One exercise for lead

[Stumplegriltskin]

If you could only do 1 exercise for lead, what would it be?
The reason I ask, is this. As an experiment, since my left hand is weak down by the first fret. I focused 1 hour a day for a week on just 1234 on each string, up and down the 1st fret over and over for an hour and noticed my playing in a few different areas improved.

Wonder if there are similar simple exercises to gain strength / speed. I don't have the discipline really to learn scales. I know pentatonic scales, but don't have the aptitude to learn anything beyond them. I'm a retard.

 

[Gitfiddler]

Not really one exercise, but 4321, 1243, 1434, etc up and down one string, heavy to light strings and back down. Skip strings. Mix picking, hammerons and pull offs. With drum machine = better

Boring, but can do while watching tv

 

[alan67]

If you could only do 1 exercise for lead, what would it be?
The reason I ask, is this. As an experiment, since my left hand is weak down by the first fret. I focused 1 hour a day for a week on just 1234 on each string, up and down the 1st fret over and over for an hour and noticed my playing in a few different areas improved.

Wonder if there are similar simple exercises to gain strength / speed. I don't have the discipline really to learn scales. I know pentatonic scales, but don't have the aptitude to learn anything beyond them. I'm a retard.

I used to practice Paul Gilbert's "popsicle stick in bicycle spokes" lick a lot -

 

[Chris6870]

If you could only do 1 exercise for lead, what would it be?
The reason I ask, is this. As an experiment, since my left hand is weak down by the first fret. I focused 1 hour a day for a week on just 1234 on each string, up and down the 1st fret over and over for an hour and noticed my playing in a few different areas improved.

Wonder if there are similar simple exercises to gain strength / speed. I don't have the discipline really to learn scales. I know pentatonic scales, but don't have the aptitude to learn anything beyond them. I'm a retard.

I used to practice Paul Gilbert's "popsicle stick in bicycle spokes" lick a lot -

I was going to suggest that. Watch one of Paul's instructional videos on Youtube, and just take one exercise you like and run with it.

 

[suhrimmetal]

Regardless of what you do... there are lots of great licks out there... I emphasize this... Go SLOW... I mean crawling. Pick a lick or exercise.....whether it's Eric Johnson's '5' lick, Paul Gilbert, Gary Moore, Steve Morse.. etc... and make sure you can play it cleanly and perfectly at say 60bpm for 2min(or more)... then up to 66 for 2min straight, etc, etc...the more bpm you go... make the intervals smaller as the difference is greater.

I thought my technique was decent and fast until I recently started paying attention. I found alot of picking errors and 'slurs' that I never noticed til I started slowing down and paying attention. Wish I was 20years younger and could do it over again... but it does make a difference.... Great technique will pay off everytime in the long run. Most importantly... have fun. Good luck and cheers

 

[PatF]

The 1324 variation to what you are doing is a good one.
I like to do the bend exercises where you fret the note first then bend up to it.

 

[JimmyBlind]

For me, the diatonic 3 note per string scales played to a metronome up & down the fretboard was fundamental for my lead & improvisation. You can play them legato, alternate, economy & all the while teaching you the fret-board's framework, which is otherwise pretty arbitrary & non-intuitive. Within that framework are all the chord shapes, arpeggios etc. Simply by plotting the notes of the major scale, in one key, on the fret board.

In terms of teaching some of the more subtle right hand techniques, Paul Gilbert-esque Maj/Min/Dim string skipping exercises (eg Pachelbel's Canon etc) are great spring boards for sweep picking.
Those string skipping exercises are really percussive and you can start to play them really authoritatively & rhythmically. When notes are played with a lot of intent & confidence, they sound much more musical.

 

[ElectricVoodoo]

For me, the diatonic 3 note per string scales played to a metronome up & down the fretboard was fundamental for my lead & improvisation. You can play them legato, alternate, economy & all the while teaching you the fret-board's framework, which is otherwise pretty arbitrary & non-intuitive. Within that framework are all the chord shapes, arpeggios etc. Simply by plotting the notes of the major scale, in one key, on the fret board.

In terms of teaching some of the more subtle right hand techniques, Paul Gilbert-esque Maj/Min/Dim string skipping exercises (eg Pachelbel's Canon etc) are great spring boards for sweep picking.
Those string skipping exercises are really percussive and you can start to play them really authoritatively & rhythmically. When notes are played with a lot of intent & confidence, they sound much more musical.

This

Exactly what I did while learning the diatonics and still run through now. It became second nature after a while and now when I improvise, which is daily, I do not need to think where the notes are so much as I more focus on timing which is everything imo.

At this point, I can put any modal backing track on, and only need to hear the time signature. The rest flows.

Great advise Jimmy Blind

 

[paulyc]

Not only is Paul Gilbert and AMAZING player, he's an equally good teacher...I have all those videos (first on VHS, now on DVD) and I run them...a LOT. So between those and Darren Housholder showing me the modes 3 note per string and some arpeggio patterns years ago I ran through all of that stuff quite a bit.

 

[shredhead7]

Not only is Paul Gilbert and AMAZING player, he's an equally good teacher...I have all those videos (first on VHS, now on DVD) and I run them...a LOT. So between those and Darren Housholder showing me the modes 3 note per string and some arpeggio patterns years ago I ran through all of that stuff quite a bit.

I love Darren's playing, it's great that you had a chance to take lessons with him. Do you have any lessons of his ascending swept arps with the tapping arps descending licks? I'm pretty sure I know what he's doing (3nps maj or min aprs on each string-as opposed to Howe's hammer on from nowhere approach), but it would be nice to have confirmation or to see the actual lesson.

 

[shredhead7]

All of the suggestions above are great answers. For me, I take solos or parts of solos that I really like, or found difficult (like the ending to Scarified) and copy them into Power tabs. I then take that lick and copy it 5 or 6 different times and throw 8 repeats on each copy. Then you set the metronome in intervals of 5 on each lick. You would be amazed at how soon you can get the lick up to speed.

I've done that with a lot of Paul's licks from his Racer X solo and Petrucci's PG ripoff string skipped bit in Erotomania. The nice thing (and really the innovative thing) with Paul's licks are the combo of legato and picking, so if you take his notorious string skipping lick from the opening of his REH video, it's half hammers half picked, so really work on both things in one setting.

To the original poster, I know learning the 7 modes is daunting at first, but if you learn just the major and minor scale (meaning the 1st mode Ionian and the 6th Aeolian mode) you can really soup up your pentatonics. I assume that you probably are just using the Minor Pentatonic and the Major (the standard Jimmy Page/rock boxes). By learning the two patterns that I mentioned, you just drop those over the Pents respectively. Meaning, you're playing the Pent minor scale at the 12th fret, learn the Minor scale (or Aeolian mode/same thing different name) at the 12th fret and you will see how they overlap. That is most of Randy Rhodes style as well as Michael Schenker.

 

[paulyc]

No, I never got that far with Darren. I only got a few lessons before he moved to LA . GREAT guy and GREAT player... A shame he came on the scene a bit too late to really take off.

Another thing that really helped me was those Metal Method lessons...especially the Theory one where he shows the Pentatonic boxes overlapping up the neck, the repeating pattern of it. One you learn all those, you add 2 notes and you know a bunch of diatonic scales. He explains it very simply and says it's like "learning barre chords". meaning once you know the shape, you move it anywhere to a new root to make a new chord, scales work the same way. These are the OLD Metal Method lessons where you got a booklet in the mail...killer stuff

 

[JimmyBlind]

meaning once you know the shape, you move it anywhere to a new root to make a new chord, scales work the same way.

This.

That's what's great about the fret board. Every lick & scale shape can be transposed anywhere on the fret board, for any key/mode. Like you say, the concept of the same bar chord being played at any fret applies to scales & licks. I guess the real magic in improvising on the guitar is anticipating the key change and knowing where the framework has moved to.

I can't stress enough to people how learning the diatonic scale pattern can change the way they look at the guitar & view musical construction in general.

 

[paulyc]

The only other exercise things I can think of are, play with a clean tone (Randy Rhoads was BIG on this) or, even better, an acoustic to really give your left hand a workout, and I remember seeing a Star Licks video that had NOTHING to do with playing guitar. It was some nerdy, fat, bald headed guy doing isometric exercises for your fingers/hands...stuff you could do mindlessly while watching TV or driving in the car...I could never find the tape but I'd LOVE to see it and give some of it a try...

 

[Shawn Lutz]

alternate picking scales / modes, sweep arpeggios using metronome. I'm not a fan of 1234 fingering as one rarely uses chromatics for long duration...sure they'll build up your technique but why not just do that using scales and kill two birds with one stone?

With a metronome you have something quantifiable to measure progress (BPM's) and track improvements

 

[Stumplegriltskin]

meaning once you know the shape, you move it anywhere to a new root to make a new chord, scales work the same way.

This.

That's what's great about the fret board. Every lick & scale shape can be transposed anywhere on the fret board, for any key/mode. Like you say, the concept of the same bar chord being played at any fret applies to scales & licks. I guess the real magic in improvising on the guitar is anticipating the key change and knowing where the framework has moved to.

I can't stress enough to people how learning the diatonic scale pattern can change the way they look at the guitar & view musical construction in general.

That's way beyond my comprehension. If I can learn a pattern and move it around fine, but as I said, I'm sort of a retard. I'm one of those guys that can understand some complex things, yet at the same time what would seem simple to most people completely eludes me unless it is shown in person.

 

[JimmyBlind]

I'll try and find some material that explains it bro. It's easier than you think, but needs to be explained.

 

[charvelstrat81]

any YJM solo
playing any solo by him is a real workout if played properly.
I like to do the intro to the "ill see the light tonight" solo to warm up

 

[shredhead7]

meaning once you know the shape, you move it anywhere to a new root to make a new chord, scales work the same way.

This.

That's what's great about the fret board. Every lick & scale shape can be transposed anywhere on the fret board, for any key/mode. Like you say, the concept of the same bar chord being played at any fret applies to scales & licks. I guess the real magic in improvising on the guitar is anticipating the key change and knowing where the framework has moved to.

I can't stress enough to people how learning the diatonic scale pattern can change the way they look at the guitar & view musical construction in general.

That's way beyond my comprehension. If I can learn a pattern and move it around fine, but as I said, I'm sort of a retard. I'm one of those guys that can understand some complex things, yet at the same time what would seem simple to most people completely eludes me unless it is shown in person.

Most people are visual learners so don't sell yourself short. I had the privilege of very good teacher who told me early on to memorize the modes. I did, in the one key that he showed me. I could not grasp what he meant by moving them to the new key. He tried to get way too technical on the concept. It wasn't until six years later when I had a piano class in college and on the second page of the book it showed the Cmaj scale on the keyboard (all of the white keys, starting on c) and then following the circle of fifths to Gmaj (which has one sharp F-but you don't need to know that). When I started to play along on my guitar I realized that it was the same fingerings, just one fingering started on the C note on the low E string, and the other started on the G note on the low E string, but the exact same fingerings. From there it was, HOLY SHIT! I literally just slide the entire pattern up and down, starting on what ever KEY I'm playing in. There was no need to know why it worked or how, just that if you do it, you're always in tune or key with the song. From there, my soloing took a quantum leap, as I could just play anything in the pattern and it fit.

 

[Bishop5150]

any YJM solo
playing any solo by him is a real workout if played properly.
I like to do the intro to the "ill see the light tonight" solo to warm up

Me too! Great warmup to get both hands in sync.