my stunt guitarist :)

[EricV]

Hey Eric, (Happy B-Day BTW )
Thanks a lot :)

That's cool, I've heard of the song (I know he does it live with Deep Purple), but never actually heard it. I know it's on DP live at Rotterdam
He also plays bits and pieces of it in the guitar.com-lesson, and during the interview on his DVD.
It´s a great piece, kinda like "Tumeni Notes, Pt. II"

Hopefully hear in the next few weeks I'll get my little article toghter to go along with my Morse/Rip Tribute Etude.
Cool ! Can´t wait to see that !

I always said I wanted to be Frank Zappa when I grow up, so...One of theses days, when I actually do grow up, I'll hire ya as my stunt guitarist
That would be fun. But do I have to dye my hair blue ?
:)
Eric

[The Bash]

Hey Eric,
The guitar.com thing, ok I remember now. See that a few times and now I know why that tunes names familar :)

In his lesson Steve said he used that kinna thing as a warmup before a gig. If he was in a situation where he could hear himself, he'd make up little melodies doing that kinna thing. So I'd guess that's where The Well Dressed Guitar kinna stemmed from.
I know I took that idea directly from lesson. I really don't rember exactly what he showed during the lesson cause, once again, once I saw the point he was making, I just kinna made up my own thing based on the idea.

Now about your hair, hmmm... :)