, 3 * il Peal ¥WORKOUT PHILOSOPHY ve always believed that ‘everyone has the ability to dis cover and cultivate his or her own unique voice on an instru: ment; doing s0 requires that one listen co one's inner voice and then find the courage to express it To that end, the Workouts not meant to steer students into someone else but 10 equip them with some of the tools that are essential to discovering their own voice, while simultane ‘ously helping them become thoroughly bal- anced musical beings. {should note thet this program is geared for people thet love the challenge ofa disci plined curriculum and truly want 10 master ‘he instrument. The concept behind doing so is easy: start by plaving something —a bend, 2 iff, scale, asong—very slowly; ifyou make ‘mistake, starc over; do this over and over, tundl you can play it flawlessly—and I do ‘mean flawlescly—many times ina row. Next, gradually increase the tempo. Eventually ‘you'll be flailing about like a madman. ‘This doesn't necessarily mean you will become a great musician or songwriter. Those are talents that can’t be taught; you're elcher born with them or need to discover them within yourself. BEFORE YOU BEGIN Tune your guitar. Never play out of tune unless fora desired effec, such WF 2s working on a quartercone scale._.or playing alternative rock music for pop radio consumption, Focus, This is the most important element inthis program. The way you mentally approach this or any other exercise is more important then putting in the hours and going ‘ough the motions. Its tremendously impor- tant that you gear up mentally fr practice, gi, rehearsal, songwrting—whatever you're going todo, Understand thatthe atitude and frame ofmind you heve when entering into a focused endeavor is one ofthe few things you dohaye within your power. Remember: Ie’ allinthe rind! You can basically convince yourself of ‘enything and mae it happen. CATEGORIES 1've divided the 30-Hour Workout into eight categories: 1. Exercises 2. Seales 3. Chords 4 Bar waining 5. Sight reading 6. Composing/songwriting 76 cuiran wortD 7. Music theories 8. Jamming, In addition, 've arranged these categories, into three 10-hour perday sessions. Bearin rind that the amount of time and focus you put into che program sill be directly reflected inyour playing. feel these categories provide a good mixx ‘of the various elements that go into becoming a thoroughly rounded musician, Note, honev- er that Iwill only be outlining concepts here; it's up to you to research and discover more on. your ovn, There are plenty of instructional ‘books, CDs and DVDs on the market. and many schools offer home-study courses that teach you al ypes of finger exercises, chords, scales, theory and so on. in addition, guitar. related information is plentiful on the inter net. Ofcourse, encourage you to explore oth cer categories, ideas and concepts not ‘mentioned here. That's one of the great things about playing the guitar—there are essentially no rules, and a person’s ability to be unique is, only limited by their courage and imagination. ‘lchough the Workout is geared toward rockstyle of playing, you may want to substi- ‘nite various elements that are more appropri- ave for the style of music you're imerested in. Ifyou decide you don’ want to learn conven: tional things, you mey choose to replace one ormore ofthese categories with things that you're more comfortable with. You'll have to ‘come up with them, though. (One last note: When | was a young practic {ng musician, [would keep log ofall the time T spenton the instrument, withe specific breakdown of everything I did. [guess I was just anal that way. While this approach worked forme, it may not be for everyboxy. Irdoes, however, help you to chart your progress FINGER EXERCISES Finger exercises are great for developing exterity and consol. When performing them, pace yourself witha metronome or drum rachine and star very slowly. mighthelp 19 nagine how you want the notes to sound, then perform them over and over unt they sound exactly the way you hear them in your head. used todo this, nds gieat way 10 ain contol over your playing. would also ‘experiment with different pick positions, ‘dynamics, and so on. Whatever you do, be sure to focus on every srglerow you play. [cat sures enough the importance of his, ‘There are literally thousands of finger exercises, and they an all help you achieve Aiton cbjecives In this section, PU explain the following eategories of ingerenerises: + Linear + angular + Hammerons and Pulloffs + Alternate Fingers + Tapping + Swreping + Multiple PickingIwould advise you to tailor your exercises ‘round the style you're most interested in. ‘The dea isto find chings thacare awkwrard to play and then work on them slowly, until you ‘ean play thom perfectly. Ultimately, you want ‘your playing tobe a reflection of what you hear inyour head. LINEAR ExERCISES FIGURE 1 depicts abasic lin car finger exercise. ef lows an ascending parern ‘we'll simply call “1-2-3-4,” as this refers othe orderin ‘which the fet-hand fingers index, middle, ring, pinkie) are placed on each string (fret- hand fingerings are incicated below the tab- lacare), FIGURE 2 presents an alternating variation on this drill. The fingering pattern follows the repeating sequence 1.2-3-4,23- 4:1, 6-1-2, 4-2-3, The alternating finger ing idea can also be played on asingle string, cs demonstrated in FIGURE 3. [find this dil Linear/Alternate Picking Exercises aune Pde V weenie woe PV nv on to bea great exercise in position shifting ‘The next step is to exhaust all other per mutation of the 12°24 combination, auch 25432-14234, 132-4 whatever four note sequcnce you find awhward—and prac mows, : ___ teethem ina similar manner. Peg me Mae, ae vine Mme: Wlimen eee itwe apply tis fingering approach 0 thiee-note-perstring combinations, for example 12-4, the rvalt would be the three txercses shown in FIGURES 4-6. Ofcourse, two acteperstrng patterns ould elsobe ‘sed for linear picking exercises as demon- ures, strated in Fl@URES 7 and 8. The exercise ome shown in FIGURE 7 will be beneficial to those of you who may have problems switch. ing evings with te same fretting finger. Rol the finger ver the strings s you switch from a ee ‘one to the next to keep the notes from bleed- ing Cinging) into each other ANGULAR ExERCISES ‘Anetfective way 0 improve your string-crossing technique isto perform what I call “angular” exercises. FIGURE © ‘exemplifies what fm talking about. The general idea isto take a fingering OURET 78 curtan wortD: pattern inthis cae 4-9:21, end wort Angular/Economy Picking Exercises across the strings ina single poston, asign- une» ing one finger per string and using seep Be eyes economy pking (consecutive dovnstrkes or el tapatrokes on adjacent rings) wherever pos be. Tv included picking strokes above the tablarure inthis exercise ro guide you. Each sweep indicated by an upstroke oF down: sxteke symbol followed by a broken herizaeal line and a backed) should be performed as a single piekstro¥e, with the plecbeing dragged across the strings ina continuous movement. ‘Since there are only three groups of four adja: contstrings (1-4, 2-5 and 2-6), the entire angular parte doesn marist tseif uni its played on one ofthese string groups. ‘When performing FIGURE 9, [find it helpfal to wisuliz three imaginary strings on veg x ‘either side of the neck, as this provides a Be point of reference for fingering the first six and last sixnotes ofthis exercise With this approach, the progression of noses seems ery naruca, When fet the fitstnove with my index finger, Fm chinking in verms of the complete 43-2-1 pater, with the other three fingers (4-3-2) being onthe imaginary scrings. Thus, only the fis finger is used. Ae the partern moves across the strings al four fingers are eventually brought into play. Like- ‘wise, es you run out of atrings in bar 3 al fn ger but te fourth move off the neckonto runes iimaginary sings. sine YD Yonn FIQURE 10 san anguler exercise based on — - a1-2-3-4 fingering pattern. Again, I've includ: td picking strokes end frethand fingerings above and below the tablature to guide you Using the “imaginary strings” approach should make ia iti easier to devise exerci cs based on other fingering pater. For example, an angular exercise based ona 1-3- 2-4 fingering parern would begin onthe high ss E suring and go 4, 2-4,9-2-4,1-9-2-4, 08 patel eel <éemonstrated in FIGURE 11. ee er yy ‘Allocate the frst 30 minutes of your prac rice session to linear exercises and the next 30 minutes to angular exercises. Try to come ‘up with your ou exercises that sit your FFoURE 10 Legato Exercises rouRe rave 16 20 cuiraR woRtpIn addition, read music for instruments other than guitar, such as the clarines, flute and plano, Also, get a jazz “Fake” book and through the chord changes. WRITING MUSIC ‘Writing songs or instrumental pieces is ‘one of the most rewarding things about being ‘a musician. There are many ways you ean go about building a catalog of original material ‘When Iwas a high schoo! freshman Thad an incredible musie theory teacher named Bll ‘Wesccott. He vas tough! One of my assign ments was to come in every day with a newly vritten piece of original music thet he could play on the piano. It had to be completely notated and not just show chord symbols and ‘melody, end ithad to be written specifically forthe piano. Having him play the musie for ‘me was not only a treat but tremendously educational If youre interested in learning how to notate music propery, the best reference book on the subject Is Music Nocarion, by Gardner Read. I's an exceptional book, and it ‘outlines all the essential dos and don'ts. You ‘ay be able to find it by calling the bookstore at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Here are some recommendations for song ‘riting/composing: + Tum ona tape recorder and bang out ouridea Tarr you bow Fnportnt this if you ace wba songwriter. Moments ofinpiraion ae sues Graal i Berween, and they can icyou et the most ulitely tines You need to beveady capture them Ww they pecen themselves Y = Wt soge in lead sheet format, with amelody on the staff and ehord changes written above the melody. Tere sxe books, such as Must Noteion, that ov Tine thelnitations and proper notation fr Sau cucu rte are ad ‘composing music forinstraments other shan the gute Study che range, tone, timbre, limitations and noraion fer one instrument at atime be violin, harp or harmonica played through a Marshall sack (ora Carvin Legacy sac. * Find another musician tet you can “gel ‘with ata corte Ideal, he or she maybe sotreone who possess cera tl that you lack. Ifyou have height chemisry, creating ssi with another peson cen be avery enone + Wl yng in bed aight, yo make epencndlessrmeloy thet contning veriey of instruments Doing this i truly retin, because you's creating inmancancouly and there ae no linitations to where you cen go crwatieeen sound like, 4 Ds) reverenddireet.com 586.75.1025 30-HOUR, Oy Remember that people write songs based on anything from events in their life social commentary to fantasy. When e person taps into that ere ative portion of their brain, they rosually gravitate to things that stimulate them the most. S717 MUSIC THEORY Tve always been fescinated by music theory. Although knowledge of itis not a prerequisite for being a great guitar player or musician, [feel chat if you're going to learn to speak a language, it helps to know how toread and write it. Many people are intimidated by theory, but it’s not that diff cult, realy; the system is actually very log cal and straightforward. What confuses a lot of people, think, is having to struggle ‘with thinking in unfamiliar keys, such as A, at or F sharp. Bill Westcott taught me music theory in high school, bur ic wasn't until [took guitar lessons from Joe Satriani that I learned how to apply a lotofitto my instrument. There are many books that teach music theory basics, including notation, time signatures, key sig natures, the crele of fifths, chord theory and modes. I recommend that you take every. thing you learn in a theory book and figure A aed ec See rerent nn Cee eee coe eee Pome Ceara a Aneicn ong, S903 ree ee ere DS Oey $539 ==‘Sweep Picking Exercises eouRet Scale Exercises FQURERH Tae seven modes of he G major seale(GAB CDEF#) ee FGURE25 moje scale in hid FIGURED G major salen ithe up the neck Sg itt + Double picking (picking each nore tice) ‘Triple picking (... three times) + Quadruple picking (... four times) = Quintuple picking ¢.. five times) Practicing scales has many benefits, bat ‘the ma focus ofthis activity should be on memorizing the sound ofa scale and the mood 82 GUITAR WORLD Cyn ae PStuinianaate Etoanmele MH Levtinneie ae [IQURE 28 G mor scale In fourts up the nek will work with the chord, you'll most likely sound like an flor. Learn and play as many scales as you can, in every key and position, in one octave, two cceraves or three octaves. Start from any note on che low E string, then the A string, ore ‘Make sure you play each scale forward and backward (escending and descending) FIGURE 24 illustrates fretboard patterns forthe G major scale (GAB CD EF#) and its seven relative modes, all of which comprise the same seven notes. The only difference in each case isthe oriencation of the notes around a different tonal center, or root Practice any given seale/mode scale slowly atfirst and make sure its perfect. Ifyou make a mistake, scart over. Gradually increase the tem- po asyou complete a cycle. Listen careflly 10 teach note and focus on tone. Before moving to fester speed, you should be able to runa scale up and down without fudging and nowes. Don't cheat yourself I find itbeneficial w watch my fingers in the mirror and ty to get them to move gracefully, elegantly, effortlessly rin whatever way looks and feels good, ‘There are many things you can do with a Seale and mode other than just run it across the fretboard. For example, you can play itn intervals, either melodically, as demonstrated. in FIGURES 25-27, or up and down the neck (on two strings ar the seme time, as depicted. InFIGURES 28-30, These firs three exercis. es are great for building technique in boch bands, while the second three help you learn the scale on each string and gain ear-training wisdom by hearing it played in harmony. To get twice the mileage out of these patterns, be sure torun them in reverse order as well. “There are countiess variations on these kinds of melodic and harmonic interval pa terns thet you can practice. For example, you ‘could take the pattern of ascending diatonie hs from FIGURE 27 and switch the order ‘of every other pair of notes to create adiffer- cent and more interesting melodie contour, as ‘demonstrated in FIGURE 31. Considering all the different scales, modes, keys, positions, intervals and melodic pazterns, the possibili ties areimmence, = cr atuposphere it creates. Sing the notes you play ‘to holp internalize the ‘wnality of the scale, and try to paint a mental picture of ‘what the scale’ tonality sounds ike to you. This is one ofthe things you right draw upon when you go to write or improvise music. Beware, however, that ‘when the time comes to take an improvised solo and all you dois flail up and down a scale pattern because you know the notes 1esalso helpful to record yourselfpracticing scales and then listen critically to your efforts. This will eneble you to mold your playingin the direction you want. ([never wanted 0 sound 109 polished, and Tactually ‘worked on trying to sound gritty and onthe edge.) This is obviously lott chink about when practicing a simple scale, but Syou don'theve todo it all at once. Focus ‘oncifferent elements individually. Bven- ‘ually they will merge and become par: of "your second nature. PENTATONIC AND BLUES SCALES ‘The five-note minor pentatonic scale and its deovivativo, ch si nore minor blues ele, form the foundation of the vocabulary ofock lead ‘guitar playing. The minor pentatonle seale istas a ie ON error mere pe eee aeCeney Ped err co Se aera ee ee cleaner with ever ‘will got better, [Next listen carefully tothe groove and uy co stay locked in with it. You will not be able to do play the materi out thinking about the changes. In addition you must be able to separate your: self a bit from what you're doing and just listen to the beat. By doing this while you're playing, you can ‘ing in with a drummer, Once you're locked sn, Keep trying to lock tighter and tighter. ‘You'll know when you've locked in with the groove because it will star to fee! really ‘good. Once you getto this point, you can then experiment by making the groove sound stiff and mechanical, and loose and warm. You canalso try to play in front ofthe beat, behind che beat and so on. When you're playing along to ametronome or dram machine, ry to “bury” the dick tueck, By this fmean get right on the beat when you do, the cick wil sound as it's die appeared, since your atracks will beso “right on" thar theyll cover the licks. Being able 0 jock with the beat and groove isone of tie ‘most rewarding feelings one can experience as ‘musician. It’s better than the party after the show._.unless, of course, you're in Amsterdam. ‘There are many types of grooves to fool around with (straight rock, r&b, reggae, ska, blues shuffle and so on), bucbefore you do, make sure you can ger theough them cleanly ‘and lock nto them. Play egch across a full range of tempos, from very slow to very fast eally focus on lod IMPROVISATION T's always coal o create your own nique chord library. The following techniques ean help: “+ Baya conventional or fami Tar chord, then start alternating fone note at atime ky moving itup o° P down a fret. When you come across chord you lke, add ito your personal hod Iba ‘Take numbers from a series (atele- phone number, for instance) and use them 2s scale degrees fora chord “Think ofan emotion, acolor or scene from a movie and fool around with the notes. ina chord uni icsounds hike thinking of ‘Use open sings, wide finger stretches, natural harmonies, notes feted with the fn sere on the picking hand ané 50 on, Exper ent with allthese things to come up with unique chords hat you're EAR TRAINING Ifyou toss aside everything else in this Workout, keep thls section, Training your ‘earsis the most important practice in mak- ing the crucial connection between your imagination and your fingers. Most people spond very litte time developing their ears, but the payoffs nary. Some people are born from doing so are extraordi- th a natural ear for music, while others need to work on it Tecan be tedious and time consum- ing, but it’s very rewarding. The fo lowing are some ing your ears. ‘= Improvise and sing what you play. 004 voice isn’t necessary, but you do need to get the I pitches accurate, If you car’ sing the notes perfectly in ch, work on it unt you can. + Sing anote ‘and then ty to play seby using the pre nce. This isa challenging aril that takes a temen cipline. Just imag- ing, though, how much your ears will Improve when you can do this. + Sing a harmoplaying, Start ith someshing simple, ikea ifs, then move Ms tos Forth, a major fs 3 third, a minor third, a major sixth and soon, 30-HOUR, Pescercetoce ce UTD seas: Pei ea Vesssty ws rege lo, Understand that his bility could take years to develop. * Memorize the sound of diferent ner wid. vay de tds corecord pre te tea ens Elcace peaking ts mame Tl upacr tour tape inthis wey, thea laren bac an ty to ame cock nerral in the lence tha llows x x + ¥ ae he notes. You'll know ifyou're right when Your voice comes in and names it properly. + Perform this last exercise with chords. Record yourself slowly plucking each nove of ‘a chord, and allow a few seconds of space between the notes. After a moment of nce, announce the chord and its eompo- nent intervals + Transcribe everyching, from simple gui- tar soles to complex jazz sax soles. * Carry manuscript paper with you, and ‘when you have some fre time away from your instrument, write melodies using only your fears to guide you. + Carry songbooks wit melodies. + Make up your own car training exercises and keep a log of your progress. 11 and sing the 1g the single Bier Cee hoes poo oe eae eer earns eee tas aaa READING MUSIC ‘There area lot of advantages to readi music, Some of these are: + Learning to play songs you otherwise wouldn't have been able to play + Being able to transcribe your composi + Expanding your musical palate ‘When Iwas astudent at Berklee College of Music in Boston, I decided T wanted to be th best sightreader inthe world. [spent an entire summer doing nothing but sightre ing almost every waking moment, Iemember leaving the apartment only two times for social events the entire summer. {attempted tosight-read everything Tcould get my hands ‘on—clarinet studies, piano pieces, John Coltrane sax solos, oe Pass chord charts and ‘even phone books. tthe end of the summer ‘was a mediocre sight-reader at best. Thelieve che guitar is che most difieult, instrument on which to sight-read beceuse there are limitations and many variables involved. Having sai thet, I can provide some pointers. “The two most Important elements in learning to read music well are being able ‘identify patterns and to look ahead as you're playing. Work on these principles and things ‘will eventually fall ito place. Beyond these tips, Lxecommend you do the following: * Buy beginner guitar reading books to get the idea of where the notes fall on ment. Ihave never been a fan of reading gui tartab. Although it ean give you a bird's eye overview of how to pay 2 parcicular piece, 1 fee! that ceventually becomes limiting + Take song (classical, jazz or whatever ‘youlike) and read it through every day until youcan play it perfectly. Sight reading is real ly about identifying patterns, so this will hep, (Once your have completely mastered a song and you're capable of playing it flawlessly and with great feeling, go abead and play it many ‘more times and watch what heppens. Build repertoire of songs and play chrough each one every day, or on a regular basis at least + Sight-reed a little bit of something new ‘and terrifying every day. This will aid your ability to look aheed. {fs been proven that the most effective way. to improve your sight-reading ability iso attempe to sight-read something ata striet tem po, such as with a metronome or drum machine. The key isto proceed without stop- ‘ping or slowing down. Ifyou miss a note, oh ‘well. Keep going, asf you were giving a recital ‘with other musicians. Don'tstop and dwell on the note(s) you missed until you've finished the entire piece, then go backand see what youmissed, Practice sight reading apiece of ‘musict atempo tha’s not going to make you mess up every two measures, You'll beamazed athowe your sight-reading ability will improve ‘when you Fore: yourself not 0 slovedown when you come toa tricky spot.purposes and use them interchangeably. Due to the mathematical nature of these types of ‘exercises, they're more easily worked out on. paper than in your head (more on notaring ‘music later), HANMER-ONS AND PULL-OFFS “The hammeron isatechnique whereby you pick anote (ether fretted or open), then sound a higher noteon the same string by using one of your fretting fingers to tap the sting like a haramer. The pull offinvolves picking a note, then sounding a low- ‘ernote (ether fretted or open) on the same string by releasing the first notes fretting finger, pulling the string slighely in oward your palm asyou let goof itn order to keep ir ibrating Hammer ons and pull-offs seem to happen naturally when plaving single-note lines, but there are particularly effective ways to isolate ‘and strengthen these techniques. One efficient ‘way to dothisis to practice performing erils.A trill isa rapid, continuous alternation between {wo notes on the same string. performed using. hammer ons and pull offsin combination ‘An effective way to isolate and perfect your Jhamnmer-on and pul-off techniques sto prac: tice playing tills for an extended period of time, such asa minute. Begin by tiling ‘between any two notes that are a half step (one fre0 apart using your fretting hand’ index and ‘middle fingers, as demonstrated in FIGURE 12. [Now do the same thing, but add a fret between the two fingers (see FIGURE 13). The next step ‘would be wo increase the distance between the fingers by another fre, 2s shown in FIGURE 14. ‘Now go beck and play FIGURES 12-14 ‘again, this time using your index and ring fin gers (1 and 3), then till between your index finger and pinkie (1 and 4). Of course, you ‘ould exhaust all other finger combinations 2-3, 2-4,3-4) and try to put as many frets between the fingers as possible (without hhurting yourself). Each time you go back to these till drills, try adding some time to each ‘exercise (maybe another 10 seconds or so). ALTERNATING FINGERS “Ty playing hammer-ons and pull-on various combina tions, using different finger, 2s in FIGURES 35-17. The goal in each case is make all the notes sound even and clear and maintain a seamless legato fel TAPPING If you're interested in two- hand tapping, incorporate this ‘nce your hammeron and pull off practice time. The tech- niques are essentially the same forcither hand, the only difference being that when you pull-off from 2 tapped note (a note hammered with onef the fingers of the pick ing hand), you flick the string slightly side. ‘ways, away from your chin, Use your imagina- ‘Tapping Exercises rune 8 emanate) ‘Tapping Exercises roure ns iss) aan) amy 2 ton to create tapping techniques that suit your styl, and try incorporating ll the fin ‘gers of your picking hand on the neck. FIGURES 18-20 are examples of tapping ‘exercises to get you started. FIGURE 18 is 2 simple dril designed to help you master the besic technique of tapping on one string, while FIGURES 19 arid 20 requite that you cross strings, resulting in longer and more challenging patterns. In each ofthese latter two exercises, the key isto move the fingers of your fretting hand quickly from string to string in ime to play cleanly the notes pulled off from the tapping finger. SWEEP PICKING ‘As sated earlier, sweep pick ing ise technique whereby you play one note and then another on an adjacent string ina single upstroke or downstroke. When learning to sweep pick ‘you have to start very slowly and make sure you can hear every single note clearly (unless the effect you're going for isa sloppy ‘one), thea gradually bring the speed up. The pe poste * 151073, key Isto let go of each note with your fret- ting hand immediately after you've picked it order to keep it from ringing into the next note. Create exercises that outline various chord shapes that you can sweep across. FIGURES 21-23 are cxamples of sweep picking to getyou started. Youll find it’s easier to sweep across an arpeggio shape and nos have itsound like a strummed chord ifyou can finger each, string individually with different fingertip and avoid barring strings with your fingers, which makes itmore difficule to mute the notes ‘immediately after you've played them. MULTIPLE PICKING As mentioned earlier, the best way to develop euperh: man chops ist find things that are difficult and even awloward to play and then form them slowly and perfectly. Asan ‘exercise, ry playing any given lick or phrase first by altermate picking, then usingonly——_/ downstrokes and, lat, using only upstokes. You can also devise your own dis whe” nt doany ofthe following 4out how it applies to © ‘can incorporate it into your ovn style In this section, Ill explain method: you find your unique voice asa guitarist, and plain techniques that can aid your expres sion on the instrument. These latter items include vibrato, bent notes, harmonics, whammy-bar stunts and dynamics. Everything I've told you thus far will help you in your quest to become an accomplished auitar player. However, remember that all the scales, theory and wwharnoc are just d jes tharcan careful not to get hung up on how fascinating it is tobe able ro play scales really fast, orto shred your- self into a coma. Use this stuffs a to0l, not prison. Sitting and playing the instrument expressively and with control is the goal here. These days, ! don't practice all ofthe material 've mentioned, but thas all een crucial to my development and to making my ears, fingers and soul work together in expressing the musie I have in my head. believe that we all have the ability to be unique on our instruments. The trick isto school of Recording Arts Show Production & Touring If you're passionate about pursuing a Full Sallie the place to stare To find out wh 800.226.7625 fullsail.com NU Sdentify with that uniqueness and cultivate i into a simulating presentation (or maybe even a historical statement). Ihave found ichat listening to my inner ear isthe best way to get tothe heart of the matter I's a sometimes subtle, elu- ‘sive voice, but it’s there, and there are ‘conerete ways fo tune into it ‘When I sit down to pl build jam tracks 10 improvise over and write to. There are numerous ways you can do this. (One way is to learn the basics of home record ing and invest ina simple rig with which you can record your own tracks to jam over. You can also purchase prerecorded jam tracks on CCD, and some electronic devices, like Kors's Pandora, feature builtin vamps you can play with. (never travel without my Pandora.) Focusing intensely on anything isa form of meditation and, as such, it has the poten- tial to increase 1Q, comprehension, imagina ‘don and artistic abilities at any age. The prob- mis that i's difficult for many of us including yours truly) to keep the mind focused on anything for a long period of time. This, however, isthe only way to get real results. You need to meditate on what you're doing, and when the mind begins to wander, younced to try to pull it back. To that end, 14 like to present various technigues for you to practice while jamming ‘with a tape or a band, or just sitting in your room. First, however, | would like to make the following suggestions: + Use variety of vamps that encompass ifferent genres, grooves, keys and time sig: natures. By setting up specific parameters (whether stylistic, melodic or rhythmic in nature), you'll push yourself to discover dif ferent ways of approaching various tech- niques. This will help you identify who you really are on the instrument because youl be forced to reach deep inside yourself and find the things that push your musical buttons + When doing any ofthe following veh: nique exercises, use them to express the way various emotions feel to you: anger, jos, lus, ‘compession, melancholy, paranoia, eupho- ia whatever. Each of these emotions has an audible counterpart. Beware, however tht 0 successfully transmit these emotions from your psyche to your fingers, you may need to immerse yoursalf in the emotion itself. This alone can take tremendous focus, but itcan also be incredibly revealing. Ifyou feel com pelled to focus more on negative emotions, tr to keep things balanced —after al, you are ‘what you play, and wherever you take your ‘mind may not only dicrate the type of art you ‘create but also brainvrash you inco becoming that typeof person. It's easy to be miserable and intense, but this exercise can help you build yourself nto the kind of musicfan and person you want tobe. I's also helpful when you find yourself in a particular funk (due to the ups and downs of life), because it can help strengthen the mental tools you may need 0 pull yourself in a particular direction.* With each o yourself in a ing them a ing them. even venture to say that if you reall develop a unique style, you mast stop the minute you hear yourself playing thisnew direction. It ike finding alittle ‘thread and pulling it into ent knital ora whol nique ROwHERS VIBRATO oy Vibrato is an expression of the soul Cameron eainfally mount of control you hat hho it for afew minuces while ef eM RO icra are specifically designed tor re 30-HOUR Coe Oooo DPTRCCOME CECE EO REM | 0: youll sound like ahack. ry er ee tion, and don't let your finger sip off the Creer ere string. Beaggerate all of your actions eens Nove do the same thing with each finger of your fetting hand them ina similar mannes, Thea try doing this three notes, then four and: poly vibrato toa note that you've already bent step or two they can applying the simple Ma ieee and grip in ord beckeen your guitar's bridge and nut), the y > STONESO.R pret (the midpoint sings fel stiffer and are harder to wiggle. Paro rs Pes eT eee ee eee) BENDING NOTES ee a) Bencing strings wellis an arc unto itl, Cea ne that raquires a high ea eee ere) vty, mental Preachyer that hes no control over is pitch vehnen bending notes; its as if someone is singing off-key. Yet, when executed well, a bbent note on the guitar is ane of the most nisiclly expressive sounds, one that enrap- se bumps. A bent note just has so much more atitu ates the listener and causes g and feeling than its unben: counterpart Sitfor an hour and do nothing but bend notes. Bend them up as far as you like, but make sure you zero in on the “targe: note that you want to hit Listen carefully and eri cally to your pitch and strive for impeccable {ntonation. (This is comparable to what vic linist, singer, trombonist or slide guitar player must do all the time.) Practicing unison bends is an effective way t train your fingers and ears to w ‘ogether to bend in tune. T play a unison bend, fret a note o che B string with your index fn ‘ger while placing your ring fin- ger on the G string two higher. Strum both strings together, then quickly push the G string note eway from your palm to raise its piteh up a wehole step so that irperfecely matches the pitch of the uunbent note on the B string Tnaddition + Try bending two strings atthe same time (double-stop bending). + Start with a note ia a bent position and bring it elther down or up, or up and then down, * Play bent notes wish yourself to uy different things gether with un Pn casts Wah feces Volume ps Buy A Morley. And Step On It. BES Co iaiss og IL 60013 www.morleypedals.com 104 ovitan wont fretting hand at various notes on different strings. This avery slick country guitar tech nique that developed out of desire by players to emulate the ping sound of the pedal sec. Make sure to practice bending register and on ‘as much in the upper the high strings as you do in the lower register and on the law strings. Can you bend an F# note atthe second freron the high Estring up to A? Maybe if you're Zakk Wylde! HARMONICS Do nothing but focus on playing harmonis foran hour. Experiment wit different types and techniques, including the following + Play open-strng, or “natura.” berm ics by lightly touching ary sting with along t suring and picking + Sound “artificial” harmonics by fretting ‘a note with che left hand and picking the string wich a dowastroke while also “pinch ing” st between the pick and right chum, Move the piek along the string in the area ver the pickups as you do this to find var: ‘sivect spots.” «Try tapping notes over certain frets while fretting a note + Be adventurous and try to discover citer cent techniques for sounding harmonic. (Pe ing with dis with your guitar's bridge pickup on helps bring out harmonics) WHANMY-BAK STUNTS The whammy bar is my favorke “erutch"F your guitars whammy bari sec up anything like mine, you can pull wp on {eto makenotes go sharp a8 well as push down on itto make rote turn into seer blubber. Lean abuse tne hell oat of my whammy ber and it usually comes tight bckin tune. The setup is ery important. Try the following experiments: * Play melodies by fingering only one net bar to raise andlon and using the whammy its pitch * Play various kinds of harmonics and ‘experiment with palling and pushing the whammy to produce “outer space” sounds. ‘ inyto create everything from nice, sult vibrato on single notes and full chords to vio- Jentsonic brutality and sheer warbling ‘eacophony. (I sem to have mace a career ox ‘of doing this) Teould go on forever, but | encourage you tocreate your own techniques. Your only rea {guideline here is to do whammy bar thing: exclusively fora long period of time without stopping. Sooner or later you'll come across lie treasures DYNAMICS ‘One the things thar make the gular su an expressive instrument is its wide dynam (volume) range. Few people utlize the fall dynamic range ofthe instrument. You can it the thing extremely hard and forcefully, and then immediately switeh ta seta is | caressing and tender: Not many players canboth ofthese things ‘effectively in the peri cd of three seconds, so try te become one of the few wo can. Here area waysto practice: + Gradually go from softto hard, and then back + Create a strumming pattern that has sharp hits, light strums and medium rhythmic things all in one or two bers. + Play as loud and as hard as you possibly ‘can without stopping for as long as you're able to. Then do the exact opposice ‘Again, I could go on forever, but think you getthe point. To close out this section, I've pulled together a number of ways you can set up rameters to force you into making new dis ‘caveries om the guitar. Try todo each of the following for an hour without stopping: + Solo on one string only. + Solo with double-stops only (two notes played together), then try doing the same thing wath three: four, five-and six note chores, + Solo on two adjacent strings only, then solo on two strings that have one, two, three (or four idle strings berween them * Record a vamp thar has a single bass note repeating under it, then improvise over ‘the vamp while limicing yourself to one par ticular mode or synthetic sale. + Playa chord, listen toi, then close your eyes and imagine a scene that the chord evokes. This can be done with a melody line, t00. + Pick one note and play ites many differ- ent ways as you cen for an hour. Make it sound like music. + Come up with at least one new thing a day thac you've never played before. + Improvise with only one hand (your fret- ting bane sng on ane os ad pl offs to articulate notes, Make sure the notes sound good and clear, and not slopp. + Play as fast and as cleanly as you can without stopping + Play as slow and tender as you can, + Try fooling around with alternate run- ings. Include radically different tunings that seem to make no sense, + Try to evoke colors with chords, * Lay your guitar on the floor and touch it in many different ways, trying to create unique sounds. break, then take one. You needa’ fel guilty if you miss a practice session. (Well, maybe eee guilty) When you've young and have ‘ime to kl, i's easier to pur in the hours. ‘Keep in mind that your fingers have many ‘ay and intricate museles thar, ike any other ‘muscle, need rest to recuperate and heal after a workout. Evaluate your owa pain ‘threshold, and don't be afraid to rest if your fingers realy fel like they need it. Few of us practice for 10 hours a dey, and you should give yourself ample time to achieve the star ina to play for such a long period of time. T seem to have been blessed with grest finger genes. My fingers are long and nim- Dle, and they can take tremendous abuse. Back when [ was putting in many hours of practicing, J could go for 15 t0 20 hours ate stretch, without eny wrist, finger or forearn pain. A little muscle fatigue was about alll experienced. On the occasions that I felt pain, Ijust worked through it. Teday, howe: er, [do not recommend thist encourage every guitarist reading this Workout to be on the alert for signs of com: ‘mon musician ailments, such as tendonitis ‘and carpal tunnel syndrome. They can be very dangerous if notaddressed ‘Two last notes on the subject. Fst, Ifyou ‘want to maintain calluses on your fingertips, you need to protect your hands from gerting ‘net for any long period of time. Second, pre tect your ears more cautiously then your penis. Ifyou're doing loud gigs, put cottoncr ‘earplugs in chem. (This may be the best advice you get from this article!) PLAY WITH OTHERS Share the experience of making music ‘with others. that’sall you do, you're doing pretty good, (ontinued on page 15) Me a TES FT TASER TS Here at RainSong we make one super strong, great sounding, mean ass guitar. Our carbon/graphite construction and attention to detail allowed us to ereate a guitar like CoN Con n or heard. So superior in fact, that we get alittle bit competitive. Te ee eee asa ee od PT ee ue ar a) ee a gu Re ue saa la ros.cuirar wort SuSTEVE VAI (cont from page 106) Thave not incorporated this concept into the body of the 30-hour cycle, but forme it’s the most rewarding espect of being a musi ian. Making music, like making love, can be avery sharing, tender, touchy-feely, emotion. ‘alexperience. Itcan also bea sheer expres sion of ether things. “My favorite types of musicians to play with are those who know how tolisen and interact ‘accordingly. To communicate musically, You ‘ust have the ability to allow others into your expressive psyche. To really let others in cen be an intimate experience. By the same token, you need to have the ability to listen to others around you and interact accordingly. Murual respect and a nonjudgmental atitude are some ofthe clements necessery in cultivating the right chemistry. make thar magi. Some of my favorit times in my life are the years that I tended Berklee. Heamned alot about myself during that period. The school ‘was filled with young, budding, ambitious ‘musicians, and the group of students I hung out ‘with became much like family. There were dit. ferent musicians from all around the world there. playing all sorts of instruments, and they wore eager to explore, share and ‘communicate through music. Nothing ‘can beat that kind of attude and those kinds of moments, no matter how many hours you spend practic ing in your room. There were some tremendous players there, and bonded with people who have become. lifelong friends. ‘When I was in high school, Twas ina band ‘called Rayge, and we played cover tunes by Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Queen, Deep Purple and others, We eventually started to do alot of original musicas well. Our attitude in those days was one of brotherhood. We went through many life experiences together, bat the mos important thing was the band. None of us were selfish about sharing music when ‘we hit the rchearsel basement or the stage. We went rough many “coming of age" experi ences together, and at times those experiences were joyous, and at ocher times tragic. Regerd Jess, we always had the band and each other. What l'm getting at here is how important itis to play selflessly with others. Doing so will give you the opportunity to respect oth- rs, experiment, open your ears, react and, of course, throw up on the gym floor after the gigaat the high school dance. DISCOVERING YOURSELF “This Workout and its method may be high Iyetezed inthe Furure for being “over the top,” but | don' think chere is any other way to ‘become a virtuoso. This isnot class on guitar playing or songwriting (akhough it may help in those areas) Duta path of ee discovery y forthe strong: willed player. The commitment it takes to become an ete vi. ‘uoso guitarists not unlike chat required to become a champion in any other field. You mast think, breathe, eat and live the instrument at virtually every waking moment {and even while sleeping, when possible) You must transcend the games your mind will play ‘on you and the excuses it will give you to lay offand take the easy road. You must continu- ally bring the focus back to the instrument ‘You may find yourself being harshly criticized by other music community people, or friends, magazines and those that hang around on Sunset Boulevard obsessing over the nuances ‘of the latest trends. Ths is precisely the time ‘when you need to fearlessly stick to your vision. There are tests all along the way. Realize that i'sall in the mind, and never ‘accept failure when dealing with things that are within your ability to control. Keep a positive outlook on things, ‘and don't et your intensity turn you into a prick. Always compliment and support your fellow musicians. We all hhave dreams and hopes. By encour aging, complimenting and sup- porting those around us, we ein self- dignity, respec, friends, a healthy overview of our own work and an appreciation 14 forthe efforts that others putin Gf aring their strugles. Tes okay to get discouraged a times, ba i's not okay to quit. Quiting “sever an option fora true artist.’ just notin theirmakeup, Think of music and the gitar when you're not even around an instrument. If'you're in a quiet seting, imag ine tht you're playing and try to see your fingers moving while you listen to what's happening in your head. You can get beter at this as time goes by.’ unbelievably rewarding and it can help you improve dra tically because you're not confined by your Physical imitations. 1 used co do this all the time, and I still do. I imagine things onthe instrument that I can'tdo, end then I work on them until can do them effortlessly There ae those who believe that God is manifest in everything, inch form oflight and sound, Some believe thar that ight and sound need tobe discovered by each of us personally and alone. This could be why we are so fond of music. Creating musicjust by “willing itn your head may eventually lead to ust Istening to ithappen in your head Who che composer sand where che muse takes you are for you to discover PISCLAINER Becoming a rock star, a movie star, 2 powerful executive, an elite athlete ora Fich-and-famous anything is easy compared to controlling the mind so thet it remains focused without interruption on the music ‘within, 'do not claim to have that much control, but I'm working on it. Some people have an abundance of natural talent and are ‘more gifted in some areas than others. 'm not naturally gifted; had to work very herd to develop my chops and techniques. know lots of players that are better shredders, cleaner players and beter sight-readers than me. I've had students that showed an traordinary ability to develop emazing technique but had redundant, dull ideas. Conversely, ve ad students that found it very dificult to play anything accurately, bu their ideas and sense of melody were inspired, And then there are those freaks that have ital 1 think being a musician and being able ro play an instrament i about the cooles thing in the world. Creating music (and especialy playing the guitar) is most rewarding when its based on pure pasion. I's our birthright 20 play an instrament and t0 create. OF course, you can toss the whole concept of ths article and just do it your own way. However, somethings won't change. The amount of focus, passion and ime you putin are going tobe reflected in your art. Whatev er the case, [hope you find your soul in eal. That's the payott. GUrFAR WORLD 159