Sheets of Sound for guitar by Jack Zucker Exercise 1

**mastodonovan** · 03-07-2014, 06:33 PM

thanks for the feedback jack. Speaking of injuries I just took of a bit of my right pointer finger off yesterday. Doing this stuff while my pointer is healing should kick those 3 weaker fingers in to shape!

**GuyBoden** · 03-11-2014, 03:13 PM

After a week or so of playing these exercises, I'm starting to integrate these lines into my improv, I'm finding that Exercise 1a is easier to integrate for some reason.

Thanks
Guy

**Frank67** · 03-12-2014, 01:30 AM

I'm doing a bit of it everyday too. I noticed that Jack's recommended picking became easier over time and speed was also slowly builing up.

**Michael Kaye** · 03-12-2014, 04:26 AM

Yeah, little bit every day. I worked lesson 1 at 70 for a long time before pushing it up.

Still struggling with 1a oddly enough. I'm hybrid picking it - pick, m, a, m. Haven't really worked it with alternate picking yet. I might try that.

im also trying to move it around the neck a little, to incorporate a little phrasing idea. It's a really good exercise.

i like the sound of it over a m9 or m11 chord.

**jzucker** · 03-14-2014, 12:11 PM

ok guys, finally got my video/recording rig setup. I'm using a Canon HF200 digicam and an AT822 stereo mic. Look for a lesson update this weekend. Here's a sample from my rig...

**AlainJazz** · 03-14-2014, 12:36 PM

Very sweet tone Jack. Congrats on the guitar. Makes me want to go out and buy a 175. Great playing too.

**Michael Kaye** · 03-14-2014, 04:08 PM

Very nice!

right at 3:00 you do a similar phrase to this current lesson but your doing 4ths intervals? It's a triplets figure in fourths? Very cool. I'm stealing that one.

**oeblio** · 03-14-2014, 04:09 PM

beautiful guitar, nice tones and great playing.

I am stuck at 60 bpm for exercise one.

**GuyBoden** · 03-16-2014, 11:47 AM

Based on ex1, I've been slowly working my way through SOS v1 Chapter 5 - Fifth-based Intervallic Models. It's not easy on the fingers, but worth the effort, fifths are slowing becoming apart of my spontaneous improv.

**bluewaterpig** · 03-21-2014, 01:53 PM

Hi Jack,

My name is Pete. I'm 27, been playing for a while, and have a masters in jazz. I was really excited to get SOS but while reading it for the first time, I realized I would kind of have to "re-teach" myself scales in different positions to utilize the picking that makes up SOS. For instance the default major scale in SOS seems to be the one using fingers 1-2-4 on the first two strings...

I firmly believe in "defaults", like when I improvise, the default major scale I'll use is the typical one that starts with your 2nd finger.

All things considered, I feel like I would have to re-learn a lot of material in order to utilize SOS...what do you recommend doing?

**jzucker** · 03-25-2014, 01:21 PM

hi pete,

Let me start out by saying that the goal of improvisation is fingerboard mastery. In order to truly improvise you need to be able to play every line, scale or arpeggio starting on every finger of every string. In that way, you are not re-teaching yourself. You are adding additional options. The intent isn't to replace anything. It's to augment.

Having said that however, learning to finger scales with 3 notes per string is a standard component of the instrument and is something worth mastering. Again, not replacing what you already do but augmenting it.

I'm not sure I would recommend spending a lot of time on the scales at first. Better to concentrate on the various patterns IMO.

Let me know if you have additional questions / comments

**bluewaterpig** · 03-25-2014, 10:35 PM

Regarding exercise 1 posted at the start of this thread...

I can play the exercise pretty fluently already with alternate picking but using pick+m+a takes a ton of effort and time.

Im really torn between taking the time to practice using fingers or just saying screw it, I pick everything anyway. My thinking is that I'm not going to do anything unnatural during a gig so I'd just pick it. Practicing with fingers makes me feel like I'm back in square one...this is a huge debate in my mind.

I know the best answer is to practice both, but integrating hybrid picking is something I don't even know if I want to do.

Can anybody weigh in?

**pkirk** · 03-25-2014, 10:48 PM

Originally Posted by bluewaterpig

Regarding exercise 1 posted at the start of this thread...

I can play the exercise pretty fluently already with alternate picking but using pick+m+a takes a ton of effort and time.

Im really torn between taking the time to practice using fingers or just saying screw it, I pick everything anyway. My thinking is that I'm not going to do anything unnatural during a gig so I'd just pick it. Practicing with fingers makes me feel like I'm back in square one...this is a huge debate in my mind.

I know the best answer is to practice both, but integrating hybrid picking is something I don't even know if I want to do.

Can anybody weigh in?

Like you, I couldn't do it pick+m+a at first (especially turing around from ascending to descending) but could alternate pick (and economy pick) fairly fast. I practiced this a bunch and now I can do it pretty well at 120bpm. So for me, I got something new in my bag, which is a plus in my opinion.

**Michael Kaye** · 03-25-2014, 11:01 PM

I've been hybrid picking for a long time so it wasn't much of a struggle for me however, well maintained fingernails on the right hand are a must in my opinion.

Hybrid picking takes some time to develop. I think it's worth it in the long run. It can add a certain character to your playing.

**jzucker** · 03-25-2014, 11:24 PM

hybrid picking is a worthwhile tool to integrate into your playing. If you are practicing 2-3 hours a day, I'd suggest dedicating a 1/2 hour to using your fingers. It really makes playing 4ths and 5ths easy. Otherwise, you'll never be able to play those lines at any decent tempo.

**marcwhy** · 03-26-2014, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by bluewaterpig

I know the best answer is to practice both, but integrating hybrid picking is something I don't even know if I want to do.

Well, there's your answer.

**bluewaterpig** · 03-26-2014, 12:13 PM

Does anybody else use fingertips instead of fingernails? I've never used fingernails, even when I studied classical. Anybody see advantages/disadvantages to either one?

**GuyBoden** · 03-26-2014, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by bluewaterpig

Does anybody else use fingertips instead of fingernails? I've never used fingernails, even when I studied classical. Anybody see advantages/disadvantages to either one?

Yes, I like playing with the flesh of the fingertips, mainly for chords, I think it gives a very mellow tone.

**jzucker** · 03-26-2014, 12:26 PM

i play with fingertips, not nails. I like the sound of nails better but I hate dealing with the nails. The blend of pick and fingers is not as good if you don't have nails and the volume is quite a bit lower.

**Frank67** · 03-26-2014, 12:32 PM

That is of of the many issue I have with hybrid picking (other that my hands cramp and everything feels super stiff) - I have the hardest time getting any consistency between fingers and pick (regardless of whether I use the nails or not) - maybe somebody can give me a hint? Obviously the attack is sharper with nails, which may be considered to be an advantage, but I also like the mellowness that comes from picking with the flesh.

**Michael Kaye** · 03-26-2014, 01:08 PM

I get a little cleaner release point and a little brighter sound with nails which helps with articulation IMO. However, my nails are not overly long. It's not a "nails only" situation. The pad of the finger picks up the string and it gets released by the nail. My nails are just beyond my fingertips but not as exaggerated as a classical players might be. I also slope the nail slightly outbound, meaning they all taper slightly towards the little finger.

**GuyBoden** · 03-26-2014, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

I have the hardest time getting any consistency between fingers and pick

Yes I agree, I've always had total admiration for hybrid pickers who have a consistency of sound between fingers and pick, it shows they have dedicated a lot of practice time to this technique.