# SYL guest lesson in Total Guitar



## DDDorian (Jul 31, 2006)

I found this in a magazine a friend lent me and thought it would be of particular interest to this forum, so I transcribed it and here it is! I don't have Powertab so I can't upload a file as aparently the Guitar Pro filetypes aren't permitted as uploads, but I'll try to fnd a way around this. Enjoy!

*NOTE: All guitars are tuned G C G C G C E*


EXAMPLE 1: SWEEP SHAPES - Devin explains: "I use the standard shapes for sweeping, but with this tuning it sounds different. Our philosophy is, 'If a note sounds wrong, we'll play it louder'.That way, it's a loud wrong thing."








EXAMPLE 2: TRIADS - Here we have some more familiar sounding arpeggios: a major and a minor triad. The beauty of this tuning is that you can play a three-octave arpeggio by repeating a two-string shape three times without having to move out of position.







EXAMPLE 3: CRAZY SWEEPS - The arpeggio shapes from example 1 are utilised here, with some added legato and the occasional right-hand tap. The bulk of the technique used is sweep picking. Try pushing the pick through at a steady speed in one continuous motion. As always, start really slow and then gradually build up speed.







EXAMPLE 4: 'SKEKSIS' RIFF - This insane riff from 'Skeksis' (around 1:50) is based around the major triad shape in Example 2, with some added notes. The tricky thing here is the timing. Although it's triplets throughout, the note groupings forever stray across bars. Try accenting the notes on the beat to keep track of where you are.







EXAMPLE 5: 'TRUTH' RIFF - This riff is taken from Devin's 1998 solo album "Infinity". Keep the notes under control with a slight right-hand palm mute. The main riff displays the key elements to SYL's sound: the ocatve. "With my music, the guitars play octaves, so it's big and solid sounding. The other chord tones like fifths or thirds, or whatever, are filled in by the keyboard."







EXAMPLE 6: 'IMPERIAL' PART ONE - 'Imperial' starts with SYL's favoured octave sound. In this tuning, you can find the octave by starting on the same fret and skipping over a string. The preferred fingering is first finger for the lower note and the second finger from the octave.







EXAMPLE 7: 'IMPERIAL' PART TWO - Now for some powerchords! Again, due to the strings being tuned in fifths, a root-fifth powerchord can be fretted with only one finger. As Jed says, the main factor in creating a crushing tone is to have a strong right hand. A solid sense of knowing the picking directions is the way to master this technique, so work through the picking slowly before you attempt to speed it up.







EXAMPLE 8: 'IMPERIAL' PART THREE - Now for the final part of the SYL palette. Tremolo picking is achieved by picking each note as fast as possible. It's imperative to stay relaxed, otherwise you will run out of steam, or worse, injure yourself.


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## distressed_romeo (Aug 1, 2006)

Wow. Thanks. I missed that lesson, as I don't usually buy Total Guitar.


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## DDDorian (Aug 1, 2006)

distressed_romeo said:


> Wow. Thanks. I missed that lesson, as I don't usually buy Total Guitar.



Neither, as for the most part it's garbage. When I saw the tuning I remembered someone on here (The Dark Wolf, maybe?) played in a similar tuning so I thought it would be of interest. Can't say these licks have really converted me, but I didn't pay for the mag so what do I care, hehe.


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## distressed_romeo (Aug 1, 2006)

Yeah, the tuning is an interesting one...
I've tried a similar one on a six string...Open C (CGCGCE) down a whole step, so it's actually Open B flat. Quite cool, although I haven't tried it for heavy stuff yet.
The thing I find interesting about a lot of Devin's music is that the whole is usually greater than the sum of it's parts; you play those riffs on their own, and they sound like nothing, but when you put them in context, they're perfect.

It's a shame Total Guitar sucks so much. About 6 years ago it used to have some really good lessons and interviews in it, and was the only one I brought for a while. Then it started attempting to cater for the lowest-common-denominator teenage market. Thank god for Guitar Techniques, lol.


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## BrianCarroll (Aug 1, 2006)

Thanks a lot DDDorian !


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## MetalMike (Aug 10, 2006)

Thanks man. Cool stuff. 

Now if only someone would upload the Cooley lesson from Guitar Techniques...


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## 2powern (Aug 10, 2006)

metalmike23 said:


> Thanks man. Cool stuff.
> 
> Now if only someone would upload the Cooley lesson from Guitar Techniques...




+1

I went out to buy it as soon as I saw he was in it, and they had just released the new issue.


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## BrianCarroll (Aug 13, 2006)

2powern said:


> +1
> 
> I went out to buy it as soon as I saw he was in it, and they had just released the new issue.



+2

Impossible to find this damn magazine here in France...


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## distressed_romeo (Aug 13, 2006)

I can't really post it on here, as it's copyrighted material, but anyone who wants that Rusty Cooley lesson, PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you.


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## DDDorian (Aug 13, 2006)

If I stumble across a copy I'll post it up in much the same way that I have the SYL one, and any other seven-related lessons that I find, becaus I'm such a great guy.

I'm also gonna archive as many interesting lessons in Guitar Pro and post them up somewhere when I have the time. If anyone has any requests, hit me!


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## Drew (Aug 14, 2006)

I know what I'll be doing tonight.


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