E |----5--------------------------|----------------------------------|
B |------8-p-5--------------------|----------------------------------|
G |------------7b/\5--------------|----------------------------------|
D |------------------7------------|----------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
David Farmer
Sweeping up with Arpeggios
A lot of you out there are probably looking to increase your speed as a guitarist. You can go right into playing songs by Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, and so on. But what good is learning a song when you cant play that fast yet? Well here are some arpeggio scales that may help you in a technique called sweep picking. My style may be unlike many people since I have learned it on my own but I hope that it'll help you in playing. when you play these besure you follow the pick directions. the D means to play downward (toward the floor) and the U means to play upward (toward the sky).
IMPORTANT!!! BE SURE TO START OFF SLOW AND THEN SPEED UP TO WARP SPEED. YOU W I LL LEARN BETTER THIS WAY. IT WOULD ALSO HELP I F YOU USE A METRONOME. START AT AROUND 50 OR 60 BPM AND MOVE UP TO AS HIGH AS YOU CAN GO.
Some of you may recognize that this is the piece that Ralph Macchio plays in the end of the duel between him and Steve Vai in the movie "Crossroads," the best movie in the world :). I have a clip of the entire duel on my website separated into many different real audio files. Come check it out if you'd like.
Sweep picking arpeggios
d d d d d d u u u u u
e |-----------------8-12-8----------------|
b |-------------10----------10------------|
g |---------5-9----------------9-5--------|
d |-------7------------------------7------|
a |-----7----------------------------5----|
e |-5-8--------------------------------8--|
d d d d d d u u u u u
e |-----------------7------------------|
b |---------------9---9----------------|
g |-----------7-9-------9-7------------|
d |-------6-9---------------9-6--------|
a |---5-7-----------------------7-5----|
e |-7-------------------------------8--|
d d d d d d u u u u u
e |-----------------7----------------|
b |-------------5-8---8-5------------|
g |-----------6-----------6----------|
d |-------5-7---------------7-5------|
a |-----7-----------------------7----|
e |-5-9---------------------------9--|
d d d d d d u u u u u
e |-----------------10-12-10-----------------|
b |--------------10----------10--------------|
g |---------7-10----------------10-7---------|
d |-------7--------------------------7-------|
a |---5-8------------------------------------|
e |-5----------------------------------10-8--|
d d d d d u u u u
e |----------------------------------------|
b |-------------------9-12-9---------------|
g |----------------10--------10-7----------|
d |-----------9-12----------------9-6------|
a |------8-11-------------------------8----|
e |-7-10--------------------------------7--|
d d u d u d u d u d u d u d d u
e |-------------------5----8-5--12--8--16--|
b |---------------5-----5------------------|
g |-----------5-----5----------------------|
d |-------7-----7--------------------------|
a |---7-----7------------------------------|
e |-5---8-------------------------------0--|
David Farmer
listen
Left hand warmup
These two excercise will help you warm up your fretting hand. If you haven't already done so, please go do the "Right hand warmup" exercise on my page.
The first excercise is really just a simple run in E minor, but it is a good warmup because it uses all four fingers and three strings. Repeat the lick over and over in a cycle. As before in my previous lesson, use a metronome and start slowly. You are not trying to be Yngwie Malmsteen with this. The main goal is to warm up your hands to prevent injury. I have had tendonitis in my left arm before, and it is bad news for guitar players!
The second excercise is the same pattern, but the key is C minor, therefore the fingering is a little different.
Don't forget alternate picking!
Key = E minor/C minor
Ex.1 (E minor)
E |-------------12----------15-14-|-12----12-------------------------|
B |----12-13-15----15-13-12-------|----15----15-13-12----------------|
G |-14----------------------------|----------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
Ex.2 (C minor)
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G |-------------12----------15-14-|-12----12-------------------------|
D |----12-13-15----15-13-12-------|----15----15-13-12----------------|
A |-15----------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
Johan Lindgren
Half Tone Drill
I got inspired by Yngwie when I saw him on the Grammy award in Sweden...he played a live solo for the audience and he played a drill sequence and I thought that I wanted to play something like that so I just drilled every halftone steps in the Harmonic A Minor scale and....Taa Daa!!!
This trick is inspired by a short drill in the song "Far Beyond the Sun" By Yngwie. When you can play it...try changing fingers to drill with each finger.
A Minor
|-----------12h13p12h13-----------12h13p12h13--|
|----------------------------------------------|
|-9h10p9h10-------------9h10p9h10--------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------|
|---------10h12p10h12---------10h12p10h12--|
|------------------------------------------|
|-7h9p7h9-------------7h9p7h9--------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|---------8h10p8h10---------8h10p8h10--|
|--------------------------------------|
|-5h7p5h7-----------5h7p5h7------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------|
|---------7h8p7h8---------7h8p7h8--|
|----------------------------------|
|-4h5p4h5---------4h5p4h5----------|
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|
Dim Arpeggios
Ok...hereīs a diminished arpeggio trick. The ending of the trick is much like the ending of a dim sequence in the song "Far beyond the sun" by Yngwie J. Malmsteen.
Key = C# dim
E |-------9-12-9-------------12-15-12-------|
B |----11--------11-------14----------14----|
G |-12--------------12-15----------------15-|
D |-----------------------------------------|
A |-----------------------------------------|
E |-----------------------------------------|
E |-------10-13-10-------------13-16-13-------|
B |----12----------12-------15----------15----|
G |-13----------------13-16----------------16-|
D |-------------------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------|
E |-------12-15-12-------------15-18-15-------|
B |----14----------14-------17----------17----|
G |-15----------------15-18----------------18-|
D |-------------------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------|
E |-------13-16-13----------------------------|
B |----15----------15-------------------------|
G |-16----------------16-13-------------------|
D |-------------------------15----------3-----|
A |----------------------------17-------4-----|
E |-------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------------------|
G |-------------------------------------------|
D |-4-----------------------------------------|
A |-4-----------------------------------------|
E |-2-----------------------------------------|
Johan Lindgren
Warm Up - Info
Ok here is my idea of a Warm Up program. Itīs made for practising the technics I most often uses and it may not be adapted to your playing style. But if you are a Yngwie wanna-be or into some speed/sweep/alternate/economy-picking this might be something for you.Itīs a really good thing to go through a list of warm up exercises before you play fast tricks and/or solos. It improves your playing. If you play something wrong every time you play it, it gets stuck in your head (the muscle memory) and than you will keep playing it wrong. Some of that effect could, of course, be prevented by warming up before you play.Tip for all tricks:
Play through each exercise a couple of times so that you memorise it. Than increase the speed starting from a real slow pace. Always hold a steady beat, a metronome or a drum machine would be of great help... Donīt play so fast so that your Left and Right hand go out of sync. If they do go out of sync, play a little slower for a while and than increase your speed. Itīs important to remain in sync. If you lose it the tones start ringing less clearly. Short Tips:Memorise the trick before increasing speed.
Play them over and over again.
Play slow at first and increase the speed gradually.
Always hold a steady beat.
Remain in sync, The tones should ring clearly .
Warm Up Program:
To Yngwie Or Not To Yngwie...
This my attempt(s) at an Yngwie style ascending run. Lord knows how he does it , I certainly can't!!!! ( Use the force! .. And alternate picking )
Key = A minor
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------|----------------------s-----------|
G |-------------------------------|---------------9-10-12/14~~~~~----|
D |-------------------------7-9-10|-12-10-9-10-12--------------------|
A |-------5-7-8-10-8-7-8-10-------|----------------------------------|
E |-5-7-8-------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
Key = Chromatic scale
E |9-------8-------7-------6------|
B |--8-7-6---9-7-6---9-8-6---9-8-7|
G |-------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|
The bottom string should ring clearly until it's picked again! Johan Lindgren
Johan,
How do you learn how to do chromatic stuff? I have always just played notes at random for that effect, but I get limited results. Any suggestions? -Jon
Well, the chromatic scale is based on halftones as you already know. So try to just play some halftones in a row! Here are two examples:
I made the first example after some inspiration from Paganini. When you have played it all the way down you should play it backwards all the way up.
This is a Cm arpeggio. Use sweeping technics and play it fast. Yngwie Malmsteen plays it sometimes....
key = Cm
Tab Notes: D=down stroke U= up stroke
E |--------5-8p5------------------|----------------------------------|
B |------6-------6----------------|----------------------------------|
G |--5-8-----------8-5------------|----------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
U D D D U U U D
Your Trick 27
Contributed by Michael Vrljic
from Melbourne, Australia
This is what I use in one of my solos. It utilizes tapping and sweeping, along with speedy legato and acurate picking. This is influenced by Yngwie Malmsteen by use of sweep picking, influenced by Steve Vai by incorporating tapping, sweeping and legato and by John Petrucci by the use of fast picking in parts of this lick. Enjoy and PLAY LOUD.
Key = A Dorian
notation: D= downstroke U=upstroke T=tap
h s p p p p p h p p
E |-----------12-15-20\19-14-12-10|----------------------------------|
B |---------13--------------------|-12-10-8-10-19-10-19-8\7----------|
G |-------14----------------------|-------------------------7--------|
D |-----14------------------------|---------------------------7------|
A |12-15--------------------------|-----------------------------7----|
E |-------------------------------|-------------------------------8-5|
D---------| T T T U----------|
s s h *
E |-------------------------------|---------0\12--8\12---12-17-29----|
B |---5-7-8-7-5------8-7-5--------|--------1----10-----13------------|
G |--5----------9-7-5-5-5-9-7-5-4-|-------2--------------------------|
D |-7-----------------------------|-5----2---------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|--5--0----------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|---7------------------------------|
D--| U--|D----| T
*= Tap note against neck pickup or, if you wish, you may use an artificial harmonic.
Your Trick 33
Contributed by Jon Bingham
from Westland
This is very simply an example of an "E Minor" scale with a harmonic twist thrown in at the end.
This is used frequently with artists like George Lynch and Yngwie Malmsteen. It sounds best when played very quickly!
key = E minor
| tap |
E |----------12-13-15-17^18^17-15-13\12-------------------------------|
B |-12-13-15----------------------------15-13-12-10-------------------|
G |-------------------------------------------------12-10-9-----------|
D |---------------------------------------------------------12-10-9\7-|
A |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A |-10-9-7-6-7~~~~~---------------------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Your Trick 41
Rimsky-Korsakov (Flight of the Bumble Bee) Chormatamania: PART I
In response to Johan Lindgren's question on who wrote the chromatic thing that Yngwie Malmsteen sometimes plays. It comes from Rimsky-Korsakov's composition "The Flight of the Bumble Bee". It was named after the sound you get playing this song on the violin, for which it was written....
Playing Tips
Start off playing this lick slowly...the slower the better and get your technique down first...then increase the speed each day as you practice it.
Pay attention to the left hand fingerings.
Read John Lindgren's post on chromatics and do these exercises to help warm up for this lick.
After you play these first 4 bars, you then play the same thing over at the 10th fret...instead of the 5th fret!!!!
This is a lick I came up with as a right-hand-yngwie-shred-tecnique.
Just play it. Thereīs really not much more to say more than SHRED ON!!
The lick is based on an e-eolian scale (minor)
Key = E-eolian
E |-15-12-14-15-14-12-Repeat------|-17-12-14-15-14-12---Repeat-------|
B |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-18-12-14-15-14-12-Repeat------|-19-12-14-15-14-12-Repeat---------|
B |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------|----------------------------------|
Diminished Sweep Lick
This is a lick from a song written by moi called "Fantasy". The lick is pretty easy to play so I suggest this for beginners. Itīs a swep arpeggio lick on 4 strings based on the diminished scale. Itīs a little bit Yngwie sounding (but hey!! Just a little bit). Shred on!!In my song I play the lick downwards the neck 4 semitones, but you can play it as long downwards as you like. Of course you can play this upwards the neck to. Itīs all up to you.For more exercises and licks check out my guitarpage at:
Key = E
E |-17-14--------------------14-17|-16-13----------------13-16-------|
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