One Step Ahead of Your Hands! (Guitar Lesson)
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One Step Ahead of Your Hands!
Sharpen your mind like a samurai sword with this exercise! While playing one note, think and speak the next note you will play. Practice this to a metronome with different note values...EEK!
Taught by Bumblefoot in Bumblefoot's Artist Series seriesLength: 12:17Difficulty: 4.0 of 5
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Bumblefoot's Artist Series
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsUnconventional... Diabolical... Just plain crazy! Learn a fresh, quirky and MUSICAL approach to extreme guitar playing!
Lesson 1
Series Introduction
Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal pulls out all the stops in his blistering artist series. Dive into the intense, yet seemingly effortless, playing style of a true legend in our time. Learn...
Length: 4:21 Difficulty: 0.5 FREELesson 2
The Drummer Is King!
Of all the crazy antics and skills you'll learn in this series, learning your place in the rhythm section may be the most important and arguably the most difficult! Learn the importance of playing behind...
Length: 19:07 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Focus on the Rhythm
Now try taking the concepts learned in the last lesson and apply them to chords and strumming. The physical differences between playing chords and single notes provide an interesting challenge when staying...
Length: 13:58 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Do You Have an Accent?
Make sure you're thinking and playing behind the beat...Check! Now Bumblefoot makes sure you are thinking about each note and each beat you play. Just like the spoken word, good guitar playing is punctuated....
Length: 9:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Why...Yes I Do!
Now that you've practiced playing with accents at a basic level, learn this blazing sequence in C major and put your chops to the test!
Length: 9:38 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Sweeping Sensation
Done much sweep picking? Whether you are experienced in this technique or brand new, this exercise will dramatically improve your coordination and hand synchronization while sweeping. This isn't your average...
Length: 7:48 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Sweep it under the Rug
Take the same ascending drill from the last lesson, move it around a bit more, and reverse it. It's even harder going down! Take it slow!
Length: 10:43 Difficulty: 4.5 Members Only
Sweep Up More Stuff!
Slackers beware! Bumblefoot introduces another picking variation and connects the ascending and descending sweeping patterns for one mind and finger boggling exercise. Whatever you do, DON'T CHEAT! Practice...
Length: 11:59 Difficulty: 5.0 Members Only
Mental Multitasking
A seasoned guitar player can have multiple active channels going in his mind at once. That's what helps the masters play a rhythm and a melody line at the same time. That's what makes singing complex melodies...
Length: 8:14 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Huh? Two Scales at Once?
Put mental multitasking to work with your hands. Practice playing a simple C major scale, but play it in a round. Start it, and then while continuing to play it in sequence, start it again!
Length: 4:07 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
One Step Ahead of Your Hands!
Sharpen your mind like a samurai sword with this exercise! While playing one note, think and speak the next note you will play. Practice this to a metronome with different note values...EEK!
Length: 12:17 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Does Your Left Know What Your Right Is Doing?
Here's one more brain tearing exercise! Practice playing different rhythmic groupings with each hand at the same time. Then, try to talk while you're doing it! Make these mental multitasking lessons part...
Length: 7:01 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
What Do You Have on Tap?
Get a brief tutorial on proper tapping technique. Then, it's off to Bumbleland! Dive into 2 finger right hand tapping phrases, string skipping, and more!
Length: 10:06 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
I'll Take Two of What She's Having!
Take 2 hand and 2 right hand finger tapping to the next level. Don't forget rhythm! Rhythm is still important when notes are flying by!
Length: 6:36 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Now Let's Go Tap Dancing
Take the last two crazy lessons on tapping, and make them a bit more musical. As with the sweeps, DON'T CHEAT! Make sure your playing is clean and calculated at whatever speed you are playing.
Length: 14:56 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Be a Bit Abnormal
With this lesson, Bumblefoot delivers the first of a handful of ways to take what you may already be comfortable with and add some quirkiness. This segment focuses on changing the harmony in the major...
Length: 10:20 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Blues it Up!
Bumblefoot alters the major scale a little further and roasts it over a simple blues shuffle. Dive in and see what's cookin'!
Length: 5:23 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Note Before the Note
Do you like the pentatonic scale? Are you maybe a little tired of being limited by it? If so, this lesson is for you! Learn a VERY simple way to spice it up!
Length: 6:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Read Between the Frets
Join Bumblefoot for another great way to disguise and spruce up your standard pentatonic ideas!
Length: 4:43 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
I'm All In!
Before...Between...Now you can add a note after each note played on each string in your pentatonic scale. Practice all three options over the track and work on adding some other embellishments such as...
Length: 7:09 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
About Bumblefoot View Full Biography "Making music has a greater purpose - anything I can do to help others, I try to do."
-Ron "Bumblefoot" ThalI love spicy food - working on recipes for my own line of hot sauces. Been upping my tolerance - currently at 7,100,000 Scoville Units (that's 3x stronger than commercial-grade pepper spray weapon) If anyone asks me about Scoville Units, I'll bore them for a half-hour talking about capsaicin molecules, habaneros and heat measurements. One time in Japan, I stayed up 43 hours straight doing gigs, interviews, instructional videos and going to clubs. I take oral hygiene and fire safety seriously. As a kid, I'd lay the guitar on the ground and play Bach pieces with two hands and one foot. Been a while since I tried that. When I can, I like to do home improvement stuff - mostly drywall and electrical, some simple plumbing. Last thing I did at my house was install recessed lights in the ceiling going to a dimmer, and put in a new bathroom sink and faucet.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.I like his teaching style. Guitar is definitely something you have to practice practice practice. I wish I didn't work 14 hrs a day.
As long as you practice some in a day you're good. Make some time to just practice like 15 minutes. Schedule what your gonna do in those fifteen minutes as well. :)
I love when he hits the string with that wacky beard of his! xD