Neal shares one of his bluesy, funky rhythm riffs in this lesson. Using 16th notes and a constant right-hand rhythm with left hand dampening, this riff will sound great at your next jam session. Using the A7 chord and some double stops, you'll be getting funky in no time. Chords used are A7, D7 and E7. Tip of the Week: Dynamics are key!

In this lesson Dweezil's got you playing "outside of the box", literally. Using just a couple notes outside of a scale or chord pattern you can add a new dynamic to you're lead playing without learning new scales. What a difference a half-step can make! Tip of the week: Dweezil showcases the just-released Gibson Frank Zappa Model SG, from the Roxy era. This guitar was made to the specs of Frank's guitar, down to the last detail. Demo'd by Dweezil himself.

If you're into blues rock or chicken fried rock, this is a must-have lick to add to your arsenal. It's very easy and comfortable, and you can move it anywhere on the neck. You'll hear artists like Slash, Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd use this handy lick often. Dive on in! Tip of the Week: how to pick faster with an easy adjustment.

"Right under your fingers." Caren is our guest host on the GT Channel and she shares her valuable insight on making efficient chord changes in the open position. If you're just getting the hang of smooth chord changes, Caren's lesson will put you on the fast track, with some bonus info too! Tip of the Week: Third finger first

Live from Dweezil's studio, he gives us a sneak peek into his latest musical venture and the details of the upcoming Dweezilla guitar boot camp. It takes place in New York (near Woodstock) and features a 4-day teaching-intense/hangout-intense immersion into the world of guitar, Dweezil and his hand-picked band of guitar instructors. Tune in to hear more about it!

Guest host Caren Armstrong shares her insights on consistent right hand use, whether strumming or fingerpicking. If you're struggling with good right hand technique, Caren will help you become a better player with this demonstration of good strumming and BAD strumming habits. This lesson will help you RELAX and in the process, improve accuracy, speed, and more importantly, TONE. Tip of the Week: take care of your most valuable guitar tools (we all have 'em!)

This week's lesson is on a tasty lick in the style of David Gilmour, in the key of E. You'll also learn the secret behind his great sounding solos. Using the neck position pickup is best for this tone, Neal is using a Les Paul with the neck position pickup with just a little bit of gain. Fun fact: Gilmour played a 50s gold top Les Paul straight into the board (no amp) for his legendary solo in "The Wall." Tip of the Week: How to become more musical.

This week Neal one of his favorite metal specialty chords to spice up your metal rhythm. This one adds power and melody and works as great accent chord for metal songwriting, works great for the style of Killswitch Engage. Tip of the week: how to get that difficult rhythm down.

This lesson offers a very tasty blues lick that can also be applied to rock (in a Slash style) with a few minor adjustments. Neal shares his favorite keys for playing lead on the low notes and the tip of the week will help you expand your lick knowledge with this simple suggestion.

This lick in the key of G uses a combination of the best notes in rock; the minor 3rd, major 3rd, flat 5th and 7th. It's really a challenge to make these notes work well together but this lick does a great job. You end up with a very tasty, melodic and bluesy sounding lead. Tip of the Week: how to expand your inspiration.

Neal shares his insight to getting more soulful sounding blues licks in this lesson. This "call and answer" lick is In the key of G minor and uses the box pattern commonly used by BB King and Eric Clapton. The simple tips in this lesson can help get you from "just playing notes" to playing more melodic and soulful blues lead. Tip of the Week: How to track your progress easily

Guitar Tricks 160: Allman Brothers Style Lead This is a great lesson for the beginner blues player. It's in the key of E major and includes some easy patterns using hammer-ons to get your feet off the ground with some smooth and tasty sounding leads. Tip of the Week: From your Idol's Idol comes great knowledge

Anders host this week's channel with an insightful lesson in his riff-creating techniques. This one is in drop D tuning, one part Steve Earle, one part aggressive and weird, with a little slinky and cool thrown on top for good measure. Tip of the Week: How to get that "nod of approval" from other players, it's easier than you think!

This week guest host Anders shows you his key ingredients to creating a great guitar riff using classic blues licks in a groovin, bluesy, swampy guitar style. Half part Creedence, half part Richards, there are a bunch a really cool blues licks to learn in this awesome lesson from Anders Mouridsen. Have fun! Tip of the Week: Backwards Whammy!

This week special guest instructor Mike Olekshy shares his secrets for building speed, dexterity and fretboard knowledge. It's a timed exercise, feel free to use the Guitar Tricks Ultimate Metronome to challenge yourself. Hint: click the "Speed Drill" box. Tip of the Week: Boom! Secret pick stash spot!

This week we answer a request to teach the ending lick by Anders from GT Channel episode 41. This is a super tasty way to end a blues jam, or you can use it in a turnaround.

For you beginner blues players, this lick will really spice up the basic blues pattern. This one is in the key of A and sounds great on acoustic or electric. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and anyone in the room who's listening. Tip of the Week: Just relaaaxx!

This rock lick boogies! And it's only four notes. Neal shares a favorite lick of his that's easy to play and focuses on the right hand rhythm which is often overlooked when learning leads, scales and solos. This lick is also a good exercise in alternate picking and is in the key of F#. Tip of the Week: How to improve your ear training

Super-tasty is the name of this simple lick in A major. If you're beginning to solo, this lick will sound great at your next jam. Even for more advanced players, this lick will sound timeless and is moveable anywhere on the neck. Tip of the Week: How to expand you lick collection.

For you a classic blues lick this week, and very tasty! This lick is in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimi Hendrix and is a combo of two classic blues licks with a little melodic flavor added. Tune in as Neal shows how to play this dynamic lick, note-for-note.

We've had some requests of how to use chords in soloing. This week Neal shows you one of his favorite licks for applying chords to your leads. In the key of D major, it's actually a combination of 3 licks. And it's a moveable lick so once you learn it you can play it in any key. TIP: An easy trick to using chords in soloing

Using the pentatonic scale in A, Neal shares this classic-styled rock lick that will have you sounding super-shreddy in no time! This one is easy to move about the neck to any key. Tip of the Week: An easy way to improve your practicing skills.

If you're looking to solo high up on the fret board, this is a must-learn lick from Neal's lick collection. Utilizing the melodic 3rd and 7th note as target notes, this one will have you sounding bluesy and rock at the same time. Tip of the Week: how to improve your fret board knowledge

Neal teaches a fast lick in the key of B that is a great practice in finger independence, hammer-on's and alternate picking. Play it up to speed and you've got a very cool, fast and melodic lick on your hands. Have fun! Tip of the Week: Overlooked Soloing Tip!

Here is a Hendrix-inspired lick that works over major chords. Once you learn the pattern for this lick you can play it anywhere on the neck, easily. And it works for country music as well, goes to show just how universal Jimi's music really is. Tip of the Week: The key to good lead playing

Want your solo to sound over-the-top?! You may have heard and not known how to do it, but this week Neal shows you some tips on how to get this wild and energized sound out of your leads. Warm up your fingertips cuz this one might hurt. Tip of the Week: How to upgrade your tone without spending any money!

A classic blues lick to add to your arsenal, Neal shares his insight on 2 key notes that make the blues sound bluesy. Also, a key note to use when you switch to the IV chord that will make your blues leads sound more dynamic and exciting. The turnaround lick you'll want to use all the time, it's great! Tip of the Week: How to make difficult barre chords easier

BOO! It's that time again, the award-winning Halloween Episode is here. Wondering what Tony Bones has been up too? You'll have to ask this wicked vixen what happened to him. Guest host Sharon Aguilar spooks up this year's scary Halloween theme song lesson. She's got some magic tricks to teach you too, so tune it and BEWARE!! Watch at your own risk! A special 13th Birthday Shout-out to Ross, an aspiring guitarist and GT subscriber!! Happy Birthday Ross from Neal and Guitar Tricks!

By popular request, Neal shows you how to play the new GT Channel theme song. Also included in this lesson is how to make basic chord progressions and turn them into awesome rock riffs. Little tricks like using pentatonic bass notes, double stops instead of power chords, and sliding into chords really make your progressions "pizzazy!" Tip of the Week: How to get better rhythm

Vibrato is key to the blues sound, Neal shows you his secret to getting that killer blues vibrato. Using the classic "call & response," this lick is very useful to beginner guitarists. You can use it over the I, IV or V chord of a 12-bar blues and it sounds great on every chord. Tip of the Week: How to save your 9v batteries

Unison bends are one of the most recognized techniques in rock guitar. Used by great guitarist like Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page and Slash, they're a must-have tool to any rock guitarist. Neal teaches you the ins and outs of making good sounding unison bends sound great. If you're new at soloing, they are fairly easy and sound HUGE. Have fun! Tip of the Week: how to build a fan base at your gigs.

Neal's pick for best custom acoustic guitar at NAMM show is the black Titanic Southampton guitar. A limited run of high-quality acoustic guitars, made in Scotland, to commemorate the Titanic anniversary. Dave explains while Neal demos..and have a little fun in the process.

These are some amazing guitars! Neal shows you his favorite picks from the 2012 NAMM show. Guitars featuring custom inlays, diamonds and jewels and a leather clad exterior! Take a tour of the wild world of high end custom guitars from the Fender Custom Shop right here on the Guitar Tricks Channel.

Here is a classic lick that every blues player should know. You may have heard Stevie Ray Vaughan use this one but it's been around for years and used by many great blues players. Neal shows you the lick in open E position and in a moveable position so you can play it anywhere on the neck. Tip of the week: Drop that pick!

Neal combines these elements to make a riff that you can play through a whole blues progression: Hammer-on, double stops, finger roll, slide, chord tones. This is a great way to better understand mixing techniques to create a riff in the blues format. Key of A. Tip of the Week: How to reduce string noise

Using a first inversion D chord, Neal shows you an easy chord that you can play anywhere on the neck for a "new" twist on an old chord. The same chord can also be used to add some chords to your lead playing, click for an example from Neal. Tip of the Week: How to make your blues lead sound more melodic

This week Neal shares one of his Hendrix-style chord based licks in A major. This is a very handy, movable lick that sounds very melodic over major chords and is instantly reminiscent of Hendrix style leads. If you new at leads and have your hammer-ons down, this is the perfect lesson for you. Tip of the Week: is a surprise! Hint: some magic is involved.

For the beginning to intermediate guitarist, Neal shares his insight solo over the whole fretboard, and how to use trills and slides to flavor your lead lines. If you only know the 1 main pentatonic scale, this lesson will help you expand your knowledge and cover more of the fretboard. Tip of the week: Use THESE notes to start a solo

If you're new at soloing, or just stuck with note selection, this lesson is for you. Neal shares his personal insight on what makes a dynamic lick. With the focus on the right hand rhythm, this lesson is bound to offer some helpful tips on your path to being a great guitarist. Tip of the week: don't get electrocuted! Here's how:

This tasteful, major-flavored lick combines string-skipping, using major and minor in a solo, chord tones, and the 2 note chords from GT #106. It's a lot easier than it may sound, so tune on in for your tasty blues lick of the week from Neal.

Using tap-bend and bend-tap, Neal shares some very cool Eddie-inspired licks up and down the neck. These concepts are fairly simple and will get you playing fast hammer-on licks ala Eddie, lickity split! Tip of the Week: how to shift your pick from fingers to tapping position

This week we follow up Ben Lindholm's series on sweep picking. This is an advanced lesson but if you'd like to work your way up, Ben provides 2, 3 and 4 string lessons on the Guitar Tricks Channel. The arpeggio examples you'll learn here will have you sounding like a metal master and full-sweep madness will be yours!

Take a detailed tour with Dunlop Senior Engineer Bob Cedro as he demos the latest hot pedals from Dunlop including the new Joe Bonamassa Wah, MXR Custom Badass Modified Overdrive and 6 years in the making, the new Eric Johnson Fuzz Face.

Using simple chord progressions Neal shares his favorite secret to good metal riffage. This lesson is a follow-up to the rock songwriting lesson so be sure to view that one as well to see how these basic concept work across all genres. You'll be writing dynamic riffs in no time with these insightful lessons. Tip of the Week: using accidental harmonics to your advantage

In this episode Neal share's his most important songwriting tips, the 3 elements needed to create a great rock riff. It's easy, and once you know these 3 elements you'll be able to create your own, original, great rock riffs, the foundation of just about every great rock song.

Have you ever wanted your band logo on your whole guitar case, or just a bunch of flames!? Or just the toughest case out there to protect your precious vintage axe? Neal shares some of the coolest guitar cases found at the NAMM show, including odd sized cases for flying-V guitars, ukelele and banjos.

In this lesson we answer a request for the intro to episode 121. Easy because it's in one position but a little challenging because of the right hand rhythm. It's a tasty double-stop lick that combines rhythm and lead, and it will get you respect on stage in any Texas bar. Tip of the Week: How to get more out of you guitar licks! Tip of the Minute: Listen to this lesson with headphones for the full Texas effect!

This week Neal combines major and minor for a southern fried rock lick in A. This lick sounds great in a country style with clean guitar or also with a dirty tone for rock and blues. Tip of the Week: How to use licks you already know to create a riff.

There are a lot of beginner amps and guitars out there, and deciding which to get can be a daunting task, so we thought we'd give you our two cents. Take a romp through the NAMM show with Neal as demos his personal favorite beginner guitar amp, complete with jam tracks! The Roland Micro Cube RX.

Good and easy, this week's Slash style lick will have you playing a cool lead in no time. The great thing about this lick is that it can be played over just about any chord. It's an easy way to target "chord tones" and sound great, quickly. Tip of the week: Don't limit your bends to one direction.

Why do major and minor work together in some solos? Many people have asked, and Neal sheds some light on the subject with the reasons why and a sweet lick in the key of A to get you started. Tip of the Week: Be nice to your soundguy! Why? click to find out.

We were fortunate enough to interview this man at Dunlop, Del Casher, the first man to record a wah wah pedal with guitar. Previously it had been designed for use with a trumpet. As the story goes, Del told Frank Zappa about this new gizmo, and Frank told a guy named Jimi Hendrix, who then went down to Manny's Music in NY in 1967 and picked one up, the rest is history. But it starts here with Del, we'll let him tell you the details of wah wah's humble beginnings. Who knew The Addams Family had something to do with it?!

Conveying emotion can be a challenging task for guitar players. Using bends you probably already know, Neal shows you how to take simple half-step bends and use them in a way that is mood-evoking. Tip of the Week: Pinch harmonic chord scrape

Neal teaches you one of his favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan style licks in this lesson. It's super cool and involves easy hybrid picking. So if you haven't tried hybrid picking yet, this lesson is a great place to start! Tip of the Week: How make your whammy bar easier to use

Neal shares his tricks to expanding your knowledge of the fretboard so you can solo "outside" of the pentatonic box. These simple tips can easily take you from knowing one pentatonic scale position, to covering half of the fretboard. Tip of the Week: how to get better recording mixes

If you're just getting your feet wet with soloing, this lick is a great place to start: it's easy and it sounds good. It's used by beginners and total pros so you can't go wrong. The best part is that it introduces you to the concept of "chord tones", which is the key to great note choice. Tip of the week will keep you wound up!

Neal's pick for NAMM 2012's best entry-level electric is here: the Silo 3 from Sterling by Music Man. Whether you're just starting on guitar or you're an experienced player who doesn't want to bring your priceless vintage guitar to the local jam night, this guitar from the Sterling Sub Series is just right. With an incredibly low street price of $199, this axe has all the bells and whistles you might be looking for: single coil and humbucker pickups, tremolo bridge & short neck for fast action. Not bad looking either!

There's more to one bend than meets the eye. This week Neal shows you how take a bend you may already know, and one of the most common, and turn it into 10 licks. These lead lines are great with blues mostly, but also rock and a little country. Tip of the week: This one tip can improve and color your rhythm playing

Check out the channel this week as Neal shows you a key element to getting the Rockabilly sound, in only 3 minutes! A couple bonus licks and tips are thrown in get the most out of your rhythm playing. Tip of the week will help you better understand your playing.

Check out Neal's pick for the coolest undiscovered gadget at NAMM 2012, the Stageplayer II. This awesome little gadget doubles as a playing stool and guitar stand, a great tool for you singer songwriters out there. Also handy if you have a small practice room in your home and are looking to save space. Neal interviews the inventor Nick to get all the details.

Break out of the pentatonic box with these soloing secrets used by the best guitarists. This simple concept will elevate your soloing to a new level using chords you probably already know. Tip of the Week: Take no toll on your tubes with this tip!

A key foundation of David Gilmour's style is his use of 3-note chords or "triads." Neal will show you these important chords to the Pink Floyd style in an easy to understand way. When you're done, check out the full tutorial on the Gilmour style taught by Anders Mouridsen, including the Gear & Tone for that killer delay sound. Tip of the week: will extend the life of your amp's tubes.

This week tune in while Neal shares one of his favorite Alex Lifeson techniques. Using one-string hammer-ons and pull-offs, and a little practice, you can emulate this dynamic Lifeson technique...AND sound really cool! Gigging Tip of the week: Neal's favorite gear-bag and why

What is pedal point? Even if you don't what it is, you've probably heard it before. This lesson shows you what it is and how to use it in the metal/rock genre. Neal shares his two favorite positions for using the pedal point technique in a solo or as a musical theme. First open string example uses dorian mode, the second uses harmonic minor. Tip of the week: tune..in to your band mates.

Get creative with "Blues Rock Pedal Point." This week Neal shares some of his most common techniques for creating memorable blues and rock licks. Tip of the week: Listen to the bass player for key soloing tones to improve your musicianship.

The lesson of the week is about taking those old standard blues-rock licks to the next level by making them musical. Don't play licks, play music! The tip of the week is to bend with a purpose. When you bend a note, have a target in mind that you are aiming for. Practice aiming & playing that target note. Bend to a note, don't just bend a note!

Watch metal guitar master Ben Lindholm rip it up in this very cool metal version of the Christmas classic "Deck The Halls". You'll learn how changing from a major key to a minor key can really morph a classic song into something new. This lesson shreds! Have fun and a great holiday from Guitar Tricks!

Guitar Tricks 107 - Live From the Mothership: Awesome tips from Anders that apply to all styles of guitar playing. Let Anders' experience in the world of guitar help you get to your next playing goal faster. Filmed live in L.A. at Steve Vai's Mothership with Neal as your host. Tip of the week: Throwing out the rules to capture that guitar magic. -Don't forget to put on your "guitar face!"

This week Neal has some really tasty, easy blues chords you can use as a rhythm guitar player. These key notes will sounds great on either acoustic or electric, as a solo guitarist or with a group. Put 'em in your box o' tools and you can use them at your next jam session! Tip of the week: for beginners, how to get that string right in pitch.

...Ever! It doesn't get much easier than this. You can use this two-note chord pattern within 3 frets and cover a whole 12-bar blues progression. It's easy and it sounds great! The tip of the week: will keep you out of the dark.

The tip of the week is to warm up slowly. The lesson of the week is about first inversion chords. Spice up your rhythm guitar playing with 1st inversions make a standard open or barre chord sound more musical, thick, bluesy, Stones-ish, Hendrix-y, Black Crowes-ish R&B licks.

Tired of sounding like every other sweep-picking guitarist? This week Lee Wanner teaches his secrets to creative sweep-picking and many other playing secrets. Recorded live from Steve Vai's Mothership Studio!

This week's lesson teaches you what chromatics are and how to use them in rock and blues. They're easy and fun, and they sound cool too! Neal also gives you a tip on how to break out of a creative rut. Tip of the week: Chorus settings for a fuller sound

Well it's that time of the year again! Tony Bones has made his long journey from the depths of the underworld, dusted himself off and is ready to teach you some of his favorite creepy guitar riffs for this year's Guitar Tricks Channel Halloween Special.

We've reached our 100th GT Channel episode! To celebrate, we're giving Neal a break this week and Christopher Schlegel is taking over. Christopher has created over 1,000 lessons for Guitar Tricks and is a wealth of guitar knowledge. This is his first appearance on the channel, let's check out what he has in store for you this week! Christopher's lesson is of the week is about adding diatonic notes to the pentatonic box. Use the pentatonic box to visualize your position & pattern, but use notes inside the box to add variety. Tip of the week: play a low bass no...

This week Neal answers a request from the Guitar Tricks Forum and shows you how to play the rock intro lick featured on a previous Guitar Tricks Channel episode. Click below to check it out! Tip of the Week: Neal tells you how to drill through that ever so frustrating songwriters block.

Legato is the word for this week's channel episode and that's what Neal's teaching, a legato lick in A. Great for metal and rock, if you're still working on alternate picking, this lick will get you playing fast using a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs. It sounds smooth and fast! Tip: how to get un-stuck in your lead playing.

Slash! lick for you in the key of F#. This lick from Slash cleverly combines pentatonic shapes, blues phrasing with some chromatics thrown in for fun and color. Hat and hair not included! Tip o' the Week: Strip it down to the basics! P.S. Todd our Social Media Guru makes a cameo in this video, can you find him?

Tie on your blue bandana! Neal interviews Suicidal Tendencies' Mike Clark about dream jams and blowing up amps. Check it out!

Warm those fingers up, because this week's channel covers shredding in the key of E! Think you can handle the new lick that Neal has for you? Also, he'll show you the contrast between singing notes and shredding notes to create emotional phrasing. Tip of the Week: Neal discusses the importance of collaboration!

This week's lesson is an excerpt from Hanspeter's Santana Artist Study at Guitar Tricks. Neal show's you a very cool Santana lick with a few extras thrown in. If you're just learning your scales, this lesson will show you how you can be musical with simple note patterns. Tip of the week will keep you sounding good at your gigs.

Blues rock shred lick in A: want an easy way to shred quickly? Neal shares one of his favorite, dynamic blues rock licks this week. For beginner to intermediate players, this is a power-packed lick to add to your collection, enjoy! Tip: write bad songs! why? watch to find out.

Santana lick request from Puertorico2494, let's make it three! This week Neal fills a request for leads in the style of Carlos Santana. You can use the opening and closing chord progression as a backing track to test drive 'em.

Learn a new lick! Neal's got one for you this week. If you like Slash-style soloing you'll appreciate this blues lick in the key of A, it's catchy! Tip of the week will help you improve your guitar tone for your next recording session or live gig. It's so simple, you might not have thought of it!

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel Neal Walter demonstrates a fast blues lick in G! This is a great lick for beginners because it follows the pentatonic scale pattern, and allows you to barre your first finger and play the pattern nice and fast. Use this lick for your lead playing, and just move the pattern around on the neck to change keys. Tip of the week: Get the right string gauge for the best bending potential.

This week on the channel, Neal takes a request from our Facebook friends for more blues licks. Neal has got a fresh new flat 5 pentatonic lick, plus a great tip of the week! This blues guitar lesson is all part of the Guitar Tricks Channel, from GuitarTricks.com

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel, Neal takes a request from fans on Facebook for some new blues guitar licks. Check out his Blues Box pattern lick, which is perfect for your next 12 bar blues jam. Guitar Tip Of The Week: If you mess up while performing live, just keep going! Everyone makes mistakes, even the pros. If you stop after you mess something up, everyone will know and it will throw the band off. If you keep going, most people will forget it even happened.

This week we've got a very special channel episode, featuring two Guitar Tricks instructors from Nashville: JD Jarrell and Andy Gurley! Andy and JD have a cool dual lead harmonic lick to teach, plus tips on how they warm up before playing gigs. Bonus: Don't miss the bloopers at the end of the video!

This week Nashville picker/GT instructor Andy Gurley takes over the Guitar Tricks channel as guest host! In this episode, Andy teaches the old-school secret to getting beautiful clean guitar tone that anyone can use! Andy also takes a request from someone in the Guitar Tricks forum and teaches the famous intro lick heard in Country Level 1.

As Canadian musician & producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD) was just finishing up his thirteenth studio album entitled "Ghost", Guitar Tricks Channel got some of Devin's insights about guitar playing. Tune in to watch while Neal asks the probing questions.

Guitar Tricks 86: Tasty blues lead is the theme of this weeks lesson. Neal shows you one of his favorite licks using the voicing of the 6th 7th and 3rd notes over a B Major chord. The tip of the week is from Ben and it will have you thinking of your music in a whole new way!

This week on the Channel Neal shows you how to do volume swells. Create a mesmerizing effect with only your guitar and volume knob. This technique works great with rhythm chords or with leads and it's an excellent way to convey emotion in your playing. He'll show you the technique as used in Van Halen's "Cathedral".

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel, Neal Walter interviews guitar virtuoso Steve Vai at the NAMM show. In this interview, Steve Vai discusses his first guitar rig, the most important thing for guitar players, and who has been inspiring him.

This week on the Guitar Tricks Channel: An Interview with Howard Leese at NAMM 2011. Howard was the guitarist in rock band Heart for 22 years from 1975 to 1997, and was behind countless guitar classics. He is an amazing guitar player and definitely an inspiring musician.

This week Neal has got some pull-off rock licks to share that will make playing fast incredibly easy. By using the pull-off technique with a simple pattern, you will be surprised at how fast you can play these rock licks in the key of E, A, D and G Tip of the week: Record a new riff every day for a year.

Spice up your lead playing with the oldest trick in the book, using the major 3rd. This is a classic blues rock sound and this week Neal shares three of his favorite licks using these tasty notes. You'll immediately recognize the sound. Take one for a test drive!

This week Neal shares one of his favorite blues rock licks. You would expect players like Slash, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton to use this style of lead playing often, now you can make it your own! Neal's got some great tips on being "conversational" in your lead playing style, even with just one note.

This week we catch up with Bruce Kulick from Kiss at the NAMM show in Anaheim. He talks about his latest album featuring Gene Simmons, Steve Lukather and Jon Corabi. And he talks about one of his favorite choices in practice amps.

This week Neal explores Octaves and how to incorporate them into your playing. If you've just learned your scales, they are a great way to branch out from the "practicing scales" sound to something more melodic. Octaves are also helpful to memorizing the fretboard. The tip of the work will get you heard when jamming with your friends.

This week Ben Lindholm picks up his series on string sweeps. In this lesson he's got a twist on the usual sweep method as he creates some insane video game type effects using four-string sweeps.

This week, Neal shares one of Jeff Beck's signature techniques. We've got a great Jeff Beck study here at Guitar Tricks and if you're a dedicated Beck follower, you'll definitely want to check it out. In the meantime, here's a little sneak peak from Neal.

From our NAMM show interviews, Zach Myers from Shinedown. Neal catches up with him in the Paul Reed Smith booth for a sneak peek at his new model guitar.

This week Neal takes a request on how to play the intro music to Guitar Tricks 64: B.B. King Lick. This is a good exercise in playing melodic leads using the C major pentatonic scale. An easy way to remember this scale is that it's relative to A minor pentatonic and follows the same note pattern. This lick works well with Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan type lead patterns too.

This week Neal takes a request on how to create the laughing sound using a wah wah pedal. You may have heard Steve Vai use this one. This is a good way to improve your foot to hand co-ordination on the wah pedal and is bound to turn some heads!

The Lynchback takes off where the legendary greenback left off. Adding more headroom and a tighter bass response, we look forward to hearing this new born rock monster in action. Tune in and catch the first moments of announcement live from NAMM 2011 with collaborator and tone afficianado, George Lynch.

This week we follow up Ben Lindholm's series on sweep picking. We started with two string sweeps as the foundation to help beginning sweepers grasp the concept and technical ability. This week Ben moves you up to three string sweeps. The arpeggio examples you'll learn here will have you sounding like a metal master and you'll be on your way to full-sweep madness!

Here is our first interview from the 2011 NAMM show, which saw over 90,000 attendees. The NAMM show is an event to showcase the latest and greatest guitars, amps and gear for the coming year. It attracts players from all over the world. Neal attended the Paul Reed Smith after-party and caught up with with Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and Derek St. Holmes from Ted Nugent's band. Click on the image to catch these two legendary artists in rare form as they describe their first introduction to PRS and life on the road.

By popular demand: the intro lick to GT 74, as played by Ben Lindholm. Tune on in as we show you how to play a very cool diminished two hand tapping lick that will open the eyes and ears of your listeners. It's an easy pattern to remember and if you do tapping already, you'll be playing it in no time!

It's the lesson that many of you metal heads have been asking for: Sweep Picking! Shall we start with two strings? Guest instructor Ben Lindholm will get you started with this entry level lesson on metal's holy grail of shred licks, the sweep pick. It's not easy but if you take your time and follow Ben's direction, you can be on your way to sweeping like the metal masters. Turn it up to 11, your lesson starts now.

This week on the channel Neal shows you how to incorporate string grouping to your playing. The idea is to strike more than one string at a time while picking to create a percussive contrast between chords and notes. Here are some ideas that work well with open string picking. Tip of the week will keep your guitar sounding on pitch.

This week Guitar Tricks instructor Lisa McCormick takes over the channel with some Christmas cheer and a holiday classic for you: "Deck the Halls", except this one is in open D tuning. That makes it really easy to play and it sounds great on an acoustic or electric guitar. Try it out! Also "Joy to the World" is taught as this weeks tip. Happy Festivus! :)

We got one of you something for Christmas! The ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox. This amp is one of the most exciting compact amps available. It weighs only nine pounds an It is the size of a 1970s metal school lunchbox but packs a whopping 200watts of sound. It's been dubbed: the "Loudest Little Amp in the World" This power-packed box can keep up with a full band situation, no problem. And you won't break your back getting it there! It only weights 9 lbs. :) To enter just reply to our thread at: http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33143 See thread for ...

This week Neal takes a request from nikolaishrederguy on how to play the opening riff to one of our channel episodes, Guitar Tricks 32: Pentatonic Soloing. This is an eye-opening lesson for adding groove to an otherwise simple riff to give it some drive and depth. Tip of the week: it's safe, it's powerful and it will keep your gear looking good! -for tolex only, not guitars.

Neal fills a request from subscriber 3441Edward on alternate power chords. Bored with the same old power chords? This week Neal shows you some easy two finger chords that can enhance your songwriting options and make changing chords quickly a snap! The Tip of the Week just may keep your guitar looking good.

This week Neal shows you one of his favorite Hendrix style guitar licks. The great thing about this one is that it's a moveable shape. You can take this shape and use it anywhere on the neck in major or minor form. If you're just getting started in the Hendrix style, this is a great place to start. The tip of the week will keep your strap on lock down!

Using fingerpicking demonstrated in this lesson, learn how to incorporate the very melodic suspended 2nd and suspended 4th chords to your playing. These are great chords for any acoustic player that will fill up your sound and grab your listener's attention. Tip of the week: Lisa's choice favorite electronic tuner for acoustic guitar.

This week on the Guitar Trick or Treat Channel: Tony Bones is your host for an Evil Tip of The Week and Freakish Free Lesson! Tony invaded the GT castle walls this week and created the most haunting channel episode we have ever seen. His guitar technique is down right spooky, and he has a Halloween song that is guaranteed to cast a spell on you.

This week we have guest host Lisa McCormick on the channel filling a request from subscriber jmxabellanosa on how to use a capo. In this special episode Lisa explores the use of a partial capo which is a great way to get open tuning chord sounds without having to re-tune. The tip of the week will keep you from "poking an eye out with that thing!"

This week Neal interviews Tony Levin, best-known for his work with progressive rock giants King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. In 2010 Tony toured with BoLeMa, with Allan Holdsworth on guitar and Terry Bozzio on drums. A completely inprov band with no pre-written tunes. In our interview at the Radial booth, Tony gives insight on his favorite pedals and what new artists he finds inspiring.

You have spoken, I asked "what should we do with the Les Paul" and you said: "give it away!" Sounds like fun and that's what I'm gonna do! Here's How To Enter: First go to our contest vide on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndzRNZR5JQM Then: 1. Get a video camera 2. Grab your guitar 3. Hit Record! 4. Introduce yourself 5. Say this "Here's what I learned at Guitar Tricks" 6.Play something you've learned by watching Guitar Tricks video guitar lessons 7. Upload the video as a "video response" to: "Les Paul Gold Top Giveaway!" on YouTube by 11/2...

This week Neal answers requests about creating leads and how to improvise. Have you come to a point when you've learned your scales and are now asking yourself, "what do I do with them?" Neal breaks it down in an easy to understand way so you can get started creating your own leads and style.

This week on the channel Neal shows you his tricks to adding a groove to your lead lines by accenting beats. Using some simple palm muting and vibrato you can take a regular pentatonic scale, or any scale, and make it come to life with this concept.

Here's a great lick to add some soulful, tasty flavor to your leads. This one hails from Doug Fearman's lesson on Guitar Tricks and has a nice B.B. King or Clapton flavor. This one goes out to Nob'l The Artist's facebook request for Soul/R&B.

This week Neal takes a request from subscriber metalpunk654: "how do I get fuller sounding power chords?". Even though power chords are simple to play, there are suble techniques to make the most out of them because BIG is what they're all about. One additional tip is to add a little delay to your guitar setting, this will help fill out the sound. You don't need too much, just a little in the background. Also this week, a handy tip for you gear heads out there that like to repair your own rig.

This week Neal interviews Bryan Beller from Dethklok, the real band behind the hit animated series Metalocalypse, and Steve Vai's band. Check out this interview from the NAMM show, Bryan's got some aspiring words for all musicians out there.

This week on the channel Neal shows you a catchy lick in G. Useful for country, blues or rock, it's based on the pentatonic scale and can be applied anywhere on the neck. This lick is a good exercise in bends, double-stops and finger independence. Good tip of the week: how to get a punchier sound out of your pickups without spending any dough!

This week on the channel Neal shows you how to add that drum feel to your rhythm guitar playing. This is taken from Ben Graves' lesson on Guitar Tricks and is a great technique to add another dimension to your playing, whether solo or with accompaniment. Tip of the week is on good string maintenance

This week Neal shows you the fundamentals of good tap harmonics. This technique has been used extensively by Eddie Van Halen but can also be found in jazz and bass guitar techniques. Tap Harmonics create a very cool, almost synthesizer sound out of your guitar. Tip 'o the week is how to make dolphin and whale sounds with your axe.

This week Neal takes a request from one of our viewers on how to turn a riff into a song. Neal will show you the steps necessary to identify your riff and how it will fit into a song structure. Add a guitar only sound effect to your collection with the Tip of the Week.

This week on the channel Neal shows you how to play a classic major blues riff in E. This riff adds melody and a major feel to the standard blues technique. This is a tasty and melodic way to jam the blues with another guitarist or solo. You will sound great soloing in major or minor blues scales with this one.

Play like Eddie! This week on the channel Neal gives you an easy starter kit for two-hand tapping. These skills are the foundation of Eddie Van Halen's famous technique and super fast playing style.

This week on the channel Neal explores the most useful techniques in lead guitar. In this free lesson you'll learn a quick, easy way to spice up your lead playing with double stops. Shown in the most common box pattern, Neal will show you these flavorful lead patterns and what chords sound good underneath them.

This lesson is designed for acoustic guitars but can be used on electric also. Taken from Lisa McCormick's tutorial of the same name at Guitartricks.com. This lesson will show you key tips for changing open chords quickly. A valuable lesson, especially for the beginning guitarist who knows the basic chords but is having a hard time changing them and keeping time.

This week on the channel we've got Nick "Evil Twin" Catanese from Black Label Society at the Paul Reed Smith booth at NAMM 2010. Nick talks about his slick, new "Evil Twin" model guitar from PRS. Nick has been nicknamed "Evil Twin" because of his ability to match Zakk Wilde's licks. He also talks about life on the road and how his spends his down time after a blistering show.

This week on the channel Neal demonstrates the key elements of a good vibrato technique. Vibrato is another excellent way to convey emotion or intensity in your guitar playing. The tip of the week is another simple, yet sometimes overlooked playing method that will increase speed and dexterity while decreasing right hand fatigue.

This week on the channel Neal takes a request: how to make a standard guitar sound like it has a whammy bar. If you only use the whammy technique once in a while or you're stuck with a non-whammy fitted axe, this lesson will give you some good pointers. The tip of the week: how to make a standard tuned guitar sound like a drop tuned guitar.

This week on the channel Neal shows you the infamous pick scrape, one of the most recognized sounds in rock n roll guitar. Although a simple technique, Neal's got his own observations on how to make it really rock. Tip of the week is how to make background string noise add excitement to your playing.

This week Neal teaches how to apply the raking technique. Raking can be used while playing rhythm or lead guitar and is one of the key elements to sweep picking. If you want to learn how to sweep pick but are new at it, raking is a good way to warm up to the sweep picking technique.

This week on the channel Neal catches up with super drummer Derek "One Take" Roddy. This double bass master explores a wide range of playing styles and shares his universal insight on what makes a great musician. He also tells what kind of guitar playing inspires him as a drummer. Check out Derek's chops in this video and get a peek at his huge snake collection!

This week on the channel Neal shows you the three most important chord shapes for soloing and finding your way around the fretboard. This lesson is helpful in chord specific note choices. Really make your solos stand out by committing these three chord shapes to memory. The example is in major form, feel free to apply the minor, 7th, etc. versions of these chords to further expand your musical vocabulary. Tip of the week: how to make the train sound, blues style.

From the beaches of Southern California we caught up with Steve Morse just before his show. Steve has been called the "hardest working guitarist in the world". From Dixie Dregs, Kansas and Deep Purple and a long list of collaborations, Steve never fails to innovate, create and amaze. For such a talented guitarist, he's a very humble guy with some enlightening views of the world.

This week on the channel Neal teaches a classic blues lick that is also used in rock guitar. In the key of E, this lick is very recognizable and is an essential addition to every blues or rock lick arsenal. Tip of the week if how to practice so that your band performance is better. This lesson applies to acoustic or electric guitar players at a beginner to intermediate level.

Great for beginners and rockers, this week Neal shows you how to play three easy and quick chords. Focusing on the D G and A chords, this lesson is very useful for playing in the style of AC/DC. Making chord changes this easy leaves plenty of room for windmills, stage dives and one legged chicken struts. Tip of the week: how to get a beefier sound out of your guitar without changing your amp setting.

This week Neal shares his tricks for getting musical soloing out of your guitar playing with the two most important notes that can be found up and down the fretboard. The tip of the week shows you what key to use to get a mean sound out of your songs.

This week on the channel Neal covers an essential rhythm pattern from Lisa McCormick's tutorial of the same name. Once you hear this pattern you'll be sure to recognize it right away. It's used in tons of songs from acoustic, country, pop and rock. This makes it a must have strumming pattern to add to your collection of guitar tricks!

We caught up with Paul Reed Smith, the man behind the guitars, at the NAMM show. We had just finished watching the always-irreverent Ted Nugent host a PRS jam session. Paul was in a rare, relaxed mode. This was a great opportunity for an interview. Join us as he talks about what inspired the bird inlays, new PRS guitars for 2010 and why he started making his own guitars.

This week on the Channel Neal shows you how to make your playing sound more professional and clean by stopping string noise using his personal muting techniques. Tip of week is how to make an open D chord sound more beefy..."where's the beef?!"

Viewer requested lesson from facebook friend, phillyric: How to play the opening riff in lesson 25. Also, how to use thirds in the lower neck position to create great rock and roll riffs. tip: Extreme string bend above the nut with no whammy bar.

This week Neal interviews Prashant Aswani on his new ESP guitars, new album and his favorite gear. Prashant is a smokin' player and a really cool guy with a genuine passion for his craft. He's got a new tutorial coming to Guitar Tricks too. So stay tuned for some playing secrets from him.

This week on the channel Neal shows you how you can use chords you already know in a fresh way. For some players accenting different parts of a chord is second nature. If this isn't you, we'll show you how to get started. In this episode Neal will show how this simple technique can change the sound of a chord progression and even a song. The tip of week is on fast power chord changes.