Hello guys,

I just joined yesterday and thought I'd introduce myself. I've been playing the guitar for more than thirty years, but for most of that I haven't been playing it very well. In the past 3 years I started working on scales and theory, and I've learned and improved quite a bit, but my efforts have been unfocused to say the least.

About a year ago I came across Pebber's videos and stunning amount of available information (thanks, Pebber for all your efforts), but I didn't make the decision until this week to really throw myself into a regimented practice schedule and drill proper technique and develop toward mastering the instrument.

I'm poking around my local area for bands to join as a rhythm guitarist, but I really need to do some work to get to the level I want to be and I plan to do so no matter how long it takes me.

Having read several of the more recent posts in the last day, I learned that videos are what feed the forums, so I decided to record a quick one of me doing a simple chromatic exercise designed to demonstrate a couple of things.

I'm not using a metronome so the speed is pretty erratic (much more so than I thought when playing it -- funny how that works, eh?).

In the middle I think about my picking hand and you can see me adjust my thumb to be more in accordance with Pebber's instructions on picking.

I have alot of things to work on as I watch this video. I see some good things, but I can really tighten up my technique all around.

I welcome any criticism at all; I'd love to hear people's opinions on my start here. But mainly I have a question: when I tighten my left hand and pull the fingers in, it seems like I am pulling them a really long way from the fingerboard, and this makes me think my left hand position is off in some way. If anyone what I need to work on there I'd appreciate the information.

I'm aware I've got a lot of work to do. I just want to make sure I practice right. They say perfect practice makes perfect, after all.

Cheers guys!

Hey Farelli,

Great you posted a video allready, Awsome! I wish you welcome here.

To get your fingers more close to the freboard you should start with the ladders and spiders they will do the job start putting them in your practice routine. See the lessons 5.20 and 5.50 in the syllabus.

For your right hand to start just with open strings like lesson 2.30. It looks to me that you still use your wrist a lot while picking.

If you take the two things seperate (right and left hand) you can focus on both different techniques seperatly. So you use your concetration on one thing which is more efficient. Im trying to say dont do the 2 exercises in one exercise (for now).

This is just what im thinking as you have seen my videos im just learning as well, 6 months ago i nmever had a pick in my hands before and played everything with my fingers :). Very coo you made a video, lets make more soon i'll post a new one as well.

Keep up the good work, cheers!

Hi Ray,

Thanks for the response. That is really a low quality video, now that I watch it again. The sound quality is terrible; I'll have to solve that.

I've been working on ladders and spiders as well as scalpel and SAROD picking. Starting today I began practicing in the early morning. I did picking exercises, then ladders and spiders, and finally Pebber's neo-classical picking exercise because I love that one. The whole practice was about 50 minutes before I got ready for work and left. I'll do more tonight.

Maybe on Wednesday I'll be able to upload another video or two to show my progress in a better way, kind of like you are with your different posts. I'll probably do one for each module.

That sounds awsome Farelli! It seems that you do quit some exercises. I do mainly the ladders and trying to learned all scales in the CAGED system. And recently i started with some new chords (not the basic Min and Maj chords) to learn.

Sarod i havent really tried yet.

Nice to see some more people who will upload some videos.

grtz Ray

Yes, I agree! I'd love to spend an hour on each module but I simply don't have the time for that. Last night I decided I would do 25 minutes each on right hand exercises, left hand exercises, and scales for a total of 75 minutes this morning. But I was short on time so I decided to split the time between right and left hand exercises. I did 25 minutes of right hand and then 30 minutes of left, and I wanted to keep going all day but had to leave for work.

I just signed up for online lessons with Pebber because I want to get his feedback as I progress so I don't make any stupid errors. I've been playing for a long time so it's easy to fall into bad habits that I want to eliminate.

Didn't get to practice again last night because my wife wanted me to hang out on the couch with her. This is one reason I decided to start practicing at 4:30 in the morning.

I did my second morning of practice today for about one hour. Right hand, left hand, and some brief scale exercises. I learned during this that the reason I can't play as quickly as I'd like is not because I can't pick quickly enough (that's been greatly helped by following Pebber's picking suggestions) but because my third and fourth fingers come far off the fingerboard at high speeds and I can't get them back in time and then the whole thing ends up out of synchronization.

So I slowed way down and concentrated on keeping those two fingers very close to the board. That's going to take some practice but at least now I know what the problem is there. In watching some videos of great players I have noticed that many of them have their fourth fingers flailing wildly about but I have no idea how they move them that quickly. I'd rather just move mine less so I will train myself to do that. I think 32nd notes at 60bpm should be no problem at all if I can just sort that problem out.

In the interest of maximizing practice time I also brought my guitar to work with me today. I will eat quickly and then do another hour of practice. That will add another 4 hours of practice per week. If I stick with a minimum of two one-hour practice periods per day that is 14 hours a week. If I add more on the weekends, and practice the right things in the right ways (which I believe I am now), I should achieve my objectives.

Damn your enthousiastic about it as me and beleive me it will pay off at the end, Pebber's exercises are really good IMO.
You even took your guitar to work, awsome dude i wish i could do that. I have the same problem as you, i have a job and need to go work and Im married as well, but i manged to be after 14 weeks cunting to be at an average of 19,5 hours a week, So some weeks a bit more as 20h and some less but in august i had about a months off and played like 35h a weeks. And these hours are mostly dedicated to practice PB syllabus.

Hey Farelli i see youmentioned again you 3rd and 4th finger. First i dont know what and how you practice and im not a real guru. But as you mentioned you have spread your free time to practice why dont you use your time for finger 3 and 4. Im trying to say this:

use your hour of practice for one month
ladders finger 1-4, 2-4, 3-4
spiders

after that you start doing the scales or use all the fingers. You'll see after one month that your fingers really get closer (videos are helping a lot). You have tackled your "problem" in that case im thinking put a shot load of time on that and your goal will be reached soon. Please dont think im trying to tell you what to do, cause that im not trying to do. I tell you something im thinking after what i experienced focussing on thechnique in the last 6 months ( i play nw for about 3,5 years) so im still a rookie.

Anyhow (My wife is calling i have to stop ;) )keep it up dude I hope we can learn from eachother and help eachother while learning some guitar.

Right on, brother. I'm with you and I think we can each motivate, support, and give criticism to the other. You're right I am very serious about this. It's time I stop just messing around with the guitar and throw my entire focus into it.

Your suggestions are good, I believe. I've been doing the following the last two days:

LADDERS:
* 1-2
* 2-3
* 3-4
* 1-3
* 1-4
* 2-4
* 1-2-3
* 2-3-4

SPIDERS:
* 12-34
* 1-23-4
* 1-234
* 2-134
* 3-124
* 4-123
* 13-24
* 24-13

I have learned that my 1-2 and even 2-3 ladders do not need that much work. My 3-4 ladders need very much work, and today at lunch I did 3-4 ladders with fingers 1 & 2 on the 3rd or 4th string so I could practice lifting fingers 3 & 4 very little while fretting notes with fingers 1 & 2. That was very difficult and I need more work with it.

With my spiders I have quickly developed some decent proficiency at everything except the 13-24 or 24-13 exercises. This caused me to start trying to move just finger 2 or 3 before the other three fingers, which is proving difficult as well. I will have another look at the spider exercises and find some good ones that I should focus on. (After doing some quick research into the fretting hand exercises it seems I am on the right track.)

I am also focusing on scalpel picking right now. Not SAROD yet, although I am sort of doing a combination of wrist movement, SAROD, and scalpel at high speed. So I need to focus on removing that wrist movement and relaxing my shoulder and arm when playing more quickly.

By this weekend I should be able to make some more videos so you can see where I am with these exercises. It will make it a lot easier to comment because I am sure there are things I am not detecting when playing even though I am paying very close attention to what I am doing.

love it farelli as i mentioned in another thread try planting your first to fingers when doing 3/4. adds more difficulty.
remember to stop if any pain occurs though. nice work

Hi guys-- wonderful site here and thanks very much for it. I'm much in the same position-- been playing for almost 30 years as well, pretty half-assed, but well enough to do the local gigs semi-successfully. Am very much in the position of wanting to take my playing to the next level and have found it very hard to find guidance that caters to those between trying to sound like Neil Young and those trying to sound like Pat Martino-- or at least as professionally and seriously as they may be able to achieve. Thanks for the positive attitude. . .I hope to return the support.