scales

Intermediate

Intermediate

  • Learn the difference between diatonic and non-diatonic notes.
  • Use dissonance to spice up your solos.
  • Understand how scales, chords, and non-diatonic notes work together.
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Why is it that when soloing some notes that seemingly shouldn’t work, do? And no, it’s not jazz we’re talking about. So get ready to play some dissonant music that sounds wonderful.

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Intermediate

Beginner

  • Develop a better sense of articulation.
  • Learn how to combine sweep picking, alternate picking, legato, and economy picking.
  • Create phrases that better align with the emotional expression of the music you’re playing.
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I remember seeing John Petrucci’s Rock Discipline DVD when I was a teenager and his advice on practicing really stuck with me. Now, I don’t remember any of the specific exercises from that video, but his method for splitting up your allotted practice time was really interesting. According to John, he would divide his time up equally between areas like alternate picking, sweep picking, legato, and tapping. It’s a straightforward idea, and it obviously worked for him, but I want to propose a different approach. I’d like to try to change the way you might think about technique and your technique practice.

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Just take your musical vitamins!

Intermediate

Beginner

•Create a goal-oriented warm-up routine.
• Learn to outline all 12 major scales in a single position.
• Develop an understanding of tremolo picking, quintuplets, and the chromatic scale.

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Warm-ups aren’t just about limbering up your fingers. Warming up helps with focus and confidence. It’s difficult to go into a performance cold. Whether it’s a Broadway show, a Carnegie Hall performance, a bar gig, or any formal or informal setting, you need a warm-up routine. Like a runner who needs to stretch before a competition, a musician needs to get their mind and body ready before a performance. Though there is a flood of method books on the market along with YouTube tricks and tips, there is no standard canon of technical exercises available for electric guitar. As a professional guitarist over the years, I’ve seen the need for an effective, comprehensive, yet quick warm-up routine.

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