Welcome to Guitar 101! A new series where myself and my esteemed Guitar School admins take you through all of the absolute fundamentals of everything guitar related 🎸
In this first part, Alex takes us through the anatomy of the guitar, explaining the function of each part and the different variations you can expect ...
Oh boy, strap yourselves in 'cause this is probably the hardest solo we've studied yet!
The solo in Under A Glass Moon by Dream Theater is one of my absolute all-time favorites and one I still play often. It has an awesome, spacey vibe thanks to all the sexy Lydian licks and is a pretty substantial workout for even the most seasoned guitarist.
Even though the general standard of t...
My monthly solo challenges are the perfect chance to put everything you've learned so far to the test! Download the backing track, see what you can come up with, film it, and share it with us on the Discord server. Good luck!
2024-11-04 14:09:28 +0000 UTC View PostWhile it may be a meme to joke about Kirk Hammett, it's easy to forget that the guy was responsible for some of the coolest guitar playing of the 80s and 90s. Today we're gonna be taking a look at perhaps the most famous Metallica solo of all time: One!
Mostly recognized for its iconic tapping licks, the solo to One is actually deceptively tricky to play accurately (no thanks to the brea...
It's awesome to see so many of you working on your sweeping chops recently, there's so much progress being made across the board. However, as a result of this, I've noticed an increase in students asking how to increase their sweeping speed after hitting a bpm ceiling. So today's I'm gonna address this!
In this lesson I show you an insanely cool hack that I figured ...
My monthly solo challenges are the perfect chance to put everything you've learned so far to the test! Download the backing track, see what you can come up with, film it, and share it with us on the Discord server. Good luck!
2024-10-10 10:38:52 +0000 UTC View PostHow often should I practice? How long should I practice? What should I practice?
These are by far some of the questions most commonly asked by my students. They can be hard to answer as practicing is something very personal that doesn't really have a single universal approach; everyone learns differently and at varying speeds.
So in this video I go over exactly
2024-10-08 19:39:49 +0000 UTC
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It's been a while since we've done a Marty solo so today we're back on the Megadeth hype and covering one of the sickest solos the band every produced!
The Killing Road is often overlooked in favor of the more well known solos from Rust In Peace, but this absolute beast of a solo shouldn't be missed and belongs in every Metal guitarist's repertoire.
What's unique about The Killing...
A huge part of becoming a pro guitarist is about not just honing your technical skills, but also your listening skills. No matter how advanced your alternate picking or sweeping is, if you have under-developed ear training then you're gonna have a very hard time!
Learning songs by ear, composing, improvising - these are all skills that are made miles
2024-09-24 16:50:33 +0000 UTC
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A huge part of becoming a pro guitarist is about not just honing your technical skills, but also your listening skills. No matter how advanced your alternate picking or sweeping is, if you have under-developed ear training then you're gonna have a very hard time!
Learning songs by ear, composing, improvising - these are all skills that are made miles
2024-09-23 20:22:28 +0000 UTC
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Alexi Laiho is one of my biggest guitar influences of all time - his combination of sick neoclassical licks and edgy Rock'n'Roll feel is super unique amongst his peers, and taught me that shredding doesn't always have to be incredibly precise and sterile.
Children Of Bodom's "Are You Dead Yet?" is probably his most well known solo so thought it'd make for a great first lesson! It's a per...
I'm proud to be back with another instalment of the popular " 1 Min Workout" series, where I provide you guys with fun, short workouts focussed on a specific guitar technique. This time we're focusing on ECONOMY PICKING!
Economy picking is a super cool technique that involves combining alternate picking with sweep picking, resulting in an incredibly efficient, fluid way of picking betwee...
It's one of my missions as part of the Guitar School to accurately transcribe all famous and highly requested Metal guitar solos, so that you guys have peace of mind when learning them and don't have to deal with dubious online tabs.
Next on the list is one of the most iconic solos all time time - "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne!
People often dismiss this solo as something for begi...
This lesson is based off a super old YouTube video (way back from 2019!) where I composed this short piece to demonstrate how you can write both melodic and shred solos to be as equally effective.
Even though my playing was quite a bit sloppier back then (lots of lessons to be learned!) these are still some of my favorite licks I've ever recorded and thought it'd make for a fun lesson.
Next up in our series of transcribing and breaking-down all of Marty Friedman's solos from Rust In Peace is this absolute underrated gem!
This is for sure the most challenging Rust In Peace solo from a technical perspective, due to its blistering two-note-per-string alternate picking licks, snaking arpeggios and very nuanced phrasing. This is an amazing challenge for anyone who's already...
So, as guitarists, we all know the importance of warming up before serious playing sessions. But a super common question I hear is - "what exactly is the best way to do so?".
Warm-ups have a bit of a reputation for being dull, boring and arbitrary; so in true Bradley Hall's Guitar School fashion I've done my best to make something engaging and musical for you guys to have fun with!
My monthly solo challenges are the perfect chance to put everything you've learned so far to the test! Download the backing track, see what you can come up with, film it, and share it with us on the Discord server. Good luck!
2024-08-02 12:44:01 +0000 UTC View Post
It's finally here - the long-awaited Guitar School roadmap!
I've carefully constructed this 10 page roadmap to guide you through all of my lessons in a structured and organized manner that you can progress through at your own pace. No matter your current ability level this document will show you exactly where to start and in what order to tackle the content.
Feel free to print it ...
Next up in our series of busting the most iconic solos of all time is this absolute stonker by Slipknot!
This solo is pretty infamous due to the absolute monster run that comprises the first quarter - and for good reason! This lightning-fast mix of precision alternate picking and legato is an amazing test of technique and a perfect exercise in itself for those looking for a substantially...
In today's lesson we're gonna be chilling a bit and taking a look at one of the most classic guitar solos of all time, from Black Sabbath's "Paranoid". I know that this is a solo that a lot of you, especially those who are newer to eh instrument, have been working on recently so I figured now would be the perfect time to bring out this bad boi!
Even though many people dismiss this solo a...
Sweep picking! My most beloved guitar technique, and despite often being heavily meme'd-on it's an undeniably cool skill to have in your arsenal.
We've covered a bunch of different sweeping-based lessons so far here at the Guitar School, including the super popular 1 Minute Workout, but I've been super eager to make a comprehensive, focussed exercise on it.
So expanding on the "le...
My monthly solo challenges are the perfect chance to put everything you've learned so far to the test! Download the backing track, see what you can come up with, film it, and share it with us on the Discord server. Good luck!
2024-07-04 12:21:51 +0000 UTC View Post
A scale is "any consecutive series of notes that form a progression between one note and its octave, typically by order of pitch”.
I’m sure most of you (hopefully) already know that much. But the world of scales is seemingly infinite, complicated and, let’s face it, kinda dull!
Some incredibly common questions I get asked by students are...
“Whi...
I'm proud to announce the release of my 1st ever official lick pack - and I'm giving it to all of you guys early for no additional charge! <3
I've compiled 10 of my favorite signature licks that I think are highly representative of my trademark style, and fleshed them out into a full bundle ready for you guys to pick up and start practicing.
These licks cover a lot
2024-06-24 18:37:50 +0000 UTC
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Sooner or later guitarists want to experiment with recording their playing, whether it's for writing songs, keeping track of progress or simply just for fun! Knowing your way around a DAW is an essential skill for musicians these days and I want to arm you guys with that knowledge.
We've already covered the fundamentals of home recording in a previous lesson, as well as an intro to progr...
I've been gradually chipping-away this year at transcribing every Marty Friedman solo on Rust In Peace, and have admittedly been putting off doing Hangar 18 for obvious reasons - but no more! I'm proud to finally present to you my ultimate transcription for all Marty solos from this monster tune.
Unlike most other solo song lessons I do, this one is a lil' different in the fact t...
So it dawned on me yesterday that I hadn't covered any Iron Maiden yet as part of my classic solos series - time to fix that!
The solos in "The Trooper" are no doubt the most iconic and well known ones the band ever played, thanks to Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, and are a masterclass in tasty, traditional Metal soloing.
I know that a lot of you over on the Discord server ...
My monthly solo challenges are the perfect chance to put everything you've learned so far to the test! Download the backing track, see what you can come up with, film it, and share it with us on the Discord server. Good luck!
2024-06-03 12:01:22 +0000 UTC View PostIs your playing far too sloppy but you don't know how to fix it? Well then chances are the problem lies in your hand synchronization!
Hand synchronization is the concept of both of your hands being perfectly coordinated and moving as a single, disciplined unit. As guitarists improve and gain more technique it's incredibly common for one hand to start racing ahead of the other (usually th...
"Master Of Puppets" by Metallica: probably the the most legendary Metal song of all time, featuring 3 of the most legendary guitar solos of all time! But surprisingly, considering the song's highly iconic status there's still a bit of confusion regarding certain aspects of these solos.
So as part of my ongoing effort to properly transcribe, analyze and teach all of the most famou...