Review of The Formation of Damnation by Testament ***

Definitely Not Testament’s Best Effort.

Testament should be classified as either speed metal, or progressive metal.  I like that their vocalist does more than just the standard Cookie Monster voice.  The guitars are really good, both in sound and from a technical aspect.  I recommend any of the solo efforts of Testament’s revolving cast of guitarists.  So what’s wrong with this album that it only got 3 stars?

By now I have heard several Testament albums.  I am an older fan of theirs though I have not been listening to them since the beginning.  Testament never puts out the same album over and over again.  Every album is a new effort, and progressive.  This one happens to have more of the throaty vocals instead of sung vocals, and I like sung vocals better.

Testament has put out several albums that have better song craftsmanship like Low, The Gathering, and The Ritual, all of which I would give a higher recommendation for.  By the time of this album, I am starting to really grow tired of triggered drums.  When I hear triggered drums, I think, “Why even bother having a drummer?  You might as well have a beat box make the music.”  Triggered drums just plain blow.  There is no dynamics to them.  When Testament started out, their albums were much rawer because they didn’t have triggered drums.  I also think compression subtracts from the sound of this album.  Use of compression, just to make every song louder is a trend that I wish would die.  I like loud music, but I also like dynamics, and when the guitarists use compression, and the drummer uses triggered drums, albums lose their edge.  Maybe I’m just an old fart, but I think it’s time to go back to the roots of metal, when it was much rawer, and had less production.  When every album is produced the same way, a new metal album becomes same old same old.

Review of GHS 3 by Frank Gambale, Stuart Hamm, Steve Smith ****

An Often Overlooked Treasure.

This album is a summit of lesser known virtuosos from my parents generation.  That is, these names probably aren’t common knowledge to most folk.  I can totally see GHS 3 appealing to a wider audience than it was actually marketed to.  That is, if it was marketed at all.  This is jazz fusion, but comes across like a really good jam band.  There is quite a bit of instrument jamming that I think most hippies would appreciate.  If I remember correctly, Frank Gambale got started with Chick Corea’s jazz fusion effort, “Return to Forever.”  That was also the starting point for Al di Meola’s career, who is probably the most popular jazz guitarist today.  Back then, this sort of sound was visionary.  The sad thing is, a lot of it has gotten lost in the shuffle of good music.  Many may have heard of Weather Report or that Miles Davis played jazz fusion late in his career, and that was controversial among musicians, but most probably do not remember efforts like Return to Forever or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which were also important and influential bands in the movement toward fusion of jazz and rock.  Everyone who is younger and unearths this old music that was cutting edge in my parents’ generation, unearths a treasure.  Stuart Hamm has been the bass player for Satch, where when he played in that band he was asked to play the part of the rather boring background music while Satriani, the guitarist, went crazy.  I like Satch’s band ChickenFoot better than his solo career because in ChickenFoot it doesn’t seem like he tries to be the only center of attention.  I remember several times people telling me not to listen to the Satch if I wanted to listen to Stuart Hamm’s better work, and they were correct.  I was surprised that the Satch band formula worked, as it is seems very calculated.  However, to keep the rhythm section simple was probably the secret to Satriani’s success, as if he offered a greater slab of music, it may not have been palatable to a wide audience.

Review of Legacy of Kings by HammerFall ***

A Part of the Revival of Heavy Metal.

It wasn’t Ozzy and the Ozzfest that revived heavy metal.  He supported pop acts, but this stuff is the real steel sound in metal.  It was bands like HammerFall, Iced Earth, and Jag Panzer that were unearthing real metal to small, loyal, and growing masses.  Really what it was a new wave of power metal, in the vein of many predecessors like Manowar, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.  Everything on Legacy of Kings is completely unoriginal in sound.  However, it is well executed.  No doubt that is why HammerFall was hitting the charts in Germany long before many people had picked up on them in the USA.  Germany is such a rule driven society that when someone excels on following the rules, it is generally met with warm reception.  HammerFall follows the rules of metal.  Several years back, I saw them as an opening act for the band Death.  There, it seemed like nobody knew what to do with them.  Perhaps, 5 people were interested in what they were playing, but the band didn’t let that affect their ego.  It was a great show, even though they weren’t cool in the USA then.  Also, HammerFall deserve kudos for writing music that is PG.  I play Magic the Gathering, and when I think of the type of sound and lyrics on this album, it makes me think I’d recommend it to someone who plays MTG.  The genre this belongs to is power metal.  It is essentially the same as speed metal.

Review of Live at Yoshi’s by Pat Martino. ****

A Hammond B3 Treasure.

Pat Martino is easily one of the best guitarists today.  If you have never heard of him, then you are probably normal, as it is true that many good musicians go overlooked.  Don’t let that stop you.  Be your own person.  If you like this stuff, be cool enough to get it, and don’t follow the crowd.  People that like Jimmy Smith, Niacin, Medeski Martin and Wood, or Soulive might check out this album as it has that good old Hammond B3 organ sound.  The opening track on this album is cookin’ with speed, catchiness and cool that it alone makes the album worth getting.  This is also an album that is good for listening to with women.  It’s not that every track is lovey dovey.  I probably wouldn’t recommend this so highly if that were the case.  Some of it is slow and moody, sometimes it is fast and bumpin’.  My wife complains about a lot of the music I like, but I can put in Live at Yoshi’s and she won’t say a word.

Review of Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis ***

Why Should I Rate It Highly If It Doesn’t Make Me Feel Good When I Listen to It?

I’m not telling you that you should not like this album, I am giving my own personal opinion.  Sketches of Spain is indisputably a classic.  However, I can’t say that it suites my taste.  Feel free to completely disagree with me, but in my opinion this is music to fall asleep by, while once every few minutes, Miles contrasts the soup with something spicy that wakes me right up.  In fact, for me it is downright hard not to fall asleep while listening to it.  Sketches makes me think of rich elderly white people falling asleep into their soup dish, as they eat at luxurious restaurants and sip overpriced wine.  It turns my mood to melancholy, and the only occasions I might find such melancholy comforting is perhaps after a dispute with my wife.

I am not going to tell you that Miles Davis wasn’t a good musician though.  He was one of the best.  I love a lot of his music, but this classic isn’t a mood I particularly enjoy.  I don’t enjoy A Kind of Blue much either.  So, basically what I am getting that is Miles Davis is not one of those musicians that you can say, “If it is Miles, then it has got to be good.”  Writing that makes me think that it would cause anger to a fan of sophisticated music from another generation.  To a certain extent, I can empathize with such an attitude, as I could say the exact same thing about Dream Theater.  Dream Theater is about as talented as Miles Davis was, definitely in the same league, but as I listen to Miles such thoughts make me imagine someone from an older generation frowning upon me, resulting in even more melancholy on my part.

I will say this, anyone who disputes whether or not Miles Davis was a master of the instrument is completely out of their mind, and as such I imagine some people will read my review of this album and think that I am completely out of my mind for not falling in love with it.  One of the things I love about Sketches of Spain is that when Miles Davis plays his trumpet, my cat’s ears perk up.

Review of Chaos A.D. by Sepultura ***

Sepultura Is One of the Better Slayer Babies

I really like some of these songs.  The opening track is killer.  I love the songwriting, but in the same way that I like listening the Monkeys.  I really like the song Propaganda too.  However, since the beginning Sepultura suffered from an originality problem.  This is supposed to be chaos A.D., but there is nothing chaotic about it.  That is, they are doing what has been done before them.  However, in this case hoards of bands were doing the Slayer sound.  In fact, Slayer even used terminology for it, “Slayer Babies.”  That is there is very little difference between this and the band Slayer.  This album is slightly different though.  It is a little bit more stompy than Sepultura’s previous efforts, but that just makes them more like Pantera.  And, even Pantera was criticized for being a copy cat band.  In the end though, I find the album Chaos A.D. to be a good listen.  Almost all the tracks are good.  If someone put this on for me in the player, I’d certainly enjoy it.  I mean hell.  It’s simple music, essentially punk blues, yet every once in a while it is fun to pull out.  At this point, I think the best part about Chaos A.D. is that I could use it to help teach someone guitar.  Why?  Because it is a little slower than Slayer, and the lead guitar work is a great place for someone to start if he or she is interested in playing metal.

Review of The Dark Saga by Iced Earth ***

Just What the World Needs: A Metallica Copy Cat.  No Really!

If Iced Earth doesn’t make you think of Metallica’s first 4 albums, then I have no understanding of you.  Iced Earth is a Metallica clone, in the vein of Kill Em’ All, And Justice for All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets.  Though those 4 albums are all very different from each other, Iced Earth is a lot like a hybrid of all them.  For example, the vocalist has the same range, and sings in the same way.  The production on the guitars is almost identical the production used on the early Metallica albums.  You know what I mean?  I mean the band Metallica, before they sold their souls!  That Metallica sold their souls was a real disappointment for a lot of folk, including myself, Iced Earth turned out to be an excellent replacement for them.  The Dark Saga is a very solid album.  Like Metallica, you don’t need a lyric sheet to follow along.  I almost never follow along with lyric sheets.  If I can’t understand the lyrics without a lyric sheet, then the lyrics weren’t meant to be understood, but the enunciation of the words from Iced Earth’s vocalist are impeccably understandable.  And, the words are not only audible, but also powerful, emotional, and well written.  Because several of the best songs on this album are all on later packages, what was created with the Dark Saga is a really awesome album that there is not so much of a need for because parts of it are available elsewhere.  The other thing Iced Earth suffers from is a lack of diversity in its music.  Even if one of these song doesn’t reappear on a later album, Iced Earth is not diverse enough for me to feel like I am actually missing someone after I have heard about 30 Iced Earth songs.  Why not just release the other goodies on The Dark Saga, and have something like a Days of Purgatory Pt.2?  Some people think that the lack of diversity in Iced Earth’s sound is a strength, but in my opinion, all Iced Earth songs are just a little too similar for my taste.  Take almost any one song by itself, and I love it though.  That is why it is just a 3 star album instead of a 4 star album.  Also, I am totally into the mystical sounds of this album that make me think of playing the game Magic The Gathering.

Review of Greatest Hits Vol. 1 by Korn *

Music for Angry Children.

Occasionally, Korn puts out a good song, but in my opinion most of their hits are laughable.  I like track 1.  In fact, back when I first heard them in high school, I distinctly remember that line, “Knick knack patty whack!  Give a dog a bone,” and thinking that it was so hilarious that I had to get the album as a joke.  I never ended up getting the album, and already by the first Ozzfest, I thought Korn was overrated.  In fact, I remember hearing Korn’s hit being piped over the public address system and thinking that it was just mediocre compared to an act like Fear Factory.  Korn has no talent, and they take all their money to the bank just like many of the poser 80s metal bands.  My favorite bands at the time were Megadeth, Slayer, and Sepultura, (so it’s not l thought they were too heavy!), but my impression of Korn has been that they are some kind of weak rock band gone horribly wrong that got popular in the same way that the New Kids on the Block Did.

Review of Idle Moments by Grant Green *****

 Mellow Sophistication That Is Not Boring

I can’t speak higher of this album.  I find no weakness to it.  Though it is jazz, the musicians, particularly Grant Green is not trying to show off.  Like most punk bands, the goal of the musicians on this album seems to be only to make a good mellow album.  Usually, I don’t like mellow albums, but I fell in love with this one, and it’s probably because its mellowness doesn’t make me feel melancholy.  In fact, I suggest that the mellowness of this album should make it more accessible for someone that has not heard much music.  Grant Green is a lesser known jazz guitarist.  Some might argue that, but I would guess that your average Joe might be able to name 1 jazz guitarist at best.  Most jazz enthusiasts would probably be familiar with his work.  I’d put Grant Green among the top 20 jazz guitarists.  However, Grant Green will never be a common household name.  He plays jazz, and jazz doesn’t sell like fluff pop music does.  To put it in terms of food, pop music is like soda, while most jazz is like a healthy meal.

Like so many other great musicians, Grant Green got screwed by corporate America.  Corporate America usually sells fluff hits that were chosen to be popular at a meeting of executives at a record company.  Believe me, the record company executives would have not given Grant Green the chance to be a star.  However, this album is on Blue Note records.  Just making it on Blue Note records is a sign that you are among the best of the best, and for jazz musicians in particular, playing on this record label is an honor.  There would have to be a major change in society in order for any sort of good jazz music to get popular.  Usually, the jazz musicians that are able to have any sort of significance, as far as record sales are concerned, are the ones that are the closest to selling out, meaning that they follow the most common formulas that are used to generate hits, such as a 1, 4, 5, chord progression, or a minor2, 5dom7 chord progression.  Any good musician can pick a song out that has one of those very common chord progressions, simply by listening, and most of them won’t be impressed at the use of these formulas because they are usually considered to be the simplest, and also they are the first ones to be taught for that reason.  There are probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions of songs that use 1, 4, 5 chord progressions, so when a learned musician hears one, he’ll probably be disappointed.

Review of 40 Hot Licks by The Rolling Stones ****

Contains All The Necessary Rolling Stones Standards
Keith Richards is the secret to the Rolling Stones success.  Without Keith Richards, this would be a band of tone deaf zeros.  However, Keith Richards was able to elevate the Rolling Stones, and forge new sounds in rock.  Though they are far from being sophisticated it’s hard not to like these songs.  Simple, but good!  Even a beginner could probably play them, or have a better sense of pitch, but I won’t let that bother me because there are 40 songs on this double disk and all of them are good.  Although, the Rolling Stones have been around for so long that it would be pathetic if they couldn’t put together two disks of really good and memorable songs.  You could almost say that the Rolling Stones invented rock n’ roll.  The Rolling Stones were definitely different from their predecessors, like Elvis Presley.  And, it does say quite a bit about the talent of a musician when they are able to create a new sound.  Also, I will add that one of the secrets of this band is that they used the limitations of their equipment to their advantage.  Their earlier songs come across very crudely, but the production is crude, so it all fits.

Review of My Arms Your Hearse by Opeth. ****

A New Flavor of Progressive Metal.

Opeth has some of the best musicianship in heavy rock today.  Okay, so you say, “It’s not heavy rock.  It’s black metal.”  And, I say, “There is so little difference in the genres musically to even consider them different.”  Opeth play excellent rhythms.  I sometime criticize metal for being one dimensional, but Opeth mixes it up more than most bands in the genre.  For example, there are some solos, some clean vocals, some throat vocals, some distorted guitar and some acoustic guitar.  They do a very good job at creating a dark and mysterious atmosphere through excellent craftsmanship.  I can almost guarantee that an adult who has listened to music for virtually all their life would here quite a few new combinations from Opeth.  You don’t need to listen to this for musicianship though it’s not a bad choice for a good musician to get.

I can remember back when this album was new, and Opeth burst into the metal scene with My Arms Your Hearse.  I feel really bad that I missed their first show in the New York area back when they were the new thing in metal.  The thing I like most about Opeth is with them, you can’t accurately criticize metal with common sayings like, “You’ve heard one of them.  You have heard them all.”  That is, in a genre that was running out of ideas for new sounds, Opeth forged a path of excellence and ingenuity, and they did it from the start even with their first album.

Review of Human Clay by Creed **

Creed is one of the better artists in popular music.

For a while Creed fell out of popularity, but I don’t care about things like that.  These songs are good for people that are just getting into music, like teenagers.  Like so many other bands in popular music, I think to myself; Where is justice?  These bands are not much better than average and they are raking in millions, while many virtuosos can barely afford their clothes.  Frankly, these songs are just too simple for me to get much enjoyment out of them.  I listen to these songs maybe 3 times and am sick of them until a few years later.  Then, I get bored and put it back in the player and reminisce.  When I think of Creed, I think of the power of corporate America to make something only slightly above mediocre quality popular, especially because it conforms to a genre that is modern and popular.

Review of One Day Remains by Alter Bridge **

A Creed Clone That Plays in the Vein of Def Biscuit and the Korn Tones.

Okay, some of the same artists are in both Creed and Alter Bridge.  Despite that, it seems silly to me that they changed their name simply because of their vocalist who was only as good as someone you can find at the local Karaoke bar.  However, I guess what I am getting at is that they probably don’t know enough about their instruments to be able to play them any differently.  This album rocks pretty hard.  I would imagine that someone who likes Smashing Pumpkins, Staind, or other similar pop acts would find this album to be just great.  However, the musicianship is just average.  Alter Bridge is way more popular than they deserve.  While they are playing large venues, your local jazz musician is probably better, though he is almost certainly not better paid.  The only reason I like bands like this is that they help draw new people into music.  For example, the band that got me into music was Nirvana, but I grew up and moved onto better things.  That is, very few people start out listening to artsy fartsy music, but it takes musicians that play accessible to attract new crops of musically inclined kids.

Review of Last Chance to Dance Trance by Medeski Martin Wood. ****

Good hip music to relax by.

Don’t buy this album and think you are buying music made by virtuoso jazz artists.  It is very good music.  And, it is talented, but there are many musicians that are superior to these guys in talent.  Specifically, this greatest hits package is really good.  Unlike most jazz, it is very repetitive, and it loses a star for that, and probably the reason for that is to try to attract a bigger audience.  Most people can’t deal with music that is constantly changing because it seems overwhelming.  In fact, some people might find the musicianship on this album overwhelming, and desire something even simpler.  Everyone is different.

I have enjoyed Last Chance to Dance Trance for several years by now.  I like Medeski Martin Wood better than other jam bands like Phish, or Soulive, but for the most part I prefer stuff like Simon Phillips, or Pat Metheny when I am looking for something to relax by.  Many people would use the word, “Jam,” to describe this, but I think of it more as hippy jazz.

I am not a hippy myself, and I can just imagine a lot of hippies getting angry at any criticism I might make of this band.  Just like metal heads (evil hippies) find the bands they love sacred, jam band lovers are the same way.  They have very loyal fans, even to the extent that jam band music is like a religion, where going to the show is like going to church.  Hippies are as the Christian religion.  Metal heads are like the Satanic Church.  Well sort of!  However, just because you own and have read a Bible, or The Satanic Verses, or have a metal album or a hippy jazz album does not mean that you have joined the culture.

Like so many things, I myself tend to be on the periphery of many subcultures that to me seem very similar to religions.  Anyone remember the band Metal Church?  Just like it is hard to go from being a Christian to a new religion, metal and hippy jazz are the same way.  Like so many things, being a fan of hippy jazz can easily be like joining a religion.  I tried joining Christianity, and found it hard to leave, not philosophically, but because of all the harassment I received.  I tend to stay away from hippy jazz because I know that a lot of people that listen to the music also do drugs.  So, maybe it’s the hippies that make it hard to leave, but rather the lifestyle, which I associate with addictive drugs.  I don’t even want to put myself in situations where illegal drugs are available.

I’ll also mention that Last Chance to Dance Trance is a greatest hits album, where every song on the album is very good.

Review of O3 Pt.2 by Dominici. **

Generic Progressive Rock, but Still Good.

Charlie Dominici needs little introduction.  He was the vocalist for Dream Theater before James LaBrie.  If you don’t know who Dream Theater is, then I’m surprised that you are bothering to read this.  In my opinion, this album is an attempt of Charlie Dominici to pocket a few bucks through albums because Dream Theater fans tend to be so ravenous in their support of the band.  Hey!  We all got to eat!

Many people not only own all the Dream Theater albums, but they also have many of the side projects too.  In the same way, Kevin Moore, Dream Theater’s former keyboardist was able to start a career for his contributions on Images and Words.  The same of Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy.  So, Dream Theater has had a revolving cast of members, but the band has remained to be of superior quality.  I own several of Dream Theater’s side project bands that are awesome, and even albums by ex-Dream Theater members are usually really good.

This album is fair.  I liked it better on the first listen, and it didn’t have much staying power in my player.  There are lot’s of chops, but there is more to music than just being complicated.  It has to be complicated and sound good.  As far as the song craftsmanship goes, some of the songs on this album are really good, while many of them are just slightly above average, coming across as a mere bunch of notes.  It would probably be best to take the best songs of this album, and put them into a collection.  It’s not really album rock, unless the whole album is good.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this album has filler though.

I would recommend this album to a fan of bands like Shadow Gallery, and Stratovarious.

Review of Seven by Stryper ***

Okay Stryper is on an evangelistic mission and I am not Christian, nor do I have any intention of becoming one, but this stuff is great 80s hair band heavy metal.  I could care less about their mission.  I listen to several bands where I don’t necessarily agree with their lyrics, but I don’t let that stop me from enjoying the music.  And, in this case I don’t care so much about the bands mission as that they are just a plainly talented band that is a little cheesy.  I once saw them live, and they put on a good show.  Musically, there is not much difference between Stryper, and Motely Crue, Poison, or Skid Row.  And, of course those bands are all essentially copy cats of bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.  If you don’t like any of those three that are among the more popular 80s bands, then maybe you won’t like Stryper, and that is okay because I am not on an evangelistic mission to get you to like Stryper or heavy metal.  However, Stryper’s vocalist has a tremendous set of pipes with an incredible voice that should be enough to impress any musician.  In fact, all the musicians in Stryper are very talented.  I usually don’t like power ballads, but Honestly, which was Stryper’s greatest hit is actually really good.  Instead of reminding me about Gd, it reminds me about a kind and loving pet with lines like, “And through the years I will be a friend for always.”  Pets seem to love unconditionally.  Seven is a greatest hits album, and in my opinion it is the best of their hits collections.  It is chock full of fun songs, many of which will probably make you laugh at their silliness.  If you buy this album, then there is no need to buy any other of Stryper’s albums.

Practice Advice: Get More Life Out of Your Guitar Strings

Different guitar players have different body chemistries.  The chemistry of our hands reacts with the strings, and that is bad because it causes corrosion, which shortens the life of strings.

I used to know a guitar player whose hands were so acidic that he could only used his strings a few times before they sounded terrible.  I learned from him that it is a good idea to wipe a guitar down after use.

I, myself, do not have hands that cause much corrosion, and as I said, people’s body chemistry varies.  However, it is always a good idea to wipe down your strings after use with a clean cloth.

Always wash your hands before playing too.  Often times, our hands have oil on them.  The body chemistries that shorten string life can be countered by washing your hands.  Not only will your guitar sound better, but you will also save money while you are at it.  You may even want to wet the rag with a cleaner to help get off that extra grit, but consult your local guitar store before doing that, as you don’t want to use a solvent that might damage your guitar (in addition to cleaning it).

Review of Effigy of the Forgotten by Suffocation. *** Needs More Diversity, but Good Musicianship

The musicianship and effort put into making this album is tremendous.  The problem is all the songs pretty much sound the same (to me).  I would imagine most people would find this album indistinguishable from Pierced from Within.  Why have an album at all, if they are going to be the same?  There are some really good songs on this one though.  As far as death metal goes, Suffocation is among the top 5 bands.  I was lucky to see them play live once, and they were awesome!  I would imaging Lamb of God fans would really like Suffocation.  However, I myself, lack understanding of what Lamb of God and so many of these bands that all seem to use the same distortion sound, and the same cookie monster voice for song after song.  It’s hard to have different emotions about these songs.  They go from fast angry aggression to slow pounding mosh pit aggression.

Review of Piece of Mind by Iron Maiden **** Not quite as important the album Number of the Beast.

The songs on this are catchy and well crafty.  Piece of Mind seems to lack a little of the magic of Number of the Beast though it is in the same style.  However, it is a great album.  What I usually say to the critics of heavy metal is, “If you can play it.  I’ll listen to your criticism.”  And, when I say that, I mean from start to finish, and not just the easier parts.

Review of Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden ***** An absolute classic anyway you look at it.

Some people don’t like metal, and I understand that.  However, if you are a true musician, then you will appreciate good music in any format.  So, shame on you if you are too snobby of a musician to not like Iron Maiden.  And, even if you are a historian, you should get this album because it is an important part of history.  It is a part of the making of a new genre of music, just like how classical music had fads.  However, what I’m saying is that though metal is a fad.  It is a fad that is here to stay, in the same way that classical music had fads, and yet we still enjoy songs of these fads that are even over 100yrs old.  These songs are well crafted, and catchy.  Some might criticize the style for being too repetitious.  However, in the case of Number of the Beast, the repetition is actually helpful.  The repetition helps make the music accessible to everyone.  Number of the Beast is an album for both the common Joe, and the superfinasicated classical snob.  If you look at the other music I review, you won’t find that I like many bands that have any repetition in a song.  Like punk, metal is essentially a form of the blues.  The marriage of new technology (at the time) and approach is awesome!  I’ll also add that Dream Theater’s version of this album (an official bootleg) where they played Number of the Beast in its entirety is also a really fun listen.  These songs are standards and will put food on the table of many cover bands.

Keywords:  classic metal albums, heavy metal, Iron Maiden, Number of the Beast

17th Guitar Snake Exercises: 40 Jigga’s a String Picking Hand Workout

17:1 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^thfret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 14^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 14^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret. All the exercises in 17th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting, with all down strokes then/or alternating strokes. The 12^th fret is played by the index finger. The 13^th fret is played by the middle. The 14^th fret is played by the ring. The 15^th is played with the pinky.

17:2 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 11 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the index finger. The 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the ring. The 14^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:3 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 10 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the index finger. The 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the ring. The 13^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:4 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 9 5x, 10 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x, 9 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the index finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring. The 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

17:5 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 8 5x, 9 5x, 10 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x , 9 5x, 8 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the index finger. The 9^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 10^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:6 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 7 5x, 8 5x, 9 5x, 10 5x, 9 5x, 8 5x, 7 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the index finger. The 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring. The 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

17:7 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 6 5x, 7 5x, 8 5x, 9 5x, 8 5x, 7 5x, 6 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the index finger. The 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring. The 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

17:8 At the 5^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 5 5x, 6 5x, 7 5x, 8 5x, 7 5x, 6 5x, 5 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 5^th fret is played by the index finger. The 6^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 7^th fret is played by the ring. The 8^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:9 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 5x, 6 5x, 7 5x, 8 5x, 9 5x, 8 5x, 7 5x, 6 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the index finger. The 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring. The 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

17:10 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 5x, 7 5x, 8 5x, 9 5x, 10 5x, 9 5x, 8 5x, 7 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the index finger. The 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring. The 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

17:11 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 5x, 8 5x, 9 5x, 10 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x, 9 5x, 8 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the index finger. The 9^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 10^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:12 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 5x, 9 5x, 10 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x, 9 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the index finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring. The 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

17:13 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 5x, 10 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 5x. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the index finger. The 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the ring. The 13^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:14 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 5x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the index finger. The 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the ring. The 14^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:15 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, open, 12^th fret 5x, 13^th fret 5x, 14^thfret 5x, 15^th 5x, 14^th 5x, 13^th fret 5x, 12^th fret 5x. All the exercises in 17th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting. With the pattern of notes, the 12^th fret is played by the index finger. The 13^th fret is play by the middle finger. The 14^th fret is played by the ring. The 15^th fret is played with the pinky.

17:16 Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 2^nd string.

17:17 Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 3^rd string.

17:18 Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 4^th string.

17:19 Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 5^th string.

17:20 Do exercises 17:1-17:15 on the 6^th string.

Background Vocals: Sing While You Warm Up, and Warm Up with the Band’s Vocalist

If your vocalist is any good, then he or she warms up before practice or gigs. The vocalist will go through various patterns, like a weight lifter, so that he or she doesn’t injure himself or herself. By warming up first his or her voice will sound better, no matter what kind of music. So, warming up is definitely not for wimps! There probably isn’t a single professional vocalist that gets a living wage and does not warm up. Opera singers warm up. Jazz singers warm up. Rock singers warm up. And, you guessed it, death metal and hardcore vocalists warm up! So, even if you scream, or roar, you will scream or roar better if you warm up.

A part of being a guitarist is to at least know how to do background vocals. If you are joining a band, you will probably start out as a cover band. Many common songs that bands cover require background vocals. This is such that every person in the band should know how to sing, even if they are not good at it. If you are the main singer, then you probably already know how to sing. However, if you do background vocals, and can’t afford vocal coaching, then I suggest asking the band’s vocalist for a few pointers. Not every band has a vocalist, so this email is not intended for bands that don’t have a vocalist. But, even still, you might find yourself strapped for cash one day and needing to join a band where you need to be able to do background vocals, such that if you are a musician, it is always good to know at least a little about singing.

For guitarists, when they warm up, it is especially important that they are able to sing the notes they are playing. So, when you warm up, play a scalar pattern and sing it at the same time! Start in the middle part of your range and work your way up and/or down. Also, singing the notes that you play is important part of studying improvisation on the guitar. Singing the note that you are playing helps get your body more connected. The object of being a musician is to be able to put every part of yourself into your playing.

One warm up I often do is the one prescribed by Melissa Cross on her Zen of Screaming Warm Up cd. Since I bought The Zen of Screaming, I have made several copies of this Warm Up cd. I keep one in my guitar case. I keep one in the CD player at home or in the car. Car rides are a great time to practice vocals. If I know I will be speaking somewhere, or singing karaoke, then I will generally do some warm ups, usually in the car while I am on my way to the bar. I keep the original Warm up CD tucked away in case one of the other copies I have gets scratched and needs replacing.

A part of being in a band is getting familiar with each other. So, before the show, if it is an option, do your warm ups with the vocalist. Even though you aren’t playing songs, you will still be building familiarity that will help you coalesce as a band. That is, play the same notes that the vocalists sings when warming up.

16th Guitar Snake Exercises: 32 Jigga’s a String Picking Hand Workout

16:1 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^thfret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret. All the exercises in 16^th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting, with all down strokes then/or alternating strokes. The 12^th fret is played by the index finger. The 13^th fret is played by the middle. The 14^th fret is played by the ring. The 15^th is played with the pinky.

16:2 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the index finger. The 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the ring. The 14^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:3 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 10 4x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the index finger. The 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the ring. The 13^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:4 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 9 4x, 10 4x 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 4x, 9 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the index finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring. The 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

16:5 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 8 4x, 9 4x, 10 4x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 4x , 9 4x, 8 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the index finger. The 9^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 10^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:6 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 7 4x, 8 4x, 9 4x, 10 4x, 9 4x, 8 4x, 7 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the index finger. The 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring. The 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

16:7 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 6 4x, 7 4x, 8 4x, 9 4x, 8 4x, 7 4x, 6 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the index finger. The 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring. The 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

16:8 At the 5^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open, 5 4x, 6 4x, 7 4x, 8 4x, 7 4x, 6 4x, 5 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 5^th fret is played by the index finger. The 6^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 7^th fret is played by the ring. The 8^th fret is played with the pink.

16:9 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 4x, 6 4x, 7 4x, 8 4x, 9 4x, 8 4x, 7 4x, 6 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the index finger. The 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring. The 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

16:10 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 4x, 7 4x, 8 4x, 9 4x, 10 4x, 9 4x, 8 4x, 7 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the index finger. The 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring. The 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

16:11 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 4x, 8 4x, 9 4x, 10 4x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 4x, 9 4x, 8 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the index finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:12 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 4x, 9 4x, 10 4x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 4x, 9 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the index finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring. The 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

16:13 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 4x, 10 4x, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11, 10 4x. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the index finger. The 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the ring. The 13^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:14 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open 4x, 11, 11,11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the index finger. The 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:15 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, open 12^th fret 4x, 13^th fret 4x, 14^thfret 4x, 15^th 4x, 14^th 4x, 13^th fret 4x, 12^th fret 4x. All the exercises in 16^th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting. With the pattern of notes, the 12^th fret is played by the index finger. The 13^th fret is play by the middle finger. The 14^th fret is played by the ring. The 15^th fret is played with the pinky.

16:16 Do exercises 16:1-16:15 on the 2^nd string.

16:17 Do exercises 16:1-16:15 on the 3^rd string.

16:18 Do exercises 16:1-16:15 on the 4^th string.

16:19 Do exercises 16:1-16:15 on the 5^th string.

16:20 Do exercises 16:1-16:15 on the 6^th string.

15th Guitar Snake Exercises: 24 Jigga’s a String Picking Hand Workout

15:1 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 14^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 15^th fret, 14^thfret, 14^th fret, 14^thfret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 13^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret, 12^th fret. All the exercises in 15^th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting, with all down strokes then/or alternating strokes. The 12^th fret is played by the index finger. The 13^th fret is played by the middle. The 14^th fret is played by the ring. The 15^th is played with the pinky.

15:2 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15, 15, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the index finger. The 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the ring. The 14^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:3 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the index finger. The 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the ring. The 13^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:4 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the index finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring. The 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

15:5 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the index finger. The 9^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 10^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:6 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the index finger. The 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring. The 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

15:7 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the index finger. The 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring. The 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

15:8 At the 5^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5. With the pattern of notes, the 5^th fret is played by the index finger. The 6^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 7^th fret is played by the ring. The 8^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:9 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the index finger. The 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring. The 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

15:10 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 7. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the index finger. The 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring. The 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

15:11 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the index finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring finger. The 10^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:12 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the index finger. The 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring. The 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

15:13 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the index finger. The 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the ring. The 13^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:14 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 11, 11,11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the index finger. The 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the ring. The 11^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:15 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, open, open, 12^th fret 3x, 13^th fret 3x, 14^thfret 3x, 15^th 3x, 14^th 3x, 13^th fret 3x, 12^th fret 3x. All the exercises in 15^th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting. With the pattern of notes, the 12^th fret is played by the index finger. The 13^th fret is play by the middle finger. The 14^th fret is played by the ring. The 15^th fret is played with the pinky.

15:16 Do exercises 15:1-15:15 on the 2^nd string.

15:17 Do exercises 15:1-15:15 on the 3^rd string.

15:18 Do exercises 15:1-15:15 on the 4^th string.

15:19 Do exercises 15:1-15:15 on the 5^th string.

15:20 Do exercises 15:1-15:15 on the 6^th string.

Dramatic Turn of Events by Dream Theater ***** DT Out Does Themselves (Again)!

The quality of the musicianship on this album is superior to anything Dream Theater has done in the past, especially the effort of John Petrucci. Now, don’t get me wrong Mike Portnoy is a phenomenal drummer, and though he is among the best, he isn’t the best of the best. The impression I got listening to the album was that the new drummer enables John Petrucci, and Jordan Rudess to explore certain rhythms MP would not have been able to keep up with. Therefore, Dream Theater’s greatest loss is actually that MP was really good with promoting DT. MP is a downright friendly and likeable guy, and the other guys in Dream Theater are dorks, and I, myself, am a dork, so this album in all its dorky musicianship is right up my alley.

14th Guitar Snake Exercises: 6 Jigga’s a String Pt. 4 – Open, Middle, Ring, Pinky

14:1 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 13^th fret, 14^thfret, 15^th fret, 14^th fret, 13^th fret. All the exercises in 14^th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting, with all down strokes then/or alternating strokes. With the pattern of pattern of notes, the 13^th fret is played by the middle finger. And, the 14^th fret is played by the ring, and the 15^th is played with the pinky.

14:2 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 11, 12, 13, 12, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 12^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:3 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 10, 11, 12, 11, 10. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:4 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 9, 10, 11, 10 , 9. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 10^th fret is play by the ring finger. And, the 11^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:5 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 8, 9, 10, 9, 8. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:6 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 7, 8, 9, 8, 7. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:7 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 7^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 8^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:8 At the 5^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 5, 6, 7, 6, 5. With the pattern of notes, the 5^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 6^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 7^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:9 At the 6^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6. With the pattern of notes, the 6^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 7^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 8^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:10 At the 7^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 7, 8, 9, 8, 7. With the pattern of notes, the 7^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 8^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 9^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:11 At the 8^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 8, 9, 10, 9, 8. With the pattern of notes, the 8^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 9^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 10^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:12 At the 9^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 9, 10, 11, 10 , 9. With the pattern of notes, the 9^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 10^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 11^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:13 At the 10^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 10, 11, 12, 11, 10. With the pattern of notes, the 10^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 11^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 12^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:14 At the 11^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 11, 12, 13, 12, 11. With the pattern of notes, the 11^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 12^th fret is played by the ring finger. And, the 13^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:15 At the 12^th fret, on the 1st string, the thinnest string, chug the following. Open, 12^th fret, 13^th fret, 14^thfret, 13^th fret, 12^th fret. All the exercises in 14^th Guitar Snake Exercises may be done without or without palm muting. With the pattern of notes, the 12^th fret is played by the middle finger. The 13^th fret is play by the ring finger. And, the 14^th fret is played by the pinky.

14:16 Do exercises 14:1-14:15 on the 2^nd string.

14:17 Do exercises 14:1-14:15 on the 3^rd string.

14:18 Do exercises 14:1-14:15 on the 4^th string.

14:19 Do exercises 14:1-14:15 on the 5^th string.

14:20 Do exercises 14:1-14:15 on the 6^th string.

14:22 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern open ring middle pinky middle ring open

14:23 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern open ring pinky middle pinky ring open

14:24 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern open middle ring pinky ring middle open

14:25 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern open middle pinky ring pinky middle open

14:26 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern open pinky middle ring middle pinky open

14:27 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern open pinky ring middle ring pinky open

14:28 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern ring pinky middle open middle pinky ring

14:29 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern ring pinky open middle open pinky ring

14:30 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern ring open middle pinky middle open ring

14:31 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern ring open pinky middle pinky open ring

14:32 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern ring middle open pinky open middle ring

14:33 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern ring middle pinky open pinky middle ring

14:34 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern pinky ring open middle open ring pinky

14:35 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern pinky ring middle open middle ring pinky

14:36 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern pinky middle ring open ring middle pinky

14:37 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern pinky middle open ring open middle pinky

14:38 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern pinky open ring middle ring open pinky

14:39 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern pinky open middle ring middle open pinky

14:40 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern middle ring open pinky open ring middle

14:41 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern middle ring pinky open pinky ring middle

14:42 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern middle pinky open ring open pinky middle

14:43 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern middle pinky ring open ring pinky middle

14:44 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern middle open ring pinky ring open middle

14:45 Do exercises 14:1-14:20 using the pattern middle open pinky ring pinky open middle