Insane chops on the enclosure loop, Michael

Bob Holo

I've been trying to get the enclosure lick revved up since taking your class at DFNW last year - I haven't made a daily routine of it, but I play probably 40 reps at least 2 to 3 times a week among other finger excercises. I'm to the point now where 150bmp is a snooze and 187 is uncomfortable but clean and repeatable and 208 is the fastest I can go. I get about 1 in 5 truly "clean" reps at 208.

Just out of curiosity I played the audio sample from your website last night and clocked you at 333bpm with my metronome (if you assume eight notes in 4... If you assume you're playing it in 2, then you're slightly over 186bpm and my fastest tempo is about 104bpm)

Is that you? Did you speed it up?

Damn, boy. You can get a speeding ticket for that.

MichaelHorowitz

Yeah...that was me on a good day! However, it's a highly ergonomic lick. Very guitaristsic for both hands, so it lends itself to high speeds. It's the ultimate double time lick. Listen to Django use it on Del Salle.

Keep at it...it will come.

BTW, you're Gypsy Picking it, right? And are you using my fingering suggestions? Some folks want to do that one with one finger per note. It's just too clumsy when you get real fast. Sliding makes it way easier.

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Bob Holo

Yep, I'm sliding and using the exact fingerings. ... and Yep, I'm gypsy picking. I made a conscious effort to lock-on to what you were saying and doing in those classes and have strived to stay orthodox and build speed. I figure that when I've mastered it to a high degree, then I'll be qualified to explore stylistic modifications.

So... wrist angle ~30 degrees... good hand position with proper pick grip and proper wrist rotation (and using even more rotation when strumming so the pick face is nearly perpendicular to the path of the strings)... good elbow placement on the lower bout... good guitar position and angle on the right leg... good posture... right foot propped on left foot... loose grip... loose shoulders... proceed through the target string letting the next string stop the pick... rise 2 full strings above the target when picking and knock a matchstick off the upper bout when strumming... allow wrist movement to decrease natually at higher speeds but keep it loose and shake that match out... treat the upstroke as a gracenote regardless of strum speed to avoid the gallop... practice with a metronome... do it slow perfectly and increase speed slowly focusing on accuracy and evenness... all the stuff, man...