Next Level Guitar - Solo Techniques, Strength & Dexterity Building (2015)

In this introduction I discuss the coming lesson format and get you primed on the materials to come. I also discuss the importance of rhythm playing and how it relates to your lead playing as well as the importance of having a strong and dexterous fret hand and how it affects tone. I also explain the journey and evolution of your lead playing and how to go about practicing for maximum efficiency.

Picking Techniques – this section is divided into two lessons:

Proper Picking Techniques and Exercises – these techniques and picking lessons will improve your picking speed and accuracy so fast you won’t believe it.

I discuss the importance and techniques of alternate picking and why as it will take you the furthest the fastest at this point in your guitar journey.

I teach techniques regarding pick placement and angle as well as proper picking mechanics, wrist mechanics, pick thickness and tone, and how to keep the pick from moving in your hand. You get picking exercises that will get your picking to the next level in the fastest and most efficient manner.
Alternate Picking Exercise – in this lesson Marty Schwartz teaches an alternate picking technique exercise. This exercise builds your alternate picking while working it across all the strings as you get more and more proficient. Add this to your practice regimen and you will be in alternate pick heaven!

String Muting Technique – this lesson will teach you a two-handed string muting technique that will clean up your playing and mute out all unwanted string noises and pops. This is a critical technique that you must employ for a clean sound. These techniques will teach you how to mute out all the notes that you are not playing and only allows the notes to be heard that you want to hear – so it eliminates all the excess noise. I go over the positioning for both the pick and fret hands and all the ins and outs of the technique. Close up camera angles show exact finger placement necessary to make these techniques work. Once you master these techniques they will become an automatic part of your guitar arsenal.

Finger Strength and Dexterity exercises – this section is divided into three lessons:

Finger Strength & Dexterity Exercises – this series of finger exercises will work to greatly improve your picking, right and left hand coordination, picking mechanics, alternate picking, and your string muting technique. So these exercises work many of the techniques that you have learned to this point.

These exercises are critical for every guitarist studying lead guitar and you will see your picking, articulation, note clarity, finger strength, and dexterity go through the roof. These exercises also will tie the pick hand together with the fret hand for the utmost in proficiency.

These work and when done diligently and consistently they bring results fast as well as getting you used to move across the entire neck! I also give you exercises that will give you practice keeping your fingers close to the fretboard and not flying out of position. I give you many different series of exercises that will keep you rocking for a good long while.

Hammer-Ons & Pull-offs Techniques & Exercises – in this lesson you will learn proper technique when performing hammer-ons and pull-offs. Many students have difficulty with getting the hammers and pulls to sound strong and clear. So here I go over all the techniques to get you employing these techniques fast.

You will also get a ton of exercises with hammers, pulls, and trills for a super finger workout. These exercises will quickly bring strength and dexterity to your fret hand. You also get exercises to target each finger – so if you have a weak finger these will really bring all fingers up to the next level and erase any weaknesses in your fingers. I also go over some of the most common mistakes made when attempting these lead playing techniques.

Spider Shape Finger Exercises – in this lesson you will get another great finger exercise that will get you used to moving laterally across the fretboard. It will also work your strength and dexterity as well as moving down and up the neck.

This is a great exercise to get you more comfortable moving around on the neck. It also has a self-check mechanism built into the exercise to ensue you have completed it properly. All of this and it also builds strength, like the other exercises – remember the more strength in your fret hand then the more you can do with the notes and the more tone you will have.

String Bending Techniques – in this lesson you will learn all about proper string bending. String bending is one of the most expressive things you can do on the guitar. Here I teach you the proper techniques to bend strings properly as well as exercises and technique checks for your practice routines.

Here you will also learn the importance of bending in pitch and the concept of bending to a “target note”. I also go over some of the most common mistakes made when attempting string bending and the importance of proper fingering and proper positioning when bending strings. I also will teach you practice techniques and self-checks so you can practice the techniques properly and get your bends dialed in perfectly.

Vibrato Technique – in this lesson you will learn how to properly perform vibrato. Vibrato is one of the most critical aspects of lead guitar, and you will learn how to go about developing your own signature sound using vibrato. Along with string bending, vibrato can be not just one of the most expressive aspects to lead guitar, but also can be your signature.