guitar stuff

[devilfish063]

Hey guys.. i have a question for guitar players.
When it comes to palm-muting tones and riffs, my downstroke always seems to be chunkier and clearer than an upstroke. Is this a lack of my skill on upstrokes or is it that way by default because of the right hand position or something else..
I've also noticed that most of rythm-oriented metal guitar players prefer to use downstrokes as much as they can, even when it's much less economic.
Probably a dumb question but it has been bothering me for quite a while.
Thanks.

 

[Steve Smyth]

Hey guys.. i have a question for guitar players.
When it comes to palm-muting tones and riffs, my downstroke always seems to be chunkier and clearer than an upstroke. Is this a lack of my skill on upstrokes or is it that way by default because of the right hand position or something else..
I've also noticed that most of rythm-oriented metal guitar players prefer to use downstrokes as much as they can, even when it's much less economic.
Probably a dumb question but it has been bothering me for quite a while.
Thanks.

Hey devilfish063,

For the first of your questions:
You're working with gravity when you pick a down stroke vs. pick an up stroke, so naturally, a down stroke will have more impact than an up. But, you can practice the up to be as balanced as an up, say for single note playing.....
If you're playing say a classic "gallop" (think Maiden: down down-up one 8th note, two 16ths), or a "reverse gallop" (think early Slayer,Metallica,Testament): down-up down two 16th notes, one 8th note), where there are up strokes involved, the main thing to remember is to really articulate that up stroke, if it's not quite where you want it to be. The other thing you could do would be to practice the parallel opposite of those two rhythms; change the picking scheme to begin with an upstroke, and so on.

It depends on your approach already, but if I saw you playing, I could help you more....

2nd of your questions:
Purely a choice in tone and articulation. How someone wants something to sound is why they would approach a rhythm with a certain pick approach. Try playing songs or rhythms with different pick approaches, and see how different it can sound. I'm not sure which players in particular you've been watching, but I notice a fair share out there using equal amounts of both alternate, and down stroke approach.

Hope that helps, but it's only the "tip of the iceberg", really.If you're interested, or anyone else reading this, I am teaching online, and I'm always welcoming new students. For more info: www.stevesmyth.com, and click on the lessons icon.

 

[devilfish063]

Yeah that helps, thanks a lot Steve. I really don't have time for lessons at the moment and i'm kinda short on cash but i'll contact you about it if i get the opportunity. Thanks again.. cheers!

 

[JBroll]

I've heard a few people, including Rusty Cooley and Al DiMeola, say there shouldn't be anything a guitarist can do with one direction that he can't do with another. Pretty good motivation to practice and it's helpful for when you just can't deal with the burn and need to start alternate picking... can anyone say DNR?

Jeff

 

[Steve Smyth]

I've heard a few people, including Rusty Cooley and Al DiMeola, say there shouldn't be anything a guitarist can do with one direction that he can't do with another. Pretty good motivation to practice and it's helpful for when you just can't deal with the burn and need to start alternate picking... can anyone say DNR?

Jeff

Yep, definitely an important point there.

And, DNR! We would open with that song every night, and go in to Down For Life right after, and by the middle of Down For Life, my right hand felt like it would fall off!That's Eric's riffs for you though!

 

[devilfish063]

I've heard a few people, including Rusty Cooley and Al DiMeola, say there shouldn't be anything a guitarist can do with one direction that he can't do with another.

Jeff

What about pinch harmonics

 

[Steve Smyth]

What about pinch harmonics

Not impossible!

 

[devilfish063]

Not impossible!

Haha maybe... but i guess no one's that curious

 

[JBroll]

No... use your index finger, middle finger, or do like Steve Morse and have the pinky hit the node while you pick elsewhere. Not at all impossible.

Jeff

 

[devilfish063]

When you put it that way, really not at all impossible. It could actually be useful, unlike michael angelo upside-down crap.
Maybe even pinched triplets lol