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DVD

PAUL GILBERT presents

SHRED ALERT!!!
THE
ULTIMATE

DVD

GUIDE!

DVD

PAUL GILBERT presents

SHRED ALERT!!!
1. ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

Using alternate picking and note skipping to play interesting arpeggio patterns

2. READY TO RUMBLE

Quick, effective pick-hand warm-up exercises

3. READY TO RUMBLE, PART 2


More pick-hand warm-up exercises

4. ASSUME THE POSITION

Using position shifts to your advantage when soloing

5. ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE


Alternate picking with accent patterns

6. FAST AND CLEAN

Alternate-picked 16th notesthe business card of shred guitar

7. STICK YER NECK OUT

Using neck diagrams to your advantage

8. SHAPE SHIFTING

How to organize patterns on the fretboard

9. SNAKE-CHARMING LICKS
The fifth mode of harmonic minor

10. UNITED MUTATIONS

PHOTOGRAPHER TKTKTK

Mastering muting techniques

11. BREAKIN OUT

The blessings and benefits of live performance


2

GU I TA R WOR L D

Photograph by PHOTOGRAPHER

CHAPTER 1

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

USING ALTERNATE PICKING AND NOTE SKIPPING


TO PLAY INTERESTING ARPEGGIO PATTERNS

HI, AND WELCOME to the first

chapter of Shred Alert, where


Ill teach you many of the
techniques I use. Lets begin
with a very simple picking
exercise (FIGURE 1) and look
at some of the neat and musically
interesting variations you can spin
from it. We have two notes, E and B,
picked repeatedly with alternating
downstrokes and upstrokes, a technique
known as alternate picking. This is a
good exercise for what I call outside
picking, as the pick movement is
consistently on the outside of the pair
of strings, which is considerably easier
than inside picking.
What I am going to do now is
expand on this idea by applying a
mathematical pattern to an Em triad
arpeggio (E G B). In FIGURE 2a, the
notes are played sequentially in an
ascending fashion in two octaves
across the neck; in FIGURE 2b, the same
notes are played in a different position
as a sweep-picked arpeggio (sweep
picking involves dragging the pick
across the strings in a single downward
or upward motion).
This is how most rock guitarists
play arpeggiosstraight up and down.
What I like to do in order to create
a more interesting melodic contour
is apply a note-skipping pattern that
goes up two, back one, up two, back
one, etc, as demonstrated in FIGURES
3a-d: in FIGURE 3a, instead of playing E
to G, I play E to B, just like our initial
picking exercise. In FIGURE 3b, I move
on to the next pair, G-E, using the same
outside picking motion. Now that we
have a new pattern, lets get it under
our fingers by alternating between
each note pair (FIGURE 3c). FIGURE 3d
shows the next pair, B and G, and all
three pairs are played in sequence in
FIGURE 4a. The pattern sounds cool
when continued across three octaves,
as demonstrated in FIGURES 4b and
FIGURE 4c.
This note-skipping concept can
be applied to other arpeggios, as
well as scales. A very common chord
progression in rock and metal is Em D5
C5 (FIGURE 5a). Its standard practice
with this progression to substitute the
raised, or sharp, four (s4) for the five
of the C5 chord, sounding C and Fs
instead of C and G. This alludes to the
C Lydian mode, shown in ascending
four-note groups in FIGURE 5b.

GU I TA R WOR L D

Instead of just playing a C major triad


(C E G) over C5, lets add the s4 to the
mix, as shown in FIGURE 6 with the notes
C, E, Fs and G. If we apply the noteskipping concept, we get C-Fs as our
first pair (FIGURE 7a). FIGURE 7b illustrates
the ensuing sequence played across

FIGURE
1 1
FIGURE

three octaves. Its also fun to play each


pair as a two-note chord (FIGURE 7c).
Try applying this approach to
whatever scale or mode you can think
of. As shown in FIGURE 8a, it works well
with E Dorian, the E blues scale and an
A diminished-seven arpeggio.

FIGURE
2 2a Em triad
FIGURE

FIGURE 2b2b
FIGURE
sweep arpeggio

FIGURE
FIGURE
3a 3a

4
4
12 16

99

2
2
14

1210 14
12 14 12 14 12
12 10
3
3
* = downstroke = upstroke 3
3
3
FIGURE
3d
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
3c
FIGURE
3b 3b
FIGURE
3c
FIGURE
3d
FIGURE
4a 4a

sim.

14 14 14 14
14
17
17 17
14 17
10
14
14
14 14

12 15

12 14 15 14
15 15 15 15
FIGURE 4b4b
4c 4c
FIGURE

FIGURE
FIGURE

19
19
19
17
20
17
17
2017
17
20 17

16
16
16
16
16
16

14 1714 17
14 1714 17
17 14
17 14

14
14
121415 14
121415 14
15 12
*

P.M.

FIGURE
FIGURE
5a 5a

Em

8
9
9
7

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

9 10

FIGURE
FIGURE
7a 7a

sim.

7
7
5

9
8

9
10 X
10 9 10
12

9 11 12

X
X
X

13

X
X
X

12

15

14 13

12

14

X
X
X

5
5
3

X
X
X

4
3

5
3

13
!

12 14 15 12 12 10

12

10 9

10

14 12

12

14

15 12

12

9
10

10

12
13 X
11 12 11 12
10 14

4
3

15

15

12
12

15

15

11

12 11

14

13

5
3

FIGURE
FIGURE
66

F# G

(root) (maj3)

12

13

12

14

17

15

19

(#4)

17

18

19

( 18)
1/2

18

17

19 18

10

!
20

21

1/2

17

19

20 17

A diminished-seven arpeggio
14

14

15

16
17

14
15

(5)

20

FIGURE
FIGURE
8a8a E Dorian

14 15 20
13 17 19

E blues scale
13

P.M.

9 12

FIGURE
FIGURE
7b 7b

8
!

FIGURE
FIGURE 7c 7c

10

C5

7
7
5

FIGURE
FIGURE
5b 5b C Lydian mode

( )
151919

D5

8
9
9
7

17

16

17 14

17
17

19

20

CHAPTER 2
QUICK, EFFECTIVE PICK-HAND WARM-UP EXERCISES

IN THIS CHAPTER, Id like to

show you my favorite right-hand


(pick-hand) warm-up exercise. I
use this exercise at every show,
every clinic and any time I need
to warm-up my right hand
before performing.
The entire exercise is played on the
top three strings in a rhythm of repeating
eighth-note triplets. This means that
each beat in a bar of 4/4 is divided
like this: ONE-trip-let, TWO-trip-let,
THREE-trip-let, FOUR-trip-let. To play
each eighth-note triplet, I use a picking
motion of up-up-down. As illustrated in
FIGURE 9, I pick the open high E string
with an upstroke, followed by the open B
picked with an upstroke, followed by the
open G string picked with a downstroke.
I also use palm-muting (P.M.) to attain
a more staccato (detached) sound. Palm
muting is performed by resting the edge
of the pick-hand palm across all of the
strings, at the bridge saddles.
Note that the upstrokes are performed
as individual strokes, as opposed to
picking a single upstroke dragged across
the top two strings, which would be
whats known as a reverse sweep or
reverse rake. It requires more muscle
movement and coordination to perform
two upstrokes, but thats why this is a
good warm-up exerciserepeating three
distinct picking motions in this way will
build up the muscles in the pick hand.
Because I get bored hearing the same
three open strings over and over, I like to
use different chords to make the exercise
sound more interesting. As shown in
FIGURE 10, I can barre across the top three
strings at the fifth fret to sound an Am
triad. This will soon get monotonous as
well, so I can easily make it sound more
interesting by changing the note on
the high E string to imply a melody, as
demonstrated in FIGURE 11.
In order for this exercise to be an effective warm-up, I need to keep picking
the strings in this way for at least two
minutes, which of course inspires me
to move around the fretboard a little bit
and find some other interesting shapes
and figures to play. Lets start with different inversions (chord voicings) of Am,
as shown in FIGURE 12a: I begin in eighth
position, with the minor third, C, on top,
and then shift up to a 12th-position inversion of Am with the fifth, E, on top.
Likewise, Ill alter the note on the
high E string for a little variety, as in
FIGURE 12b. Another good thing to do is
to practice picking dynamics, by picking
softer or louder, or switching between

the two. Youll find that when playing


very quietly it takes a lot of control to
keep the picking even.
Lets move to some different chords:
FIGURE 12c begins with a G major voicing,
again altered by changing the note on
the high E string: FIGURE 12d features an
ascending D diminished-seven voicing,
and FIGURE 12e begins with some natural
harmonics (N.H.), sounded by lightly
FIGURE
FIGURE
91

0
0

FIGURE
FIGURE
12a4a

GU I TA R WOR L D

FIGURE11 3
FIGURE

Am

Am

P.M.

P.M.

= downstroke

3
= upstroke

P.M.

15

sim.

10

3
13

14

14

14

13

FIGURE
FIGURE12c4c

Am

12

13

FIGURE
FIGURE
12b4b

sim.

Am

P.M. throughout

14
14

7
5

13

10

3
5

10

10

3
5

12

14

13

14

3
10

12

10

10
9

10

8
9

sim.

15

13

10

P.M. throughout
14
14

13

12

10

cresc.

14
14

3
10

13

14

mp 3

mf

3
10

14

cresc.

mp

13

mf

P.M. throughout

sim.

FIGURE
FIGURE12d4d

10

5
7

7
7

Ddim7

Am

P.M. throughout

sim.

FIGURE
FIGURE12e4e

4
7

10

7
10

13

10

12

10
13

16

12

13

15

16

13

15

14

12

13

14

Em

N.H.

sim.

12

12

12

Am

ON
DISC

FIGURE102
FIGURE

Em

laying a fret-hand finger across the top


three strings directly above the fretwire.
If you play all of these figures in
sequence without stopping, you will
have repeated this picking motion for
about three minutes. By this point,
your pick-hand will be warmed up.
In the next chapter, Ill offer some
permutations on this useful and
effective exercise.

5
5

(slow down)

0
5
5
5
7

READY TO RUMBLE

CHAPTER 3

READY TO RUMBLE, PART 2


MORE PICK-HAND WARM-UP EXERCISES

IN THE LAST CHAPTER, I pre-

sented an intensive pick-hand


exercise that I do before every
show or clinic. I know that
in any situation it will get me
warmed up and ready to play
in no time. To refresh your memory,
the exercise is built from sequences of
eighth-note triplets that fall on three
adjacent strings, one note played per
string, moving from the highest string
to the lowest. Instead of playing each
triplet as a reverse sweep, which involves dragging the pick across the
three strings in a single upward motion, I prefer to use individual pick
strokes, picking the first two notes
with upstrokes and the last note with
a downstroke. It is the use of these
individual strokes that really builds up
ones picking strength and stamina.
With just about everything I use as
a warm-up exercise, one of my hopes
is that I will eventually use the given
technique in a piece of music. Im not
interested in warm-ups that are simply
muscle-building routines. To me, its
more useful and enjoyable if the exercise exudes some musical merit as well.
One of the ways to apply a musical
approach to this picking exercise is to
instill a scalar concept, molding the
exercise to the musical structure of a
given scale. A scale that works well with
this exercise is Phrygian dominant,
which is the fifth mode of the harmonic
minor scale. Sometimes referred to as
the snake charmer scale, Phrygian
dominant is intervallically spelled 1 f2 3
4 5 f6 f7. In the key of E, the notes are E
F Gs A B C D; FIGURE 13 is a descending
run based on this exotic-sounding scale.
The first thing I did with the scale
was to harmonize it in three-note
chords, as shown in the first bar of
FIGURE 14. Starting with an E+ (E augmented) triad, I move the chord shapes
down the neck by shifting each note on
each string to the next lower scale tone
on that string, i.e., the E note on the
fourth string moves down to D, the Gs
on the third string moves to F and the
C on the second string moves to B. The
process continues down the fretboard
to first position.

GU I TA R WOR L D

manner as FIGURE 14 for the first two


bars, but at the end of bar 2 I anticipate
each new chord shape by shifting to it
on the preceding eighth note, sounded
on the fourth string with a downstroke. This approach is then adhered
to for the remainder of the exercise.
Anticipating each new chord shape like
this serves to make the exercise sound
even more interesting.
Once youve become comfortable
with the picking technique and musical concept, try to invent your own
ways of connecting these kinds of triadic chord shapes. For the truly adventurous and ambitious, try applying the
pattern to all the other groups of three
adjacent strings.

Now lets apply our picking technique to these chord shapes, as demonstrated in the second part of FIGURE
14. Following an eighth-note pickup
on the fourth string, picked with a
downstroke, each eighth-note triplet
is picked up-up-down on the second,
third and fourth strings, respectively.
Notice that I like to use palm muting
throughout (rest the edge of the pickhand palm across the bridge saddles)
to attain a more percussive attack and a
clearer separation of notes.
Now that you have a handle on the
concept, lets experiment by moving
these chord shapes around the board in
different patterns: as shown in FIGURE
15, I begin by descending in the same
FIGURE
FIGURE
13 1

Freely

E79

1/2

12 10

13 12 10 9 10 9

FIGURE
FIGURE
14 2

10

9 10

E E79 Am E7 F E Dm E

13
13
14

12
10
12

10 9
9 7
10 9

5 A

P.M.

7 9 7 6 7 6

13

10

14

E79

Am

13

12

14

10

10

12

9
9

3
3

10

10

10
10

9
9

6
7

10

5
7

14

10

13

14

12

12

10

10

13

15
14

13

13

Dm

sim.

3
3

3
1

3
4

0
0
1
2
2
0

E7

= downstroke = upstroke

12

3
6

10

7 7 7 5 7 5 4
3

sim.
6

12

13

14

8 7

13

9 10 9

10

P.M. throughout

3
6

10

14

6 5 3 1
5 4 2 1
7 6 3 2

3
5

FIGURE
FIGURE
15 3

1/2

12

3
10

15
1

CHAPTER 4

ASSUME THE POSITION


USING POSITION SHIFTS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE WHEN SOLOING

ID LIKE TO ADDRESS the dodgy

subject of position shifting.


A great way to jump into this
topic is to use as our basis one
of the most commonly used
scales in rock, the minor pentatonic. FIGURE 16 illustrates A minor
pentatonic played in fifth position.
Most guitar players have played this
scale in this position a million times. In
this chapter, Ill show you how to play
it outside of the box, using position
shifts that give you greater movement
and versatility over the fretboard.
When this scale is played in fifth
position, the highest note is C (first
string, eighth fret) and the lowest note
is A (sixth string, fifth fret), and you are
stuck within the limitations of those
boundaries. Position shifts open those
boundaries, allowing us to play this
scale from the absolute lowest note possible, the open low E, to one of the highest notes possible on a guitar, the D on
the first strings 22nd fret.
FIGURE 17 illustrates a very comfortable way to traverse this scale, as well
the entire fretboard, across three and
a half octaves of A minor pentatonic.
Following the first note, the open low
E, I fret a G on the third fret of the sixth
string and then hammer-on up to A at
the fifth fret. I then move over to the A
string and start with a hammer from the
third fret to the fifth, then slide up from
the fifth to the seventh fret. This is followed by fifth-to-seventh-fret hammers
on the D and G strings.
The next note is the key to this exercise: using the open high E string to
sound the next note in the scale, I am
afforded the opportunity to shift all the
way up to 17th position and continue
playing the rest of the scale.
Making that position shift sound
seamless can be a little tricky, so its a
good idea to break the phrase up into
smaller pieces, as shown in FIGURE 18.
Begin by looping the first six notes of
the scale with the position shift. Once
that begins to feel comfortable, add a
few more notes and continue to do so
until the entire phrase feels comfortable
and seamless. Familiarizing yourself
with an expanded note register like this
will afford you a range that is normally
exclusive to keyboard players.
Another good (but admittedly in-

GU I TA R WOR L D

sane) position-shifting exercise is to


play the entire A minor pentatonic scale
in fifth position using just one finger. As
shown in FIGURE 19, I first play the entire
scale using only my index finger, which
forces me to move it up and down the
fretboard very quickly and, hopefully,
accurately. I then repeat the exercise
with the middle finger, ring finger and
pinkie. This type of drill will get you
accustomed to making instantaneous
position shifts with every one of your
fretting fingers.
The last position-shifting lick in this
chapter is shown in FIGURE 20. This
one looks a little crazy because I shift

back and forth between two positions


very quickly. In the first bar, I begin in
10th position and use string skipping,
from the high E to the G, to play the
first two notes. I then play the last four
notes in 12th position. The lick in bar 2
is almost identical, except the first and
fourth notes in the lick are played one
fret lower. When you get this one up to
speed, it sounds a little like a synthesizer lick.
Hopefully these exercises will help
you to get a handle on position shifting, and I do hope you have fun playing minor pentatonic scales with your
pinkie only.

FIGURE
FIGURE
16 1 A minor pentatonic scale
8

5
1

0
5

17

FIGURE 183
FIGURE

FIGURE
17 2
FIGURE


17

0
7

17

19

5 7

17

19

17

20

5 7

20

17

20

17

19

17 19

17

20

0 3 5

3 5 7

5 7

5 7

17 19

17 19

17 19

17

20

17 20 20 20 17

20 17

17 19

20

1
0

20

0
5 7

20

FIGURE
FIGURE
19 4

index:
middle:
ring:
pinkie:

1
2
3
4

1
2
3
4

FIGURE
FIGURE
205

1
2
3
4

1
2
3
4

1
2
3
4

12

15

10
12

1
2
3
4

1
2
3
4

1
2
3
4

12

14

10

etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.

9
12

12

14

12

14

*by Paul Gilbert

CHAPTER 5

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE


ALTERNATE PICKING WITH ACCENT PATTERNS

IN THIS CHAPTER were go-

ing to look at the concept of


syncopation, and well begin
with a rhythm figure that lays
out an accent pattern. Keep
that rhythmic syncopation in your
mind, because I use those same accents in the crazy picking exercise
that is the focus of this column.
Check out the rhythm guitar figure
riff in FIGURE 21: this pattern is made
up of root-fifth power chords played
in a syncopated fashion against an
open low-E pedal tone. This is essentially a two-bar rhythm pattern with
very pronounced, specific accents: in
bar 1 they fall on the downbeat of beat
one, the upbeat of beat two and the
downbeat of beat four; the accents in
bar 2 fall squarely on beats one, two
and three. If one were to recreate that
rhythm orally, it would sound like
this: ONE (and two) AND (three and)
FOUR (and) ONE (and) TWO (and)
THREE (and four and).
FIGURE 22 illustrates the picking
exercise, which is based on a long
sequence of 16th-note triplets. Notice
how the line is contoured with accents falling in the same places as in
FIGURE 21. Its in the key of E minor
and stays diatonic (within the scale
structure of ) to the E natural minor
scale, which is also known as the E
Aeolian mode (E Fs G A B C D).
The great majority of the lick is alternate picked, but I throw in a couple
of double hammer-ons, which serve to
smooth out the sound. Also, its very
important to begin this lick with an
upstroke. Throughout the exercise,
the initial pick on each new string is
executed in this manner.
I begin FIGURE 22 in ninth position
and play the initial pattern twice. I
then move up to 12th position and
follow the same pattern contour
while staying within the scale structure of E natural minor, which necessitates a slight change in fingering. I
then do the same thing in 16th position. In FIGURE 22a, I move the lick up
the fretboard one scale degree at a
time, beginning in ninth position on
Fs, then starting on G, A, B and C.
A great thing to do is focus on one
part of the lick, such as the fragment
shown in FIGURE 23. Play this slowly until it feels comfortable, then gradually
increase your speed.

FIGURE
FIGURE
21 1 q = 152
B5

3.

4
4
2

GU I TA R WOR L D

D5

G5

E5

B5

D5

F#5

P.M.

12
12
10

12

10

8 10

12 10 9 10 12

9
X

(repeat
prev. beat)

12

15

0 15 17 19
3

12

10

12 10

14 12 10 12 14

19 17 15 17 19
3

12

14

12 14 15

14 15 17

10

12

17 15 14 15 17

14

19 17 15 17 19

15 17 19
3

19 17 16 17 19

10

10 12

14 12 10 12 14
3

16 17 19

19 17 16 17 19

16 17 19

10 12 14

12 14 16

14 16 17

16

19 17 16 17 19

10

12

11

16

14

9 10 12

14

17 16 14 16 17

16

12

11

16 14 12 14 16

14 12 10 12 14

12

12 10

16 14 12 14 15

19 17 16 17 19

9 10 12

17 15 14 15 17

P.M.

16

12

15 14 12 14 15

12 14 16

12

12

15 14 12 14 15
3

12 10

16

16

15 14 12 14 15

15 17 19

12

10 12 14

9
9
7

P.M.

9 10 12

10

12 14 15

P.M.

12

9 10 12

10

P.M.

15 14 12 14 15

sim.

P.M.

10

Em

12

sim.

12

FIGURE
FIGURE
22a2a

12

9
9
7

P.M.

9 10

9
9
7

E5

= downstroke = downstroke

E5

Em

P.M.

11
11
9

FIGURE
FIGURE
22 2

P.M.

P.M.

7
7
5

G5

P.M.

4
4
2

P.M.

9
9
7

2.

E5

P.M.

12
12
10

P.M.

9
9
7

P.M.

14
14
12

G5

P.M.

9
9
7

P.M.

12
12
10

A5

1.

E5

P.M.

7
7
5

P.M.

7
7
5

15

D5

P.M.

FIGURE
FIGURE
23 3

16

19 17 16 17 19
P.M.

CHAPTER 6

FAST AND CLEAN

ALTERNATE-PICKED 16TH NOTESTHE BUSINESS CARD OF SHRED GUITAR


I WANT TO talk about an in-

gredient that is essential to


every guitar soloists arsenal:
alternate-picked 16th notes.
Sixteenth notes are like the
business card of shred guitar,
as the essence of the style is the ability
to cleanly execute fast, alternate-picked
16ths throughout the fretboard. Id like
to show you a great 16th-note sequence
that can be played all over the neck, is
great for both your right- and left-hand
technique and also sounds very melodic
and musical.
For the sake of familiarity, lets use
the key of E natural minor (E Fs G A B
C D). FIGURE 24a illustrates the initial
shape, which well adapt to various positions, moving up the neck through the
scale. Using alternate (down-up) picking, starting with a downstroke, I play
on the top two strings exclusively, beginning with two notes on the high E string,
followed by two notes on the B string,
then one note per string, ending with
two notes on the B. In this and all other
examples, the index finger remains at
the same fret throughout the melodic
shape. Begin by playing this lick slowly,
and gradually build up speed.
For FIGURE 24a we started on B, the
fifth of the scale. Lets move the idea
one note higher within E natural minor,
beginning on C, the sixth (FIGURE 24b).
Notice that the fingering is slightly
differentthis is to accommodate the
structure of the scale: whereas the first
two notes of FIGURE 24a were a whole
step apart, and fretted with the ring
and index fingers, the first two notes
in FIGURE 24b are a half step apart, and
are fretted with the middle and index
fingers.
For FIGURES 24c-g, we continue to
move the pattern up one scale degree
at a time. FIGURE 25 then begins on the
fifth, B, one octave higher than where
we started.
Each of these shapes offers a new
challenge in terms of fret-hand fingering. FIGURE 24f is particularly interesting
because you have to use all four fingers
(fret-hand fingerings are indicated below
the tab). Another cool thing about that
lick is its pull to a C Lydian (C D E Fs G A
B) tonality (C Lydian and E natural minor are comprised of the same notes).
Now lets run these melodic shapes in
sequence. In FIGURE 25, I play the initial
lick five times and then descend through
the shapes. I end with a little flair, bending the Fs up a half step to G and applying a tapped harmonic, executed by
bouncing the pick-hand index finger

GU I TA R WOR L D

FIGURE
24a1a
FIGURE

FIGURE
24b1b
FIGURE

Em

Em


7 5

8 5 7

8 5

13 10


12
!

17 13


15
!

Em

13 10 12

10

FIGURE
24f1f
FIGURE

Em

15 14

14

17 13 15

sim.
8 7
7
10 7 8 10 7

= downstroke; = upstroke

* alternate picking:

FIGURE
FIGURE
24d1d
12 10

FIGURE 24c1c
FIGURE


8
!

Em

10 8

12 8 10

FIGURE
FIGURE
24e1e

15 12 13

12

15 12

19 15


17
!

FIGURE
24g1g
FIGURE
Em

17 15

19 15 17

15


10
!


14
!

Em

14 12

12 8

FIGURE
FIGURE
25 2

Em

19 17

14

12

15

17

20 17 19

12

12

13

(play 5 times)

20 17

15

12

12

17 15

10

13

15

19 15 17

10

12

10

15 14

19 15

13

10

10

17 13 15

12

10

14

10

10

7
!

12

*T.H.

1/2

17 13

7(19)
!

*Tap harmonic

FIGURE
26 3 legato (w/pull-offs)
FIGURE
Em

19 17

12 10

20 17 19

13 10 12

10

17

13 10

20 17

10 8

17 15

19 15 17

12 8 10

directly against the 19th fret.


As these exercises include a few
two-notes-per-string descending lines,
a cool twist is to use pull-offs wherever
possible in order to attain a smoother
legato sound, as demonstrated in FIGURE
26. And despite what some people say,

12 8

15

19 15

8 7

15 14

10 7 8

17 13 15

10 7

14

17 13

7 5

14 12

8 5 7

15 12 13

(play 3 times)
5
8 5

12

15 12

1/2

!
7

using pull-offs and hammer-ons is not


cheating! Legato phrasing is a very valid
technique, and, personally speaking,
I do not adhere to a pick everything
approach when I play. I actually use
a combination of picking and legato,
which I think sounds great.

CHAPTER 7

STICK YER NECK OUT


USING NECK DIAGRAMS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

ONE THING IVE FOUND very


helpful in my guitar studies over
the years is using what I call
neck diagrams to map out riffs,
patterns and melodic shapes. I
find that diagramming makes it
easier to visualize and, in turn, remember, new shapes on the fretboard.
A good example of a common fretboard shape is an open D chord: just
about every guitar player is familiar
with the triangular shape of a D cowboy chord. But when the shape is a
little more complex, it helps to map it
out and study it visually.
Lets start with a string-skipping arpeggio in the key of A minor, illustrated
in FIGURE 27a: this begins at the seventh
fret on the D string, followed by the
fifth and ninth frets on the G string, a
skip over the B string and then the fifth
and eighth frets on the high E string.
Notice the visual shape created by
these points on the fretboard (see diagram)it looks a little like a rhombus.
Pay close attention to the fret-hand
fingering indicated for this shape.
Aside from picking every note, you
can use hammer-ons and pull-offs, as
there are two consecutive notes present on the G and high E strings. FIGURE
27b illustrates how to play the lick using
pull-offs, and FIGURE 27c takes things a
step further by incorporating pull-offs
on the way down and hammer-ons on
the way up. Using hammers and pulls
like this makes the lick considerably
easier to play than it would be if you
were to pick every note because of the
numerous skips over the B string.
Another advantage of using hammers and pulls is that you can get some
good speed going and create interesting phrasings. As shown in FIGURE 27d,
I use quick hammers and pulls on the
high E and G strings to keep the lick
moving along. Practice all of these patterns slowly, striving for a very smooth
and even sound.
Now that you have this pattern
clearly visualized, Id like to show you
a cool bonus benefit that I discovered.
If we transpose the pattern up a minor
third (three frets), we get a C minor
arpeggio, as illustrated in FIGURE 28.
But heres the twist: one day, I decided I was going to explore the entire
fretboard and find every single place
I could possibly bend a note within
the context of a blues in A. In this key,
most guitarists will bend the G string
at the seventh fret, as shown in FIGURE
29a, or the B string at the eighth fret, as
in FIGURE 29b, or perhaps the B string at

GU I TA R WOR L D

.. ..
.

5 !
8

FIGURE
FIGURE 27a1a

Am

fret-hand: 2

Am
5
9

FIGURE 27d1d
FIGURE

Am
8

11

12

9 5

1/2

A7

8 7 7 5

FIGURE 29d3d
FIGURE

A(7)

grad. bends
1/2

11

1/4

10

5 8 5

8 7

8 7 5

5 7 7 7 5

5 5 7 7 5

the seventh fret, as demonstrated at the


beginning of FIGURE 29c.
String bending is a technique that
imparts a lot of emotion and character to your playing, and as such I
dont want to be limited to just one
positionI want to be able to bend everywhere! In searching for more places
to bend, I realized that, in the key of
A, I could use the notes of the C minor
triad shape in FIGURE 28, as long as I

5 5

A(7)

1/2

FIGURE 29b3b
FIGURE

FIGURE
30 4
FIGURE

1/2 1/2

8
12 8

5 8 8 5 8 5

5
9

FIGURE 29a3a
FIGURE

1 1/2

1/2

freely
1/2

FIGURE 29c3c
FIGURE

A(7)

10
!

8 5

Cm

8
8

Am

(play 3 times)

FIGURE 282
FIGURE

(play 3 times)
5

FIGURE
FIGURE 27b1b

8fr 9fr

7fr

FIGURE
FIGURE
27c1c
8

3fr 5fr

A5
1/2 1

11

1/4

8
8 12

1/2 1/2

1/2 1/2

5
6

1/2 1/2

5
3

2 0

2
2
0

2
2
0

bend each note up a certain amount to


a right note in the key of A, as demonstrated in FIGURE 29d. Now that I had
these new places to bend, I combined
them with the more conventional key
of A bends, as shown in FIGURE 30.
Try incorporating these bends into
your playing. For the adventurous, take
a really bad note in the key of Alike
Bfand bend the daylights out of it until
it sounds good.

CHAPTER 8

SHAPE SHIFTING

HOW TO ORGANIZE PATTERNS ON THE FRETBOARD

FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
IVE FOUND IT VERY helpful as
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
31 11
FIGURE
32 22
FIGURE
33 33
A5
A5
A5
a guitarist to familiarize myself
A5
A5
A5
a)a)
b)b)
c)c)
a)a)
b)b)
with the layout of the keyboard
12
12
10
10
10
10
on a piano. This in turn has
99
66 99
77
77
77
made it easier for me to visual77
44 77
5
5
5
ize patterns on the guitar fret5
5
5
board. A quick look at the black keys on
a piano reveal the logic with which they
c)c)
12
12 9 9
12
99
12
12
12
are laid out: starting on the far left and
10
10
10
10
99 66
99 66
moving right, there are two blacks keys
77
77
followed by three black keys, and the
77 44
55
pattern repeats across the entire key33
33
33
33
board. The great thing for piano playFIGURE
FIGURE
ers is that any scale, chord or musical
FIGURE
34 44
FIGURE
3555
FIGURE
FIGURE
phrase in one position and octave can be
12
55
55 99 99
12
10
55
55
55
10
easily moved to another because it will
66
66
66
99
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
look exactly the same; you only have to
44 77
77 44
44 77
77
55
55
55
memorize its shape.
The guitar, however, is not like this;
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
depending on the string or fretboard
FIGURE
3666
FIGURE
37b7b7b
FIGURE
37a7a7a
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
position, the shapes of scales and
A5G5
G5E5E5
A5
riffs can change quite a bit, even when
20 20
20
1719
1920
20
20
17
18
18
18
18
playing exactly the same notes. But Ive
17
1416
1617
17
17
14
15
15
developed an approach to the guitars
77 55 55
15
15
15
1214
1415
15
77 55 55
15
12
fretboard wherein you can use the same
13
13
55 33 11
13
13
shapes, and very easily move them
33
33
through different octaves.
11
FIGURE
FIGURE
7c7c
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
37c
FIGURE
38a8a8a
As shown in FIGURE 31, there is an A
17
19
20
17
1715
1513
13
17 19 20 17
17
note located on the sixth strings fifth
1818
fret, another A one octave higher lo1515141416161717

12
14
15
10
7 7 9 910
cated on the seventh fret of the fourth
10
131312 14 15
7 710
string (two strings over and two frets
higher), and another A located at the
FIGURE
FIGURE
39a9a9a
FIGURE
10th fret on the second string (two
C#m75
C#m75
strings over and three frets higher).
8fr8fr
Its very valuable to memorize the
FIGURE
FIGURE
positions of these three A notes, because
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE
38b8b8b
FIGURE
39b9b9b
TT 2 2
33
11
the patterns of many licks based around
12
14
15
12
14
15
12
15
12
15
one of these A notes can easily be moved
11
12
9 911
12
12
9 912
to either of the other two A notes. This
10
10
10
7 7 10
7 7 10
7 7 10
is especially true if the lick falls on the
77 99
77 99
77 99
sixth and fifth, fourth and third, or secFIGURE
ond and first strings, because these pairs
FIGURE
39c9c9c
FIGURE
A7
A7
of adjacent strings are tuned in fourths,
and the shape of any lick on these pairs
of strings will be identical.
1/2
1/2
1/2
1/2
A simple example is an A5 power
12
15
14
14 14
1412
12
12
12 15 14 14
12
chord: FIGURE 32a combines an A root
10
15
13
10
15
13
12121414
12
14
note on the sixth string with an E note,
9 9 12
14
11
7 79 9 11
7
10
which is the fifth, on the fifth string; you
7 10
55 77 99
can move this shape up an octave to the
55
55
55
33
fourth and third strings, two frets higher (FIGURE 32b), or the second and first
strings, three frets higher (FIGURE 32c).
which is a little more work for the brain
Lets apply the concept to an E minor
FIGURE 33a illustrates an A major triad
because it involves different shapes.
lick (FIGURE 38a). We can move this up
(A Cs E) played on the bottom two
Lets use this approach to create licks.
one and two octaves, as shown in FIGURE
strings; we can move this same trianFIGURE 35 incorporates the root/fifth
38b, fretting it exactly the same way. For
gular shape over to the other A notes
power chord concept, with the notes
fun, try improvising around those shapes.
(FIGURES 33b and 33c) and yield the same
played separately and in sequence. Given
FIGURES 39a-c incorporate this conmusical result in higher octaves.
a chord progression like A5-G5-F5, as
cept with a Csm7f5 arpeggio; for an
In comparison, fingering the notes of
shown in FIGURE 36, you can play that lick
additional twist, FIGURE 39c positions a
this arpeggio across all of the strings in
in F over the F5 chord. Add a few notes
Csm7f5 arpeggio-type lick over an A7
one position would give us something
to that shape, and we can get an F Lydian
chord, which yields a cool, fusion-y A9
like what is illustrated in FIGURE 34,
sound, as shown in FIGURES 37a-c.
(A Cs E G B) sound.

10

GU I TA R WOR L D

00

!
!

00 00

!
!

00


!
!

!
!

CHAPTER 9

SNAKE-CHARMING LICKS
THE FIFTH MODE OF HARMONIC MINOR

IN THIS CHAPTER, Id like to

talk about what I refer to as


snake-charming licksmy
slang term for licks built from
the Phrygian-dominant mode,
the fifth mode of the harmonic
minor scale. The notes of the E harmonic minor scale are: E Fs G A B C
Ds. To form the fifth mode of this scale,
start from the fifth scale degree, B, and
proceed up one octave while using the
same notes; the resulting scale, shown
in FIGURE 40, is B Phrygian-dominant
and is spelled: B C Ds E Fs G A. Notice
that this scale fingering requires a bit
of a stretch on the low E string: while
rooted in seventh position, the pinkie
has to reach up to the 11th fret, which
is one fret higher than the standard,
and more comfortable, four-fret span of
many scales.
Lets begin with a series of stringskipping licks. When possible I like
to devise easy fingerings, and the lick
shown in FIGURE 41a, utilizes the same
fingering on both the G and high E
strings: I begin with the index finger at
the eighth fret on the G string, followed
by the ring finger at the 11th fret (a bit of
a stretch) and the pinkie at the 12th; the
exact same frets and fingers are used
on the high E string. Instead of simply
playing this riff up and down, move it
around a little and use hammer-ons and
pull-offs, as shown in FIGURE 41b.
Now lets move the concept up to the
next fretboard position: As shown in
FIGURE 42a, I use the 11th, 12th and 14th
frets on both the G and high E strings.
You can even link these two positions
using two-note chords, as shown in
FIGURE 42b, which is a nice way to harmonize B Phrygian-dominant.
Lets move up the concept one more
time, to 14th position. Here we have to
change the fingering slightly: 14-16-17
frets on the G string and 14-15-17 frets
on the high E. FIGURE 43 then links these
three positions together. Now that you
have the shapes, try creating improvised
patterns and different ways to connect
the positions, as shown in FIGURE 44.
Heres another great lick: FIGURE 45
incorporates a series of double pull-offs
from various positions. Because were
in the key of B, we can take advantage of
our open B string. FIGURE 46 is based on
a five-note sequence that sounds great
when cycled repeatedly: start with an
upstroke, followed by a downstroke and
two pull-offs, and end with a downstroke. Five is a weird number for a rock
lick, but if you play it fast enough, youll
feel the pulse of the downbeats.

FIGURE
40 1 B Phrygian dominant mode
FIGURE

FIGURE
1
FIGURE
1 B
B Phrygian
Phrygian dominant
dominant mode
mode
B7(9)
B7(9)
FIGURE
1 B Phrygian dominant mode
B7(9)
FIGURE
1 B Phrygian dominant
mode
B7(9)
7 9
7
7 9 10 dominant
10 9
B7(9)
7 9
9
7mode
FIGURE
1
B
Phrygian
7
7
7 8 11 7 9 10
10
7 9 10
10 9
9
7
8
11
B7(9)
7 9
7
7 8 11
FIGURE
2b
7 9 10
10 9
7
9
7
7
8
11
FIGURE
2b
FIGURE
41b B7(9)
FIGURE
2b
7 9 10
10 9
freely
7 8
B7(9)
12 117 8 9
7
freely
FIGURE
2b11 788 11
freely B7(9)
9
10
10 9
11
12
11
8
1112 8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12
FIGURE
2b11
freely7 8B7(9)
8
11
12
12
11
8
8
11
12
11
8
11 12
12 11 8 11
11 12
12
freely 8B7(9)
FIGURE
2b
8 11 12 8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12
freely B7(9)

FIGURE 41a2a
FIGURE
FIGURE
2a
FIGURE B7(9)
2a
FIGURE B7(9)
2a
B7(9)
FIGURE 8B7(9)
2a11 12
8 11
11 12
8
FIGURE B7(9)
2a 12
8 11 12
B7(9)

8 11 12 11 8

8
11
12
11
8

8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8

8
8 11 12 11 8 12
12 11
11
8

11 8 9
7
8
11
12
11
8
12
11
8
7 11 8 9
8 11 12 8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8
11 8 9
7

11 8 9
8
7
8 11 12
12 11

8 11 8 9
8 11 12 11 12 11 8
8 11 8
8
8
7
8
8 11
12
8 1211
12 11
11 12
12 11
11 8
8 12 8
8 11
11 8
8 12 8
8 12 11 8
8 12 11
11 8 8 911 12 8 11
8 12
11
12 11
11 8
8 11
11 12
12 8 11 12 11 12 11 8 12
12 8 11 8 12
12 8 12
12 11
11 8 12
12
11

8 12 11
8 11 12 8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12 8 12 11

8 11 12 8 11 12 11 12 11 8 12 8 11 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11
8 11 12 8 11 12 11 12 11
5 8 12 8 11 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11

8 11 12

8 11 12

12 11 8 11 12

12 11

12 11 8
12 11
11 8
12
8 12 11
1
12 11 8 12
12 11
11
1
12 11 8 12 11
8 11 12 12 12 11 8 12 11
1

8
8
8

1/2
1/2
1/2

GU I TA R WOR L D

1/2

11 12
11
11 12
12

1/2

11 12

1/2

11 12
11 12

1
1
1

1112 11
1112 11
11
1112

1112 11

1112 11

1112 11

1
1
1
1
1
1

11

5
12
12 12 11
12 11
FIGURE 3a
FIGURE 42aB7(9)
5
FIGURE
3a
FIGURE
3a
B7(9)
512 14
FIGURE11
3a
B7(9)
11 12 14
11
12 14
14
11 12 14
5 12
B7(9)
FIGURE11
3a
11 12 14 11 12 14 11 12 14
B7(9)
12 14 11
11 12
12 14
14 11 12 14 11
11 12
12 14
14
FIGURE11
3a
11
12 14 11 12 14 11 12 14 11 12 14
B7(9)

8 11 12
12 11 8 !
11

8
11
12
12
11
8
11
8 12 11 8 !
8 11 12
11



8 12 11 8 !
8 11 12
11
11 12

3 14 11 12
3 14 11 12
3 14
8 11 12
12 11 8 !
11
8FIGURE
333 14 11 12
FIGURE 3b
4
3
3
3

3
3
3

FIGURE
3b
FIGURE
4
8
11
12
12
11
12
11
8
11
11
12
14
11
12
!
14
3 3
FIGURE B7(9)
3b
FIGURE 4B7(9)

3
3
B7(9)
B7(9) 14 15 17
FIGURE
42b83b
FIGURE
43 4B7(9)
11 123 14
3
FIGURE
FIGURE
11 12 14 12 11 8
8 11 12 !
12
B7(9)
3
312
11 12 14 12 11 8
14 15 17
11 12 14
883b
144B7(9)

17 11
14 8 11 12 8
8 11
11 12
12 !
12
B7(9)
FIGURE
FIGURE
11 12 14 12 11 8
16 17 14 15
12 14 11 12

3 14
3 11 12 83 11 12 3
8
11
14
16
12
14
8
8
11 12
12 14
14 12
12 11
11 8
8
17 11
11
12
12
B7(9)
B7(9)
14
16 17
17 14 15
11
12
14
8
11
12
!

FIGURE
3b
FIGURE
4

8 11 12 14 12 11 8
14 16 17 14 15 17 11
12
12 14 11 12 14
8 11 12 8 11 12 !

14B7(9)

8B7(9)
3 17 14 15
3 17 11 12
3 14 11 12
3 14
3 12 8 11
3 12 12
16
8 11
11
12
14
12
11
8
FIGURE
5
!

3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
FIGURE
5
8
14
8 11 12
FIGURE
5 11 12 14 12 11 8
8B7(9)
8 14 1633 817 33 11 12
3
3 14 14 14 312 11 12 3
B7(9)
11
8 12 11 12 11 8
8 11 8
11 12
11
11
B7(9)
FIGURE
5
44 88B7(9)
11
8 12 11 12 11 8
8 11 8 8
11 312 14 14 14312 11 123
11
3 8
3
3
11 14 11
11
FIGURE
FIGURE
5 11 12 8 12 11 12 11 8 12 8 11 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12 14 11 12 14 14 14 12 11 12
8B7(9)
12 8 12 11 12 11 8 12
12 8 11 8 12
12 8 12
12 11
11
12 311
11 8
8 11
11312
12 14
14 11 312 14 14 14312 11 123
14 11
11 14
3 8 12
12
FIGURE
85 11

11 12 8 12 11 12 11 8 12 8 11 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12 14 11 12 14 14 14 12 11 12
11 14 11
B7(9)
3 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12 14 11 12 14 14 14 12 11 12
11 14 11
8 111112 8 12 11 12 11 178 12178 11

314 14 15 15
141114
12
12
12
12 11
12 11 8
12 14
14

14 12 11
17
17
14
14
15
15
14
14

3
11 14 12 11 17 17 14 14 15 15 17 17 14 14
16 16 17 17 14 14 16

14

14 12
12 11 14
14 12
12 11
11 17 17 314 14 15 15 17
17 17
17 14 14
16 16
16 17
17 17
17 14
14 14
14 16
16
16

14 12 11 14 12 11 17 17 314 14 15 15 17 17 14 14 16 16 17 17 14 14 16

14 12 11 14 12 11 17 17 14 14 15 15 17 17 14 14 16 16 17 17 14 14
16

14 15 17 15 17 15 14 14 15 14
14
14
11 12 14
12 11
17 17
16 16 17 17 14 14 16
14141216 17 1414
14 15
15 17
17 15
15 17
17 15
15 14
14 14
14 15
15 14
14 17 14
14 17 16 14
1417 16 14 11 12 14 11
11 12
12 14
14
11 12 14
14 16
16 17
17 14 15 17 15 17 15 14 14 15 14 17
17 14 17
17 16
16 14 17
17 16
16 14
14 11
12 14 11 12 14
14

14
15
17
15
17
15
14
14
15
14
14
14
16 17
17
17 16
17 16 14 11 12 14 11 12 14
14

14 16333 17 14 15333 17 15 1733 15 14 14 1533 14 17 14 17333 16 14 17333 16 1411 12 14 11 1233 14


3
3
17
17 16
17 16 14 11 12 14
12141416123 1117 11 12314 11 33 11
8 11 12
8
8113 8
8
8
3
10
3

10 3!

12 14
14 12
12
11
11
12
14
11
11
8
11
12
8
811
8
8
8
12
11
11
12
14
11
11
8
11
12
8
811
8
8
8
3
3 14 14 12
3
3 12
14
14 12 11 8 311 12
12
12 11 12 11 8 10 3!
3
10 10
10

14
14
14
12
14
12
11
8
11
12
12
12
12
11
12
11
8
12 14 12
11 14 12 11 8 11 12 8 11 12 3
8 12 8113 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8
10
3 11 14 11 12314 14 11 14 12
10 3!
3
3

12 14 12 11 14 11 12 14 14 11 14 12 11 14 12 11 8 11 12 8 11 12
8 12 811 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8
10
10 !

3 11 8 12
3 11 8
12 14 12
5 11 14 11 12
3 14 14 11 14
3 8 12 811
3 8 12 8 12
3 12 11 14
3 12 11 38 11 12 38 11 12
10
10 !
3
3
3
3
3
3
3 12 14
3 12 11 3
38 11 12 3
FIGURE 6 55 14
3 11 12
3 11 8
3
3
3
3
14 14
12 3 12
12
FIGURE 6
6
FIGURE
3 7 03 12 12 8 0
3 7 03 8 8 3 5 0 3 7 7 4 30 8 8 3 5 0 10 10
10
776 4554 00 88 3355 00 10
FIGURE
10 10
10
7 0
03 8
8 8
83 5
5 0
0 37
7 7
7 4
4 30
0 8
8 8
835
5 0
0 10
10 10
10
7 0
03 12
12 12
12 8
8 0
0
3 7
3 7
7 4 0 8 5 0 10
FIGURE
76 54 0 8 35 0 10 10

3 7 03 12 12 8 0
3 7 03 8 8 3 5 0 3 7 7 4 30 8 8 3 5 0 10 10
45 76 34 0 8 35 0 10 10 7 0 8 8 5 0 7 7 4 0 8 8 5 0 10 10 7 0 12 12 8 0
FIGURE
FIGURE
7 334 0 8 335 0 10 10 7 0 FIGURE
8 8 7
5 0 7 7 4 0 8 8 5 0 10 *10= upstroke
7 0 12=12
8 0
downstroke
= upstroke
FIGURE
3
* =
= downstroke
downstroke
FIGURE* 7
7
3
*
upstroke
=
grad.
increase
speed

*
FIGURE* 87
8
12 12 38 0 10 3
grad.
increasespeed
speed
*
= downstroke
= upstroke
grad.
increase

8 12 10 8
8 12 10 8

*7
8
FIGURE
11 8 12 10 8 11 grad.
= upstroke
= downstroke

12
12
8
0
10
12
10
8

increase
speed

12 12 38 0 10 3
12 10 8 11
12 10 8 11 *

8
8
*7

11
11

FIGURE
FIGURE
increasespeed
= upstroke
= downstroke
12 12 8 0 10
46* 8 12 10 8 11 8 12 10 8 11 *grad.

increase
speed

8 12 105 8 11 8 12 105 8 11 grad.
12 12 8 0 10


12 1055 8
5
12 12 8 0 10
12 10
5 8 11
11


5
5

5
5
8 11 12 12
8 11
11 12
12
8
12 12
8 11 12 12
8 11 12 12

1
1
1

CHAPTER 10

UNITED MUTATIONS
MASTERING MUTING TECHNIQUES

ONE OF THE MOST important

things about playing rock and


roll guitar is to make big rock and
roll motions. If you see a guitarist
whos playing with the tiniest of
physical motions, its not very
exciting to watch. But a guitarist thats
bouncing and moving around, swinging
his arms and playing rhythm or lead with
real energythat, to me, is much more
exciting and much more rock.
Its not always easy to play the electric guitar with such physical abandon,
because its difficult to maintain perfect
control over a cranked-up guitar and
amp. When playing just one string, you
have to control the other five so that they
will not make any unwanted noises.
The solution is to use various parts
of your fret-hand fingers and thumb to
mute different strings. In FIGURE 47, Im
picking across all six strings while using
the fret hand to block every string except
the fourth, on which Im fretting and
shaking notes with my ring finger. The
top three strings are muted by the underside of the index finger, the fifth string is
muted by the tip of the ring finger, and
wrapping the thumb over the top of the
neck mutes the sixth string.
Another useful way to mute is to
use what I call pick muting: after
picking a note with a downstroke, I
immediately stop the string from ringing
by lightly touching it with the pick on
the upstroke. Likewise, after picking an
upstroke, I immediately touch it lightly
on the downstroke. As demonstrated in
FIGURE 48, this produces a staccato sound,
which means very short in duration. In
FIGURE 49, I begin by allowing the notes
to ring as long as possible (known as
tenuto articulation), and then I switch to
a staccato attack. In both examples, I use
alternate picking throughout, alternately
damping the string with either an
upstroke or a downstroke; this is more
clearly illustrated in FIGURE 50.
Using this technique, you can create
some really great aggressive-sounding
licks, like the ones shown in FIGURES 51a
and 51b: both of these freely improvised
phrases combine the staccato attack with
the legato (smooth) sound of hammerons and pull-offs.
You can, of course, gain further control over the strings by additionally palm
muting them, laying the edge of the pickhand palm across all of the strings at the
bridge saddles.
The sooner you master these muting
techniques, the sooner youll be able to
rock out and still play with a good measure of control over your instrument.

12

GU I TA R WOR L D


8 5 8 7 55 5 7 5
5 8 8 5 5 8 77 5 55 77 77 55 55 77


7
5 7
play note as short as possible.
** == staccato;
staccato; play note as short as possible.
FIGURE
FIGURE
3
3
3
3
FIGURE
4933 3 3 3
FIGURE
50 4
* = staccato; play note as short
as possible.
FIGURE
FIGURE
*
* 3
44
*
* 3
FIGURE
FIGURE
5
8
5 5 8 5
5* 8 88 5 55 88 7 55 5 8 88 5 55 88 7 55 5 7 5
* 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
5
5 8
5
5 8
5
7
7
5 7 7 5 5 7
8 5875
55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55
5
8
5 8
5
7
5 7 7 5 5 7

7
5 7
5
7
5 7 8 5 5

7
5 7
5
8
5
7
5 7
5
** == tenuto:

allow note to ring as long as possible.


* = downstroke
8
5
tenuto: allow note to ring as long as possible.
* =
downstroke
=== upstroke
FIGURE
51a
FIGURE
5a

upstroke
*
downstroke
FIGURE* (Am)
5a = tenuto: allow note to ring as long as possible.
= upstroke

(Am)
FIGURE 5a
5 sim.

(Am)
sim.
7 55 88 77 88 77 55 8 5 88 77 55 8 55 8 7 55 8sim.7 5
7 5 7 5
5
5
77 5 8 7 8 7 5 88 5 8 7 5 88 5 88 77 5 88 77 55 77 55 77 55 77 55 77 55 77 66 55 77 66 55 77


7 6 5
7 5
7
7 6
7
3

3
3

11 8
3
8 10

11 8
88 10
5
7 5


5
5 6 7 5 7 7 5 7 5 7
10 11 8


X
X
X
X
X
X

XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX
14
X 12
X 19
X
X
X 15
X 17
XXX77 XXX99 10
X 12
X
X 15
X 17
X 19
X
10
14

X
X
X
X
X
XX7 XX9 10XX 12XX 14XX 15XX 17XX 19XXX
X33 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33

FIGURE
47 1
FIGURE

FIGURE
48 2 pick muting
FIGURE

FIGURE 2* pick muting


8
5
FIGURE 25* pick
muting
8 5 5 8
5
* 8

FIGURE 1
FIGUREX
1 X
X X

1/2
1/2

1/2
1/2

1/2
1/2

1/2

1/2

1/2

1/2
1/2
1/2

6
6

3
3 5 3
3 5
6
7 6 5
3
sim.
8 5 3 5
sim. 11 10 8 10 11 10 8 10
10
10
sim. 11 10 8 10 11 10 8 10
10 11 10 8 10 11 10 8 10
5
5

7
7

6
6

5
5

8
8

5
5

5
5

3 5
3 5

3
3

5
5

3
3

5
5

7
7

5 6 7

3 5 3 5 7
3
5 3 5
3
10 11 10 11 10 8
10
3
10 11 10 11 10 8 10 10 10
10
10
10 11 10 11 10 8
10
10
10

8
8


512
12 14 12 14 12 12 13 14 13

14
15
12
13
14
15
12 13 14 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 13 14
12

12
15
13
14
15
12
13
14
14

12 14 12 14 12 12 13 14
15
12
12 13 14
14
12
15

3
3

FIGURE(Am)
5b
FIGURE(Am)
5b
(Am)

10

14

10
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
10

14

1
1

14

1
1

8
8 10
10
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 8
10
1

rit.
rit.

3
3

3
3

rit.

9
9
9

8
8

10 13
10 13

10 13

5
5

1/2
1/2

3
3
1/2 hold bend
1/2 hold3bend
1/2

8
8

sim.

10
13 10
11
12 11 10 12 13 10
14
11 10 12 11
12
10
13 10
10
11
12 11
12
10

sim.
14
15 14 15 14 12 12
14
12
14
15 14 15 14 12 13 12
14
12 13
sim.
12 14 12 14 13 14 12
13
14 15 14 15 14 12 12 12 14 14 12 14 12 14 12 14 13
13
13
14 13
12 14 12 14
14 12
14 13

12
10 12 13 12 13 12 10
12
12 14 13 12
14 13 12 15 12 10 12 10 12 13 12 13 12 10 12 12 12
12
15 12 10 12
12
12
14 13 12
10 12 13 12 13 12 10
12
15 12 10 12
12
12

hold bend
14
14 14 14
14
14 14 14

10
10

5
5

FIGURE
FIGURE
51b5b

5 6 7

10
10

1/2

12 10
10 11 12 12
12 10 12 10 11 12 12
12
12 10
10 11 12 12
12

10

1/2
1/2

12

13 14
13 14

14 141/2 141/2 10grad.


10 10 10 10 10 10 1/2
10
14 14 14 10 10 bend
10 10 10 10 10 10

13 14

14 14

14

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

1/2
1/2

1/2
1/2

A7sus4
A7sus4
5
A7sus4
5

10 8 110 8
5
1/2
1/2
10 8 10 8 10 9 8 5
5
7
10 9 8 5 8 7 5 8 7 5
5
7 5
10 8 10 8
5
8 7
8 7 5
7
7
6
5
7
10 9 8 5
5
7 5
5
5
8 7
8 7 5
7 6 5 8 5 3 7
7 5
8 5 3 5
7
3
rit. 7 6 5
8 5 3 5
3
rit.

12
12
1/2
1/2

grad. bend
grad. bend

1/2
1/2

rit.

CHAPTER 11

BREAKIN OUT

THE BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS OF LIVE PERFORMANCE


BEING A FULL-TIME guitar

player is an amazing experience.


Ive had this job for the past
20 or so years, and its brought
me a great deal of happiness.
Ive often thought about the
most important aspects of my job. One
is that, when I perform, its not necessarily essential that I play all the notes
perfectly or in a technically pristine
manner. More important is that I have
a great time. If I am really having fun
onstage, that energy translates to the
audience and they have a great time too.
Of course, if I hit lots of wrong notes, I
definitely wont be having a good time.
But if I hit one bad note and in my mind
Im thinking, I dont carethe rest of it
is great, then everything is cool. Its all
about enjoying having the opportunity
to perform music.
This brings me to the matter of the
difference between being a bedroom
guitarist and one who is experienced
and comfortable playing live in front of
people. Im of the firm belief that when
performing onstage you should play
the guitar with more than just your
fingersyou should play with your
entire body.
I performed at a tribute to the
Who last year, and had to follow Pete
Townshends lead when it came to recreating his parts. Pete absolutely does
not play with just his hands; he uses
his whole body, including his back,
torso, legs and arms. Its a stunning
experience to play Who songs with the
mindset of being a vessel for the music,
as Pete does. The Whos music is very
high-energy, and it feels great to stand
up and play it with all your might.
One of the first times that I really
got it and understood what this
meant was when I was listening to Jimi
Hendrix. I shouldnt say listening,
because my parents gave me a couple
of Hendrix albums when I was young,
and I did like them, but the thing that
really got me excited was when I saw
a Hendrix movie, and suddenly I could
watch how he played, and how he
moved when he played. For example,
he took a very simple string-bending
lick, along the lines of FIGURE 52, and
just shook the earth with the thing by
adding such physical force and rhythmic drive to it. There was so much
power in his playing, and I thought,
Oh, thats itthats why people keep
talking about Hendrix.
To play rock music back in those
days, you had to get together with

13

GU I TA R WOR L D

FIGURE
FIGURE
52 1

7
X
5

7
X
5

7
X
5

7
X
5

7
X
5

G5

Th

N.C.(A)

7
X
5

X
X
X

5
5
3

5
5
3

5
5
3

5
5
3

5
5
3

5
5
3

Th

FIGURE
FIGURE
53 2

E5

12 13 12

15

1215 13 15 13 12

12

15 13 15 13 12

14

12 13 15

12 14 12 14 12

14

12 13 15

12

15

12 15 14 15 14 12 15 14 15 14 12

3
7

15 13 15 13 12 11 12 11

14

11 14 12 14 12 11 14 12 14 12 11

15

14

11

14

grad.
bend

12 14 12 11

14
9

11 12 11

14

11 14 12 14 12 11 12 11 19

other musicians and crank up the amps


loud, as opposed to simulating this via
using Pro Tools in your bedroom. This
is why so many musicians of Hendrixs
era tended to be good at delivering
powerful musical statements to the audience. I encourage you to get together
with other musicians and find a place
where you can crank it up.
There are an infinite number of
things to be learned from live performance. An obvious one is getting over
making a mistakeif youre used to
merely hitting undo on your keyboard, you wont know how to deal
with it when you are onstage.
All the pioneers of rockJimi
Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Eric
Clapton, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van
Halen, to name a fewlearned these
valuable lessons early on. When you
think of young Eddie jamming in his
basement with his brother Alex, you
can envision how the two of them
learned to play together like they were
one person, or like musical twins. If
you can build musical relationships by

12

12 11 12 11 9
9

12

12 10 12 10 9

12

10

finding musicians you enjoy playing


with, and do so over a long period of
time, you will increase the likelihood of
making magic come out of your guitar.
So play with other musicians as often
as you can. If you know that the drummer is showing up at seven oclock, it
will motivate you to get your act together. Ive written many a song using
that specific motivation.
Heres another tip: Even if you are
playing some terrifying shred-type
licks, you should end the solo with as
much expression as you can muster.
For example, if you play something like
FIGURE 53, which features some blazingly fast shredding, end things with
an expressive bend and some extreme
body movement, in order to send it off
with a big exclamation point. Try to
harness as much energy as possible and
channel it into your playing.
This wraps up our the Shred Alert.
I hope youve learning the techniques
Ive taught you, and that they help your
playing to improve and become more
expressive.

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