A very good Monday morning. Wishing you a good start to the week. For those of us who dread this week, it has already begun & it'd be over before you know it.
I had been sticking to the above gear combo for a week: 1) EVH 5150III amp 2) Guyatone OD2+ 3) Ibanez RG460 (Seymour Duncans on board). Despite having variety, I choose what I'm comfortable with, namely an Ibanez guitar, a mild overdrive & a very high gain amp. The purpose of which is to eliminate poor gear selection during practice so when something goes astray, I know it's me, not my gear.
For the last few weeks or so, I've been working on legato phrasing; nothing new just a regurgitation of what I am very at home with. However, the stuff I was listening to (Quayle/ Howe/ Garsed) had an imprint on me; I was thrown into the depths of the unknown aka, working with 4 notes per string arrangements. There is a way to 'cheat' of course- just tap every 4th note but that would take away the legato feel. So it was a struggle compounded by the fact that I have short fingers. I couldn't get a good 4-notes-per string arrangement & it dawned on me that going back to basics was it. For a good hour yesterday, I developed some exercises to address the situation- yes, address it first, get creative later, much later after proficiency is attained. Speed is not a consideration here, just getting things properly done. Repeating mistakes is not learning.
