Zigzag

A zigzag
In Guitar Hero, a zigzag (as it is most commonly referred to) is a pattern of notes commonly found in Guitar Hero songs, particularly on the Hard and Expert difficulty levels. A zigzag may also be referred to as a "snake," or simply as the section of a song which it is found in. For example, the zigzag to the right is most often referred to as "Free Bird Solo C" and "Solo C."

Contents

1 Types of zigzags
2 Techniques for hitting zigzags
3 See also

Types of zigzags

Zigzags have many variations among them. The most common zigzag pattern consists of three notes adjacent to each other on the screen, as shown in the picture above and examples directly below:

However, zigzags do not need to consist of only three notes; four-note and five-note zigzags are also possible, as shown below:

Similarly, it is also not required that notes in zigzags be adjacent to each other. Thus, the patterns below are also considered zigzags:

Finally, zigzags do not necessarily have to be the same pattern or speed throughout. The infamous "Song_GH3_ThroughTheFireAndFlames Red Snake∞", as shown below, is nothing more than a large zigzag:

It should also be noted that, while most zigzags are sequences of Hammer-ons hammer-ons and pull-offs,∞ certain zigzags may require strumming to be hit, such as in the Game_RockBand2 Rock Band 2∞ song Song_RB2_Visions Visions∞, which features on guitar a zigzag that travels from green to orange repeatedly:

Techniques for hitting zigzags

Method 1

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In method 1, a different finger is assigned to each note. There is no sliding or involved. Anchoring is usually not done with this method.

Method 2

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Some players may find method 2 to be more effective for faster zigzag sequences. This method requires that the player slide their finger (usually their first finger, but any finger can be used, even the fourth finger) across multiple notes, back and forth. Some may find this sliding tiring and painful, and thusly some try to make the sliding less painful, such as taping over the frets in-between buttons or applying a type of lubrication to their fingers. Anchoring may or may not be utilized with this method.

Method 3

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Unlike the previous methods, method 3 utilizes the player's strumming hand to alternate notes between both fingers and hands, a technique known as "tapping." While only the highest note is tapped in the above diagram, any combination of notes may be tapped. Usually, all notes are anchored when using this method. Other tapping examples include but are not limited to:

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NOTE: While the above methods are shown only four three-note zigzags, the principles of each method can be applied to any type of zigzag (except for the first method, which cannot be applied to five-note zigzags without use of the thumb).