How John Petrucci & Paul Gilbert Play “Uncomfortably Fast” Guitar Licks

PracticeGuitarNow.com/Speed - free video master class on building guitar speed without slow practice.
This video is about a "secret" way you can prime your hands to make fast guitar playing easy.

[@davidrapant6398]

Petrucci was showing how to use a metronome when practicing to increase speed. He subdivided the notes with his picking hand making sure he was actually playing 64th notes or whatever it was and then went on to start the lick and pick each and every note, which is insane at that speed. I think he did a great job teaching how to use a metronome for speed drills. That video has more useful information in it than any other guitar instructional video I’ve ever seen.

[@elguitarTom]

Yngwie's technique is the best since it looks like zero effort. It looks like he is knitting

[@Rex-sf8qj]

I wanna get to his level of picking, it’s majestic

[@1000BrokenKeys]

that is because his strings pick themselves, so he can appear knitting

[@senalperera8629]

Absolutely yes. It seems like his hands are still when playing those fast runs. Specially the picking hand.

[@doncamillo9147]

#RickGraham

[@Crabfather]

Watching yngwie closely, he picked less than half of what he played in that clip. Interesting.

[@davidtomkins4242]

Never mind the guitar playing, I want to becable to talk as fast as this guy

[@tasosdiaforetico7377]

Haha so American with Italian heritage, put the volume off can still hear him

[@TigerWill]

I want his muscles not his talking skills :)

[@Sandarpan]

@@tasosdiaforetico7377 Russian I believe.

[@marcoantoniochierici]

Italians descendants use to talk as fast as Ferrari. Loud and fast.

[@josephkunath4173]

Cocaine will make one talk faster than this guy

[@mijit.859]

Paul Gilbert’s style of playing is Legendary ! 😨

[@mztriz]

Fr

[@stevie..d..pontiactransamm1215]

Great lesson my man. I personally use different finger pattern's for ultimate speed. My strong finger sequences are 1,3,4 and1,2,4 then I do the reverse of those sequences. Keep up all your great work my man.

[@TheLemonKiller]

Do nothing but tremolo pick on one string for a time and play notes. Take breaks when needed. Get this down until you can do it for long periods without fatigue. Do it on other strings. You'll also want to be good at string skipping and so forth. Get that down where you're basically jumping from the 3 (G) on the E to the 7 (C) on the G and stuff like that kind of stretch in fast motions. Then you'll be used to moving from one string to another while skipping. Another form of picking would be taking a power chord and up pick the low note and down pick the high note. Then switch so you're down picking the low note and up picking the high note. The only thing is you want to be able to do all this without any strain. You don't want to force it. You want to get to the point where it feels as natural and smooth as how you talk without thinking about how to talk. You basically focus in your head what you want to happen. Like the sound and such. Not so much how you're going to go about it. Then you let it happen. Start tremolo licking and getting into the speed you want then at the right feeling just move to the next string. Once that feels comfortable try string skipping from one string to the string below the one below. So from A to G is what I mean. Then just get that down and try out different things.

[@jolu1621]

Tremolo licking. Thats what she said

[@Ninjametal]

That's solid. I'd add getting frethand mechanics as efficient as possible through slow "spider" exercises, as a common problem to speed is frethand pinky being too slow

[@cheenu711]

Exactly. Playing faster becomes much easier once you have a solid tremolo picking technique.

[@susanjohnson6276]

Mike's videos are so good and keep me so entranced I keep forgetting to 'like' them..Phenomenal player!

[@Top-Jimmy]

Awesome vid man, Cheers

[@andrewamicarelli]

Cool concept!

[@jasonday8334]

That’s some hot fudge knowledge for sure thank you!!

[@bradsims5116]

Very helpful, thank you john !

[@BonesJonesMusicMD]

Great advice Mike!

[@jenkinsscheduler5348]

I don't think John Petrucci was cheating. This was an instructional video, so he was showing it to the beginners how to get into the metronome speed.

[@kay5427]

begi- excuse me b e g i n n e r s

[@Ninjametal]

No one thinks he was actually cheating

[@sansubr]

@@kay5427 Haha I know what you exactly mean

[@joshmarkraj]

Great video, thanks a lot! :)

[@jamesmaxwell5415]

The speed of the picking in this video made my clock go backwards

[@shanedefeo6881]

Yes that is an issue unless you get the motor started,but breathing control is essential...I solved both issues with technical difficulties when he strums the sixteenth note "dead notes "and then doubles up on them before the intro.Deep insight for relaxation,posture and xontrol during realease of tension.

[@iganpparamarta8813]

Thank you

[@mrshredder0076]

Yngwie ( prior to 1986 / car accident ) destroyed every guitarist past present future in speed / clean playing

[@petermontgomery8707]

Musically boring as shit though

[@sixmillionsilencedaccounts3517]

Lol... Shawn Lane/Buckethead/Bumblefoot/Guthrie Govan smokes YJM like nothing...

[@mrshredder0076]

Yngwie was self taught These guys learned from yngwie / teachers and tab books These guys in their prime would be destroyed by yngwie in his prime. Its like princess lea teaching yoda how to be a Jedi

[@pincopallino8888]

@@mrshredder0076 What about Jason Becker? He were Joking at 16 years on Yngwie solos making those more complicated and even faster

[@Incog2k6]

No. Guthrie Govan, John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola shit all over him when it comes to speed and clean picking, plus John and Al can do it on Acoustic as well. Oops.

[@kiplukewhitehead8522]

6.00 Alexander Technique orientation. Brilliant advice.

[@arvindsankhla1826]

hello , wonderful and awesome. i think you are another jhon petrucci, can you provide tabs of this exercises which you are playing

[@justfine77777]

I’ll go ahead, and try to give an explanation from my observations. I was such a shred fan, when I was young, and I still am. I say, look to Paul Gilbert. When he starts fast licks, if he wants to, he is so much more explosive than everybody, when he busts into a lick full speed, it’s really hard to do that, if you aren’t wired that way.

[@UnixStudios]

subscribed

[@deekay2]

PG blew everyone away.

[@thisguy2973]

4:58 omg the dude where’s my car reference lol

[@Classic_DionysuS]

Completely disagree with Example 1/2. A big hurdle for a lot of guitarists is switching tempos within a lick. Example #2 requires no tempo change, and was also a MUCH simpler pattern. Next, JP isn't doing a running start... he's locking himself into the metronome. Locking yourself into a metronome is way harder than just doing what Yngwie did (no tempo, just play fast). This was a large part of the entire Rock Discipline VHS... learning to play to a metronome (using 8ths, 16ths, 32nds). Anyone who has been playing for a very long time knows exactly what I am saying. Think you missed the mark here trying to use these examples to validate your larger point.

[@timtimothy2018]

This is 100% true. Locking to metronome doing 32nd / 64th note is hard af. And JP made it look easy😂

[@akidk1499]

This is why Friedman is underrated.. He's always changing up the speed throughout his solos making them deceptively hard.

[@jeremyy22]

He also is a master of bends, and throws them in his phrases, sometimes with great subtlety. There have been phrases in the rust in piece solos where he added bends that made the run far more difficult. Also, his mind moves through patterns very quickly, so he thinks of ideas on the fly fast without becoming stale.

[@johnmcminn9455]

Actually Paul Gilbert in the intro of Street Leathal is a great example of what is said here Also yngwie Black Star Both players do some type of " Set up" before they go full speed velocity Yng will either sweep into slurred notes then pick or he will bend into some pickless legato then pick Paul will actual snap "up pick down pick 2 notes, then start 3 note per string with a down pick , then hammer the next two . so that is Snap picked, 2 Down strokes in a row So yes this video is correct Yet a program like MAB. Speed kills 3 , is great for warm up as it Vinnie Moore Speed Articulation . now Paul Gilbert Intense Rock show the sequences that are good in strict picking practice , but when you read the sheet for something like Street Leathal you see it makes a good exercise to practice that solo SLOW The sequences have hammer ons and pull offs and have a Variable Velocity MUCH. Different than an exercise that maintains a Constant Velocity ! Constant Velocity is like exercise 2 here. Just 6 notes per string , same thing next string Sounds nothing like yngwie on one string doing combinations of 3s and 4s . Constant velocity is like driving a car in a straight line . When you come up on a sharp turn at 60 mph you use brakes then accelerate out of the turn The velocity is variable On a line segment You go 1 2 3. 1 2 3. 1 2 3 Its a sequence of 3 If you went 1 2 3. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 It would be variable

[@shanealan2995]

Agreed

[@milanmilacic9311]

You should do a video about Steve Vai

[@vadesnow3675]

I’m sorry but this video is so wrong, John Petrucci’s technique/lick, was much more harder, you’re crazy if you think not. Firstly, John was actually PICKING every note, yngwei was not, and every guitar master knows that the right hand technique is much more difficult and impressive. Johns picking in that video is insane and very percussive, you will never see yngwei pick like that, ever. Yngwei has a very lazy way of picking, and his little bursts of speed only last so long hence why he legatos the most of the runs. John petruccis can do that as well, it’s not a hard thing to do to just have little quick bursts of picking, John petruccis does it all the time, even back then! Literally so many performances he breaks into a very fast picking run out of nowhere, that’s basically 90% dream theater, just doing unexpected musical compositional twists. Also bare mind, you do not know what either player was warmed up to and what degree before the performance. Regardless, petruccis picking was hands down far more difficult, and I’d love to see you perform what he did with the same attack and consistency. I highly doubt you can considering you made such evaluation, it’s merely a poor sense in dynamics of playing at such speeds and likely just mere speculation on your end. What’s the point of sitting through a whole video with a guitar on your lap if you can’t demonstrate the topic, yet alone use the guitar at all. Surely if you were qualified to make such judgement, you should be able to give examples. If not, then ur in no position to determine which is more difficult.

[@edrianmay]

Yesss....i totaly agree....Yngwie play fast only on the same scale year to year....and he only play in same meter....i never see him play fast complex lick in 11/8, 7/4,etc 😂😂....JP won 👍👍👍👍

[@JobForAMaxboy]

While the speed of John's picking is impressive here, he doesn't actually lock in particularly well with his fretting hand. This seems to be something I notice about JPs playing a lot when he plays at top speed. PG is on another level when it comes to picking and fretting accuracy. YM has a great fluidity and speed with his picking, but uses a lot of economy and sweeping to get to where he wants to be, which is its own set of skill, but certainly different to the pure alternate picking we see from JP and PG. But in my opinion, out of the three players PG would be the most skilled by far. JP sounds sloppy to me when up to full speed

[@Guy-bm5wh]

Yngwie used to pick much more aggressively. Like on the intro of playing with fire you can hear him playing every note.

[@negativexmilitia1]

I think an argument could be made the Yngwie is doing the same or a similar thing. The riff starts out in one position in a pretty simple pattern and once he really starts to move on the fretboard he quits tremolo playing and goes legato.

[@71GA]

One more thing.... Keep your fist clinched. It gives smaller momentum to the hand and pick is more stiff. Also angle the picka a bit.

[@bojangles6444]

Ah the clean and jerk

[@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL]

I always assumed JP was just finding the tempo. Yngwie plays freely in this example meaning he isn't locked to a tempo.

[@Returnality]

Yeah, but that's essentially the same thing. There comes a point where something is so fast it is significantly difficult to find the right tempo, so blitzing and then adjusting is a common way to get it just right.

[@kartonomilagrosevolution]

PAUL GILBERT is SO CLEAN Play .....!!!

[@shauryamehta3062]

when are we gonna talk about jason richardson! love your videos 🇮🇳

[@emerycomputer]

Incorrect assessment of JP vs YM here; but others have already pointed it out so no need for me to beat the dead horse. Where you start also makes a difference; it's much easier to tremolo pick high E vs low E (YM vs JP)

[@geragamo]

Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci are Guitar GODs ...

[@johnmcminn9455]

The first lick crosses strings with an odd number digital 3 1 3 The second lick does a pattern of 6 on each string keeping the picking direction the same.with a even number 6 6 6 6 I call "outside" picking ARCING and inside picking SCOOPING because you do these motions descending and ascending .it gets too confusing to say " upward pick slanting descending"

[@smashmyheadagainst]

your tone and vibrato sound very similar to Michael Romeo from Symphony X

[@mathieug.4064]

If my memory is correct, Petrucci did explain did explain how to push your limits using that "tremolo trick"... Didn't he ?

[@ziggylayneable]

I've been playing since early 1980s. I'm completely self-taught playing along with records and stuff and you're teaching me things I never realized

[@requiem156]

Go tell Al Dimeola about directional picking and how critical it is to your success as a player.

[@arthurmurfitt7698]

Starts with 8th notes, then triplet 8ths, then 16ths… 🔥

[@antonioalbino8896]

Out of curiosity, what's the name of that instructional video of Paul Gilbert?

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Intense rock 2

[@UR2Compliant]

I use saber tooth teeth as guitar picks and saber tooth gut for guitar strings…and chew cocoa leaves for speed.

[@Wysewolf]

My takeaway from the intro: Learning shred guitar will help me defend myself against Sabertooth Tigers. I'm in.

[@angusorvid8840]

I recommend tapping your foot, so you are psychologically primed to play in synch with a rhythm. It's always worked for me.

[@jasonday8334]

Head banging as well

[@capttrinity9668]

Nodding would also do I think..

[@abiyyuabi9251]

Al di meola method 👌

[@NoPriorRecords]

I noticed when comparing the John P. Example and the Yngwie example is that Yngwie isn’t picking through the whole lick. I think that makes his lick much easier.

[@fabianbackman]

That's a problem I have. I can do fast runs with pull offs but when I pick all notes I have to slow down or else my hands get out of sync :/

[@montevetter5267]

Just sweep ick…damn

[@Ibaneddie76]

Ramping and chunking!

[@Paul-dw2cl]

“When I say that they’re, “cheating,” I say that tongue-in-cheek. I’m not implying that they are really actually cheating.” video thumbnail: *BUSTED!!!!*

[@jamesrobertburke9500]

Check out paul wardingham aussie guitarist

[@Incog2k6]

This comments section: "JP is better than Yngwie! ... Nah, Yngwie in his prime was unmatched!... Nope, PG is the best!" Me: **laughs in John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola, who shred even faster on Electric AND Acoustic**

[@foxgilbert5235]

MAB destroyed yngwie😂😂😂

[@marcjordan29]

Idk.... Shawn lane rips some shit thats blurry and not because he isnt precise.

[@breadzeppelin2705]

You sound like a mafia man in New York

[@albertplaysguitar]

The important thing is that saber-tooth tigers are not generally a problem now.

[@bojangles6444]

Interesting this guy sells detailing packages at the car wash on weekends too I saw him the other day.

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

No-no, you must have me confused with someone else. I'm a guitar player. Which means: my *real* job is delivering pizzas.

[@Joopjoop11]

แพล่มวุ๊ย

[@SebastianSzkoda]

Could you please tell us a story of your guitar? Kind of a review and your opinion how does it match the much more pricy ones. A player like you probably can choose any of the top instruments, but you selected this model. There has to be a reason for it. I can't be more curious. Thanks in advance

[@TheLemonKiller]

Because a guitar is a guitar. Or as Kieth Richards once said when asked about playing other guitars: "I can get any guitar to sound the way I want. But I choose to play these ones because I like them." Get a guitar setup how you'd like and any is fine. Plug a cheap guitar into a good system and you're good to go. The guitar is a piece of wood. As long as the pickups are wired properly so you don't get bad feedback or otherwise it's all good.

[@johnmcminn9455]

I disagree with the reasoning here about how hard the lick is. The first example is a paul gilbert style . everyone should read the tab to Street Leathal which has great sequencing . Paul builds velocity with picking then adds hammers and pulls to go Full Velocity . The second lick to me is easier because the velocity is started with a pattern of 6 on one string Since its an even number the picking is exactly the same the next string down it is totally symmetrical. Yngwie does something with sequencing where he will descend like in the last phrase in the A minor section of Black Star . It's A harmonic minor" descending And it goes 4 notes (next string) 2 picked 1pull ( next string ) repeat Troy Grady shows this in Cracking the Code

[@edrianmay]

hahaha....JP play the start intro is to show all the sub divisons change in the same tempo, then he increase it to the 200....he can play it so slow and blast it in the same way picking.....yngwie just play fast but in slow he play differently, in speed he often combine with legato... and don't forget, JP play with the metronome and synch with it, but in the video example, Yngwie just play freely without metronome....for me, JP is better than Yngwie in the consistency to play same lick in different tempo.

[@jyrvenllamasares4360]

What Yngwie Did Is The Hardest, Try It Yourself. JP used Chromatic Scale Which Is The Easiest Way To Play Speed.

[@edwardsonnapolitano]

Yeah Jp is the best..he's the fastest and cleanest guitarist ive ever heard

[@edrianmay]

@@jyrvenllamasares4360 i have done it.. 😂😂😂...i think you don't get what i said....i say about consistency not about what scale they use....maybe you don't know JP can play all complex scale with complex meters and tempos with DT or LTE....once again, i said about consistency...in that video Yngwie don't play all notes with picking but he do legato sometimes....it can hear by his picking attack 😊

[@XJT0428]

I can fly from the high E upward Downward from Low E I'm not quite as good

[@88Nikoli]

Sabertooth example was ridiculous , as you do not roll into a ball whilst flinching and a resting position of a human isn't any more than a couple of a percent smaller ,sabertooth would be more likely to be attracted to the flinch than being a percentage less visible and stationary !

[@danysharma4790]

After watching Yngie, Paul and John My guitar: Dont even think of it!🙄

[@toddmcdaniels1567]

I can play the Yngwie lick. I can’t play the Petrucci lick. For my two cents worth, I sweep pick and economy pick all the time. I just sweep across two strings and that sets the pace and tempo for anything I do elsewhere throughout a lead.

[@jaimel2037]

I don’t think Max Ostro has any of these 👆🏻issues🤣

[@edrianmay]

Do you have his video playing live in front of thousands people?i wonder how clean his is on that situation 😊👍

[@richardjones2811]

I rather build speed in small increments. That's the ONLY way to do it so it lasts

[@glguitarman]

Amusing, this is just a weird way of phrasing something musically. However, that’s definitely not the intent. According to this logic, the points in “guitar playing” before and after “speed playing”, are nothing more than “breaks” for the purpose of releasing finger tension and “hand re-synchronization.” Lol

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

And now you know my frustration with people teaching "guitar exercises", when just about anything can be an exercise depending on what you focus on with it.

[@glguitarman]

@@HowToPracticeGuitar but you’re doing the same thing by calling everything an exercise. There’s only, “physical tension and release”. There’s certainly nothing wrong with using real musical phrases as, “technical etudes”, but you’re not teaching the music behind it.

[@tc_0]

Depends on both of your definitions of "exercise."

[@jonathansmitperillaleon1075]

....and Michael Romeo´s technique....

[@stefanfilipov7254]

I am not sure that everything you said can apply to everyone. Something will work for someone, something won't. It's highly individual and there are no strict rules. I'd say stick with the foundations and work your way ahead. The N1 rule that apply to all is "The More the Better". Practice for 5-10 hours every day and progress is imminent.

[@ronwhite8324]

Aaannnnddddd, Paul Gilbert wins by leaps and bounds.

[@markgoforth1149]

The Petrucci lick is the harder of the two. Why you ask? Because it’s in ascending lick.

[@tapilaha]

Shawn Lane people..

[@yawartzzband]

Paul gilbert

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@paintingwithbilly2092]

The best advice I can give is, instead of picking slowly pick fastly. That will enhance picking speed and will show a noticeable difference immediately

[@paintingwithbilly2092]

Also keep your eyes on the prize, you know what they say the sleepy roosters crows the loudest

[@paintingwithbilly2092]

Also drink lots of water because if you’re dehydrated it’s hard to focus as your body shuts down

[@paintingwithbilly2092]

One more thing make sure to have a metronome playing in the background. Don’t worry about playing along to it just make sure it’s there and it’s loud.

[@paintingwithbilly2092]

You can also try doing hand exercises like laying your hands on a flat surface and pretending to do push-ups with your fingers

[@paintingwithbilly2092]

You can also Speed yourself up in the recording, and then if people ask you to play it in person tell them you’re not feeling well or you have things to do

[@Aresmusic.official]

That final pinching note is what I'm looking forward to get down 🙂

[@zyxwfish]

I just want to be able to down pick fast

[@jhunrelljimenez4858]

How about shwan lane😅😅😅

[@edwardsonnapolitano]

Hahahaha

[@MecchaKakkoi]

Is this like a Russian-New York accent? It's pretty intense whatever it is 😅

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Russian - yes. New York - I wish :) (NY is my favorite accent.)

[@MecchaKakkoi]

​@@HowToPracticeGuitar haha it's a cool accent :D And great playing btw!

[@paschalisantoniou974]

I would like to see Joe Bonamassa's technique lesson, given that he is a blues player. Pentatonics, 2 finger per string, makes it extremely hard to play like he does!

[@lightningstrikes7314]

Economy picking my dude

[@johnmcminn9455]

I have been doing that . I am finding patterns sequences Randy Rhoads does a good one in SATO at the begining of the solo That is a combination of picking and hammer ons to get that rhythmic feel It can be done starting on a Down or Up pick .but it seems to work good starting on and Up SNAP PICKING Snap picking is something i got from an Andy James instructional Which is , ascending , Up Down(next string) Down Up. That is 2 notes per string To get the whole scale ,12 notes ,i am finding Up Down Down Hammer repeat That could be called a " half snap" because every note is not picked The concept is "Directional Picking" Examining Shawn lane i am seeing something like this in Power Licks Shawn doesn't explain his picking BUT pattern of 6 pentatonic 2 nps Down Hammer ( next string) up down (next) down up repeat So it's a Hammer on then a Snap Pick

[@squidly2112]

Can't I just drink enough coffee to get that speed? .. I can even talk as fast as this guy with enough coffee! .. maybe I have had too much coffee today, all of this seems kind of slow to me.

[@doyouluvit]

5:15 caveman days huh?

[@JimmyKSimmonsOfficial]

How does one hurt themselves playing guitar fast?

[@johnmcminn9455]

Simple question...simple yet deadly! Mike Batio claims to never have had a hand injury. The way Batio does it, is he play as SLOW as he possibly can for at least 5 minutes doing holding fingers exercise Then goes through a dozen alternate picking exercises before doing anything . He actually warms up unplugged for like 15 or 20 minutes. I find wide stretches to be bad for my hands .also light strings like 8s make playing for long sessions much easier . I know a guitar teacher who was a Berklee guy, he got bad carpel tunnel. His doctor told him no wide stretches Several jazz pianists were known to change to saxaphone to get away from the percussive tensions of piano . Sax is easy on the hands where as drums piano guitar and bass tend to need attention of injury avoidance

[@CerealDust-nStuff]

Steve Via injured his hand by playing a chord for too long. So Injuring your hand by playing too fast without warming up seems possible.

[@Incog2k6]

By not properly stretching and warming up your fingers. Look up Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. There's your answer. - signed, someone who had CTS and suffered from immense pain in the wrists and numb fingertips due to CTS

[@urialvarado-1339]

Brudda how do you look so much like Joe Rogan

[@joelsmith4816]

Truth BOMB. We were never cavemen!!!

[@kumzuklongs4629]

Shaun lane be like..."how cute"

[@TheseusTitan]

Which example was harder? To be objectionably honest, you had the entire first example as a warm up. So it isn’t exactly the same as if a player starts out fast without the warm up. Distortion hides a lot besides.

[@aidx2942]

if you want to here some truly uncomfortable licks, listen to some of shawn lane’s playing.

[@bobach6083]

Alternate and economy picking is always harder than any kind of legato... Oh and saybatoot tigahs

[@lusciousfrenchies3254]

Haha. Ok but if you notice petrucci is trying to get people to play clearer and more precise. If you watch the hole video thats what that section is all about. Going slow and building up speed and being deadly accurate. Anyone can play fast and throw note out there. So my opinion is definitely the opposite off yours. Also playing slow and going fast in the same lick also shows better musical dynamics. But if your only concerned about just playing fast and throwing note out there your right... i guess. 🤣

[@Demonhator]

I’m trying to play slower

[@333Blacktooth]

What’s the most impressive thing is how you can play with that small shirt on 👻

[@Capybarainahumansuit]

This is opinion based imo. As a player since 2010 and played fast and slow. I think it's based on the player

[@robvanhalen9696]

I found the title of your video misleading and somewhat clickbait. You're not giving away their "secret" of how they play the way they do. Also, realistically, who starts playing as fast as they can from a dead stop anyway? I was actually going to pick the first example as more difficult, as you have to transition from one picking speed to another. But the bottom line remains: if you want to play fast, start slow.

[@asdqwe123610]

10 minutes to say "warm up"

[@clanofhousecats8079]

This is flawed, I don't notice a difference playing fast stuff by starting fast or do running start to play fast. This really just would very from person to person. Wouldn't call it a trick

[@simonedangelosericola5742]

People throving briks at each other while shouting "John is better than Yngwie!!!" - "Yngwie is better than John!!!", in 3, 2, 1... 😅

[@redrumkiller213]

Nah people watching this video are better than that lol but yeah John is better lol

[@lightningstrikes7314]

@@redrumkiller213 No

[@legatrix]

I think there's less of that nowadays than fifteen years ago. Possibly partly because people have seen that they're all friends in real life.

[@prs149]

@@redrumkiller213 #Are you sure

[@plamenmilanov3009]

Yngwie in his prime is peak guitar performance.

[@RH-xs8gz]

Nice cherry picking. John Petrucci played many lines without “getting a running start”.

[@labontetrevor]

The most challenging thing is to improvise thoughtful, intervallic-based melody lines at a moderate to high rate of speed. Don’t sacrifice intelligence for speed. Shredding scales is not music. Play fast as fuck, just don’t play dumb material. You kind of have to learn a couple JS Bach pieces, then maybe some Charlie Parker tunes and solos. Good lines worth playing are never just scales. Some hallmarks of intelligent lines are that they contain a wide variety of intervals, and change direction often. Slow down a recording of Paul Gilbert and you will not hear many melodies, you will hear boring, unintelligent scale patterns. Exercises do not magically become musical just by increasing the tempo. By wrongly prioritizing speed as an ultimate goal, you are unintentionally training your mind to go in auto-pilot. I like fast playing a lot, but you have to keep your mind awake and make good or intelligent note choices while you’re doing it. A good guitar player does not think so much about techniques after awhile. One must learn to focus on the shape of the line itself, it’s melodic, intervallic contour, that’s where the intrinsic musical value lies. If you are a beginner, have some fun and burn out those scalar runs, but then you will notice you have created an obstacle for yourself, because eventually you have to get the brain to jump back in and start steering the fingers into making great note choices. It’s impossible to take melodic control when the note rate is to high for the individual player. But you can train yourself to be an excellent melodicist if you just temporary slow down your note rate to around the eighth-note speed...you can even go much slower, or even stop. Stop yourself right before you play anything stupid, and just take a moment to regroup mentally. Then choose better notes, play only real melodies, no matter what the speed. To cleanly improvise good melodic material with thematic continuity in a composer-ly fashion, especially at breakneck tempos is ten thousand times more impressive than sounding like you are pushing a hive of live bumblebees through a tiny-holed cheese grater.

[@AC-yq2fx]

Oh boy! This guy talks as fast as speed licks. Slow down man!

[@Chance-ry1hq]

What I got out of this video: his shirt is a size or two too small.