Speed Mechanics question

[AlexL]

Question about one of the exercises...

Page 10, "Exercises for Finger Independence", Exercise 1. The ascending runs I get, and lift the previous finger as soon as the next one comes down, but the descending runs have me a bit confused...

For the descending 5^4^3^2, you must have to fret the 5 & the 4 simultaneously, then after you pull off the 5 you fret the 3, then pull off the 4 and fret the 2, pull off the 3, and then simultaneously plant the 5 & 4 for the next string, and start the whole process over?

That is the only way it makes sense to me. If you lift one finger before the next one comes down, it wouldn't be pull offs, just a bunch of descending hammer-ons.

Thanks for the help, I don't want to go any further until I get this down fairly well.

- Eric

[MetalChef]

Re: Speed Mechanics question

when start on the 5-4-3-2, fret the pinky on 5 then JUST before you pull the pinky off, put down your 3rd finger on 4, then pull off to it.

Do the same for each finger

That is how I have done it for the time I have been practicing that one.

[DeadNight Warrior]

Re: Speed Mechanics question

Originally posted by AlexL:
If you lift one finger before the next one comes down, it wouldn't be pull offs, just a bunch of descending hammer-ons.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's Allan Holdsworth's legato technique right there. He doesn't use pull offs, but hammers everything. Personally, I mix the two up. Depending on what I'm playing I might hammer my descending runs, or I might se pull-offs, or I might use both in the same run. Just depends on what my hand feels like doing. Holdsworth seems to think they sound different, and he doesn't like the sound of pull-offs, but I haven't noticed much of a difference. Not enough of one for me to give a **** which technique I use anyway.

But using hammers gives more flexibility I think. Rather than using pulloffs where you have to have your finger down before you actually get to playing it.