but music is a subjective artform. similar to burping or farting its all subjective. what makes you think you can define standards? you're so full of yourself. shut the fuck up and play
Can you make a tutorial on how hungry you gotta be to pull those metal as fuck burps? I have a million dollar idea that’s going to start a wave of new shitty metal bands No just kidding, you’re the shit John!
In the late 1980's I had been playing guitar fanatically for just over 2 years, averaging 4 to 8 hours a day. I was already playing the entire Rising Force album beginning to end, as well as tons of Randy Rhoads, Vivian Campbell, Micheal Schenker, Blackmore, Iommi, and was ready to show the world. I was asked to join a local band for an upcoming gig, but they'd just lost their bassist. I knew these guys, and I was ready to be asked to play lead, because I knew, and they knew, I played circles around them at the music stores. I walked in, saw and heard two guys downpicking Master, and about 5 other songs. ALL of the songs were at tempo or way above album tempo. Every song was super tight together, every note was crisp, clean, crushing tone, and had the proper dynamics relative to all the others. THEY were setting tempo for the drummer. Song number seven, an original song, mostly downpicked and FAST, I smiled, thought to myself, "this could be a lot of fun," grabbed the Fender P-bass waiting on the stand, and loved it! To this day I can still play lead guitar, and guitar solos, better than either of those gtwo guys can, and they would be the first to admit it, but I will always be playing bass when the three of us Jam because there's just something about that feel and that tone, really precisely played, with power and yet feel , and when the song calls for it a fast ike a couple jackhammers pounding on your forehead and chest when down picking metal riffs properly. And we get together to play songs, to play music, not to diddle or stroke ego, and the songs were stronger with those two guys playing The rhythms ... and I became a pretty decent bass player in my own right, so they tell me.
Been recording videos and covers for the past two years and have to say my rhythm playing has become a lot tighter because of it. I find it much easier to double track these days. I've also learnt how sloppy my playing was as well. Record yourselves people! You can nail practising your rhythm playing, to a metronome and then critically analyse it all in one go.
Man I gotta say anxiety hit me hard first as i was expecting 9/10 of it hits me hard. Some did a bit. But hey, I’m on my way. Guys it’s ok if we suck. It’s just not ok if we don’t really try to change that.
Absolutely love this video. The camera shifts make it look like some super serious program on current affairs and news reports. Like, 60 minutes or something - sorry i'm in Australia, not sure what other countries have haha. I'm actually a bit of a Hetfield, all I did for the first 10 years of playing was down pick like a mad man, got it super tight, fast, great attack, and can play many riffs that people would alternate pick... That also has it's bad side as I had to spend the next 5 years+ alternate picking, in turn my lead work is shithouse in comparison and occasionally come across a riff that doesn't seem that difficult but genuinely can't be down picked, so it's a bit awkward. Learn every aspect peeps, even the ones that make you feel uncomfortable or you struggle with!
Extremely informative and straight to the point! Didn’t take a 15 minute video and nailed it in just over 6! Thank u for the sound advice i am down with learning from other people’s mistakes 😉
0:42 - Using a fret wrap to cover up bad technique 1:01 - You need to focus more on rhythm playing 1:36 - Wowing with technique and not writing songs 2:06 - Too many noise gates hide fundamental problems 2:31 - Your gain is too high, hit harder to get aggression 2:59 - The lack of James Hetfield appreciation 3:27 - You're not playing to a metronome 3:49 - Record yourself t ocritically analyse your playing 4:38 - Riff salads aren't progressive 5:05 - We believe we are better than we actually are Love the video!
#11 phrasing. If you can shred at the speed of light extremely clean I dont care one bit if you cant tie each lick together with coherent phrases that both compliment the rhythm and is complimented by the rhythm.
I cannot agree more!!! This is why John Browne is my favorite guitarist in the last 10 years. More music, less ego. Thank you John. Say it loud for the people in the back!!! 🤘🤘😁👏👏👏
Agree with all points covered here. My biggest grievance is when people dial in a "bedroom guitar tone" (i.e. Trying to sound like the record) as their live tone and think it sounds huge when really it sounds weak and shit in a live mix
All really valuable tips even 3 years later. I'm kind of guilty of overfocusing on rhythm playing... And I will typically only tend to learn more simplistic guitar solos as a lot of the music I play I simply just find it hard to keep up with some of the guitarists. I do wish I can play some of these solos but unfortunately I really feel limited in my capability to get a lot of these solos up to speed, and I know wishing won't help solve that problem.
Learning "we are creating at this moment, what our tomorrow will be" was the first song i learned that i focused on all aggressive downpicking without alternate picking. What a bear of a song! Forearms on fire! And its ALL rhythm!
Agree on all counts! We have the same initials and you're probably my favourite rhythm player. I don't have a favourite lead player as I've never been interested in fretsturbation. Been playing 18 years and am nowhere near your level. Kudos on your technique, innovation and success!
I’ve never been a lead player, and don’t really focus on that. I recognize a lot of these things in me, yet there are some that I’ve progressed at enormously. Love your content as always man!
Guilty of nearly all of these on a regular basis but I work on them daily. Easy traps to fall into. The heavy handed downpick is the focus of good riffing and something I work hard at.
So much raw truth behind everything you said. Loving the more consistent updates on the channel. You've definitely been one of the inspirational guitarists for me since I've discovered Monuments a couple years ago. Keep crushing man!
important note for those who do not know the difference between "hitting the string harder" and archery. When you hit the string, you do not wanna pull that string with plectrum. Look at John, his hands are quick...like Bruce Lee quick, so secret is quickness and not strenght)
Don't stay lock in your mind, DON'T BE AFRAID TO STEP BACK, you will thanks yourself later for this. I was stuck in my technique and my mistakes for a long time and FEEL BAD but finally I've start to change my routine and I have been better step by step by doing this : - Accept the fact I was not as good as I was thinking (it's about ego) - Play less difficult song & SLOWER - Metronome every time I practice withtout GuitarPro or backing track - Record myself (with and without metronome) and LISTEN - Less distortion (Try to understand a little bit EQ) It really makes me step up.
How dear you!!!! Just because I alternate pick it a .05 gage pick out of time aka (Progressive time) with 19 noise gates in front of 4 boss metal zones and 2 death metal DOD into my line 6 spider 3 on the insane Channel. Recording in to my Mac mini garage band through the macs internal microphone does it make you better than me bro. Lol
AMEN! I've been using the "less gain - pick harder" since I got my Fireball 60 a few years back. What also helped was recording our album on a profiled JCM800 on a Kemper. The power had to come from clear technique and heavy hitting, since the thing wasn't exactly what I'd call a Hi-Gain-Profile. Nowadays I have the gain at 9:30 at best, anything above that just ends up mudding the sound. Anyways, great video and lots and lots of truth in all of the points! Keep it up!
Great comments! Hope you do more of these. Guitar players don't focus on rhythm because most can't spell it, that's why the word 'shred' was used to describe the twiddly stuff. :P Combine points 5 and 6. The points about down picking Master of Puppets are great and well understood but try playing Battery properly with your right hand anchored to the bridge. Watch James do a muted version on his Guitar Center intro - muted to him, not to the rest of us. The right hand moves lots. To get that power you need to let the right hand float, hit the strings with a passion and let the power tubes be a natural mini-noise gate, unless you only turn the amp up to 3. It took me a year on and off to get Master down, Battery took forever to get the correct right hand attack and muting because every time I thought I was hitting it hard enough and got it clean, I'd end up hitting the strings harder again and made it sound better. Point 7: metronomes calibrate themselves to Hetfield. The reference for all atomic clocks in the world is in the bridge pickup of the EET FUK ESP. Point 10: A quote I heard from Yngwie years ago that stuck "The simple truth is that in order to become good, you have to be obsessed. You have to put in an awful lot of time and hard work and couple that with desire and unflagging perseverance." I could reference Hetfield again and mention that he used to work in a factory making stickers and every lunchtime he'd be in the car practicing and writing riffs. The lad was keen and it was that perseverance that got him where he's at today. I have one setup that I use for practice that's old school and low tech. A little Mesa 5:25 head that is 'the amp of truth.' You play well and play with passion, it'll sound great. Half ass it and it'll sound like you couldn't be bothered. It makes me work and can be highly infuriating but I like to think it keeps me honest. It's not an amp that flatters, unless you play well. It really does amplify what you play. I'm not suggesting buying an expensive amp to practice on but use a setting on your rig that allows you to hear what you're really playing without a dozen effects, a few gates and whatever other nonsense is going on.
Thanks for making this video man! This is actually very motivating to hear and just what I needed to keep pushing me to get better. I am taking it as a top ten list of things to do to improve. Cheers!
Quality video. I’ve always said that if you’re not learning/discovering something new on the guitar each and every time you pick it up, you’re not paying attention. Keep up the vids man!
I feel proud to say that a lot that he has said I agree with and I also do what he recommends! BUT, I do not play to a metronome, which I probably should go back to doing so.
I agree. I hate when drummer say you need to learn how to sweep, or if you do this more it would be better. Then after the song is complete they see what Iv done and say wow. I don’t do a lot of crazy solos. Mine are more to take people on a trip or it fits the song perfectly to where you wouldn’t need to do anything to impress anyone. Thanks for making this video. Makes me feel like I’m doing something right then to “try and fit in”. Thanks again. One day I’ll start uploading all my videos. Just slacking on it for a LONG time lol.
OMG! So , I listened to all that you said, I was very shocked because I was leaning in the direction you said, but many people are influencing it in this respect, so I never get what I really want. Thank you for sharing your advice with us! I accept it all! I like you John! Thank you!
I've started now admire you much more than usually when listen to your performances on youtube. HEARE those performances are justified: an artistic and technicician view combined behind a rock/metal player. Good to you man, good to everyone! Congratulations!
Excellent and well thought out. I see a great amount of integrity in this video. First one I've watched, I'll be going through your all your vids now. Thanks!
You could also try playing some iced earth or testament riffs, jon schaffer and eric peterson are damn good rhythm guitarists. I had to outright change my technique to be able to play it with clarity.
Great tips. I can totally attest to recording yourself to listen to your playing. When you're playing you don't really accurate listen to the music you are playing. Recording my improvised solos improved my ability to solo substantially. Not with technique or skill, but in composition and tone.
Hey now, I love using multiple noise gates! Although not to fix any actual noise or slop, but to act as an envelope shaper almost, making the dynamics binary! I can play all my songs without any gates, as that's how I learned, so I can ssy it's not a crutch :) Gate 1: first in chain. Gate 2: after first boost where dynamics are slightly squashed. Gate 3: after amp.
I was pleased to realize that I'm already working on straightening all of the above (although i never really thought about Hetfield and riff salads). Nice way to articulate common guitar struggles tho.
Agree, recording yourself is a must. Metronome is key to get your groove. Good video, very good points. John, you’re a nice guy and if you offended anyone out there, they are the ones that need to listen to your message the most. 🤘 thank you so much for your videos!
All of these points needed to be said. Though i would say the bit about noise gates could have been tweaked. Some amps need a gate in front to stop the feedback from the pickups at high volume, some need one in the FX loop to reduce the preamp noise and some need both. The left hand is also i great noise gate in conjunction with a gate in front of the cab with the threshold set low.
Thanks for putting this out dude that made me feel better as a guitarist as I am not a shredder but I do follow all those points you mentioned, especially the part about writing my own music and trying to do that right, even if its slow, simple, yet on time and accurate.
Not sure about the fret wrap part... I see SO many great guitarists using them, my favorite being Mendel bij de Leij. You should do a video about it, I’m very curious as to how you avoid those seriously annoying behind-the-nut noises. There are spots on the fretboard that I just can’t silence after playing on them. Totally agree with everything else, especially number 5 and 6.
i loved this, especially the bit about songwriting over technique. when i was a kid i loved, Vai, and Satriani, and they play great melodies, but they really delve into alot of technique, and i as i got older i started to appreciate players like Slash, who were more Melody-centric as it were.
This is one of the most nail-on-the-head videos I've seen in a long, long time. Agreed with every single point made! I can't wait for more of these videos.
I need to watch this everyday for motivation. Ever since I got bored of learning songs, I have been focusing on making riffs and putting it together for songs. I have been focusing on everything using songs like scarlet and stuff to focus on the muting and picking accuracy. I always recorded myself anyway to criticise myself. I just needed someone to say it to me straight lmao
I can definitely attest to a few of these, I became a much better player when i joined my first proper band and started recording demos and ideas to clicks at home, I practice to drum tracks and with clicks religiously now and it's definitely helped my played.
Also, a P.S. if you will, we should all appreciate Hetfields picking. The man has a picking hand carved from olympus. I've been playing 16 years, can alternate pick and trem my way around a track but I still have trouble downpicking my ass through Master Of Puppets. I'm done.
It would be interesting to watch and learn how you critically analyze a recording of yourself. What you're looking for and how you implement what you've discovered. Do you have a video like that?
Just subscribed this week and the inspirational alone from trying to work all of your excercises up to snuff is worth it alone. If you're ready for the most productive discomfort of your life try some of his exercises at 200bpm
100% agree, especially with the riff salad thing. There are so many great guitar players these days that are writing shit songs because they are afraid of simple song structures.
I was just nodding the whole time lol, I feel called out in a really healthy way, but I'm also very encouraged that I'm following about half of these already :)
I started playing to a metronome about a year ago and write down my little shitty speeds in a book. It’s good to come back to them if I have a week or 2 break and start off at the crap speeds I left off at. And it only took 21 years of playing to realises this is what I should have been doing. DJENT
When I was a teenager in the early 90s I read an interview with James Hatfield about down picking Master Of Puppets. That’s how I learned the song. I didn’t realize that alternate picking existed till about the 3rd year I was playing guitar. Thank you James Hatfield for making my right wrist and hand a freaking beast! I don’t have a noise gate, just a little Mesa DC-5 and an overdrive. I definitely need to practice more with a metronome and get an interface for my lap top an just record my playing to see where I’m making mistakes! Very awesome video and great points to make! Playing with an amp and an overdrive really makes you conscious about how much gain to use and how to use it! Totally agree! If ya dial the gain back a bit it will allow for the eq to breathe and for ya to find “your” tone in there. Something magical about just you, your guitar, an amp, and an overdrive.
Loved the whole video.... I think that putting these 10 things into practice will definitely make anyone a better guitar player! Thank you so much for the content Browne! Loving the new uploads! Much love from Barcelona!
AWESOME VIDEO! You and I share quite a lot of the same philosophy. I am 96% focused on rhythm playing in my day-to-day playing (writing/practicing/recording) and I tend to find the melodies are already there in my head once I write a killer rhythm riff, and a lot of the time, I can execute them simultaneously with hammer-ons and pull-offs. Additionally, the part about guitarists who basically play for "WOW factor" - they rarely impress me anymore and I find it EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to play/jam/record with players like that!!! IT IS SO ANNOYING!!! Thanks again for the great video!
I'm going to be honest I went into this video expecting to get mad, but every single one of these top 10 (especially the JH bit) is 100% accurate. I feel like my growth as a guitarist at one time of another was stunted by any one of these 10 things, and I've only grown so much after realizing that I need to stop doing these 10 things. Well done!
but music is a subjective artform. similar to burping or farting its all subjective. what makes you think you can define standards? you're so full of yourself. shut the fuck up and play
lol
if its subjective then he can state his opinion
@@flufficornss standards aren't an opinion everybody shares a standard each individual has opinions
@@truescotsman4103 wah wah i do one of the things he said and im angry
@@truescotsman4103 all of his "Standards" were him explaining things that will set you back and if you properly explore them you'll get better
Loving the consistent uploads man
Seconded
This is the first "TOP 10 THINGS YOUR DOING WRONG" ive seen which is actually helpfull.
You're using the wrong your lulz
On the money with the JH appreciation mate
your down picking offends me everytime
Is it some sort of sickness?
when I saw it live it was a literal blur..
@@RustyShackleford-bc9ce clean your ears
JB's down picking is against geneva code , it's nuclear .
nice meme
so focking much truth in a single video, amazing
Thanks for checking this out guys! I will do more of these style videos in the future.
thank you! I live by all of these rules and am glad you said it!!
Brilliant idea 👌 more, more, more
Can you make a tutorial on how hungry you gotta be to pull those metal as fuck burps?
I have a million dollar idea that’s going to start a wave of new shitty metal bands
No just kidding, you’re the shit John!
In the late 1980's I had been playing guitar fanatically for just over 2 years, averaging 4 to 8 hours a day. I was already playing the entire Rising Force album beginning to end, as well as tons of Randy Rhoads, Vivian Campbell, Micheal Schenker, Blackmore, Iommi, and was ready to show the world.
I was asked to join a local band for an upcoming gig, but they'd just lost their bassist. I knew these guys, and I was ready to be asked to play lead, because I knew, and they knew, I played circles around them at the music stores.
I walked in, saw and heard two guys downpicking Master, and about 5 other songs. ALL of the songs were at tempo or way above album tempo. Every song was super tight together, every note was crisp, clean, crushing tone, and had the proper dynamics relative to all the others. THEY were setting tempo for the drummer.
Song number seven, an original song, mostly downpicked and FAST, I smiled, thought to myself, "this could be a lot of fun," grabbed the Fender P-bass waiting on the stand, and loved it!
To this day I can still play lead guitar, and guitar solos, better than either of those gtwo guys can, and they would be the first to admit it, but I will always be playing bass when the three of us Jam because there's just something about that feel and that tone, really precisely played, with power and yet feel , and when the song calls for it a fast ike a couple jackhammers pounding on your forehead and chest when down picking metal riffs properly. And we get together to play songs, to play music, not to diddle or stroke ego, and the songs were stronger with those two guys playing The rhythms ... and I became a pretty decent bass player in my own right, so they tell me.
Thanks I've been trying to down pick master of puppets recently. This video helped me alot
That video he did with that 6 string with the 7 and 8 in the background was 🔥
Been recording videos and covers for the past two years and have to say my rhythm playing has become a lot tighter because of it. I find it much easier to double track these days. I've also learnt how sloppy my playing was as well. Record yourselves people! You can nail practising your rhythm playing, to a metronome and then critically analyse it all in one go.
Man I gotta say anxiety hit me hard first as i was expecting 9/10 of it hits me hard. Some did a bit. But hey, I’m on my way.
Guys it’s ok if we suck. It’s just not ok if we don’t really try to change that.
Absolutely love this video. The camera shifts make it look like some super serious program on current affairs and news reports. Like, 60 minutes or something - sorry i'm in Australia, not sure what other countries have haha.
I'm actually a bit of a Hetfield, all I did for the first 10 years of playing was down pick like a mad man, got it super tight, fast, great attack, and can play many riffs that people would alternate pick... That also has it's bad side as I had to spend the next 5 years+ alternate picking, in turn my lead work is shithouse in comparison and occasionally come across a riff that doesn't seem that difficult but genuinely can't be down picked, so it's a bit awkward. Learn every aspect peeps, even the ones that make you feel uncomfortable or you struggle with!
For real, you always gotta diversify your technique or you’ll confine yourself big time
Extremely informative and straight to the point! Didn’t take a 15 minute video and nailed it in just over 6! Thank u for the sound advice i am down with learning from other people’s mistakes 😉
These tips are very good, and I 100% agree with them. Except for the first one about the fret wrap. I think fretwraps are good IN THE STUDIO.
0:42 - Using a fret wrap to cover up bad technique
1:01 - You need to focus more on rhythm playing
1:36 - Wowing with technique and not writing songs
2:06 - Too many noise gates hide fundamental problems
2:31 - Your gain is too high, hit harder to get aggression
2:59 - The lack of James Hetfield appreciation
3:27 - You're not playing to a metronome
3:49 - Record yourself t ocritically analyse your playing
4:38 - Riff salads aren't progressive
5:05 - We believe we are better than we actually are
Love the video!
Number 6 man, thanks for number 6
This is soooooo true, I learned downstrokes just playing master of puppets and creeping death, both songs are metal school
Perfect advice. I play bass and want to play guitar. Songs made me excited!
This man is so pure, gonna follow him and his band!!
Mick Thomson is fairly crafty on the downpicking too, Gematria recording video was pretty sick
#11 phrasing. If you can shred at the speed of light extremely clean I dont care one bit if you cant tie each lick together with coherent phrases that both compliment the rhythm and is complimented by the rhythm.
Glad that only 1 of these kind of applies to me, the only time I use a fret wrap is in the studio recording a super fast/technical part.
I cannot agree more!!! This is why John Browne is my favorite guitarist in the last 10 years. More music, less ego. Thank you John. Say it loud for the people in the back!!! 🤘🤘😁👏👏👏
Agree with all points covered here. My biggest grievance is when people dial in a "bedroom guitar tone" (i.e. Trying to sound like the record) as their live tone and think it sounds huge when really it sounds weak and shit in a live mix
Metal Post Malone tells you how it is
😂😂😂 for real
All really valuable tips even 3 years later.
I'm kind of guilty of overfocusing on rhythm playing... And I will typically only tend to learn more simplistic guitar solos as a lot of the music I play I simply just find it hard to keep up with some of the guitarists. I do wish I can play some of these solos but unfortunately I really feel limited in my capability to get a lot of these solos up to speed, and I know wishing won't help solve that problem.
"Riff Salad" is my new favourite term.
I'd say all of these apply to me but I'm not offended because you offer reasons/advice with the criticisms. Very helpful video.
I went 15 years without a fret wrap I can play and not notice a difference between my recordings with or without, but I like the look of them!
Learning "we are creating at this moment, what our tomorrow will be" was the first song i learned that i focused on all aggressive downpicking without alternate picking. What a bear of a song! Forearms on fire! And its ALL rhythm!
And thats why you are an amazing guitar player. You realize all those things. Thanks for expressing it to the world.
Agree on all counts! We have the same initials and you're probably my favourite rhythm player. I don't have a favourite lead player as I've never been interested in fretsturbation. Been playing 18 years and am nowhere near your level. Kudos on your technique, innovation and success!
You're right, I didn't realise that I don't practice rhythm enough - but I will now. Thanks for pointing that out.
excellent, love the 6 one , this is so true. in my opinion , playing with a dry sound correct your problems and skills is a good way to progress too
I’ve never been a lead player, and don’t really focus on that. I recognize a lot of these things in me, yet there are some that I’ve progressed at enormously. Love your content as always man!
Guilty of nearly all of these on a regular basis but I work on them daily. Easy traps to fall into. The heavy handed downpick is the focus of good riffing and something I work hard at.
So much raw truth behind everything you said. Loving the more consistent updates on the channel. You've definitely been one of the inspirational guitarists for me since I've discovered Monuments a couple years ago. Keep crushing man!
I agree with every 10 points. #6 is essential! See you at Techfest!
important note for those who do not know the difference between "hitting the string harder" and archery. When you hit the string, you do not wanna pull that string with plectrum. Look at John, his hands are quick...like Bruce Lee quick, so secret is quickness and not strenght)
Don't stay lock in your mind, DON'T BE AFRAID TO STEP BACK, you will thanks yourself later for this.
I was stuck in my technique and my mistakes for a long time and FEEL BAD but finally I've start to change my routine and I have been better step by step by doing this :
- Accept the fact I was not as good as I was thinking (it's about ego) - Play less difficult song & SLOWER
- Metronome every time I practice withtout GuitarPro or backing track
- Record myself (with and without metronome) and LISTEN
- Less distortion (Try to understand a little bit EQ)
It really makes me step up.
Great advice, Thank you Mr.Browne.
Best guitar video online right now
How dear you!!!! Just because I alternate pick it a .05 gage pick out of time aka (Progressive time) with 19 noise gates in front of 4 boss metal zones and 2 death metal DOD into my line 6 spider 3 on the insane Channel. Recording in to my Mac mini garage band through the macs internal microphone does it make you better than me bro. Lol
You know what's never talked... how to empty your head while playing. Come at peace with yourself. This also, takes time. Great video and reminders!
AMEN! I've been using the "less gain - pick harder" since I got my Fireball 60 a few years back. What also helped was recording our album on a profiled JCM800 on a Kemper. The power had to come from clear technique and heavy hitting, since the thing wasn't exactly what I'd call a Hi-Gain-Profile. Nowadays I have the gain at 9:30 at best, anything above that just ends up mudding the sound.
Anyways, great video and lots and lots of truth in all of the points! Keep it up!
Didn't think I would, but I wholeheartedly agree with all of these - well done.
Great comments! Hope you do more of these.
Guitar players don't focus on rhythm because most can't spell it, that's why the word 'shred' was used to describe the twiddly stuff. :P
Combine points 5 and 6. The points about down picking Master of Puppets are great and well understood but try playing Battery properly with your right hand anchored to the bridge. Watch James do a muted version on his Guitar Center intro - muted to him, not to the rest of us. The right hand moves lots. To get that power you need to let the right hand float, hit the strings with a passion and let the power tubes be a natural mini-noise gate, unless you only turn the amp up to 3. It took me a year on and off to get Master down, Battery took forever to get the correct right hand attack and muting because every time I thought I was hitting it hard enough and got it clean, I'd end up hitting the strings harder again and made it sound better.
Point 7: metronomes calibrate themselves to Hetfield. The reference for all atomic clocks in the world is in the bridge pickup of the EET FUK ESP.
Point 10: A quote I heard from Yngwie years ago that stuck "The simple truth is that in order to become good, you have to be obsessed. You have to put in an awful lot of time and hard work and couple that with desire and unflagging perseverance." I could reference Hetfield again and mention that he used to work in a factory making stickers and every lunchtime he'd be in the car practicing and writing riffs. The lad was keen and it was that perseverance that got him where he's at today.
I have one setup that I use for practice that's old school and low tech. A little Mesa 5:25 head that is 'the amp of truth.' You play well and play with passion, it'll sound great. Half ass it and it'll sound like you couldn't be bothered. It makes me work and can be highly infuriating but I like to think it keeps me honest. It's not an amp that flatters, unless you play well. It really does amplify what you play. I'm not suggesting buying an expensive amp to practice on but use a setting on your rig that allows you to hear what you're really playing without a dozen effects, a few gates and whatever other nonsense is going on.
Thanks for making this video man! This is actually very motivating to hear and just what I needed to keep pushing me to get better. I am taking it as a top ten list of things to do to improve. Cheers!
Please make more videos like this.
These tips are very useful.
#7: You're not practicing to a metronome everyday
Me: Is this like a personal attack or something
Every guitar player should be required watch this video. John you are a wise man and an amazing player. Respect 🙏
Quality video. I’ve always said that if you’re not learning/discovering something new on the guitar each and every time you pick it up, you’re not paying attention. Keep up the vids man!
I feel proud to say that a lot that he has said I agree with and I also do what he recommends! BUT, I do not play to a metronome, which I probably should go back to doing so.
Thank you for your honesty. You are right!
Me nodding until he mentions noise gates.. fuck man. Real. Lmao.
I agree. I hate when drummer say you need to learn how to sweep, or if you do this more it would be better. Then after the song is complete they see what Iv done and say wow. I don’t do a lot of crazy solos. Mine are more to take people on a trip or it fits the song perfectly to where you wouldn’t need to do anything to impress anyone. Thanks for making this video. Makes me feel like I’m doing something right then to “try and fit in”. Thanks again. One day I’ll start uploading all my videos. Just slacking on it for a LONG time lol.
I agree on everything you just said. You rock man.
OMG! So , I listened to all that you said, I was very shocked because I was leaning in the direction you said, but many people are influencing it in this respect, so I never get what I really want. Thank you for sharing your advice with us! I accept it all! I like you John! Thank you!
Great video. Straight forward and all valid points. I need to play the guitar now. Thanks 👍
I've started now admire you much more than usually when listen to your performances on youtube. HEARE those performances are justified: an artistic and technicician view combined behind a rock/metal player. Good to you man, good to everyone! Congratulations!
Dude, you just delivered a bucket of honesty! Love it
this is really great advice for all styles of music.
Excellent and well thought out. I see a great amount of integrity in this video. First one I've watched, I'll be going through your all your vids now. Thanks!
You could also try playing some iced earth or testament riffs, jon schaffer and eric peterson are damn good rhythm guitarists. I had to outright change my technique to be able to play it with clarity.
Preach man. Schaffer is an amazing rhythm player.
Great tips. I can totally attest to recording yourself to listen to your playing. When you're playing you don't really accurate listen to the music you are playing. Recording my improvised solos improved my ability to solo substantially. Not with technique or skill, but in composition and tone.
Hey now, I love using multiple noise gates! Although not to fix any actual noise or slop, but to act as an envelope shaper almost, making the dynamics binary! I can play all my songs without any gates, as that's how I learned, so I can ssy it's not a crutch :)
Gate 1: first in chain. Gate 2: after first boost where dynamics are slightly squashed. Gate 3: after amp.
Hi, John! Thanks for the content. I'd love to see a video about your down picking technique. My biggest struggle :)
Love what you’re doing JB! Been following your old channel since the Danza covers. Greeting from Texas
Preach!
I was pleased to realize that I'm already working on straightening all of the above (although i never really thought about Hetfield and riff salads). Nice way to articulate common guitar struggles tho.
Agree, recording yourself is a must. Metronome is key to get your groove. Good video, very good points. John, you’re a nice guy and if you offended anyone out there, they are the ones that need to listen to your message the most. 🤘 thank you so much for your videos!
All of these points needed to be said. Though i would say the bit about noise gates could have been tweaked. Some amps need a gate in front to stop the feedback from the pickups at high volume, some need one in the FX loop to reduce the preamp noise and some need both. The left hand is also i great noise gate in conjunction with a gate in front of the cab with the threshold set low.
Truth man, right on!!!
Thanks for putting this out dude that made me feel better as a guitarist as I am not a shredder but I do follow all those points you mentioned, especially the part about writing my own music and trying to do that right, even if its slow, simple, yet on time and accurate.
So much truth in 6:13, well said sir!
Not sure about the fret wrap part... I see SO many great guitarists using them, my favorite being Mendel bij de Leij. You should do a video about it, I’m very curious as to how you avoid those seriously annoying behind-the-nut noises. There are spots on the fretboard that I just can’t silence after playing on them.
Totally agree with everything else, especially number 5 and 6.
Great pieces of advice 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
2:31 TRUTH HAS BEEN SPOKEN
i loved this, especially the bit about songwriting over technique. when i was a kid i loved, Vai, and Satriani, and they play great melodies, but they really delve into alot of technique, and i as i got older i started to appreciate players like Slash, who were more Melody-centric as it were.
Hahah I’m deff all about having several noise gates 🙌🏻. Love the vid bro 👊
This was a fantastic video. Straight to the point and inspirational. Thank you for all of these tips!
This is one of the most nail-on-the-head videos I've seen in a long, long time. Agreed with every single point made! I can't wait for more of these videos.
I need to watch this everyday for motivation. Ever since I got bored of learning songs, I have been focusing on making riffs and putting it together for songs. I have been focusing on everything using songs like scarlet and stuff to focus on the muting and picking accuracy. I always recorded myself anyway to criticise myself. I just needed someone to say it to me straight lmao
Words of wisdom. Thank you sir.
I can definitely attest to a few of these, I became a much better player when i joined my first proper band and started recording demos and ideas to clicks at home, I practice to drum tracks and with clicks religiously now and it's definitely helped my played.
Also, a P.S. if you will, we should all appreciate Hetfields picking. The man has a picking hand carved from olympus. I've been playing 16 years, can alternate pick and trem my way around a track but I still have trouble downpicking my ass through Master Of Puppets.
I'm done.
It would be interesting to watch and learn how you critically analyze a recording of yourself. What you're looking for and how you implement what you've discovered. Do you have a video like that?
Just subscribed this week and the inspirational alone from trying to work all of your excercises up to snuff is worth it alone. If you're ready for the most productive discomfort of your life try some of his exercises at 200bpm
100% agree, especially with the riff salad thing. There are so many great guitar players these days that are writing shit songs because they are afraid of simple song structures.
These are really valuable and honest points.
I was just nodding the whole time lol, I feel called out in a really healthy way, but I'm also very encouraged that I'm following about half of these already :)
I started playing to a metronome about a year ago and write down my little shitty speeds in a book. It’s good to come back to them if I have a week or 2 break and start off at the crap speeds I left off at. And it only took 21 years of playing to realises this is what I should have been doing. DJENT
The accent is cool 😎 It makes you listen lol
When I was a teenager in the early 90s I read an interview with James Hatfield about down picking Master Of Puppets. That’s how I learned the song. I didn’t realize that alternate picking existed till about the 3rd year I was playing guitar. Thank you James Hatfield for making my right wrist and hand a freaking beast! I don’t have a noise gate, just a little Mesa DC-5 and an overdrive. I definitely need to practice more with a metronome and get an interface for my lap top an just record my playing to see where I’m making mistakes! Very awesome video and great points to make! Playing with an amp and an overdrive really makes you conscious about how much gain to use and how to use it! Totally agree! If ya dial the gain back a bit it will allow for the eq to breathe and for ya to find “your” tone in there. Something magical about just you, your guitar, an amp, and an overdrive.
#5 ....can't stress this enough!!!
Loved the whole video.... I think that putting these 10 things into practice will definitely make anyone a better guitar player! Thank you so much for the content Browne! Loving the new uploads!
Much love from Barcelona!
As a person who you inspired to start playing seriously again, I'll be taking these suggestions very seriously....thank you soooo much
Thanks joe! You guys inspire me to keep going!
Wise words, and for me personally you made a few points that I need to address so thank you 👍🏻
AWESOME VIDEO!
You and I share quite a lot of the same philosophy.
I am 96% focused on rhythm playing in my day-to-day playing (writing/practicing/recording) and I tend to find the melodies are already there in my head once I write a killer rhythm riff, and a lot of the time, I can execute them simultaneously with hammer-ons and pull-offs.
Additionally, the part about guitarists who basically play for "WOW factor" - they rarely impress me anymore and I find it EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to play/jam/record with players like that!!! IT IS SO ANNOYING!!!
Thanks again for the great video!
I'm going to be honest I went into this video expecting to get mad, but every single one of these top 10 (especially the JH bit) is 100% accurate. I feel like my growth as a guitarist at one time of another was stunted by any one of these 10 things, and I've only grown so much after realizing that I need to stop doing these 10 things. Well done!
I think most guitarists use the fret wrap on the fretboard to play legato licks without the open string note when you pull-off.
Well said I am moved and motivated brotha