EXERCISE A:

Do you want to learn the most effective technique and speed building exercises and secrets that the greatest neoclassical
guitar masters use? Would you also like to know the most useful and reliable warm up exercises that can be used to very
quickly prepare your hands for playing at your best in any conditions? This section of your lessons will teach you exactly
that! 

Most of the “Exercises A” of your lessons will consist of the most common neoclassical patterns which I use to compose
classical sounding licks and solos for my band Rhapsody Of Fire. Some of them are typical of my way of playing, while
others are my tribute to great guitar players who have influenced me such as Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker. I will
also show you many very cool ways to create variations from these ideas, so that you never feel bored playing your licks
in the same way all the time! I have used these same technique and speed developing licks and etudes to develop my
guitar playing technique to the level it is today.

In addition I will also show you the speed building secrets and strategies that will help you to greatly improve your guitar
playing and master these (and all other) exercises in a short period of time.

Periodically, I will also include in this section of your lessons the most effective warm up exercises that I use to get my
hands prepared for playing shows. I have found these exercises especially useful when warming before a festival
appearance in cold weather which can literally freeze your fingers and be the worst enemy of every guitar player .

Also, rhythmic exercises, open strings licks, string skipping licks, tapping patterns and much more will be covered in this
section of exercises in the course.

The specific exercise in this lesson is based on the string skipping technique and is an arrangement of a piano concerto by
Ludwig Van Beethoven (one of my favorite composers of all time). The tempo that is shown in the tab is the maximum
speed that this etude should be played at (different exercises will be shown at different speeds). However, you don’t need
to be playing at this speed before moving on to the next exercise or lesson! The speed shown in the exercise is the long
term goal that we will be working towards (with the help of the other exercises in future lessons). But if you are only able
to play this exercise at a slower tempo today, that is not a problem! Learn to play the exercise without stopping at the
most comfortable tempo you can and you will be ready to proceed further!

Usually, you should begin at a tempo that is about 40-50% of the target tempo shown in the notation for this exercise (in
this example it is 140 beats per minute). For this exercise I recommend starting at 55-70 beats per minute. If mistakes
start to happen, find out what is causing them and fix them at a slow speed before increasing the metronome tempo. By
identifying what mistakes are occurring at your top speed and then fixing them at slower speeds you will be able to move
closer and closer towards becoming a guitar master! (More details about such strategies will be given throughout the
lessons of the course!)

Allow your pick to travel in a short arc over the string that it needs to skip to avoid hitting it accidentally. Of course make
sure that the arc is not so large that your pick makes too much motion. Relax your fretting and picking hands after
playing each note to avoid tension and fatigue in your hands.

Lastly, pay attention to the > symbol which is indicated in the standard notation over some of the beats. When you see it
over a note, it means that you need to pick that note louder. I have inserted this symbol to help you not lose track of
where you are in the music and to follow the rhythm more precisely.

Very Important: You do NOT have to play the exercise at the maximum speed shown in the tab in order to continue
with the next lesson. Even if you can only play at half the speed right now, this is not a problem. Your technique and
speed will continuously improve as you work through the course (as we proceed with easier exercises to the more
difficult ones), and over time you will reach the maximum goal speeds that are shown in the notation. So it is very
important that you don’t feel pressured to play at the tempo indicated after practicing the exercise only for a few days or
weeks.

© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved

© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved
 Hear the exercise at 100% of the speed

Hear the exercise at 75% of the speed

Hear the exercise at 50% of the speed

Hear the exercise at 25% of the speed

© Tom Hess Music Corporation All Rights Reserved