FIERCE GUITAR
RUSTY COOLEY
Altered Scales and Chords
This month we’re going to take a look at
what I consider to be some old-school
picking drills. I developed these exercises
when I was studying how Paul Gilbert,
Vinnie Moore, and Shawn Lane approached
the guitar.
well-developed technique will always be
there when you need it.
Each example is pretty simple to learn,
All of the examples in this column are in
the key of C# natural minor (C#–D#–E–F#–
G#–A–B) and played with strict alternate
picking. I have narrowed each example
to only two strings because most guitar
players start running into problems when
more strings are involved. We are breaking
everything down to its smallest component
and mastering it from the inside out, so
to speak. In other words, once you master
these examples, adding other strings will
be much easier.
out;my;new;band;at;www.myspace.com/
dayofreckoningmetal, and join my official
forum;at;http://forum.rustycooley.com/.
It’s better to have an overabundance
of technique than to be lacking it.
as they’re all composed of sixteenth-note
triplets. A few of them have odd groupings,
especially the last two. The last one is
groups of 6 and 7 and because of this, each
time you start over the picking flips, so
watch out for that.
Rusty Cooley
Rusty Cooley has been playing and teaching for over 20 years
and has recorded as a solo artist, with his band Outworld,
and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. He has six instructional
DVDs and a signature model 7-string, the Dean RC7. Visit
Rusty online at rustycooley.com.
Here are a few pointers:
Okay, until next time, keep shredding. If
you have any questions, email them to
rusty@rustycooley.com. Also, you can check
•;Make;sure;you;grip;the;pick;close
to the tip
•;Don’t;move;any;of;the;joints;in;your
thumb or fingers
•;All;of;the;motion;should;be;with;your
wrist. However, this will vary a little bit
from player to player. For instance, I use
a little elbow at times. I have watched all
of the fastest pickers and they each do it
differently, so don’t get hung up on this.
•;The;pick;should;only;dig;in;the;actual
depth of each string
•;Only;move;enough;to;cross;from;one
side of the string to the other. Speed
comes through economy of motion
I use a kitchen timer and practice each
example for five minutes a day. The idea is
to have a set amount of non-stop repetition.
The key factor in increasing speed is to
find the top speed that you can play each
example cleanly, and then push it until it
starts to fall apart. When it starts to fall
apart, back off to a more comfortable tempo
and then push it again. It’s the constant
pushing and pulling that will help you
break through to new top speeds, while
maintaining overall control of your picking.
It’s better to have an overabundance of
technique than to be lacking it, because a
6
6
17 19 21
17 19 21
17 19 21
17 19 21
Fig. 3
8va Fig. 3
6
6
17 19 21
17
21 19 17 19 21
17
21 19
Fig. 5 8va Fig. 5
6
6
21 19 17
21 19 17
21 19 17
21 19 17
6
6
17 19 21
17
21 19 17 19 21
17 19 21
Fig. 4
8va Fig. 4
6
6
17 19 21
17 19 21 19 17
21 19 17 19 21
17 19 21 19 17
21 19
Fig. 6
8va Fig. 6
6
21 19 17
21 19 17
21 19 21 19 17
21 19 17
Fig. 7
8va Fig. 7
6
7
6
7
17 19 21
17 19 21 17 19 21 19 17
21 19 17 19 21
17 19 21 17 19 21 19 17
