To be a true shredder, you have to understand the whole concept of arpeggios and sweep picking.  And, there is always the fact that sweeping arpeggios sound awesome.  This first video that I include below, draws on your knowledge of diatonic progressions.  And even though Siggi may not be as smooth as many other guitar teachers, I think the ideas he is demonstrating in his video are quite useful for those trying to break into the whole arpeggio domain.

SIGGI MERTENS: ARPEGGIOS

  Okay, that chord that Siggi was struggling to identify is actually a minor 7 flat 5 chord, or otherwise known as a half diminished chord in the diatonic progression.   Remember, the diatonic progression is

Major 7th, minor 7th, minor 7th, Major 7th, Dominant, minor 7th, and minor 7th/flat 5

  As a guitar player, you want to be extremely familiar with this progression, and Siggi’s incorporating this in his lesson on arpeggios is a great way to reinforce the study of the diatonic progression.

  To clean up your arpeggios, it is a good idea to use a metronome to help slow things down and gradually build your playing back up to speed over time.  So, if you do not own a metronome, I highly recommend picking one up.  Using a metronome can take months and even years of frustration out of your playing, because it helps you to execute exercises properly in time.
  This next video by Tom Hess is far more advanced than the last, in that it aims to focus in on how to approach sweeping a specific arpeggio.  Tom stresses the importance of paying attention to what your picking hand is doing as he walks you through this superb exercise.

TOM HESS: SWEEP PICKING GUITAR MASTER CLASS

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The time you spend in front of the television could probably be used doing more important things, but why not simply do other things while you watch television?  I’m a big believer in killing two birds with one stone where I can.  Some of the things I find very convenient to get out of the way while filling my brain with senseless movie mania are as follows:

1.   Flaussing (makes my dentist happy)

2.   Catching up on email

3.   Exercising

4.   Cooking

5.   Balancing my checkbook

6.   Tapping my foot in time with a steady beat

7.   Repetitive guitar exercises

If you think about it, there are probably a whole list of tedius things you can get out of the way while you are watching television, which really don’t require a whole lot of concentration.  One reason I like to spend time practicing guitar in front of the television is because my mind is not locked into play mode.  I can really slow things down and work on those finger exercises that would otherwise be absolutely boring to do, if there wasn’t something else going on in the background to occupy my mind.  The pay off is that I get in a good half an hour to hour’s worth of quality practice, which helps out to improve my playing tremendously.  Plus, by distracting my mind from the guitar while I learn to play many of these patterns, I’ve noticed that it becomes far more natural when I go to execute the exercise in a real situation.

If it weren’t for practicing while watching television, I probably never would have put in the time to learn how to pick tap entire scales.  It was one of those two handed exercises that I really wasn’t all that great at starting out.  But, over the course of a month or so, working diligently in front of the television, it just began to feel more and more natural.  Today, I can pick tap my way through scales and runs that are just mind blowing.  And what is great is that you can do things like that too.  So, instead of wasting your time just sitting in front of the television, start using that time to make subtle improvements to your abilities as a musician while you are watching your favorite show.  You won’t believe how time well spent adds up to huge rewards in just a few short weeks.

JOHN PETRUCCI

The following videos are taken from John’s Rock Discipline DVD. An instructional DVD that no aspiring guitar player should be without.

PART 1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

It used to be that back in the 70’s, all that was required to become a shred master was to practice 8 hours a day. During the 80’s, the rigor of guitar slinging increased and we started pushing for more like 10 hours a day. Then guitar playing moved to this whole new level. First, we started by cutting out breaks for eating and just kept a bottle of Perrier and vitamin supplements next to our rig. This made it possible to play about 12 hours a day. That much practice started to create significant results as you can hear in videos such as this one.

Realizing that this just wasn’t going to cut it, shred masters started making some further sacrifices to help them manage their time more efficiently. They stopped dating, partying, drinking, doing drugs, and moved to only use the bathroom once a day, but only when absolutely necessary. This increased the average shred practice session to right around 15 hours a day, despite the fact that more guitarists were dying from kidney failure and a general neglect to eliminate solid waste from their bodies on a regular basis. But, for those who survived this rigorous schedule, the results were staggering as you can hear for yourself.

Finally, in a last stitch effort to add more practice time to their schedule, Shredders far and wide started to take a more serious and extreme approach to disciplined guitar practice. The new technique involved shredding while sleeping. This solved two critical problems in the axe master’s life. The first problem it solved was that it eliminated the need for getting married altogether. The second problem it solved was that it finally made it possible for the seasoned shredder to practice an average of 17 hours a day. Just look what happens to you once you reach this level.

Shredologists (those who study the science of increasing speed and accuracy on the axe) are already deeply involved in developing new methods to push shredding right to the edge of the envelope. It is expected that by the year 2012, shredders will be practicing about 20 hours a day. But, the goal this time will not be to simply improve speed and accuracy. This time around, we hope to actually introduce methods to teach shredders other important musical skills. Things like music theory, the ability to play with other musicians, and a host of other valuable techniques. Until that time, the world of shred heads will continue to blast their amps, run scales, and simulate the death cry of screaming cats with their favorite axe.

Disclaimer: Our shredders are trained professionals, so please do not try this at home. In fact, it’s a good idea to put your axe down from time to time, get off your rear, and get out side and get a little exercise for goodness sakes.

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