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 INSANE WORKOUTS
Introduction

Introduction to Insane Workouts

Andy James Guitar Academy

I get a ton of Arpeggios, I've broken

questions from my Pentatonics and down each piece
fans asking about Tapping. These in the
various aspects of pieces aim to accompanying
my playing and demonstrate how paragraphs and
writing. As such, I approach each hope they answer
I've written four of these any questions you
short pieces that techniques in a may have about
highlight four technically my work. Practice
different parts of demanding way hard, play hard
my playing style; while remaining and rock on! -
Alternate Picking, musical. Andy James

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I. The Alternate Picking Workout
I. The Alternate Picking Workout
In this piece, I wanted to address how I
come up with long alternate picked
passages. For the most part, it is a collation
of lots of smaller phrases linked together.
Starting off is a series of sequences on one
string that isolates focus on right and left
hand co- ordination. In an effort to remain
musical with this workout, the section ends
with a simple 4-note descending melody
over four bars to aid in transitioning to the
next section.
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“ Make sure when
practising you pay
attention to keeping
everything clean and
precise even at slower
tempos”
Andy James
The bulk of the workout is a one-bar phrase
played on the E & A strings that moves
diatonically through E minor., before
moving through all three octaves. Stringing
all 3 octaves together seamlessly will
improve co-ordination, stamina and timing.
It is important to ensure each exercise is
executed cleanly and accurately.
The next section involves string skipping.
When string skipping at high speeds I
always pull-off the last note on each
string when descending, as can be seen in
the TAB. I rarely pick every note;
sometimes you need to include hammer-
ons and pull-offs to keep the pattern
consistent without and give your right
hand time to regain stamina. These string
skipped passages should also benefit your
arpeggio knowledge, as they fit tightly
with the backing track's chords.
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Make sure when practising you pay
attention to keeping everything clean and
precise even at slower tempos. Discipline
is vital, as attempting to perform the
entire piece in one go without the
necessary attention to detail will lead to
the development of bad habits. By
repeating these exercises over and over
you will develop your stamina, co-
ordination and muscle memory, and this
kind of playing will start to slip into your
subconscious where it belongs.
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 “Take your time with each
lick and focus on
precision and accuracy
with each note”
Andy James
II. The Arpeggio Workout

II. The Arpeggio Workout force to really bring out the 'snap' and
accent the peak of each arpeggio. It is
This piece showcases some of my signature important to also note the hammer-ons,
economy picked sweep arpeggios. It is pull-offs and slides within the TAB, as
arguably the most technically demanding of these will allow you to play the lick far
the four workouts, so be sure to take your more fluidly. There are also a couple of
time with each lick and focus on precision tapped notes on some arpeggios as well.
and accuracy with each note.
The second section builds on the arpeggios
Economy picking is a technique focusing in the first by including more than one note
on efficiency while picking. The player on some strings. As can be seen in the TAB,
simply picks in the direction they are the structure of each arpeggio stays
travelling across strings. If more than three economy picked, so at no point do you have
strings are crossed with no more than a to pick inefficiently. The ending of the
single note on each, it is called sweep piece has a short alternate picked section
picking. The first lick uses the minor before descending through three
arpeggio shape and moves positions quite chromatically descending arpeggios.
quickly. Try to pick the higher strings with
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 “This workout is pretty
exaggerated in
comparison to most of
my solos
Andy James
III. The Pentatonic Workout

III. The Pentatonic Workout: strokes, allowing me to really dig in and get
the aggression I'm looking for. This is
I'm asked regularly how I use pentatonics something that I tend to do a lot in heavier
in a solo. This piece is an extreme look at music, along with very wide vibrato to
the kind of ideas I like to use within soloing really make the guitar scream.
or improvising. This workout is pretty over
the top and exaggerated in comparison to The second half is a blindingly fast
most of my solos, but still gives you an idea pentatonic lick. Ensure that you break each
of how link pentatonic ideas together, section down and practice it at slower
interspersed with slow melodic phrases. tempos before speeding up. As with each of
these pieces, repetitious practice and
The first half of the piece is played with discipline is the only sure-fire way of
th
accented 8 notes. I play the entire section seeing improvement.
up to Bar 15 exclusively with down-

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IV. The Tapping Workout

IV. The Tapping Workout: as well for great arpeggio finger should be sufficient
tapping ideas, he is for the most part. By
Tapping is one of those definitely one of the best out hammering with the left
techniques that I think there at this and arguably hand very hard, you will
sounds good at any level, under rated at how creative also create a very clean and
and in it's basic form is very he is with this technique and defined note, so be sure to
easy to do. This workout indeed the guitar in general. practice strengthening your
gradually builds in difficulty hammer-ons with the left
to really try and push your The main concern with hand only. You must also
playing to the next level. On tapping is preventing any make sure that when
each repeat of the backing unwanted string noise or changing strings, you lift
track, I introduce a new ringing that results from the previous note's finger at
technique for you to master. incorrect muting technique the same time as the next
from both hands. The left note sounds. Practising the
One part of the backing hand's index finger should
track alters to fit certain motions extremely slowly
be used as a mute by gently will allow you to really
arpeggios that have that touching the strings hard
kinda Nuno Bettencourt feel enough to deaden any noise notice any errors in your
to them. I highly playing.
without forming a note. The
recommend listening to him natural curve of the index The right palm should

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gently press against the strings while be used to mute the higher strings. Each
tapping, in a rolling motion that follows section can be practised in smaller chunks,
the lick. If you are tapping on the higher perhaps practising the left and right hands
strings, your right palm will be separately before combining.
responsible for most of the lower string
muting, while if you are playing on lower Work Well - Practice Hard
strings, the underside of your left hand can
AJ

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