Just gonna post the warming up section that Dime did in Riffermadness. Gonna post word for word.

Warming up your hands before you pick up your axe and start blazing is a pretty important habit to form for any player, regardless of experience or style. Think about it, footballers, wrestlers, and other professional athletes always warm up before they throw themselves into what they do, and you should discipline yourself to do the same exact thing everytime you play. Why? For the same exact reason that all serious sports people do- to prevent injury.


You've only got two hands and they're both vital to you being able to play guitar, so look after them-okay!? If you dont, you could well end up with something nasty like tendonitis(a swelling of the tendon sheaths). This affliction is not only darned painful, but it will put your p[laying on hold for quite a while because the only cure is complete rest. Please take this warning seriously, amigo:
Always warm up or you could end up beaing a frustrated six-string spectator instead of a participant! Don't take my word for it though; check out what Dime has to say on the subject at the head of this chapter.

Get the picture? Good! Enough of my gab. Here's what Darrel does to warm up his digits every time he plays:

"My warm-up routine is something I've basically been doing since I was real young, and it's where I got alot of my trilling [combined hammer-ons and pull-offs] chops from. All I do is combine symmetricaltrills with cromatics. I start off doing a one-fret trill between the 1st and 2nd frets of the low E string with my index and middle fingers (Example 2) and then take the trill across each of the strings in turn from low to high. When I get to the high E string I scoot up a fret and then do the exact same thing back across the strings from high to low. I'll continue to do this all the way up the neck untill I get to about the 15th fret. By this time I'll be feeling a pretty good burn in the back of my left had, so I'll shake it out and get some blood flow happening in my fingers.

h = hammer on
p = pull off
L.H. = left hand
D.S. = downstrokes
A.P. = alternate picking
P.M. = palm mute

Example 2
all trills

E-------------------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------h--p--h--|
G-----------------------------------h--p--h----1--2--1--2-|
D--------------------h--p--h----1--2--1--2----------------|
A------h--p--h----1--2--1--2------------------------------|
E----1--2--1--2---------------------------------------------|
L.H. 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 ect.
h p h h p h
E----h--p--h----1--2--1--2----2--3--2--3----h--p--h---|
B--1--2--1--2----------------------------------2--3--2--3-|
G--------------------------------------------------------------|
D--------------------------------------------------------------|
A--------------------------------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------------------|

E------------------------------------------------------------|
B-----h--p--h----------------------------------------------|
G--2--3--2--3-----h--p--h--------------------------------|
D-----------------2--3--2--3-----h--p--h-----------------|
A---------------------------------2--3--2--3---h--p--h---|
E-----------------------------------------------2--3--2--3-|

E------------------------------------------------------------|
B-----------------------------------------------h--p--h----|
G---------------------------------h--p--h---3--4--3--4---|
D-------------------h--p--h---3--4--3--4-----------------|
A----h--p--h---3--4--3--4--------------------------------|
E--3--4--3--4----------------------------------------------|

"Then I'll do the exact same thing with my index and ring finger (Example 3) and then again between my index finger and pinky (Example 4). By the the time I've done all this, my left had is real loose."

Example 3
all trills

E--------------------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------------------|
G------------------------------------h--p--h----1--3--1--3-|
D---------------------h--p--h----1--3--1--3----------------|
A------h--p--h----1--3--1--3-------------------------------|
E----1--3--1--3----------------------------------------------|
L.H. 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 ect.
h p h h p h
E------h--p--h----1--3--1--3---2--4--2--4----h--p--h---|
B----1--3--1--3--------------------------------2--4--2--4--|
G---------------------------------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------------------------------------|
A---------------------------------------------------------------|
E---------------------------------------------------------------|

Example 4
all trills

E---------------------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------------------------------h--p--h---|
G------------------------------------h--p--h----1--4--1--4--|
D---------------------h--p--h----1--4--1--4-----------------|
A------h--p--h----1--4--1--4--------------------------------|
E----1--4--1--4-----------------------------------------------|
L.H. 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 ect.
h p h h p h
E------h--p--h----1--4--1--4---2--5--2--5-----h--p--h---|
B----1--4--1--4---------------------------------2--5--2--5--|
G----------------------------------------------------------------|
D----------------------------------------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------------------------------|

"To get my right hand happening I'll play along with whatever is playing on the dressing room stereo. I don't play the riff or anything though; I just chug out the eighth noted[2 even notes per beat] on my low E string using downstrokes. If the tempo of whatever Im chugging along to is to slow, Ill play double-time against it by playing 16th notes[four even notes per beat]. Then, once my right arm hurts from doing that, I'll do some double-picking
[alternate-picking i.e., down, up, down, up] sh!t.

"Example 5 shows a simple excercise I use that alternates between downstrokes and alternate picking. I'll play this pattern over and over until I feel a burn in my picking arm. Then I'll stop, shake out my right arm, rest for a second and do it over again. Man after you do this a couple of times, it feels like you've been playing for an hour!"

Example 5
(repeat till you feel a "burn")
P.M.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------
E--0---0---0---0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|--0---0---0---0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
D.S.--------------|A.P.------------------| D.S.------------|A.P.-----------------|

"Once I've done all this, I work on getting my right and left hand locked in together by playing some licks and riffs. Then Im ready to go."

Left for Lead, Right for Rhythm!
"This warm-up routine is great for speed, dexterity and my style of playing," Dime concludes. "When I play lead, y'see, I don't do alot of right hand picking. It's more like my left hand is for lead and my right hand is for chuggin' out riffs - it's like left is for lead and right is for rhythm. I belive the technical word for my lead style is legato[ the italian word for 'smoothly'] Some guys pick every note when they solo, and thats's something I definatley don't do."

IMPORTANT NOTE:When the weather is cold, warming up properly becomes even more important because low temerature often reduces the blood flow to your hands 'n' fingers. So, make double sure you warm up properly in those winter months, especially if you're jamming in an unheated place!

That's it. I use this same type of warm up, except a little bit different, and I tell you it works. Make sure you stop as soon as you feel a burn and shake it out for a second or your fingers are going to tighten up.

Ive only played for 8 months so give me a break......

guitar 1
|-----121712---
|---13------13--
|-14----------12
|------------------
|---------------------
|-----------------------

Its a fill in the song Everytime i die....Im not a big fan of the band but they do some crazy s#%t....

Any help...

I tried to play it but it gets all distorted and jacked up////

thanks

I'm looking for tips on the pinch harmonic.. I've been having alot of trouble lately with it, usually I get it, but most of the time it just craps out, I know it has to do with the position of where you hit it with the thumb and everything.. I switched to jazz style picks awhile back and it was easier but lately it's just been escaping me...

ALRIGHT DUDES IAM HAVEING SOME TROUBLE WITH SWEEP PICKING,IM A BIG FAN OF YNGWIE MALMSTEEN SO SWEEP PICKING IS A MUST!IM KINDA MAD WHEN HE SAID HE REALLY DIDENT LIKE DIME'S PLAYING,BUT EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN TASTE IN MUSIC.ANYWAYS.I WANA START LEARNING HOW TO SWEEP PICK AND I TOUGHT YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE SOME TIPS FOR IT CUZ I HEARD SWEEP PICKING IS A B*$%! TO LEARN..SO YEA THX......R.I.P DIME

Hi folks,
I'm new to the forum, Richard from Sweden.
Got my first Dean thjis summer, a Hardtail Exotic Custom Spalted Maple ( we have no supplier in sweden for these now, so I was real lucky). Thsi axe outplays any Prs I've previously owned and the tone and looks are just amazing , thx Dean ( I will be sending you a personal video this fall).

ANyways, to the topic at hand. In Sweden I'm a professional guitarteacher ( and busniess masters student), and I give guitarclinics for different guitarbrands ( in the past mostly Ibanez, but in the future hopefulyl Dean, since I havent touched my Ibanez's since getting this one lol).

If you guys have any guitarplaying related issues to ask, or discuss, I'd be more then happy to help out in any way I can.

Below are so,e links to my music. The official page is down at teh moment, so please just visit the soundclick site for now, then you cant find my clinic and live videos, but at least listen to some of my music.

Take care /Richard