# Songs that helped you improve as a guitar player...



## UCBmetal (Feb 8, 2013)

I have found, over the years, that the best way for me to improve technically is to take a piece of music that emphasizes a technique I want to hone and learn it. This has been way more effective for me than doing exercises, and is also 200x more fun. I thought I'd share the jams that helped me improve elements of my playing in particular, and I'd love to get some ideas from you on how to further get better, especially in areas I don't mention!

Anyways, here goes (in no particular order):

Alternate Picking: Paul Gilbert - Scarified, Technical Difficulties, Human Abstract - Crossing the Rubicon, Paganinni - 5th Caprice
Trem picking: A bunch of Amon Amarth stuff. 
Legato - Joe Satriani - Flying in a Blue Dream
Sweeping - Nevermore - Psalms of Lydia Solo, Jason Becker - Serrana (duh)
Rhythm Right Hand Work: Anything off Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake, push the bpm downpicking Master of Puppets (yawn, I know), and Bleed by Meshuggah if you want to really burn.
Tapping - A bunch of Van Halen and Randy Rhoads stuff when I was younger, but pleeeeease give me some suggestions. I suck at tapping, and want to get better. 

Also, there are a couple players I reeeeally like, and these songs helped me improve my phrasing and better understand how they sound so awesome:

Marty Friedman: Tornado of Souls
Jeff Loomis: Nevermore - The River Dragon, Enemies of Reality (Also a great solo to get comfortable playing pentuplets!)
Ryan Knight: BDM - Moonlight Equilibrium
Per Nillson - Scar Symmetry - The Illusionist

Hope this helps anybody out there, and I'd love to hear what songs made you the guitar player you are today!


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## bondmorkret (Feb 9, 2013)

Cool thread. I guess recently I'm listening to mainly jazz and fusion players, so I transcribe a lot of thus stuff to help expand my knowledge. Transcribing the Countdown solo by Allan Holdsworth helped my playing a lot. Also transcribing Autumn in New York played by Jonathan Kreisberg helped my augmented scale knowledge tonnes!


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## m3l-mrq3z (Feb 9, 2013)

Paganini's caprices have helped me improve my alternative picking. A lot. They have also influenced the way I play.

Joe Satriani has also influenced me as far as legato lines go. I just rip him off all the time.

Playing Fear Factory tunes has also been crucial in developing my riffing skills, which are still weak (I am mainly a lead player)


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## Pablo Zuta (Feb 9, 2013)

One of the songs that i think help me is "eudaimonia overture" of Paul Gilbert , is a complex song and i like it because have so many different techniques like :Tapping , Arpeggios , Alternate picking , String skiping , Bends , power Chords , etc , etc .


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## Tyler (Feb 9, 2013)

I just push myself with songs I know are harder than my ability. After I get the basic idea of it down and keep progressing I always feel its helped me out a ton.


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## axxessdenied (Feb 9, 2013)

I used to do that. But, now that I am trying to record my own music I see how crucial practicing to a metronome is above all else. Even when you're playing along to a song and you think you are playing in time, it's probably nowhere near perfect. 

I've been working now on getting rid of bad habits and getting my fingers to move more fluidly. Slow, deliberate, with intent.


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## JosephAOI (Feb 9, 2013)

Unbreakable by Veil Of Maya helped me build up quite a bit of speed. Playing my own songs have made me improve more than anything though.


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## ittoa666 (Feb 9, 2013)

Anything by Paul Gilbert.


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## MrPepperoniNipples (Feb 9, 2013)

ittoa666 said:


> Anything by Paul Gilbert.



+1

Greg Howe stuff helped me a lot, too
In being 'interesting' without necessarily playing fast, which I could never really do prior.

Necrophagist solos made me realize how important it is that in the fast licks the notes have to be on point rhythmically in order to really sound good. I think 'Epitaph' was the first one I learned.


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## veshly (Feb 9, 2013)

This song was a very significant milestone in playing for me: 




Tab here:

http://riversofgore.com/Tabs/bryss/InMyOwnGreed.gp5


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## Maniacal (Feb 9, 2013)

flight of the bumblebee for picking


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## zakatak9389 (Feb 14, 2013)

Yngwie when I was first starting out helped me develop my alternate picking quite well. Also Dream theater too, that stuff is a real bitch to play


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## TedEH (Feb 14, 2013)

Maybe I'm a little different, but I always find I learn more when I join a band than any other time. I can play new songs as much as I want but I find that I hit a ceiling. Jamming with someone new usually breaks through that ceiling for me. I learn some of the little tricks and things that the other player uses. And when you are being taught a new song by the guy that wrote it, you learn exactly what they did, not what you assume they did.


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## groverj3 (Feb 14, 2013)

If you want to work on tapping, Michael Romeo of Symphony X is pretty damn good at it. Work on a solo or two of his. I can't play any of them


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## Solodini (Feb 15, 2013)

And for that general sort of tapping mechanic, just take a melody you know which is pow down the top 3 strings and replace occasional notes with the same note tapped higher up the neck, on a lower string. You can mix up how many notes your right hand plays and how often. You can change up the phrasing and timbre quite a bit by sliding a tapping finger between notes you'd otherwise hammer/pull or slide on a higher string with different tonal characteristics. 

Also, tapping on separate strings helps to build up the Holdsworthian strength in tapping notes from silent, rather than relying on slurs from already vibrating notes.


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## Sam MJ (Feb 15, 2013)

For hybrid picking, the intro to Animals as Leaders-On Impulse has been invaluable. I haven't got it up to speed yet but even so it's been super helpful. I'm already getting far more comftable with it .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4G0SIXxx2U


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## Grimbold (Feb 16, 2013)

donna lee
so hard
yet you learn so much jazz from it!


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## Blacklady (Feb 18, 2013)

Awesome thread. Im beginner to guitar playing. Glad I found this post. This totally amazing, its actually working. Thank you so much!


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## leoseanster12 (Feb 19, 2013)

Picking (16th Sextuplets) - Technical Difficulties http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMAIhjhA3Tw


Picking (16th quarter notes) - Flight of the Bumblebee http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H9MMEzx8JQ


Sweeping - Altitudes http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wMnuxF80Dw


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## Jonathan20022 (Feb 19, 2013)

Lost Not Forgotten - Dream Theater (Hybrid Picking during the Unison)
C'est La Vie - Protest the Hero (Alternate Picking all over the place)
Tears Dry On Their Own - Amy Winehouse (Fast Chord changes/shapes)
- He Can Only Hold Her - Amy Winehouse ^^
I Will Return - The Black Dahlia Murder (Alternate Picking, and most of the riffs made me realize my fingers didn't really act independently, so it helps that also)
If I Could Fly - Joe Satriani (Legato)
Freak Show Excess - Steve Vai (Legato and Solo Techniques)


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## Orsinium (Feb 20, 2013)

I'm going to start my list way back
Led Zeppelin- Black Dog, The Ocean, Ten years gone
Iron Maiden- Aces High, Fear of the Dark, Powerslave
Dio- Lock up the Wolves, Straight through the Heart
Allshallperish- Eradication, Black Gold Reign, Awaken the Dreamers 
Dream Theater- Lines in the Sand, Under a Glass Moon and many more
Steve Vai- Building the Church and everything else
John Petrucci (solo album)- Damage Control and everything else
Cynic- Everything! all the sus chords!
BTBAM- Everything! just how the songs are constructed inspires me.
Animals As Leaders- All of 'em

I would say Zeppelin and Iron Maiden really just helped me learn how to play guitar, Dio helped push me into the heavier metal stuff, Allshallperish greatly helped with my riffing and arpeggios, Cynic and BTBAM really inspire me to create songs with cleaner passages, and well dream theater, steve vai, and animals as leaders just greatly influences how I construct my rhythm and leads present day. Although I can only play about half of all their solos those people are who I turn to to learn new things to practice.

EDIT: I completely forgot about the Faceless pretty much everything off Akeldama and Planetary Duality helped me be a better player.


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## ghostred7 (Feb 20, 2013)

The ones that made me seriously advance in various areas are:

Black Star - Yngwie Malmsteen
Flight Over Rio - Al DiMeola
Over the Rainbow - Impelliteri
Mass Hypnosis - Sepultura
too many to list - Iron Maiden
Children of the Grave/Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath (my 1st alternate tunings)


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## Oli (Feb 20, 2013)

Check out The Safety Fire, they got mad chops. Really helped me as a player.


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## JazzandMetal (Feb 21, 2013)

For rhythm, Ashes of the Wake, and As the Palaces Burn by LOG, Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning, Iron Maiden, Randy Rhoads, Dimebag Darrel.

Lead, Zakk Wylde, Randy Rhoads, Dave Donegan (Disturbed), Dimebag Darrel.

I have really been getting into Lamb of God recently, their rhythm stuff is really good and challenging but not impossible. It also has some of that Pantera Groove to it.


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## ArtDecade (Feb 21, 2013)

John Butler's Ocean made me rethink what I wanted to communicate as a musician...


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## ChronicConsumer (Feb 22, 2013)

ArtDecade said:


> John Butler's Ocean made me rethink what I wanted to communicate as a musician...




I learned to play the first minute or so of this a few days ago, I absolutely love it. Also, 'Drifting' by Andy McKee.


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## MarmaladeMad (Apr 21, 2013)

Sequoia Throne by Protest the Hero! Actually just about anything by Protest the Hero will get the chops going.
Here is a video lesson for Sequoia Throne by the guys themselves. Protest The Hero - Sequoia Throne [1] - YouTube


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## lawizeg (Apr 21, 2013)

Jack Johnson songs, . John Mayer's WTLI live album too, I learned a few songs off of that and it helped a lot. Recently, transcribing Cloudkicker stuff and learning BTBAM/Elitist stuff.


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## Poho (Apr 21, 2013)

About a year ago I learned Huge Hammers, and I really had to step it up to nail that one. I think that was the last time I saw a large improvement in my playing.


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## Hyacinth (Apr 21, 2013)

MarmaladeMad said:


> Sequoia Throne by Protest the Hero! Actually just about anything by Protest the Hero will get the chops going.
> Here is a video lesson for Sequoia Throne by the guys themselves. Protest The Hero - Sequoia Throne [1] - YouTube



I'm gonna second this. I'm learning Limb From Limb right now and it's pretty god damn tough to nail all the sweeps cleanly. But when I do nail them, it feels fucking good.

EDIT: I have to learn Sequoia Throne after watching that video. That song looks REALLY fun.


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## DanakinSkywalker (Apr 21, 2013)

Learning Tornado of Souls made me want to kill myself, but it did make me a better guitar player. If I'm being completely honest, a lot of old (Count Your Blessings) Bring Me The Horizon made me a super competent player. They were 17/18 years old when they wrote a lot of the tracks, and some of them require a lot of dexterity and speed.


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## Orgalmer (Apr 23, 2013)

I skimmed over the comments in this one so sorry if anyone posted this same suggestion earlier.

I spent the first few years just playing whatever I listened to at the time, so I learned a lot of Korn, Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails. I could've done without the Slipknot and Korn but I found that Trent Reznor wrote his songs in a way where you could learn two or three parts of a song and be able to play through the entire thing within half an hour.

If we're talking about an established player trying this then I'd set goals and challenges ie soloing over the song or learning the vocal melodies on guitar or bass. For new players I'd strip it down to the basics and ramp it up from there.

Did anyone else try this?


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## katypaty (Apr 24, 2013)

This is a very effective post. First I start to learn playing guitar by playing classical old hits. Your post took me 7 years back.


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## rikomaru (Apr 27, 2013)

i suppose my first would be Greensleeves in Em. Couldn't get that B7 chord to work for a while and that really helped me develope my fingering speed and technique. Yayyy folk songs XD

Perhaps the most important one would be Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. This one helped EVERYTHING. Until then i'd never tried to learn an "impossible" song note for note on all parts. This was also the song that solidified my ability to sing while playing anything more than basic chords, along with Stairway. Yes, it took me almost a full year of playing guitar to try it. Don't point and laugh >.>


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## amberawakening (May 7, 2013)

anything by the faceless will improve your playing vastly


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## fwd0120 (May 7, 2013)

I learn a lot from each song I learn, but songs that have really grown me are For the Love of God and Juice by Vai. All the things you are. Fernando sor estudio III (I guess any etude would help, get to learning them, people!!). Fives by Govan. 
Learn a _lot_ of older stuff, like from the Beatles, it will help your creativity. Example, the Beatles learned virtually every Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly and Elvis tune, etc. When they ran out, they learned show tunes. 
If you learn beyond what you want to play, you will greatly enhance your musical identity.


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## Rosal76 (May 8, 2013)

When I received my "Epitaph" (Necrophagist) guitar tablature book, it vastly improved my technical guitar rhythm skills. If not for that book, I would definately have more trouble playing the stuff from Obscura and most other stuff that is technical.


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## ghost_of_karelia (May 9, 2013)

*The Jester Race* _(In Flames) _turned the smouldering embers of my love for melodic death metal into a towering inferno. I learned tons about harmonizing, linking the rhythm guitar to the bass, alternate picking and trills from this album.

*Crack the Skye* _(Mastodon)_ blew all of my expectations out of the water. Brent Hinds is my idol, and if I could play all of Mastodon's songs I would be the happiest man on earth. Their view on their music, their vision and their incredible ability to create and sustain an atmosphere throughout the album gave my writing (and playing) a whole new field of view.


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