The Guitar Player's Resource
Welcome back! In this lesson I will be showing you some excerpts from my new CD, "Electric City". I will be teaching you some sections from a couple tunes off the CD that are in the shred style. We will be covering some string skipping, sweep picking, alternate picking and extended arpeggios. It is a good idea to transcribe and analyze tunes, since it is great for your ear and musicianship. OK, let's get started.
Example 1. This first except is from a tune titled "Eleventh Degree" which is the first song on the CD. This excerpt begins at 0:30 and repeats throughout the tune, it is based off a Db add9 (b5) arpeggio (Db, F, G, Ab, Eb). This line has a Lydian flavor because of the b5, and can be tricky because of the string skipping. Playing the open G note instead of fretting it creates a neat sustaining effect.
MP3 - "Eleventh Degree", Example 1, Fast
MP3 - "Eleventh Degree", Example 1, Slow
Example 2. This next excerpt is also from the tune "Eleventh Degree" which begins at 1:35; this one is based on 5 string sweeping arpeggios. The first bar is an Eb minor arpeggio (Eb, Gb, Bb), then it goes to a Bb minor arpeggio (Bb, Db, F). The 3rd bar is a Db major (Db, F, Ab) and then finally to a Ab major (Ab, C, Eb). Be sure to sweep pick these arpeggios very slowly and then gradually build up speed.
MP3 - "Eleventh Degree", Example 2, Fast
MP3 - "Eleventh Degree", Example 2, Slow
Example 3. Let's move on to a tune called "Shred Machine", which has some insane right hand picking in it. The section I will be showing you begins about 2:22 and it repeats again in the tune. This whole first section is based on the C# harmonic minor scale (C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B#) and it is a string skipping pattern that moves down the scale that follows the progression C#m, B, A, G#. Then the exact pattern moves up a 4th to F# harmonic minor (F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E#).
MP3 - "Shred Machine", Example 3, Fast
MP3 - "Shred Machine", Example 3, Slow
Example 4. This next example is from "Shred Machine" and it happens in the beginning and after the solo section. It is a repeating picking pattern based off the high E and the B string. This whole example is in the C# minor scale (C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B). The whole first pattern moves up a perfect 4th in the C#m scale and then it moves back down again climbing up the neck. The last bar uses all quintuplets on one string, be sure both hands are in sync.
MP3 - "Shred Machine", Example 4, Fast
MP3 - "Shred Machine", Example 4, Slow
OK, that is it for now! Be sure to check out the new CD "Electric City". I use these techniques and many others throughout the CD. Visit mikecampese.com for more information.
Mike Campese is an all-around music performer, session artist and teacher competent in many musical styles, electric and acoustic. He has studied at G.I.T. (Honors Graduate), and with Paul Gilbert, Norman Brown, Stanley Jordan, Scott Henderson and Keith Wyatt.
