Andy James Webcast Q&A's Blog - Part 1

Tue, 27 Jul 2010

Earlier this month Andy James took the hotseat for his first ever live webcast! There were so many left over questions Andy wanted to get them answered, so over the next few days we'll be posting some of them!  You'll also be able to see the YouTube Q&A's on our exclusive LickLibrary channel, coming soon.

First up Technique & Practice tips....

Do you think, having the pinky-finger (right hand) as a rack, on the body, while playing, is useful?

Andy: I think you are referring to the technique known as anchoring. It really depends on how stable you feel you're right hand is and whether you feel it needs support. I often find my palm provides a good anchor aswell as being useful for muting at the same time. I used to anchor my little finger but after a while it started to hurt so I changed my technique. Examples of this would be to check out John Petrucci for anchoring and the opposite would be Paul Gilbert who doesn’t anchor at all. It’s all down to personal preference.

I'm a lefty playing a right handed guitar - been playing 6 years - practice about 6 hours a day - i still can only play Slayer at half speed - should I switch over to a lefty guitar?

Andy: I think if you are left handed, you should play a lefty guitar. You're left hand will control you’re picking and general timing and would be more natural for you to use the hand that you would use for anything else. Playing with right hand might be weird at first but you will probably find that you're technique will improve playing the right way.

How do you approach improvising in a metal context?

Andy: How long is a piece of string? What is the meaning of life? These are all questions of the same ilk that can’t be explained in a simple sentence. I’ve learned alot of licks and techniques over the years and used those for practice in different keys. After a while they start to feel natural to play to the point of being able to improvise from the vocabulary you have learned. That and knowing you’re pentatonic 5 positions and the 7 positions of the major scale should see you improve at improvising. It’s no different for Metal, blues or rock etc the same thing applies (at least it does to me). Also you need to use your ear to navigate where you go on the guitar musically. This will only happen over time.

How can I strengthen my fingers to be able to play fast passages?

Andy: Repeating exercises will build strength if you do them over and over again. Much like going to the gym, if you train certain muscles, they too will gain strength over time.

What kind of practicing routine would you recommend for a young shredder?

Andy: Learn you’re pentatonic positions and major scale positions. Learn these till you know them inside out in one key then practise in different keys. Then learn a couple of sequences for each technique such as Alternate picking, then the same for sweeping, string skipping, legato and tapping. There is a whole host of different places to learn these kinds of techniques and my Metal Edge series for licklibrary goes a long way to opening up potential for these types of techniques.

Did you have any favourite exercises that were especially helpful when developing your two-hand synchronization, and could you demonstrate them?

Andy: My favourite exercises were the ones off of Paul Gilbert’s videos for REH. He had some really easy to digest but great sounding licks that built synchronisation between both hands. Some of those techniques I still practice today. Always keep it simple and concentrate on the mechanics of the technique you are trying to understand. Once you have done that you can progress that technique to higher levels.

How do I improve my timing?

Andy:  Either play with a drum machine or a live drummer. Playing with these will give you a better sense of groove than just practicing to a metronome. Also play along to songs you know and try to keep up with the recorded version. These things will help over time.

What is the best way to tap? With your pick or with your fingers?

Andy: Hold your pick as you would when playing and tap with the middle finger on your right hand in a downwards motion. Check out any tapping by Steve Vai to see what I mean.


Check out Andy James in action with Sacred Mother Tongue in their latest Music Video for 'The End' below: