Weekly Challenge

Dan Mumm’s Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast

The weekly challenge is on hold until further notice. It was a short lived series, but I do intend to bring it back as soon as time permits me. Right now, producing new musical content is my number one priority – which is currently challenging to the time I have available. However, I see this as a temporary restraint, and as soon as it’s lifted I will begin posting new riffs, licks, sequences and runs for you to jam on! In the meantime, be sure to check out the Weekly Challenges that are available on my site and have fun!

9-13-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast: Liquid Pentatonic Tapping Lick

This weeks challenge is an extremely fast legato tapping lick using the E-minor pentatonic scale in 12th position.
This pattern is reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen’s tapping runs found in songs like “Hot For Teacher”. The fretting
hand basically runs straight down the E-minor pentatonic scale, while the picking hand taps the 19th fret of each string,
once at the very beginning and then again in between every two notes of the pentatonic scale. The key to this
pattern is the speed and fluidity. In order to achieve this, you must start out by playing extremely slowly. Practice
with a metronome, and gradually increase the speed as you perfect the pattern at each tempo setting. Don’t rush through
it, or else your end result will come out sloppy, and this style of pattern sounds terrible if it’s not played cleanly
and fluidly. You can also break up the pattern into 2 or 3 individual sections and practice each of those sections
with the metronome, gradually increasing the speed. Once you’ve perfected those sections, put it all together and
work on the full pattern in the same method. Although this practice method seems tedious at first, keep this in mind:
most guitarists don’t take the time to practice properly and effectively, so most guitarists have sloppy technique.
Ask yourself whether you want to be part of the large majority, or the happy and successful few.

You can download all of the files by clicking the link below. You will receive the audio file
from the podcast, a Guitar Pro 5 file (.gp5) of the tab, and an identical PDF file of the same tab. To view the TABS now,
click the picture of the TAB below. To view while listening to the podcast, be sure to right click and open in a new tab or
window.

Download 9-13-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge – Podcast MP3 and Tabs

If you have enjoyed my Weekly Challenges so far, be sure to check out my full length instructional DVD’s Fret Touch Mechanics and
Sweep Pick Mechanics at MetalMethod.com

9-07-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast: “Dark” Modulation Tapping Legato Run

This weeks Challenge is a riff that will fit nicely into your Halloween arsenal or Horror collection. This pattern uses
one of my personal favorite modulations that gives it a “dark” or eerie sound. This modulation is something you can have
a lot of fun with on it’s own. Basically, if you take any minor chord (which can be strummed, arpeggiated, sweeped, or tapped)
and transition into another minor chord that is a Major 3rd higher or lower, then you will achieve this sound. It’s a simple
idea, with awesome results. For example, try playing a Gm arpeggio and transition into a Bm arpeggio, then transition into
a D#m arpeggio and then back into Gm. You can also skip around these chords as in: Gm, D#m, Gm, Bm. If you are a composer
looking for something a little bit darker to throw into the mix, you can really have some fun with this. You can also try
changing some of the minor chords to Major chords to get a very interesting and dynamic sound. Composers from all genres and
eras have taken advantage of this, with some amazing results.

Ok on to today’s Challenge! Today we will be subtly adding this modulation into a legato run that uses finger tapping at
every turn. The chord progression that is being used in this pattern starts with a Gm, uses the “dark modulation” and moves
down a Major 3rd to D#m. It then continues in this pattern by moving down a minor 6th (the inversion of a Major 3rd, which
has the same effect) to a lower octave of Gm and then to a D Major arpeggio. It resolves on a G note.

The pattern begins with a short 3 string sweep pattern of a Gm arpeggio, hammers-on to a high G note, which is then topped
off with a Bb (the minor 3rd of Gm), back down to G and then swiftly moves into the D#m arpeggio on the second string starting
with a tapped F# note. At the end of this part the 4th finger slides down one fret from a D# to a D (16th fret to 15th fret on
the 2nd string), which puts us back into a Gm arpeggio. This arpeggio moves down with just one note on the 3rd string followed by a repeat of the Bb that was played on the 11th fret on the second string, now being tapped on the 20th fret of the 4th string (same note and octave). With the first finger of your picking hand (the one that is tapping the Bb), you will slide down one fret to an A on the 19th fret and pull-off into the D Major arpeggio. At the end your 4th finger on your fretting hand slides up from the 16th fret of the 4th string (F#) to the 17th fret, which resolves the pattern back on our root note of G.

You can download all of the files by clicking the link below. You will receive the audio file
from the podcast, a Guitar Pro 5 file (.gp5) of the tab, and an identical PDF file of the same tab. To view the TABS now,
click the picture of the TAB below. To view while listening to the podcast, be sure to right click and open in a new tab or
window.

Download 9-07-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge – Podcast MP3 and Tabs

If you have enjoyed my Weekly Challenges so far, be sure to check out my full length instructional DVD’s Fret Touch Mechanics and
Sweep Pick Mechanics at MetalMethod.com

8-30-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast: Multi-Position Single String Ascending Tapping Lick:

So we are getting off to a great start for the new Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast! Today’s Podcast is on a finger tapping
lick that’s reminiscent of classic tapping styles of players like Eddie Van Halen. However, this pattern adds a twist with
a hand position changing technique that can be a little bit of a mind-boggler at first. Essentially, with each segment of
the pattern, your fretting hand will be playing in two different hand positions. The trick is making this sound fluid.
After tapping the first note with your first finger of your picking hand, then pulling off to the open first string, your
fretting hand’s first finger will hammer-on to the 5th fret of the first string, immediately followed by your 4th finger
hammering-on to the 8th fret. This is the classic pattern that most guitarists are very familiar with. However, after
this, and without skipping a beat, you must move your first finger to the 7th fret while keeping your 4th finger down on
the 8th fret. Then pull off your 4th finger from the 8th, so that the 7th fret will ring out and immediately tap your 4th
finger down on to the 10th fret. This type of technique happens 3 different times over all in the pattern. Practice it
slowly at first. I think this is a pretty cool sounding pattern, and I hope you will enjoy it!

You can download all of the files by clicking the link below. You will receive the audio file
from the podcast, a Guitar Pro 5 file (.gp5) of the tab, and an identical PDF file of the same tab. To view the TABS now,
click the picture of the TAB below. To view while listening to the podcast, be sure to right click and open in a new tab or
window.

Download 8-30-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge – Podcast MP3 and Tabs

If you have enjoyed my Weekly Challenges so far, be sure to check out my full length instructional DVD’s Fret Touch Mechanics and
Sweep Pick Mechanics at MetalMethod.com

8-23-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast: E-Harmonic Minor Sequence and Fusion Sweep:

Ok I finally figured out a way to continue the Weekly Guitar Challenge and still be able to get all of my practicing, composing,
video making, etc. done! I will be posting a Weekly Guitar Challenge Podcast to this page each week.

This week we will focus on a pattern in E-Harmonic Minor. It begins with a somewhat simple sequence using triads and passing
tones. The first triad is a F# Dim, then a Em, then finally a D# Dim. Each one of these triads is played in reverse, starting
with the 5th, then going to the 3rd, and then to the root, back to the 3rd, and then ends with two passing tones. The 2nd passing tone is actually just the root again. Finally the pattern ends with a Fusion style sweep pattern that is a little bit more
difficult than the sequence. The most difficult part you will find is on the 4th string, when the pattern goes from the 12th fret,
down the 11th, and then up to the 14th. It’s somewhat unusual for a sweep guitar pattern, but sounds pretty awesome when it’s
executed correctly. You can download all of the files by clicking the link below. You will receive the audio file
from the podcast, a Guitar Pro 5 file (.gp5) of the tab, and an identical PDF file of the same tab. To view the TABS now,
click the picture of the TAB below. To view while listening to the podcast, be sure to right click and open in a new tab or
window.

Download 8-23-11 Weekly Guitar Challenge – Podcast MP3 and Tabs

If you have enjoyed my Weekly Challenges so far, be sure to check out my full length instructional DVD’s Fret Touch Mechanics and
Sweep Pick Mechanics at MetalMethod.com

8-16-11 New Challenges!

Because of how busy I’ve been working on the new programs for Metal Method, videos for Inspired Instruments You Rock Guitar,
and other projects, the Weekly Guitar Challenge videos are on an indefinite hiatus. However, in the meantime I’m going to
try to post a new “Challenge Of The Week” to this page every week. These will be in the form of Guitar Pro tabs and a short
description. Instead of numbering them as we did with the “Weekly Guitar Challenge”, I will simply date them. This will avoid confusion with the video series when it starts up again.

The first of these new videos dated 8-16-11, is a pattern in E-Melodic Minor. This patterns starts with a 4 note Em arpeggio,
then continues a sequence pattern going up and then back down Melodic Minor. The tab for this pattern can be downloaded below:

8-16-11 E-Melodic Minor Pattern

The Original Metal Method Weekly Guitar Challenge Video Series:

The Weekly Guitar Challenge was a short run weekly series I did for Metal Method. There were 5 videos in total that spanned a couple of months. In place of the Weekly Challenge, we will be doing 20 minute download-able lessons through MetalMethod.com

Below are links to the Tabs for the first 5 Weekly Guitar Challenges
All 5 videos can be found on YouTube on Metal Method / Doug Marks’ channel “dmarks1”.

Week 1 Tab D Blues Sweep -Video-

Week 2 Tab B Harmonic Minor Pattern -Video-

Week 3 Tab B7 Sliding Sweep -Video-

Week 4 Tab A Harmonic Minor Neo-Classical -Video-

Week 5 Tab Whole Tone Run -Video-

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