Time signatures are one of the absolute fundamentals of music; yet somehow one of the least understood - let's change that!
In today's lesson we're gonna be looking at what exactly time signatures are, how they function and how to read them. Then, to cap it off, I've constructed a monster workout for you to practice that covers the most basic time signatures (such as 4/4), all the way up...
Eugene's Trick Bag from the movie Crossroads is easily the most iconic guitar duel of all time, but it's not only an awesome piece of music - it's actually also an AMAZING technical guitar workout! So I've taken the liberty of reworking the solo into a more Metal context so you can jam along and get the most out of this masterpiece. It's broken into 3 distinct sections, with each section focusi...
2023-11-29 22:59:21 +0000 UTC View PostContinuing on this mini series of transcribing and analyzing various famous solos, this week we're looking at the legendary solo to Megadeth's "Symphony Of Destruction". What I LOVE about this solo is that it perfectly demonstrates how you can still create super cool, interesting when faced with playing over an incredibly simple, boring accompaniment.
As well as teaching you how to...
I know that we focus mainly on lead playing here at the Guitar School but it's super important that you don't let your rhythm chops fall behind! Rhythm is such an integral aspect of music and not something that should be neglected. Plus it doesn't only benefit your riffing; having a strong sense of rhythm can really benefit your soloing too!
So I've constructed this thorough, all-encompa...
Even though it's often overshadowed by its more famous counterpart, "Tornado Of Souls", the solo to Megadeth's "Lucretia" easily holds its own as one of the greatest Metal solos ever recorded! It's a complete masterclass in phrasing, playing effectively over chords, and how to screw with traditional pentatonic licks to make them way more interesting.
The internet is definitely lacking a ...
“Do I need to learn music theory as a guitarist??”
This is by far one of the most common questions I get asked by guitar students (all throughout the entirety of my 15+ years of teaching).
My definitive answer to this question is “no... but it sure makes life easier!”
The purpose of this book is to give you a tl;dr explanation of essen...
2023-11-05 17:43:48 +0000 UTC View PostSo you guys know me by now - I really despise boring, arbitrary guitar exercises. Fun and engaging workouts equals increased motivation and faster progress! I know that improving alternate picking efficiency is BIG goal for a lot of you guys, so for this week's lesson I've created an alternate picking endurance test to help you with your picking endurance and consistency.
The focus of th...
I've had a lot of requests recently for some more Neoclassical exercises for you guys to get stuck into, so who would I be to say no! In this week's lesson I've taken 10 of the coolest Neoclassical licks from well known Metal bands/artists out there and compiled them into a fun little medley. The licks range from exceptionally easy to exceptionally hard, so there's something here for everyone!<...
2023-10-26 21:55:20 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone! So this week's lesson focuses on Jason Becker's legendary song "Altitudes", one of the most beautiful solo guitar pieces ever written in my opinion. Jason wasn't only a master technician, but also a sick composer, and there's a tonne you can learn from his work.
I've picked out 2 sections from the song that I think everyone will be able to learn something from. The first is...
Ah yes, the age-old argument of "technique" vs. "feel"! I've always found such discussions to be entirely redundant and pointless as there's no reason why these 2 things have to be mutually exclusive. All of the best guitarists throughout history have been those who perfectly manage to blend emotion and technique into a single delectable cocktail!
In this video I show you that it doesn't...
Here we are, the final instalment of my "Learning The Modes" series! In this lesson we finally get to the juicy stuff - how to apply everything we've learned to our playing. I show you my special method of knowing exactly when you can use Modes and how to identify and work out which specific Mode you can use in which context. If you still have any questions remaining about Mode...
2023-10-01 17:40:21 +0000 UTC View PostI thought this kind of format would make for a great lesson as it means I can not only cover of bunch of different techniques and concepts in a short amount of time, but also include licks of varying degrees of difficulty. I'm super curious to hear from you guys what "level" you feel you're up to with your playing, please feel free to share!
Also, to keep the exercises here at the School...
This is an exercise I made to help increase my sweeping accuracy that's comprised of super cool Classically-inspired chords progressions! I've experimented with having the walkthrough segment as part of the video instead of as a written accompaniment - do you guys prefer this? Or did you like having it written instead? Let me know!
Good luck and don't forget to share your progres...
Considering it's one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, there surprisingly isn't too much in the way of super accurate tabs available
Considering it's one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, there surprisingly isn't too much in the way of super accurate tabs available
Considering it's one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, there s...
2023-09-05 21:07:16 +0000 UTC View PostBy far one of the most highly requested lesson topics from you guys has been a home recording guide, so here we go! In this session I talk you through my recording setup, talk you through the various parts of a DAW, show you have to record you guitar/input MIDI instruments, demonstrate some essential mixing tips/best practices that I use as part of my daily workflow.
I really hope this i...
I often hear from intermediate guitarists that they're having trouble expanding their licks beyond the standard Minor Pentatonic and Aeolian shapes, so I created this exercise as a crash course in some of the coolest/most popular scales and modes that guitarists use. Here's a brief overview of each one (in the order they appear in the exercise) and how to apply them...
Minor Pentatonic
Welcome aboard!
I know you're probably eager to get started but please take a couple of mins to watch the quickstart guide above to help you get the most out of your time here at the Guitar School.
Here's a link to the official Guitar School Roadmap.
2023-08-16 16:56:59 +0000 UTC
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I know that Modes is a subject that's right at the top of the list of things many guitarists want to learn - but also at the top of the list of things that confuse them the most. So today, I'm gonna fix that!
Following on from my previous introductory lesson where we took a look at the sound of each Mode, in this lesson we take a look why chords are so important to ...
The votes for the monthly lesson poll were unanimously in favor of a lesson on speed-building, so here you go! For those of you who voted for one of the other topics, I plan to cover all of them within the coming weeks so fear not.
So then, speed! In my opinion it's essential for guitarists to spend at least some time working on their speed chops. Of course it goes without saying that pl...
In my opinion, one of the biggest things that gets overlooked by many guitarists, (even experienced ones) is the importance of strength in your fretting hand. It doesn't matter how many scales, chords and arpeggios you know - if you don't have the required hand strength and dexterity to be able to play them confidently and precisely, then it doesn't matter. So today I'm showing you 2 SUPER usef...
2023-02-17 20:59:08 +0000 UTC View PostAs Rock guitarists we often neglect chords in favor of riffing and soloing, and while there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, if you REALLY want to elevate your understanding of guitar and music to the next level then it's absolutely essential that you understand the fundamentals of chord theory.
In this lesson I'll be showing the awesome Chord-Scale System and how you can use it to ...
As it seems like you guys have been making AMAZING progress on your lessons and exercises so far, and considering I've had some extra time this week, I've put together this bonus exercise for practicing your alternate picking! It's built around ascending major triads, alternating between A Major and D# Major (somewhat outlining a Half-Whole Diminished Scale). I've provided tabs + backing tracks...
2023-02-09 00:09:36 +0000 UTC View PostThanks for all the amazing feedback so far on the lessons, I'm super chuffed that you guys are enjoying the content! The sweeping lesson has proved especially popular and I've had several requests for me to expand on the picking mechanics behind my technique, as some of you seem to be having trouble when descending arpeggios.
Good luck and don't forget to share your progress with...
Ah yes, sweep picking! If you know anything about me and my channel then you'll know how much I love a good sweep. Before inundating you with crazy sweeping licks and exercises I thought it'd be wise to put up a lesson going over all the fundamentals of the technique to make sure everyone's up to speed. Sweeping is an incredibly useful technique with a multitude of uses, so please make sure you...
2023-01-25 21:34:25 +0000 UTC View PostAbsolutely one of the most common problems that I see intermediate guitarists face is really struggling to break away from the standard minor pentatonic shapes and introduce some tonal variety into their playing. So don't worry if this applies to you as it's a SUPER common issue and, luckily for you, there are some very easy steps you can take to set yourself on the road to pentatonic rehabilit...
2023-01-18 13:06:00 +0000 UTC View PostIf there’s one question I hear more than any others when it comes to music theory, it’s definitely: “What are the modes? And how do I apply them to my playing?” So I thought what better way to kick things off than starting to tackle this often-misunderstood and over-complicated subject!
Good luck and don't forget to share your progress with everyone in the Discord server!...