Steve vai - Eugene trick bag

[satch_master]

Am E7
-----------------8-12h8--------------|------------------7---------------|
--------------10--------10-----------|----------------9---9-------------|
----------5-9--------------9-5-------|------------7-9-------9-7---------|
--------7----------------------7-----|--------6-9---------------9-6-----|
------7--------------------------5---|----5-7-----------------------7-5-|
--5-8------------------------------8-|--7-------------------------------|


A7 Dm
------------------5---------------|------------------10-13h10----------------|
--------------5-8---8-5-----------|---------------10----------10-------------|
------------6-----------6---------|----------7-10----------------10-7--------|
--------5h7---------------7-5-----|--------7--------------------------7------|
------7-----------------------7---|----5-8-----------------------------------|
--5h9---------------------------9-|--5----------------------------------10h8-|


G#dim Am
----------------------7----------------|-----------------------5---8-5-12-8-|
--------------------9---9--------------|-------------------5-----5----------|
-----------------10-------10-7---------|---------------5-----5--------------|
------------9-12---------------9-6-----|-----------7-----7------------------|
-------8h11------------------------8---|-----7-------7----------------------|
--7-10-------------------------------7-|--5-----8---------------------------|


OK heres my question, to keep it sweep picking would u have to hammer on( on the way up) and pull off( on the way down) when there are 2 NOTES on a string. I think thats the easiet and most correct way to play it because if u try alternate picking it it wornt work. how do you play it?
This song is like real hard and this bit just gives me a run for my money, no pun intended. If only i could sweep pick as fast as richie kotzen .:(

[SkinnyDevil]

You can either employ hammers (while ascending) and pull-offs (while descending), or you can use economy picking. In the first arp of the your example, try D-U-D-D-D-U-D-D-U (pull off to the next note and continue).

I'm sure there are folks here with economy technique far superior to mine - perhaps they can chime in, too.

[satch_master]

yeah to play it up to speed i think u really got to sweep it and hammeron and puloff where needed to avoid alternatie picking it which funcking slows u down heaps. it just takes a while to get used to it and to become natural since unlike traditional sweeps there are two notes on some of the strings.

[tonycash]

Steve Vai actually plays it with alternate picking when he does it. I also play those arpeggios with alternate picking but i started out at first learning it with sweep picking. If you learn to play it with alternate picking it will sound alot cleaner and it will also increase your playing speed and technique alot. Sweep picking to me seems best used on a 4 string arpeggio.

[oRg]

I also use alternate picking. I think this song is a good precursor for sweep picking though becuz I can see how it borderlines between AP and sweeping. I used to sweep it but I found the sweeping motion to be too discontinuous so I decided to switch to AP. I agree sweeping is best used for 4 string arps.

[Lowthorpe]

When you say you AP, do you mean the parts of the arpeggios where there are 2 notes per string, or the whole arpeggio? Alternate picking a 5/6 string arpeggio that fast, would be... :eek:

Nick

[tonycash]

I alternate pick the whole thing. It sounds way better than sweeping to me atleast.

[noiz anomaly]

alternate pick the whole thing...

[Yux]

alternate pick the whole thing...don't be a *****
?????

As far as I know you may really use alternate pickig and some hammer on/pull off for this phrase.
I listened Vai's CD and to me it does not sound like he's sweeping (and he's not using maximum gain, so he can really control the dynamics). We all really know that fast AP arpeggios are hard to execute but that's what practice is for...
By the way, if you check Steve Morse's stuff you may find that AP arpeggios may sound really strong and add a really strong feel.

Happy X-mas

[oRg]

I alternate pick the whole thing. It may be a waste of excess energy in hand motion but it feels more natural and right to me to play it that way.