What Techniques Do You Still Struggle With?

[TapperMike]

I've been playing guitar going on 35 years now. Generally people find what works for them and then stick with that course of action. Unless they get super serious and find themselves going through teachers like water.

I consider myself fairly versatile.

I can:

• Flatpick all downstrokes like BB King
  
• Alternate flatpicking
  
• Sweeps and Rakes
  
• Hybrid with flatpick
  
• Travis style with thumbpick
  
• Thumpick only
  
• All the uke picking methods
  
• My own style of finger picking which is mostly flesh not nail
  
• Tap
  
• Two finger alternate bass playing
  
• Pop and Snap
  

With all this up my sleeve and more techniques I've developed while playing the ztar which can't be applied to a guitar, The two things I can't do.

Traditional classical right hand finger picking. I can simply not get my hand in that "Crane" position and make good contact with the strings. I can not extend my hand above the strings in that manner. I'm so used to playing live and loud and bracing the strings by curling my fingers more or the side of my palm.

This young lady

Mesmerizes me with how natural she makes it appear.

Gypsy Strumming For basically the same reason. That type of strumming requires a loose "monkey paw type wrist. and twisting from the wrist back to the forearm. Not a windshield wiper motion.

Every few years I pull those two out of my bag of tricks, Try for a few weeks then give up and move onto something else.

[TapperMike]

Man, that's a rough road, my heart goes out to you.

I never used knuckling until I got my baby z, While other ztars have strings thid one doesn't only hard rubber "key triggers"

You really can't up/down stroke on key triggers very quickly but you can get around it by knocking and rolling.

This is me

[Jim622]

After a decade-long layoff and multiple surgeries for carpal tunnel and other repetitive motion issues that I'm still dealing with today, though to a much lesser extent, I simply cannot physically do what I could before when I was younger. I'll never be able to finger style pick again, because I no longer have independent control of the fingers on my right hand - if I move one, the rest come too. That's probably what I miss most - being foreclosed from a whole different style of playing. But, I have learned to compensate and cheat pretty well using just my thumb and index finger - the only two right-hand digits that I can control now. I never use a flat pick anymore either, because just holding one can make my whole hand go numb after just a few minutes. But, I have developed a pretty useful strumming and picking style that involves my thumb quite a bit, and it has lead me to do things on the guitar that I never would have even imagined to do if I didn't have limitations, and I think I'm doing the best guitar work and coming up with the best stuff I ever have. I don't know about every cloud, but some really do have silver linings. The only downside is that sometimes my right hand and fingers really take a beating, and I'll cut and otherwise injure myself from time to time forcing me to take a break to heal. The nail on my right index finger is now permanently discolored and bent from the constant beatings, and I have callouses on my knuckles now. I guess that's brings new meaning to going ape for guitar.

Hobo - I had a extremely gifted guitarist that lived across the street from me for a while. He developed a problem with his

right hand and now can only use a thumb pick. I thought you might want to check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JUNIBASCO/featured

Jim

[ClaireCreekProject]

She is quite amazing! I suffer from DCP (Directionally Challenged Pinky) it's four neighbors do okay at my style of picking, but that darned pinky has a mind of it's own so I pretty much don't invite him to the party! I ran across a Youtube once that a lady demo's about 10 completely different patterns that I used to refer to often (like right before a jam) then one day poof! it was gone. My favorite is Spanish Strum / Pluck / Strum / Pick into a full up-down strum. FYI, my Father who had a stroke about 10 years back, has had to modify his picking M/O, but still manages pretty well. Nobody can tell he has any limitations until he gets tired... after that we shut off his amp and go riding.

Jim - Your neighbor's 2 finger style is really good!

Edited April 14, 2012 by ClaireCreekProject

[TomMoore]

Sweeps. I've been working on and off with sweeps for about a year and I still don't have it. Guess my playing speed will never accelerate.

[TapperMike]

That's something which requires learning from the masters imho. A sweep is a brush stroke so you want the pick angled. The notes are muted so you want to use the front of your finger not the top. It took me forever to be only fair at it. Don't be discouraged most get one hand working right but not the other.

I get spoiled with the ztar. sweeping is like fingerpainting.

[TapperMike]

I thought about buying a guitarele but honestly they don't sound enough like a uke to make it happen for me. One thing I used to teach beginner students about chords. Don't try to grab them right off the bat. When you are changing chords always lay down your index finger first then your second finger third and then the fourth if it's needed and turn your wrist with the first finger

I'll say this. The ztar is both challenge and reward though somedays are more challenge then reward. I have a lot of great ideas for it and sometimes they just fall into place. Other times it's hard work and lots of it to make something happen.

[TapperMike]

It's all in how one plays the z and the instrument(s) selected. I've been playing guitar and bass since the 70's and playing various midi guitar incantations since the 80's. The thing about playing midi guitar even when the stars are all aligned and you can actually play the thing is that...If you don't apply yourself you just sound like a guitarist with a different instrument. I've enjoyed and still enjoy playing bass and guitar. But I wanted to stretch my boundries. If I for instance pull up a piano patch I don't want it to sound like a guitar performance on a piano. I want it to sound rhythmically/harmonicly/melodicly like a pianist is playing it.

Same for other instruments.

Keyboards can emulate "some" string quartet work but not all and not with the proper legato/slides. Guitar playing can emulate some string quartet work as well but again it's not as realistic as it could be. The ztar gets me much closer to the ideal then either a midi guitar or midi keyboard.

as for the video. That's one of the rare times I actually "tap pick/knock and roll"

I actually fashion my playing all tapping these days. Taking hints by watching this guy.

And this guy

While developing a few ideas of my own.

Edited May 20, 2012 by TapperMike

[Nellington]

Tapping and percussion for me. I've been trying to learn 'Drifting' by Andy McKee for about 2 months, and I still can't play it all the way through without a few mistakes.

[TomT]

Well, this isn't much of a confession given that everyone can see it when I'm on stage but I never use my pinkie for scales. Maybe it's because I refused to listen to anyone while I was learning how to play when I was a kid. Others have scoffed at the idea of having a "weak" pinkie but I've always found it very difficult outside of doing chords.

I'm glad this topic was started because I'm always looking for a new sub-project in my rehearsals. I'll have to fit it in between learning how to do a flamenco fan and right-handed hammer harmonics.

[Rudi]

Hi, TapperMike & all,

I have been playing for 42 years and dont understand most of the tech here. Being self taught, I didnt learn these terms. The last technique I ever mastered was to pick every single note (no hammer-ons/pull offs etc). I believe Wes Montgomery advocated this. I think it may be called 'speed picking' in todays tongue. It informs a lot of my live playing these days.

• Flatpick all downstrokes like BB King
  
• Alternate flatpicking
  
• Sweeps and Rakes
  
• Hybrid with flatpick
  
• Travis style with thumbpick
  
• Thumpick only
  
• All the uke picking methods
  
• My own style of finger picking which is mostly flesh not nail
  
• Tap
  
• Two finger alternate bass playing
  
• Pop and Snap
  

I cant tap. I met a guy who was demonstarting guitar techniques last year (on a cruise, would you believe!) He said that tap was easy. I tried what he showed and yes it was easy. I tried it using the first joint of my index finger (not the tip).

Now, I used to think that tapping was a limited technique and not worth acquiring, but this guy used it sparingly and never on an open string. So I am now enlightened, but find without this mans example I am no longer able to do it.

NOTE: I cannot use my fingers to tap, because I have long nails (for fingerpicking of course), so have to use either a pick or else knuckles.

I think the problem may be this. A standard pull-off entails a tiny sideways motion (in the direction of the fret) before release, not enough to slur, but enough to ping the string & get it to vibrate. This doesnt happen with the pick or knuckles.

I think it worked on the cruise guy's rig because he had a lot of gain applied. I prefer to use gain moderately. So am I wasting my time here or am I still missing something?

Rudi

[TapperMike]

Shorter nail helps. You can aslo use the side of your thumb. Need to develop calouses just like your other hand. Develop a small circular motion with your finger if you are only using one finger to tap rather then just pulling away because it's both the hammer on and the pull off that make it happen

Not really a gain issue more a technique and guitar issue. I learned to tap on a 12 string and it was very clear. The frets the body type and wood for the body all affect how it's going ot resonate as well as the amp. If you've got a punchy/boxy type amp like a tube driver then yea you'll need more gain in the pre amp end. You can tap to open strings but you have to be careful when taping wide distances. the string vibrates on either side of the finger. You'll get sympathetic vibrations and it won't sound great especially as you tap up the neck. Most serious tappers use a damper over the fretboard for this very reason. A sock or one of those hair scrungies or one of those professional made damper things.

About tapping in general. It's all a matter of the material you perform, Not all songs involve tapping so there is no reason to put tapping in where it doesn't belong. I started off doing all the EVH type licks but there are whole universes of approaches to tapping. Stick players don't tap like guitarists. I did a lot of "chordal" tapping,

What I do now most of the time isn't really tapping at all its'....Touch

I don't use open notes at all for my touch approach. A ztar isn't a guitar. It uses buttons like a keytar but is laid out like a guitar. I can set it up to play like a chapman stick with hammer ons and pull offs but I prefer to set it to "poly" meaning more then one note per string. it means I can't do barre chords but it also means I can get piano type harmonies. Voicings and clusters that one can't perform on a guitar.

[Rudi]

Thank you Mike.

I dont understand everything you explain, but I gather that a chapman stick isnt a coldsore remedy right?

Nails: I cant compromise my nail length, nor can I risk damage by using them for tapping. Fingerstyle is vital to my playing.

I will try the edge of my thumb though.The circular motion you describe is what I meant by the pull-off motion.

I know what you mean by string vibration either side of the finger, but surely dampening the fretboard wont make any difference. Shouldnt the dampening occur at the bridge end? (If so I dont have big enough socks).

I guess all I anticipate about tapping is just to try it out in the odd solo. I dont get to listen to the heavy guys much but all tech is interesting and there to be used.

regards Rudi

[TapperMike]

[Rudi]

I gather thats the stick then. Why doesnt he just get a piano?

How about the dampening question Mike?

regards Rudi

[TapperMike]

Because you can't bend strings or slide strings on a piano for two of several other reasons.

If you notice the very begining where they have the nut and headstock there is a strip of felt as a damper where the first fret would be.

[Rudi]

Because you can't bend strings or slide strings on a piano for two of several other reasons.

You can do that and more with digital keys. I guess its just a personal preference, but by eliminating picking you lose a large amount of stylistic range (and individuality). IMO, more than you gain by the tap. Thats why I thought of a piano, a move from the guitar such as this example points to keys.

If you notice the very begining where they have the nut and headstock there is a strip of felt as a damper where the first fret would be.

One or both of us are misunderstanding something here.

I had asked:

I know what you mean by string vibration either side of the finger, but surely dampening the fretboard wont make any difference. Shouldnt the dampening occur at the bridge end?

How can dampening at the nut affect the following:

B string is fretted and held at 3rd fret (D) hammer on is at 5th fret (E), tap is introduced at 7th fret (F#) ?

[TapperMike]

It's not the same.

If you dampend at the brigde then the note point you want to resonate would be muted. You want to mute the string between the fretting finger and the nut.

The string damper affects the string vibration between the frettet note and the damper. If you are picking you don't notice it as you are using one hand in a different location to initiate the note. When you are a "touch guitarist" You use the "under hand" to both inistiate the note and define it's note value.

Try this with an electric guitar, Tap the note at the 15th fret and dont touch the fretboard with your other hand. Let the note ring out. You'll get vibration from the string on both sides of that note. Now if you mute with one hand behind the tapped note you won't hear that secondary vibration.

In regards to slides on keyboards. Not really what you have from the older days is gliss and portamento gliss is just dragging your finger acrosse the keybard. when this is done you have remnants of the previous note it's not a smooth slide. With portamento you can only play one note at a time. With a bend control on a keybard all the notes bend like a whammy bar.

And with the newer keyboards for a bend to work 1 it must be the highest note on the keybard, 2 you have to use much more force then the other notes to initiate.

The most commong guitar bend is oblique. Play two notes next to each other harmonically and bend the lower to the upper. Like Chuck Berry. That type of bending still isn't possible on keybards because they can only recognize one instance of the note per channel. You'd have to do a different channel for every note inorder to make that happen. Midi only has 16 channels. and bends are local (channel only)

Now as an alternative on a ztar you could assign each "string" it's own channel and then assign each of the four way joystick directions to do a bend for four of the strings. Which would leave you two strings shy of bending on all six strings. If you have other cc controllers on the ztar you could assign them for the other two "strings" I know I've done it. It's still less then ideal.

Edited June 10, 2012 by TapperMike

[Rudi]

The most commong guitar bend is oblique. Play two notes next to each other harmonically and bend the lower to the upper.

Really ? You must listen to players that I dont. The most common bends I hear are isolated.

BTW, What you describe wont work with a Floyd Rose bridge. Its the reason why I disable the damned things. I will do bends while holding 1, 2 or even 4 other strings down. On a floating bridge all but the bending strings will slide flat. Sounds awful.

Back to tapping:

So the example I gave in the last post is not what tappers do right? Are you saying that the tapped string remains open at all times?

[TapperMike]

No,

It is impossible to tap an open note. What happens when a note is tapped but not muted by fingers behind the "point of tap" is that the string vibrates in both directions. From the finger to the nut and from the finger to the bridge. Thats two notes though not really a good harmony at once from one string.