BSBB Blues Speed Building Blocks

[MarcV]

This is great course that I did not pay any attention to until Griff mentioned it in recent All Access.
Anyways, Lick 8 in group 2 is my Achilles heel. I am actually pretty confident with bending in general and getting accurately to pitch but the motion in this one with the 2nd string bend and then rolling to 1st and 2nd string is challenging.
Anybody dealing with this and any suggestions on other exercises to help with this:
I am at Level 1 and can do everything else at 80 bpm except this one.

 

[snarf]

That's one that I've always struggled with enough that I don't typically use it when I play. For a while I was practicing and getting better at it, but moved on to other things and that lick went away pretty quickly. When I was getting better at it, I was having to make a conscious effort to slow it down when I practiced. For me, it was more about getting the muscle memory down correctly. When I would do that, it would all come out sounding ok. If I rushed the process at all, the 2nd string 8th fret would get lost in the process. From a practical perspective, I think I practiced this one at 40bpm for a long time to get it to where I could play it. The fastest I ever had it sounding like it should was at 80bpm (I think that was level 1 speed).

In my experience, this one just takes LOTS of practice. SLOW, steady practice.

 

[MikeS]

FWIW
I'd be sure to try to pay attention to your picking hand & NOT strictly alternate pick, but economy pick the two 8th fret notes (Up Up). As Snarf said, start slowly to get the muscle memory down. IT may tak lots of playing at very slow speed to get your had ready to do it faster.

 

[MarcV]

Thanks for the input guys. Yep agreed to slow steady practice for improvement. But, Snarf, to your point this is one that I don't see ever working into "jam" lick. Good to try and get better but sometimes you get feel for things that may always be a little out of reach..

 

[Iheartbacon]

If you keep practicing, you will get better at it, and you will also build skills to make you better at other licks. Plus, just because it is a “speed building” lick doesn’t mean it has to be fast. You can make it into a “jam” lick that you play slower.

 

[Paleo]

This lick appeared just yesterday in Griff's "email post" on "Empty Arms".

He says it's one of his favorites.

Check out the vid at about 3:30 and the tab measures 3 & 4.


And anyone who participated in the very second BGU Labs Challenge back in February 2017 will surely recognize it from "Triplet Mania".

 

[MarcV]

FWIW
I'd be sure to try to pay attention to your picking hand & NOT strictly alternate pick, but economy pick the two 8th fret notes (Up Up). As Snarf said, start slowly to get the muscle memory down. IT may tak lots of playing at very slow speed to get your had ready to do it faster.

Yep. Good point again. Probably good to get just down up motion, with up hitting 1st and 2nd string individually. There is also seems to be some technique in getting the 1st finger to roll over from 1st string to second string with minimal motion.

 

[MarcV]

This lick appeared just yesterday in Griff's "email post" on "Empty Arms".

He says it's one of his favorites.

Check out the vid at about 3:30 and the tab measures 3 & 4.

Yep. Saw that. That is what got me thinking about it and that it may be important to try and get better at.
Unfortunately this is one of long list of things preventing me from doing a lot of SRV.
But probably not alone with that


And anyone who participated in the very second BGU Labs Challenge back in February 2017 will surely recognize it from "Triplet Mania".