Pat Metheny's Secret Technique!

MortenFaerestrand · #1 05-23-2011, 05:04 PM

Here's a little lesson that I made, enjoy

(Go to my website to get the TABS for it)

YouTube Video

markerhodes · #2 05-23-2011, 06:35 PM

That's nifty! I had done that a few times in bluesy things that I came up with---something I never noticed until I tried to write them down! But I never pursued it as a technique, never considered all those possibilities. (Though I like Pat's playing, I've heard very little of it. The only record of his I ever bought was "Song X" with Ornette Coleman, who I was heavily into at the time.)

riovine · #3 05-23-2011, 06:57 PM

Hey, great video, thanks for posting it. It seems like one of the challenges would be getting enough power on the hammers on the non-plucked strings. I can imagine it sounding real uneven between the picked & hammered strings at first. From Metheny's videos it also looks like he has a pretty unusual picking technique, did you analyze that at all. Anyway, thanks, I'll be checking out your website, as for video lessons on skype, that might work provided both ends have good, consistent bandwidth (both download and upload), I've noticed skype can get a little temperamental with low bandwidth connections.

BTW, is that a Campellone, I recognize the headstock, I have one very similar to yours, only a blond, great guitars. It also looks like you have f-hole plugs.

Regards,
Ron

MortenFaerestrand · #4 05-24-2011, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riovine

Hey, great video, thanks for posting it. It seems like one of the challenges would be getting enough power on the hammers on the non-plucked strings. I can imagine it sounding real uneven between the picked & hammered strings at first. From Metheny's videos it also looks like he has a pretty unusual picking technique, did you analyze that at all. Anyway, thanks, I'll be checking out your website, as for video lessons on skype, that might work provided both ends have good, consistent bandwidth (both download and upload), I've noticed skype can get a little temperamental with low bandwidth connections.

BTW, is that a Campellone, I recognize the headstock, I have one very similar to yours, only a blond, great guitars. It also looks like you have f-hole plugs.

Regards,
Ron

The dynamics can be a challenge, it depends on your sound and how much energy you need to be heard in the given setting. I use a little compression, that helps bring it out. But as I sayd, the dynamic difference, I think, gives the phrases more color, more life..

Pat's picking technique looks pretty special yeah. He holds his pick a very unique way, but other than that the picing patterns he does are pretty straigh ahead.

Several told me now that skype can be unstable, I did not know that. I'm on mac and use iChat, that's solid as a rock in my experience.

It's a Campellone, yes! Best investment I ever made! :-)

andyhoey1 · #5 05-24-2011, 01:15 PM

Morten I really enjoyed this lesson. I'm a huge Metheny fan as well; saw his last Orchestrion tour and was totally blown away. I will try that hammer on technique; very interesting.
As for Skype lessons, I'm not certain that works for exactly the reason prior bloggers stated, such as bandwidth issues. But maybe you could set up something on your website where you post "premium" (pay for) lessons to people and they can pay for them and check them out at their own leisure. I don't know, just a thought. I definitely think you have what it takes to pursue a teaching role in jazz guitar.
I'm going to check out your website now. Peace.
Andy

McCap · #6 05-24-2011, 03:02 PM

Hei Morten,
nice lesson!!

Shawn lane is another one (ok not a real jazzer) who uses this technique. He plays triads with it. Basically picking one note and hammering two notes on the two lower strings.

PS: A little constructive criticism: in your video your guitar is much louder than your voice. I keep pulling the volume up, down, up, down... makes it hard to play along with a guitar in hand

Found an example:
http://www.richardhallebeek.com/interviews/lane.php
At the bottom, line 6.

MortenFaerestrand · #7 05-24-2011, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McCap

Hei Morten,
nice lesson!!

Shawn lane is another one (ok not a real jazzer) who uses this technique. He plays triads with it. Basically picking one note and hammering two notes on the two lower strings.

PS: A little constructive criticism: in your video your guitar is much louder than your voice. I keep pulling the volume up, down, up, down... makes it hard to play along with a guitar in hand

Found an example:
..:: richardhallebeek ::..
At the bottom, line 6.

I did not know that Shawn did that, I don't really know his playing. Will definately check it out!

The audio is a challenge, I even it out with a limiter, but I guess I need to place the microphone closer to me somehow. I am aware of it though, will fix it

But hey, don't adjust your volume, leave the guitar LOUD!

MortenFaerestrand · #8 05-24-2011, 03:52 PM

hey McCap, that Erhu phrasing you do is brilliant!!

JeanSut · #9 05-25-2011, 04:19 AM

Great lesson - I enjoyed it very much. You sound
very good !

thanks, chris

McCap · #10 05-25-2011, 05:36 AM

Quote:

But hey, don't adjust your volume, leave the guitar LOUD!

Uh, yeah, how could I forget, I am guitarist after all

Quote:

hey McCap, that Erhu phrasing you do is brilliant!!

Thanks

I am slowly going through your lessons...there's some good ideas there. I liked the paradiddle one and this one inspired to work on that hammer on thing again. Keep it up!

MortenFaerestrand · #11 05-25-2011, 06:37 AM

"slightly" off topic, here's my dog, relaxing:

Foulds Jazz Guitars · #12 05-30-2011, 10:54 AM

Morten that's a real door opener of a technique, many possibilities to that idea! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to see if I can incorporate anything to my flakey technique!

MortenFaerestrand · #13 05-31-2011, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foulds Jazz Guitars

Morten that's a real door opener of a technique, many possibilities to that idea! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to see if I can incorporate anything to my flakey technique!

Thank you, yeah, I felt so too!

jzucker · #14 05-31-2011, 06:49 AM

thanks Morten. By the way, shawn lane and many rock/fusion guitarists use this technique. Greg Howe has an instructional video out where he highlights using this technique to make it sound as if he has incredible cross-picking chops.

I'll try to find it.

Here's a related technique i posted a while back.

YouTube Video

dmorash · #15 05-31-2011, 08:09 AM

Great lesson Morten. I really like the presentation and analysis. Such a cannon of a guitar you have there, I wonder about getting enough oomph out of a non picked note with my rig but this lesson makes me want to explore the possibilities of this more. I know I have worked on that common "Pat Metheny lick" before but the other licks here sound great. I like these type of lessons where one specific concept is looked at.

MortenFaerestrand · #16 05-31-2011, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzucker

thanks Morten. By the way, shawn lane and many rock/fusion guitarists use this technique. Greg Howe has an instructional video out where he highlights using this technique to make it sound as if he has incredible cross-picking chops.

I'll try to find it.

Here's a related technique i posted a while back.

YouTube Video

It's not that easy to see or hear exactly how the "pat metheny lisck" is played I guess, to me it definately seems like the bottom tone is hammered on, but who knows. I think he has different ways of playing it though, depending on the tempo.

Anyway, yeah, I have been told, after posting this video, about Greg Howe and Shawn Lane, two players I have not listened to at all. But I saw a demonstration by Greg Howe today actually, and even though it is the same technique, it's a very different way of using it. What he does isn't that appealing to me, but it's cool that the same technique can sound so differently!

I just find it strange that in all the jazz education I've had, all the jazz guitars teachers I've had, all the instructon videos I've seen, this way of doing hammer-ons have never been mentioned. It just opens up so many doors I wanna go through, I think it's funny that so few use it.

MortenFaerestrand · #17 05-31-2011, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmorash

Great lesson Morten. I really like the presentation and analysis. Such a cannon of a guitar you have there, I wonder about getting enough oomph out of a non picked note with my rig but this lesson makes me want to explore the possibilities of this more..

This guitar is really responsive, just spits the tones out, so that definately help when using this technique. On the other hand - a little compressor can really help too