diagonal thinking

Today I attended a clinic given by a fellow Berklee grad, German Schauss, who's a remarkable shred guitar player. Aside from his general sincerity as a human being, I was particularly intrigued by his Diagonal Thinking on the guitar. German has chops that most of us dream about. His picking has a precision and speed that can make 99% of guitar players weep. But that all comes down to practice time and discipline, which is nothing new to me. To play better, I spend more time practicing. Simple.

But the kind of mind-blowing speed that German displays with ease, even when he's playing at temperatures that are 40 degrees below what he's accustomed to, is inspired by his thinking about the instrument as well as his dedication to practice.

He thinks diagonally a great deal of the time. What do I mean? Here are some simple illustrations.

At first we have octaves. In the second variation, we add the notes of a G major triad. The fingering is identical through each octave, which is a crucial part of this way of viewing the fingerboard. In the third line, we add a passing tone (the 2nd) to our G major triad. The fourth line is a slightly more intricate pattern that adheres to this this perspective.

This is an amazingly economical way of viewing the fingerboard and economy is the seed of speed!

Brant Grieshaber - guitarist
Guitar Teacher