Did you ever wonder how the most epic guitar solos of our time were crafted? Let Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters be your tour guide and listen in as he breaks down legendary guitar solos with the artists themselves.
“I love guitar playing, and in particular, I love lead guitar playing (not to mention all things related to lead guitar playing: amps, pedals, stories about recording, and of course, guitars). My new show, SHRED WITH SHIFTY, was born out of the fact that I spend an awful lot of time watching people on the internet explain guitar parts almost right, so I thought, what if I could just go to the source and find out what my favorite players actually did on the solos I love? I’m about halfway through doing the interviews for this first season and the lineup is insane plus I’ve already got a big new bag of hot licks to learn. Working on launching this show has been a good reminder of why I picked up a guitar in the first place - because it’s really, really fun.” - Chris Shiflett
Each and every episode gets inside what it was like in the recording studio where some of the most iconic guitar solos were created and highlights aspects of each solo that only the artist knows. Alex Lifeson talks about how the “Limelight” solo was pieced together in the studio, while Rivers Cuomo discusses why his go-to “guitar store” lick is a classic from super shredder Yngwie Malmsteen. Wonder how Richie Sambora put together the “Wanted Dead or Alive” solo? We have you covered. Need a breakdown of the chords to Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out?” No one knows the nuances better than Nile Rodgers himself.
Shred With Shifty Guests Include:
- Nile Rodgers
- Brad Paisley
- Alex Lifeson (Rush)
- Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
- Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
- Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)
- Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke)
- Lindsay Ell
- Blake Schwarzenbach, (Jawbreaker)
- John Osborne (Brothers Osborne)
- Brent Mason (Session Legend)
SHRED WITH SHIFTY is produced by Jason Shadrick, Chris Shiflett, leading music podcast company Double Elvis, and Volume.com along with Premier Guitar. Full video episodes will be available exclusively on Volume.com. Audio versions of every episode will be available on all major podcast platforms. Go to Volume.com/shifty and follow to get alerts as new video episodes are released.
Fans can smash play on Shiflett’s latest singles "Black Top White Lines" (written with alt-country heroes Jaren Johnston and John Osborne) and"Dead And Gone" right now, and stay tuned for a forthcoming full-length album announcement later this summer. Want to know what’s in Shiflett’s personal guitar vault? Check out his Rig Rundown via Premier Guitar.
"Double Elvis thrives on the power of music and storytelling. With 'SHRED WITH SHIFTY,' we're embodying these values by diving into the world of guitar legends, the solos that define them, and the untold stories behind those iconic moments. Chris Shiflett's passion for the craft, his curiosity, and his unique ability to connect with other musicians makes him the perfect person to lead this exploration. We couldn't be more excited to partner with him, and with Volume.com to bring this truly unique and entertaining new show to life.”
-Brady Sadler, Executive Producer & Co-Founder of Double Elvis
We are beyond thrilled to bring SHRED WITH SHIFTY to life with video on Volume.com. What we love about having this podcast on Volume is the visual nature of the content. The incredible material that Chris covers with these Legends is more compelling with the additional video component. We believe fans and guitarists being able to see the frets and fingerings up close and personal creates an enhanced viewer experience.
-Greg Nacron, COO, Volume.com
After a brief departure to tour with Demi Lovato, Nita Strauss will return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour.
The Alice Cooper North American tour, with an all-new show dubbed "Too Close For Comfort," kicks off in late April in Michigan and continues through late September, including a handful of August stadium shows with Def Leppard + Motley Crue, followed by a co-headlining late summer "Freaks On Parade" tour with Rob Zombie.
Said Alice, "She's Back! Nita asked for a leave of absence to work with someone else, something I always encourage my band members to do. I like them to challenge themselves and try new things. I'm thankful to my old friend Kane Roberts for stepping up and filling in for her, but she'll be back with us for the new tour that starts up in late April. It's going to be great to have her back."
Nita commented, "From the studio to the stage, it's always an immense honor to make music with Alice Cooper!! I'm very excited to be rejoining the band on the road for the 2023 dates, and so I'll see you on the road in April. Let the nightmare return!"
ALICE COOPER ON TOUR:
4/28 — Mt. Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle Casino + Resort
4/29 — Youngstown, OH — Covelli Centre
4/30 — Hershey, PA — The Hershey Theater
5/2 — Fort Wayne, IN — Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
5/3 — Milwaukee, WI — Miller High Life Theatre
5/5 — Prior Lake, MN — Mystic Lake Mystic Showroom
5/6 — Bemidji, MN — Sanford Center
5/7 — Sioux City, IA — Tyson Events Center
5/9 — Champaign, IL — State Farm Center
5/10 — Louisville, KY — Louisville Palace Theater
5/13 — Knoxville, TN — The Tennessee Theatre
5/14 — Spartanburg, SC — Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
5/15 — North Charleston, SC — Performing Arts Center
5/17 — Shreveport, LA — Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
5/18 — Biloxi, MS — Beau Rivage Theatre
5/20 — Daytona Beach, FL — Welcome to Rockville*
*Festival
WITH DEF LEPPARD + MOTLEY CRUE:
8/5 — Syracuse, NY — JMA Wireless Dome
8/8 — Columbus, OH — The Ohio State University Ohio Stadium
8/11 — Fargo, ND — Fargodome
8/13 — Omaha, NE — Charles Schwab Field Omaha
8/16 — Tulsa, OK — Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium
8/18 — El Paso, TX — Sun Bowl Stadium
CO-HEADLINE "FREAKS ON PARADE" TOUR WITH ROB ZOMBIE:
8/24 — Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavilion
8/26 — Tampa, FL — Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre
8/27 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
8/29 — Raleigh, NC — Coastal Credit Union Music Park @ Walnut Creek
8/30 — Virginia Beach, VA — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre
9/1 — Tinley Park, IL — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
9/2 — Des Moines, IA — Wells Fargo Arena
9/5 — Clarkston, MI — Pinke Knob Amphitheatre
9/6 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
9/8 — Scranton, PA — The Pavilion @ Montage Mountain
9/9 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell Health Theatre @ Jones Beach
9/10 — Hartford, CT — XFINITY Theatre
9/12 — Nashville, TN — Bridgestone Arena
9/15 — Bonner Springs, KS — Azura Amphitheatre
9/16 — Englewood, CO — Fiddler’s Green
9/19 — Ridgefield, WA — RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheatre
9/20 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre
9/22 — Concord, CA — Pavilion
9/23 — Anaheim, CA — Honda Center
9/24 — Phoenix, AZ — Ak-Chin Pavilion
For tickets + VIP information, go here.
Intermediate
Intermediate
- Develop a sense of how to substitute open strings for fretted notes.
- Create a cascading effect by playing as legato as possible.
- Understand how open strings fit into many different keys.
I’m not talking about playing in open position, but rather substituting and adding the flavor of open notes whenever possible into your lines. It creates extra tension and a cascading legato feel that’s so important to my style that I can’t play without it. It has become a pillar of my country guitar technique.
All you need to do is listen to the way Chet Atkins approaches this technique in his music like the ending to his version of “Blue Angel” (or better yet “Cascade”). Once I heard this technique, I had to understand it better. Other artists that come to mind that regularly use open-string licks are Danny Gatton, Merle Travis, Redd Volkaert, Jimmy Olander, and many others.
CHET ATKINS - Cascade 1977
Careless Love I Jimmy Olander
In this lesson I’ll get you going with some simple, and not so simple, ways to incorporate this technique and get you playing over major, minor, and dominant 7 chords. These are the three most common chords you’ll see in country and pop music so hopefully they’ll have an instant payoff. When I first started working on this it was painstakingly slow. So be patient, buckle up, and let’s dive in.
In Ex. 1 is a reimagined G major scale (G–A–B–C–D–E–F#). The intervals between the fretted and open notes will determine how much tension there is in your line. Minor and major seconds will typically have heavy tension, which is fine. Remember, tension is great in music and eventually wants to be resolved. You can use the pick for every note or use hybrid picking. Experiment and find what works for you. Using a pick will give more attack to the note but using the flesh or fingernail will give you more warmth and might be slightly easier at faster tempos.
Let the open notes and fretted notes “bleed” into one another as much as possible. This is how you get the cascading legato effect. Listen closely to the audio examples to match to phrasing and length of each note. Hold onto each note as long as possible to let the notes ring into each other.
Ex. 1
We reimagine a descending line for a D major scale (D–E–F#–G–A–B–C#) in Ex. 2. The larger the string skip, the more that interval creates contrast. Notice you are literally playing a descending scale with displaced intervals and substituting open strings whenever possible. This lick ends with some chords voiced with open strings as well.
Ex. 2
In Ex. 3 we move to the key of E major, which is great for open strings since you have two open-string root notes. This is a descending line that hits all the notes of the E major scale (E–F#–G#–A–B–C#–D#). You will need some good independence on your pinky finger to hold down certain notes but with practice, that should come. It’s all part of the technique.
Ex. 3
I like using open string licks for dominant 7 chords and Ex. 4 works great over an A7. We’ve moved from playing up and down the scale to working with chord tones and blue notes like the b5 found on the 4th fret of the 2nd string. The first three groupings are all triplets which works great on adjacent strings. I resolved this lick sliding up into nicely outlining the A7 ending in an open string. Use your ring finger to bend the note on the 3rd string and slide up with your index for maximum left-hand efficiency.
Ex. 4
In this bluesy lick over an Am chord (Ex. 5), you work your way down the neck all the while incorporating open strings. Use your pinky on the 10th fret of the 4th string and to end the lick on the 3rd fret of the 5th string. A quick and effective lick for playing over a minor tonality.
Ex. 5
Ex. 6 is a tricky lick over an F#m7 chord with some slides. Your index finger will slide first, then the ring finger on the left hand. It’s important to use those fingerings as they set up the ascending part of this lick. String skipping towards the back end of the lick is vital to really outline the open 1st and 2nd strings. Let all the open strings ring as long as you can without it sounding sloppy. Listen closely to the audio example for this one.
Ex. 6
I like this ascending lick (Ex. 7) over a G7 chord. Note that you’re playing only on the top four strings for this lick starting with two quick arpeggiated lines connected with some open strings. The back half of this lick is one of my favorite ways to do quick runs using open strings.
Ex. 7
You can also incorporate a chromatic approach to your lines while using open strings. In Ex. 8, which is over an E chord, I sneak in a few passing tones to add extra tension and create some ear-twisting fun.
Ex. 8
That’s but a brief snapshot of some ways to add open strings to create cool cascading musical lines. It can be a bit tricky to initially wrap your head around thinking this way, but once you do, the sky is the limit. I like incorporating open string licks for texture and then start to intertwine them with other techniques like double-stops, pedal bends, and chord voicings. Until next time, take care!!