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 notes—the 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

Mastering muting techniques
PHOTOGRAPHER TKTKTK

11. BREAKIN’ OUT

The blessings and benefits of live performance
Photograph by PHOTOGRAPHER
2 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 1
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
USING ALTERNATE PICKING AND NOTE SKIPPING

»
TO PLAY INTERESTING ARPEGGIO PATTERNS
HI, AND WELCOME to the first Instead of just playing a C major triad three octaves. It’s also fun to play each
chapter of Shred Alert, where (C E G) over C5, let’s add the s4 to the pair as a two-note chord (FIGURE 7c).
I’ll teach you many of the mix, as shown in FIGURE 6 with the notes Try applying this approach to
techniques I use. Let’s begin C, E, Fs and G. If we apply the note- whatever scale or mode you can think
with a very simple picking skipping concept, we get C-Fs as our of. As shown in FIGURE 8a, it works well
exercise (FIGURE 1) and look first pair (FIGURE 7a). FIGURE 7b illustrates with E Dorian, the E blues scale and an
at some of the neat and musically the ensuing sequence played across A diminished-seven arpeggio. ❒
interesting variations you can spin
from it. We have two notes, E and B,
picked repeatedly with alternating


downstrokes and upstrokes, a technique FIGURE
FIGURE 1 1 FIGURE
FIGURE 2 2a Em triad FIGURE 2b2b
FIGURE FIGURE
FIGURE 3a 3a
known as alternate picking. This is a    
sweep arpeggio


*

2   
good exercise for what I call “outside P.M.


P.M.

  
( )
151919 9 12


picking,” as the pick movement is
 99 
  1210 14  12 10  12 14 12 14 12
17 8
consistently on the “outside” of the pair 4 4 12 16
2 14
of strings, which is considerably easier

*  = downstroke  = upstroke 3
than “inside picking.”

3b 3b
  
3 3 3 3
What I am going to do now is

     
expand on this idea by applying a FIGURE
FIGURE FIGURE
FIGURE3c 3c FIGURE
FIGURE 3d3d FIGURE
FIGURE 4a 4a
mathematical pattern to an Em triad   sim.

14  17 17 
arpeggio (E G B). In FIGURE 2a, the
    
  12 15   12 14 15 14
notes are played sequentially in an
14 14 14 14 17 14 17
ascending fashion in two octaves 10 14 14 14 14

 FIGURE 

15 15 15 15
across the neck; in FIGURE 2b, the same


notes are played in a different position
as a sweep-picked arpeggio (sweep
FIGURE 4b4b
FIGURE FIGURE4c 4c
 
19 19 19


picking involves dragging the pick

 121415 14  121415 14

17 20 17 17 2017 17 20 17
16 16 16 16 16 16
across the strings in a single downward 14 1714 17 14 1714 17 17 14 17 14
or upward motion). 14 14
15 12
This is how most rock guitarists


play arpeggios—straight up and down. FIGURE
FIGURE 5a 5a
What I like to do in order to create Em D5 C5
a more interesting melodic contour
 
5  
 0
8 8 X X X X
5  4 
is apply a note-skipping pattern that
0
9 9 X X X X 7 7 X X X X
9 9 X X X X 7 7 X X X X 4 5 4 5
goes “up two, back one, up two, back 7 7 X X X X 5 5 X X X X 3 3 3 3 3 3
one,” etc,” as demonstrated in FIGURES


3a-d: in FIGURE 3a, instead of playing E FIGURE
FIGURE 5b 5b C Lydian mode FIGURE
FIGURE 66
 
to G, I play E to B, just like our initial 1 C E F# G

13
picking exercise. In FIGURE 3b, I move (root) (maj3) (#4) (5)

 
12 14 15 12 12 10

 10
!
 
on to the next pair, G-E, using the same 13
9 11 12

8
“outside picking” motion. Now that we
7 9 10 7 9 10
have a new pattern, let’s get it under


8


our fingers by alternating between
each note pair (FIGURE 3c). FIGURE 3d FIGURE
FIGURE 7a 7a FIGURE
FIGURE 7b 7b
!

shows the next pair, B and G, and all sim.
 
12 14 15 20 20

 
three pairs are played in sequence in 13 13 17 19
9 11 12 11 12
FIGURE 4a. The pattern sounds cool 10 10 14
when continued across three octaves, 9 9 9 10 9 10


8 8 !
8 8 12
as demonstrated in FIGURES 4b and
FIGURE 4c.

1/2

0
This note-skipping concept can FIGURE 7c 7c
FIGURE FIGURE
FIGURE 8a8a E Dorian
  
12 14 15 20 21
be applied to other arpeggios, as

 
13 X 13 17 19 17 20 17

 19
well as scales. A very common chord 9 11 12 11 12 18 19 18 19
10 X 10 14 17
progression in rock and metal is Em D5 9 10 9 10


8 12
C5 (FIGURE 5a). It’s standard practice

 ( 18)
with this progression to substitute the 1/2
E blues scale A diminished-seven arpeggio
raised, or sharp, four (s4) for the five

12 15 18 14 17 20
of the C5 chord, sounding C and Fs 12 15 15 17 19
12 15 12 15 12 14 17 14 17
instead of C and G. This alludes to the 12 14 12 14 16 16
13 14 13 14 15 15
C Lydian mode, shown in ascending 12 15 14 17
four-note groups in FIGURE 5b.

3 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 2
READY TO RUMBLE

»
QUICK, EFFECTIVE PICK-HAND WARM-UP EXERCISES
IN THIS CHAPTER, I’d 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
the two. You’ll find that when playing laying a fret-hand finger across the top
very quietly it takes a lot of control to three strings directly above the fretwire.
keep the picking even. ON If you play all of these figures in
Let’s move to some different chords:
FIGURE 12c begins with a G major voicing, DISC sequence without stopping, you will
have repeated this picking motion for
again altered by changing the note on about three minutes. By this point,
the high E string: FIGURE 12d features an your pick-hand will be warmed up.
ascending D diminished-seven voicing, In the next chapter, I’ll offer some
and FIGURE 12e begins with some natural permutations on this useful and
harmonics (N.H.), sounded by lightly effective exercise. ❒
FIGURE
FIGURE 91 FIGURE
FIGURE102 FIGURE
FIGURE11 3
Em Am Am

0   5  
P.M. P.M. P.M.
motion of up-up-down. As illustrated in * sim.

     

FIGURE 9, I pick the open high E string
  
5 7 8 7

  
0 5 5 5 5 5

with an upstroke, followed by the open B 0 5 5 5 5 5
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
*  3
= upstroke = downstroke 3 3 3 3 3

FIGURE
FIGURE 12a4a FIGURE
FIGURE 12b4b
muting is performed by resting the edge Am Am
of the pick-hand palm across all of the P.M. throughout P.M. throughout


sim. sim.

        
strings, at the bridge saddles.
 
8 8 12 15 14 12 14

 
Note that the upstrokes are performed 10 10 13 13 13 13 13
9 14 14 14 14 14 14
as individual strokes, as opposed to
picking a single upstroke dragged across
the top two strings, which would be
9 5
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
what’s known as a reverse sweep or 15 14 12 14 8 10 12 10 8 7 8 7
13 13 13 13 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
reverse rake. It requires more muscle 14 14 14 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
movement and coordination to perform
two upstrokes, but that’s why this is a
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

 
good warm-up exercise—repeating three 5 7 8 7 5

      
distinct picking motions in this way will 5 5 5 5 5
5 5 5 5 5
build up the muscles in the pick hand.
Because I get bored hearing the same cresc. mf mp cresc. mf
three open strings over and over, I like to 3 3 3 3 mp 3
use different chords to make the exercise FIGURE
FIGURE12c4c
sound more interesting. As shown in G
P.M. throughout
FIGURE 10, I can barre across the top three sim.
     
strings at the fifth fret to sound an Am 7 8 10 8 7 5 7


8 8 8 8 8 8 8
triad. This will soon get monotonous as 7 7 7 8 7 7 7
well, so I can easily make it sound more
interesting by changing the note on
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
the high E string to imply a melody, as FIGURE
FIGURE12d4d
demonstrated in FIGURE 11. Ddim7 Am
In order for this exercise to be an ef- P.M. throughout

10 13 16

sim.
        
fective warm-up, I need to keep picking 4 4 7 7 10 10 13 13 12


6 6 9 9 12 12 15 15 13
the strings in this way for at least two 7 10 13 16 14 14
minutes, which of course inspires me
to move around the fretboard a little bit
and find some other interesting shapes 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
FIGURE
FIGURE12e4e
and figures to play. Let’s start with dif- Em
ferent inversions (chord voicings) of Am, N.H.
sim.
as shown in FIGURE 12a: I begin in eighth
            
12 5 5 0
position, with the minor third, C, on top,


12 5 5 0
12 5 5 0
and then shift up to a 12th-position in-
version of Am with the fifth, E, on top.


Likewise, I’ll alter the note on the 3 3 3 3
Am (slow down)

      0
high E string for a little variety, as in 5 5


FIGURE 12b. Another good thing to do is

  
5 5
5 5
to practice picking dynamics, by picking 7
softer or louder, or switching between
3

4 GU I TA R WOR L D
 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 in-
volves dragging the pick across the
three strings in a single upward mo-
tion, 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
one’s picking strength and stamina.
With just about everything I use as
Now let’s apply our picking tech-
nique to these chord shapes, as dem-
onstrated 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
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 down-
stroke. 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
throughout (rest the edge of the pick- even more interesting.
hand palm across the bridge saddles) Once you’ve become comfortable
to attain a more percussive attack and a with the picking technique and musi-
clearer separation of notes. cal concept, try to invent your own
Now that you have a handle on the ways of connecting these kinds of tri-
concept, let’s experiment by moving adic chord shapes. For the truly adven-
these chord shapes around the board in turous and ambitious, try applying the
different patterns: as shown in FIGURE pattern to all the other groups of three
15, I begin by descending in the same adjacent strings. ❒
FIGURE
FIGURE13 1
E7¨9 Freely
  
1/2
1/2

0
a warm-up exercise, one of my hopes
is that I will eventually use the given

12 12 10
 0


13 12 10 9 10 9 0
technique in a piece of music. I’m not
interested in warm-ups that are simply
10 9 10 9
10
9
10 9 10 9 
7 9 7 6 7 6
8
6
8 7
1
2
2

8 7 7 7 5 7 5 4 1 0 0
muscle-building routines. To me, it’s
more useful and enjoyable if the exer- 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
cise exudes some musical merit as well. FIGURE
FIGURE14 2   
One of the ways to apply a musical E E7¨9 Am E7 F E Dm E E E7¨9 Am E7 F E Dm E


P.M.
approach to this picking exercise is to *
         sim.
 
instill a scalar concept, molding the


5 A

13 12 10 9 6 5 3 1 13 12 10 9 6 5 3 1
exercise to the musical structure of a 13 10 9 7 5 4 2 1 13 10 9 7 5 4 2 1
given scale. A scale that works well with 14 12 10 9 7 6 3 2 14 14 12 10 9 7 6 3 1

this exercise is Phrygian dominant, 0

= downstroke  = upstroke
which is the fifth mode of the harmonic 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
minor scale. Sometimes referred to as *
the “snake charmer” scale, Phrygian FIGURE
FIGURE15 3
P.M. throughout
dominant is intervallically spelled 1 f2 3
             sim.

4 5 f6 f7. In the key of E, the notes are E


13 12 10 9 6 5 3 1
F Gs A B C D; FIGURE 13 is a descending
 
13 10 9 7 5 4 2 1
run based on this exotic-sounding scale. 14 14 12 10 9 7 6 3 6
The first thing I did with the scale
was to harmonize it in three-note 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
chords, as shown in the first bar of
FIGURE 14. Starting with an E+ (E aug- 5 3 6 5 9 6 10 9 13 12 10 9
mented) triad, I move the chord shapes
down the neck by shifting each note on
4
 3
2
 7
5
6
4
 9
9
 7
5
 10
9
 9
7
 14
13
 12 10
 10 9
 9
7
 7


each string to the next lower scale tone
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

on that string, i.e., the E note on the
fourth string moves down to D, the Gs  
1

on the third string moves to F and the 6 5 3 1 3 6 10 13 15 15

C on the second string moves to B. The
5
6 4
 3
2
 2
1
 3
2
 7
5
 10 9
 14 13
14
process continues down the fretboard
to first position.
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

5 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 4
ASSUME THE POSITION
USING POSITION SHIFTS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE WHEN SOLOING

» I’D 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 pen-
tatonic. 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, I’ll 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
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
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 synthe-
accustomed to making instantaneous sizer lick.
position shifts with every one of your Hopefully these exercises will help
fretting fingers. you to get a handle on position shift-
The last position-shifting lick in this ing, and I do hope you have fun play-
chapter is shown in FIGURE 20. This ing minor pentatonic scales with your
one looks a little crazy because I shift pinkie only. ❒
FIGURE
FIGURE 16 1 A minor pentatonic scale
 FIGURE
FIGURE 17 2

8 5

 
boundaries, allowing us to play this 8 5
7 5
scale from the absolute lowest note pos- 7 5 5 7
7 5 3 5 7
sible, the open low E, to one of the high- 8 5 0 3 5
est notes possible on a guitar, the D on
1
the first string’s 22nd fret.
FIGURE 17 illustrates a very comfort- 0 17 20 20 20 17
1

able way to traverse this scale, as well 17 20 20 17 20
5 7 17 19
the entire fretboard, across three and 17 19
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
FIGURE 183
FIGURE
string and then hammer-on up to A at
    
 19  
0 0 0
the fifth fret. I then move over to the A


string and start with a hammer from the 5 7
5 7
17   5 7
5 7
17 19
17
3 5 7
5 7
5 7
17 19
17 19

third fret to the fifth, then slide up from 0 3 5

the fifth to the seventh fret. This is fol-

1
lowed by fifth-to-seventh-fret hammers 1
on the D and G strings. 0 17 20 20 20 17
The next note is the key to this ex- 17 20 20 17 20
5 7 17 19
ercise: using the open high E string to 5 7 17 19
3 5 7
sound the next note in the scale, I am 0 3 5
afforded the opportunity to shift all the
way up to 17th position and continue FIGURE
FIGURE19 4
playing the rest of the scale.

5 8 10 8 5


Making that position shift sound 5 8 8 5
5 7 7 5
seamless can be a little tricky, so it’s a 5 7 7 5
5 7 7 5
good idea to break the phrase up into 5 8 8 5
smaller pieces, as shown in FIGURE 18.
index: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 etc.
Begin by looping the first six notes of middle: 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 etc.
the scale with the position shift. Once ring: 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 etc.
pinkie: 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 etc.
that begins to feel comfortable, add a
few more notes and continue to do so FIGURE
FIGURE205
       

until the entire phrase feels comfortable 10 9


12 15 12 14
 
and seamless. Familiarizing yourself 12 12 14 12 12 14
with an expanded note register like this
will afford you a range that is normally
exclusive to keyboard players. 3 3
Another good (but admittedly in- 1 3 1 4 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3

6 GU I TA R WOR L D
 *by Paul Gilbert
CHAPTER 5
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

»
ALTERNATE PICKING WITH ACCENT PATTERNS
FIGURE 21 1 q = 152


FIGURE


IN THIS CHAPTER we’re go- 1. 2.
ing to look at the concept of B5 D5 E5 A5 G5 E5 G5 F#5 E5
syncopation, and we’ll begin  P.M.
 P.M.
 P.M.
 P.M.
 P.M. P.M.
 P.M.
 P.M. P.M.

  

with a rhythm figure that lays
out an accent pattern. Keep
4
4
2
7
7
5
9
9
7
14
14
12
12
12
10
9
9
7
 12
12
10
11
11
9
9
9
7

that rhythmic syncopation in your 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
mind, because I use those same ac-


cents in the crazy picking exercise 3.
D5 G5 E5 B5 D5 E5
that is the focus of this column.
Check out the rhythm guitar figure  P.M.
 P.M. P.M.
 P.M.
 P.M.
 
riff in FIGURE 21: this pattern is made 7 12 9 4 7 9 9
7 12 9 4 7 9 9
up of root-fifth power chords played 5 10 7 2 5 7 7
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
in a syncopated fashion against an
 = downstroke  = downstroke
open low-E pedal tone. This is essen- FIGURE
FIGURE22 2
tially a two-bar rhythm pattern with
                   
Em
very pronounced, specific accents: in
bar 1 they fall on the downbeat of beat P.M. P.M. P.M.
one, the upbeat of beat two and the 

9
downbeat of beat four; the accents in 9 9 10 12 12 10 9 10 12
9 9 10 12 12 10 9 10 12
bar 2 fall squarely on beats one, two 12 10 8 10 12
and three. If one were to recreate that

     
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
rhythm orally, it would sound like
this: ONE (and two) AND (three and)  sim.
  

FOUR (and) ONE (and) TWO (and)



THREE (and four and). 9 9 12
12 10 9 10 12 12 12 14 16 16 14 12 14 15
FIGURE 22 illustrates the picking 12 12 14 15 15 14 12 14 15
X 15 14 12 14 15
exercise, which is based on a long

  3
(repeat
sequence of 16th-note triplets. Notice 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
  
prev. beat)
how the line is contoured with ac-

   16 
cents falling in the same places as in
12 16
FIGURE 21. It’s in the key of E minor 16 16 17 19 19 17 16 17 19
15 15 17 19 19 17 16 17 19
and stays diatonic (within the scale 0 15 17 19 19 17 15 17 19
structure of ) to the E natural minor
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
scale, which is also known as the E FIGURE
FIGURE22a2a

            
Aeolian mode (E Fs G A B C D).
      
Em


The great majority of the lick is al-
ternate picked, but I throw in a couple

 9
P.M. P.M. P.M.

of double hammer-ons, which serve to 

 
9
smooth out the sound. Also, it’s very 9 9 10 12 12 10 9 10 12
9 9 10 12 12 10 9 10 12
important to begin this lick with an 12 10 9 10 12 X


upstroke. Throughout the exercise,
the initial pick on each new string is 
sim. 3 3 3
 3 3 3
 3 3

  11
executed in this manner.


11
I begin FIGURE 22 in ninth position 10 10 12 14 14 12 10 12 14
10 10 12 14 14 12 10 12 14
and play the initial pattern twice. I 14 12 10 12 14 X


then move up to 12th position and
  
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
follow the same pattern contour

  12
while staying within the scale struc-


ture of E natural minor, which neces- 12
12 12 14 16 16 14 12 14 16
sitates a slight change in fingering. I 12 12 14 15 15 14 12 14 15


15 14 12 14 15 X
then do the same thing in 16th posi-
tion. In FIGURE 22a, I move the lick up
 3 3 3
 3 3 3
 3 3

  14
the fretboard one scale degree at a


time, beginning in ninth position on 14
14 14 16 17 17 16 14 16 17
Fs, then starting on G, A, B and C. 14 14 15 17 17 15 14 15 17
17 15 14 15 17 X
A great thing to do is focus on one
part of the lick, such as the fragment 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
FIGURE 23 3

shown in FIGURE 23. Play this slowly un- FIGURE
    
til it feels comfortable, then gradually
 
16  
19 17 16 17 19 
P.M.

 16
increase your speed. ❒


16
16 16 17 19 19 17 16 17 19
15 15 17 19 19 17 16 17 19
19 17 15 17 19

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
7 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 6
FAST AND CLEAN

»
ALTERNATE-PICKED 16TH NOTES—THE BUSINESS CARD OF SHRED GUITAR
I WANT TO talk about an in- FIGURE
FIGURE24a1a FIGURE
FIGURE24b1b FIGURE 24c1c
FIGURE

   
gredient that is essential to Em Em Em
every guitar soloist’s arsenal: *
          sim.
alternate-picked 16th notes.

7 5 5
 
8 7 7 !
8

10 8 8 !
10

  

8 5 7 8 5 10 7 8 10 7 12 8 10 12 8
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. I’d like
* alternate picking: = downstroke;  = upstroke
to show you a great 16th-note sequence FIGURE
FIGURE 24d1d FIGURE
FIGURE 24e1e
that can be played all over the neck, is
great for both your right- and left-hand
Em   Em  
 !  !
12 10 10 12 14 12 12 14

 
technique and also sounds very melodic 13 10 12 13 10 15 12 13 15 12
and musical.
For the sake of familiarity, let’s use
the key of E natural minor (E Fs G A B
C D). FIGURE 24a illustrates the initial FIGURE
FIGURE24f1f FIGURE
FIGURE 24g1g
shape, which we’ll adapt to various posi-
tions, moving up the neck through the
Em   Em  
 !  !
15 14 14 15 17 15 15 17
scale. Using alternate (down-up) pick-

 
17 13 15 17 13 19 15 17 19 15
ing, starting with a downstroke, I play
on the top two strings exclusively, begin-
ning with two notes on the high E string,
followed by two notes on the B string, 3 2 4 1 3 2 4 1 3
then one note per string, ending with
FIGURE
FIGURE25 2
two notes on the B. In this and all other Em
examples, the index finger remains at (play 5 times)



19 17 17 17 15 15 15 14 14
the same fret throughout the melodic



20 17 19 20 17 19 15 17 19 15 17 13 15 17 13
shape. Begin by playing this lick slowly,
and gradually build up speed.
For FIGURE 24a we started on B, the
fifth of the scale. Let’s move the idea
one note higher within E natural minor, 14 12 12 12 10 10 10 8 8
15 12 13 15 12 13 10 12 13 10 12 8 10 12 8
beginning on C, the sixth (FIGURE 24b).
Notice that the fingering is slightly
different—this 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 8 7 7 7 5 5
1/2

*T.H.

and index fingers, the first two notes

10 7 8 10 7 8 5 7 8 5 !
7 !
7(19)

in FIGURE 24b are a half step apart, and

are fretted with the middle and index
fingers. *Tap harmonic
For FIGURES 24c-g, we continue to FIGURE
FIGURE26 3 legato (w/pull-offs)
move the pattern up one scale degree Em
at a time. FIGURE 25 then begins on the


19 17 17 17 15 15 15 14 14 14 12 12


fifth, B, one octave higher than where 20 17 19 20 17 19 15 17 19 15 17 13 15 17 13 15 12 13 15 12
we started.
Each of these “shapes” offers a new
challenge in terms of fret-hand finger-
ing. FIGURE 24f is particularly interesting (play 3 times) 
1/2

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 mi-
nor are comprised of the same notes).
Now let’s 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, bend-
ing the Fs up a half step to G and ap-
plying a tapped harmonic, executed by
“bouncing” the pick-hand index finger
12 10 10
13 10 12
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,
 
10 8 8 8 7 7 7 5 5 )
!
 
13 10 12 8 10 12 8 10 7 8 10 7 8 5 7 8 5 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. ❒

8 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 7
STICK YER NECK OUT

»
USING NECK DIAGRAMS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
 .. ..
ONE THING I’VE FOUND very FIGURE 27a1a
FIGURE FIGURE 27b1b
FIGURE
   5 ! 
helpful in my guitar studies over

.
Am 3fr 5fr 8fr 9fr Am

 
the years is using what I call
 
8 8 5 8

 
neck diagrams to map out riffs, 5 9 9 5
patterns and melodic “shapes.” I 7
find that diagramming makes it
easier to visualize and, in turn, remem- 7fr
fret-hand: 2 1 4 1 3 3 1 4 1 3
ber, new shapes on the fretboard.

 
A good example of a common fret- FIGURE
FIGURE 27c1c
board shape is an open D chord: just Am (play 3 times)

 
  
about every guitar player is familiar 8 5 5 8 5


 7 
with the triangular shape of a D “cow- 9 5 5 9 9 5
boy” chord. But when the shape is a 7
little more complex, it helps to map it
out and study it visually.

  8
Let’s start with a string-skipping ar- FIGURE 27d1d
FIGURE
1
peggio in the key of A minor, illustrated Am (play 3 times)



in FIGURE 27a: this begins at the seventh 8 5 5 8 5 8 5 5



fret on the D string, followed by the 9 5 5 9 9 9 5 9 5 5 9
fifth and ninth frets on the G string, a 7 7
skip over the B string and then the fifth
and eighth frets on the high E string.

3 3
Notice the visual shape created by

5 8 5 8 5 5
these points on the fretboard (see dia- 9 9 5 9 5 5
gram)—it looks a little like a rhombus. 7 7 7
Pay close attention to the fret-hand
fingering indicated for this shape.
3 3


FIGURE 282 FIGURE 29a3a FIGURE 29b3b
 
Aside from picking every note, you FIGURE FIGURE FIGURE
can use hammer-ons and pull-offs, as Cm A7 1 1 1
there are two consecutive notes pres-
   
11 8 5 5
ent on the G and high E strings. FIGURE

  
8 8
12 8 7 7 5
27b illustrates how to play the lick using !
10 7
pull-offs, and FIGURE 27c takes things a
step further by incorporating pull-offs
3
on the way down and hammer-ons on FIGURE 29c3c
FIGURE


the way up. Using hammers and pulls freely

 
like this makes the lick considerably A(7)

1 1/2
easier to play than it would be if you 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1 1
were to pick every note because of the

5 8 8 5 8 5 5 5


8 7 7 5 5 5 8 8 8 5 8 5 5 5
numerous skips over the B string. 7 7 8 8 7 8 7 5 5 7 7 7 5 5 5 7 7 5 5 5
7 7 7 7
Another advantage of using ham-
mers and pulls is that you can get some
good speed going and create interest- 3 3 3
ing phrasings. As shown in FIGURE 27d, FIGURE 29d3d
FIGURE FIGURE
FIGURE 30 4
I use quick hammers and pulls on the A(7) A(7) A5


high E and G strings to keep the lick grad. bends
1/2 1/4 1/2 1/4
moving along. Practice all of these pat- 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1

terns slowly, striving for a very smooth

  
11 8 11 8

and even sound.
Now that you have this pattern
clearly visualized, I’d 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 here’s the twist: one day, I de-
cided 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
 
12 8
10
3 1 4 1
the seventh fret, as demonstrated at the
beginning of FIGURE 29c.
String bending is a technique that
imparts a lot of emotion and char-
acter to your playing, and as such I
don’t want to be limited to just one
position—I want to be able to bend ev-
erywhere! 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
7
8 12 7 7 5 2 2
7 5 2 2

6 3 3 3 2 0 0 0
3 3
2 1
bend each note up a certain amount to
a “right” note in the key of A, as dem-
onstrated 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 A—like
Bf—and bend the daylights out of it until
it sounds good. ❒

9 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 8
SHAPE SHIFTING

»
HOW TO ORGANIZE PATTERNS ON THE FRETBOARD
I’VE FOUND IT VERY helpful as FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 31 11 FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 32 22 FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 33 33
a guitarist to familiarize myself A5A5 A5A5 A5A5

00
with the layout of the keyboard a)a) b)b) c)c) a)a) b)b)
1212

  00 00 
on a piano. This in turn has 1010 1010
99 66 99
made it easier for me to visual- 77 77 77
77 44 77
ize patterns on the guitar fret- 5 5 5 5 5 5



board. A quick look at the black keys on
a piano reveal the logic with which they c)c)

99 !!    
are laid out: starting on the far left and 1212 1212 9 9 1212


10 10
 
10 10
moving right, there are two blacks keys 99 66 99 66
77 77
followed by three black keys, and the 77 44
55
pattern repeats across the entire key-
33 33 33 33

board. The great thing for piano play-
ers is that any scale, chord or musical FIGURE 34 44
FIGURE
FIGURE  FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 3555 


 
phrase in one position and octave can be 55 55 99 99 1212

 
easily moved to another because it will 55 55 55 10
10
66 66 66 99
look exactly the same; you only have to 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

 
44 77 77 44 44 77 77
memorize its “shape.” 55 55 55
The guitar, however, is not like this; 33 33 33 33 33 33 33
depending on the string or fretboard
position, the “shapes” of scales and
FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 3666
A5G5 G5E5E5


FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 37a7a7a FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 37b7b7b


riffs can change quite a bit, even when A5
 ! !
 
2020 20 20 171719
1920
20

  
playing exactly the same notes. But I’ve 18
18 1818

00
17
17 1416
14 161717
developed an approach to the guitar’s 77 55 55 1515 1515
77 55 55 1515 121214
1415 15
fretboard wherein you can use the same 55 33 11 1313 13 13
shapes, and very easily move them

33 33

    
through different octaves. FIGURE
FIGURE 7c7c 11
FIGURE
FIGURE 37c FIGURE
FIGURE 38a8a8a
1818
As shown in FIGURE 31, there is an A
 !!

17 19 20 17 1715 1513 13

1515141416161717
17 19 20 17 17

 
 
note located on the sixth string’s fifth

131312 14 15
fret, another A one octave higher lo-
12 14 15 7 7 9 910 10
cated on the seventh fret of the fourth 7 71010
string (two strings over and two frets
higher), and another A located at the FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 39a9a9a
10th fret on the second string (two C#m7¨5
C#m7¨5
strings over and three frets higher). 8fr8fr
It’s very valuable to memorize the
positions of these three A notes, because FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE38b8b8b 
 FIGURE
FIGURE
FIGURE 39b9b9b

TT 2 233
11

  

the patterns of many licks based around 1212
14141515

  
one of these A notes can easily be moved 1212
1515
9 911
11 12
12
to either of the other two A notes. This 9 912
12
7 7 1010 7 7 1010 7 7 10
10
is especially true if the lick falls on the 77 99 77 99 77 99
sixth and fifth, fourth and third, or sec-
ond and first strings, because these pairs FIGURE 39c9c9c
FIGURE
FIGURE
of adjacent strings are tuned in fourths, A7A7
and the shape of any lick on these pairs
of strings will be identical.


1/21/2
1/2

12121414
A simple example is an A5 power 1/2

 ! 
chord: FIGURE 32a combines an A root 12 15 14 14 14 141212 12

7 79 9 11
12 15 14 14 12

note on the sixth string with an E note,
which is the fifth, on the fifth string; you
can move this shape up an octave to the
fourth and third strings, two frets high-
er (FIGURE 32b), or the second and first
strings, three frets higher (FIGURE 32c).
FIGURE 33a illustrates an A major triad
(A Cs E) played on the bottom two
strings; we can move this same trian-
gular shape over to the other A notes
(FIGURES 33b and 33c) and yield the same
musical result in higher octaves.
In comparison, fingering the notes of
this arpeggio across all of the strings in
one position would give us something
like what is illustrated in FIGURE 34,

1010 15
15 1313
11
9 9 1212 ! 1414
7
7 10 10
55 77 99
55 55 55 33
which is a little more work for the brain Let’s apply the concept to an E minor
because it involves different “shapes.” lick (FIGURE 38a). We can move this up
Let’s use this approach to create licks. one and two octaves, as shown in FIGURE
FIGURE 35 incorporates the root/fifth 38b, fretting it exactly the same way. For
“power chord” concept, with the notes fun, try improvising around those shapes.
played separately and in sequence. Given FIGURES 39a-c incorporate this con-
a chord progression like A5-G5-F5, as cept with a Csm7f5 arpeggio; for an
shown in FIGURE 36, you can play that lick additional twist, FIGURE 39c positions a
in F over the F5 chord. Add a few notes Csm7f5 arpeggio-type lick over an A7
to that shape, and we can get an F Lydian chord, which yields a cool, fusion-y A9
sound, as shown in FIGURES 37a-c. (A Cs E G B) sound. ❒

10 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 9
SNAKE-CHARMING LICKS

»
THE FIFTH MODE OF HARMONIC MINOR
IN THIS CHAPTER, I’d like to FIGURE
FIGURE40 1 B Phrygian dominant mode FIGURE 41a2a
FIGURE
talk about what I refer to as FIGURE
FIGURE 1 B
1
B7(¨9)B Phrygian
Phrygian dominant
dominant mode mode FIGURE 2a
FIGURE B7(¨9)
2a 
“snake-charming licks”—my FIGUREB7(¨9)
1 B Phrygian dominant mode
B7(¨9)
 FIGURE B7(¨9)
8 11 12 11 8
2a
B7(¨9) 
8 11 12 11 8 12 11  8


 
 
8 11 12 11 8
slang term for licks built from

FIGURE 1 B Phrygian dominant
B7(¨9) mode FIGURE 8B7(¨9)
2a11 12
8

   8 11 12 8 11 12 11 8 12 11  8

7 9 7 8 11
11 12
8 11 12 11 8 12
the Phrygian-dominant mode, 8 12 11 8
FIGUREB7(¨9)
1 B 7 9 10 dominant
Phrygian 7 9 9 10 9
7mode 7 2a 12
FIGURE B7(¨9) 11

  
7 8 11 7 9 10 7 7 10 11 8 9
the fifth mode of the harmonic 10 9 7 8 11 12
8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8

 8
7 9 10 9 7 11 8 9

 
B7(¨9)
7 8
7 8 11 11 7 9 7 11 8 9 B7(¨9)
minor scale. The notes of the E har- FIGURE 2b 7 9 10 10 9 7

 8 
 12
FIGURE7 8
2b 11 7 9 7 11 8 9
monic minor scale are: E Fs G A B C FIGURE
FIGURE41b B7(¨9)
freely 2b 7 9 10 10 9 7 8 11 12 12 11

Ds. To form the fifth mode of this scale, 7 8
freely B7(¨9)
2b11 788 11
freely B7(¨9)
FIGURE 12 117 8 9 7 8 11 8 9 8 11 12 11 12 11 8 8 11 8 8


9
11 10
12 11 8 10 9 87 8 11 12 11
11 12
12 11
11 8
8 12 8
8 11
11 8
8 12 88 12 11 8
 11
1112 8 11 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12
freely7 8B7(¨9)
2b11 8 1211
11 8 8 911 12 8 11 8 12 11


start from the fifth scale degree, B, and FIGURE
proceed up one octave while using the  8 11
freely 8B7(¨9)
12
11 12 8 11 12 11 8 12
12 11 8 11
11 8 11 12
12 8 12
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 1212 11


FIGURE 2b
same notes; the resulting scale, shown 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


freely B7(¨9)


in FIGURE 40, is B Phrygian-dominant 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
5 8 12 8 11 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11



5 5
and is spelled: B C Ds E Fs G A. Notice 8 11 12 12 11 8 11 12 12 11 8 11 12 FIGURE 3a 12 12 12 11 12 11
FIGURE 42aB7(¨9)

1 FIGURE 3a

 
that this scale fingering requires a bit FIGURE 5
3a
1



1 B7(¨9)

of a stretch on the low E string: while 8 11 12 12 12 11 8 8 FIGURE11 512 14
3a
B7(¨9) 11 12 14


 
1

 
rooted in seventh position, the pinkie 8 11 12
8 11
8 11 12 12
12 12 12 11
12 11 8
8 12 11 8
8 12 11 8 ! 11 FIGURE1111 12 14
B7(¨9)
3a
5 12 14 11 12 14
11 12 14 11 12 14 11 12 14

  11 12
1


has to reach up to the 11th fret, which 8 11
8 11 1212
8 11 12 12 12 11 8 12
12 11
11 8 12 11 8 !
12 11 8 11
11 FIGURE11 B7(¨9)
3a 12 14 11
11 12
12 14
14 11 12 14 11
11 12
12 14
14

  333 14 11 12


is one fret higher than the standard, 1
8 12 11 8 !


8 11 12 8 11 12 12 12 11 8 12 11 11 11 12 14 11 12 14 11 12 14 11 12 14
B7(¨9)

  3  3
and more comfortable, four-fret span of

12 11 8 !

8 11 12 8 11 12 12 12 11 8 12 11 8FIGURE 11 3 14 11 12 3 14 11 12 3 14

14
FIGURE 3b 4
  3
 11 123 14
3 3 3

many scales. 3 3 3
FIGURE 3b FIGURE 4 !
11 12 14 12 11 8
8 11 12 12 11 12 11 8 11 11 12 14 11 12
 3 12 
Let’s begin with a series of string- FIGURE B7(¨9) 3b FIGURE 4B7(¨9) 3
FIGURE 42b83b
B7(¨9) FIGURE 43 4B7(¨9)
B7(¨9) 14 15 17
 883b  144B7(¨9)
8 11 12 !

FIGURE B7(¨9) FIGURE
11 12 14 12 11 8 16 17 14 15   12 14 11 12  14  8 11 12 8 12 
skipping licks. When possible I like

  8 11 12 14 12 11 8   14 16 17 14 15 17 11
3 312
11 12 14 12 11 8 14 15 17 11 12 14 8 11 12 !
11 12
3 11 12 83 11 12 3
FIGURE B7(¨9) FIGURE 17 11
 8  17 14 15     12 
to devise easy fingerings, and the lick

  8B7(¨9)    14B7(¨9)

3 14
8 11
11 12
B7(¨9)
8 12 14
14 12
12 11
11 8 14 16
16 17
B7(¨9) 17 11 12 14 11 12 8
!

shown in FIGURE 41a, utilizes the same FIGURE 3b FIGURE 14
4 11 12 14 8 11 12
  
 
fingering on both the G and high E  12 14 11 12 14
 8 11 12 8 11 12 ! 12

 
  8B7(¨9)  8 14 1633 817 33 11 12
3 17 14 15 3 17 11 12 3 14 11 12 3 14 3 12 8 11 3 12 12
strings: I begin with the index finger at FIGURE 5 11 12 14 12 11 8 16 8 11 !
 44 88B7(¨9) 8 11 8 8
3 3 3
3 3
3 3
3 3
3
the eighth fret on the G string, followed FIGURE
FIGURE 5
5 11 12 14 12 11 8
8 14
1/2
8 11 12
1/2
by the ring finger at the 11th fret (a bit of FIGURE B7(¨9)
B7(¨9)
5 11 8 12 11 12 11 8 8 11 8 3 3 14 14 14 312 11 12 3
11 12
1/2
11 12 11 11

 8B7(¨9)

FIGURE 11 8 12 11 12 11 8 3 8 3 3 11 312 14 14 14312 11 123
1/2 11
11 12 11
11 14 11
a stretch) and the pinkie at the 12th; the 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 12 11

  B7(¨9)
 85 11 12 8 12 11 12 11 8 12 12 8 11 8 12 12 8 1212 11 11 12 31111 8 8 11
11312
12 14 1/2
14 11 312 14 14 14312 11 123 14 11
exact same frets and fingers are used 12 3 8 12 11 12 11 14
FIGURE

  8 111112 8 12 11 12 11 178 12178 11

on the high E string. Instead of simply 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 1/2 11 12 11 14 11

 14 12 11
playing this riff up and down, move it 3 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8 11 12 14 11 12 14 14 14 12 11 12 11 12
 
11 14 11
 

 14
3

around a little and use hammer-ons and 314 14 15 15 141114
12 12 12 12 11 12 11 8 12 14 14

 16  

pull-offs, as shown in FIGURE 41b. 17 17 314 14
11 14 12 11 17 17 14 14 15 15 17 17 14 14 15 15 14 14

 16  
16 16 17 17 14 14 16

14 12 11 14 12 11 17 17 314 14 15 15 17 17 14 14  16 16 17 17 14 14 16
Now let’s move the concept up to the 14 12 12 11 14 14 1212 1111 17 17 314 14 15 15 17 17 17 17 14 14 16 16 16 1717 17 17 14 14 14 14 16
next fretboard position: As shown in
14 12 11 14 12 11 17 17 14 14 15 15 17 17 14 14  16 16 17 17 14 14 
 16  

FIGURE 42a, I use the 11th, 12th and 14th

14 11 12 14

 14141216 17 1414 1417 16 14  11 12 14 11 14
frets on both the G and high E strings. 14 15 17 15 17 15 14 14 15 14 14
 11 12 14
12 11 17 17 16 16 17 17 14 14 16
14  11
You can even link these two positions 14 1515 17
17 15 15 17
17 1515 1414 14 14 1515 14 14 17 14 14 17 16 14 11 1212 14
using two-note chords, as shown in  14 14 1616 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

12 14 11 12 14
FIGURE 42b, which is a nice way to har-  14 16 17 14 15 17 15 17 15 14 14 15 14 17 14 17 16 14

17 16 14 11 12 14 11 12 14
monize B Phrygian-dominant.  14 16333 17 14 15333 17 15 1733 15 14 14 1533 14 17 14 17333 16 14 17333 16 1411 12 14 11 1233 14
 12141416123 1117 11 12314 11 33 11  10
1
Let’s move up the concept one more 3 3

17 17 16 17 16 14 11 12 14
 10 3!
1
time, to 14th position. Here we have to 8 11 12 3
1112 11 8 8113 8 8 8 1

14 12 11 8 311 12
3

  10
12 14
14 12
12 11 11 12 14 11 11 8 11 12 1112 11
11 8 811 8 8 8 1
change the fingering slightly: 14-16-17 12 3 11 14 11 12 14 11
3 14 14 12 11 8 11 12 11123 8 12 811 8
3 12 8 12 11 12 11 8 10 3!
8
3 10 10
  10
14 14 14 12 14 12 11 8 11 12 12 12 12 11 12 11 8 10
frets on the G string and 14-15-17 frets 12 14 123 11 14 11 12314 14 11 14 12 11 14 12 11 8 11 12 8 11 12 3 1112 11 8 12 8113 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8 1
3 3 10 3!

 10
on the high E. FIGURE 43 then links these 12 14 12 11 14 11 12 14 14 11 14 12 11 14 12 11 8 11 12 8 11 12 1112 11 8 12 811 8 12 8 12 11 8 12 11 8 1
10 !

3 12 11 3
three positions together. Now that you 12 14 12 5 11 14 11 12
3 14 14 11 143 12 11 14 3 12 11 38 11 12 38 11 12 3 8 12 811
1112 11 3 8 12 8 12 3 11 8 12 3 11 8
FIGURE 6 55 14 3 3 12 14 38 11 12 3 3 3 3 3 3 10 !
have the shapes, try creating improvised 3 14 14 3 3 3 12 3 12 123 11 12 3 11 8

 776 4554 00 88 3355 00 10

FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6 3 7 03 12 12 8 0
patterns and different ways to connect 3 7 03 8 8 3 5 0 3 7 7 4 30 8 8 3 5 0 10 10


10
FIGURE

 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
the positions, as shown in FIGURE 44. 10 1010 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 1010 10
10 7 0 03 12
12 1212 8 8 0 0
 76 54 0 8 35 0 10 10
7 4 0 8 5 0 10 3 7 3 7
Here’s another great lick: FIGURE 45 FIGURE

  7 334 0 8 335 0 10 10 7 0 FIGURE

3 7 03 8 8 3 5 0 3 7 7 4 30 8 8 3 5 0 10 10 3 7 03 12 12 8 0
incorporates a series of double pull-offs FIGURE
FIGURE

  3
7 0 12=12
from various positions. Because we’re
= upstroke
 12 12 38 0 10 3 
8 8 7
* =
5 0 7 7 4 0 8 8 5 0 10 *10= upstroke 8 0
increase
downstroke

in the key of B, we can take advantage of 1 FIGURE
FIGURE* 7 7 = downstroke
downstroke
increasespeed
3 upstroke =
= upstroke
*

12 10 8 11 *  
grad. speed

our open B string. FIGURE 46 is based on
 
1
1 FIGURE* 87* 8

  
grad. speed

* = downstroke
12 12 38 0 10 3    
grad. increase

 46* 8 12 10 8 11 8 12 10 8 11 *grad.
8 12 10 8 8 12 10 8

a five-note sequence that sounds great FIGURE *7
 
1 8 11 8 12 10 8 11 grad.

12 12 8 0 10 12 10 8 = upstroke = downstroke

 increase  speed  
increase speed
increasespeed
  8 12 105 8 11 8 12 105 8 11 grad.
  
when cycled repeatedly: start with an 12 10 8 11


1 *7 8 11 8 11
FIGURE
FIGURE

  12 1055 8    
upstroke, followed by a downstroke and 12 12 8 0 10 = upstroke = downstroke


1
 
     
two pull-offs, and end with a down- 12 12 8 0 10



stroke. Five is a weird number for a rock 12 12 8 0 10 12 10 5
5 8 11
11
lick, but if you play it fast enough, you’ll 5 5
feel the pulse of the downbeats. ❒ 5 5
5 5

11 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 10
UNITED MUTATIONS

»
MASTERING MUTING TECHNIQUES

 
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X
 X              
ONE OF THE MOST important FIGURE
FIGURE47 1 FIGURE
FIGURE48 2 pick muting

FIGURE 2* pick muting
   8  5 8 7 55 5 7  5   
things about playing rock and FIGURE 1
 XX XX XX XX XX XX XX XX
FIGUREX1 X FIGURE 25* pick muting
roll guitar is to make big rock and 8 5

 
X X 5 8 5 5 8
* 8
 XXX77 XXX99 10  5 8 8 5 5 8 77 5 55 77 77 55 55 77 
roll motions. If you see a guitarist

  XX7 XX9 10XX 12XX 14XX 15XX 17XX 19XXX  

who’s playing with the tiniest of X 12 X 14
X 15 X 17 X 19 X

 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33 X33  **  == staccato;

X 12
10 X X 15
14 X 17 X 19 X
physical motions, it’s not very X X X X X
7 5 7
exciting to watch. But a guitarist that’s play note as short as possible.

*  = staccato; play note as short

bouncing and moving around, swinging staccato; play note as short as possible.

* 3                           
FIGURE
FIGURE 4933 3 3 3 FIGURE
FIGURE 50 4
FIGURE *  44      
his arms and playing rhythm or lead with 3 3 3 3 as possible.

5     5 8  5                 
FIGURE
FIGURE * 3
8  *
real energy—that, to me, is much more
 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
exciting and much more rock. 5 FIGURE


 
 8 5875 

 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55
It’s not always easy to play the elec-
5 7 8 5 5 
5 8 5 7 5 8 5 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 5


tric guitar with such physical abandon,

 **  == tenuto: 
8 5 8 5 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 5
because it’s difficult to maintain perfect 7 5 7 5 7

*  = downstroke
7 5 7 5 8 5

* =
control over a cranked-up guitar and 7 5 7 5
allow note to ring as long as possible.
 === upstroke
8 5
 * 
amp. When playing just one string, you tenuto: allow note to ring as long as possible. downstroke
have to control the other five so that they FIGURE
FIGURE 51a5a upstroke
FIGURE* (Am)5a = tenuto: allow note to ring as long as possible.

downstroke

 5         sim.
will not make any unwanted noises.
 
= upstroke
FIGURE 5a (Am) 1/2 1/2 1/2
The solution is to use various parts 1/2

 7 55 88 77 88 77 55 8 5 88 77 55 8 55 8 7 55 8sim.7 5

1/2 1/2
of your fret-hand fingers and thumb to (Am) sim.


1/2 1/2 1/2

 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
 
mute different strings. In FIGURE 47, I’m 7 5 7 5 5 5


picking across all six strings while using
the fret hand to block every string except 7 5 7 7 6 7 6 5

   
 11 8

the fourth, on which I’m fretting and 3 7
     
3

  8 10
3
    
shaking notes with my ring finger. The 3 1/2

 
1/2

 88 10  11 8

3
   
top three strings are muted by the under- 3
1/2
side of the index finger, the fifth string is 5 7 5
5 5 6 7 5 7 7 5 7 5 7
muted by the tip of the ring finger, and 6 5 7 6 5 3 3 5 3 5  7 5 6 7 7 7
10 11 8
5 7
wrapping the thumb over the top of the 6 7 63 5 3
5 8 5 5 3 5 3 5 3 5  7 5 7 5


5 3 5 8 5 5 3 5 5 6 7 7 7 5 7
6 7 6 5 3 3 5 3 5 7 

neck mutes the sixth string. sim. 3
8 5 3 5 5 3 5
 3


Another useful way to mute is to sim. 11 10 8 10 11 10 8 10

10 10 11 10 11 10 8 10 8
use what I call “pick muting”: after 10
sim. 11 10 8 10 11 10 8 10  10 11 10 11 10 8 10 10 10
10
3
10
8 10
10
8
8 9
8
8
10 13
10 13


picking a note with a downstroke, I 10 11 10 8 10 11 10 8 10 10 11 10 11 10 8 10 8 9
10 10 10 8 8 10 13
immediately stop the string from ringing 9
by lightly touching it with the pick on
5
the upstroke. Likewise, after picking an FIGURE
FIGURE 51b5b 5

       512
FIGURE(Am)
5b
      
upstroke, I immediately touch it lightly
sim.
on the downstroke. As demonstrated in FIGURE(Am)
5b
      12 14 12 14 12  12 13 14 13 
sim.
14 15 14 15 14 12 12 14 12
FIGURE 48, this produces a staccato sound, (Am)
 14
 15
 12

14 15 14 15 14 12 13 12
sim. 14 12 13


  12
which means “very short in duration.” In 13 14 15 13 12 14 12 14 13 14 12
12 13 14 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 13 14 12 14 15 14 15 14 12 12 12 14 14 12 14 12 14 12 14 13


FIGURE 49, I begin by allowing the notes 12 15 12 13 14 14 13 14 15 13 13 14 13
15 12 14 12 14 12 12 13 14 12 14 12 14 14 12
to ring as long as possible (known as 12 13 14 14 14 13


12 15 5
tenuto articulation), and then I switch to 3 1/2


3 1/2 5

 10 
a staccato attack. In both examples, I use

3 1/2 5
alternate picking throughout, alternately

12


damping the string with either an 12 14 13 12 10 12 13 12 13 12 10 12


14 13 12 15 12 10 12 10 12 13 12 13 12 10 12 12 12 10 12 10 10 11 12 12 12
upstroke or a downstroke; this is more 12 15 12 10 12 12 12 12 10 12 10 11 12 12 12
clearly illustrated in FIGURE 50.
Using this technique, you can create
14 13 12
15 12 10 12
10 12 13 12 13 12 10
12
12
12
3
10
12 10
12
12
10 11 12 12  12
3
  hold bend
1/2 hold bend 1/2
some really great aggressive-sounding 1/2 hold3bend 1/2 1/2 grad. bend 1/2
licks, like the ones shown in FIGURES 51a 1/2 1/2 grad. bend

  14 14 14

14 14 14 14
1/2 13 14 10 10 10 10 10 10 1/2
14 141/2 141/2 10grad. 10
and 51b: both of these freely improvised 10 13 10 14 13 14 14 14 14 10 10 bend 10 10 10 10 10 10


11 12 11 10 12 13 10
phrases combine the staccato attack with 11 10 12 11 12 14 14 14 14 13 14 14 14 14 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10


the legato (“smooth”) sound of hammer- 10 10 13 10
11 12 11 12
ons and pull-offs. 10

 
You can, of course, gain further con- 1 1 A7sus4
10
trol over the strings by additionally palm
1 1 1/2
1/2
1/2
1/2
A7sus4

10  
muting them, laying the edge of the pick- 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
1 8 10 8 110 8 A7sus4
5
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 10 10 8 10 8 10 9 8 5 5 1/2 1/2 5 5
hand palm across all of the strings at the 10 10 9 8 5 8 7 5 8 7 5 7
5

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 10 8 10 8 8 7 8 7 5 7 5 5
7

bridge saddles. 10 10 9 8 5 5 7 5 7 6 5 7
5
The sooner you master these muting 8 7 8 7 5 7 6 5 8 5 3 7
5
7 5 8 5 3 5
 rit. 7 6 5
techniques, the sooner you’ll be able to rit. 3 3 3 7
rit. 3 3 3 rit. 8 5 3 5
rock out and still play with a good mea-
rit. 3 3 3 rit.
sure of control over your instrument. ❒

12 GU I TA R WOR L D
 CHAPTER 11
BREAKIN’ OUT
THE BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS OF LIVE PERFORMANCE

»   
BEING A FULL-TIME guitar FIGURE
FIGURE52 1 1
N.C.(A) 1
player is an amazing experience.
  


I’ve had this “job” for the past
7 7 5 7 7 5
20 or so years, and it’s brought 7 5 7 7 7 7 5

me a great deal of happiness. X X X
5 5 5
I’ve often thought about the Th
most important aspects of my job. One G5
is that, when I perform, it’s not neces- 1 1 1

sarily essential that I play all the notes

perfectly or in a technically pristine 7 7 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 
manner. More important is that I have 7
X
5
5 7
X
5
5 7
X
5
X
X
X
5
5
3
5
5
3
 5
5
3
5
5
3
5
5
3
5
5
3
a great time. If I am really having fun
onstage, that energy translates to the Th
audience and they have a great time too. FIGURE
FIGURE53 2
Of course, if I hit lots of wrong notes, I
definitely won’t be having a good time. E5


But if I hit one bad note and in my mind 12 14 12 14 12 12 15 14 15 14 12 15 14 15 14 12


12 13 12 1215 13 15 13 12 12 13 15 15 15
I’m thinking, “I don’t care—the rest of it 15 14
is great,” then everything is cool. It’s all
about enjoying having the opportunity
to perform music. 6 7 3 5 5
7
This brings me to the matter of the
difference between being a “bedroom” 12 12
guitarist and one who is experienced
15 13 15 13 12
14
12 13 15 15 13 15 13 12 11 12 11   14
11 14 12 14 12 11 14 12 14 12 11
14
11
14
and comfortable playing live in front of
people. I’m of the firm belief that when
performing onstage you should play 7 9 9 grad.
the guitar with more than just your
 
bend
1
fingers—you should play with your

entire body.
I performed at a tribute to the
Who last year, and had to follow Pete
Townshend’s lead when it came to rec-
reating his parts. Pete absolutely does
not play with just his hands; he uses
his whole body, including his back,
torso, legs and arms. It’s a stunning
experience to play Who songs with the
mindset of being a vessel for the music,
as Pete does. The Who’s 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 shouldn’t 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 rhyth-
mic drive to it. There was so much
power in his playing, and I thought,
“Oh, that’s it—that’s why people keep
talking about Hendrix.”
To play rock music back in those
days, you had to get together with
12 14 12 11 11 12 11
14 14
9 5
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 Hendrix’s
era tended to be good at delivering
powerful musical statements to the au-
dience. 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 perfor-
mance. An obvious one is getting over
making a mistake—if you’re used to
merely hitting “undo” on your key-
board, you won’t know how to deal
with it when you are onstage.
All the pioneers of rock—Jimi
Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Eric
Clapton, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van
Halen, to name a few—learned 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
 
11 14 12 14 12 11 12 11 19 9
12 12 11 12 11 9 9
12 12 10 12 10 9 9
12 10 0
5 9 6
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 drum-
mer is showing up at seven o’clock, it
will motivate you to get your act to-
gether. I’ve written many a song using
that specific motivation.
Here’s 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 blaz-
ingly 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 you’ve learning the techniques
I’ve taught you, and that they help your
playing to improve and become more
expressive. ❒

13 GU I TA R WOR L D