Five Shred Tips
Presented by Greg Harrison of Musicians Institute

Tip 1: Use a heavy pick. A heavier pick allows your pick hand to more accurately "feel" the strings so you can keep track of them when you're picking at lightspeed.

Tip 2: Develop a good and rigorous practice routine. Constant daily practice is a must. Push yourself harder everyday and keep a journal of your progress. How fast can you play your licks with the metronome clicking away? Write these numbers down!

Tip 3: Use your ears! Listen to what you're playing. Is there noise, ringing strings, what does the pick attack sound like? Be aware of not only what you play but how it sounds when you're playing it!

Tip 4: Transcribe and Transpose. Learn new licks everyday. Every time you learn something new, transpose it. Play your licks in different positions and different keys etc... Turn major licks into minor licks and vice versa. Mutate everything you learn into ten different ideas and then mutate those ideas! This is where your "style" comes from.

Tip 5: Play with conviction! Absolutely every time you play, play like it's your last time! Work on having really nice phrasing, keep those bends in tune, your vibrato even and you'll get as much feeling back from people as you put into your ax!

Awesome shredders to check out:

Jason Becker

Todd Duane

George Bellas

Eddie Van Halen

Bireli Lagrene

Scotty Anderson

Frank Gambale

Shawn Lane

That should get you started!

About Musicians Institute

Musicians Institute of Hollywood, California is the world’s premier school of contemporary music. Founded in 1977 as Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), over the past three decades MI has expanded to include innovative programs in bass, drums, voice, keyboards, audio engineering, music business, independent artist development, guitar construction and maintenance, and music video, film and television production. A few of MI’s highlights include:

* Intensive, hands-on education that prepares students for the realities of the music industry, proven by thousands of graduate successes worldwide
* An internationally-renowned faculty of outstanding practicing professionals
* Regular appearances by some of the world’s most influential and inspiring artists and authorities
* Educational facilities equipped for industry-standard performance and recording
* Career support backed by an international professional and creative network