# The trending "Polyphia" style - Learn the right way



## PhoenixVenne

Hi everyone!

This is my third thread here, so far I'm very pleased from the advice I got from people encouraging me to practice more and buy less (my wallet is happy). So here is my second big thread.

After a couple weeks of research I came to the conclusion that I would improve more by doing more exercises and learning less songs, because I want to be able to create and improvise easily in an ideal future.

So there's a S ton exercises that we can do right? Definitely too many to do perfect in one life, so that's why we do the exercises that makes us better guitarists for what WE want to do. If we want to be a great blues guitarist, we do blues scale exercises right?

Polyphia is a "math rock" kind of band that actually made me play guitar again after 5 yeas without playing (10 years of playing before that). I want to be able to rock that kind of melodies through improvisations, so I better get started with my exercises right away right!

My question that is probably for very advanced guitarists is, what would be the most beneficial exercises and scales I should deep learn to achieve this goal? After learning 3 of their songs, it feels rewarding and it's very fun to play of course, but I feel like I'm making no real progress, especially in the improvisation section.

Thanks for your interest for this thread and sorry for the long post!


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## bigboki

I would go like this in your case:
1. songs that your learned - split them into the licks
2. take the lick by lick - analyze them what they are.
3. pick one lick and then perform following set of exercises / improvisation 
a. move the same lick into different position - note for note
b. once you find some other position change start or end note
c. change the rhythm fill of the lick
d. see where that goes

then you can repeat with the some other lick - pick 2 licks in a row or pick lick 1 and 3, and connect them with something else. play them double the speed, play them half the speed, change the fill and mood of the licks completely

play the licks but onto some completely different backing track.

most important, enjoy the process. 
Remember it is not the goal, but the path you play on 

Strongly suggesting using Transcribe or similar SW that will allow you to modify pitch / tempo easily





Transcribe! - software to help transcribe recorded music


Transcribe! from Seventh String Software. Learn music from recordings. Slow down music without changing the pitch. Analysis of chords. For Windows, Mac, and Linux.



www.seventhstring.com





hope this helps


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## Grab n Go

Great suggestions. 

For what it's worth, here are some random thoughts. I hope I don't come across as patronizing. You may already be well versed in this stuff for all I know.

Like any style, there's vocabulary, rhythm and technique that'll have to get acquainted with.

Vocabulary: You mentioned scales, but don't forget harmony. Understanding how it all fits together will start to unlock your playing in that style beyond just playing the song itself. Some styles require more theory knowledge, which is great. It helps us grow as musicians.

Rhythm: Yep. Math rock. You'll need to be able to subdivide every which way and play in unusual time signatures (which might change often). You can start by practicing your scales/arpeggios/chord changes in more regular subdivisions like quarter notes, 8th notes, triplets, 16th notes, 16th note triplets, and if you're a shred superstar, 32nd notes. That's the regular stuff. Then there's more unusual stuff like 5 over 4, 5 over 2 and what have you. Math rock stuff. Whatever way you can chop up the beat.

Unusual or asymmetric time signatures: count everything in 2's and 3's. There's often more than one groove in an asymmetric time signature. Is it 7/4? Well, which one? 3+2+2? 2+3+2? 2+2+3? They're very different grooves. And maybe it changes up too!

Metronome is your best friend. Take away beats to improve your time. For instance, I often practice with the click on beats 2 & 4 in 4/4 time. But I should also be working on having the click on beat 4 only. And if I really practice, probably a single click every 2 bars. Also slowing it down to something silly like 30-40bpm is a great test of how good your internal time is.

Technique: You can't ever have enough technique, right? Take a look at what they're doing and take stock of what tools you'll need to achieve what they do. Then it's a question of woodshedding. You're already learning songs, so you're probably picking up stuff already. I'm not super familiar with Polyphia, but I'm pretty sure legato, alternate picking, economy picking, sweep picking, hybrid picking, tapping and maybe some slap would come in handy. There's a staggering amount of technique on display these days. I personally only gravitate towards the handful that get the job done for me.

Improvisation: Some would define it as "spontaneous composition". This is probably the toughest to understand. It involves learning how to speak with whatever musical vocabulary you possess, within the context of a dialogue with other musicians and your audience. It really is like speaking. It takes a breath once in awhile, so don't forget to pause. It has a beginning, middle and end. Even if it's soloing over a backing track, these things still apply. Also, memorize the form of a song so that you can internalize everything better.

Daily Practicing: if you divided up 35 minutes into things that you need to work on, you'll still make progress. If you have more time than that, then great. Also, focus on stuff you don't know rather than review stuff you already know. Practicing is supposed to sound like shit.

If all of this sounds like you might need a good guitar teacher, then great! It's one of the best decisions I made. It taught me humility and it taught me how to continue learning on my own. It certainly is a journey and it's important to enjoy it along the way.


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## greco

Grab n Go said:


> Practicing is supposed to sound like shit.


I feel so much better now!


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