what do you guys do to clean up sloppy playing?

[kit_strong]

Play a long-scale guitar - Strat, Tele, or whatever. Forces you to play cleaner.

 

How does playing a longer scale guitar force you to play cleaner? I play just as clean or sloppy on a gibson scale guitar as I do a fender scale.

[pixelchemist]

play no effects through a clean amp with the bass turned down and treble turned up... and play loud... NO EFFECTS

start slow and only play it faster as you can play that section through cleanly at a given speed... the amp will sound like ass but it will also reveal any unwanted noise or sloppy playing.

[Zemmy]

drink more

[Cymro#1]

Actually buy a Fender amp.....in all seriousness. They hide mistakes pretty well.

[loganonymous]

As facepalm-worthy as this may be, he speaks the truth.

[CoqBelliqueux]

As facepalm-worthy as this may be, he speaks the truth.

 

Yeah, pretty warm notes. Pixel's advice is true, the sharp trebly tones convey all the fail when you play.

[dimmypage]

Play it slow,record it, then speed it up during playback:thu:

[mightysasquatch]

i teach guitar for a living, and my mantra is this:

"Slow and right, not fast and wrong."

[teh fail]

i teach guitar for a living, and my mantra is this: "Slow and right, not fast and wrong."

And that even works with the ladies...

[CoqBelliqueux]

And that even works with the ladies...

But then you have to pay for the extra time.

[WRGKMC]

Technical finger excercises that use all 4 left fingers will help build motor skills so your fingers will do what the mind tells it to. Next tabbing out the parts so you know what to do mentally is very important. If you cant visualize the parts they shure as hell arent going to come to you from thin air.

 

Next, If you're copying a tune. Get a program thet will slow the playback down and play it at a comfortable speed. Then gradually speed it up being sure you retain all the neuances.

 

Then if you can play it well at normal speed or faster, you should be in good shape. If you have it really well memorised, playing it live should give you all the additional energy you should need.

 

Otherwise learn to add your own riffs that fit. Noone makes it big playing others parts note for note, they usually play their own version. Learning others material is simply educational and trains you to be a great player. Then if you latch on to a great band you can use all the bits and pieces in your own original music.

[IamBurnout]

Play it slow,record it, then speed it up during playback:thu:

 

 

Dragonforce'd

[caveman]

Yep, the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice

[Cymro#1]

As facepalm-worthy as this may be, he speaks the truth.

 

 

Never heard that .......in 35 years of playing. Turn the treble up on any amp and it will become fuzzy.

[BydoEmpire]

Practice clean and play slower.

This. Play slow enough to be mistake free and do it perfect over and over and over, then up the tempo.

 

A lot of people say "don't up the tempo until you can play it 3 times perfect." That's okay, but what's really worked for me in the last year or so is play it slow for a set time (5 minutes or whatever). If you get through the part 50 times in that time, that's great. By forcing yourself to "suffer" though playing it over and over slowly you'll clearly see what you're having trouble with. You're not just getting it right, you'll be able to understand what it was you were doing wrong, and that's been very valuable.

[Jim_Soloway]

Sometimes the answer is to play it slowly and speed it up as you get it mastered, but that's not always the right answer. There are some passages that I will never get up to speed with out some changes no matter how hard I try.

 

First, check the fingering. Is there another way to play the same passage that is easier to navigate. If that doesn't work, then check the fingering of the preceding passage. Is that leaving you in a position that makes it difficult to get in position for the passage that's troubling you? If so, is there a way to change the fingering of that preceding passage that leaves your hands in a better position for the passage that's troubling you. It's much like when you shoot pool. You don't just try to sink the ball your aiming at. You also try to leave yourself in good position for the next ball as well.

 

And finally if nothing else works honestly ask yourself if you can really play this cleanly? If the answer is no, then figure out your next best option. It's better to play something less difficult that you can play well than something very hard that you can't actually execute with confidence.

[BydoEmpire]

First, check the fingering. Is there another way to play the same passage that is easier to navigate. If that doesn't work, then check the fingering of the preceding passage

That is an excellent point.

[Stoneball Jack]

I think you already said my answer in your OP... If i can not play something clean i play it slow to the point that i can play it clean... Then slowly pick up speed till muscle memory takes over and lets me play it clean at full speed....

 

 

This, I've played classical piano all my life, majored in it for two years at university, every piano teacher i had during that time told me to slow down till i could play it perfect, then slowly speed up a little at a time.

 

Also, the one guitar teacher i had told me to do that too. It can be boring but you'll be able to play it better and easier than you've ever played anything before.

 

Figuring out the best fingering is also extremely important. This can make something that seemed impossible very easy.

 

Recoding it and listening also helps. It's amazing what you don't hear when you're playing it.

[Alexbiscuit]

some of you guys are making this way too difficult

arch your fingers more? srsly?

try playing unplugged for a while, i promise you will improve.

[lp_junkie]

33 years before Youtube, and 20 years before the internet we practiced until we got it right.

You slow down and do it right, if you practice something wrong and fast 99 times, guess what, on the time that it counts you're still gonna f*&k it up.

I always used heavier strings in the beginning to build up finger strength and control, also played a lot on the acoustic guitar. If you can't make it sound good on acoustic its just crap to start with.

The best way to cure slop, is to practice more and type on the computer less.

[evh1984]

Slow it down and play less notes.

[Floritar]

This "try playing unplugged for a while, i promise you will improve " and record with sound and video.

[scuzzo]

This "try playing unplugged for a while, i promise you will improve " and record with sound and video.

+1
best advice on the whole thread!

[meandi]

Sometimes the answer is to play it slowly and speed it up as you get it mastered, but that's not always the right answer. There are some passages that I will never get up to speed with out some changes no matter how hard I try. First, check the fingering. Is there another way to play the same passage that is easier to navigate. If that doesn't work, then check the fingering of the preceding passage. Is that leaving you in a position that makes it difficult to get in position for the passage that's troubling you? If so, is there a way to change the fingering of that preceding passage that leaves your hands in a better position for the passage that's troubling you. It's much like when you shoot pool. You don't just try to sink the ball your aiming at. You also try to leave yourself in good position for the next ball as well. And finally if nothing else works honestly ask yourself if you can really play this cleanly? If the answer is no, then figure out your next best option. It's better to play something less difficult that you can play well than something very hard that you can't actually execute with confidence.

 

 

Very well said.

I've got several songs that I currently play the stripped down verson when in front of people.

But I continue to work on the more difficult passages, in private, that I want for the song.

Interestingly, the time usually comes when the much practiced advanced lick just slips into the public playing effortlessly.

[wallywanker]

Play louder with more distortion ...

 

 

this. `if you can't play it right, at least play it loud' has long been one of our favorite admonishments...