[nitelightboy]

NLB's Warm Up Lesson

Having been an athlete, I learned that a good warp up was absolutely vital to a good performance. The same is true with guitar players. A good warm up allows more blood to circulate through the wrists, hands, and fingers. This increases both flexibility and muscle response, i.e. SPEED.

I usually set aside about 15 minutes to run through my warm up, which normally consists of these exercises in some form. Remember to use a metronome and set it just above your "comfort level". Try these using different picking techniques (alternate pick starting with a down stroke, then an up stroke), play in different position, up and down the neck, and different speeds. Also, I included a fun variation that I like to use. It begins with a measure of 1/4 notes, then a measure of 1/8 notes, then a measure of 1/16 notes….and you can go as far as you're comfortable with.

Example 1: Simple 4 note per string chromatic, up and down the strings.



Example 2: Similar to above, but you shift up 1 fret after the first 4 notes on the high E string. Repeat descending, going up 1 fret after playing the first 4 notes on the low B.



Example 3: This is for you speed freaks. Two variations - first, play it continuing in this pattern until it's too fast for you. Or, play it to the 1/16 notes and then slow it down the same way you speed it up, this one's REALLY hard to do.



Example 4: This is just another variation of Example 1. Try as many different variations as you can, it helps keep it interesting and makes you look at how you play a little differently.



Have fun with these.

- Joe

[Chris]

[Randy John]

Good stuff but it would be more fun and musical if you did this kinda exercises with actual scales.Chromatics are so boring and mathematical.

[D-EJ915]

Here's something I like to do on drop-tuned guitars (otherwise you have to skip, it just makes it more challenging)...and it sounds pretty cool :p

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Randy John

Good stuff but it would be more fun and musical if you did this kinda exercises with actual scales.Chromatics are so boring and mathematical.

I know what you mean. It's so boring to sit and do this stuff without a musical feel. So here's what I do. I take a nice exercise (something that really stretches out the ol pinky) that helps me build my speed. Come up with a couple of basic patterns, open ye olde DKFH and sequence some straight forward double bass drums (which are way cooler than a metronome imo) and jam along to that!

I made a recording of the exercise I've been doing lately for you guys. I used DKFH for the drums, Cubase SX to sequence the drums, Sonar 5 PE to lay the guitar over them. The guitar being a '97 RG7620BK with a Blaze Custom in the bridge (for those who wanted to hear what a blaze custom sounded like). I left the bass out because after all it is a guitar exercise. ;D

Click here to download the mp3

Here's the tab:


Have fun! \m/
edit: whoops, i forgot the staff! sorry :/

[leatherface2]

practice all of this 24/7

[Ancestor]

I did this type of thing for about a year for several hours a day and it really helped me. Also great for warming up like you say here. Personally, I suck if I don't warm up.

[olsonuf]

I like the chromatic exercises, personally. I know they're not musical, but they work out all 4 left hand fingers evenly and also help develop better coordination. Of course, any 4-note-per-string patterns would work just as well, but chromatics are a good place to start since there are no difficult stretches.

It's also easy to come up with your own chromatic exercises...all you need to do is determine how your going to subdivide the beat, and set your starting tempo, and play!

Here's a nice triplet-based one that I came up with:


|-12-11-10-9---------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------13-12-11-10\9--10-11-12/13-12-11-10--------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------13-12-11-10\9--10-11-12/-
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I usually play this exercise counting it in two different ways: (click for audio)
[a] Triplets: 1-and-a-2-and-a ...
[b] Sextuplets: 1-and-2-and-3-and ...


And then just carry on the pattern from there. When you run out of strings, reverse the pattern and do it ascending.

(I prefer not to skip notes when I play chromatics, so I change positions across the neck, but you don't have to)...

Another variation is to play the chromatic scale in groups of 12 notes, 4 notes per string across groups of 3 strings, in descending and then ascending order, like this:

|-12-11-10-9---------------------------------------------------------------
|------------13-12-11-10-------------13-12-11-10---------------------------
|------------------------13-12-11-10-------------13-12-11-10---------------
|------------------------------------------------------------14-13-12-11---
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|-13-12-11-10--------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------14-13-12-11-------------14-13-12-11--------------------------
|-------------------------15-14-13-12-------------15-14-13-12--------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------16-15-14-13--

And again, when you run out of strings, reverse the pattern and then just do it ascending. Audio: Triplets and Sextuplets


I find that by forcing these 4-note groups into 3-beat rhythms it forces you to think about which notes you accent in order to play it well.

Then there's a straight 16th note version I came up with just last night:

|-12-11-10-9---------------------------------------------------------------
|------------13-12-11-10\9--10-11-12/13-12-11-10-13-12-11-10---------------
|------------------------------------------------------------13-12-11-10---
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|-\9-10-11-12/13-12-11-10-13-12-11-10--------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------14-13-12-11\10-11-12-13/14-13-12-11--
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so on.... Here's the audio for that one.

PS, I know I wrote these for 6-string....for 7-string, you can just extend the patterns one string further.

[deathmask666]

Ahh The chromatic excersises...Although I am but a Rhythm guitarist i have been doing these excercises for a few years...

|-------------------------------------------------------------4-1-2-3-
|---------------------------------------------------4-1-2-3-----------
|-----------------------------------------4-1-2-3---------------------
|-------------------------------4-1-2-3-------------------------------
|---------------------4-1-2-3-----------------------------------------
|-----------4-1-2-3---------------------------------------------------
|-4-1-2-3-------------------------------------------------------------



|-------------------------------------------------4-------------------
|---------------------------------------4-----------1-2-3------------
|-----------------------------4-----------1-2-3----------------------
|-------------------4-----------1-2-3--------------------------------
|----------4----------1-2-3------------------------------------------
|-4----------1-2-3---------------------------------------------------
|---1-2-3------------------------------------------------------------



|--------------------------------------------------------4-3-1-2-------
|----------------------------------------------4-3-1-2-----------------
|------------------------------------4-3-1-2---------------------------
|--------------------------4-3-1-2-------------------------------------
|----------------4-3-1-2-----------------------------------------------
|------4-3-1-2---------------------------------------------------------
|-1-2-------------------------------------------------------------------



|----------------------------------------------------------------1-5---
|------------------------------------------------1------------2--------
|--------------------------------1------------2------------3----------
|----------------1------------2------------3-----1-2-3-4------------
|--------------2------------3-----1-2-3-4----------------------------
|-----------3-----1-2-3-4--------------------------------------------
|-1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------------------


I just make them up as i go sometimes when warming up and i usually repeat the patterns all the way down to the 12th...And I do it until i can't do it anymore...And then i'll just run through a scale...Like something outside of the usual scales...Like the Enigmatic, or any other exotic-type scale i come across. I practice sweeps. Make sure i'm doing whatever style of picking right...

Can't shred worth crap

And i play like james hetfield...lol

It makes no sense whatsoever.

I guess ultimatley you play what you like to play...And i suppose for me its just rhythm guitar that fits me.

[CatPancakes]

heres my favorite

-12--11--12--11--10--12--9--12--11--12------12--11--12--
-------------------------------------------10-------------9

then move down one fret. when moved down all the way, start at the 12th fret of the next string