Radial distortion ruins lives!!! Hope y’all picked up some good tips and learned how to fight it!

@rasmuslaurberghansen8484

2 жыл бұрын

A solution is to angle your pick to pick more into the string / into the guitar, that way even if the string is 'ducking down' you should still hit it, since you are also playing more up and down rather than sideways. Also about the compound radii, does floyd roses actually come in different radii there, since you cannot raise or lower each saddle???

@VArsovski10

2 жыл бұрын

Guess I'm not that good of a player or have strong enough fingers, but bending a whole step at low frets is much harder

@BenEller

2 жыл бұрын

@@VArsovski10 nah that’s very normal, it’s definitely harder to bend down low on the neck. The tension is increased down there since you’re at the end of the string. Think about it like jumping on the edge of a trampoline, there’s not a lot of bounce there.

@stricknine8623

2 жыл бұрын

Great video Ben !

@oli8624

2 жыл бұрын

Another thing that happens when playing higher in the neck is that due to the shorter length of the string that can swing is that it doesn't swing as widely as on a lower fret. Therefore the string is a lot stiffer to play. When having a too strong picking style you will get exhausted a lot faster and if you are holding your pick too softly, then you are more likely to drop tje pick. Also it increases the chance of becoming only a stepdad once

You're like an unusual combo of engineer, master musician, psychologist, alchemist, and stand-up intellectual comedian that many can benefit from directly. You're a riot, dude.

One other note- fretting up very high shortens the string (by more than half!), changing the tension & resistance that your picking hand will feel. I find it very helpful to focus on relaxing the picking hand, especially when doing faster alternate picking runs.

@Minty.Fresh.Tunes.

2 жыл бұрын

I came here to type this - you saved me several keystrokes thank you.

@RancidAmputation123

2 жыл бұрын

Was working on this last night in a lesson while working on some Andy LaRocque stuff. What helped me was my teacher going “just focus on the left hand”, totally freed up the majority the tension in my right hand.

@MrBiteme39

2 жыл бұрын

@@RancidAmputation123 fuck me andy larocque is criminally underrated But also not a lot of people like king diamond You either love him or think his vocals are nauseating I for one hate the high falsetto I'd rather have power wails in that band but that's just me

@stephanepericat2917

2 жыл бұрын

I have a similar experience

@rong9758

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly. I definitely thought that would be on the list. Probably too obvious.

This is great! But you missed one other crucial reason: your thumb can't be placed in its normal spot in relation to your other fingers because of the body of the guitar getting in the way. This is especially a problem with the Les Paul's block joint where the neck meets the body.

@aaaaaa-ts3rw

2 жыл бұрын

RT on this, I have a semihollow that doesn't have a cutaway or anything and I gotta do it like flamenco players if i wanna play up there lmao

@eightguitars

2 жыл бұрын

This is one of the reasons I've switched to sculpted heel, or neck through guitars.

@garypatrick7426

2 жыл бұрын

I've seen a lot of players lately who pull their thumb completely to the front of the neck beside their index finger when they get up above the 15th or so. I don't know how they do it but it works for them!

@LocrianDorian

2 жыл бұрын

@@garypatrick7426 That's normal for acoustic and classical guitars that don't have a cutaway. I used to do this too on my Les Paul at the very highest frets, since the blocky heel joint can only get you so far, but nowadays I exclusively play on guitars without a massive joint, so I can keep a consistent form and have one less thing to worry about.

@toddkoenig426

2 жыл бұрын

My favorite phrase "...re-finger stuff..."... Guitar players need capable and flexible fingers... 😉😉😅🤣😂🤘😁

I have found that the best way to sound good playing on the really high frets is to not suck at guitar. Thank you for attending my seminar.

Proper set up and ultra flat radius, that’s why folks like compound radius on shredder axes. I just can’t play fast enough for it to be an issue.

@PooNinja

2 жыл бұрын

How do those porn bots beat us to the comments!??

@fmaraldo2829

2 жыл бұрын

I’m curious though, with a compound radius, if your bridge is radius for say 10” and your neck flattens to 16” u past the 12 fret, wouldn’t this “compound” the problem? I ask I have a compound radius Les Paul, and it has a standard tuneomatic bridge.

@PooNinja

2 жыл бұрын

The physics says strange things but I believe the flatter portion isn’t a major issue. I don’t own A compound radius guitar but I’ve got to play a friend of mine‘s a few times and I couldn’t tell why I prefered it I knew it felt different. I was like 🤦🏽‍♂️ when he told me.

@nwimpney

Жыл бұрын

@@fmaraldo2829 yeah. It doesn't make a lot of sense to combine a compound radius neck with a bridge with a tight radius. the main advantage to a compound radius is to be able to have a lower action without fretting out as much on bends. With a 10" bridge, you're going to have to raise it to put the E strings in the right place, and then all of your middle strings will have a much higher action.

We all know it's because we don't wanna wait. We want to shred NOW!

Never even considered this. Learn something new everyday. Thanks uncle Ben.

This is why I sub to this channel. Your insight and awareness on the instrument is unmatched. I'd genuinely never considered that, but it actually makes so much sense!

I’ve noticed about the steep hill as I moved closer to the bridge when I play higher notes. Definitely a really cool video and I like the way that you broke it down. I’ve been watching your channel for quite a few years and you are one of the channel create my own channel and add videos that have to do with information guitar players. Especially beginners.

Brilliant video! This information is so valuable for me and my guitar students. Thank you for your work Ben. You are the best KZread guitar teacher!

i've only just come across this myself, i've found moving my hand back helps alot - but like you said its all about feel and most the time you dont even realize youre doing it. thanks for the help mate, youve made everything so clear/easy to understand.

I love that you pointed out how consistent fretboard action helps, I just wish someone would show how that setup is achieved.

I’m a bassist as well( true bassist play upright) and that 1-2-3 thing is what happens as you play higher up the finger board! We ditch 4 and lower on the neck we don’t use 3 ( Simandl style).

Good episode! This really answered a few questions I've always had and now I realize why I seem to play things a certain way.

Thanks for doing this for me Ben, this is super helpful and hopefully helps others as well! Also, given you are talking physics, I just put it together that not only is the string dipping lower the higher up on the frets as mentioned, but the string *tension* is increased as well, so each pick stroke requires ever so slightly more pressure to ring the string! I just spent a few minutes between the 2nd and 22nd frets and the difference in both string height and tension is definitely noticeable and does appear that is a big part of my issue! The pinky suggestion is definitely helpful as well and does go against what I've been practicing so much high up the scales and exercises so going to adjust a bit in that area as well as my stupid fat fingers definitely crowd up after fret 15! And anyone still reading this, definitely go support Ben at his Patreon site, you too may get your questions answered and help him afford that protein powder he's cramming in to get ripped :)

Thanq you Uncle Ben for this very well thought out and explained video. I really appreciate you sharing your guitar playing wisdom. It is a huge inspiration and you are very entertaining to watch to boot!

Great discussion Uncle Ben. Thanks for the tips!

This is very high on the nerd list and I fucking love it! When I try to tell stuff like this to my girlfriend she tries to act like she cares… awesome.

Amazing video Ben. Truly Insightful and awesome.

This radial distortion thing makes a lot of sense. I use to crank my action down low and ran into some of the same issues. Very informative video, thanks!

Thanks for that fine forensic analysis Mr Eller! I concur with your radial distortion hypothesis and that practice in unfamiliar areas on the neck is the only solution

Wow, another badass lesson. As a beginner guitarist, I totally needed this video. Thanks Uncle Ben🎸.

Thanks for taking on and discussing topics that are extremely helpful and informative. I often use the 3 finger approach on the higher frets but thought I was somehow cheating or doing it wrong...thanks for helping me understand it's just a different technique and not a bad thing.

Wow this was one of the best informative videos ive seen. Good job!

Great vid here Ben, one of my favorite guitars in your collection, the Gibson, thanks.

Very interesting video Ben. Thanks dude!

Thank you, Ben! So nice and usefull info for me right in time.

Many guitar greats use the pinky only if absolutely necessary.... In every section of the fretboard. You kick some butt with the information about radius distortion.

I need to watch this later. Great content!

Very nice video. Not your typical guitar instructional kind of thing a lot of other folks presume to bring to you.

Hey uncle Ben good stuff bro. Cheers. Thanks for all your content.

Such an obvious concept that I never considered. Great call out.

What a great video. Gj, Uncle Ben.

Thanks Uncle Ben, always relevant and keep us thinking 🤔

Outstanding, Uncle Ben! You're a thinking man's guitarist!

Good point Ben! Gus G acknowledged this in one of his videos while talking about this when teaching us one of his solos. Tried it and behold it works better for me now.

Great video, Ben! Very thoroughly 👍 Cheers from Sweden! 🇸🇪

Thanks Ben!!! My girlfriend always complains that I watch too many guitar videos on KZread, but when she noticed that I was watching a video that demonstrates how to get better at fingering she told me to watch to my heart's content. Thanks!!

As always, great breakdown video!

Uncle Ben is a genius that was very eye opening thanks 🤟🏻

Great video! Maybe someone’s already pointed this out, but the rotation of the shoulder joint matters as well; since the neck of the guitar is straight you need to compensate for that medial rotation in the shoulder with a radial deviation in the wrist. That’s why many of us pronates in the wrist whilst playing those higher frets, the anatomy of our joints doesn’t really allow us to keep the same angles all across the fretboard :)

@TreatzTMA

2 жыл бұрын

Excellent comment!! Your whole body is involved and as you change positions it should be loose enough to adapt, especially shoulders

For the "compound" radius at the bridge, ideally you would want to match ever rising radius of the fingerboard , so for example 10-16 fingerboard would have aprox 18 inch radius.

@BenEller

2 жыл бұрын

Ah, interesting!!

@Ghaos

2 жыл бұрын

Nick, for clarity, so in a compound radius fretboard (12-16"") you're saying the 16" is the end of the fretboard, and not the bridge?

@Ramplcro

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ghaos Yes. As long it's 16" or a bit greater it should be fine. But then you look at torzal guitars/bases twisted neck and prospective changes. :D

@SkyhawkDelta

2 жыл бұрын

This is something I've nerded out on before in my adventures in setting up my own guitars. If you do the math, for a 10-16 compound radius (10 in at the nut, 16 at the 22nd fret), the bridge radius comes out to 18.3 in. Fun fact, that bridge radius number is the same for any 10-16 radius guitar regardless of scale length! (so long as that compound number is taken at the same fret)

Thanks for remedying this solution Uncle !

Brilliant video!

Cool stuff Ben

Wow great video already watched the whole thing utilising 50x speed

Finally! You might remember I asked you on Patreon because I've been having issues with pull offs and hammer ons on the higher frets. It's gotten better but it's definitely something that I have on every guitar no matter how well it's set up.

@BenEller

2 жыл бұрын

So glad to help, buddy!!!

Mann that guitar of yours is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!

Excellent point about setting the action on your guitar as flat and consistent up and down the neck as possible. Archtops like LesPauls are notorious for having high action near the neck pickup. I've definitely noticed that it's taken more time for me to get my LesPauls dialed in to my liking than some other models.

awesome video! Also beautiful LP You rock uncle ben

Great job Ben, love your channel. I figured out the ditching the pinky after 12th fret or so after 20+ years of playing 😂 but makes a big difference. Great content as always.

First time here. I like how respectful the subscribers are. Take your like and subscribe you humble sir.

Awesome vlog Zom-Ben! I practice portions of different solos like Come On Feel The Noize on the the 5th, 12th and 15th frets to get the feeling of using 3 and 4 fingers.

Fantastic lesson Ben. 🎸🇬🇧

I set my guitars up with a bit more relief than most people typically do. Then lower the action to compensate and get the action like I normally would around the typical frets. However, since the end of the fretboard isn't affected by neck relief, this means your action toward the higher register of the fretboard stays lower than it normally would . On my Jackson my treble strings are sitting around .75 mm around fret 17. It's a super comfortable set up to play.

I have that original "Radial Distortion" album - featuring Mick "Boomtakka" DeFuentes on drums, Thaddeus "Ignorant Fingers" LaCroix on piano, and Bippy "Whispering Thumb" Murphy on double bass. Nice. 😉

I can't wait to get the new Holdsworth album "Radial Distortion". 😎🎸 Allan Holdsworth - RIP to the king who lived on an island of one. Our Mozart.

Uncle Ben, you are the Jeff Cavaliere of the guitar world. You really just have all the answers for everything you could ever hope or want to know about all things guitar

Good stuff Ben very interesting.

That transition in pattern at the 12th was slick! I see ya homie!

You're the best, Uncle Ben.

That "radial distortion" is something I've felt for years but never really could put into words! It's such a slight factor but can be insanity-inducing, especially since sometimes my picking hand drifts towards the neck pickup

Funny. I’ve noticed over the years my picking hand would naturally gravitate towards the bridge as the left hand got higher up the neck but now I see it’s the tiny brain in my pick hand trying to give itself a break😀🎸

That was Brilliant

Awesome information Ben! I had just come to the realization you made in your first point yesterday. It was the first time that I thought it's stupid for me to force myself to keep the same finger spacing as down low.

I'm glad this has a term now!

Thank Mr Ellen, though I heard your talking at the start of the video, I couldn’t stop looking at the the amp candy in the back ground 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Great video as always 👍🏻🤘🏻🎸😎

Nailed it!

Interesting. Good stuff as always. This is also where the neck connects to the guitar making it much thicker.

I work in a machine shop as a maintenance technician. I promise you that on my next downtime report I will fit the phrase radial distortion into it. It sounds like a perfectly technical term for a CNC machine center error code. Last week I snuck the term muffler bearing and it went unnoticed.

Very useful, thanks!

Thanks Ben. This was effectively a guitar head shrink. I’m better for it. I always approach things like this viscerally. Having it spelled out is almost comforting. 🤓

There are always trade offs in the setup of a guitar. It will do some things better than others. For example to get really consistent action, you would want very little relief and a high string height at the nut. But that could cause you to go sharp when fretting notes there. To minimize the radius distortion you would want your action as low as possible, which means your fretwork needs to be dead on. And even then it still probably won’t play that cleanly, so it’s better for high gain.

Great info thanks!

Really great video Ben... I've been playing for 30+years and rarely to I find something this great and simple...simple is the key here for me... 🤣🤣🤣

I've never seen the concept of radial distortion described before, but it makes perfect sense. I suspect that the automatic flattening of the radius of the strings caused by the nut generally being flat compared to the radiused bridge would mean that the lower strings are easier to naviaget across as well.

Very interesting episode, thanks Ben! I'm a string-tickler and I definitely noticed the string-ducking issue at some point while learning. I did a professional setup of the guitar to lower the action high-up and this reduced the ducking a bit, and after that I guess I just learned to anticipate the ducking at some point. The finger-crowding I've definitely noticed as well, I try to not be strict about the 1234 like you suggest.

Just got a Jackson off reverb and I was a bit worried. It plays amazingly. But I was a little worried about how high it was on the highs. This helped alot

Great point about even action- I don't mind overall higher action including up high nearly as much as I do feeling the action accelerate up the neck.

where neck joins body area is tricky. you right i never thought fretboard not flat.

Radial Distortion is an awesome term. It could also be a great band name for your Prog-Metal project. Love it.

Excellent explanation!

Whoa I’ve never thought about using a pick as a feeler gauge for string action. Mind blown 🤯

Just seeing that guitar makes me want to go home and play some John Sykes riffs. Sweet guitar

Great and informative video uncle Ben! I'd like to add another reason that makes it harder to shred high up. The reason is that the length of the string that gets stroked by the picking hand is shorter. It's easier to strike an open string, compared to striking it when playing a high note, let's say, in the 15th fret or higher. This becomes more prominent the more we move higher. It needs more strength to make the string vibrate (hence produce the sound). This is also the reason that it's easier to bend the string when we're in the middle of the fretboard, compared with bending high up or low down the neck

On a compound radius guitar, the fretboard is a section of a cone. The radius at the bridge will be flatter than the last fret. So if the last fret is 16”, the bridge might be around 20”. Also if you set the relief on your neck so it’s pretty much dead straight, your action will be very uniform up the neck. Of course for the fact that at the nut the strings are just high enough to clear the first fret. With good fretwork you can get the action that low all the up. But many find that hard to play.

@BenEller

2 жыл бұрын

Great call! Thanks!

Still amazed on your new Gibson! Great vid! Gotta go pinky police are after me.

This is brilliant. Radial Distortion. It's nice to have a name for it now. And I like things that are nice.

Thank you Uncle Ben. Especially loved this one as I could learn something really important guitar-less; while detangling my curls 😜 Anyway, time to get off the internet and practice 🙂 Lots of love from a very grateful student. Cheers!

Finaly a great teaching on high notes guitar🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Great vid, and I’ve had so many clients bring in problem guitars, when the only problem was the tech previously never setup the radius. As for a compound radius, I tend to use an equation that continues the compound to the bridge. So for instance (without doing all the math), if it’s a 10”-16”, I’ll radius the bridge at 20” (continuing the compound to the bridge). I’m sure a quick google search will find ya the equation I’m referring too. Either way, loved the vid, and appreciate you bringing attention to a commonly overlooked topic.

@BenEller

2 жыл бұрын

Excellent advice!

@bruzanHD

2 жыл бұрын

It's basically just linear extrapolation right?

@SHARt_murmur

2 жыл бұрын

@@bruzanHD pretty much. Appreciate people like you that know what I’m trying to say and nail it one sentence. Thanks!

Great, video, man! I've thought about this problem for quite a while now. But somehow, I adjusted to it in the course of the years subconciously. Concerning the radius of the saddles: just set the height of each string excactly the same (or a TINY bit lower, the thinner the strings get) and you end up with the correct radius. Just as a quick tip. ;)

Great video🤘🔥🔥🤘

Ty Ben

never thought about the radial distortion issue. cool video.

Uncle Ben is a genius! 🤘🏻

And that's why shredders loved those Wizard necks and that humongous fretboard radius 😁

Great video bro! No wonder two way picking is so hard .

Excellent.