Legato Lick # 1

[furiousnewf]

Well, this goes to show that my legato sucks... Here's a lick to help work out your left hand. It uses only two positions but you get to use all your fingers. For me personally, licks like this tend to build up some tension in my forearm, so take it slow and remember to warm up.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=pcTON9qAaD0

[Darkman]

You're not the only one.

Legato strains my forearm bigtime. 3nps legato that is.

I can do 2nps legato with far less strain.

[Sperzel]

Pity that the guitar community, at least from a shred point of view, is so focused on strict alternate picking. It's like legato's only for people that can't pick every note.

I personally love legato, smooth sound and makes certain passages so much easier. Alternate picking is a great technique also of course! But I beg of people not to choose between them.

Cheers

[Revenant]

Economy picking is the best of both worlds. Actually, the articulation is naturally distributed in a pleasing way - sweeps are smooth, while runs with more than 3 notes per string sound a bit more prominent(stronger attack).

Well, I am a fusion player so I guess its natural for me to opt for the most logical and versatile application instead of learning a dozen techniques. When I play, I don't think "Jeez, now I've played alternate picking for a while, gotta throw in some tapping to spice it up". Its either strictly economy or legato. That's all the techniques you could ever want really. it enables you to play almost anything as long as your hands could stretch. Besides, licks requiring tapping are for making your guitar ejaculate, not produce music. So the technique is inferior to me really.

I know this was one hell of a trip to off-topic land, but since I am an advocate of logical no-nonsense techniques and eliminating time waster techniques, I thought I'd share my two cents.

[Sperzel]

Well, I don't like that you bash so much on tapping. Sure, it's one of the most over-used techniques for playing fast stuff in the history of guitar, to state the obvious. But it can also be used in ways to create music that actually sounds really nice.

I think a player should never disregard any technique or knowledge within music, it's simply a matter if you choose to use it or not.

[furiousnewf]

Bummer, I was gonna do a tapping lick next! :P

[curiousgeorge]

Economy picking is the best of both worlds. Actually, the articulation is naturally distributed in a pleasing way - sweeps are smooth, while runs with more than 3 notes per string sound a bit more prominent(stronger attack).

Well, I am a fusion player so I guess its natural for me to opt for the most logical and versatile application instead of learning a dozen techniques. When I play, I don't think "Jeez, now I've played alternate picking for a while, gotta throw in some tapping to spice it up". Its either strictly economy or legato. That's all the techniques you could ever want really. it enables you to play almost anything as long as your hands could stretch. Besides, licks requiring tapping are for making your guitar ejaculate, not produce music. So the technique is inferior to me really.

I know this was one hell of a trip to off-topic land, but since I am an advocate of logical no-nonsense techniques and eliminating time waster techniques, I thought I'd share my two cents.

:rolleyes: If you don't accept all techniques as equal as a guitar player, then you really don't get it...Its about making music, not judging a piece of music and/or the player by the techniques they use. Ridiculous, and ultimately, pointless...Not everyone has the same opinion on tone as you do, nor should they...Do you honestly think that the solos and complex alterntate picked passages of Zakk Wylde, Steve Morse etc.. would have a better tone if they were economy or sweep picked? Of course not! Their tone is what they are known for, they have done just fine with what they are doing, so they obviously have no need to change their technique...Also, to say that tapping is used to make your guitar "ejaculate", and that it is an inferior technique to you, is rather pompous, juvenile, and ignorant. Please respect the forum members here (many of whom are minors, I'm sure) and use appropriate language, and try and express your opinion in a constructive way, rather than promoting the "my way or the highway" approach. Here are some videos of tapping (and several other techniques) which show that it can be used very tastefully and melodically:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwm-vxGgFf4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BvkKzkl7YY

Try economy picking this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsnFvEQYJPU

Try and explain how the tapping part doesn't serve the song here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yc8xyL0Xxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD0RFQF_RqA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-pk4osQ5to&feature=related

[Revenant]

I was not trying to tell anyone which techniques to use and which to disregard. I just mentioned the techniques that suit my tastes in music, and in my case, i don't have the need to do "tapping".
Yeah, I might have been a bit direct and if it seemed like i tried to state something as being a general rule or anything, that was not what I intended.

My experience though, is that the guitar is such a versatile instrument and you never get fully educated. Therefore, I think its best to use the time I practise techniques that opt for a more versatile application.
I used to listen to Joe Satriani and a bunch of other tappers back in the day, but after a while I got tired of it because it seems to me that everywhere tapping comes in, its used as a substitute for a good melodic development. Again, this is only my personal opinion and taste in music.
I have a friend who is a dedicated Steve Vai fan. Now, I think Steve Vai is the prime example of a true innovator on the guitar - no one can make it sing like he can. But, whenver he goes into the tapping flurries, I think "wank,wank,wank" and not "that was a pleasing melody". Its all just a bunch of notes thrown together real fast. But again, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.

The reason why I advocate economy picking is that its basically a combination of alternate picking and sweep picking, and this allows you to reach quite wide intervals - you could easily reach a 6th from one string to anohter if you have developed the skill. In my case, I used to work on tapping way back when I was a "shredder" (which I am a bit embarrased to admit), but I never found a good use for it other than using as a party trick whenver my friends talked me into showing off.

I realize that some people have a taste in music that allows tapping to function as a musical device. I see nothing wrong in that, people like different music. But, my advice to musicians is that it should not be your main priority on the practise schedule. I have seen way to many music shop kids who pull off their favourite tapping licks but don't know how to play an open C chord.