Manuel Gardner Fernandes breaks down the 5 techniques that define his sound
Manuel presents his percussive strumming, tapped harmonics, selective picking, and Hetfield-inspired downpicking approaches
Welcome to the world of Manuel Gardner Fernandes, the guitar virtuoso from German metalcore masters Unprocessed. In this band, Manuel is a stunning representative of the new wave of chops-heavy guitarists (think Tim Henson, Plini and Tosin Abasi) impressing guitar fans around the world with their new music and social media content.
These players combine elements of '80s rock virtuosity (legato, tapping, speed picking) with newer math/prog elements such as slap bass articulations, extended use of legato/selective picking phrasing and application of harmonics. It makes for a heavy and impressive brew of sonic wizardy, be it with crisp clean tones or thick saturated distortion.
While his five chosen techniques here are advanced, especially when performed at fast tempos, Manuel has been considerate enough to demonstrate and explain them clearly. Certainly, a key tip is to start slowly when initially tackling each example yourself.
The first technique is fast strumming. This involves using a lot of dead notes (percussive muted notes). To achieve these, simply lay your fretting hand fingers lightly across the strings without pushing them down on the frets. Manuel demonstrates the strumming directions and we have written these in the tab for reference.
The second technique is hybrid picking (pick and fingers). Manuel likes to use the pick for downstrokes and then adds in the picking hand's second finger (shown as m under the tab) and third finger (shown as a under the tab). This makes playing adjacent strings and wider string skips a lot easier. Using the fingers to pluck the strings also helps the notes to sound percussive, like the sound of a slapped bass. Again, Manuel walks you through the order of picking.
Jon Bishop wears many hats as a guitarist from articles for guitar magazines to transcribing video tutorials for GuitarWorld.com. He tours with UK rock and roll legend, Shakin' Stevens and various film and orchestra performances including Love Actually, Toy Story, Twilight and Labyrinth. As a fan of all rock styles, Jon is an ideal transcriber for Manuel's video feature.
The third technique is tapped harmonics, created by tapping the string directly above the fretwire. This works especially well when tapping 12 frets above the fretting hand's note. So if you are fretting a note on the 1st fret, it's the 13th fret that needs to be tapped.
We recommend starting with just one finger of the tapping hand to get dialed into the technique (the second finger - m - makes most sense so you can still hold the pick conventionally). Then it’ll be possible to add in other fingers of the tapping hand to increase the facility.
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Manuel's fourth technique choice is his James Hetfield-inspired downpicking. For the fast flourishes, he advises a snap of the wrist as opposed to using the whole of the strumming arm.
The final technique is inspired by players like Tosin Abasi from Animals As Leaders. Manuel refers to this as 'selective picking' and involves picking a note and then tapping/hammering-on other notes with the fretting hand. If these techniques are combined with light palm muting, stunning percussive guitar parts can be created.
Many thanks to Manuel for his time and creativity and be sure to check out the latest Unprocessed album, Angel.
Example 1. Percussive strumming
This example uses percussive strumming to create a fast and impressive latin/flamenco-esque performance. The picking pattern for the fastest rhythm is down, down, down, up, down, down.
Manuel strums some great-sounding chord fingerings that make effective use of the open strings. Start slowly and then build up speed, as you emulate the pattern and feel it dialing in.
Example 2a. Hybrid picking riff
This example is inspired by the sound of slap bass players and uses hybrid picking. The pick is used to play the notes on the sixth string with a key part of the sound being the muted notes.
These are produced by laying the fingers of the fretting hand lightly on the string and then picking it. The notes on the fourth string are plucked with the second finger (m), and the harder these are plucked, the more it will sound like a slap bass.
Example 2b. Hybrid picked lick
Here, Manuel elaborates on the benefits of hybrid picking by playing a fast lick that uses natural harmonics.
To produce the harmonics, lightly rest your fretting hand finger directly above the fret (wire) indicated in the tab. As the note is plucked, the fretting hand finger can be lifted to release the harmonic.
Example 2c. Hybrid picked chord
Here is another exciting way to exploit the benefits of hybrid picking. The picking pattern here is three down picks followed by a second finger (m) pluck.
Example 3. Tapped harmonics
This next example is tricky and may take a little experimentation to get right. The harmonics are created by tapping the string directly above the fret. This works especially well when tapping 12 frets above the fretted note.
We have notated the fretting hand positions in the tab (diamond encased fret numbers) and then the tapping positions above the tab (eg TH15 = tap a harmonic at the 15th fret).
For this example, the tapping positions can always be found 12 frets above the fretted hand. We recommend using just one finger of the tapping hand at first to get used to the technique. Add other fingers of the tapping hand when you're more comfortable.
Example 4. Down picking
This next example is inspired by Manuel’s love of James Hetfield's playing. All the notes are down-picked or hammered onto. This makes the example relatively easy to play at slow tempos. As with all the other examples, add the speed in once the technique is perfected at the slow tempo.
Example 5a. Selective picking and hammer-ons
This final technique is inspired by guitarists like Tosin Abasi from Animals As Leaders. Manuel refers to this as “selective picking”, which involves picking a note and then tapping notes with the fretting hand.
We recommend using a light palm mute for the open B note on the second string. Once you get this dialed in, vibrant percussive guitar parts can be created.
Example 5b. Selective picking with chords
To finish off, Manuel adds in more tapping positions all over the fretboard to create a pleasing chord progression.
Hear it here
Unprocessed - Deadrose
This contextualizes a couple of the techniques covered in this article. The introduction and verse sections feature a part created with fast arpeggios played with the tapping harmonics technique. This is followed by some of that fast snappy strumming. Towards the end the down-picking technique is used to play a percussive, heavy riff.
Unprocessed - Perfume
This is taken from the latest Unprocessed album, Angel. The introduction uses fast chord arpeggios played with the hybrid picking technique featured in Example 2c. The second finger and third fingers of the picking hand can get involved. This makes playing adjacent strings at speed more economical and also provides some variety in the tone.
Manuel is a German guitarist, vocalist, producer, and the creative force behind Unprocessed. Based in Frankfurt, he picked up the guitar at the age of three. His characteristic guitar playing, often compared to modern progressive pioneers, is even more impressive given that he delivers intricate, high-level passages while singing lead vocals. What began as a teenage project in Wiesbaden has evolved into an internationally recognized career: with Unprocessed, Manuel is touring the world, releasing acclaimed records, and has become known for blending metal, pop, jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music into something uniquely his own.
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