Four-notes-per-string legato in A minor
A minor four notes on each string, climbing the neck diagonally as it crosses it: only the first note on each string is picked, the other three hammered on, with a slide where the reach is widest, then pulled off on the way down. From A on the low E string and then from A on the D string, an octave higher. Four notes a string moves the hand along the neck as the line rises, and the long hammered runs are the sound of legato shred.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 90 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 90 bpm
- Starts at
- 54 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Advanced
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Pick once per string; the slide on the G and high E strings is the shift up the neck, done with the 4th finger.
Four 16ths on each string, one beat a string. Bar 1 climbs from A at the 5th fret of the low E string: A B C D on the low E, E F G A on the A string, B C D E on the D string, F G A B on the G string. Only the first note on each string is picked; the other three are hammered on.
Four notes a string spans five or six frets, so the hand moves up the neck as it goes. On the G string the last note is a slide from the 14th fret to the 16th. Bar 2 comes back down: a pick on the top note, then pull-offs, with a slide down at the start.
Bars 3 and 4 do the same an octave higher, from A at the 7th fret of the D string up to B at the 19th fret of the high E string and back down.
Mistakes to watch for
- Hammered notes quieter than the picked note: hammer from above the fret, firmly.
- Pull-offs that only lift the finger, which makes the next note too quiet; pull slightly down across the string.
- Strings below ringing as you move up; rest the picking hand's palm on them.
- Shifting before the slide instead of with it.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 54
- 59
- 63
- 68
- 72
- 77
- 81
- 86
- 90
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 90 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Four-notes-per-string legato?
The goal is 90 bpm in 16th notes, which is 6 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 54 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Why four notes per string instead of three?
Four notes a string moves the hand along the neck as the line climbs, so a run can cover two octaves and more in one sweep up the fretboard. Three-notes-per-string shapes stay in one area, which suits other runs.
Should I pick every note at first?
No. The point is the legato; picking every note teaches a different thing. Slow down until the hammered notes ring as loudly as the picked one.
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