#140 - BEST Guitar For Shredding? How To Hold Your PICK? | X-MAS Q&A Special

but when you are considering just moving the end of the pipe, it takes less motion from your hand to move the end of the 3 foot pipe 1 inch than it does to move the end of the 1 foot pipe 1 inch. You can see this with a compas drawing a circle.

brian meahan

"Do you still enjoy guitar BOOKS" yeah this is a very good question. I have mixed feelings about guitar books. For me personally the amount of information I understand from a visual medium such as youtube is far superior to a book, from multiple perspectives: 1) quality of understanding (visually you can do closeups of camera and explain picking movements, thats not easy at all to convey in text or photos), 2) time invested ( I can watch tenfold more tutorials and immediately put them in practice in the same time it takes to finish a book. 3) Interaction, I can interact with the various communities regarding a video, whether its here on patreon or emails or youtube, but a book is just a book, a one-way medium. I guess you could say "those who purchase the book also can login to this forum to discuss the chapters" so that adds some interaction. All this being said, I have recently bought and read Alex Skolnick's book where e.g. in one chapter he explains how he was taught by Satch (my fav chapter really) So it really depends what exactly will the book convey, if its tutorials or music theory and whatnot I would say video is far superior, if its some personal story then yes. I think something that wuld sell really well is a book with details on your personal journey such as the struggles of learning various aspects of guitar until you reached proficiency, you know stuff most ppl can relate to, and with advices for overcoming these struggles. THAT i would buy 100%

Andrei Cristof

The way I think about the whole pinky thing is this. Think about swinging a pipe. Ignore physics and assume you have two pipes of the same weight. The first pipe is 1 foot long and the other is 3 feet long. It will be much easier to swing the 1 foot pipe vs the 3 footer. Longer levels are harder to swing. Using that idea, if you extend the fingers on your picking hand, it makes a longer lever and it will take more time and effort to move the pick up and down.

Chris Kilmer

i used to get so upset at myself that i couldnt do the pinky thing,, funny how we get caught up in habits we see other use ,, and let it hurt our playing.

for years i played with a close fist,, i was always very conscious of the players that stuck their pinky out, i thought this was THE WAY, i tried soooo hard to emulate this,, and all it ever did was handicap my playing. somewhere along the line , i topped caring and all of a sudden,, literally i noticed my playing noticeably improve wheni switched back,

do you perhaps , have a link to that summer 2020 exercice?. ive looked and cant find it , thank you Bernth

Thank you, Bernth. This one is very interesting. Licks 3 and up would be most appropriate for my skill level. I think I will add these to my routine.🤘

Dunlop Nylon Max Grip Jazz III Carbon 1,38 mm :)

Bernd Brodträger

Hi Bernth! Great video as always. And I like the way you opened your horizons in you videos, talking about jazz and playing on more versatile guitar... because it's exactly what I did myself! But on the late! I'm 48 years and listen to metal since kid, and finaly understood on the late that there are great things in other styles too. For my guitars it's the same, I used to play on a ESP baryton and a Schecter Hellraiser, but I work a lot (as a doctor) and so sadly I have so few free time to practice! I recently made myself a huge present and I bought a SUHR Modern custom made. 1.65" on the neck, elliptical .800 - .850 and radius 10" - 14". It's a high grade guitar, but not the typical one for shredders I thought! I was much affraid that I couldnt play metal on it... huge stress, but it's been all the contrary! It forced me , along with your GREAT LESSONS, to play more precisely, and I made faster progress in 6 mothes that in last 10 years! Ahaha. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HUMBLENESS AND INCREDIBLY MEANINGFULL LESSONS BERNTH!!! HAPPY XMAS!

Arnaud Desbordes

Mid sized necks i would reckon. I feel the neck profile is a bigger aspect whether the guitar is comfortable to play etc. I love the "Thin U" ESP neck profile and do not really like my Les Paul's neck

Jon Hew

Hi Bernth. What thickness of pick do you use? and what brand and type of pick if possible to say? Thank for you lessons.

Manuel Garcia

Thanks for asking that Mary, it's #104 :) Happy that the new picks suit your style and technique!

Bernd Brodträger

Hi Bernth. Which lesson # from midsummer did you refer to in this video? Thanks for the pick holding suggestions. A couple of months ago you inspired me to try the Jazz 3 size picks, and I saw an instant improvement on my picking technique. I am grateful for all the attention to detail you put into these lessons. Best regards for the new year.

Mary Blasko

This was fun watching, yes please make more videos like these! As for guitar lessons, I think video lessons are the way to go as they deliver the message quicker and in a more interactive way and make the student feel a connection with the teacher. I really like your approach to teaching guitar and especially this interactive and helpful community that you have built over a relatively short period of time. Keep up the good work :)

Aftab Lateef

Great video man. As always thank you. Oddly enough my PRS custom 24s neck feels the fastest/cleanest. However lately I haven't been able to put my Ibanez down, sounds and feels so much more tight. The flat neck is definitely not as comfortable though. And digital lessons seems to be working great

Very good question & answer. Many have questions and your always here to help, but sometimes people don't ask🤟🏽 I have had many guitars over the years. But my favorites are ESP or JACKSON! I know that as technology has gotten better you can find a decent guitar much cheaper then back in the days. I like neck thru guitars, I believe I saw a comment about the bolt on necks being a bother. Neck thru has pros & cons. But I prefer neck thru. Grafixs are not important but I love them on my guitars. Guess it's like flames on a sports car. The car goes faster with the flames 😩😂 oh and recently upgraded to the Kemper! I love it... In the end everyone is different and hands fit better with different guitars. Go to your local store and play every guitar your interested in. See what best fits you. Then go out and be a rock star! 🎸🤟🏽

Hector Jimenez

Im using a PRS SE 24, I love it, but Im still struggling to shred at all even after months of practice. I do have tension issues that I cant seem to get rid of.

Justin Wagner

I'm a slut for all different types of Guitars. I have a jackson soloist with a super thin neck. I have a PRS with a medium. I'm more comfortable with the medium i feel. I also much prefer online courses to books. Also that blows my mind about about your picking technique. I learned that curl in of the pointer finger from paul gilbert. But i learned the close fist thing from you ;) Also love that you took times to answer funny questions as well. Hopefully can meet you in america once shows start again.

Paul Fessler

My favourite guitar is also an Ibanez AZ Prestige, though I have the 2204 HSS model. Mine is also as it came set up from the factory. Previously, I thought my Charvel Guthrie Govan sig couldn’t be beaten for shredability (and indeed it is a fabulous guitar that makes me sound better then I am!), but there’s just something about those AZs. I didn’t like it as much at first, but it quickly became like home.

Sam Brox

To answer your questions, Bernth, I have tried guitars over the years with different profile necks and I didn't think it made too much difference but what I really don't like are guitars that have a big heel on the back where the neck joins the body. It makes it very hard to reach the higher frets and I really don't know why they are still making guitars like that these days. About books, right now I am interested in books because I am restudying the chords and a book is nice because it allows me to flip through consecutive pages of nothing but chords to learn but after I've done that I don't think I will have as much use for a book as I do right now. I actually have a book related question for you later. Something I would like your advice on.

This was a great session, you should definitely keep doing it. Yes, a book either way, digital or old school would be fantastic. Thanks!

Samuel Ortiz

Yes books i use books im old school been shredding 27 yrs

digital

Keep it digital, guitar books suck in comparison in my opinion

Straight fire! (pun intended)

cghijinks

Regarding the strap comment: I would also recommend avoiding the plastic/synthetic feeling straps, most notably the cheap ones like they give away in starter kits. I find they slide really easily on all clothing, no matter how balanced the guitar is. I have (fake) suede and leather straps that provide excellent grip, even when I move around. As for strap height – wear what's comfortable. I got laughed at and criticised by my bandmates for wearing the strap high and 'not looking cool'. Personally, I chose to play well rather than look cool as I think you 'look' worse making mistakes.

Richard Bendall

I found my perfect shredding guitar by going to the biggest guitar shop in my city and playing everything I could. I started in my price range, then also tried out something more expensive (the staff knew by name by that time – I was there for hours on more than one day). I wanted a brand that I knew would feel also good to play on the more expensive models, and I wanted something that felt comfortable to play near the nut and the higher frets on higher strings, but also something I could comfortably reach the highest fret, and all the strings around the 12th and 17th fret. Even then, I knew I wanted to shred! The end result was me choosing Ibanez (back then, I bought an RG270DX that I still own and love), and I don't regret the decision 20 years later. I've not played an Ibanez I didn't find comfortable to shred on, even when switching to 7 strings.

Richard Bendall

Great Video. I have been struggling with the way I hold my pick. This was very helpful.

Rex

I am totally game for a guitar book. I started playing guitar in the late 90s. All I had was 100$ Spanish guitar with horrible action and a Mexican guitar book for beginners (which sadly i did not keep or paid too much attention to). But I had binders filled with guitar tabs and some lessons which I used. One question I do have: i have been playing (on and off) guitar for over 20 years and only recently I have discovered I have horrible technique and bad habits which sadly have become muscle memory and hard to shake (not to mention my timing; I never learn how to practice with a metronome until recently.... ny skills are horrible!) Thanks to you I am working on my picking/strumming hand (right) but I still struggle with properly arching my fingers on my fretting hand and I tend to have a lot of distance between the neck and my finger (especially my pinky). Any tips to work on my fretting hand, keeping my fingers close to the neck? As far as my favorite guitar shapes. It depends what I am playing. Sad to admit (not really) I do go for the look. For example: classic heavy metal is all about Flying V while heavy riffing chugchug I will go with my Les Paul or Explorer. For shredding and "power metal / extreme metal" I recently got me a Solar A1.6 guitar. :)

I prefer GP files more than anything! Being able to play along and adjust the tempo and repeat single sections is a huge asset. I loved that the "Sweep PIcking Masterclass" had GP files for every lesson; I felt that it was key to my success in that course.

Daniel

If you were to release a book, I would certainly buy it just to support you but I can't read music and I hate Tab. Everything I do is self taught and I prefer to watch you teach a lesson and go from there. It also gives me a reference to let me know if I am doing it, whatever the topic is, correctly. Thank you for the great video. By the way, I just received my coffee mug. Thank you. It's awesome but my wife stole it already. LOL

bob martino

Loved this Q&A session! So many questions that I had were asked and answered by Bernth. Please do more of these going forward

And I recommend 10 steps to modern shredding, learning so much.

Steve Shaw

stargazing says he feels to old at 29, I am 64 in April, but I love this channel, and I am loving playing my guitar, all thanks to Bernth.

Steve Shaw

Great video! I like many different neck profiles but i find that I like medium the best for overall playing. I like books, i collect tab books even though many of them are nowhere near being accurate lol

David W Harper

Nice. Thx. My favorite guitar is an Ibanez MC200. D-shape neck if I am not mistaken. I've had it since 1981. It's like an old friend with many awesome memories attached. I am old school and I enjoy a real book more when learning things.

Arvid Richter