Psychedelic Rock Guitar Techniques You Need to Know

Psychedelic rock guitar is all about creating new and interesting sounds. In this blog post, we’ll show you some essential techniques you need to know to get started.

Basic Techniques

If you want to play psychedelic rock guitar, there are some basic techniques you need to know. These include using feedback, playing with different delay and reverb settings, and using a wah pedal. We’ll go over all of these techniques in this article.

Alternate Picking

Alternatepicking is probably the most commonly usedpickrighthand technique, and it’s also one of the easiest to learn. Alternate picking simply means that you pick each note alternately, regardless of whether the note is on an up- or downstroke. For example, if you’re playing a simple three-note pattern such as low E, G, and high E, you would use an upstroke for the low E, a downstroke for the G, and another upstroke for the high E. You would then continue in that same alternating pattern for as long as you were playing that particular phrase.

Although alternate picking is generally thought of as apickingpattern, it can also be used as a strumming technique. When strumming with an alternating pick stroke, you would simply strike all of the strings with either an up- or downstroke.

Legato

In music, legato (/lɛˈɡɑːtoʊ, lɪ-/; Italian for “connected”) describes a playing style in which musical notes (or tones) are played or sung smoothly and connected by slurs (or Phrasing)

In guitar playing, legato technique can take several forms. The most common is finger picking, in which the performer uses their fretting hand to “bend” the string slightly as they pluck it with their other hand. This produces a very smooth and connected sound. Another common form of legato is using a slide to connect notes on different strings. This can be done by either using a slide made specifically for guitar playing (known as a “bottleneck slide”), or by simply using the neck of a bottle. Either way, this technique produces a very smooth and connected sound.

Vibrato

Vibrato is a must-have technique for any psychedelic rock guitarist. By definition, vibrato is a slight, rapid variation in pitch. This can be accomplished by either vibrating the string with the left hand while fingering a note, or by using a tremolo arm (aka whammy bar).

Vibrato adds expression and depth to your playing, and can make even the most simple of guitar licks sound psychedelic. When used tastefully, vibrato can totally transform the sound of your guitar tone.

There are no hard and fast rules for how to use vibrato, but as a general rule of thumb, faster tempos call for faster vibrato, and slower tempos call for slower vibrato. Experiment and see what sounds best to you!

Intermediate Techniques

Now that you know how to hold the pick, how to make basic chords, and how to strum, it’s time to learn some more techniques that will help you take your playing to the next level. These techniques are essential for any psychedelic rock guitarist.

Bending

One of the defining characteristics of rock guitar playing is the use of bends to add expression to single-note lines. Bending is simply pushing or pulling the string to raise or lower the pitch. When you bend a string, you change its tension, which affects the string’s vibration and produce a higher or lower note.

There are several different types of bends that you can use to add feel and expression to your playing. Below are some of the most common bending techniques that every rock guitarist should know.

1/4 Bend
This is a very small bend that is achieved by quickly pushing or pulling the string until it raises or lowers the pitch by a quarter tone. This type of bend is often used to add vibrato to a note.

1/2 Bend
A half bend is achieved by bending the string until it raises or lowers the pitch by a half tone. This is one of the most common bends used in rock guitar playing.

Full Bend
A full bend raises or lowers the pitch by a whole step. To achieve this, you will need to push or pull the string until the pitch has changed by two fret positions. Full bends are often used for dramatic effect and can be combined with other techniques such as vibrato and slides.

Hammer-ons and Pull-offs

Hammers and pull-offs are the simplest and most common of all the intermediate guitar techniques. As their name implies, a hammer-on is accomplished by “hammering” your fretting hand down on the string to produce a note. You can then embellish this note by pulling off to another note. These two basic moves can be combined in any order to create interesting phrases.

To execute a proper hammer-on, you will need to use the fleshy part of your finger just behind the nail. This will ensure that you make clean contact with the string and don’t deaden the sound. You should also strike the string hard enough so that it produces a clear tone, but not so hard that you cause the string to go out of tune.

To execute a pull-off, simply place your fretting hand in position on the string and pluck it with your picking hand. Then, while still holding down the string with your fretting hand, use your picking hand to “pull” the string off of the fretboard. This will cause the note to sound. You can then quickly move your fretting hand back into position to play another note.

As you become more comfortable with these techniques, you can start to experiment with different fingering patterns and Picking Hand techniques

Slides

Slides are a very common technique in psychedelic rock guitar playing. A slide is simply when you place your finger on the string and then slide it up or down the fretboard to create a glissando, or “ sliding ” effect. This can be done with any finger, but is most commonly done with the pinky finger.

To execute a slide, place your finger on the string at the desired starting fret and then use your other hand to pick the string. As you pick the string, slide your finger up or down to the desired ending fret. Be sure to keep your finger close to the fretboard so that you don’t buzz the string. You can also slide into or out of a note by starting off the fretboard and then quickly sliding onto the fretboard.

Here is an example of a simple A minor pentatonic scale with slides added in:

E|—————————————————--|
B|—————————————————--|
G|-5s7s9-7s5————————————————|
D|—————————————————--|
A|—————————————————--|
E|—————————————————--|

Advanced Techniques

If you want to take your guitar playing to the next level, you need to learn some advanced techniques. Among the most popular techniques used by psychedelic rock guitarists are feedback, bending, and vibrato. You should also learn how to use effects pedals to create different sounds. Let’s take a closer look at each of these techniques.

Tapping

A lot of guitar players shy away from using the tapping technique because it can be difficult to execute properly, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a great way to add some spice to your solos. Tapping is basically a way of using both hands on the fretboard to create chords or melodies.

To do this, you’ll need to place your left hand in the middle of the fretboard and use your right hand to tap on the desired frets. For example, if you want to play a C major chord, you would place your left hand on the 8th fret and tap the 3rd fret with your right hand. To get a better sound, try using different fingers on each hand and experiment with different rhythms.

String Skipping

String skipping is a guitar technique that involves playing a note on one string, and then “skipping” over to another string to play another note. This technique is often used in rock and metal guitar playing, and it can add a lot of excitement and interest to your playing.

There are a few things you need to know in order to execute this technique properly. First, you need to be able to identify the “target” note that you want to play on the other string. Second, you need to be able to pick the initial note cleanly so that it sounds clear. And finally, you need to make sure that you land on the correct string when you skip over.

Here’s an example of how this technique can be used: let’s say you’re playing a riff in the key of E minor, and you want to add some interest by string skipping. You could start on the low E string with your first finger on the fifth fret, pick that note cleanly, then “skip” over to the A string with your third finger on the seventh fret. Make sure that you land squarely on the A string so that it sounds clean and clear.

Practice this technique slowly at first until you get comfortable with it, then start incorporating it into your playing. You’ll be surprised at how much excitement it can add!

Sweep Picking

Sweep picking is a guitar picking technique that allows the performer to play multiple notes in a single smooth strumming motion. It can be used for both arpeggios and scale passages, and is a staple of the neoclassical and metal genres.

To perform a sweep pick, the guitarist will use an up-down or down-up picking motion ( alternate picking) to ‘sweep’ across the strings. This technique can be difficult to master, but once you’ve got it down it can add a whole new level of fluency to your playing.

Here are some tips on how to get started with sweep picking:

-Start by practicing slow, deliberate sweeps across all six strings. Make sure each note is clean and clear before moving on to the next one.
-Once you’re comfortable with basic sweeps, try adding in some string skipping. This will force you to alternate between using upstrokes and downstrokes, which is essential for proper sweep picking technique.
-Once you’re comfortable with basic sweeps and string skipping, start practicing some more complex patterns. These can be anything from arpeggios to scale passages.
-Finally, once you feel like you’ve got the hang of it, try incorporating sweep picking into your playing songwriting . It can add a whole new level of interest and sophistication to your guitar parts.