technical exercises to work on specific skills
Only give the student this exercise if they have already memorized the positions in XR-05, XR-06 & XR-07. This exercise builds on that knowledge. Once the student has memorized the positions in this exercise, they will be able to apply them all over the fretboard. This is a skill not many guitarists posses so it's worthwhile spending time to develop it.
Only give the student this exercise if they have already memorized the positions in XR-05 & XR-06. This exercise builds on that knowledge.
This exercise will help your student start thinking about using triplets during improvising. Practicing triplets up and down a scale will prepare the student for applying the technique in a musical situation. Think of this exercise as a way to develop the muscle memory needed so when the student wants to use triplets in a scale run, the student won't need to think about technique - it will hopefully feel natural.
It's a good idea to start with XR-05 which covers the first three strings before moving on to this one. As two of the strings overlap between the two exercises, you will find your student has an easy time adding the new notes on to the existing positions if the student has properly memorized the first three strings. If you find your student struggles with this exercise, move back to XR-05 and spend more time memorizing the positions on the first three strings.
This exercise eases your student into thinking about triplets and at the same time allows them to practice memorizing a scale. The focus here is the student's picking technique and making sure it remains consistent throughout the exercises. This exercise will work well with a metronome so the student can hear how to count triplets in time with the beat.
This exercise is essentially identical to XR-01 with the difference here being a focus on minor triads. You can either wait until your student has memorized major triads all over the fretboard before you introduce minor triads, or you can work on both triads simultaneously three strings at a time.
This exercise eases your student into thinking about triplets and at the same time allows them to practice memorizing a scale. The focus here is the student's picking technique and making sure it remains consistent throughout the exercises. This exercise will work well with a metronome so the student can hear how to count triplets in time with the beat.
A galloping rhythm helps your student develop their alternate picking control. The focus here is on the rhythm and making sure the student's picking fits tightly with the beat (a metronome or drum machine is highly recommended).
A galloping rhythm helps your student develop their alternate picking control. The focus here is on the rhythm and making sure the student's picking fits tightly with the beat (a metronome or drum machine is highly recommended).
This exercise not only gives your student practice at alternate picking, but it also helps with their co-ordination between both hands as well as giving them a bit of scales practice. The exercise is effective because the student will be able to immediately hear if their picking is even slightly out of sync with their fretting hand. The exercise is useful for all guitarists so you can give it to beginner students or even your most advanced students.
This exercise is almost identical to XN-01 with the difference being the direction of the fretted notes. Both are recommended as some students may find one direction is easier than another.