Posted by Ahsanul Haque | 2009-11-20 20:55:08

You need to work on a little technique that just doesn't sound right. What do you do? Usually, you take the piece apart, arrange it into smaller chunks that you can focus on. But what about a random pattern that you need to practice to master a certain technique?

The biggest problem with guitar-practice is that it tends to get boring. To get around this, I normally try to come up an etude that covers the technique in varying degrees of difficulty. But for simpler patterns, you can just play them chromatically.

For smaller licks or patterns, I like to do what I call a 007-pattern. This is basically playing the pattern on any fret you like, play it a half step up, then a half step down, another half step down, then a half step up. Repeat. When practiced with this progression, your licks will sound like the James Bond theme, as the bass changes occur in the same manner.

Here's the pattern I want to practice to improve my Alternate-picking and finger coordination:

What do I do? I 007ify the pattern:

Check out the attached midi to get a feel of how it sounds. If chromatic practices like this still bore you, you can always learn an actual song that uses the technique you're trying to learn. Feel free to send in comments about your practice methods.

Media For This Shed