I'm an attorney and spend all my working time on analytical and critical thinking. I've been doing in for close to 30 years and am very good at it. I also play guitar at an intermediate level and spend a lot of time practicing and playing. And I can say this: without question Claus Levin is the smartest, most thoughtful instructor anywhere - period. There are a lot of very talented teachers, but no one close to having with a better understanding of the student mind and how to teach and learn things - no one. If there was a Pulitzer for teaching, Claus Levin would win it every year. Knowing how to play does not make you a good teacher - a good teacher is ... well... like "Claus Levin." I've bought some of his materials over the years and should buy more. He's simply the best. I'm convinced if you follow him, you will progress at 30-50% over traditional methods. He doesn't get the credit he should - so I'm taking the time to give him some, in a small way.
True, but his style of presentation could be improved. A lot of it seems to be difficult to digest. More effort could be brought in to simplify the message without removing essential details.
he's ok, but too much talking and illustrating confused me. If you want to master picking, you need to practice 2 things. Alternate and economy together. He should've just dove right in to that.
As someone who's been playing for forty years, fifteen or so of which professionally, I have to say that this is a thoughtful and wonderfully clear video. I learned by myself in an era when there was SO LITTLE information around compared to today, and most of the interesting techniques had yet to be applied. I was lousy at picking and immensely comforted by reading an interview with Frank Zappa in about 1975 in which he said he mostly used slurs and hammers/pull-offs... "Alternating picking's great if you want to sound like a machine-gun." I gradually learned a variety of techniques which got me through most situations, but one day I had to accompany a guy who was a singer/guitarist, an American who grew up in the Southern alternate picking tradition. He blew me away, not least with a superclean hi-octane version of Flight of the Bumblebee, and I wondered at his picking skills, though at the time I was getting somewhere with the Gambale thing, so I thought I'd keep going with that. Now CZcams is chock-a-block with STUFF of entirely variable quality, and this definitely comes in at the top end. Great work.
Excellent lesson! This opened really my eyes on how to focus at the weakest spots at my playing. Thank you very much for pinning this aspect of practising!
Spot on. I recommend "the punisher" exercise for anyone looking to improve all aspects of alternate picking. Ben Eller has a very good video about it called "Your alternate picking sucks!". He has basically just adapted the standard 1234 progression across the strings, but to include inside and outside string skipping. Really exposed a few massive weaknesses in my playing, and explained why I struggle with certain licks and runs!
That was actually good lesson he's 100% correct to many people are looking into these Pick Slanting videos which in my opinion is misleading everyones hands are differently shaped and hold the pick differently. This actually isolates the problem instead of creating more problems excellent video Claus.
Dan Benkert The rules of pick slanting apply regardless of hand shape or method of holding the pick. In actual fact this video is describing, albeit not very well, the process of analysing what kind of pick slant is required for each lick. Knowledge of the pick slanting theory makes this kind of analysis a bit of a waste of time. In fact it's just the old fashioned way we've been doing for years. I don't mean to be rude here mate but I have to say that if you think pick slanting theory is creating more problems then you haven't quite grasped it yet. It's harder to see what this guy is doing as he starts with a very neutral, Steve Morse type pick angle but when he gets up to speed you can clearly see he's 2 way pick slanting. He even changes some of his picking patterns when he's up to speed. Do yourself a favour & have another look at Troy Gradys' stuff.
Excellent point Dan. I've been following these pickslanting videos by Troy Grady for months now and it's just mind masturbation to describe muscle memory and trying to build a theory out of that. The current video and all the other ones relating to alternate picking put in the tube by this teacher are far more useful and didactic. He's the leader now 😊
Raif Mokretar-Karroubi I hear you bro I been playing for a long time and I took about a year and did nothing but alternate picking just really focused on accuracy and speed. Pick Slanting is something they may occur naturally or may not at all. I hold the pick very tight with 3 fingers and there absolutely no pick slanting at all.
vubear I beg to differ, I hold the pick with 3 fingers I have always played like that I think that developed from playing thrash metal in the 80s. So when I speed pick run scales do sweeping arpeggios whether down or up my pick is constantly 90degrees to the guitar body. So for me pick slanting doesn't apply. For pick slanting to take place you have to be holding the pick loosely.
+Dan Benkert Strangely enough, I hold the pick exactly the same way :) :) :) three fingers perfectly perpendicular to the table with no slanting (when playing fast); however, I often play with an angle towards the strings (the Paul Gilbert way but not as sharp) and some contact with the flesh when I want to mute, to pinch harmonics or to give some sort of feel to the tone :)
A powerful tip, to 'work on the hard part'. It took a lazy day today to have that bounce around in my head a little. Ive incorporated some solid information and already put it into practice today, thank you.
Great video Clause. I have just started playing left handed after playing right for 12 years.I mainly play bass finger style and have always struggled with a plec. Your video really helped :)
I recently read about a study that described a group of piano players that were given an exercise involving a difficult piece of music and there were rules about how much time they could practice and focus before coming back the next day to play it. The people who played the best had done just what this video describes. They instantly identified a problem area and tried to approach with a technique relative to their playing, whether that was playing very slow, or doing it over and over etc. Isolate the problem, analyze it and wisely get after it. This video demonstrates that wonderfully.
The concepts are important- we tend to play the same exercises- may be the ones we are already good at- and not building new skills. I appreciate your humor and approach- I follow mentally even if my hands don't always keep up! Thanks!
I have myself had the same thought as Claus, but could never express it as eloquently as him. Not even internally, so thank you for a very enlightening video!
Good video and thanks for the advice. I've actually been working on rapid alternate picking and what I've been using as an excercise is (if anyone knows the song) Vermillion by Slipknot - in particular the notes that are played rapidly over the chorus chords. They're played on the G B and high E strings so it covers a lot of what this video suggests, but the advice Claus gave will definitely help me tighten up and speed up my playing.
Excellent approach! I identified my alternate picking weaknesses in 2 minutes (of which I was not aware) and improved my speed in two days with the exercises. Can't wait to practice.
@@alan4sure, great question! My speed has improved significantly. My max used to be 8th notes over 210bpm comfortably. Now, I would say 8th notes over 260bpm comfortably. However, certain shapes and patterns I can play 8th notes cleanly at 320bpm and 16th note triplets at 200bpm. I still have string crossing weaknesses, mostly outside to outside and I’m still trying to make it all sound musical. Countless hours with a metronome is paying off… but there is no shortcut and constant practice is required to maintain and or improve.
Really great logic, I appreciate this point of view pertaining to practice exercises! The whole "10th fret... 12th fret.. 10th fret.. 9th fret..." that was a little slow for me personally when it comes to having a teacher, but really good information, you can tell that you really want to help others play guitar better, not just make money and fame releasing "instructional videos" of mindless shredding like yngwie does lol
Hi Claus. Love your approach to guitar tuition. Wondering if you could point me to a link re the breakdown of the 7 individual picking skills you mention here. Cant seem to locate a video or info on them. Thanks again.
So isolating is a good thing? I isolated the weak parts and practiced this way right since I started playing. I thought I was "cheating by isolating". But now I know it's a good thing. :)
There are so many opinions about where to position the right hand palm. Some say move it diagonally so that the pick is always at the same angle. I see you keep it static which seems the easiest with regard to actual tremolo picking. Is it OK to pick between sound hole an bridge, and not directly over sound hole on acoustic guitar?
John Austin where you pick, for me, is what gives you a range in tone. Pick more towards the bridge and it'll sound lighter; with a bit more of a 'twang' but move up toward the neck and pick there, you'll have another tone. Strumming on the neck itself is a popular technique used to create a bit of variety in tone, but I feel it's what is appropriate for you at the time. Within reason, to ask if it's OK to do this and that, you're restricting yourself on playing out what you hear in your head or feel in your heart. Don't be afraid to let go of the rigid tutorials, lessons or scripts you may have come across and allow a little practice time where you can amalgamate your knowledge in to an improvised piece that only you can hear and feel from inside. Rather than looking at the success in guitar playing as having a particular set of skills, see it from the viewpoint that the success of it is in the journey; you'll never feel like you've reached the destination and keep on striving. All the best!
John Austin I digressed, my apologies. For tremolo/speed picking, I've only ever found it simpler by keeping my hand, as you say, more static by using the bridge as a resting place for the palm. This prevents the fatiguing movement of using the wrist at speed and especially the arm when picking faster. I would say you're right in your placement of picking (between the hole and bridge) as it is more comfortable when you're rooted at the palm on the bridge as you pick. Moving further up, above the hole or more toward the neck, it's more comfortable, for me, to 'hover' above the strings and almost 'shake/wobble' at the wrist. It's more of a feeling to be felt than a description to be read, I hope it somewhat helps. I'm sure you're on that road now anyway :)
It's strange, you can play at lightning speed, but you still have 'crazy pinkie'. I've been told repeatedly to keep all of my left hand fingers as close to the fret board as possible and yet there are some pretty great players out there that don't. I guess there's hope for me yet!
Mark Bader I had that drummed into my head, too, though, the more I played the more I realised that I was forcing an uncomfortable playing style. Like driving, you're taught to drive at '10 to 2' on the wheel but few will carry that forward once they find their comfort zone. Also, you're told not to 'grab' the guitar but instead to hold your thumb behind the middle finger on the fret board and play from there. Many know that the 'thumb over the top' style that many have adopted breaks those 'rules' of traditional, classical styles but it's how they are comfortable playing, say, a barre chord. 13 years on and I enjoy playing freely over being compromised by clashing techniques that millions of players adopt themselves but try to preach as it being THE definitive technique. Once you're comfortable, it'll fall in to place as you're learning. Happy playing! :)
always aim to play with least tension as possible. If least tension = "crazy pinkie", then play with crazy pinkie. Keeping each finger close to the fretboard is a good starting point, but if that requires some deliberate tension of not raising the fingers then it can become negative instead of positive
I ask and am never answered. Where is The Claus Levin Band? Where is music that he creates, plays live, etc. It is said that Claus reads every comment, but I no longer believe this is true.
Probably the best guitar lesson you could ever show someone. I will add that when I dedicated my guitar playing to Jesus, my playing increased tremendously. A person would ask how? He's God. no one can explain how he helps the brain or does miracles, a Christian only testifies "I was blind and now I see". He himself doesn't know how. I was average and then He set my playing on a higher level. What could be better than playing music and watching people be healed of cancer or delivered from a drug addiction in the middle of a song? Sing to Jesus and watch what He does!
I appreciate that you want to do this and it's helpful, but to be honest 90% of this video is a bunch of talking that I'm not even sure what the point of which is....
Have you ever heard of something called "picking planes"? The picking plane is a technique where your direct your pick down/in - up/out direction (can also work down/out - up/in direction like for the above picking pattern. This is a great technique that helps fix the problem of having to be so careful of hitting the adjacent strings and cross them faster. It is really handy for picking two-notes per string scales such as the pentatonic scales. When using the down/in - up/out technique you can use the higher string as a resting point that keeps you pick from traveling to far and not have to use any hand tension to brake, control or stop your had to keep it from traveling to far. You get this consistent stopping point on the down/in stroke. On the up/out stroke your pick if continued far enough, will go over the top of the lower strings. Then to change to the lower string you just drop the pick in towards the body of the guitar to a new picking plane. This technique doesn't cover every string crossing situation. In order to not have to keep switching wrist angles to switch from down/in to down/out I worked out a system of.... Combining a few different picking plane techniques. Index finger/thumb rotation: It's really hard to explain the kind of rotations I'm talking about, but I'm going to try. What I call the "finger rotation" motion is where the index finger (along with the thumb tip/pad because it's holding the pick) is pivoted from the main knuckle joint. The direction of motion is for the index finger to move towards your palm. This motion moves the pick in an UP/IN and DOWN/OUT direction (for crossing strings). It's very similar to a scratching motion. To get an get the idea: place your right hand on a table top with the palm down and make a scratching motion with the index finger. Now, pick up a pick and try the same motion. For it to work you'll need to get some distance between your finger tip and the knuckle joint that you are pivoting from (like when you make an OK sigh but without spreading out the other three fingers). Also, if you keep the other two joints of the index finger from moving, you will need to flex the joint of your thumb (closest to thumb nail). You might be wondering why go to the trouble with such an odd motion to pick a guitar? Well, because it works. It came about in my searching for many many years for the ultimate way to cross strings no matter what kind of string crossing it was ("inside" or "outside"). In order to really give every different type of picking a fair chance, I practiced every possible picking motion that I could think of till they were an ingrained habit. Then decided whether they were moving me closer or further from my picking goals. If they did, then I kept the motion and part of my technique and if not I would have to go through the long process of eliminating that habit and starting from scratch. I ended up with a few different picking motions that can be practiced slowly and carefully separately and then when those are ingrained they are put together. Other kinds of rotary motions: There is one more motion that is sort of rotary in nature and boy is it an odd one! This is one that I got from watching what Yngwie appeared to be doing sometimes. To understand the motion, put a small ball in the palm of your picking hand clenching it between the pad of your thumb and the inner palm pad. Clench it and release it a few times. THAT is the motion. Advantages of this particular motion is that you can alternate pick a string without moving your arm or hand. Also, it naturally moves the pick in a down/in and up/out direction. Getting over higher string with wrist for outside picking: A really good way to get over a string doing outside picking in a down/up motion is to use the motion mention above (thumb pad motion) in conjunction with a clock-wise rotary motion of the wrist.
Hey Emmanuel, If you would like to hear some really old rare Paul Gilbert stuff and an early GIT lesson back when he first started teaching there go to my youtube channel.
7:00 gets into it
I'm an attorney and spend all my working time on analytical and critical thinking. I've been doing in for close to 30 years and am very good at it. I also play guitar at an intermediate level and spend a lot of time practicing and playing. And I can say this: without question Claus Levin is the smartest, most thoughtful instructor anywhere - period. There are a lot of very talented teachers, but no one close to having with a better understanding of the student mind and how to teach and learn things - no one. If there was a Pulitzer for teaching, Claus Levin would win it every year. Knowing how to play does not make you a good teacher - a good teacher is ... well... like "Claus Levin." I've bought some of his materials over the years and should buy more. He's simply the best. I'm convinced if you follow him, you will progress at 30-50% over traditional methods. He doesn't get the credit he should - so I'm taking the time to give him some, in a small way.
True, but his style of presentation could be improved. A lot of it seems to be difficult to digest. More effort could be brought in to simplify the message without removing essential details.
Lewis Stanford Totally Agree, he's simply underrated as a teacher!
Well, you're an attorney so I must believe you. LOL. So what.
Lewis Stanford
Agree. The guy is great.
he's ok, but too much talking and illustrating confused me. If you want to master picking, you need to practice 2 things. Alternate and economy together. He should've just dove right in to that.
"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link" is what I believe you were trying to say in the beginning.
As someone who's been playing for forty years, fifteen or so of which professionally, I have to say that this is a thoughtful and wonderfully clear video. I learned by myself in an era when there was SO LITTLE information around compared to today, and most of the interesting techniques had yet to be applied. I was lousy at picking and immensely comforted by reading an interview with Frank Zappa in about 1975 in which he said he mostly used slurs and hammers/pull-offs... "Alternating picking's great if you want to sound like a machine-gun."
I gradually learned a variety of techniques which got me through most situations, but one day I had to accompany a guy who was a singer/guitarist, an American who grew up in the Southern alternate picking tradition. He blew me away, not least with a superclean hi-octane version of Flight of the Bumblebee, and I wondered at his picking skills, though at the time I was getting somewhere with the Gambale thing, so I thought I'd keep going with that.
Now CZcams is chock-a-block with STUFF of entirely variable quality, and this definitely comes in at the top end. Great work.
Thank you Brad Pitt
lonewolf604 you re welcome, angie :-D
+lonewolf604 reminds me more of Robert Llewellyn cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/9/285x214/353535_1.jpg
What the... Lol
Exactly, 2 years late
@@anplusdre Yes
Great video! String shifting is exactly what I have been struggling with. Thank you!
Excellent lesson! This opened really my eyes on how to focus at the weakest spots at my playing. Thank you very much for pinning this aspect of practising!
Great teacher! I really get a lot out of your lessons. Thank you!
Spot on. I recommend "the punisher" exercise for anyone looking to improve all aspects of alternate picking. Ben Eller has a very good video about it called "Your alternate picking sucks!". He has basically just adapted the standard 1234 progression across the strings, but to include inside and outside string skipping. Really exposed a few massive weaknesses in my playing, and explained why I struggle with certain licks and runs!
Great lessons! Thanks man, dig your channel.
Mr. Levin and uncle Ben - the best guitar teachers on CZcams.
uncle ben
It's funny, ive been going back and forth between this channel and your channel for this information, So hello to 6 years ago
That was actually good lesson he's 100% correct to many people are looking into these Pick Slanting videos which in my opinion is misleading everyones hands are differently shaped and hold the pick differently. This actually isolates the problem instead of creating more problems excellent video Claus.
Dan Benkert The rules of pick slanting apply regardless of hand shape or method of holding the pick. In actual fact this video is describing, albeit not very well, the process of analysing what kind of pick slant is required for each lick. Knowledge of the pick slanting theory makes this kind of analysis a bit of a waste of time. In fact it's just the old fashioned way we've been doing for years. I don't mean to be rude here mate but I have to say that if you think pick slanting theory is creating more problems then you haven't quite grasped it yet. It's harder to see what this guy is doing as he starts with a very neutral, Steve Morse type pick angle but when he gets up to speed you can clearly see he's 2 way pick slanting. He even changes some of his picking patterns when he's up to speed. Do yourself a favour & have another look at Troy Gradys' stuff.
Excellent point Dan. I've been following these pickslanting videos by Troy Grady for months now and it's just mind masturbation to describe muscle memory and trying to build a theory out of that. The current video and all the other ones relating to alternate picking put in the tube by this teacher are far more useful and didactic. He's the leader now 😊
Raif Mokretar-Karroubi I hear you bro I been playing for a long time and I took about a year and did nothing but alternate picking just really focused on accuracy and speed. Pick Slanting is something they may occur naturally or may not at all. I hold the pick very tight with 3 fingers and there absolutely no pick slanting at all.
vubear I beg to differ, I hold the pick with 3 fingers I have always played like that I think that developed from playing thrash metal in the 80s. So when I speed pick run scales do sweeping arpeggios whether down or up my pick is constantly 90degrees to the guitar body. So for me pick slanting doesn't apply. For pick slanting to take place you have to be holding the pick loosely.
+Dan Benkert Strangely enough, I hold the pick exactly the same way :) :) :) three fingers perfectly perpendicular to the table with no slanting (when playing fast); however, I often play with an angle towards the strings (the Paul Gilbert way but not as sharp) and some contact with the flesh when I want to mute, to pinch harmonics or to give some sort of feel to the tone :)
A powerful tip, to 'work on the hard part'. It took a lazy day today to have that bounce around in my head a little. Ive incorporated some solid information and already put it into practice today, thank you.
Great video Clause. I have just started playing left handed after playing right for 12 years.I mainly play bass finger style and have always struggled with a plec. Your video really helped :)
I recently read about a study that described a group of piano players that were given an exercise involving a difficult piece of music and there were rules about how much time they could practice and focus before coming back the next day to play it. The people who played the best had done just what this video describes. They instantly identified a problem area and tried to approach with a technique relative to their playing, whether that was playing very slow, or doing it over and over etc. Isolate the problem, analyze it and wisely get after it. This video demonstrates that wonderfully.
WOW!! I never looked at it this way, but your video made realize something else I can practice on. THANK YOU BRAT PITT with your British Accent! 😁😂🤣
I did this for half an hour and I feel like it works! I'm going to add this idea to my practice for sure!
Elon Musk teaches Guitar.
Literally haha
Harrison Wells teaching us how to play guitar. Great video man!
love the way you teach. looking fwd to being more aware of neuroplasticity whilst practicing
You are a gifted teacher.
You explain things really well, thank you. Way better than the 1000's of generic teachers out there who all read from the same book!
The concepts are important- we tend to play the same exercises- may be the ones we are already good at- and not building new skills. I appreciate your humor and approach- I follow mentally even if my hands don't always keep up! Thanks!
I have myself had the same thought as Claus, but could never express it as eloquently as him. Not even internally, so thank you for a very enlightening video!
Good video and thanks for the advice. I've actually been working on rapid alternate picking and what I've been using as an excercise is (if anyone knows the song) Vermillion by Slipknot - in particular the notes that are played rapidly over the chorus chords. They're played on the G B and high E strings so it covers a lot of what this video suggests, but the advice Claus gave will definitely help me tighten up and speed up my playing.
where is that video about 7 picking challenges you talked about?
I also searched for this - no results...
Class Lesson Mr Claus, thanks as always... I just sat down with my guitar and got that, appreciated.
Excellent approach! I identified my alternate picking weaknesses in 2 minutes (of which I was not aware) and improved my speed in two days with the exercises. Can't wait to practice.
So how fast are you 4 yrs later?
@@alan4sure, great question! My speed has improved significantly. My max used to be 8th notes over 210bpm comfortably. Now, I would say 8th notes over 260bpm comfortably. However, certain shapes and patterns I can play 8th notes cleanly at 320bpm and 16th note triplets at 200bpm. I still have string crossing weaknesses, mostly outside to outside and I’m still trying to make it all sound musical. Countless hours with a metronome is paying off… but there is no shortcut and constant practice is required to maintain and or improve.
Coach Claus with his white board.👏👏👍👍 Strategizing!!
i've learn it by practicing hours everyday, practice, practice, practice... :) good video btw!
i have to admit you are apsolutely right im suprised how well this worked for me txs so much
This is a brilliant strategy! Thank you Claus.
You're right! I should target my effort on the exact parts that I'm weak at! Thanks Claus!!
Claus Levin You are truly an amazing instructor thank you
Your lessons are amazing. Thanks!
Really great logic, I appreciate this point of view pertaining to practice exercises! The whole "10th fret... 12th fret.. 10th fret.. 9th fret..." that was a little slow for me personally when it comes to having a teacher, but really good information, you can tell that you really want to help others play guitar better, not just make money and fame releasing "instructional videos" of mindless shredding like yngwie does lol
Thank you for Math class. Now I can make a good graph on my math exam.
Great video. This is what I've been looking for.
Thank you very very much Claus! I really do like your videos!
GREAT practice advice! Thanks!!
Really logical way to practice. Cheers.
Thank you! Great advice! Now to actually find the time to practice ;)
Hi Claus.
Love your approach to guitar tuition. Wondering if you could point me to a link re the breakdown of the 7 individual picking skills you mention here. Cant seem to locate a video or info on them.
Thanks again.
Didn't know Elon Musk played guitar
Aurobindo Chatterjee lol, he was talking about car engines within the first minute.
i thought Benicio del toro haha
I thought it was bc he looks and sounds like Elon Musk.
Love it. Brilliant playing.
So isolating is a good thing? I isolated the weak parts and practiced this way right since I started playing. I thought I was "cheating by isolating". But now I know it's a good thing. :)
there's no such thing in cheating when practising. The only "cheating" you can do is cheating to sound better than you actually are
Great channel Claus!
This guy is an amazing instructor.
Love this fella. Thanks Claus!
Which of your alternate picking vids should a beginner start with?
Thank you sir, excellent lesson.
I want this demo run you played at the begining!!!!!
Great lesson man, thank you
Great channel! why ur name is not on guitar world magazine
God bless you, man!!!
Nice guiter totirial
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Danke schön!!
Great video thanks. What make of guitar is that?
Great stuff! Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for that ;-)
solid lesson
Beautiful Guitar ♥
Where is the tabs??
1:33 Which seven? Can't find "the last" video...
There are so many opinions about where to position the right hand palm. Some say move it diagonally so that the pick is always at the same angle. I see you keep it static which seems the easiest with regard to actual tremolo picking. Is it OK to pick between sound hole an bridge, and not directly over sound hole on acoustic guitar?
John Austin where you pick, for me, is what gives you a range in tone. Pick more towards the bridge and it'll sound lighter; with a bit more of a 'twang' but move up toward the neck and pick there, you'll have another tone. Strumming on the neck itself is a popular technique used to create a bit of variety in tone, but I feel it's what is appropriate for you at the time. Within reason, to ask if it's OK to do this and that, you're restricting yourself on playing out what you hear in your head or feel in your heart. Don't be afraid to let go of the rigid tutorials, lessons or scripts you may have come across and allow a little practice time where you can amalgamate your knowledge in to an improvised piece that only you can hear and feel from inside. Rather than looking at the success in guitar playing as having a particular set of skills, see it from the viewpoint that the success of it is in the journey; you'll never feel like you've reached the destination and keep on striving. All the best!
I was thinking more about ease of tremolo picking rather than tone - thanks
John Austin I digressed, my apologies. For tremolo/speed picking, I've only ever found it simpler by keeping my hand, as you say, more static by using the bridge as a resting place for the palm. This prevents the fatiguing movement of using the wrist at speed and especially the arm when picking faster. I would say you're right in your placement of picking (between the hole and bridge) as it is more comfortable when you're rooted at the palm on the bridge as you pick. Moving further up, above the hole or more toward the neck, it's more comfortable, for me, to 'hover' above the strings and almost 'shake/wobble' at the wrist. It's more of a feeling to be felt than a description to be read, I hope it somewhat helps. I'm sure you're on that road now anyway :)
Badly need tab of the "long run" played at 7:07 ... could any one help me out???
Good lesson
love your guitar ¿ what kind of model is?
Thank you very much Elon Malek xD
The sum of its parts I think you mean
i literally listen to you while i practice hahah
BRAD PITT IS THAT YOU
Interesting accent. Anyone know his bio?
So true
I love you. Period.
Brilliant
4:43 lmao
You never see him and Brad Pitt in the same room do you? Just saying. Working on my picking now thank you
knowledge
Amazing video, thanks a lot
I think guitarists are guilty of this all the time :( me especially..
It's strange, you can play at lightning speed, but you still have 'crazy pinkie'. I've been told repeatedly to keep all of my left hand fingers as close to the fret board as possible and yet there are some pretty great players out there that don't. I guess there's hope for me yet!
Mark Bader I had that drummed into my head, too, though, the more I played the more I realised that I was forcing an uncomfortable playing style. Like driving, you're taught to drive at '10 to 2' on the wheel but few will carry that forward once they find their comfort zone. Also, you're told not to 'grab' the guitar but instead to hold your thumb behind the middle finger on the fret board and play from there. Many know that the 'thumb over the top' style that many have adopted breaks those 'rules' of traditional, classical styles but it's how they are comfortable playing, say, a barre chord. 13 years on and I enjoy playing freely over being compromised by clashing techniques that millions of players adopt themselves but try to preach as it being THE definitive technique. Once you're comfortable, it'll fall in to place as you're learning. Happy playing! :)
always aim to play with least tension as possible. If least tension = "crazy pinkie", then play with crazy pinkie. Keeping each finger close to the fretboard is a good starting point, but if that requires some deliberate tension of not raising the fingers then it can become negative instead of positive
Why are you talking about cars and cooking?
you look so much like Brad Pitt man. Good video btw
💯
I ask and am never answered. Where is The Claus Levin Band? Where is music that he creates, plays live, etc. It is said that Claus reads every comment, but I no longer believe this is true.
Hehe... a pragmatic German :) No seriously, good stuff.
He's Danish.
Mmm......cake!
Are you REALLY a Yankees fan?
How is Angelina? Do you every call Jennifer or is that completely over. LOL
my God Im learning how to cook here ;))) egg and what `?? ;)))
its not Brad Pit its Jean Claude Van Damme lol
Translation: A Chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Or something about cakes and rotten eggs and stuff.
Brad picking.
Well, when i clicked your video i hope you will: So, put your finger here, and here, than now, you are Zakk Wylde.
:( back to learn...
El problema es de que los morros aprenden a tocar escalas
PERO NADIE LES ENSEÑA A CREAR ROLAS SOLIDAS
I also developed this idea. I think most good players do.
Thanks Elon Musk
Elon Musk?
Didn't know Brad Pitt gave guitar lessons as well.
man it takes so long for people to get to the point
Probably the best guitar lesson you could ever show someone. I will add that when I dedicated my guitar playing to Jesus, my playing increased tremendously. A person would ask how? He's God. no one can explain how he helps the brain or does miracles, a Christian only testifies "I was blind and now I see". He himself doesn't know how. I was average and then He set my playing on a higher level.
What could be better than playing music and watching people be healed of cancer or delivered from a drug addiction in the middle of a song? Sing to Jesus and watch what He does!
I appreciate that you want to do this and it's helpful, but to be honest 90% of this video is a bunch of talking that I'm not even sure what the point of which is....
getting your dumb ass educated
how dumb you are
Is there anybody out there that is interested in a neat trick for crossing strings???
🙂
Have you ever heard of something called "picking planes"? The picking plane is a technique where your direct your pick down/in - up/out direction (can also work down/out - up/in direction like for the above picking pattern. This is a great technique that helps fix the problem of having to be so careful of hitting the adjacent strings and cross them faster. It is really handy for picking two-notes per string scales such as the pentatonic scales. When using the down/in - up/out technique you can use the higher string as a resting point that keeps you pick from traveling to far and not have to use any hand tension to brake, control or stop your had to keep it from traveling to far. You get this consistent stopping point on the down/in stroke.
On the up/out stroke your pick if continued far enough, will go over the top of the lower strings. Then to change to the lower string you just drop the pick in towards the body of the guitar to a new picking plane.
This technique doesn't cover every string crossing situation.
In order to not have to keep switching wrist angles to switch from down/in to down/out I worked out a system of....
Combining a few different picking plane techniques.
Index finger/thumb rotation:
It's really hard to explain the kind of rotations I'm talking about, but I'm going to try.
What I call the "finger rotation" motion is where the index finger (along with the thumb tip/pad because it's holding the pick) is pivoted from the main
knuckle joint. The direction of motion is for the index finger to move towards your palm. This motion moves the pick in an UP/IN and DOWN/OUT
direction (for crossing strings). It's very similar to a scratching motion. To get an get the idea: place your right hand on a table top with the palm down and make a
scratching motion with the index finger. Now, pick up a pick and try the same motion. For it to work you'll need to get some distance between your
finger tip and the knuckle joint that you are pivoting from (like when you make an OK sigh but without spreading out the other three fingers). Also, if you keep the other two joints of the index finger from moving, you will need to flex the joint of your thumb (closest to thumb nail).
You might be wondering why go to the trouble with such an odd motion to pick a guitar? Well, because it works. It came about in my searching for many many years
for the ultimate way to cross strings no matter what kind of string crossing it was
("inside" or "outside"). In order to really give every different type of picking a fair chance, I practiced every possible picking motion that I
could think of till they were an ingrained habit. Then decided whether they were moving me closer or further from my picking goals. If they
did, then I kept the motion and part of my technique and if not I would have to go through the long process of eliminating that habit and
starting from scratch.
I ended up with a few different picking motions that can be practiced slowly and carefully separately and then when those are ingrained
they are put together.
Other kinds of rotary motions:
There is one more motion that is sort of rotary in nature and boy is it an odd one! This is one that I got from watching what Yngwie appeared to be doing sometimes. To understand the motion, put a small ball in the palm of your picking hand clenching it between the pad of your thumb and the inner palm pad. Clench it and release it a few times. THAT is the motion. Advantages of this particular motion is that you can alternate pick a string without moving your arm or hand. Also, it naturally moves the pick in a down/in and up/out direction.
Getting over higher string with wrist for outside picking:
A really good way to get over a string doing outside picking in a down/up motion is to use the motion mention above (thumb pad motion) in conjunction with a clock-wise rotary motion of the wrist.
Hey Emmanuel, If you would like to hear some really old rare Paul Gilbert stuff and an early GIT lesson back when he first started teaching there go to my youtube channel.