Going from 180 to 140: just change the licks?

[TheWannabeMusician]

Right, so I'm kinda frustrated because all of the exercises I've worked to hard on seem to fail. It's sloppy, even on slow speeds. I used to be able to do 180 (16th), now I'm having trouble with 140. I've come up with one solution (the most simple one I guess), which would be putting the metronome on 120 ( ) and starting again at the level I was two years ago and hoping it will go faster this time.
However, keen as I was and am to embrace any alternative to that horrid image, I searched on google and read an article of some guy (don't remember his name), who said changing the licks is the answer. All the technical benefits of the old ones are already used, that kind of stuff. I guess I do kinda practise the same old licks for technical purposes.

So, which one would you recommend (or perhaps neither)? And if it's the second one, does anyone know a good lick/exercise library?

[ONEbpm]

Hey,

I am curious as to what happened to get into that funk? Did you have a lay off? Put it down for a while? I tend to write everything down (exercise number and BPM) and change something the first day of every month. I am currently working on the two books below. The first has more licks, the second covers more tecnique. I decided to put a hold on the Speed Mechanics, just do what I've learned so far, and try to get the Goven book done. I'm up the eigth finger tecniques in the Goven book.

I practice EVERY exercise in whatever book I'm learning from, for one month. If it sounds like something I'd naturally play, I keep it, if not I chuck it and replace it with a set of new exercises, or I'll up the tempo slightly one the old ones. I'm not big on Bebop or whole tone scales, so I'll try them just to get the fingereing down, then dump them after the month is over.

If they are complicated or long, I may do them for two months or more. Some I've done for years. One eye opener I had was peddle tones. I use to play "I Don't Know" by Ozzy"...simple right? Just ride the A string. Then I did a peddle exercise from Mechanics, with a metronome, and found that it's more difficult than I thought! For some reason or another, I can play pedal tones with a drummer fine...but before I stared practicing them with a metromone, I never knew how easly it is to drift off the beat slightly. After discovering that, I decided to practice vibrato with a metronome. The only time I don't use one is for warm up and two handed tapping.

I also have my own licks going. For example, I started doing this Paul Gilbert outside picking lick, then after a month or so, I added a descending three note per string sweep scale followed by a melodic sequence, then an ascending three note per string sweep scale...etc.


Anyway, this first book will keep you busy for a while. I planned on writing a review whenever I finish them. They are both VERY popular for building chops. Both have a CD covering the licks at slow and fast speed. The end of the Goven book has some things I know I won't use, but I'm going to learn it anyway. I can't count how many times I was trying to learn something someone else did, hit the wrong note, and liked it better


http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Mechanics-G ... 0793509629



http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Guitar-A ... 291&sr=1-3

[TheWannabeMusician]

Thanks for the reply, and sorry for the late reply, for some reason my internet decided to stop working (I wont bore you with the details)

I hadnt practised with the metronome for a while, I had tuned down my old guitar and had learned some drop C riffs. Maybe thats why. In any case I do think those exercises will keep me busy for a while, I hope itll work

[TheWannabeMusician]

I'm still having this problem: I'm still not at the level I once was :S Changing the licks didn't really help much, so I guess I gotta start over?

Btw, for a good example of my failing leads at the moment, listen to the solo on this: http://www.youtube.com/user/MetalMusici ... ho542qXpJk