The Fluency Engine · technique
Sequenced runs in B minor / B Dorian — built to sync the hands, not just move fingers.
Speed is a by-product of clean and relaxed, never the goal itself. Chasing tempo directly just teaches your hands to be tense and sloppy at speed.
Metronome, always. 16th notes. Start at a tempo where it's effortless — usually slower than your ego wants. Bump 4–5 bpm only after two flawless passes. One mistake = drop back 5.
Burst practice. Play the run as fast bursts of 4–6 notes, then stop and reset the hand. Trains the top-end speed without letting tension build across the whole run.
Accent to expose weakness. Run it accenting every 2nd note, then every 3rd, then 4th. Wherever it falls apart is the finger that's behind — that's your real work.
Descend as much as you ascend. Everyone practises runs going up. The down-picking / pull-off direction is usually the weaker one.
Finger independence & the picking baseline. The boring one that fixes everything. One finger per fret.
e|--------------------------------------------------------------5--6--7--8--| B|--------------------------------------------------5--6--7--8--------------| G|--------------------------------------5--6--7--8--------------------------| D|--------------------------5--6--7--8--------------------------------------| A|--------------5--6--7--8--------------------------------------------------| E|--5--6--7--8--------------------------------------------------------------|
Picking: strict alternate, down on every string change. Then run the permutations — 1-3-2-4, 2-4-1-3, 4-2-3-1 — to drill the lazy finger combinations. Descend 8-7-6-5.
The home base. Clean ascent/descent through position 1 at the 7th fret. Get this fluid before sequencing it.
e|--------------------------------7--10-| B|--------------------------7--10-------| G|--------------------7--9--------------| D|--------------7--9--------------------| A|--------7--9--------------------------| E|--7--10-------------------------------|
Picking: alternate, or try economy picking on the string changes. Keep the fretting fingers low and close to the board — wasted motion is wasted speed.
The rolling sequence. Four notes, back up one, four more. This is where the box turns into a usable run.
e|--------------------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------------------| G|-----------------------------------------------7--| D|-----------------------7--------7--9-----7--9-----| A|--------7--9-----7--9-----7--9--------9-----------| E|--7--10-------10----------------------------------|
This is a speed staple. Lock it to a triplet or 16th grid. The trap is rushing the turnaround — keep the click steady through the 'back up' move.
The legato / fusion engine. Three notes per string opens the neck up and feeds straight into Landau/Henderson lines.
e|-----------------------------------------------9--10-12-| B|--------------------------------------9--10-12----------| G|-----------------------------7--9--11-------------------| D|--------------------7--9--11----------------------------| A|-----------7--9--11-------------------------------------| E|--7--9--10----------------------------------------------|
Two ways, both worth it: (1) full alternate picking, one pick per note; (2) legato — pick the first note on each string, hammer the other two. The legato version builds left-hand strength fast.
Sequencing the 3nps shape. Six notes, shift, six more. Builds the cascading sextuplet feel.
e|--------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------| D|-----------------------------------7--| A|-----------7--9--11-------7--9--11----| E|--7--9--10----------9--10-------------|
Group it as sextuplets. Once it flows on these two strings, continue the same pattern up through all six. Burst-practise each six-note cell.
The musical one. Scale harmonised in thirds — trains string-pair sync and actually sounds like music, not an exercise.
e|-----------------------9-----10----12-| B|-----9-----10----12-9-----10----12----| G|--7-----9-----11----------------------| D|--------------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------|
String-pair accuracy is the focus here, not raw speed. Hybrid picking (pick + middle finger) makes the thirds pop and is very Landau. Then reverse it down.