For this solo, I was not only inspired by Syn’s technique, but his sense of melody and groove. Written (perhaps unsurprisingly) in the Key of D Minor, I first consulted the second Alternate Picking class in order to work on my note articulation and achieve a sense of fluidity when playing my ascending scale runs, adding chromaticism for added “quirkiness” (one of Syn’s great tips). Similarly, the first Sweep Picking lesson helped me enormously in improving my technique. As an intermediate player, sweep picking has always presented itself as a daunting task, but this video in particular helped me to practice my three note arpeggios, laying a good foundation to tackle the more complex arpeggio patterns. The first Minor Blues lesson gave me further inspiration, helping me to realise that speed and technical prowess aren’t always indicative of a great solo, but “feel”, an awareness of the chord progressions you’re playing over/circle of 5ths and a sense of dynamics are much more important.
