Gilbucci
Dude..for real?
How the hell does one develop this? It almost seems impossible, haha.
Developing even legato attack unplugged..
- Thread starter Gilbucci
- Start date
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Practice with a clean tone initially. Don't be tempted to hide behind tons of gain. [EDIT...just realised you're already doing that; keep doing it!
] Start simply, just playing repetitive patterns on one string, and concentrate on getting the volume between the picked and slurred notes even (this means you may need to pick with a lighter touch than normal initially). After that, start practicing ascending and descending patterns across several strings, or along a single string. Don't jump straight into insane 4NPS stretches if you haven't got the technique fairly together, as you run the risk of damaging your tendons. Also, be careful not to overdo it; the tendons in your fretting hand are generally more prone to damage than the ones in your picking hand, especially if you play using a classical hand position. This technique really does have to be allowed to develop gradually, so make sure you just do a little bit each day and you should start seeing results.
Later on you can experiment with more advanced legato-style ideas, such as hammering-on-from-nowhere, 3NPS pentatonics, or 313 stuff.
] Start simply, just playing repetitive patterns on one string, and concentrate on getting the volume between the picked and slurred notes even (this means you may need to pick with a lighter touch than normal initially). After that, start practicing ascending and descending patterns across several strings, or along a single string. Don't jump straight into insane 4NPS stretches if you haven't got the technique fairly together, as you run the risk of damaging your tendons. Also, be careful not to overdo it; the tendons in your fretting hand are generally more prone to damage than the ones in your picking hand, especially if you play using a classical hand position. This technique really does have to be allowed to develop gradually, so make sure you just do a little bit each day and you should start seeing results.Later on you can experiment with more advanced legato-style ideas, such as hammering-on-from-nowhere, 3NPS pentatonics, or 313 stuff.
If you mean "even" as in every hammered/pulled note is at the same volume, then I've never even attempted to do suck a thing. Then again, my playing is pretty accent-heavy whereas I take it that you're all about attack. In that case, it really seems that you just need to slow down. Being able to play legato at any tempo isn't enough, it has to be effortless; you have to be able to go in and out of legato without bracing yourself or having to consciously think "legato" as you play. It's not easy, and a lot of great players really suck at it, but is definitely worth persevering with.
Here's an exercise I took from a James Murphy column from an old Guitar Player mag. Basically, you're running through the B Phrygian scale with alternating legato and staccato alternate picking. The aim is to develop legato that's fluid but not sloppy, and alternate picking that's precise but not lifeless. Enjoy!
Here's an exercise I took from a James Murphy column from an old Guitar Player mag. Basically, you're running through the B Phrygian scale with alternating legato and staccato alternate picking. The aim is to develop legato that's fluid but not sloppy, and alternate picking that's precise but not lifeless. Enjoy!
That's a great exercise!
Gilbucci
Dude..for real?
That is an awesome exercise indeed! Thanks for all the advice guys. E-Rep all around.
There's another method which is essentially using only hammerons which is worth experimenting with also. If you take a simple one string descending pattern and hammer the next note while just moving your finger off the initial note, rather than actually pulling off, you can achieve a more fluid, almost soft legato attack. Brett Garsed uses a similar method. The idea is to keep the volume of each note completely even because there are no pulloffs, only hammerons. However, it does make it more difficult to keep consistent volume with the picked note. Either way, it's still worth experimenting with.
DDorian - E-Rep for that exercise.
DDorian - E-Rep for that exercise.
There's another method which is essentially using only hammerons which is worth experimenting with also. If you take a simple one string descending pattern and hammer the next note while just moving your finger off the initial note, rather than actually pulling off, you can achieve a more fluid, almost soft legato attack. Brett Garsed uses a similar method. The idea is to keep the volume of each note completely even because there are no pulloffs, only hammerons. However, it does make it more difficult to keep consistent volume with the picked note. Either way, it's still worth experimenting with.
DDorian - E-Rep for that exercise.
That's Holdsworth's approach too. It's worth remembering that both Holdsworth and Garsed actually pick a lot of notes compared to guys like Richie Kotzen and Joe Satriani who barely pick anything.
Jongpil Yun
Contributor
Rusty Cooley's Legato Workout. Go through the entire thing several times and you'll have the fingers of Hercules.
Gilbucci
Dude..for real?
You know what?..I actually might do that..
@DDDorian: What exactly should I be watching for when doing that exercise?
I'd aim for getting the timing even intially, and then experiment with different ways of articulating it. You could play it with a light palm-mute, in which case it could sound more like super-smooth picking than legato, or let the notes ring out more. You could also experiment with rhythmic accents, such as really accentuating the picked notes rather than blending them with the slurs.
Drew
Forum MVP
Easy. If you want to get an even legato attack unplugged, practice playing legato unplugged.
Start slowly if you need to, and just practice hitting on and pulling off notes without plugging into the amp. I've noticed that the very tips of your fingers give you a "crisper" legato attack than the pads, if it helps.
Really, the more you do it, the better it'll get. And then, when you go back and add some amp-age, your legato will sound WAY more "articulate" than it did previously. Letago, it's easy to hide sloppy articulation behind gain, but when you have crisp articulation happening, you'll hear it.
If you want, I can try to post some "unplugged" legato clips for you...
Drew, awesome point about fingering style! I've noticed this as well. It's one of the reasons I tend to lean more towards stacking my fingers rather than barring where possible, as the tone is so much sweeter that way. The same goes for chords. There's a bit on Eric Johnson's first video where he demonstrates this.
Gilbucci
Dude..for real?
I would greatly appreciate it if you posted some clips!
I've been doing the unplugged method for a few nights now. I'm definitely seeing some improvement.
The exercise is designed to help develop a balance between your legato and your pick attack, and to be able to switch between one or the other at will. Initially, you should be aiming for an equal amount of control over the legato and picked sections, so if that means slowing the tempo down then so be it. Also, note that the picked notes are to be played "staccato" ie in a detached "clipped" fashion, as if you're puting a mini rest in between each note.
Once you've managed a balance in both techniques is when you can go crazy with dynamics and accents. The stuff DR mentioned is a good place to start. You can also add more techniques to licks like this, such as sweep picking and alternate-picked string-skipping (putting those two back-to-back is another great exercise in dynamics, one that I'm forever struggling with, heh). As always, don't forget that you can always shift the lick to another key or base it on another scale. Hope that helps!
