A Hybrid Picking Masterclass
Plus, message me directly right on Substack!
If you love music and especially guitar, this week has been awesome! There’s new songs or albums out from Julian Lage, Nir Felder, Jacob Collier, Chris Shiflett, Alex Hutchings and many more.
I also wanted to tell you about a sweet new feature you can check out on Substack. There’s a new option to send direct messages to writers. I’ve turned my messages on, so feel free to reach out to me about guitar, recording, mixing, or anything music related. I love chatting with you guys.
I was also checking out aQWERTYon - a great learning tool for music theory that I found out about from
, who you should also follow on Substack. His newsletter, is fantastic.Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
This week’s guitar links!
- The Best Way To Play Power Chords - The terminology might be a little messy here, but Rick Graham shows us one of his favorite ways to play power chords. Spoilers, it has a lot to do with the lack of utilizing the 3rd in the chord. Graham believes the chords have more resonance without it. What do you think?
- Guitar Speed Bursts & The Speed Philosophy - Guitar Alchemy no. 7 - I have been loving Chris Brooks' Guitar Alchemy series on YouTube. His latest video is a concicse, mini masterclass on speed bursts, and how to think about speed in general. If you love to shred or want to play fast in general, you owe it to yourself to check out this video.
- THE BEST GUITAR LESSON I Got in Music College - There are ways to talk about more tough topics like modes (like through text, which don't give you the full picture), and then there's Tyler Larson's new video, which beautifully shows off how to hear each mode, and what their properties are. If you ever wanted to get a grip on how the modes sound, check this video out.
- Ian Thornley: Big Wreck's Triple Threat - Ian Thornley is one of my favorite guitarists, singers, and songwriters. To me, he's continuing the story of a guy like Chris Cornell. He sat down with Rick Beato to discuss everything from his favorite guitar players, using effects in headphones while recording, and how Suhr made him a beautiful T style signature model.
- Hybrid Picking MAsterclass with Brett Garsed - Luke and GuitarVivo consistently get some of the best guitarists to do videos for them, and make great instructional books too. Hybrid picking is one of the most fun ways to play things you might not be able to accomplish as easily with alternate picking. Brett Garsed did a masterclass on hybrid picking this week, and then GuitarVivo announced his new hybrid picking book. Looking forward to check this out!
- Pantera Rig Rundown with Rex Brown & Zakk Wylde - The Pantera reunion has been killing it all throughout the US, on their own and opening up for Metallica. Premier Guitar caught up with Rex and Zakk Wylde to go through their Pantera rigs. It was awesome to see a mix of Wylde guitars that all pay tribute to Dimebag Darrell. If Pantera or the Metallica tour is swinging by your area, I would totally recommend going out to see it. If you want to skip ahead to checking out how Zakk is using Dime’s effects, check out this video.
- Triads are integral to gospel, neo-soul and jazz guitar – in fact, they're essential for any style of guitar playing. Expand your repertoire now with these effortlessly cool licks - Triads are so important. I spent a ton of time last year working on triad courses, and putting in that time has paid off dramatically - not only with songwriting, but even moreso with visualization on the fretboard. Sam from PickupMusic did a lesson for Guitar World where he shows off 8 examples of how they can be effective in your own music. Later in the week, Sam continued this awesome lesson on PickupMusic’s YouTube channel which you can check out here.
- I met Jimmy Page, and forgot to ask the question - Paul Davids got to visit the new Gibson Garage in the UK. Having been to the one in TN, it was super cool to see the differences. When I went, I definitely didn’t meet Page, Iommi, or Brian May. 😄 If you’re ever around either, it’s totally worth it to stop in and check out all the insane guitars they have.
- Paul Gilbert Explains His Unique Guitar Technique - When Paul Gilbert isn’t being a walking dictionary of music knowledge, teaching students, or making albums, he’s having fun with guitar techniques - like his quadruple pick drill playing. Rick Beato dives into that and more technique goodness in his interview with Paul.
- Chord melody (guitar) starter kit - I loved Adam Levy’s latest video, where he shows us how to get into chord melody on guitar. This is one of my favorite types of guitar playing, and I’m trying to get better at it all the time. I’m also tearing into Adam’s latest book, which you can check out right here.
- “This is like an intro to something Metallica wrote in the 1980s”: 11-year-old guitar hero breaks the internet with his original metal riffs – performed in front of his fellow fifth-graders - Now this is some great parenting. What's the over/under on if we see him in a metal band a couple years down the road?
- Olivia Rodrigo's custom purple St. Vincent Goldie has a story behind it - I've always loved the shape and sound of the Ernie Ball St. Vincent signature. Now, Olivia Rodrigo is playing a custom purple version of the St. Vincent's signature Goldie guitar. I took a quick look on social media, and a couple of people are wondering if this gutiar will ever be added to MusicMan's lineup. Check out the link to see Rodrigo in action with the guitar.