Rule #1: Parallel Fingerings
So here we've stumbled on the first rule of the Michael Angelo style: parallel fingerings. Parallel fingerings are when your left hand plays the same frets on more than one string. Remember that Mike chose the E Dorian mode for Lightning Fast because it created pairs of parallel fingerings across the fretboard right around the 12th fret. Upon closer investigation, we see that Mike continues this concept of parallel pairs throughout the entire solo, even when he starts switching positions.

Let's take a walk through the tab, counting the strings and frets between the measure markers. Although Lightning Fast has no specific time signature, I chose to break it into measures at the boundaries of each repeating motif, because this is probably the way Mike "sees" the neck when he's improvising. When you do this, the following outline emerges:
Lightning Fast Parallel Fingerings 
m.1-2       m.4-6      m.7       m.8-9      m.10
----------|-12-14-15-|-14-15-17-|-15-17-19-|-14-15-17-|----
-12-14-15-|-12-14-15-|-14-15-17-|-15-17-19-|-14-15-17-|----
-12-14-15-|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
m.11       m.12       m.13       m.14-17    m.18
-12-14-15-|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
-12-14-15-|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|-11-12-14-|-9-11-12--|---N/A----|-11-12-14-|----
----------|-11-12-14-|-9-11-12--|----------|-11-12-14-|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
m.19       m.20       m.21       m.22       m.23
----------|-12-14-15-|-14-15-17-|----------|----------|----
-12-14-15-|-12-14-15-|-14-15-17-|----------|----------|----
-12-14-15-|----------|----------|-11-12-14-|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|-11-12-14-|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|-10-12-14-|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|-10-12-14-|----
Now, if you weed out the duplicates, you discover there are really only seven fingerings in the whole solo:
Lightning Fast Unique Parallel Fingerings 

 

  

   

    
-15-17-19-|-14-15-17-|-12-14-15-|----------|----------|----
-15-17-19-|-14-15-17-|-12-14-15-|-12-14-15-|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|-12-14-15-|-11-12-14-|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|-11-12-14-|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
   


  


 




 

  

   

    
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
-9-11-12--|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
-9-11-12--|----------|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|-10-12-14-|----------|----------|----------|----
----------|-10-12-14-|----------|----------|----------|----
   


  


 






Not bad, considering seven fingerings really buys you 42 notes.  That's a 600% return on your investment.  At the very least, it cuts the left-hand effort in half, since your brain only has to process changes once every two strings.  This means you can play twice as fast with the same amount of mental energy.  On top of this, it's much easier to memorize seven little patterns (Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful...) than one big complicated pattern.  It's also more flexible, since you can mix and match the patterns to create different kinds of licks.  Playing an ascending or descending scale, for example, becomes nothing more than connecting three patterns together.  This is exactly how Mike finishes the solo:




 

Descending E Dorian Scale Run   -    (89.68KB MP3)
 



m.21		    m.22		m.23

 

  

   

    
17-15-14----------|-------------------|-------------------
---------17-15-14-|-------------------|-------------------
------------------|-14-12-11----------|-------------------
------------------|----------14-12-11-|-------------------
------------------|-------------------|-14-12-10----------
------------------|-------------------|----------14-12-10-
 d  u  d  u  d  u    d  u  d  u  d  u   d  u  d  u  d  u