Just do it man

DreadInBabylon

bmsurfcaster
Just do it man

Well of course I'm 'doing' it maaan, c'mon...:) in all kinds of ways, but to each is his favorite techniques and I want to learn and expand my vocabulary. It could help others too.

I still DO have trouble creating the very smooth and robust glissando, like a lion opening it's mouth, or accelerating on a motorcycle, or riding the edge of the tip, or... you get it.
Could be an issue of not-enough-volume?

Well as far as improving it, I've noticed a difference between beginners at guitar I've been involved with, and folks who are as good or better than me. In general beginners seem to think with guitar playing it's all about the fretting hand, and the serious boys seem to think it's all about the picking hand...

I'm just sayin'...

I'd have to say that to master the glissando one needs to be playing with a band. You really have to just feel the moment, be in the groove with the drummer and it just happens naturally. Playing along with recordings just doesn't get you there. At the very least, don't think about what you're doing, listen to the other musicians and just let go. Does that make sense?

Chord shapes vary depending on the particular arrangement you're planning. They're not an ends, they're a means to an end - which is to have a listenable arrangement where the guitars aren't stepping all over themselves. The biggest neophyte mistake is playing full chordal shapes, when once there's a bassist to cover the bottom, you only need the higher notes to make your point and concurrently not muddying up the bass part.

Not sure what string skipping is.

Tremolo picking has been covered extensively in this forum, do a cursory search of the archives. If you don't find what you need then let's continue here.

Palm muting also varies by guitar, based on the type and position of the bridge. So it's hard to describe any general approaches except that you have to find the sweet spot where enough 'note' rings through the percussive effect you're trying to get. It becomes muscle memory with time. It's also required to get big drip.

Glad to have you DreadinBabylon, keep on asking away...

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

My English isn't great so sorry for any misunderstanding.

Thanks very much Danny for your insightful response, I guess it's all there is to be said about the subject... Does make sense 8). Unfortunately I don't play with a band, mostly because the type of music I'm into isn't very popular here (as in -not at all), and almost no one even knows what surf IS :roll:. I thought about riding the wedding band train for a while (sort of friends of mine), some useful stuff and skills to learn, and try to introduce some 'Surfiness' there... But meanwhile I'm soloing away, writing stuff.

-By 'String skipping' - sorry, I just meant an Octave :)... (muting the in-between string)
-Tremolo - actually meant the whammy-bar. nevermind it's nitpicking anyway.
as for everything else...got it. "Press and move your hand to the left" that's great. Learning do do that with R hand in perfect time is probably what needs improvement mostly, thx Jake.

synchro

DreadInBabylon
Learning do do that with R hand in perfect time is probably what needs improvement mostly, thx Jake.

In my experience this is the case. Once the right hand is operating without any conscious effort the left hand just has to be smooth and wind up on the proper fret at the proper time.

I would add that the baby step to having no conscious effort is to introduce more triplets into your picking. As Danny said, it's more about riding the vibe than precise 16th, 32nd, or 64ths

Being able to pull off tasty triplets is the first step to being able to seamlessly jump out of the quarter note quagmire and begin to really ride the vibe. If quarter notes are your home base it can get too comfortable and can make the transition to any other rhythmic pattern a hair late, and inarticulate. Doesn't matter if it's 8th notes, triplets, teke-tekes.

If it feels as you start your glissando that you are making a transition. If a half a measure before you do it you think about the change coming up. If you have any tension about nailing it, the reverb tank may cover things up for you, but with a clean amp you will hear it, and the audience will feel it.

Grab your metronome and randomly play quarter, eight, sixteenth, and triplets. Try not fall into any patterns. Start at 60 BPM if you have to and work up to faster. Don't go faster than a speed that allows you to achieve perfection. And you know what I mean by perfection

I should add that this isn't Surf Technique advice as I'm one of the less experienced people here with that This is just plain right hand technique.

While not a great player myself, I studied with an absolutely astounding guitarist early on so hopefully, you may profit from his advice though this imperfect source. He said that when you are learning a new technique, a new scale, a lead pattern or what have you, play it as slowly as possible -- then play slower still the next time around. This seems to drill it into muscle memory more accurately. That's my theory, anyhow. Whatever the reason, it works.

As for glissandos: Watch some of the old surf guys on YouTube to see how they do it. One thing I got from a video of the Ventures doing Pipeline: rather than pressing the string to the frets while sliding down the fretboard, flatten your hand and just touch the string with two or three fingertips. This mutes the string and gives a very cool effect through a nice, drippy reverb.

-- Woody

It takes a lot of mussel memory to avoid clams.