Music theory can be a sensitive topic for guitarists. 

Considering all the talk of modes, intervals, arpeggios, arrangement, 7th chords, song structure, appoggiatura, contrary motion, and all the other lingo, it's easy to see how this would cause one to feel overwhelmed. 

Fortunately, the...

When I was in the market to pick out a guitar for my 16th birthday, I knew for sure I wanted something with a Floyd Rose bridge. The one who fueled this desire was Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold. Seeing all the tricks he did live during Critical Acclaim and watching him make that last note s...

If there is one guitar trick you absolutely CANNOT get by without, it’s palm muting. Palm muting is not exclusive to a specific genre, so no matter what style you play, this trick is something you’ll need to learn. It’s an essential technique that relies on your picking hand to dampen the sound o...

Have you ever been awestruck when seeing one of your guitar heroes just shredding away? 

I’m not talking about a recorded, composed solo on a song that's played live every night. I'm talking about those next-level shredders that seem to have amazing leads pouring out of their fingertips on th...

On the list of Heaviest Riffs Ever, “Servitude” by Sylosis has got to be there somewhere. When you consider the fact that the song is in E standard tuning of all things, well that just takes its ranking up a few notches. 

Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people have different ideas ...

A single note can be played in many different ways if you're playing it on the guitar. You can pick a note, hammer-on or pull-off to it from a different note, tap it, bend up to it, or slide into it. Each note has an opportunity to be played with flare by using a variety of tasteful tricks. We ca...

Sometimes, when writing a solo, it can feel like you're missing something that's got some dazzle to it. Something weird, ya know? A mind-bending sequence that'll either piece two other parts of the solo together or wrap it up with something unique. You may also be searching for a musical practice...

For Slipknot and their fans, 2024 is the year their debut self-titled album's 25th anniversary is celebrated. With all the albums the sonic giant has released since then, this is an opportune time to reflect on how far the unit has come. With the growth of each new release testing half of Slipkno...

It's officially ROCKTOBER, so that means I've got to give you something spooky. I figured what better song to teach than “Sweet Dreams” by Marilyn Manson? Years ago, before I even knew who Manson was, I first heard this song in the movie House On Haunted Hill. I was mesmerized by the harrowing so...

One of the most fun and expressive rhythm techniques is the gallop. While it knows no bounds regarding what genre you'll find the gallop in, it's pretty essential if you're gonna play metal--especially thrash. In this lesson, I'm gonna break down how to master this technique once and for all. You...

All guitars are built with the ability to be incredibly expressive instruments. I believe the reason why guitars are so popular is because they can imitate the human voice better than pretty much any other instrument. However, there is one feature not shared by all guitars that makes the instrume...

If you’re a metal guitarist, consider yourself lucky. You were born with an attraction to the most powerful, fun, and diverse style of music out there. Metal, more than any other style I know, has the most subgenres and draws influence from most genres outside of its own. It’s a style rich with b...