Best way to play fast "three note per string over two strings" patterns?

[Zalbu]

Not really sure how to explain it in words, but I'm talking about patterns that look like this:

E|----16-14-12---------16-14-12----------------
B|-------------16-14-12---------16-14-12-------

I'm currently anchoring the 12th fret and doing pull offs, but is it better to just fret every note and alt pick it? I know that it's subjective and all but my left hand technique is pretty horrible so I really need some pointers.

 

[Kashmir]

You're completely right in that it is totally subjective and all pull-offs is not a bad way to do it, it's what I would do. The other option that makes the most sense to me is down stroke on first note, pull-off to the second, and up stroke on the third note reversing the pattern and repeating it for the B string. You're left with a nice cyclical pattern of down-pull-up then up-pull-down.

 

[MrPepperoniNipples]

To be honest, I don't think I'd anchor the 12th across both strings. The reason for this being that the two strings won't have a common bottom fret in every position/across every 2 strings.

For example, If I was playing in G Major, I might have a shape like this:

e-17-15-14-------------17-15-14------------
B------------17-15-13-------------17-15-13-

Anchoring here wouldn't really work out to well for you.

So I think it'd be a good idea to practice without anchoring the 12th. This way, you don't spend hours training yourself to anchor and then training yourself all over again when you decide to use a shape like the one I listed above.

As for the picking, that's really up to you and what sound you want out of it. Which I think is important, to know what you want the shape to sound like before you start playing it. I think it would be a good idea to practice both.

The main thing is, though, to take it slow. You don't have to bring it up to speed within the hour, you still have tomorrow to work on it.

 

[redstone]

An anchored finger is a finger that doesn't work.

And a finger that doesn't work stays slow.

 

[karjim]

Hekk yeah, the two way pick slanting exercise. I prefer not anchoring the left index because I hear the resonance of the B note on your first example. I do this pattern with pure alt picking and hit the first note with an upstroke. If I start with a down stroke I will be trapped inside the two strings...It's not impossible but it's more tiresome.
An other possibility is a DS then 2 pull of on each string. This method is quite good if you wanna do strings skipping.
Vinnie Moore and Al di Meola prefer the inside picking but it's a physical challenge. One burns his for arm, the other his wrist
Yngwie do a pretty good job too...Dow, Up, pull of, on each string...The idea is to always end with an upstroke.
So many possibilities
A crazy one that I like a lot is Down pull of pull of on the E string then Up Down Up on the B string.

 

[Maniacal]

One of the main reasons not to anchor would be for the purposes of muting. If you anchor on the E and B strings, it is unlikely you will do an accurate job of:

muting the G while playing on the B string
muting the B while playing on the E string

at the same time as:
keeping the B string quiet while on the E string
keeping the E string quiet while on the B string

To me, anchoring in this way displays undeveloped technique and is usually down to laziness on the students part.

 

[Kashmir]

I missed the part about anchoring on the 12th fret, when I went I tried out your pattern I did all pull-offs but I moved my index finger when I put my ring finger down on the next string. I cannot stand the sound of two strings ringing together during a fluid passage.

 

[Promit]

I'm not totally sure if this is helpful, but skip ahead to 7:30 in this video and watch for a couple minutes. It might give you something to work with.

 

[The Omega Cluster]

I pick with three fingers on each string. It's pretty easy once you get used to play with your third finger.

 

[Zalbu]

Yeah, alt picking it works well, but I'm mostly wondering about how you should play it if you need the pull off timbre but don't anchor the 12th fret. Should you just do a "reverse" hammer on motion, only fretting the 16th fret first, picking it and then adding the index and ring finger to the 12th and 14th fret and pulling off?

 

[Drew]

To be honest, I don't think I'd anchor the 12th across both strings. The reason for this being that the two strings won't have a common bottom fret in every position/across every 2 strings.

To this (excellent) point, I'll also add that anchoring on the 12th with a barred finger doesn't leave the strings as natrurally muted as fretting them individually would.

I'd practice both. Practice doing it as a pull-off lick where you just pick the lead note, practice alternate picking, practice it with that pick/pulloff/sweep pattern someone else suggested... They're all going to sound slightly different, so being able to do them all is probably in your best interest as a player.

Also, one thing I've been practicing lately that might help with the left hand part of this - one of the earlier exercises in "Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar" (which is awesome, and you should buy if you don't own it) is taking a 5th fret A minor pentatonic box (or any other pentatonic scale with 2 notes per string) and playing it in trills - start by trilling the 8th fret and 5th fret on the high E, then the 8th/5th on the high B, then the 7th/5th on the G etc all the way down to the low E (or B), and then work back up, doing like 4 pull-offs worth of trills per string or something (also try it trilling from the 5th hitting on to the higher note).

I found that working back UP felt really unnatural to me, where I had to reach up from the lower string 5th fret to the higher string 7th or 8th fret, and then quickly get my pointer finger into position so when I pulled it off the 5th fret note would be fretted and waiting. Barring wasn't an option because you were quickly moving across all the strings, and even on one or two strings would tend to cause notes to ring out.

I've literally only been working on this the last two nights, and already I feel a lot cleaner... And, bigger picture, I'd say I have fairly solid left hand technique, I just don't get out of my comfort zone while playing and practicing as much as maybe I should.

Give it a shot.

 

[OmegaSlayer]

I would never anchor my fingers.
It would make your sound messier, muddier and less articulate.

For the picking...it's up to what dynamic you want to achieve.
I would really pull-off on the 6th string with a downpick and pick up/down/up with a slight palm mute on the 5th string to give a liquid then harsher contrapposition, quite in the vein of uncle Paulo Gilberto.

 

[Sumsar]

About how to make the sound come out:
You can ofc either pick or pull-off the notes, it gives different sounds.
Personally I like picking every note, but for picking to sound even better I find that I am also hammering on / pulling off every note with my left hand while picking with my right hand. This gives the best sound I find.

Honestly I also think this is what the pros like Jeff Loomis and Paul Gilbert do. Whether they are conscious about it or not is another matter.

About the picking pattern itself: Just do alternate picking. Yes, going from string to string is going to be a bit of a pain, but when you master it after much metronome shenanigans, it will sound awesome!