GUEST COLUMNIST:

DAVY HO THONG

Full Throttle Staccato Playing



Hi, everybody! My name is Davy Ho Thong, and I'm the guitarist for InDescent, a French prog-metal band.

The following 2 licks have been played on my Ibanez RG2027 7-string , straight through a POD LINE 6. They're going to work on your right hand, since every note is picked. Sadly, alternate picking is overlooked by many players, to the benefit of more "flashy " techniques, such as sweeping or legato. I stress working with a metronome: that's the surest way to play in measure, and build a strong, accurate picking hand. Begin at a slow tempo, then progressively speed it up. IMPORTANT: keep the same exact picking pattern, and keep your playing clean. Be consistent, practice slowly, and don't waste your time meditating or praying the buddha to see results.

Lick 1 is basically an E Dorian run (I'm tuned to Eb). It's strictly alternate picked. Jumping from D to the high E is a bit tricky. Play it as sixteenth notes triplets. Begin with a downstroke.

normal slow

Lick 2 is a C major run. Be careful about the position shifts. Begin with a downstroke. Sixteenth notes triplets too. Remember: no sweep, no slur!

normal slow

Here's the fun stuff! Lick 3 is a sweeping exercise , with a tapped high note. Starts out like a DM7 arp, second octave is a DM9, third can be described as an Esus4 arpeggio (BORIIIIING!). I emphasize the fact that each note has to sound disctinctly: that's sweeping, no rake! Too many players tend to only play the high and low notes, with a bunch of ghost notes in between. To avoid that pitfall, begin to work on it very, very slowly. Then ONLY speed it up.

normal slow

Well, that's all, folks! I hope you liked those few licks. If you have any question or comment, you can mail me at : sameziani@hotmail.com.

You can also visit my band's website, at: http://www.indescent.org. You'll find a bunch of other licks, as well as mp3s of our songs.

See ya !

Davy


the following bio material provided by Davy Ho Thong

AKA dmetal, Davy Ho Thong was born near Paris, France, on July 7,1979. His first musical instrument was air guitar, which he incessantly played in front of his mirror. Following his mom's advice, he began studying wood guitar with private teachers for a while,then decided to continue on his own.A self confessed technique freak, Davy was a demonstrator at the French Music Exposition, and is now a happy IBANEZ endorsee.

Still practicing his chops like mad, DD only swears by his masters: J.Petrucci, S.Vai, E.Johnson, P.Gilbert, R.Thal, and M.Romeo. He leads InDescent, his prog-metal metal band, influenced by DREAM THEATER, VANDEN PLAS, SYMPHONY X, and is currently looking for a record deal. You can check out the band on their website at : http://www.indescent.org