Short Alternate Picking [Jazz/Fusion] Style 140 Bpm Exercise
Hi Guys,
Today, just a short alternate picking ascending and descending Exercise/lick.
This employs simplified fretboard fingering for quick, clean picking and fretting. This is essential for jazz/fusion tempo’s and also world music.
When adding the simple fingering outlined in the video above and accenting the 1st and 3rd notes in each four note grouping the rhythm and momentum will move forward naturally.
Accents on the 3rd note keep the fingering secure, the picking rhythmical and makes sure each group of four is completed properly.
Many people get shred guitar mixed up with improvisational styles especially in regards to alternate picking.
Then, when improvisational chord changes appear the scalic structure, guitar fingering, rhythm and phrasing go out of the window. Because, the clumpy classical fingering impedes the rhythmic flow needed to weave in and out of rapid chord changes.
So what to do?
The key is to make simple fingerings with pentatonics, triad pairs, arpeggios, and chromatic passing notes and target tone set ups.
In the example for this blog/video we will go to the absolute basics and create a very simple scale. [please watch video above for more detail]
So, let’s look at the example of a simplified scale built from the basic major scale. [This could be seen as Phrygian but it is just exploiting a simple fingering]
This Ascends and Descends starting on a “Downstroke” with strict alternate picking.
For most players the most awkward part is descending on the last 2 strings the A and the E string.
Here is the same scale but with an even easier final 4 notes on the E and A strings:
Next we will apply this concept of breaking up scales and apply it to a bit of John Coltrane’s “Countdown”.
Notice the “Tetrachords” and 2 beat phrases through the rapid changes of harmony.
With the chords moving so quickly and the harmony changing in this manner you can easily hear, see and feel how important it is to be able to improvise with simple broken up scales that inevitably result in simple fluid fingering.
