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There are many basic techniques and tricks that are required to be able to play the guitar to its fullest potential. |
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| 1. Alternate Picking 2. Hybrid Picking 3. Hammer-on/Pull-off 4. Sliding 5. Natural Harmonics 6. Pinched Harmonics 7. Artificial Harmonics 8. Tapping 9. Sweeping 10. Bending 11. Slapping |
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Techniques |
Tricks |
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To alternate pick, you must pluck the string with your pick. First, you do a downstroke to pick the string. The next time you pick the string you play an upstroke and you repeat this up-down picking motion to achieve greater speed. |
To use the pick to its potential, hold it so that only the tip is showing. |
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Hybrid picking is the utilization of alternate picking while your fingers to do something similar to a banjo roll. This can be used to add strings that normally couldn't be used to your playing. It is very difficult and takes much practice to master this technique. |
Hybrid picking can be used to utilize other techniques, such as banjo rolling or bending two strings at once. |
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Hammer-ons and pull-offs are simple manuevers, but they add much style to your playing. To preform a hammer-on, you must first pick a note. Then you take your next, consecutive finger and you place it firmly onto a higher fret or note. This makes a sound of a legato ascension. The pull-off is the same thing except going from a higher fret to a lower one for a descension. |
Hammer-ons and pull-offs can be used to replace picking to make legato, or smooth, passages. |
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Sliding is one of the easiest techniques. To preform a slide you simply move your finger up and down the frets while picking it. You do not remove your finger or the pressure from your finger on the fretboard. |
When sliding, a firm pressure needs to be kept on the string at all times so that the slide is clean. |
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Natural harmonics are notes that are caused by specific places over strings on the fretboard. To preform one, you must find a place to do a good one first. The best spot is either the 12th or 24th fret. You place your finger over the string but you do not press down, you simply lay your finger on top of it lightly. This produces a harmonic noise. |
Natural harmonics can be used to tune your guitar almost perfectly if you have the ear. To tune with them, you use two strings. You play a natural harmonic on the 5th fret on the lower string. Then you play a 7th fret harmonic on the higher of the 2 strings. Then you tune these two strings to the same harmonic pitch. |
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Pinched harmonics are user created harmonics. They are made using the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pick. When you pick the string, the top of your thumb rubs across it making a high pitched harmonic that can be easily vibratoed. This style of harmonic is very common and should be mastered. |
To preform a pinch harmonic easier, only let the tip of the plectrum be seen emerging from your index finger and thumb. |
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Artificial harmonics are used by first by fretting a note with your fret hand. Then one must lightly touch a point on the string where its vibrational properties are equal. This produces are very high pitched tone that is normally unaccessable to the instrument. |
Artificial harmonics can take a long time to be good at. Practice them until a clear, ringing harmonic is produced. |
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Tapping is a very fun technique. You do not need a pick but it can be used if it is turned sideways. To tap, you first find 2 frets, like the 7th and 10th fret on the high E string. Then, you have to find the note you wish to tap, let's say the 15th fret. You use your picking hand's fingers to tap the high notes and you use your fret hand to do the lower ones. This produces a legato sound and can be used a variety of ways with different fingerings and positions that have to be experimented with. |
Tapping cleanly is difficult and it takes time to build up the finger strength to be able to do so. Practicing is a must to be a master at tapping. |
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Sweeping is a very difficult technique. Sweeps are chords that are played note-for-note while only letting one note ring out at a time. This produces an ascending noise when played right. There are many shapes of sweeps which are deeply routed in theory. To sweep, your pick must travel in a slant across the strings and you have to move your entire hand with the sweep so that you can only let one note ring. |
Sweeping takes much time to understand and be able to preform. Practicing to a metronome with proper technique is necessary. |
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Bending is a very popular guitar technique. You first want to fret the note you wish to bend with your ring or middle finger so that you can have other fingers behind it for reinforcement. Then you pick the note and just bend it towards the end of the fretboard. If you bend too far the string will snap or overstrech rendering it useless so you must be careful. |
Bending can be done with one, two, or even three strings. It can be used in unison bends and other types of bends. They can be used in soloing and rythm guitar to create variations also. |
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Slapping is an odd guitar technique. It is used by many guitarists but not much in mainstream music. To slap, you utilize your picking hand's thumb. You use the bottom side of your thumb and you simply slap the bottom part, (where the higher frets are), of the fretboard. This makes a quick, snappy noise that can be used in odd time signatures, grooves and standard musical passages. |
Slapping can be utilized in any style of music to create a unique riff or lick because of all of the rythmic variations possible. |
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