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Jenna Jameson Jackson Guitars

How To Take Your Fingers To The Next Level

Yet another lesson from Cob!

So the deal a lot of shredders seem to have is that their fingers don’t always do what they want them to do. Or, they can’t do anything crazy. Nothing is sweeter than a shred solo that does the exact opposite of what you’re expecting.

I’ve discovered a good way to improve this is to practice songs you know but practice them in an alternate tuning. Now, I primarily use a seven string so, try to follow along with these tabs but, you can just use standard B tuning for it.

The first example is from Dream Theater’s “The Root of All Evil.”

The original tabbing for a six string tuned down a half step:>

||---------------------------|--------------------------|
||---------------------------|--------------------------|
||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||------------------------3--|-----2--0--1--2-----------|
||---2--0--2--5--0--1--2-----|--2--------------2--3--0--|

--------------------------|---------------------------||
--------------------------|---------------------------||
--------------------------|--------------------------||
--------------------------|--------------------------||
-----------------------3--|-----2--0--1--2------------||
--2--0--2--5--0--1--2-----|--2--------------2--3--0---||

The important thing is to notice the fingerings, notice the open notes, not a very tough line this way.

Here it is again, played on an E and a B instead of an Ab and Eb:



||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||-----------------------2--|-----1-----0--1-----------|
||--1-----1--4-----0--1-----|--1-----4--------1--2-----|
||-----4--------4-----------|-----------------------4--|

--------------------------|---------------------------||
--------------------------|---------------------------||
--------------------------|---------------------------||
--------------------------|---------------------------||
-----------------------2--|-----1-----0--1------------||
--1-----1--4-----0--1-----|--1-----4--------1--2------||
-----4--------4-----------|-----------------------4---||



The important thing to notice is the lack of open strings, you are now moving all of your fingers alot more.

How about some chord stuff too? You like Alexi Laiho? Example two is from Children of Decadence, a short snippet from the chorus section.

Here it is in standard D tuning:


---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|
---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|
--7-9-9-9-9--7--9----------|----------------5----|--7-9-9-9-9--7--9----------|
--7-9-9-9-9--7--9----------|----------------5----|--7-9-9-9-9--7--9----------|
--5-7-7-7-7--5--7----------|----------------3----|--5-7-7-7-7--5--7----------|
---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|

Notice here, the use of power chords. This sounds fantastic and is amazingly easy to play.

Here it is again on a seven string in standard tuning:


---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|
--1-3-3-3-3--1--3----------|---------------------|--1-3-3-3-3--1--3----------|
--0-2-2-2-2--0--2----------|----------------3----|--0-2-2-2-2--0--2----------|
----0-0-0-0-----0----------|----------------3----|----0-0-0-0-----0----------|
--3----------3-------------|----------------1----|--3----------3-------------|
---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|
---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|

Starts making your fingerings think a little, yeah? still not too tough but, it takes getting used to.

It is important to remember that this lesson isn’t telling you to use the alternate tunings or to use the harder structures. The point of this lesson is to get your fingers used to doing goofy things. That way, you can create unique chord structures and crazy passages in any key or any tuning.

By practicing different patterns, you can create amazing runs in solos or riffs. You can create amazing chord structures and unique progressions.

If you would like these tabs in guitar pro or power tab, please send me a personal message. Also, if you would like to see a video or some other tabs I’ve written that utilize this principle, send me a message.

Hope this helps!

-Cob

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