Welcome to SHRED BOOTCAMP! I'll be your Drill Instructor! And I do mean DRILL! As in a large power tool used in slasher films and Paul Gilbert concerts. Here is were you EARN THE LIVING DEATH out of your fingers and break through any speed bumps/barriers to become a MASTER CHIEF of Shred!

MISSON #1

THE MISSION

1.)Your mission is to go all the way back to the very start. The base of the mountain.

LESSON 1. http://bitly.com/gmclesson1

Which you will play SLOWWWWWWLLY, very SLOWWWLLLLYYYY until you master it at a crawl (As You'll Do With Each Mission, and focus on left hand FORM! Make it SUPER PERFECT!). Speed it up bit by bit until you feel your ready to take it to WAR (Any speed, it's up to you) Shoot a video of you playing the bit along with a METRONOME or DRUM click in the background so that I can hear if your on beat or not, and embed it as a post it as a reply to this post. I'll then offer a constructive and brutally honest critique.

THE AFTERMATH

Upon nailing the crap out of lesson one, and playing it a clean as a freshly waxed floor, you will be given your first insignia of Rank in BOOTCAMP!

After that proceed to MISSION #2. Here is a link to all of the missions. All 400+ of them. Our highest ranking Soldier is currently at LEVEL 30.
http://bit.ly/twtgmc

Here is the link to your own PRIVATE HOUSE OF PAIN!...Er I mean.. SHRED!
http://bit.ly/phil66sbootcamp


Practice!
Todd

Thank you for having me Todd.
So is this first lesson four notes per beat?
Cheers

There is no hard requirement. It's really whatever you can play clean. The only real criteria is that every note should be distinct and spaced evenly from every other note and I need to hear the metronome or whatever you are using for time as well as your guitar track. That's it These first few lessons are very basic but contain bits that you will need in order to progress. Onward!!

Sarge

Ahhh thanks, I wondered what the target speed is. I mean if it's 160bpm doing one note per beat that's a bit different to doing four notes per beat.

Cheers buddy.

There is no "Target Speed". There are no requirements other than playing it as cleanly as you can. If you can play it clean at 240BPM great! if you can play it clean at 50 BPM that's great too! It doesn't matter at all really. Speed is not the point here. These are designed to get you to focus on your technique to develop your precision. After all "Speed is just a byproduct of precision". Find the speed for you by finding where it gets sloppy sounding and then slow down until it cleans up. That will be the speed to go for with your video. Make sense?

Todd

Makes sense sarge

I've been so busy but I am working on this now

We are ready when you are Soldier!! No rush. When you are ready to post, we are ready to listen!

Sarge

Ok Todd,

Finally I have recorded something. I need to find a better way to record though. I can't see how to record the metronome in Reaper. I'm sure I read somewhere that you can so I'll dig deeper. I wonder if there is a VST metronome? I'll look for that too.

Anyway, here is 100bpm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rAwNXhL9_8...eature=youtu.be


Cheers

Phil

BINGO!!!! CONGRATS SOLDIER!!!! This is your FIRST MISSION and you KILLED IT!!!!! Let's debrief...

MEDALS OF HONOR

1.)Maintained splendid palm mute / right hand control.
2.)Maintained tight and precise picking.
3.)Maintained control of each strike and it's timing.

This is exactly what I like to see. You really nailed it. I know these first few lessons are very simple, but they do help you get your production process smoothed out and get you ready for the HELL that's yet to come!!


*If you want to record a metronome in reaper, try this!

A simple metronome is available under "Insert/Click Source"
Hilight the resulting item and hit "Ctrl+F2" to change parameters. Drag the edge to loop to the desired length.

Congrats Soldier, you just ...

LEVELED UP!!

Hello Todd
Sorry I'm not a prolific soldier but I have to put these exercises at the back of Gab's lessons. I am trying to improve but life seems to take over most of the time.

Cheers buddy.

Speak when I return, so long as ISIS ; don't get me

If Gabe's lessons are helping you on your Journey then I'm all for it That's the only reason GMC exists. Best of luck with them!!! Your bootcamp will still be here when you are ready to Shred!

Sarge

OK, first attempt at Drill 2. I completely didn't play the final note then thought "Oh shoot!" and played it but I ran out of time to re-record so posted this anyway.

Cheers Todd.

Welcome Back Soldier! Nice Axe!!

BINGO!!!!! Soldier, after seeing your playing in the Collab I have high expectation and you just met them!

Let's Debrief....

MEDAL OF HONOR

1.)Steady pace without rushing or lagging.
2.)Solid Techniques on all fronts, right hand, left hand, picking, synch, nice!
3.)Keeping Good right hand position, planted on the bridge.


You are gonna rip through these missions like a hot kbar knife through butter!

You Sir have just earned your SECOND MISSION BADGE!!!!

and ...

!!!!!!!LEVELED UP!!!!!!!!!!!

Click to view attachment

Thanks Sarge,

Struggling a bit with the 3rd one, harder to keep the palm muting going.

Working on it though, only started on it tonight.

Phil

Being able to palm mute while you are traverse picking is a KEY skill that you will use time and again throughout the SHRED JOURNEY. It does take some getting used to, but you can do it!!!!

Sarge

How is your palm muting coming along Soldier?

Sarge

To be completely honest with you I have been neglecting exercise three, I couldn't seem to improve at all so it went onto the back burner but I am planning on starting to practise it again this weekend.

Sorry sarge.

No worries Soldier!! Sometimes a break is exactly what is needed. To step away from the instrument and come back, often provides a fresh perspective Give em Hell!

Sarge

Thanks Todd,

Just letting you know I had another go at this today, I got up to 190bpm with whole lick taking a bar. I started to get cramp in my forearm so had to stop

I am back on it now though, just gotta find time to fit it in, I certainly can't do 30 minutes a day though.

Cheers

Phil

Keep in mind that "Speed is a byproduct of precision" so sometimes I see players actually getting in their own trying to play fast, when instead, the focus should really be on playing well. Speed will just happen as you go, especially in these Missions, it's inevitable So don't kill yourself or make your arm hurt trying to reach a certain BPM. I realize it's hard to not try to play some of these as fast as possible, but fight it I"d much rather see it played evenly and cleanly than briskly

Sarge

Thanks Todd,

There must be a limit though, I mean we couldn't pass at 30bpm could we

Tell you what I find of though, so far there's been a "natural" speed for me, for example, 140bpm, and I actually struggle to play in time below that, particularly this number 3. I actually thought about setting the time signature to 3/4 in my DAW so I could play one note per best with the luck spread over two bars but that's cheating so I didn't.

Cheers

Hello Sarge,

I've posted this here not because i think it's good but because I want to show you how far I've got. It's only had about 20 minutes but I thought you should see it so maybe you could advise. I do play a wrong note halfway through and that throws my timing off

Cheers buddy.

This Mission is flat out hard Soldier as it forces you to play in an awkward way, essentially. It requires you to go up the neck, while going down the strings and lead with the Pinky. You look like you have a good grasp on the fundamentals that the Mission is intended to work on but I fear you may be playing it simply too fast. I'd suggest slowing down a bit. Also, due to the way the mission is built, you may want to go to only clicks on your metronome. E.G. only one type of tone for your time keeping instead of the default which is to let the metronome use two separate tones so as to let you know when the time cycle is repeating. As there are 6 notes in this bit, it's an odd thing to time. So just clicks, might help. Also, you can play one note per click. So slow way down, pick a note each time you hear a click and work your way back up. Let me know if this makes sense

Good progress Soldier! Keep it up!

Sarge

Thanks Todd

It makes sense, I was just trying to keep it musically correct in 4/4 really. I'll look at how to alter the metronome times in Reaper next time.

Cheers buddy

No worries You can use any app you like as a metronome. Some metronome apps and even web metronomes are quite simple and will often let you use just clicks for example by ticking a check box or something. For some missions, having only a single tone makes the entire bit a tinge easier to play as some of the missions feel odd in 4/4 even though they fit in 4/4.

I think it will be a bit simpler at a less brisk pace. I'm thinking your next vid will be a Badger FO SHO!

Sarge

Thanks Todd

I guess that was my thinking about setting the metronome to 3/4 time, then the first note on each string would be accented. Hope that makes sense but i will go for just a single tone click track next time.

Cheers bud.

Whatever works best for you is fine for me as well Just offering some tips to try out is all. You are very close on the vid you put up, I'd say you are probably ready to BADGE UP if you are ready to shoot again

Sarge



I've been teaching here more than half a decade and have never run in to the problem of a student playing amazingly slow. It just seems abnormal evidently so students just never have done it in bootcamp. But if a bit required you to play it at 30 bpm in order to play it well, I wouldn't complain Just by watching the vid I can tell if somebody is playing well below their potential or pushing a bit beyond their current ability. So it usually works out

Sarge

Sarge,

I have been MIA and completely neglected my duties since early November. I really struggle to fit these exercises in. Partly because I'm not a repetitive drill kinda person but I am going to try again. I had my first practise this morning since November so here is my video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfheUmlHni0

Well Fought Soldier!!! Drills are something that can be a bit repetitive (No pun intended) for sure. You don't have to practice them with an amp/plugin or even metronome. Once your fingers know the pattern, you can take your guitar in to the den and watch a movie/tv whatever, and just loop the drill. Once the patter is locked in to your brain, it's just a matter of repetition, I used to pick a scale, memorize it, then watch my fave movie of the moment a couple of times while playing it back and forth. It worked well for me, but may not work well for you, but it's worth a shot It certainly took the drudgery out of it when I didn't feel like running scales for a couple of hours.

Eventually, these techniques, become simple second nature and you won't even have to think about them. They will just happen. Getting to that point is what Bootcamp is for.

You did great on this one and I want to push you a bit at this point before we badge you up and throw you in to Mission 4. Try one pass of this Mission DOUBLE PICKED. Just pick every note twice. There is a LOT of multi picking coming up and I want to prep you for it. It will feel odd at first and it doesn't need to be fast, just precise. . ONWARD!!

Todd

Thanks Todd,

I don't get time to watch a film once never mind twice I get in from work at around 17:30, I have my dinner, I sit and watch the news and chat with my wife until around 19:00-19:30 then I enter my man cave until around 20:30-21:00. I then go and spend an hour or so with my wife. We usually go to bed around 22:00-22:30 as I am up again at 06:00 to leave for work.

I hope this explains why I don't progress very quickly. Weekends we are out living, visiting historic towns and villages, or away for the weekend at a seaside town. Sometimes I manage to get up early and have a practise before we go out but mostly it's the 90-120 minutes in the evening.

Here is the double picked version you asked for buddy I hope it's ok, I still struggle to palm mute the strings with this string crossing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH9B6dkY2Jk


Cheers

Phil

Well fought Soldier!! Time is the enemy as they say!! In your case it's a serious and vicious enemy! With your schedule your progress is more than I'd expect so your doing just fine IMHO

The muting while traversing strings is what makes this Mission such a pain in the neck. Then to boot, I added Multi picking which makes some things even more of a pain in the neck Put together it's great practice on traverse and muting whether picking once or twice per string.

Let's Debrief!!

CONGRATS SOLDIER!!!! You are ripping it up!! You are a more advanced player than I expected. Keep killing it!

MEDALS OF HONOR

1.)Precise Pick Control during traverse.

2.)Good Palm Mute all the way through.

3.)Aggressive style and solid pacing.

You really tore it up here soldier!! And with quick turn around!! Welcome to the fun world of Multi Picking

Congrats Soldier, you just ...

LEVELED UP!!

Hello Sarge,

Reporting for duty.

Mission: Drill 4. Total practise time 10 minutes. Recorded for assessment. Current issue: Palm muting on thin strings.

You are on the right track here Soldier The reason the high strings are selected is to try to force your left hand in to a position where it's able to mute the high strings while you pick them. This is NOT an easy technique. You may need to slow down a bit and focus more on articulating the pick with thumb and finger while resting the back of your palm on the bridge. Think of your hand as the hands of a clock and middle of you back side palm rest/mute, as the center of the clock around which the hands of time spin. Allow your fingers to shift/tilt forward a bit so that you can maintain your full mute on the bridge. This will feel very very very odd at first. It's not something you will always need to do. It's just something I'm trying to teach with this particular Mission.

I notice you seem to be going a bit too far perhaps beyond the "String Threshold" e.g. the point at which the pick passes the string and comes closer to the body of the guitar. Try to keep as much distance from the guitar and the tip of your pick as possible. E.G. Just barely dig in enough to strike the string with the very tip of your pointy (assuming your using a pointy /stiff pick) tip on your pick. This will reduce the recovery time between strikes.

I hope all that made sense. Please let me know

Sarge

Thanks Todd,

It kinda makes sense. I'll keep trying when I get spare time. That take was after only ten minutes practice.

Cheers buddy

Phil

Watch the vid that goes with this mission and especially toward the end where it shows my picking hand. I"d be happy to make another vid if need be, just let me know

Sarge

Is the "left" hand comment correct Todd? I'm not being a pedant, just clarifying because I know some use the left hand to mute adjacent strings.

I can see a mechanical reason for it being difficult too. Unlike the wound strings, the unwound strings sit low in the groove of the saddle so it's hard to roll your fleshy part of your palm onto a sweet spot. The wound strings sit just above the saddle making it much easier. I am either killing the note, making it buzz or just picking it cleanly with my palm away from the string, the last way is the way I can play it fastest.

UPDATE::
I've stained some muscles in my forearm doing drill 4 so have to rest my arm.

Cheers

I'm an idiot. I"m talking about the RIGHT hand, the picking hand. Planted on the bridge and just sort of turning a bit to reach high and low strings

Forget playing "fast". Just try to do this Mission with your right/picking hand flat on the bridge I know it's not easy. It's not meant to be. It's just a Mission to train your picking hand, nothing else. Being able to not over mute, and not under mute, takes time and practice. you can take your fretting hand off the guitar and just practice picking high e to low e if that helps. The picking hand is really the big point of this Mission.

Sarge

Sarge,

Been doing my drill. Here are two videos for assessment.

Thanks

Private Phil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnFbF-T2enQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEap4NjxN8

WELL FOUGHT SOLDIER!!! You are getting the hang of this. I still suspect your pick may be breaking the plane of the string just a pinch to far as it's causing your fingers to have to pull the pick back before making your next strike.

The good news is that you have a good handle on a very difficult muting technique. I know it feels odd. It's natural for it to feel odd

I know I have been pushing you way harder than normal on this one, but this Mission in particular is the "Gateway Drug" to many things to come. I can tell you have been putting in time on this and I promise you it will be worth it as you go Let's debrief!!!

MEDAL OF HONOR

1.)Planted Right hand, Centered and not drifting, per Drill Instructor.

2.)Steady picking and tight synch between right/left hands.

3.)Solid pacing and consistent muting.

You ticked all the boxes Soldier!!!! I am tempted to have you run DOUBLES on this but I'll save that for next time!! For now you just

LEVELED UP!!!!

Thank you sarge,

I didn't expect to level up yet. To be honest with you, total practice time on this is no more than 30 minutes. If you want me to hold out on taking the badge and try to improve some more I will.

Cheers

Private Phil

I think you are ready Soldier There is always an element of learning as you in these missions. There is plenty more to cover and I'm happy with your progress on this particular technique. So I say ONWARD SOLDIER!!!!

Todd

Thanks Todd,

I've started on drill 5. I'm away in London from Thursday until Sunday for my wife's 50th birthday so I won't be able to practise then.

I noticed in the video, your pick looks like it isn't far from perpendicular to the strings. I've tried but it feels weird as my pick is pretty much parallel with the strings. Maybe my way hinders me and I need to adapt.

Cheers buddy.

Since my pick is very, very, very pointy, I can keep it nearly perpendicular to the string without issue. If the pick is less than very pointy, doing this tends to cause over reach and breaking the plane of the string too far to allow quick recovery. I choke up on the pick so that only the tip is used for the most part. This places my thumb "string adjacent" so that I don't have to shift my hand to hit pinch harmonics. I can pull them off anytime I like.

It's ok to hold the pick in whatever way is comfy, just try to choke up on the pick so that mostly the point sticks out and addresses the string and you don't want to break the plane of the string any more than you have to. Over committing to a single pick strike will cause you to take an extra millisecond to recover for the next strike. This is something we want to avoid for the long term. Eventually, you wont have the millisecond to spare as you run certain licks.


Take your fretting hand off the neck for a bit and focus on getting a comfy grip with your picking hand. Flatten the palm on the saddle/bridge or just above it whether you are muting or not, always be able to grab a mute, even "alternate mute" (e.g. mute every other note) sort of like being able to grab pinch harmonics at any point. If you place the hand well, you are not hit sideways when it's time to mute part of a lick/passage or hit a pinch, etc. it just flows smoothly As it should. Some folks never quite get this and you can see on their face that a mute and or pinch is coming up and they change their entire hand position to prep for it. Then change back.

So focus on your pick hand for a bit, till it feels more comfy Also, focus on not tensing, tensing kills.

Todd

Hello Todd,

Things are settling down a little bit here now, I'm starting to work on drill 5, I can't give it 30 minutes a night though, maybe 10. I just nearly worked up to 300bpm with one note per beat but I lost it at around the 9th fret so had to slow it down again.

Cheers buddy.

Phil

Are you using a sharp pick? if not, give one a shot or use a pocket knife and carve a pick to a nice point. It really helps reduce the way picks sometimes hang on a given string so it makes things a lot easier later on as string traverse becomes more and more part of things. Keep at it and I look forward to your vid!

Todd

Thanks Todd,

I use these, Been Higgins like them too. I think Petrucci's picks are based on them too.

Nice!!!

Talking to the Boss now, looks like we may be able to work something out so I"ll let you know asap

Todd

Sorry but what was your post above in relation to?

Cheers

From way back when I didn't know if I was staying on!

Todd