shredtheater
02-09-2012, 06:23 PM
So iv had this book for ages, used it on and off. Defo picked up a few concepts from it but as an avid alt picker for many years i have missed out plenty as well.
Anyway, now i have my shred/metal out of my system and have been branching out into other styles i have started to incorporate eco picking in my playing beyond typical sweeps. I have gathered a interest with some session/pop/rock players like Justin Derrico/Andy Wood and its clear to me that nowadays you have got to have more or less everything at your disposal and their only 3 or 4 years my senior. Ive decided to invest serious time into SOS in the hope of making me a better player overall as well as technically. I dont want to become an economy picker as such but ive been playing around with the pentatonic idea's and they have been given new life just by arranging them in such a way. I was playing with bk2 yesterday on the pentatonic section. The one exercise was, in the authors own words, the hardest in the book. I had it down pretty well in a short time, it felt quite natural yet the exercise preceding this....well lets just say it made me feel like a baby learning to walk. Im still crawling. It was a strange moment, to be able to play one so comfortably and the other barely at all. I wondered if my rock roots somehow primed me better for certain exercises and perhaps that jazzers might struggle with these but kick my ass at the rest. Either way it really did highlight my weaknesses as a player. So few rock guys seem to do anything like the stuff in this book....is it difficult because it just is or because ive been conditioned to play dimeola/gilbert style licks for years. Who knows.
I guess there isnt so much as a question here, more just some thoughts. It truely is a great book and genuine alternative technique book to the usual shred stuff. Its an idea's book too. I really hope i can pick it up, its going to take time. I heard about the book here but i havent noticed it being discussed for awhile. It would be good to hear from players working though this and how there using it and have some regular correspondence. It would sure help me as a player :)
Anyway, now i have my shred/metal out of my system and have been branching out into other styles i have started to incorporate eco picking in my playing beyond typical sweeps. I have gathered a interest with some session/pop/rock players like Justin Derrico/Andy Wood and its clear to me that nowadays you have got to have more or less everything at your disposal and their only 3 or 4 years my senior. Ive decided to invest serious time into SOS in the hope of making me a better player overall as well as technically. I dont want to become an economy picker as such but ive been playing around with the pentatonic idea's and they have been given new life just by arranging them in such a way. I was playing with bk2 yesterday on the pentatonic section. The one exercise was, in the authors own words, the hardest in the book. I had it down pretty well in a short time, it felt quite natural yet the exercise preceding this....well lets just say it made me feel like a baby learning to walk. Im still crawling. It was a strange moment, to be able to play one so comfortably and the other barely at all. I wondered if my rock roots somehow primed me better for certain exercises and perhaps that jazzers might struggle with these but kick my ass at the rest. Either way it really did highlight my weaknesses as a player. So few rock guys seem to do anything like the stuff in this book....is it difficult because it just is or because ive been conditioned to play dimeola/gilbert style licks for years. Who knows.
I guess there isnt so much as a question here, more just some thoughts. It truely is a great book and genuine alternative technique book to the usual shred stuff. Its an idea's book too. I really hope i can pick it up, its going to take time. I heard about the book here but i havent noticed it being discussed for awhile. It would be good to hear from players working though this and how there using it and have some regular correspondence. It would sure help me as a player :)