Away and…

Just to let everyone know, I will be away for three weeks, starting Saturday.
I can still be reached by email, but might not get to check often, so if it takes a little while for me to reply to an email, that’s why.
And so I’d like to wish everyone merry xmas and a happy new year! Enjoy the holidays, and I hope there’ll be a new axe or stompbox under the tree for you =)

Lick Of The Week (LOTW) #1: Blues Lick

I wanted to start a new feature for this blog, the “Lick Of The Week”. I’ll try to post a new lick every week (D’uh!) which hopefully will be interesting to you… or get you started on some new ideas.
So here is the first one, a blues lick in the key of A. This is not supposed to be earth-shattering new, you might have heard guys like Paul Gilbert use this kinda lick before. The reason why I am posting this is:

- its an interesting legato-exercise, too
- it can be quite benefiting to work on this kind of legato/picking-combination, pay attention to the picking indicators
- This works just as well in a rock-or a blues-context, and can be used as a “shred”-lick too.
Here we go:

And a soundfile

Guitar issue 1/08

The January issue of GUITAR magazine just hit the newsstands. Very interesting stuff in it, like part 2 of the Annihilator-workshop, a big feature on Arch Enemy and lots of giveaways!

Also: Part III of my column series “Talking Hands” (Topic: “Phrasing”), as well as my reviews of 2 Dean Razorback guitars, an Epiphone Les Paul, a new Ibanez combo and an LD wireless system
So check it out! GUITAR-website

On picks

OK, a little while ago I posted some thoughts on different kinds of strings, and based on some conversations I had by email and with my students, I figured it might be interesting to some of you if Id post some thoughts on picks.

There are quite a few players who really dont care what pick they use. In the beginning, thats normal. Believe me,Ive been there… at first, you buy just all kinds of picks, usually going for the ones that look cool or whatever. A lot of students have like 5 picks, all of the different, some of them very used up.

It took me a while back then to figure out how much difference a pick makes. Material, gauge, “sharpness” etc. For example, the picks I use have kind of a sharp edge, and once that is worn off just a little bit, I definitely feel it big time. I feel the difference even more once I grab a fresh one, as I feel a bit more control, and hear a slightly different tone, too.

Think about it… the pick is the part that does the actual attack, and its shape, gauge, surface/material can make quite a difference. I remember how I really noticed that the first time… I was recording a few songs, and did two in one afternoon. I didnt change the setup, but the tone in the second one (a ballad) was quite different… brighter, almost to an unpleasant degree.
So I thought about it, and the only thing that was different was that I had used a different pick. So for quite some time, I tried all kinds of pick until I figured what I like, what works best for my style of playing, and what sounds the best to my ears. Here are my three favorite picks:

Dunlop Jazz III XL: These are bigger than the regular Jazz IIIs. I like the way they sound, and how they feel… sturdy, with a “sharp” feeling to them. Also quite durable. This has been my main pick for about 4-5 years now.

Dunlop Tortex .60 mm: I occasionally switch to those for a while every once in a while. They’re quite a bit “floppier” than the other ones, but I like the sound they give me, and I use them for acoustic guitars (strumming etc.) also, where they work better than the other ones IMO. I hear Paul Gilbert uses picks like that nowadays, preferring the sound and feel they give for fast picking. When it comes to rhythm, I agree, but for fast picking (i.e. solos), I don’t feel quite as comfortable with them as I do with the others

Ibanez Paul Gilbert: Those, to me, are probably the best picks for fast picking. They’re a bit thinner than the Jazz IIIs (pretty much same shape and size though, which I really like), yet they have a brighter tone. So for fast picking, they’re awesome, yet I like the Jazz III sound better. These wear out quite quickly, though…

So these are some of my favorites. Of course, everyone has different requirements and tastes though.

Pick angle

This is an important factor not only regarding speed and ease of playing, but also regarding the sound you get: angling the pick. I angle my pick (left side closer to the floor) quite a bit, and of course, so do many, many players. It results in a softer, rounder sound, and less resistance when you pick (less contact area, I guess). Check out these pics:

1: Almost no angle. “Punchier”, “clankier” tone, more resistance. Preferred by “flatpickers”. I use this kinda angle only for sweep-picking, where it works better.

2 & 3: Angled (you can also angle the other way. The late Shawn Lane used to do this, and we all know how well that worked for him). I use quite an angle, too, as the white line is supposed to show you. However, these pics are like 4 1/2 years old, and there is a big difference now… I don’t “bend” my wrist that way anymore. To achieve that angle now, I instead bend my thumb, which works wayy better for me.
Try experimenting with different angles, both on the low and the high strings, and see what works best for you. For me, a pretty drastic angle like the one in pics 2 & 3 results in increased ease of playing, like when it comes to fast picking, and also, a warmer, rounder tone. On the low E-String, Paul Gilbert refers to this as “almost a Cello-like sound”, and that describes it pretty well.

Keep in mind though that when you try even “little” changes like that, you should give it some time, because at first, it might feel awkward… its not as much of a “little” change as it may seem. So give it some time, use your ears and examine what happens to your playing.
Picks ARE an important factor. Not only their gauges, but also their edges, material and the way you angle them (or how deep you dig in…), so I really recommend to experiment. Also, unless you really like the feel and tone of used, “dull” picks, always use a fresh one. I get them in bags of 50, and I often replace them.
Hope these thoughts were interesting to some of you!

Recording again

Just recorded the audio files for the next two episodes of my instructional series “Talking Hands”. The deadlines have been changed, so its probably a good idea to do this in advance, and it is fun. Especially with the current setup, I am very happy with the sounds. I keep alternating between singlecoil- and humbucker sounds, and its fun to pay attention to little details… I used to use so much gain and stuff, the sound was very compressed, and sometimes, that led to little details being lost. So its fun to have them jump out more with the current setup.

 

I really hope that the topics I am gonna write about are interesting to the readers of the mag. My intention is to address some things that I see happening a lot to my students. Its not always a lack of technique or knowledge of theory or scale patterns that makes it tough for them to play a good solo (good as in something THEY like themselves) its phrasing and ideas… sometimes there is no concept, or too much emphasis on fast stuff, or not too much attention on details when it comes to melodies.

 Thats what I am writing about in the column series, and I hope it is gonna be interesting and helpful to some of you. If so, drop me a line. Same goes for questions etc!

Anyway, episodes 4 and 5 are almost done, so let me know what ya think!