GT RATING MODERATE Wil improve your YOUR GITUTOR ‘See p9 for moro io 92. Guitar Teehniques APR. 2004 4.8% Picking 52% LeGATS NEARLY THERE, man ! Shaun Baxter looks at ways of achieving a balance between picking and legato HALF AND HALF month's Guitar Gym, we are gong to be looking at something that doesn't require you to be proficient at either picking or legato (hammenons and pil-ofs), because it involves using both techniques together in order to get the job done, Fusion guitarists, such as Jolin Scofield and Scott Henderson, both complaln about being ham-fsted. However, then sou isten to them ripping through & seariless string of 16th note they certainly don't sound it Both these, and many other players like Pat Metheny ane Brett Garsed, use an approach which involves blending pleked notes with the occasional hammet-on andlor pul-off in order to find a workin ‘between tonal desirability and physial eu EXTREMES Picking is obviously an indispensable patt of playing. However, it does have its drawbacks. When a note is picked, there isan intial click asthe pike comes into contact with the string. When picking at high speed, the next note is being picked before the click has finished, therefore not time for the piteh of each note to sound allowing en for very long, When you hammer on or pull off t a note, there is no Jnl click. This means that pitches are more easily audible when using legato at speed, because each one lass longer, Bo legato, lke every other guitar ste does have its own limitations: when used at mediuze paced Lemos t tends to lack form and a certain snap Consequently, if done all the time, most listeners find nave picking too robot, and let-hand legato too lightweight and formes, whereas the correct lance of both techniques will produce a sound tha is something between both ofthese extremes ~ the best of hoth worlds, you like, ‘TRACK RECORD RECOMMENDED LISTENING MOST BLUES PLAYERS use a _good balance of picking and legato, however ths soften just for pentaronics.A good example cof a player who use the half nd tal approach with seven-note scales 35 well fusion artist ES rex Garsed. Breet Garsed started 25a sideman ¢o natve Australian singer John Farha in the late 80s, Now teaching a Min California, rere appeared with Frank Gambale and che late Shawn Lane on the widele-ese Centrifugal Funk (MVP) He then released several albums withfllow Ml {gui ceacherT J Helmerich under the name Garsed and Helmerich. However, Bret has just released his frst solo album called Big Blue Sky, which is probably the best Inerodution to his playing.Brett Garsed, who is predominantly a legato player, achits that there is more picking involved with many legato runs than listeners at first think. And, i you lok at any vdeo of Allan Holdsworth (the undisptted king of legato playing), youl see that he uses his pleking hand much more than you'd probably think, ‘THE WORKOUT All the exercises inthis months workout show pick directions that are consistent with economy picking (moving the pick ach new string), However there is such lack of pressure on the picking hand, you can use whatever directions you prefer BEING REAUSTIC Its easy to got hung up with not being ale to do various thins, such asthe ability to pick every note at high speed. However: You must remember that it's the music that's important, not the technique. As long as you can find a way for the notes to come out, who cares? Should Al Di Meola be tossing and turning in bed all night because he can’ right-hand tap; or Allan Holdsworth fel tnadequate because he ean seep Pick? I am not suggesting that you shouldn't bother with various techniques, on the contrary, you sheuld fly SOUND ADVICE SHAUN'STONE ON THE GTCO ‘THE HALF AND HALF approach works for any type of ‘single-note lines, whether using a clean jaz sound or 2 Astorted blues or rock tone-For this GT workout | used my Relic Custom Shop Fender Strat, which s fired ‘with Kinman Blues-Rock pick-ups. Ths went through the (©D-2 channel of a Marshall JMP-I valve programmable pre-amp (with the bazeshit'on) and a Palmer speaker simulator via a Boss SD-1 Super overdrive pedal (with all three contol knobs set to 12'o! dock) “The [MP1 was on the flowing setings Me) Uae) ' “This half and half approach will feel easier all round, as it is more a question of co-ordination ‘than strength or speed.” @ PROTIP ‘THE PICKED NOTES shouldn't sound louder than the harmmer-ons cor pull, 0 es Imporane to Producing as much volume 2s possible from the nous plyed by the Investigate each alternative. I's a good idea to werk on _lafehand wile each area incivchalsin order to develop i as mitch ligheaning up abi wieh 18 possible the pick. However, techniques just offer you altematives, as 3 means of getting the job done, Once sou are aware ofthe various choices, and have given each your best sot, you should get some idea of where your strengths and ‘weaknesses le, After a whle, ls good to accept these and start working to your strengths so that you can get n with the business of ving to express vourse in a ‘musical was, Try expertmenting with various ‘combinations ofp that 9 ing and legato with all the things 1 lay, to Bind out what works for you. a THIS FIRST EXERCISE involves playing straight up and down the Crmajor seale wath three notes per string ©) however, by picking only the frst two notes on each string, it possible to proshice a sound that is smooth yet punchy Asan experiment, try playing i in three different ways: 2) if you pick every note it wal sou this is great for aga 1b) if you use a d quite rigid and staceat ive paying, bul too sti for general use ato approach (ty only picking the fist note on each string, and then using hammeron and pull-ofs forall the rest), it will lack some definition, and be difficult to keep in perfect time (100) (182) 208) Furthermore, the pull-off (or hammer-on) used to play the lst note on each string, allows te picking hand more time to compese itself in readiness to pick the first note ofthe following string, Finals, because there i only one sent plea or hhammer-on on each string, and two picks, ance mastered, this half and half approach wil fel easier all round, ‘question of co-ordination than strength ‘peed my omy pra. 2006 Guitar echnigaes 93,‘WORKSHOP EXAMPLE 2 This isan example of how this approach can be applied to a caron four-note seale sequence. Ean ‘THIS FINAL EXERCISE combines sweep picking (playing more _ each string was picked the second half of each bar would be than one note with one continuous pick stroke: something that Jacking in definition, can only happen when passing from string to string), alternate Remember that you should only hold one note down at a te picking and legato in a passage that shifts up and down the full ‘when ascending each arpeggo (the sections that are arranged one length ofthe neck ofthe guitar note per string and played witha single dowmsweep) or the nates, ‘Again, the sane principles apply. every nate were picked it ‘will run into each other, instead of sounding separate. ‘would probably sound too rigid, whereas if only the fist note on em Fmayr ‘mm maveay vm ¢R ) @RARY RY VR VR Se ees vmy om UU 7 7 nT ‘94 Guitar Techniques APRIL 2004EXAMPLE 3 4 eee ae ee — ——— rie TR RARY RY VA = m7 3 413—-15—17—15—13- ap tet ee ees a6 "ee em ye a) i L000 mrs > ~ Anz = ~ or Fai? em? 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