August 10, 2025
The Kumoi Scale
Unlock the mystique of the Japanese Kumoi Scale: A dark, alluring, and exotic sound for guitarists. In this article lesson, I will tell you about the scale, its history and uses, and provide you with the 5 pentatonic box shapes I've created for it, plus a bonus diagonal run to…
122 hits
June 30, 2024
Maximizing Practice Efficiency
As musicians, it's vital that we get as good as possible in as little time as possible, or in other words: practice efficiently. In this lesson you will learn all about how to maximize this practice efficiency to really squeeze every last drop of benefit out of your practice sessions, and…
1054 hits
May 14, 2023
Create Your Own Scale Sequences
What are scale sequences? A sequence is a repeated and ordered pattern applied to the notes of a scale or arpeggio. Imagine walking in a straight line for 8 steps. You could go ahead one step at a time like you normally would or you could decide to mix it…
1523 hits
July 21, 2022
Develop a Shred Tremolo
The neutral-pickslanted single-string tremolo is the most fundamental pre-requisite I teach for fast and impressive multi-string alternate picking. Getting this up to a fast tempo and high level of reliability is vital. Only once it is mastered can a student move on to pickslanting and multi-string picking. Forget unsightly, tense,…
1919 hits
June 22, 2022
Double-Tracking Rhythm Guitars
Have you ever wondered how the professionals manage to produce such impressive rhythm guitar recordings? In this tutorial I will teach you how to record these rich, full, and professional-sounding rhythm guitars by "Double-Tracking" and creating an auditory illusion ("Haas Effect") that we, as sound engineers, can use to trick…
1949 hits
May 28, 2022
Shoulder and Elbow Study Animations
The shoulder and elbow are responsible for a lot more than you may think when it comes to guitar technique. In lead guitar, it is essential that we learn and master control over these joints to put them to work immediately. If you aren't using shoulder and elbow mechanics yet -…
1943 hits
March 01, 2022
Declan McDaid's Picking Approaches
In this article, musician and tutor Declan McDaid shares his picking tips and approaches, including: pick choice, single string picking, and multistring strategies (alternate picking and economy picking). Along with tabs and explanations, this is sure to iron out a few creases in your technique, and get you thinking about…
2182 hits
December 25, 2020
The truth about "elbow picking"
"Picking from the elbow", "elbow picking", and "arm picking" are some terms for what is considered by most lead guitar players to be taboo when it comes to picking technique.So why do so many beginners automatically start picking from the elbow when they attempt to increase their picking speed? Simply…
5469 hits
July 24, 2020
Guide to the perfect pickstroke
Here's some advice that I've learned from observing my own practice sessions over the years regarding how to achieve the perfect pickstroke. What do you think of when you imagine the perfect picking technique? Fast picking runs? Small and visually effortless motions? Long tremolos of near-endless and seemingly frictionless stamina?…
5051 hits
May 21, 2020
A student interviews me
The following is an interview between a student and myself for a college assignment of theirs where they had to question somebody working in the music industry. Hopefully you will enjoy learning a little bit more about me and perhaps give you a glimpse into what it's like starting out…
4594 hits
March 07, 2018
How to read guitar TABs
Reading and writing guitar tablature (TABs) is essential for learning other people’s music and for keeping a record of your own creations. I would even argue that it’s more practical than standard music notation as TABs dictate the exact and intended way in which a passage of notes should be…
13744 hits
December 26, 2017
How the Pros Sweep: Style vs. Style
Let's take a look at how a few famous pro guitarists execute 3-string sweep arpeggios. We'll compare the techniques of Rusty Cooley, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Andy James. Players tend to stick to one sweep picking style for their entire musical careers without even considering alternatives. It is my hope that this article will open your eyes…
10227 hits
May 09, 2017
Tapping Arpeggios Lesson #2
Welcome to the second lesson on two-hand tapped arpeggios! Last time we covered the fundamentals such as: muting, string transitions, and a small 2-string example arpeggio to begin with. Now it's time to delve further into the technique and learn some larger arpeggio shapes. This lesson will teach you the tapped arpeggios for…
11830 hits
January 07, 2017
Essential Scale Sequences
What are scale sequences? A sequence is a repeated and ordered pattern applied to the notes of a scale or arpeggio. Imagine walking in a straight line for 8 steps. You could go ahead one step at a time like you normally would or you could decide to mix it…
12359 hits
December 05, 2016
Clean Note Transitions
This is a lesson on how to play passages of notes in a perfectly clean and intelligible way. You must eliminate silence between notes to create a seamless stream of sound. Picture your notes as a brick wall. You want to lay the bricks so tightly that there are no…
8114 hits