Ben, you're a monster player, awesome teacher, and you must easily be the wittiest instructor on RUclips! However, hidden behind that rapier-sharp wit is a lot of wisdom that only comes from experience. Love from Ireland.
Another way to do it, which is way more frustrating but gives you more freedom in the long run is to play the scale starting on upstrokes for each string. Feels counterintuitive and involves many months of stepdad speed, but you do not have to break down phrases as far as turns and stick to an even number of notes per string.
When I come across a youtube video by uncle Ben I never skip...From learning to tune my first floyd rose to alternate picking & sweep picking exercises & developing palm muting techniques, these lessons are just absolutely invaluable & super helpful!!! Can u please make a video explaining different time signatures, how to count them, how to distinguish between 3/4 and 6/8, how to get a feel for them in general as a guitar player....especially the odd time signatures... I've watched several youtube videos, but I'm still not quite clear about them. I bet I'll be able to get a good grasp on them after following a tutorial of yours ;))
Man.. whenever I see uncle Ben kenobi upload a video.. I cant help but thrust my hips off the couch, through the living room wall and out onto the front yard , yelling " SHWING!"
Love you humor Uncle Ben!! I’m a stepdad kind of speed player usually but even my wife who’s always telling me to turn that s**t down has been telling me lately that I should go start a band . Lol I’m 54... Thanks man, I’ve improved so much from watching your videos!!!
Played bass with a pick for 20+ years, and upright bass with a bow (classical music has all sorts of wacky combinations of ■V markings, all over the beat), so the alternate picking doesn't trip me up, but those top two strings sure do. This was a great lesson just for the shapes associated with the position shifts! Super helpful! Position shifting is where it's at!
Mr Ben not only does this help my up n down pic tech , it also helps me slide around through the diff positions on A key and learn a variety of road maps , thanks for all your help have a great week
LOL, Wow, I never realized why I have always had such a hard time rolling back down a scale until I saw this! I obviously have the same picking "style" because once you pointed it out, I got up and down this riff with out issue from my right hand. Thank you!
I'm not even up to stepdad speed yet although I'm old enough to be you stepdad. Having just started learning all the different shapes of the pentatonic scale I was having a hard time visualizing them linking together but this lesson with the small chunks then the shift somehow got me clicking them together a lot better. So this didn't really help with the speed aspect of my playing it helped me gain a bit more fretboard knowledge. Thanks Uncle Ben.
I've been playing for thirty years, and am actually pretty good, but when I started trying to replicate licks in different positions, it really helped my overall playing. Certain things can't be replicated. Like a hammer on or pulloff in one position may be impossible in another position, because the notes are on separate strings. And, of course, certain positions can just be physically easier to play than others. So it's easy just to say, "Nah." But it's a worthwhile exercise. It will improve both your technical ability and fretboard knowledge. And improved fretboard knowledge helps tremendously with your theory as well. So it's just a win, win, win.
Uncle Ben, you are awesome man, not only learning a TON, but also enjoy the hilarious Dad jokes, and the brutal honesty. Best guitar teacher on the internet if you ask me. Thanks for making it fun for everyone!
Glad I found this! I feel like it’ll open the next door in my soloing. I often go to the next pattern below while jamming but often hit a roadblock where I don’t know the rest without thinking.
Man, I am a half assed wanna be crap shredder that can sound decent sometimes by being a chronic cheater, utilizing intermittent picking mixed with hammer ons and pull off. Descending 3's and and 4's are my goto and it becomes very repetitious. And Ascending has always been an achilles heal. You have some of the best breakdowns of techniques that I have been lacking, I have ever seen. Truly good stuff and inspiring! And yeah, entertaining too.
You Kick Ads Ben !!! I've been playing guitar for approx 35-36 years and I am self taught. No lessons other than tips and Tabs and a few videos here and there on and a lot of Inspiration from my Guitar heros . And I just wanted to say Thank you Brother for your Videos all very Entertaining and very Informative !!! I teach Guitar and Music Theory but am Kinda stuck in on my own rut as far as thinking outta the box Soloing, especially when Freestyle improvising, I get so board with my style though at times I hear Improvement in my Critical thinking skills when on the spot improvising on front of an audience. ???? LoI.. like this video cuz you show how to Get outta the Damn Pentabox by keeping it interesting by moving the Pentaboxs around the fret board.!!! Very nice ! Thank you Ben !! Many Blessings to you Dude man Sir !!! You've inspired me to create a Matts Guitar Lessons RUclips playlist where you videos will be Stored and Immortalized and watched fervently and religiously Matthew (Avalanche) Snow here saying Thank you And Keep It Metal Brother ! !,,/, ,\,,!
Sorry if I misspelled any words in Half blind , cuz I'm getting old and Crusty....lol Oh hey Listen Ben if you get a chance to bro , I know you r busy I'm sure but if you would like to please check out my Music ??? It's from my Basement Home Recording studio that I'm working on and I'm Just learning The art of my Own Indie Recording, mixing and Grayling to master the best I can with what I have , but A lot of people like it so... FATALINTENT@RUclips.com. FATAL INTENT @ soundcloud.com FATAL INTENT@ Reverbnation.com. As soon as I get some better mixes I'll be posting them. Thank you Ben. His bless and Be safe brother. 💀👽👻🤖🤘💪💣💥✌😱💀👺👹😱👿😈💀🤑😜😖😆😁🤘💥💣🤘💀
interesting video and inspired me to examine my own picking to see how i deal with this especially playing hammit style solos. i caught myself adjusting the angle of my whole hand and accenting the up-picks rather than even attempt to kick myself back into step. had no idea i was even doing that
Dude! The beginning of this video is so funny bro. But I want toThank you for putting this video together because it totally opened my eyes to something that I never even thought about. I've just always tried to pick up speed by reverse picking my way back up the fretboard as fast as I can (step-dad speed). I never even thought about putting a slide in there so I could keep my picking steady. That is so awesome That's like the kind of stuff that takes people to the next level so thank you for teaching me that Ben!
What a great lesson. I'll be playing through this a bunch. Thanks. You are absolutely right about the picking getting flipped (for me). Really good insight and that lick really rolls when you play it. Thanks again.
Thanks Ben. You’ve really opened up a whole new door for me. I’m basically a rhythm guitar player trying to find my way around the fretboard. Thank you for sharing your knowledge /STEVE
In my experience over the decades, I never knew when to draw the line, so to speak. It's like Morse's one NPS arpeggiated playing. Had you told me to do that and I never heard of Steve Morse, I'd have said no, that's humanly possible what you're asking, and I wouldn't even have bothered trying.. Another one was the solo from Gel where Ross starts with a down stroke. Years ago I tried it and couldn't get it and conceded that Ross just has a gift that I don't. But taking the advice from various TY teachers like Troy and Ben and a few others, and really breaking down the basic riff and dissecting it, I can now play a descending 6 note pattern, 3 NPS per string starting on a down stroke at like 175. It's kind of becoming "my thing" that not a lot of players can do. And those are 16th notes, not triplets. So the big question is, how long do you work on something before throwing in the towel and saying "it's just not something i can do" and then move on to try to find another way to play it (or scrap trying to play it altogether)? I once even heard Andy Wood say that there are times he's trying to play a sequence of notes and it might take him 3 months to actually figure it out.. the pick angle, slant, position, string changes, etc.
One wrinkle: if you've practiced for years using your 3rd (or 4th) finger to shift positions when you ascend, shifting with the first finger takes a little brain rewiring. If you DO get this down, adding in Eric Johnson-esque five note patterns is really easy (part two?) Lastly, I would add in some string skips or simply jumping back up a string to add some flavor. Nice lesson!
Dude, great one. I need to make a t-shirt that describes me as “Sucker for Shred”. And you do feed my hunger for the shredtastical joy of the geetar. Thanks for your teaching man.
You're such an awesome teacher Ben and very entertaining . I always look forward to your videos bro. Keep up the awesome work . I would love to see you do an instructional on Cliffs of Dover or Manhattan .
Great vid old guy new to lead stuff this method also great way to practice integrating several pentatonic positions to become ingrained for improv creations.
I don't know if you saw the recent video of Alex Skolnick playing through Return to Serenity, but a lesson on that super wicked solo would be awesome. Great content like always. Sorry, completely off topic, I know.
Dude it IS! Good eye!! They are the most comfy shirts ever, I always grab like 2 every time I’m passing through there. Me and Andy Wood have done several clinics and shows there in the past couple years, always a great time.
I'm not slighting hard-work and effort to get good at playing guitar. If you don't put in the hard work you won't grow. But... efficiency is underestimated except by the masters. Efficiency and great technique go hand in hand!!! Great video!!! 👦🏻
For me, it's not so much the picking, but a great excersise in linking scale shapes to avoid going straight up and down. It's actually a great beginners tip on top of a shred tip.
I decided to go after Scales and you & myself are playing it the same way BUT I’m not as loose as you are but I’m getting there thou. Once I get it under control then my hammers , pull offs , bending, etc will follow .. if all goes well I’ll finally start my RUclips page in Jan ‘22 🤞🤞
The term “stepdad speed” never gets old. I have me a chuckle every time.
I'm never quite sure if he says "stepdad speed" or "stepdance speed". I mean.. the latter doesn't make sense.. but whatever. xD
I'm always working on getting up to stepdad speed. xD
I’m a step dad and do alot of step dad speed guitar work. Is Ben Eller a step dad is the question 🤘
yeah, are you sure this isn't Biological Step Dad Speed?
Spoken like a real Step-dad... hahaha. jk.
Ben, you're a monster player, awesome teacher, and you must easily be the wittiest instructor on RUclips! However, hidden behind that rapier-sharp wit is a lot of wisdom that only comes from experience. Love from Ireland.
Ben is easily the best teacher on RUclips. Signing up for his Patreon just a THANKS for all the free stuff he has dropped on me!
Excellent maestro lil meko
Your subscription is my thanks to him as well. Thanks!
Another way to do it, which is way more frustrating but gives you more freedom in the long run is to play the scale starting on upstrokes for each string. Feels counterintuitive and involves many months of stepdad speed, but you do not have to break down phrases as far as turns and stick to an even number of notes per string.
When I come across a youtube video by uncle Ben I never skip...From learning to tune my first floyd rose to alternate picking & sweep picking exercises & developing palm muting techniques, these lessons are just absolutely invaluable & super helpful!!!
Can u please make a video explaining different time signatures, how to count them, how to distinguish between 3/4 and 6/8, how to get a feel for them in general as a guitar player....especially the odd time signatures...
I've watched several youtube videos, but I'm still not quite clear about them. I bet I'll be able to get a good grasp on them after following a tutorial of yours ;))
Man.. whenever I see uncle Ben kenobi upload a video.. I cant help but thrust my hips off the couch, through the living room wall and out onto the front yard , yelling " SHWING!"
I need a full movie of Uncle Ben's skits.
6:40...so awesome you're covering this. Many guitar players don't focus on pick strategy and the pick is really the secret to speed...🤘😘
Great lesson, best teacher on RUclips hands down
🙏🙏🙏
Love you humor Uncle Ben!! I’m a stepdad kind of speed player usually but even my wife who’s always telling me to turn that s**t down has been telling me lately that I should go start a band . Lol I’m 54... Thanks man, I’ve improved so much from watching your videos!!!
This happened to me literally two days ago. Uncle Ben has impeccable timing.
Your philosophies make the lesson. You are a great teacher.
First I put new strings on the PRS, then a new vid from my favorite uncle!! Best day ever!
Played bass with a pick for 20+ years, and upright bass with a bow (classical music has all sorts of wacky combinations of ■V markings, all over the beat), so the alternate picking doesn't trip me up, but those top two strings sure do. This was a great lesson just for the shapes associated with the position shifts! Super helpful! Position shifting is where it's at!
My god I have been stuck in that picking hole for 15 years - thanks man, I’ve noticed considerable progress in an hour after practising this stuff
Yes, it has happened to me.
Mr Ben not only does this help my up n down pic tech , it also helps me slide around through the diff positions on A key and learn a variety of road maps , thanks for all your help have a great week
LOL, Wow, I never realized why I have always had such a hard time rolling back down a scale until I saw this! I obviously have the same picking "style" because once you pointed it out, I got up and down this riff with out issue from my right hand. Thank you!
From a stepdad guitarist this was an eye opener but now I see it I realise it’s so logical! Thanks uncle Ben!
this dude is such a great instructor, truly one of the best on the tubez
Thank you!
I'm not even up to stepdad speed yet although I'm old enough to be you stepdad. Having just started learning all the different shapes of the pentatonic scale I was having a hard time visualizing them linking together but this lesson with the small chunks then the shift somehow got me clicking them together a lot better. So this didn't really help with the speed aspect of my playing it helped me gain a bit more fretboard knowledge. Thanks Uncle Ben.
Keep on playing. Keep on practicing!
I've been playing for thirty years, and am actually pretty good, but when I started trying to replicate licks in different positions, it really helped my overall playing. Certain things can't be replicated. Like a hammer on or pulloff in one position may be impossible in another position, because the notes are on separate strings. And, of course, certain positions can just be physically easier to play than others. So it's easy just to say, "Nah." But it's a worthwhile exercise.
It will improve both your technical ability and fretboard knowledge. And improved fretboard knowledge helps tremendously with your theory as well. So it's just a win, win, win.
Uncle Ben, you are awesome man, not only learning a TON, but also enjoy the hilarious Dad jokes, and the brutal honesty. Best guitar teacher on the internet if you ask me. Thanks for making it fun for everyone!
Uncle Ben Eller, you truly are the bane of my entire existence! My arch nemesis!
Awesome analogy of the pentatonic position shifting...besides the lick is smoking! Nice job
I've been playing the guitar off and on since the 1980s and have never thought of this. I just learned something new.
Uncle Ben at it again! Thanks for all your work man!
Does anybody else freak out when a new uncle ben video uploads i lose my shit iv become a better shredder because of this wholesome dude
Glad I found this! I feel like it’ll open the next door in my soloing. I often go to the next pattern below while jamming but often hit a roadblock where I don’t know the rest without thinking.
Uncle Ben is a genius. Always the funniest and most eye opening part of my weekend
Amazing to hear how your inner voice sounds! Glad to know I'm not the only one.
Man, I am a half assed wanna be crap shredder that can sound decent sometimes by being a chronic cheater, utilizing intermittent picking mixed with hammer ons and pull off. Descending 3's and and 4's are my goto and it becomes very repetitious. And Ascending has always been an achilles heal. You have some of the best breakdowns of techniques that I have been lacking, I have ever seen. Truly good stuff and inspiring! And yeah, entertaining too.
Oh yeah, You're one of the best teachers I've come across on youtube so far. Thanks for all.
I really needed this. You are simply the best. Better than all the rest.
Good lesson Ben,... I bet a lot of step dads and young lads don't pay much attention to the picking side of things. More of this is really good.
Simple and super effective approach to an annoying problem. Uncle Ben always serving up the goods
You Kick Ads Ben !!! I've been playing guitar for approx 35-36 years and I am self taught. No lessons other than tips and Tabs and a few videos here and there on and a lot of Inspiration from my Guitar heros . And I just wanted to say Thank you Brother for your Videos all very Entertaining and very Informative !!! I teach Guitar and Music Theory but am Kinda stuck in on my own rut as far as thinking outta the box Soloing, especially when Freestyle improvising, I get so board with my style though at times I hear Improvement in my Critical thinking skills when on the spot improvising on front of an audience. ???? LoI..
like this video cuz you show how to Get outta the Damn Pentabox by keeping it interesting by moving the Pentaboxs around the fret board.!!! Very nice ! Thank you Ben !!
Many Blessings to you Dude man Sir !!!
You've inspired me to create a Matts Guitar Lessons RUclips playlist where you videos will be Stored and Immortalized and watched fervently and religiously
Matthew (Avalanche) Snow here saying Thank you And Keep It Metal Brother ! !,,/, ,\,,!
Sorry if I misspelled any words in Half blind , cuz I'm getting old and Crusty....lol
Oh hey Listen Ben if you get a chance to bro , I know you r busy I'm sure but if you would like to please check out my Music ??? It's from my Basement Home Recording studio that I'm working on and I'm Just learning The art of my Own Indie Recording, mixing and Grayling to master the best I can with what I have , but A lot of people like it so...
FATALINTENT@RUclips.com.
FATAL INTENT @ soundcloud.com
FATAL INTENT@ Reverbnation.com.
As soon as I get some better mixes I'll be posting them.
Thank you Ben. His bless and Be safe brother. 💀👽👻🤖🤘💪💣💥✌😱💀👺👹😱👿😈💀🤑😜😖😆😁🤘💥💣🤘💀
Can you please tell me where I need to go, to get the tabs for the scale exercise that you play here?
Bless Uncle Ben! Thanks for all the knowledge you bestow...
interesting video and inspired me to examine my own picking to see how i deal with this especially playing hammit style solos. i caught myself adjusting the angle of my whole hand and accenting the up-picks rather than even attempt to kick myself back into step. had no idea i was even doing that
Ben, finding your vids incredibly enlightening and helpful. Keep up the great work and rock on!
This has helped me to play out of my comofrt zone pentatonic wise and ditch the one pattern safety rule THANK YOU!
Dude! The beginning of this video is so funny bro. But I want toThank you for putting this video together because it totally opened my eyes to something that I never even thought about. I've just always tried to pick up speed by reverse picking my way back up the fretboard as fast as I can (step-dad speed). I never even thought about putting a slide in there so I could keep my picking steady. That is so awesome That's like the kind of stuff that takes people to the next level so thank you for teaching me that Ben!
What a great lesson. I'll be playing through this a bunch. Thanks. You are absolutely right about the picking getting flipped (for me). Really good insight and that lick really rolls when you play it. Thanks again.
Great video as usual, UB! Thanks!
Thanks Ben. You’ve really opened up a whole new door for me. I’m basically a rhythm guitar player trying to find my way around the fretboard. Thank you for sharing your knowledge /STEVE
Thanks Ben great lesson 💃🎶💃🎶
Awesome video. Thanks.
Dig it Ben. Good stuff you have been covering. I will support ya
Awesome way to build speed I think Shawn Lane was a master of the two note per string runs. Great videos Rock On🤘
In my experience over the decades, I never knew when to draw the line, so to speak. It's like Morse's one NPS arpeggiated playing. Had you told me to do that and I never heard of Steve Morse, I'd have said no, that's humanly possible what you're asking, and I wouldn't even have bothered trying.. Another one was the solo from Gel where Ross starts with a down stroke. Years ago I tried it and couldn't get it and conceded that Ross just has a gift that I don't. But taking the advice from various TY teachers like Troy and Ben and a few others, and really breaking down the basic riff and dissecting it, I can now play a descending 6 note pattern, 3 NPS per string starting on a down stroke at like 175. It's kind of becoming "my thing" that not a lot of players can do. And those are 16th notes, not triplets. So the big question is, how long do you work on something before throwing in the towel and saying "it's just not something i can do" and then move on to try to find another way to play it (or scrap trying to play it altogether)? I once even heard Andy Wood say that there are times he's trying to play a sequence of notes and it might take him 3 months to actually figure it out.. the pick angle, slant, position, string changes, etc.
...love Pentatonic stuff.the most versatile scale of all to me !!
Great video man! Right up there with the greatest lessons on the net!
I'll be over to get my Whitesnake shirt later.
This is something I’ve had problems with for a while. I think I need to find your pick slanting video as well. As always, another great video lesson!
One wrinkle: if you've practiced for years using your 3rd (or 4th) finger to shift positions when you ascend, shifting with the first finger takes a little brain rewiring. If you DO get this down, adding in Eric Johnson-esque five note patterns is really easy (part two?) Lastly, I would add in some string skips or simply jumping back up a string to add some flavor. Nice lesson!
I have found myself becoming better and better everyday, thanks uncle ben for your helpful videos!
Another great Eller lesson. Rock on peeps.
Great practice Riff ..I love the shifts really opens my eyes to the neck.
Yet another great video! Can’t wait to try this!!!
I always learn something USEFULL in your vids. Thanks
I just came here to "Like" this video without even seeing it. Everything Ben does is golden.
Thanks for another great lesson, Uncle Ben!
Shredi Knight. That is the coolest thing I have heard in a long time lol
You sir just earned yourself a new patreon subscriber.
Thank you for the support!
That's a great approach! And a great exercise too! As always, amazing lesson
Like that G&L I had a lefty bought in 1982 one of the original sc2 was awesome
Dude, great one. I need to make a t-shirt that describes me as “Sucker for Shred”. And you do feed my hunger for the shredtastical joy of the geetar. Thanks for your teaching man.
this guy always puts me in a good mood
You're such an awesome teacher Ben and very entertaining . I always look forward to your videos bro. Keep up the awesome work . I would love to see you do an instructional on Cliffs of Dover or Manhattan .
Great vid old guy new to lead stuff this method also great way to practice integrating several pentatonic positions to become ingrained for improv creations.
I don't know if you saw the recent video of Alex Skolnick playing through Return to Serenity, but a lesson on that super wicked solo would be awesome. Great content like always. Sorry, completely off topic, I know.
I hope to get that fast at it one day. Sounds awesome.
Such a great teacher! Keep up the good work Ben ;-)
Damn... the finish on that axe is a beaut!
Love your videos dude! Is that a Midwood guitar Studio shirt by any chance ? I live 10 min away from that place !
Dude it IS! Good eye!! They are the most comfy shirts ever, I always grab like 2 every time I’m passing through there. Me and Andy Wood have done several clinics and shows there in the past couple years, always a great time.
My go to is
Bend a note, bend another note but with more gusto, while bending, the pick moves up a string so I can stay down picking.
I'm not slighting hard-work and effort to get good at playing guitar. If you don't put in the hard work you won't grow. But... efficiency is underestimated except by the masters. Efficiency and great technique go hand in hand!!! Great video!!! 👦🏻
Thanks Uncle Ben
i'm going through the same phase right now..!!!!!
Thanks UNCLE BENN..
As you were saying down up .... I was laughing out loud. Your delivery is entertaining. 👍 Great lesson.
100% perfecto! And thanks for all the tips.
That tone is so good
Great lesson, Step Dad speed works for me. Love the finish on the guitar.
Good stuff! Man I need to clean up my speed!
Another knowledge bomb from uncle Ben 👌
Killer lesson man! Thanks a lot
Owning it, bro, the lesson is freaking killer. And the finish on the guitar is ridiculously sexy.
Super great idea! Fantastic video.
Dammit! Every time I think I've seen Uncle Ben's coolest guitar I see a new one. This G&L is delicious! I need... I need...
A Midwood Guitar Studio shirt, bought my Santa Cruz acoustic there, great guitar store in Charlotte, NC, lot of really nice guitars there
Always good stuff Ben.
Pinky Police! Lol!
This is awesome, I was struggling with this a lot and was cursing Eric Jhonson.
Pinky police 😂 That tone is very Eric Johnson-esque. Me likey!
For me, it's not so much the picking, but a great excersise in linking scale shapes to avoid going straight up and down. It's actually a great beginners tip on top of a shred tip.
I decided to go after Scales and you & myself are playing it the same way BUT I’m not as loose as you are but I’m getting there thou.
Once I get it under control then my hammers , pull offs , bending, etc will follow .. if all goes well I’ll finally start my RUclips page
in Jan ‘22 🤞🤞
Smart strategy Ben! Great stuff!
Ben! Your acting skills leveled up AGAIN! Good job haha
Shredi-Knight apprentice! Hahaha classic! I'm stealing this
Thanks, Ben. 👍✨
Great Lesson! I know what I'm practicing tonight!
Just what I needed today...as always. you are the best...great stuff !!