Shawn Lane’s friend and student Luther Dickinson said “The first thing he told me was, ‘If something is difficult, find an easier way to do it. Don't get hung up; use any means necessary to express yourself,’. “He used the finger grouping of index, ring and pinkie as an example. He never used that combination, preferring the strength of using index, middle and pinkie stretching and utilizing the power of his first and middle fingers, à la Django and Hendrix.” I’m also reminded of the extraordinary Marty Friedman and some advice he gave on one of his vhs tapes, and finding little ‘patterns’ that work for you and moving them about, rather than running sequences up and down He also said that in his experience after a while these sequences, even if they’re in a different key or mode, start sounding the same I also think it’s why he can motor around despite his unorthodox picking approach…he never was “taught” to play set sequences so any potential hurdles he’s already avoided through his choice of lines
So, I don't remember if I ever mentioned this before... I got myself a Warmoth neck and got it fully scalloped, and I have to admit I was inspired by you more than anyone else who plays scalloped. I felt like if I used this channel to direct my practice I could play in a way that "deserves" scalloping.
IMHO it depends on where you are on the neck -- if you're in F# minor down at the 2nd fret, the ring/pinky finger pair might feel better -- whereas if you're an octave higher at the 14th fret the ring/middle combination will probably be preferable -- plus that means you can use all four fingers -- your pinky can be used for more notes in the higher positions
Yogurt Itchyspleen is a living legend but he really needs to let people learn how he really plays, instead of relying on his misleading statements over the years. Great vid, as always, Tom!
I have always used my pinky a lot. I started doing that very very early on a a new player back in the 90s. There was some magazine article that encouraged new players to use our pinkys like any other finger and to never shy but to actually use it instead of other fingers when practicing to build strength. Itv can look a little goofy when I'm playing certain things but I treat my pinky as an equal unless I'm needing to do a bend. I still use it for that but sparingly and only for bends that are whole steps or less. 🤭
Been using the Good Boy method for as long as I can remember. My guitar teacher was a massive Paul Gilbert fan, so those techniques ended up transferring
Love the good boy/ bad boy analogy! It also furthers the philosophy that guitars are like women. Sometimes they need a good boy, sometimes they need a bad boy lol
Great lesson Tom and great advice! Thank you! Please consider teaching your version of the 5150 solo. I feel like I’m never going to master that solo unless a player of your calibre reveals what is actually going on. Thanks again.
I can do either; I am more prone to go ring and pinky these days, but I did ring and pinky all thru the 90’s and early 2000’s….35 years later and I’m not worried about any fast stuff…..
I usually default to using 1 finger per fret up to around 8 to 10th fret and then switch to “bad boy” technique mostly because I saw Marty Friedman he stays away from his pinky except for those crazy stretches. If it sounds good it’s good if it’s slowing you down find another way around it. There’s no hard rules, steal what you can use from many different places and develop your own style: Still nothing is cooler than a ring/pinky trill slapped right in the middle of something you wouldn’t expect it, if you can do it.
I've used the "goodboy" approach and I am finding that playing melodic, harmonic scales or 3nps pentatonic a lot harder to transition to. I think those would have been much easier if I had adopted the "badboy" approach, not necessarily at the beginner stage, but a lot earlier than I did.
Great lesson! THANK YOU. I am a good boy and now going to be a bad boy. Makes so much sense considering the physical limitations. Why didn’t I just copy the actual masters instead of being a good boy. Slapping my four head as we speak.
I have big hands, I would always have been more comfortable with the "bad boy" approach, but my first and only teacher taught me one finger per fret and so for years I always forced myself. In the last 2 years I started studying Yoghurt and the use of the "bad boy" approach became imperative, later confirmed by the swedish shred secrets course... I thought: "what the fuck! Finally, green light!😂" A bundle of Yoghurt song tutorials that you can buy would be nice!
As long as you are comfortable with either approach, it doesn't matter! Just because it works for him and he "googled it" means it will work for you and likewise. There are lots of false prophets scattered on UA-cam now a days so beware aspiring guitarists
having come from a more classical/flamenco background using the pinky was ingrained into me and not using it is hard to do it. But, i do find it easier not to use it. Its just breaking the habit.
I listened to their albums, and the sounds were very good. So, I went to their concerts, and I would not come back to see them again because how they played the songs. It's totally ruining the wonderful image of them I have in my mind. They attained the sound, but they didn't give a fu!k how its look; I wanted both to get the full credit from me.
Great video, Tom. A subject that is certainly worth addressing. Use whatever works for your hands, which can be different at times, depending on where your hands are on the neck. Cheers! mate.
My hands are on the smaller side and if I try to spread my ring finger to play the notes i play with my pinky it gets sloppy and slow because from it's resting position it has to travel further to reach the note
I've actually been practicing the bad boy style for months now. My ring finger doesn't like to play ball with the rest of my hand lol. I'd love to see a deep dive on the hand position mechanics, including what's going on behind the neck. How in the world did you play that minor scale top to bottom like that 😂
You're not wrong, but one can still get the pinky to work 99% as well as the good boy approach with practice and it is worth it. That said there are times when to prefer the bad boy approach for sure; I would never want this to be my default approach however.
I have noticed that you've deleted your yoghurt videos on Daily Motion. Would there be any other ways for us to reach those videos?? I really appreciated them. Thanks for the great videos you make.
You can't play a 1 2 4 stretch with your middle and ring finger without holding your hand in an awkward angle, I always use my pinky, my ring finger and middle finger seem to be more connected than my ring and pinky, I can also do bends and vibrato with my pinky, I've never used this lazy approach, I also use my middle finger instead of ring when playing a stretch like a 5 to 7 to 9 scale shape
Tom can we get a video of how you get your middle pickup flush with the body? The Fury’s require more depth due to their size. Do you use a router or do you Swiss cheese the area and chisel?
The neuroanatomy is working against you as well. The compartmentalization of the median/ulnar nerve as well as the innervation devoted by the primary motor cortex, SMA and pathways within the internal capsule, spinal cord and cerebellum are also 1st and middle finger biased
you can liberate the pinkie for a big part ... make a fist and try to stretch ur pinkie .. u directly feel the muscles u r talking about protesting ... at first u have to help the pinkie strech , but after some weeks you get more separation control . a tip ...i do not bring my fingers to the fret ... i position them and roll from my wrist pivoting around my middle finger , on piano the technique is used ...rolling ur hand for more speed and reach ... hope to be of service ..
I’m definitely interested in your courses. I uploaded a video of an improvised solo I’m writing for a new tune than you can critique. Let me know how to get started. Thank you! My compliments on your playing…….very impressed!
Anyone know if YM does 'bad boy' on that pedal note bit in the middle of i'll See The Light Tonight? (No that's right dumb question, I'm not very good.)
It's called EFA (economical fingering approach) versus TFA (traditional fingering approach). And, much like picking, can be challenging to reverse years of traditional "good boy" approach or technique. I'm currently trying to undo 45 years of traditional fingering and picking. But, the good news is, it's possible. You just have to stay at it, and don't give up.
Feeling wrong can be due to familiarity, also if you haven't changed your thumb position to accomodate too. No idea how experienced you are on guitar but I checked on your youtube profile in case you'd posted anything and it was funny that the first thing I saw was a SRV lick demonstration using the bad boy approach XD
It seems like you fundamentally don't understand why it's the 'good boy' approach. Its not because that's what you're supposed to do forever. Its because beginners will completely ignore their pinky and it limits their ability to play dramatically. Once you get comfortable with your pinky it doesn't matter any more. Also the hand position depends more on how you hold the guitar. The only reason its uncomfortable for you is because you're not playing in the classical position. Watch the "good boys" they almost always play in the classical position.
Well Tom very intellectual approach at a physiological level, Hanon talks about this as does Liszt, I do both especially on the Eruption lick in the opening, funnily enough Gary Moore goes into Badboy fingering up the neck!
Calmly talking about the "good boy," "bad boy," and Yogurt is so funny! Well done, sir.
I am equally bad at both
Hell yeah- 100% consistency! Great job!
Same lol My speed, fingers and reflexes don't just want to work smoothly lol
Shawn Lane’s friend and student Luther Dickinson said
“The first thing he told me was, ‘If something is difficult, find an easier way to do it. Don't get hung up; use any means necessary to express yourself,’.
“He used the finger grouping of index, ring and pinkie as an example. He never used that combination, preferring the strength of using index, middle and pinkie stretching and utilizing the power of his first and middle fingers, à la Django and Hendrix.”
I’m also reminded of the extraordinary Marty Friedman and some advice he gave on one of his vhs tapes, and finding little ‘patterns’ that work for you and moving them about, rather than running sequences up and down
He also said that in his experience after a while these sequences, even if they’re in a different key or mode, start sounding the same
I also think it’s why he can motor around despite his unorthodox picking approach…he never was “taught” to play set sequences so any potential hurdles he’s already avoided through his choice of lines
Every time you said Yoghurt, it made me laugh. Once again Tom, you make the impossible seem less impossible. TY
Yoghurt Itchyspleen has always been one of my favourite guitarists...
him and Douglas Bubbletrousers?
Four fingers since the start - Good Boy.
So, I don't remember if I ever mentioned this before... I got myself a Warmoth neck and got it fully scalloped, and I have to admit I was inspired by you more than anyone else who plays scalloped. I felt like if I used this channel to direct my practice I could play in a way that "deserves" scalloping.
IMHO it depends on where you are on the neck -- if you're in F# minor down at the 2nd fret, the ring/pinky finger pair might feel better -- whereas if you're an octave higher at the 14th fret the ring/middle combination will probably be preferable -- plus that means you can use all four fingers -- your pinky can be used for more notes in the higher positions
Yogurt Itchyspleen is a living legend but he really needs to let people learn how he really plays, instead of relying on his misleading statements over the years.
Great vid, as always, Tom!
I have always used my pinky a lot. I started doing that very very early on a a new player back in the 90s. There was some magazine article that encouraged new players to use our pinkys like any other finger and to never shy but to actually use it instead of other fingers when practicing to build strength.
Itv can look a little goofy when I'm playing certain things but I treat my pinky as an equal unless I'm needing to do a bend. I still use it for that but sparingly and only for bends that are whole steps or less.
🤭
Been using the Good Boy method for as long as I can remember. My guitar teacher was a massive Paul Gilbert fan, so those techniques ended up transferring
LOL! Tom, your overdubbed substitution of "Yogurt" is a crack up man! I'm sorry "they" gave you crap about it.
The "Django Reinhardt" approach.😁
Here before the donut king takes it down
It seems so counterintuitive to hassle a content creator who just absolutely fucking adores you. If anything it's free PR and advertising?!
Yoghurt Itchyspleen……
World's strongest pinky/ring finger combination? Paul Gilbert has entered the chat
Yoghurt Itchyspleen.. hilarious 😂
I sense Mrs Itchyspleen has been here.
Whenever I have to do a fast legato lick, I thank the gods of guitar if its a 1st finger, 2nd and pinkie...so much less painful😵💫
Oh god this is actually mindblowing - especially from a teacher! This damn pinky kept my locked on a certain level for many years. Gonna cut it off :D
Having fingers that are 5 inches long also helps. Just ask Vai. lol
You just freed me of so much guilt.
Bad boy for life;
Leather Pantsteen for avoiding no-sense ban knife!
Love the good boy/ bad boy analogy! It also furthers the philosophy that guitars are like women. Sometimes they need a good boy, sometimes they need a bad boy lol
As someone who is a good boy almost 100% of the time, I love this message
For super speed on pentatonic, try using first and second fingers like Gooey Milk (Gary Moore).
Good boy works if you're not lazy. Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work. I do both. Equally.
Great lesson Tom and great advice! Thank you! Please consider teaching your version of the 5150 solo. I feel like I’m never going to master that solo unless a player of your calibre reveals what is actually going on. Thanks again.
I can do either; I am more prone to go ring and pinky these days, but I did ring and pinky all thru the 90’s and early 2000’s….35 years later and I’m not worried about any fast stuff…..
I usually default to using 1 finger per fret up to around 8 to 10th fret and then switch to “bad boy” technique mostly because I saw Marty Friedman he stays away from his pinky except for those crazy stretches. If it sounds good it’s good if it’s slowing you down find another way around it. There’s no hard rules, steal what you can use from many different places and develop your own style:
Still nothing is cooler than a ring/pinky trill slapped right in the middle of something you wouldn’t expect it, if you can do it.
I've used the "goodboy" approach and I am finding that playing melodic, harmonic scales or 3nps pentatonic a lot harder to transition to. I think those would have been much easier if I had adopted the "badboy" approach, not necessarily at the beginner stage, but a lot earlier than I did.
I use all fingers, bad boy...
Lets just do like Michael Keene, not use the pinky at all and BRRRRRR through the strings
Great lesson! THANK YOU. I am a good boy and now going to be a bad boy. Makes so much sense considering the physical limitations. Why didn’t I just copy the actual masters instead of being a good boy. Slapping my four head as we speak.
I'm gonna be a bad boy now, thanks for the advise!!!
Use what works especially related to speed and what comes before or after the spots in question
I never cared for Yogurt. And he wouldn't like me either. Because I like donuts.
I have big hands, I would always have been more comfortable with the "bad boy" approach, but my first and only teacher taught me one finger per fret and so for years I always forced myself. In the last 2 years I started studying Yoghurt and the use of the "bad boy" approach became imperative, later confirmed by the swedish shred secrets course... I thought: "what the fuck! Finally, green light!😂"
A bundle of Yoghurt song tutorials that you can buy would be nice!
As long as you are comfortable with either approach, it doesn't matter! Just because it works for him and he "googled it" means it will work for you and likewise. There are lots of false prophets scattered on UA-cam now a days so beware aspiring guitarists
Thank you for your information!
malmsteen uses the ring finger...
having come from a more classical/flamenco background using the pinky was ingrained into me and not using it is hard to do it. But, i do find it easier not to use it. Its just breaking the habit.
I listened to their albums, and the sounds were very good. So, I went to their concerts, and I would not come back to see them again because how they played the songs. It's totally ruining the wonderful image of them I have in my mind. They attained the sound, but they didn't give a fu!k how its look; I wanted both to get the full credit from me.
I call it the Gilbert and the Friedman approach.. for good and bad respectively. I use both like you but definitely.. not as clean🤘
Great video, Tom. A subject that is certainly worth addressing. Use whatever works for your hands, which can be different at times, depending on where your hands are on the neck. Cheers! mate.
2025 Resloution 'I'm going to be a bad boy'
Yogurt....from Spaceballs?? I didn't know he was a shredder!
Great movie 😎 “hello my baby…”
My hands are on the smaller side and if I try to spread my ring finger to play the notes i play with my pinky it gets sloppy and slow because from it's resting position it has to travel further to reach the note
I've actually been practicing the bad boy style for months now. My ring finger doesn't like to play ball with the rest of my hand lol. I'd love to see a deep dive on the hand position mechanics, including what's going on behind the neck. How in the world did you play that minor scale top to bottom like that 😂
You're not wrong, but one can still get the pinky to work 99% as well as the good boy approach with practice and it is worth it. That said there are times when to prefer the bad boy approach for sure; I would never want this to be my default approach however.
Has Yoghurt Mamqueen come after you for using his name? haha
haha Yoghurt Itchyspleen
That’s Yoghurt J Itchyspleen to you! 😂
YingYang Milkshake probably won't see this video... he's too busy trying to break the sound barrier with sweep picking!
I think you mean Yingyang Momjeans
I don't feel so bad now lol! Thanks
Yes it is a battle. Playing for 50 years. For me depends on the riff passages 😊
I do a combination of both. When i go above the twelth fret i switch to the bad boy approach.
I have noticed that you've deleted your yoghurt videos on Daily Motion.
Would there be any other ways for us to reach those videos?? I really appreciated them.
Thanks for the great videos you make.
You can't play a 1 2 4 stretch with your middle and ring finger without holding your hand in an awkward angle, I always use my pinky, my ring finger and middle finger seem to be more connected than my ring and pinky, I can also do bends and vibrato with my pinky, I've never used this lazy approach, I also use my middle finger instead of ring when playing a stretch like a 5 to 7 to 9 scale shape
Damn your fingers are long - jealous lol
The only thing about this video that bothers me is how low his pickups are.
Tom can we get a video of how you get your middle pickup flush with the body? The Fury’s require more depth due to their size. Do you use a router or do you Swiss cheese the area and chisel?
I use the ring and pinky finger 🤘
Apparently I've been a bad boy for the past 40 years lol
Watch out, now that you are advising against the ''good boy approach'', your former students may sue you!
The neuroanatomy is working against you as well. The compartmentalization of the median/ulnar nerve as well as the innervation devoted by the primary motor cortex, SMA and pathways within the internal capsule, spinal cord and cerebellum are also 1st and middle finger biased
Who is Yogurt?
you can liberate the pinkie for a big part ... make a fist and try to stretch ur pinkie .. u directly feel the muscles u r talking about protesting ... at first u have to help the pinkie strech , but after some weeks you get more separation control .
a tip ...i do not bring my fingers to the fret ... i position them and roll from my wrist pivoting around my middle finger , on piano the technique is used ...rolling ur hand for more speed and reach ...
hope to be of service ..
Thanks
Economy picking looping patterns
I call it the 2-3 or 3-4 fingering.
I’m definitely interested in your courses. I uploaded a video of an improvised solo I’m writing for a new tune than you can critique. Let me know how to get started. Thank you! My compliments on your playing…….very impressed!
Is this a redo ? I feel like I saw this already? I'm guessing Yogurt Palm queen protested? Shocking lol.
Haha Yoghurt 😀👍
Did you write Far Beyond the Sun or Soldier Without Faith?
Anyone know if YM does 'bad boy' on that pedal note bit in the middle of i'll See The Light Tonight? (No that's right dumb question, I'm not very good.)
Tem esta música completa?
It's called EFA (economical fingering approach) versus TFA (traditional fingering approach).
And, much like picking, can be challenging to reverse years of traditional "good boy" approach or technique.
I'm currently trying to undo 45 years of traditional fingering and picking. But, the good news is, it's possible. You just have to stay at it, and don't give up.
Pinky & ring finger. It's a matter of training 😉👌
We need to unshackle and free our imagination and creativity. Speed is meaningless in musical artform
Have I seen this video before?
Yep, I had to take it down and replace a certain name with Yoghurt for legal reasons 😅
@TomShreds Man I love Yingus Malmqueen's playing but he really doesn't help his public image with stuff like this 😂
When I was 16 my tutor told me not to be a lazy bastard & use my pinky.
Best advice I ever received, been shredding for 37 years.
Rick Graham has entered the chat.
Corridas maiores malmssten
i only trust you to teach yogurts licks.,
I don't even get it. Everything feels dead wrong with the supposedly easier 'bad boy' approach. People really put themselves through that?
Use what is the best for you, there is no short cuts!
Feeling wrong can be due to familiarity, also if you haven't changed your thumb position to accomodate too. No idea how experienced you are on guitar but I checked on your youtube profile in case you'd posted anything and it was funny that the first thing I saw was a SRV lick demonstration using the bad boy approach XD
😒
It seems like you fundamentally don't understand why it's the 'good boy' approach. Its not because that's what you're supposed to do forever. Its because beginners will completely ignore their pinky and it limits their ability to play dramatically. Once you get comfortable with your pinky it doesn't matter any more. Also the hand position depends more on how you hold the guitar. The only reason its uncomfortable for you is because you're not playing in the classical position. Watch the "good boys" they almost always play in the classical position.
Well Tom very intellectual approach at a physiological level,
Hanon talks about this as does Liszt, I do both especially on the Eruption lick in the opening, funnily enough Gary Moore goes into Badboy fingering up the neck!
Tem esta música completa?
Tem esta música completa?
Tem esta música completa?