What is Shred?

Hey guys, welcome to the first of hopefully numerous columns I’ll be contributing here at
Premier Guitar in rotation with Rusty Cooley and occasional guests. It’s very cool to be on
board! I suppose at this point I should officially swear in: “I solemnly swear to do my best
to simply deliver useful information that you would likely not be able to get elsewhere.”
Did I just use the word simply? Hmm, well the concept is simple, I suppose. Then again,
so is skydiving. Oh well, I’m always up for a fun challenge.
Now, out of courtesy, I feel obligated to prepare you up front for what will undoubtedly
be viewed as a healthy dose of opinion-based rhetoric infiltrating the installments that
follow. Sorry guys, but it’s necessary if I’m going to make a serious attempt at injecting
some new life, and some fresh perspective, into this somewhat exhausted subject of
shred.
Actually, shred is still a term that confuses me. Perhaps I’m missing something. I’m
pretty sure it refers to an approach to soloing or lead playing that relies heavily on the
use of fast passages. Great! Easy enough (I always do well up to this point). So why,
then, do I get strange looks when I point out my favorite shredders? Is there something
odd about being a fan of Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker or Niccolò Paganini?
At this point in a conversation, as it becomes apparent that my choices don’t seem to
qualify, I usually find myself seeking clarification. After all, the above-mentioned artists
certainly fit the definition. And right about at this point, I’ll find myself responding to
some remark about guitar exclusivity. I am reminded of my blatant oversight, and
respond appropriately with something like, “Ah-ha, now I see the light… the term only
applies to guitar playing. Great! I think I’ve got it!”
Okay, so let me make sure I’m clear. Playing fast on the guitar is called ‘shredding’ and
playing fast on the piano is called… ‘playing fast?’ ”
Am I really the only one who thinks there’s something odd about this? Is there really
nothing weird about the fact that there is suddenly a word assigned to a particular
method of note delivery... a method that people have obviously been using for centuries?
Is it possible that this very dilemma helps form the basis of the sort of obsessedwith-
speed mindset that seems to permeate so much of the guitar community? If “fast
playing” gets its own word, then why should all the other various methods of note
delivery be deprived of theirs? Why no words for playing slow, or for playing loud, or for
playing outside, or soft, or with vibrato, or in the pocket, etc?
I think one could make the argument that the word shred has basically helped create the
category of “Shred”—not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that, but I’ve just
never understood the real need or purpose. Such a category would seem to lend itself to
the encouragement of a disproportionate amount of development in one area. Perhaps
we’ve all seen some evidence of that.
Anyone familiar with my music knows that I enjoy fast playing as much as any diehard
“Shred” aficionado. It’s fun and it’s cool, but I just don’t place it on a pedestal. It’s simply
one of many things to do. Most accomplished musicians, on any instrument, have the
ability to turn on the afterburners when the need arises. But with non-guitar-playing
musicians, the ability to pump out notes at high speed seems much less likely to be
viewed as having any more or less value than the other many abilities they likely
possess.
As a guitarist who is often associated with the delivery of speedy licks, you might think
that I’d automatically denounce those who walk tall in their no-shred picket lines. You
might expect that I’d have a quick response to any suggestion that shred too often
happens at the expense of musicality—and I probably would if it weren’t for the fact that
those accusations are quite justified. Heck, I myself am guilty more often than I care to
admit. The good news, however, is that these shortcomings can often be remedied
simply by shifting perspective a bit.
I can only speculate that a category called “Shred” encourages the development of a
sort of “speed at any cost” mentality. Perhaps there’s no need to assign blame. I think we
can all agree, however, that a large percentage of licks that lend themselves to speed
are void of much musicality. Instead, they’re built around the use of various mundane
sequences executed within overly organized shapes and predictable diatonic patterns
solely for the sake of securing note rapidity. In such cases, these licks have little to no
appeal when played at anything but ultra-high speed. In fact, in such cases their sole
appeal is the speed.
What I’ve found to be extremely effective in avoiding this dilemma is to remove the
category of “Shred” from my mind, and instead just deal with music. It’s quite simple,
but very effective, because the thought process shifts from seeking shapes that work
well with sequences to seeking musical lines that sound good at any speed.
I’ll admit that there are a lot of great licks and lines that simply aren’t practical to play at
high speeds, and a lot of the fingerings and licks that work well with speed are often shy
of musicality. But I promise we can find comfort in knowing that there are tons great ones
that also contain an abundance of musicality. Those are, of course, the ones I’ll be
exploring with you.

As the Notes Burn

Hey guys, welcome back to the continuing saga of “As the Notes Burn.” In this episode
Greg Howe decides to put into effect the wisdom of a true mentor and genius by the
name of Frank Zappa, whose valuable advice was subtly displayed in text form on the
front cover of his 1981 release, Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar.
What will result from having taken such advice? Guess you’ll need to stay tuned in order
to find out. But here’s a clue: this month’s episode came awfully close to being entitled
“Less Blab, More Tab!”
Okay, so now that you’re finished cheering and celebrating over the implications of that
clue, let me briefly preface this stuff by picking up from where I left off.
I vowed to present licks and lines that would not only lend themselves to our ability to
execute at high speed, but that would also contain a level of musicality beyond just the
delivery of mundane mathematical sequences designed solely for the sake of securing
note rapidity.
Yes, we will challenge the popular notion that shred has to happen at the expense of
musicality.
Though there are a number of ways to achieve this, I’ll be focusing this month on a
method that utilizes the musical concept of superimposing, which is basically the idea of
placing one tonality on top of another tonality for the purpose of creating a more complex
and colorful new tonality.
This would be like the soloing equivalent to creating chord extensions by essentially
playing two chords simultaneously. For instance, if one guitarist played an A minor triad
chord while another guitarist played (overlaid) an E minor triad chord, the combined
chords would create an Am9 chord.
In the same way, we can imply these expanded tonalities within licks and lines… even at
high speed.
I’ve personally found that the easiest way to achieve this is with the use of arpeggios.
Simply stated, the arpeggios would, in effect, serve as the overlaying tonality against
whatever chord is being addressed.
The following examples are all designed to work within the framework of those modes,
keys, and chords existing as a result of the parent key of G major.
In other words, all of these examples will work in a Minor context if the key is A (implying
a Dorian tonality); or a Major context if the key is C (implying a Lydian tonality); or a
Dominant 7th context if the key is D (implying a Mixolydian tonality).
Note: most of the examples involve the use of 4-note arpeggios that include the 7th as
opposed to just triads, and are generally comprised of shapes in which the root note is
located on the 5th string. You’ll also find that the examples encourage a very legato-like
approach, since the arpeggio shapes really lend themselves to that texture. Also, some
examples illustrate the use of multiple arpeggios, or multiple parts of arpeggios within a
single lick or line.
The idea here isn’t so much that we’re just playing arpeggios up and down in a blatant
fashion, but rather we’re utilizing arpeggio shapes for the sake of forming the foundation
of colorful and musical licks or lines, which can then be used effectively at any speed.
My recommendation would be to first play and hear these licks over an A minor chord,
then play and hear these licks over a C major chord, and finally play and hear them over
a D7 chord. This can be a very useful practice, since the context in which these licks are
used will completely dictate the tonal characteristic they take on.
The examples will also technically work with the other modes related to G major, but at
the risk of getting into a long and boring harmony discussion, for now I’ll just say they’ll
work best in the contexts of the above mentioned. Enjoy!

Example 1 These are the 7 arpeggio shapes (based off the G major chord scale) from
which some of the licks are designed.
Example 2 This example basically utilizes a C major 7th arpeggio.
Example 3 This example utilizes an F#min7b5 arpeggio, which is one of my personal
favorites to use.
Example 4 This example demonstrates the use of the exact same long random
sequence used in the previous example, now being applied to an E minor7th arpeggio.
Example 5 This example basically combines parts of examples 2 and 3, thus creating a
longer lick that features 2 separate superimposed (overlaid) tonalities.
Example 6 This example utilizes both an A minor 7th and a B minor 7th arpeggio.
Example 7 This example utilizes both an A minor 7th arpeggio and a G major 7th
arpeggio. If you get comfortable with this lick, you may want to try attaching example 2
or 4 to the end of it in order to create a much longer lick that would ultimately contain a
variety of tonal characteristics.
Punchy Legato
Punchy Legato is a term I use to describe a hybrid texture containing both legato and
staccato characteristics simultaneously. Aside from this texture being relatively common
in the world of high-speed overdriven guitar playing, it also happens to be the texture I
personally prefer most when it comes to playing fast.
One of the methods that I use to achieve this texture involves the use of partial barreing,
which is, quite simply, the idea of flattening the tip of one or more of the fingers of your
fretting hand over two or more strings in order to perform high-speed licks with minimal
finger motion.
With many guitarists, this technique is commonly performed within the blues box area,
since the nature of that fret lineup completely lends itself to this approach. You’ve likely
seen many guitarists do this on the high E and B strings, using the first finger as the
barreing finger—Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, EVH, etc. Essentially, the first
finger acts as a capo while the other fingers assume their normal fretting duties.
As a kid, I remember watching guitar players use this barreing/capo technique and
thinking, what a clever way to play fast. I was totally struck by the fact that fast playing
didn’t necessarily require fast finger movement as long as accurate synchronization could
be maintained between left and right hands. Subsequently, it became a natural quest of
mine to try and expand upon this concept, since it seemed so incredibly convenient.
Most of the significant modifications I was able to make to this approach were based on
barreing with other fingers along with the index finger. When used in this manner, their
function is generally quite different from that of the index finger. The index finger’s main
function is to be a mini-capo, whereas the purpose of flattening the tips of other fingers
over two or more strings during fast licks is generally to introduce optional or wider
interval interplay.
The following examples are in the key of Eb major… better known to the guitar
community as C minor.
The first few examples are basically repetitive exercises: short sequences intended to get
you comfortable with barreing. The later examples show how these exercises can be
incorporated into scale shapes for the purpose of randomly inserting less predictable
intervals, as well as achieving that punchy legato texture.

Example 1: Example 2: Variation Example 3: Example 4:

Basic 4-note barreing sequence requiring two fingers to barre Variation--altering between the first two 12-note variation--adding the G string (blues note).
using the C blues box. the high-E and B strings. examples.
Example 5: 10-note sequence on three strings. Example 6: Variation--16-note sequence.

Example 7: 32-note sequence using common scale shapes.

Example 8: Descending run

Example 9: Ascending and descending run using previous examples

Hammer-ons from Nowhere
Hammer-ons From Nowhere (HFN) is a term I came up with a long time ago in order to
provide students with tab notation that described the idea of hammering on to a string
that was not previously fretted. Most of us are quite familiar with the term hammer-on,
which is of course a technique performed by forcefully bringing a fretting-hand finger
onto a string that was previously fretted or previously sounded in order to execute a new
note without having to simultaneously pick it. A typical hammer-on will always be higher
in pitch than the note that preceded it, however with HFN, this is not necessarily the
case.
One of the advantages to using HFN is that you can basically hammer-on to any string
you choose and produce results in which a hammered note ends up being lower in pitch
than the one preceding it. In fact, the HFN concept actually lends itself to the idea that a
hammered note is lower in pitch than the preceding note. This can result in many
unusual and unorthodox sequences, many of which can involve huge interval jumps that
easily simulate licks and passages more commonly associated with advanced
fingerpicking techniques. The most blatant example of this can be heard on the
Extraction album, in the unaccompanied acoustic guitar instrumental piece called “A
Delicacy.”
The first few examples are basically repetitive exercises consisting of short sequences in
order for you to get comfortable with the whole concept of HFN. The later examples
online at premierguitar.com illustrate more complex sequences, some of which include
the use of open strings.
Note: When using a lot of distortion and gain, I find that rolling way back on the guitar’s
volume knob, along with applying palm muting with the picking hand, significantly helps
in achieving clarity and articulation with these types of ideas. Also, for tone reasons, I
often use the second finger of my picking hand (hybrid picking) in place of upstrokes, but
this is not necessary.
Hammer-ons From Everywhere!
While writing the lead song “Kick It All Over” from my first album, Greg Howe, I stumbled
across a concept that went on to become a key component in my overall note delivery
style. Tapping is a term generally associated directly with two-handed guitar playing. It’s
basically a technique performed by forcefully bringing one or more of the fingers of the
picking hand toward the fretboard and onto a string in an effort to extend the role
typically occupied exclusively by the fretting hand. Because of this, tapping will often
involve the use of hammer-ons and pull-offs, whereby the fingers of the fretting hand
play sequences that are synchronized with the tapping hand. This is usually for the
purpose of creating lightning-fast repetitive sequences, often involving intervals that
would otherwise be difficult or impossible to finger conventionally.
A very typical tapping sequence that you’re likely already familiar with goes something
like this: Tap a note at the 12th fret of the high E string with a picking hand finger, then
pull it off to the first finger of the fretting hand located at the 5th fret of the same string,
and then hammer-on to the 8th fret of the same string with the 4th finger of the fretting
hand and start over.
Because of the fact that it is almost always a finger of the right hand (or picking hand)
that initiates these sequences, tapping licks often contain a sort of backward like note
order, which in combination with the distinct texture they possess due to the complete
absence of any pick attack, makes them quite easy to recognize. However, these
characteristics become much less obvious when tapped sequences are initiated with a
finger of the fretting hand rather than the picking hand.
There are also many practical advantages to this approach. The most significant
advantage is that it can become easier to start creating lines or passages as opposed to
just repetitive sequences. In my opinion this helps to bring a sort of keyboardist’s
perspective to the fretboard, which, in turn, could help to inspire unique and fresh ideas.
This approach also lends itself to the executing of some of the most outrageous sounding
all-out shred licks I’ve personally ever performed or heard.
The first few examples below illustrate the concept in its most basic form. We’re utilizing
the sequence (hammer-tap-pull) while the left and right hands take responsibility for
fretting different inversions of the same triad for the purpose of delivering the triad in a
fast triplet fashion. The last few examples below get into more complex sequences, some
of which include huge string skipping.

Example 1: Basic sequence using two A major triad shapes

Example 2: Identical sequence using A minor triads

Example 3: Identical sequence using diminished triads

Example 4: Variation on diminished arpeggio

Example 5: Lick from "Kick it all over" Outlines: Bb major - F major - G min7

Example 6: String skipping sequence with octaves

Example 7: String skipping lick for any G major related mode

Example 8: String skipping tapping lick with huge interval jumps

Note: Tapping with the fretting hand is very similar to “Hammer-Ons From Nowhere”
(which I discussed in the last article) in the sense that the success of execution will
largely be dependent on one’s ability to whack the strings hard with the fingers of their
fretting hand. Because of this, all taps with the fretting hand will be notated as hammer-
ons. Also, It can be helpful to use a string dampener to eliminate excessive string noise
particularly with some of the examples that involve intense string skipping. If you don’t
have one you might try using a piece of cloth tied firmly around the guitar neck at the
first fret.

Displaced Accents and Polyrhythms

One of the most important aspects of improvisation, at least for me, is the ability to
steadily deliver a stream of 16th notes (four notes per beat) containing interesting and
somewhat unpredictable lines within the context of mid- to high-tempo music scenarios.
Playing 16th notes at a typical mid-tempo speed such as 120 bpm is not necessarily a
difficult task for many guitarists, however to do so in a manner that doesn’t rely on the
use of overly predictable sequences or pre-rehearsed licks can often prove to be a bit
more challenging.
One of the methods I’ve found to be very helpful in assisting with this quest is displacing
the accents in these sets of fours, resulting in a particular kind of polyrhythm. The
various official definitions of the word usually include language that goes something like,
“the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms.” If this concept were
new to me, that definition would likely be of little value, so before we try to make use of
this concept let’s first try to understand it.
For our purposes, a polyrhythm will be defined as an odd-numbered sequence or
grouping of notes used in the context of a time signature for which they were not
originally intended. In this case, all odd groupings will be 16th notes (four notes per
beat).
For example, Exercise 1 illustrates a very simple sequence in G major that descends
three notes at a time from each consecutive lower degree of the scale, implying a triplet
(three notes per beat) feel. The natural tendency is to keep counting to three as we play
it in order to ensure that the design of the sequence remains consistent with the
correlating numbers.

However, Exercise 2 shows how that same exact sequence could be played in a 16th
note (four note per beat) fashion. As you can see, nothing actually changes other than
our perception of how the sequence is heard within the context of the rhythm. In this
case we’re using a three-note sequence while counting to four, which means that from a
four-note-per-beat perspective, we no longer have a series of identical sequences. In fact
we would now get three different sequences containing four notes each. This polyrhythm
would generally be referred to as three-into-four.

Since the dominant characteristic of a polyrhythm is that it guarantees the rhythmic

displacement of sequenced and/or accented notes, the use of polyrhythmic ideas within
passages can be very helpful in bringing about more creative and less predictable
sounding licks and lines. The highlighted sections of the following examples illustrate the
actual sequence being used, while the dotted lines illustrate the 16thnote context in
which they’re being applied.
Passing Tones
One of the approaches I’ve found to be very effective in spicing up solos is the use of
passing tones. Passing tones are often regarded as scale tones residing between two
chord tones. While this may be accurate by official definitions, it seems to me that the
overly vague nature of such a definition does very little to provide useful information to
someone genuinely interested in exploring this concept. So, for the sake of practicality,
passing tones might best be thought of as notes residing between two scale tones that
are a whole tone apart. For example, any one of the following notes could be used as
passing tones in a C major scale application: C#, Eb, F#, Ab or Bb. Simply put, a passing
tone is basically a non-harmonic tone maintaining the primary function of transitioning
from one scale tone to another.
They are embellishments that can serve to add depth, tension, and an overall element of
sophistication to almost any solo if used fittingly. Traditionally, it has been taught that
passing tones should fall on weak beats or upbeats; however, I don’t personally adhere
to that rule unless the specific soloing section seems to lend itself to that approach. In
most cases (but not all), it would generally be considered musically inappropriate to land
on or linger on a passing tone. But again, this really is subjective territory, and the only
rules that should ever really be obeyed are the ones that enable you to sound your best.
Historically, the recurring use of specific passing tones within the context of traditional
scales has often resulted in permanent modifications whereby the passing tone is
subsequently included as part of the modified version. Such is the case with many
contemporary scales, most notably the bebop scales and the classic blues scale. There is
still some debate as to whether or not the modded versions qualify as legitimate scales
at all. My personal opinion is, “Who cares?”
The following examples are designed to imply a D7 tonality. They’re basically comprised
of D Mixolydian notes (same notes as G major) along with passing tones. While these
licks initially seem to imply a D7 tonality, they can also work equally well in the following
G major related modes: Dorian, playing the licks over an Am chord, and Lydian, playing
the licks over a C major chord.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3
Example 4

Example 4B
Colorful String Skipping
In an earlier column, I talked a little bit about the concept of superimposition with
arpeggios in order to emphasize colorful non-chord tones. The goal with superimposition
is simply to achieve tonal results similar to those you’d get by expanding a basic chord
with the inclusion of extensions.
There are seven notes in most common scales, so the only way to put emphasis on
certain notes is simply to either play them more often than others, or to play the others
less often. Comprised of only certain notes of a scale, arpeggios can be very helpful in
assisting with this task. By laying an arpeggio and its tonality over the top of whatever
chord is being addressed, we are putting emphasis on specific notes.
For example, if you liked the tonal color of a Dm6 chord, you could achieve that quality
either by overemphasizing the 6th of a D minor scale or by playing an arpeggio that
automatically delivers the appropriate notes. In this case, an ideal arpeggio would be
Bm7b5, as it consists of the exact notes (B–D–F–A) that form a Dm6 chord.
Superimposing is a great melodic tool. However, the complaint I occasionally hear from
players new to this idea is that switching seamlessly between scales and arpeggios
sometimes proves to be a bit cumbersome. But this is only a complaint when the intent
is misunderstood. Playing arpeggios is not actually the goal here. The goal is to produce
colorful passages by emphasizing select notes within a scale. The blatant use of
arpeggios is one way to achieve that goal, however more subtle approaches are often
more effective.
The 5th-string root arpeggio shapes that I’ve covered in the past are ideal for modifying,
and we did so last time by adding notes to them. This time we will modify them by
eliminating the 4th- and 2nd-string notes entirely and adding notes to the 1st-, 3rd-, and
high 5th-strings. By doing this, we will have essentially transformed these shapes into
three-note-per-string ideas that still enable us to take advantage of the tonal qualities
that the unmodified arpeggios would have delivered in the context of superimposing.
Examples 1–7 illustrate the new three-note-per-string shapes that result from modifying
all seven arpeggios from the G major chord scale. The nice thing about this concept is
that you can apply almost any three-note-per-string sequence you may already be
comfortable with to these new shapes.
Examples 8 and 9 feature typical three-note-per-string-type sequences being applied to
the new shapes. Try

Master Ultra-Fast Runs with Linear Tapping

Many of my unique or unusual guitar techniques have resulted from attempting to play a
particular passage using a conventional approach, and then discovering it didn’t give me
the sound I was after. Forced to find another way to execute the passage, I’d stumble
across a new idea that I could develop and incorporate into my playing.
Here’s an example: It’s a challenge to disguise or avoid a subtle triplet feel when
performing straight, non-sequenced legato lines using three-note-per-string shapes,
especially at high speed. We have to deal with two primary issues when playing fast
linear lines using a conventional legato technique. First, it’s hard to maintain the same
volume and tone between picked notes and those that are articulated by hammer-ons or
pull-offs. Second, it’s tough to avoid the slight rhythmic inconsistencies that often occur
when you switch from one string to the next.
I wanted to perform ultra-fast linear runs that have the sonic uniformity and evenness we
typically associate with keyboardists and sax players—or anomalies like Allan
Holdsworth. This quest helped birth the idea behind this lesson’s examples, which
involve executing three-note-per-string linear lines with two hands.
The basic principle is that your fretting hand plays two of the three notes on a string,
while you tap the third note with your picking hand. To play ascending lines, you use a
technique that’s similar to a keyboardist’s approach, in that you’re essentially performing
hammer-ons with all fingers. By contrast, descending lines involve mostly pull-offs, with
the exception of a tap played by a picking-hand finger. This tap initiates the first of the
three notes you play on each new string.
I’ve found this approach to be very effective. Because there’s no picking attack, you get
a very consistent volume and tone—one of our goals. Also, by using both hands, you can
achieve an overall rhythmic consistency, which is our second goal.
These four examples will get you started with this technique (picking-hand taps are
indicated by a “+” above the staff and with a T above the tab). After you play through
them, explore the concept with other passages of your own. As you do this, note that
tapping sequences involving multiple strings may require you to hammer the initial note
on a new string. You might find it uncomfortable when your fretting hand’s first finger is
responsible for playing this first note. In such instances, the trick is to hammer hard with
your first finger to get the string ringing. This specific move is often the key to unlocking
our two-handed legato technique.

Altered Scales and Chords

One of the subjects I get asked about much more frequently these days is the subject of
altered scales and chords. It is a fairly large and sometimes confusing subject, due to the
ambiguous nature of certain definitions describing many associated musical terms and
concepts. For our purposes, we will categorize an altered chord as simply a dominant
chord in which either the fifth or ninth has been raised or lowered by a half step. The
most popular altered chord played on guitar is probably the #9 chord, commonly
referred to as “the Hendrix Chord,” shown in Fig1.

Fig. 2 shows a three-note-per-string C altered scale. The easiest way to play the altered
scale is to move up a half step from the established root and play the Melodic minor
scale.
Fig. 3 enables us to play the notes of C altered simply by playing Db Melodic minor. It
can also be helpful if you preface the scale by playing an altered chord.
Fig. 4 is a C7#5 chord, which is altered and sounds very compatible with the C altered
or Db Melodic minor scale.

In this scenario, we will also focus on two arpeggios that can be very effective in
emphasizing the tonal characteristic underlying the altered sound. The shapes in Fig. 5
and Fig. 6 are very similar to shapes we’ve seen before, in that they are based off a 5th
string root with the exact same format as those in previous articles.
The simplistic version of what’s happening here is that we are playing Db Melodic minor
over a C altered chord. Though this is not the only method that can be used in
addressing altered chords, it is certainly one of the more popular methods and definitely
my favorite. I will discuss typical chord progressions that enable us to use altered chords
and scales in my next article.
My next article will also focus on modifying this month’s shapes, so becoming familiar
with them will help you see the logic in the design of the upcoming licks. In the
meantime, have fun with these shapes and work on getting your ears accustomed to
these tonal qualities. See ya next time.

Combining Techniques
In the following examples, I’ll combine string skipping, barring, and hammer-ons from
nowhere.
Fig. 1 involves the use of a diminished arpeggio sequence that merges all three of the
above concepts. The combination of big interval jumps generated by string skipping and
the hyper-speed possibilities provided by the barre, creates the potential for an insane-
sounding result. To play these examples, I recommend hybrid picking (plucking strings
with one or more of the available picking-hand fingers in addition to the pick), as it
makes it easier for you to execute these ideas and make them sound tighter.

Fig. 2 is a long melodic exercise that also combines barring and string skipping. In this
example, we’re outlining a classic chord progression in the key of D major using major
and minor triad arpeggios. This passage is designed with a triplet feel and alternates
between two very distinctive 12-note sequences.
The arpeggiated F# minor triad involves a huge stretch between the 10th and 16th frets.
If you find this physically impossible, simply change the F# (16th fret, 4th string) to E
(14th fret, 4th string). It will no longer be a genuine arpeggio, but it will still sound great.
The overall concept is much more important than the actual notes.
Combining these techniques yields many possibilities, so I recommend experimenting on
your own. You may be surprised with what you discover.