"golden" Exercise For The Right Hand.
By Yuri Nikitin, Sat Dec 10th

This lesson can open for you a secret of high-speed guitarplaying. If take the given technique for 2-3 weeks you'll feelprogress in high-speed playing of complex passages. The givenprinciple of development of techniques "was tested" not by onegeneration of guitarists and not only guitarists...

In this lesson we shall concern high-speed technics. Skilledguitarists alredy know that the basic brake in development ofguitar high-speed technics is the right hand. Therefore whenplaying the most ultra-high-speed passages for simplificationguitarists play legato (i.e. the right hand does not take somenotes, it is done with fingers of the left hand by receptionspull-off, hammer-on).

How to achieve speed?

For this purpose it is necessary for guitarist to developtechnics of the right hand - fast alternation of pick strokeupwards-downwards (a variable stroke). The more quickly theright hand will make alternating strokes, the quicker theplaying will be.

It is necessary to begin from the most usual tremolo (fastrecurrence of one note). Triplets are the most effective way oflearning to play a tremolo. Try to begin each of your lessonswith a tremolo. It develops (and well warms up) the right hand.The tremolo notes must sound dynamically equal (all soundingnotes of equal loudness) and with equal tempo.

For example, you wish to learn a high-speed passage. I offer thefollowing simple blues phrase in "A" as an example:

___5_________________8___5_______5____________________________8___5__________________7______8___5_____________________________8__7_________________________8___5__________________________________________________________7_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

First you need to learn in slow tempo and in convenient key withrational pick strokes. After you've done it, play a tremolo ofeach note, i.e. each note in a passage it is necessary to takethree times (if it is the eighth) like this:

___5_5_5________________________________8_8_8___5_5_5___________8_8_8___5_5_5__________________________________________________________8_8_8___7_7_7______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The tremolo should be loud (a silent tremolo does not makeeffect). Play thus 10 - 15 minutes (with small breaks) up tofeeling of weariness in your right hand. The weariness speaksthat muscles work as they must do. In my experience each studentplaying given technique, develops his own nuances. The righthand as though itself finds the most convenient

position whileplaying, - it is only necessary " to force it to work". When youare good at playing this passage with tremolo, try to play it inthe original.

I often hear a question: " How many it is necessary to beengaged so that to come to high speed?" - It's individually. Forsomeone it's necessary 2 hours, for another 2 days, and forsomeone it is not necessary at all (i'm kidding :-). Hereintrospection is necessary, that is you should feel improvementof technics. Clearly one, that the most effective way - "gold"exercise for the right hand.

Play your own passages by this principle, solos,improvizations, rock, jazz and blues phrases... If you havegreat patience, you will see huge advantage of this techniqueand feel the results. If you do not see any result most likelyyou were engaged either incorrectly or insufficiently long.Though it is possible to play legato or tapping, but it soundsless brightly and energetically.

About the author:Yuri Nikitin – guitar instructor, music writer and webmaster atguitar lessonsonline website.