FROM THE GW ARCHIVE: He’s the premier neoclassical shredder, known for his love of scalloped-fretboard Strats and walls of Marshall stacks. But what Guitar World readers really want to know is…

What made you want to cover Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” on High Impact? Were you a fan of his, or were you paying tribute because he died? — Teddy Operand (NOTE: You can hear Malmsteen's version of "Beat It" here.)

It was a tribute to him, but I’ve always liked the song. It’s my heavy metal version of the song, with detuned guitars and Ripper Owens on vocals. Unlike the original, I begin with a guitar solo, and there’s another solo in the middle of the track. It’s not too much like the original. I played it my own way, like I did on my Inspiration album, where I covered songs from other artists.

I am from Mumbai City, India. You have a huge fan base here, and I would like to know if you ever plan to tour India. We have huge respect for Indian-classical maestros, and would love to see a legend like you collaborate with some of them. — Khushal Bhadra

I’d love to perform in India, but I don’t book the gigs. It’s one of the few places I haven’t played. One of the Indian instruments that I love is the sitar. I played it on some of my songs, including “Pyramid of Cheops” and “Crucify.” The sitar is a bizarre instrument, because it has a very big neck and no wood in between the frets—the ultimate scalloped instrument. I love all kinds of Indian music, and Indian food as well. If the chance arises for me to play in India, I’m there.

How, and at what age, did you come across sweep picking? — Andy Clark

I don’t really do sweep picking. That’s a big misconception people have about my playing. Sweep picking is when the right hand sweeps down and up the strings in succession. But when you do sweep picking, one note rings into the next, and it sounds almost like you’re playing a chord, and that’s exactly what you don’t want. Playing five- and six-string arpeggios the way I do, like on “Caprici De Diablo,” for instance, you want separated notes that don’t go into one other. People that try to play my stuff often do sweep picking, but the results are usually pretty dismal.

Can you tell me your strategies to build speed and improve fret-hand abilities? — Juan Francisco Purdon

I don’t have any “strategies.” What I’ve done from the very beginning is play everything with extreme accuracy. I never said to myself, “Okay, if I put my fingers this way, it’s gonna result in this.” I’ve never taken a lesson. My way of playing the guitar was a fresh approach to the instrument.

There’s no specific technique to what I do, except for the fact that you have to coordinate your picking and your fingering so they are perfectly in sync, but that’s obvious. You can’t “build” speed; you play it until you have it perfect. There are no shortcuts and no tricks. The saying “practice makes perfect” is truthful. Sometimes people try to play too fast and it sounds sloppy. I can’t stand that.

Not to take anything away from your creativity and technical skill, but why are there so many similarities between you and Ritchie Blackmore: scalloped fretboard, Fender Strat, Marshall amps, black clothing? — Doug Newman

When I was eight, my sister gave me my first record — Deep Purple’s Fireball. Blackmore’s playing on that album affected me greatly and had a major impact on my life. Obviously, I wanted a Strat, and when I first started playing one I realized it was the perfect instrument—the Stradivarius of electric guitars. The Marshall amp is the best-sounding, best-looking amp, and there will never be anything better. I like black clothes because they look good, and I like scalloped fretboards because they allow you to have better control of the vibrato.

But musically, I really don’t have all that much in common with Blackmore; much of his guitar playing is blues based, whereas mine is more classical. Anyone who’d claim that my guitar playing and style of music is similar to Blackmore’s is tone deaf.

In the first of the Pantera home videos, Dimebag Darrell offered you a doughnut, which you didn’t accept. What food would you have accepted from Dime? And what’s your problem with doughnuts? — Joachim Arnt

I’ve never seen that clip, but I’ve been asked that question before. First of all, I don’t remember that incident. Second, I don’t make a habit of accepting food from people. I’m fortunate enough not to have to do that because I can buy my own food.

How do you manage to keep your Strat in tune when you’re constantly doing huge dive bombs and pull-ups? — Michael McLaughlin

I couldn’t tell you exactly how I keep my guitar in tune, but I think it’s how I tune it. The strings are wound on the pegs exactly right. If you have too few windings, the string might slip; if you wind it too much, the string might not pull back properly after you use the whammy. Basically, you have to find just the right amount of winding. I beat the shit out of my guitars onstage, but they stay perfectly in tune.

How do you respond to the people that accuse you of being arrogant? — Chris

I tell them to fuck off! I saw an old interview with Queen on TV recently, and Freddie Mercury and Brian May were talking about how they were when they started: arrogant, cocky and convinced they’d conquer the world. You have to be like that if you’re really gonna make it.

If you’re timid, laid-back and quiet, you have less chance of being noticed. So maybe there was an arrogant side to me when I started out. You have to be cutthroat and go for it all the way. Obviously, I don’t have a need for that anymore. I just do what I do.

Besides guitar playing, what other things do you like to do? — Jeff Hernandez

I love driving my Ferraris, playing tennis, hanging out with my family, going to the movies, reading books and messing with my watches. I’m also a tennis freak and play as much as I can. Tennis is like chess and boxing combined into one. It’s not a team sport—it’s all about you. It’s very intelligent, psychological and physical.

You have to be smart to play it, because you need to quickly anticipate your opponent’s move. It’s quite a mental challenge and also very humbling. My tennis coach is the only guy who has ever taught me anything in my life. Whatever he says goes.

I have seen you play numerous times, and I always wonder if you use all those stacks at once or switch between them for different tones? — Ronny Oliver

On my last tour I used something like 32 heads and 30 cabinets at certain shows. I like the feeling of having a wall of amps behind me. I often mix the 50-, 100- and sometimes 200-watt heads together. For the big venues, I like to combine the warm tones of the 50s, the hard sound of the 100s and the extreme loudness of the 200s for a really immense sound. But it wouldn’t be wise to connect all the onstage heads and cabinets together, because it would probably blow the roof off.

Why don’t you try to reinvent your style? Ninety-nine percent of people I know who like your music say, “Yngwie makes the same record over and over again.” Is it time to take the neoclassical style to the next level? — Raul Gomez

Raul, have you ever heard of Eric Clapton? He’s been playing the same five notes for 50 years! B.B. King has been playing the same three notes for 60 years! The Rolling Stones have been playing the same chords for 50 years! The kind of music that I make is quite diverse in the sense that it doesn’t just have one aspect—it goes from neoclassical to bluesy to metal. People who think that I make the same record over and over again are narrow-minded.

Any artist who has their own sound, from Sting to Iron Maiden to ZZ Top—for them to change would be mad. Having your own definable sound is something that should be treasured. Nobody tells Angus Young to change. Anyone who has a narrow-minded view of me, well, what do they have to offer? I’m proud to have started a style of music that has been copied. How could someone ask me to reinvent my style?

What kind of talk is that? I’m an artist. I’m not a waiter who takes orders from people. As for taking my neoclassical style to the next level, I composed a symphony [Concerto Suite for the Electric Guitar and Orchestra, 1998]. How’s that for the next level!

Photo: Larry Marano

Has any piece of musical equipment proliferated more, or more rapidly, than the humble electric guitar effect unit?

Though there is no official tally, suffice it to say that thousands of stomp boxes, effect devices and processors have been created for the electric guitar over the past 60 years (and that’s not including rackmount effects). Conceivably, more than half of those devices are distortion, fuzz and overdrive effects.

So how did we come up with a list of the top 50 electric guitar effects of all time? Actually, it was easy, as most of these stomp boxes and devices turn up in the pages of this magazine on a regular basis every time we ask artists what they use in the studio and onstage.

Other effects got the nod for being the first of their kind (like the DeArmond Tremolo Control, which dates back to the Forties and was the first optional effect device) while a few passed muster for being undeniably cool or influential — even if they’re so rare that it will cost you a few thousand bucks to score one on eBay.

Popularity also was a critical factor in our choices, although we generally passed over a few best-selling reissues or boutique clones in favor of the real deal. So even though the Bubba Bob Buttcrack Tube Overdrive may sound more soulful than an original Tube Screamer, if it’s little more than a copy with slightly upgraded components, it didn’t make the cut.

If you love effects like we do, we hope you'll find this top-50 list a useful guide to discovering the classic effect boxes that have shaped the guitar sounds of rock, metal, blues, punk and many other styles. And if you're like us, it will undoubtedly compel you to plunk down a chunk of cash for a collectible pedal or two on eBay. Don't say you weren't warned.

Now through September 2, 2013, you can get 25 percent off EVERYTHING at the Guitar World Online Store.

Just be sure to use this special code at checkout:

LABORDAY25

Choose from products from Guitar World, Guitar Aficionado, Bass Player, Guitar Player, Electronic Musician, Keyboard, Guitar Legends and Revolver.

Once again, that code is:

LABORDAY25

Head to the Guitar World Online Store now!

Happy Labor Day from Guitar World!

A few years ago, the editors of Guitar World compiled what we feel is the ultimate guide to the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.

The list, which has been quoted by countless artists, websites and publications around the world, starts with Richie Sambora's work on Bon Jovi's “Wanted Dead or Alive” (100) and builds to a truly epic finish with Jimmy Page's solo on "Stairway to Heaven" (01).

To quote our "Stairway to Heaven" story that ran with the list, "If Jimmy Page is the Steven Spielberg of guitarists, then 'Stairway' is his Close Encounters."

On June 10, we kicked off a summer blockbuster of our own — a no-holds-barred six-string shootout. We pitted Guitar World's top 64 guitar solos against each other in an NCAA-style, 64-team single-elimination tournament. Every day, we asked you to cast your vote in a different guitar-solo matchup as dictated by the 64-team-style bracket. Now Rounds 1, 2 and 3 (also known as the Sweet 16 round) have come and gone, leaving us with eight guitar solos!

So ...

WELCOME TO THE ELITE EIGHT ROUND, where all eight still-standing solos will go head to head before your eyes! As always, you can vote once per matchup, and the voting ends as soon as the next matchup is posted.

In one or two cases, genre might clash against genre. But please get real, people! They're all guitar solos, played on guitars, by guitarists, most of them in some subset of the umbrella genre of rock. When choosing, it might have to come down to, "Which solo is more original and creative for its time? Which is more iconic or important? or Which one kicks a larger, more impressive assemblage of asses?"

Results from the Latest Sweetwater Elite Eight Matchup

Winner:"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" (61.61 percent)
Loser:"Free Bird" (38.39 percent)


Today's Sweetwater Elite Eight Matchup (2 of 4)
"Stairway to Heaven" Vs. "Hotel California"

Today (and for the next few days), the top-seeded guitar solo, Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" (01) faces a Top 10 heavyweight, the Eagles'"Hotel California" (08). It's UK (Jimmy Page) against US (Don Felder and Joe Walsh). Which classic guitar solo should advance to the Final Four? Only you can decide!

HOW THEY GOT HERE

• "Stairway to Heaven" defeated Prince's "Little Red Corvette" (64) in Round 1, Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun" (32) in Round 2 and Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" (16) in the Sweet 16 round.

• "Hotel California" defeated Pantera's "Walk" (57) in Round 1, Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years" (40) in Round 2 and Queen's "Brighton Rock" (41) in the Sweet 16 round.

Vote now! You'll find the poll at the very bottom of the story.


01. “Stairway to Heaven”
Soloist: Jimmy Page
Album: Led Zeppelin—Led Zeppelin IV (Atlantic, 1971)

If Jimmy Page is the Steven Spielberg of guitarists, then “Stairway” is his Close Encounters. Built around a solid, uplifting theme—man’s quest for salvation—the epic slowly gains momentum and rushes headlong to a shattering conclusion. The grand finale in this case is the song’s thrill-a-second guitar solo.

Page remembers: “I’d been fooling around with the acoustic guitar and came up with several different sections which flowed together nicely. I soon realized that it could be the perfect vehicle for something I’d been wanting to do for a while: to compose something that would start quietly, have the drums come in the middle, and then build to a huge crescendo. I also knew that I wanted the piece to speed up, which is something musicians aren’t supposed to do.

“So I had all the structure of it, and ran it by [bassist] John Paul Jones so he could get the idea of it—[drummer] John Bonham and [singer] Robert Plant had gone out for the night—and then on the following day we got into it with Bonham. You have to realize that, at first, there was a hell of a lot for everyone to remember on this one. But as we were sort of routining it, Robert started writing the lyrics, and much to his surprise, he wrote a huge percentage of it right there and then.”

Plant recalls the experience: “I was sitting next to Page in front of a fire at our studio in Headley Grange. He had written this chord sequence and was playing it for me. I was holding a pencil and paper, when, suddenly, my hand was writing out the words: ‘There’s a lady who’s sure, all that glitters is gold, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.’ I just sat there and looked at the words and almost leaped out of my seat. Looking back, I suppose I sat down at the right moment.”

While the spontaneous nature of Plant’s anthemic lyrics came as a pleasant surprise, the best was yet to come. The beautifully constructed guitar solo that Guitar World readers rated the “best ever” was, believe it or not, improvised.

“I winged it,” says Page with a touch of pride. “I had prepared the overall structure of the guitar parts, but not the actual notes. When it came time to record the solo I warmed up and recorded three of them. They were all quite different from each other. All three are still on the master tape, but the one we used was the best solo, I can tell you that.

“I thought ‘Stairway’ crystallized the essence of the band. It had everything there, and showed the band at its best. Every musician wants to do something that will hold up for a long time, and I guess we did that with ‘Stairway.’ ”

08. “Hotel California”
Soloist: Don Felder, Joe Walsh
Album: The Eagles—Hotel California (Asylum, 1976)

Credit for the guitar majesty of “Hotel California” is often given to Joe Walsh, who toughened up the Eagles’ laid-back California sound when he joined the band just prior to the Hotel California album’s recording. Actually, the primary guitar heard throughout the solo belongs to Don Felder, who wrote the music for the track and actually conceived and played the solo’s intricate harmonies on his initial, instrumental demo.

“Every once in a while it seems like the cosmos part and something great plops into your lap,” says Felder. “That’s how it was with ‘Hotel California.’ I had just leased this beach house in Malibu and was sitting in the living room with all the doors wide open on a spectacular July day, probably in ’75. I was soaking wet in a bathing suit, sitting on the couch, thinking the world is a wonderful place to be and tinkling around with this acoustic 12-string when those ‘Hotel California’ chords just oozed out. I had a TEAC four-track set up in a back bedroom, and I ran back there to put this idea down before I forgot it.

“I set this old rhythm ace to play a cha-cha beat, set the right tempo and played the 12-string on top of it. A few days later, I went back and listened to it and it sounded pretty unique, so I came up with a bass line. A few days after that, I added some electric guitars. Everything was mixed down to mono, ping-ponging back and forth on this little four-track. Finally, I wound up with a cassette that had virtually the entire arrangement that appeared on the record, verbatim, with the exception of a few Joe Walsh licks on the end. All the harmony guitar stuff was there, as was my solo.

“Then I gave it to Don Henley on a tape with eight or 10 ideas, and he came back and said, ‘I really love the one that sounds like a Matador…like you’re in Mexico.’ We worked it all up and went into the studio and recorded it as I wrote it—in E minor, just regular, open chords in standard tuning—and made this killer track. All the electric guitars were big and fat and the 12-string was nice and full. Then Henley came back and said, ‘It’s in the wrong key.’ So I said, ‘What do you need? D? F sharp?’…hoping that we could varispeed the tape. But he said no, that wouldn’t work, and we sat down and started trying to figure out the key—and it turned out to be B minor! So out comes the capo, way up on the seventh fret. We re-recorded the song in B minor and all of a sudden the guitar sounds really small and the whole track just shrinks! It was horrible, so we went back and tried it again. Luckily, we came up with a better version in B minor.

“I kept the capo on and recorded the acoustic guitar through a Leslie. They took a D.I. out of the console and a stereo Leslie, and they got this swirly effect. Then I went back and did most of the guitars, except for the stuff where Joe and I set up on two stools and ran the harmony parts down. I play the first solo, then it’s Joe. Then we trade lines and then we go into the lead harmonies.

“Now that I’ve heard it for 20 years, the 12-string part sounds right to me, but it’s still not as nice as the E minor version we did. And even when we’d finished the song and made it the title track, I wasn’t convinced that it should be our single. I thought it was way too long—twice the normal radio length—and sort of weird because it started out quiet and had this quiet breakdown section in the middle. I was very skeptical, but I yielded to the wisdom of Henley.”

[[ When you're done voting, start learning most of the guitar solos in this poll — and and a whole lot more! Check out a new TAB book from Guitar World and Hal Leonard: 'The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time: A Treasure Trove of Guitar Leads Transcribed Note-for-Note, Plus Song Notes for More Than 40 of the Best Solos.' It's available now at the Guitar World Online Store for $29.99. NOTE: Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" guitar solo (solo number 39 on our list) is NOT included in this book. ]]

Cast Your Vote!

Head HERE to see the current matchup and all the matchups that have taken place so far!

FROM THE GW ARCHIVE: Paul Gilbert answered readers' questions in 2010.

I’m a big fan of your guitar tone. What do you consider to be the key element to your sound? — Thomas Hartley

I first began having success picking on a guitar that wasn’t plugged in. I was picking really hard so I could hear it acoustically, and when I plugged into an amp, I was surprised that it didn’t sound very good. I discovered that the way I attack the string really affects the tone. Modifying your picking attack—for clean tone, distortion and playing on an acoustic—makes a huge difference in the sound.

With solos and shredding becoming popular again, do you think the younger players are falling into the trap of flash over substance? — Lorne

Well, I’d probably have to listen to more young players. [laughs] Actually, I’ve done a lot of teaching lately, and I’m really impressed with the kids that are coming in. In general, their technique is genuinely good. I’m pleasantly surprised by that.

Have you ever thought about doing a traditional blues album? — Pauly

I did a bluesy album [Raw Blues Power, 2002] with my uncle, Jimi Kidd, who was a huge influence on me when I was younger. But traditional blues? I don’t know. I like some of the really dirty traditional blues, like John Lee Hooker. But for that stuff, those guys are out of tune and the bars go too long, and you hear the bass player change a second later than the other guys. That stuff really gives it its down-and-dirty feeling. I think I’d have to start drinking a lot more to really do it right. [laughs] I don’t know if it’s possible. When you say “traditional” I take it seriously enough to know probably not to go there! [laughs]

How did you develop your string-skipping and legato playing over the years? — Anthony Padilla

The legato playing that I do is very intuitive, and I learned it through a lot of good accidents. I used to sit around and play to Eddie Van Halen, doing it wrong and coming up with my own patterns. The string-skipping stuff involved taking those same patterns and translating them into string-skipping licks. It was quite easy, thanks to the way I pick, which is mostly outside pickin. It was such a great discovery: suddenly I had a new bag of licks, and with very little effort.

Is it true that you used to pick using only upstrokes? Did reggae players influence your approach? — Jeff Dunne

The upstrokes came from lack of knowledge rather than from reggae. I started playing by ear at age nine. I had no idea how to play, and for some reason upstrokes felt good. I was talking to Scott Henderson, the amazing fusion guitar player, and he said an interesting thing about the architecture of the guitar: that it is essentially six separate instruments. Because each string is tuned differently, they all have a different feel, they’re in different places, and you have to learn the notes on each one.

That may be simplified, but some of the art of learning guitar is to learn each of those six instruments, and that’s how I started, unwittingly. I spent two years learning the low E string before I finally took a lesson and a teacher taught me how to tune the other five. It was a grueling way to learn. [laughs] Chords sound so much better! But that’s how I learned: a lot of upstrokes on that E string, and learning every Led Zeppelin riff I could that way.

You are often lumped in with shredders like John Petrucci. Considering your opinion of your own style, would you prefer to be put in a group with him or someone like Jimmy Page or Randy Rhoads? — Enrique Angeles

I think as a fan and as a listener: Jimmy Page and Randy Rhoads are where I was coming from. John is certainly a great guitar player, and some of the Dream Theater stuff is killer. And where we’ve ended up is similar: our styles have crossed paths, as far the kind of picking we do and our modern shred tone. I’ve done some tribute gigs with Mike Portnoy, and he said John’s influences are really different than mine.

Apparently, John was really into progressive rock, like Rush. I love Rush, but at the same time, I have a feeling I went a lot deeper into the pop music of the Beatles, Todd Rundgren and Cheap Trick. It would be a huge honor to be in either category. But I’ve gotta say, if I look to my right, I’ve got a big poster of Jimmy Page hanging on my wall.

Do you think you’ll ever get back with your old Racer X buddies for another album or tour? — Ryan

On this tour that’s coming up, I’m actually bringing Bruce Bouillet, the other guitarist for Racer X. It’s really exciting, because he’s been producing underground for awhile. We’re certainly doing some Racer X songs on my tour. But yeah, if we’re all feeling some heavy metal, it’d be great doing another Racer X record.

A few years ago, the editors of Guitar World compiled what we feel is the ultimate guide to the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.

The list, which has been quoted by countless artists, websites and publications around the world, starts with Richie Sambora's work on Bon Jovi's “Wanted Dead or Alive” (100) and builds to a truly epic finish with Jimmy Page's solo on "Stairway to Heaven" (01).

To quote our "Stairway to Heaven" story that ran with the list, "If Jimmy Page is the Steven Spielberg of guitarists, then 'Stairway' is his Close Encounters."

On June 10, we kicked off a summer blockbuster of our own — a no-holds-barred six-string shootout. We pitted Guitar World's top 64 guitar solos against each other in an NCAA-style, 64-team single-elimination tournament. Every day, we asked you to cast your vote in a different guitar-solo matchup as dictated by the 64-team-style bracket. Now Rounds 1, 2 and 3 (also known as the Sweet 16 round) have come and gone, leaving us with eight guitar solos!

So ...

WELCOME TO THE ELITE EIGHT ROUND, where all eight still-standing solos will go head to head before your eyes! As always, you can vote once per matchup, and the voting ends as soon as the next matchup is posted.

In one or two cases, genre might clash against genre. But please get real, people! They're all guitar solos, played on guitars, by guitarists, most of them in some subset of the umbrella genre of rock. When choosing, it might have to come down to, "Which solo is more original and creative for its time? Which is more iconic or important? or Which one kicks a larger, more impressive assemblage of asses?"

Results from the Latest Sweetwater Elite Eight Matchup

Winner:"Stairway to Heaven" (54.75 percent)
Loser:"Hotel California" (45.25 percent)


Today's Sweetwater Elite Eight Matchup (3 of 4)
"Eruption" Vs. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

We're back from the long holiday weekend! As the Elite Eight round heats up, the second-highest-seeded guitar solo, Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" (02) faces a veritable dark horse (a little wordplay for you George Harrison fans), the No. 42 song, the Beatles'"While My Guitar Gently Weeps." This means Van Halen is squaring off against his early idol, Eric Clapton. Which classic guitar solo should advance to the Final Four? Only you can decide!

HOW THEY GOT HERE

• "Eruption" defeated Red Hot Chili Peppers'"Scar Tissue" (63) in Round 1, Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" (31) in Round 2 and Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" (18) in the Sweet 16 round.

• "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" defeated Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls on Parade" (23) in Round 1, Joe Satriani's "Satch Boogie" (55) in Round 2 and Metallica's "One" (07) in the Sweet 16 round.

Vote now! You'll find the poll at the very bottom of the story.


02. “Eruption”
Soloist: Eddie Van Halen
Album: Van Halen—Van Halen (Warner Bros., 1978)

It is hard to imagine a more appropriately titled piece of music than Edward Van Halen’s solo guitar showcase, “Eruption.” When the wildly innovative instrumental was released in 1978, it hit the rock guitar community like a hydrogen bomb. Two-handed tapping, gonzo whammy bar dips, artificial harmonics—with Van Halen’s masterly application of these and other techniques, “Eruption” made every other six-stringer look like a third-stringer.

But the most remarkable thing, perhaps, about the unaccompanied solo is that it almost didn’t make it on to Van Halen’s debut album.

“The story behind ‘Eruption’ is strange,” says Van Halen. “While we were recording the album, I showed up at the studio early one day and started to warm up because I had a gig on the weekend and I wanted to practice my solo-guitar spot. Our producer, Ted Templeman, happened to walk by and he asked, ‘What’s that? Let’s put it on tape!’

“I played it two times for the record, and we kept the one that seemed to flow. Ted liked it, and everyone else agreed that we should throw it on the album. I didn’t even play it right—there’s a mistake at the top end of it. Whenever I hear it, I always think, Man, I could’ve played it better.”

As for the distinctive echo effect on the track, Eddie recalls that he used a relatively obscure unit—a Univox echo chamber. “It had a miniature 8-track cassette in it, and the way it would adjust the rate of repeat was by the speed of the motor, not by tape heads. So, if you recorded something on tape, the faster you played the motor back, the faster it would repeat and vice versa. I liked some of the noises I got out of it, but its motor would always burn out.

“I like the way ‘Eruption’ sounds. I’d never heard a guitar sound like that before.”

42. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Soloist: Eric Clapton
Album: The Beatles—The Beatles (Apple, 1968)

“When we actually started recording this, it was just me playing the acoustic guitar and singing it, and nobody was interested,” recalls the song’s author, George Harrison. “Well, Ringo probably was, but John and Paul weren’t. When I went home that night, I was really disappointed because I thought, Well, this is really quite a good song; it’s not as if it’s crap!

"And the next day I happened to drive back into London with Eric [Clapton], and I suddenly said, ‘Why don’t you come play on this track?’ And he said, ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that; the others wouldn’t like it…’ But I finally said, ‘Well, damn, it’s my song, and I’d like you to come down.’ So he did, and everybody was good as gold because he was there.

"I sang it with the acoustic guitar with Paul on piano, and Eric and Ringo. Later, Paul overdubbed bass. Then we listened back to it and Eric said, ‘Ah, there’s a problem, though; it’s not Beatlesy enough.’ So we put the song through the ADT [automatic double tracker] to wobble it a bit.”

[[ When you're done voting, start learning most of the guitar solos in this poll — and and a whole lot more! Check out a new TAB book from Guitar World and Hal Leonard: 'The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time: A Treasure Trove of Guitar Leads Transcribed Note-for-Note, Plus Song Notes for More Than 40 of the Best Solos.' It's available now at the Guitar World Online Store for $29.99. NOTE: Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" guitar solo (solo number 39 on our list) is NOT included in this book. ]]

Cast Your Vote!

Head HERE to see the current matchup and all the matchups that have taken place so far!

The thing about being a fan of Bob Dylan is that the discovery of his greatness is never-ending.

In preparing to review the great new 10th volume of his Bootleg Series, Another Self Portrait (1969-1971), I was distracted by a host of bootlegs that have been sitting on my hard drive, unlistened to for ages.

After spending a few days with Another Self Portrait, my Dylan jones seriously piqued, I rooted around and found a spectacular soundboard of Dylan with the Band from Madison Square Garden in 1974.

Then I dove into a fan-compiled bootleg of songs from Modern Times from his 2007 European tour, outtakes from Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid and sessions with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Marshall Grant and WS Holland from 1969, and George Harrison, Charlie Daniels, Billy Mundi and Bob Johnson from 1970.

Thoroughly engrossed and completely distracted by the task at hand, I got back to Another Self Portrait. Much has been made about how great this release is and how it eclipses Dylan’s 1970 album, Self Portrait, by a long stretch. Both are true, but that has been true about much of Dylan’s Bootleg Series.

Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue was arguably a more consistent and engaging portrait of Dylan in that period. And Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989–2006 was a stunning trip through later-period Dylan, particularly highlighting the strength of his oft-overlooked pre-Time Out Of Mind output. Perhaps even moments of — let the heresy commence — Live 1964: Concert at Philharmonic Hall and Live 1966: The Royal Albert Hall best Dylan’s revered studio work of those same periods.

Or do they? The reality is that all of these releases have forced us to revisit and reassess various periods of Dylan’s career and what we — as reviewers or simply fans — have discovered is that he has always been great; we just might not have noticed at the time.

Many reviews of Another Self Portrait, in making the argument that it is significantly stronger than Self Portrait, have noted that much of what Dylan recorded and moved on from but didn’t release circa 1970 were essentially masterpieces unloved or under-appreciated by their creator.

I went back and listened to Self Portrait, something I hadn’t done in a long time. It’s great. It’s more finished and of its time than its Bootleg Series counterpart, but the thing that struck me in reflecting on this entry in the series and the nine volumes that came before it — not to mention Dylan’s official studio output — was the consistency of Dylan’s output. It’s all great. Seriously.

To those who quibble about his ragged voice or “weird” delivery or reinventing his classics or “that” Christmas album or the idiosyncratic nature of his muse, look no further than Mumford & Sons or Dawes or Fleet Foxes or Jack White — or the plethora of bearded banjo players or pixies in hoop skirts that populate YouTube and Facebook — to see that just about every aspect of Dylan’s career is represented in what we music lovers like to think of as “real” music.

So what does Another Self Portrait show us? That Dylan was there first, he did it better, and we’re just playing catch up.

I could tell you about all the cool moments or outstanding tracks on Another Self Portrait, but if you’re a fan, you’ve already poured over the many hand-wringing reviews that have been all over the Internet in the past weeks. Dylan sounds great, the songs and performances are peerless, and though stylistically Another Self Portrait is a bit all over the place (owing mostly to the fact that the sessions the material is culled from spans three years) it also is remarkably coherent.

The guitar work — whether acoustic strumming or flat-picking, punchy electric lines and pedal steel — is stellar and, most of all, tasteful throughout. In essence, Another Self Portrait is a five-star album any music lover should have in his or her collection. It’s great music, played by a true master that you’ll enjoy over and over. And you might just learn something and gain some perspective on Dylan and music in general in the process.

Now that’s saying something.

Jeff Slate is a NYC-based solo singer-songwriter and music journalist. He founded and fronted the band the Badge for 15 years beginning in 1997 and has worked with Pete Townshend, Earl Slick, Carlos Alomar, Steve Holley, Laurence Juber and countless others. He has interviewed and written about everyone from the Beatles and Kiss to Monty Python and rock musicals on Broadway. He is an avid collector of rock and roll books and bootlegs and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Dylan and the Beatles. For more information, visit jeffslate.net.

Austin-based blues singer/guitarist Omar Dykes (also known as Omar Kent Dykes) hails from McComb, Mississippi, not far from the birthplace of one of his biggest musical heroes, blues legend Howlin’ Wolf.

Earlier this summer, Dykes released Runnin’ with the Wolf (Provogue), a powerful tribute to Howlin' Wolf.

The album's 14 covers are far from carbon copies of the original versions. Dykes and his band, the Howlers, have been performing many of these songs for decades, so Dykes' own groove, vibe and spin shine through loud and clear.

"I do my little versions of the songs," Dykes said. "If Howlin’ Wolf were a 500-pound steel anvil, then I’m a little piece of steel wool that fell out of the pack.”

The album also features an original track, "Runnin' with the Wolf," which you can check out below.

We recently caught up with Dykes to discuss the new album, his other blues influences and future plans. For more about Dykes, check out his official website.

[[ GuitarWorld.com premiered Runnin’ with the Wolf in July. You can listen to the entire album here. ]]

GUITAR WORLD: How did you choose the 14 Howlin' Wolf covers that appear on Runnin' with the Wolf?

I worked on choosing the Howlin’ Wolf songs for about six months before I made the final track list. I’ve played and listened to Howlin’ Wolf my entire career. At first I wanted to do all of them, but I knew that wouldn't be impossible. I basically started with a list of all the tracks I love, which gave me about 30 songs. Then I had to consider what musicians I wanted to play on the songs and make decisions of instruments, harp, horns and all of that.

I had to decide if I wanted to do the most-recognized songs, the least-recognized songs or a combination. I was a little skeptical about doing the most famous songs because so many other artists have already done them. At one point, I thought I should divide the songs into two releases because there were so many songs I wanted to record. I finally was able to narrow it down to 14 songs, but it was really hard. There are still more I want to do someday.

Do you have a favorite track on the album?

If I had to choose, “Riding in the Moonlight” would be one because I've played that song for so many years. “The Red Rooster” has been one of my favorites since I was a teenager. I bought the 45 when I was about 13. In my hometown, you could only buy records at one store, so the ones I bought there all became treasures to me.

This is your 23rd album. What prompted the return to the Provogue label for this one?

[Label founder Ed Van Zijl] asked me if I was interested in recording another project with him, and I was glad to do it. I thought the Howlin’ Wolf material would be a perfect release on Provogue because it is something I've always wanted to record. They gave me a very generous recording budget for the studio so I could do the project justice. I used the best musicians, who are also my best friends and Howlin’ Wolf fanatics themselves, and we are all very proud of the end result.

I was not trying to copy Howlin’ Wolf because nobody can. I did want to put my own spin on the Howlin’ Wolf songs I've been playing for years. I'm grateful to Provogue for the opportunity to record this material after all this time. This is my 11th release on Provogue. I did my first release with them in 1990 and my last in 2001, so I've worked with Provogue for a long time. It seemed like it was the right time to do another release with them.

For people who are new to Howlin' Wolf, what five definitive Howlin' Wolf recordings should they download ASAP?

“Wang Dang Doodle,” “The Red Rooster,” “Smokestack Lightnin’,” “Spoonful” and “Killing Floor."

You dedicated one track to the late Hubert Sumlin. Did you ever get to play with him?

I had the privilege of playing with Hubert a couple of times. Both times were at Antone’s Blues Club in Austin. Hubert used to hang out there. One night I went to Antone’s when it was on Guadalupe Street, and Angela Strehli was playing with her band at the time. Mel Brown was there, and Denny Freeman. Hubert was also there and they asked me to come up and play with them on a few songs. I played Denny’s guitar and we did a couple of songs. The second time I got to play with Hubert was at the Antone’s location on 5th Street. I did a radio show with Ray Wylie Hubbard and stopped in Antone’s after the show. Jimmie Vaughan, Derek O’Brien, Scott Nelson, Chris Layton and Hubert were there, and I got up to play with them. I played and sang a few Howlin’ Wolf songs, and we all had a blast.

You've done two Jimmy Reed tribute records and now a Howlin' Wolf tribute album. Who might be next? Who are your other big heroes?

I will definitely do a tribute to Bo Diddley at some point. Bo Diddley and I are from the same hometown, McComb, Mississippi, and I've written a lot of songs with the Bo Diddley beat. I could do so many tributes mixed in with my Howlers releases because they're so fun to do. I love Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Hound Dog Taylor and Freddie King. I don’t know that I will do a tribute to all of these, but they are all worthy of being recognized by everybody.

What wah pedal is used on "Ooh Baby Hold Me," and who's playing guitar on the track?

The guitarist using the wah pedal on “Ooh Baby Hold Me” is the incredible Casper Rawls. The pedal is the Morley Bad Horsie. A guy gave it to Casper as part of his pay for a recording session. As I was selecting the songs, I had my girlfriend listen to Howlin’ Wolf’s version of “Ooh Baby Hold Me.” As soon as she heard the song, she told me it was perfect for me to sing because of my voice, and she could hear Casper playing wah and Kaz playing sax on the track. The final result is really her initial vision of the song, so I dedicated it to her.

What will the next original Omar Dykes album be like?

I like to mix up the material on my original releases. There have been so many musical influences in my life that it makes sense to include many genres of music on these later releases in my career. I just write and record what I really like and hope fans will like it too. My 2012 release, I’m Gone, includes blues, rockabilly, country and a ballad. I like to play everything, so that is what will be on my next Omar and the Howlers record. A little bit of everything.

Dave Reffett is a Berklee College of Music graduate and has worked with some of the best players in rock and metal. He is an instructor at (and the head of) the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal department at The Real School of Music in the metro Boston area. He also is a master clinician and a highly-in-demand private guitar teacher. He teaches lessons in person and worldwide via Skype. As an artist and performer, he is working on some soon-to-be revealed high-profile projects with A-list players in rock and metal. In 2009, he formed the musical project Shredding The Envelope and released the critically acclaimed album The Call Of The Flames. Dave also is an official artist endorsee for companies like Seymour Duncan, Gibson, Eminence and Esoterik Guitars, which in 2011 released a Dave Reffett signature model guitar, the DR-1. Dave has worked in the past at Sanctuary Records and Virgin Records, where he promoting acts like The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Korn and Meat Loaf.

Guitarist Tommy Kessler is living proof that hard work pays off.

Not only does his work ethic allow Kessler to travel the world as part of Blondie, but there's also the matter of his other "day job." To date, Kessler (along with Night Ranger guitarist Joel Hoekstra) has performed considerably more than 1,000 shows as part of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages.

My recent discussion with Kessler included an update on the next Blondie album and info about his stints with Broadway's Rock of Ages and Blue Man Group. Kessler also explained why networking is so important for professional guitarists.

GUITAR WORLD: What's happening with the next Blondie album?

It's called Ghosts of Download, and it will be released in November. The album is very electronic. Chris [Stein, guitarist] is influenced a lot by South American music, so a lot of the songs have that theme going on. The first single, "A Rose By Any Name," has already been released. The artwork for the album is especially cool and there's also something else on the album that fans will like (especially those who like to read everything and go on the Internet). There's a little Easter egg on there that they’ll enjoy.

What's it like working with Debbie Harry?

Debbie is very down to earth and easy to work with. She shies away from it when people say things like, "Oh, you play in Debbie's band," or the funniest thing of all, "You play in Blondie's band!" She likes the band atmosphere and always wanted Blondie to be more about the band and not herself. It's not just three original members and "hired guys." We all travel together. We stay together. We're always together.

How did you get the gig with Blondie?

Matt Katz-Bohen [Blondie's keyboardist] also happens to play guitar and we share a few mutual friends. Shortly after I got the Rock of Ages gig, I needed to find a sub and the drummer recommended Matt. So Matt came to watch the show and we hooked up. Shortly afterwards, he went back on tour again with Blondie and we lost contact for a little while. About a year or so later, Paul Carbonara was leaving the band and a guitar spot opened up. That's when Matt mentioned me and my name got thrown in the hat.

Tell me about your move to New York City and how you got involved with Broadway musicals.

I first moved to New York about nine years ago when I got an off-Broadway gig as a music director for a rock opera. Although the show didn't run very long, it got the ball rolling. I was able to use that experience to start networking and opening more doors. Then the Blue Man Group came along about a year after the rock opera closed. At first, the original music director decided to stay on, so they didn't need to hire anyone. But I kept in contact with the show's director and eventually a position opened up.

How did you meet Joel Hoekstra?

I had posted a few videos online of me playing Van Halen and Metallica music. At the time, Night Ranger was doing a show out in California and the guitar tech they were using also happened to be a guy I bought guitars from. He told me Joel lived in New York and that I should get in contact with him, just to connect, so I did. A few months later, Joel gave me a call telling me about the Rock of Ages gig and that he needed someone to fill in for him. Since I was another “rock guy” who lived in New York and had theater experience, he thought I'd be a perfect fit.

How many Rock of Ages shows do you think you've done?

I think I’ve done well over 1,200 performances. The cool thing about it is, I get to be on stage performing. There are only a few other Broadway shows that even allow the musicians to be on the stage.

What was a typical practice day like for you growing up, and what it’s like now?

I was never one of those guys who liked to shred for 12 hours straight doing nothing but exercises. I was more interested in playing other people's music. Like getting the tab book for Metallica's Ride The Lightning album and playing it straight through. Or playing the hell out of Appetite For Destruction or the first Van Halen album. I loved just playing every song on them. These days, when I’m not touring or performing, I spend most of my time writing and producing music in the studio. I have a writing partner and another producer who all work together.

What’s your live setup like with Blondie?

I use two Kauer guitars: a Blue Sparkle Daylighter semi-hollow guitar with P90s and a Bigsby and a Black Starliner prototype with humbuckers. I play through a Soldano SLO and a matching 2x12 cabinet that has Weber Legacy speakers. My pedalboard signal chain goes something like this:

Guitar - Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone - Fulltone Clyde Wah - DigiTech Whammy V - Z.Vex Seekwah (with Cusack Tap Tempo mod) - Pigtronix Envelope Filter - Pigtronix Aria – Soldano.

My Series FX loop is like this: Line 6 DL4 - Boss DD-5 (with external tap tempo).

I'm also going to be working in a new pedal this tour called a Detoq EQ made by Homebrew Electronics. It gives guys like me (who like to use a single channel) the option to have a clean(er) channel as well.

Is there any advice you'd like to share with aspiring guitarists?

I always say you should be open to playing with as many people as you can. No gig is too small. Stay ready to be able to walk into any situation to audition. My audition for Rock of Ages was totally different from what it was like for Blondie or Blue Man Group. Most of my gigs have come from me just putting myself out there. It's all about networking and the random people you meet. You never know when your paths will cross again and you'll get an opportunity.

For more about Tommy Kessler, visit his official website and Facebook page.

James Wood is a writer, musician and self-proclaimed metalhead who maintains his own website, GoJimmyGo.net. His articles and interviews are written on a variety of topics with passion and humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JimEWood.

Following a summer of storming through Europe, South America and Mexico while topping the bills at solo shows and major festivals, Slayer will headline its first North American tour in two years.

The five-week-plus trek will kick off October 22 in Anchorage, Alaska, marking the first time the band has played there since October 23, 1996. The tour will include the band's return to New York's Theatre at Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Palladium, venues where the band hasn't performed in 25 years.

Slayer — Tom Araya/bass vocals, guitarist Kerry King, drummer Paul Bostaph, and guitarist Gary Holt (who continues to fill in for the late founding member Jeff Hanneman) — will have Gojira and 4ARM support on all dates.

Tickets for all dates on Slayer's US tour go on sale beginning Friday, September 6. Visit slayer.net for complete on-sale dates and ticketing information.

While still recovering from the loss of Hanneman, Araya and King have begun to work on new material and hope to spend some time in the studio prior to this tour.

With more dates to be announced, confirmed dates for Slayer's 2013 Fall North American tour are as follows:

OCTOBER

22 Sullivan Sports Arena, Anchorage, AK
25 The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
28 Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, CA
30 Events Center @ San Jose State, San Jose, CA

NOVEMBER
8 Myth, Minneapolis, MN
10 FunFunFun Fest, Austin, TX
12 Bayou Music Center, Houston, TX
13 South Side Ballroom, Dallas, TX
15 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
16 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
17 LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH
19 The Fillmore, Washington, D.C.
20 Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
26 Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, CT
27 Theatre @ MSG, New York, NY
29 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
30 Tsongas Arena, Boston, MA

Below, you can check out some rehearsal footage of Stone Temple Pilots featuring Chester Bennington.

The clips show the band preparing for their September 1 show in Hollywood. About 30 fans were reportedly picked to attend the six-song rehearsal session, which took place at Linkin Park's rehearsal space, Third Encore.

The band played "Sex & Violence,""Pop's Love Suicide,""Out Of Time,""Trippin' On a Hole In a Paper Heart,""Piece Of Pie" and "Church On Tuesday."

Stone Temple Pilots featuring Chester Bennington will kick off a North American tour September 4 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Be sure to check out the rest of Steve Booke's "What in the World" lessons for GuitarWorld.com right here.

Today we'll check out the Byzantine/Hijazkiar/double harmonic major scale.

Phew! The scale of many names! Actually, most scales are referred to by several names. It depends on the country, tradition or style of music. For example, there's the Ionian or major scale, Lydian dominant or 4th mode of melodic minor, etc.

The Byzantine scale, et al, has a very exotic sound, due to the flat 2nd degree, raised 3rd and raised 7th. The notes/degrees of the scale are:

Besides the exotic sound, what I like about this scale are the different pattern variations you can use to play it. These patterns can open up a nice variety of sounds to explore the scale with.

The basic scale in the lower octave is:

Example 1:

Example 2, the next octave higher:

Example 3:

Example 4, single-string pattern:

In example 4, you can play the scale up on one string using adjacent ½ steps. This is a great exercise for switching positions and can lead to some interesting phrasing and sounds. Experiment with sliding between positions when playing the scale on one string, to get more of a “Middle Eastern," slinky sound.

Example 5, two-note-per-string pattern:

In example 5, the scale can be played diagonally across the neck for more of a pentatonic feel:

You can use this scale as a quick substitute for a minor scale and play it over a tonic minor chord, although it has a few major scale/chord components. In the examples above, we are in the key of E Byzantine, so you can play this over an E minor chord. Be careful, though, since the scale contains a G#, and the E minor chord has a G natural. The effect of the scale seems to be more pronounced when played over a minor chord. Above all, use your ears to determine what is appropriate and sounds good!

Experiment with the phrasing, using slides, legato and bending. This will help to bring out more of the exotic sound this scale has to offer.

Steve Booke is a composer for film and TV from the New York area. His compositions range from orchestral to metal to world styles from every corner of the earth. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Steve has played guitar for more than 27 years. He has recorded 10 albums of his own and has played on countless others. He plays gigs in the NY area and tours the East Coast with a variety of bands. He has performed with Ben E. King and members of Mahavishnu Orchestra. He endorses D'Addario/Planet Waves, Larrivee Guitars, Levy's Leathers, Peavey, Stylus Pick, Finale PrintMusic, Pigtronix, Tech 21, Toontrack, Graph Tech, Seymour Duncan, Waves, Studio Devil and L.R. Baggs. His music is available on iTunes and Amazon. He can be contacted at info@stevebooke.com. Visit stevebooke.com.

Below, check out a video of a couple who performed a guitar duet before getting hitched. And if that sounds normal (and we admit it does sound normal), be sure to check out the video.

Jordan Strauss, 30, who teaches guitar in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, taught his bride-to-be, Andrea Strauss, 25, how to play a few chords so they could perform something together on their wedding day (at the church).

"We wanted to do something we knew would stand out and put our own personal stamp to make it even more memorable,"Jordan Strauss told Yahoo.

The ceremony took place in May (and it's just getting noticed now) at a church in Long Valley, New Jersey. Jordan is playing Pachelbel's "Canon" with one of his groomsmen as the priest stands nearby. Andrea enters in white, with a guitar strapped on, and joins in (Note: She seems to be tuned to an open D chord, not that there's anything wrong with that!). At one point, there are four guitarists playing the song.

"She was an easy student to teach. She's a natural. I told her that from day one," Jordan said.

Boss has launched a new biweekly contest, the Big BOSS Giveaway.

As Boss puts it, the contest "gives tone freaks everywhere a chance to win Boss pedals autographed by top guitar heroes."

Every two weeks (ending September 30), a different signed Boss pedal from a guitar hero will be given away, plus $1,000 in Boss gear. Contestants can enter once every two-week period.

In the current contest, you can win a Boss DS-1 pedal signed by Jeff Loomis. (pictured below)

Contestants should enter at the BOSS U.S. Facebook Giveaway tab, here.

The Big BOSS Giveaway Prize Lineup:

9/2/13 – 9/15/13 DS-1 pedal signed by Jeff Loomis
9/16/13 – 9/30/13 DD-3 pedal signed by Steve Stevens, John 5, Billy Duffy, Herman Li, and Darryl Jones
8/5/13 – 9/30/13 Grand Prize: $1,000 (suggested retail price) in BOSS gear

Contest eligibility is for U.S. residents only. Visit the Big BOSS Giveaway contest rules page for information and official rules.

For more information, visit roland.com.

For this Monster Lick, I'm using the G blues scale.

As I've stated in the past, the blues scale, when applied a certain way, can sound incredibly tough and can be used to add a darker side to your playing.

Because we generally approach the flat 5 or “blue note” as merely a passing note when we play blues or blues rock, the scale sounds incredibly smooth and even a little jazzy. My way of incorporating the flat into the licks and runs creates a slightly dissonant-sounding movement. The dissonance immediately creates the tension that often is needed when soloing to heavy, dark rock or blues-based rock.

Having said this, you must be careful how and where you use this approach or runs like this. There are times when it will be tonally fantastic and other times when it will be too dark-sounding for the piece of music. It is important to use your ears and not get too wrapped up in one particular sound or variation of the scale.

The Lick:

It is important to recognize the arpeggio shapes I'm creating here. The first shape starts on the ninth fret of the low E and finishes on the fifth fret of the D string. The next one starts on the eighth fret of the D string, finishing on the 13th fret of the low E, and so on. (When you are looking at the tab below, you can easily identify the arpeggios; they run diagonally and down/up the transcript, reading from left to right.)

In order to get the lick up to speed, you have to finger these arpeggios so quickly that you need to be poised and in position, as you would be when you're about to change a chord in your rhythm playing.

While practicing this, never approach the arpeggios in a lazy fashion, with all your fingers on the notes already, and then simply strum. All the notes will bleed into each other and create a sonic mess. Your hand must be poised and ready for action. Knowing the shapes will give you the advantage of playing quicker and cleaner.

The other key to this lick is the transitions between the arpeggios. The transitions consist of picked notes, slides and legato. The first note of these single lines is always the last note of the previous arpeggio. I suggest focusing on the first transition line as the patterns remain constant throughout the lick. Once understood in the first position, the rest will flow easily.

I hope you enjoy it! Please join me on YouTube right here! Or contact me at glennproudfoot.com or my Facebook page.

Australia's Glenn Proudfoot has played and toured with major signed bands and artists in Europe and Australia, including progressive rockers Prazsky Vyber. Glenn released his first instrumental solo album, Lick Em, in 2010. It is available on iTunes and at glennproudfoot.com.

Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the premiere of "Pacific Slope," a new song by Robbie Fulks.

The track is from Fulks' new album, Gone Away Backward, which was released August 27 via Bloodshot Records.

“'Pacific Slope' is an odd fiddle tune with some dramatic arpeggiations reminiscent of 'classical' music," Fulks says. "I got it from my friend Al Murphy, the Iowa fiddler, who recorded it on his Through The Fields collection of Midwestern fiddle music. Beyond that, you'll have to ask Al.

"Robbie Gjersoe and I played it (he the middle part, I the heads in and out) on our Martin and McAlister dreadnoughts, respectively. To my dismay, when I went into the studio that morning, the neck of my McAlister, which I'd left on its stand overnight, had radically shifted, and it seemed hopelessly unplayable. I messed with the truss rod until the action was to where I could pick it real light without unwanted noises. After playing through the song, I took it straight to the repair shop.”

Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Gone Away Backward finds Fulks re-evaluating his roots and lamenting the decline of the small-town and rural America in which he was raised. After 20 years on the road, in 2008 Fulks began performing in unplugged, small-group settings.

Regular sessions at the Barbes in Brooklyn and an ongoing residency at Chicago’s Hideout gave him wider freedom to experiment and improvise, and offered intimacy and challenge with a wide variety of musicians. He learned a few hundred new songs and, in the process, developed fresh angles on his own narrative voice. Excited and freshly focused, he began writing music for a new project.

Gone Away Backward is available everywhere, including bloodshotrecords.com.

For more about Fulks, visit his official website.

PRS Guitars has released its take on this year’s top 10 most popular electric guitar finishes.

At the top of the list for 2013 is Tobacco Sunburst (pictured).

This is the second year in a row that black-finished guitars failed to take the crown. Last year, Faded Blue Burst was the hottest finish for PRS.

This year, for PRS's Maryland-made and SE guitars, it is all about vibrant translucent stains that make the figured and curly maple woods of the guitars really stand out.

“Guitarists are gravitating to new colors that look great on stage and off,” says Paul Reed Smith, PRS Guitar’s managing general partner and working founder.

Major recording artists and PRS signature artists including Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge, Neal Schon of Journey and Carlos Santana gravitated toward vintage translucent burst finishes. Next year? Who knows! Stay tuned!

TOP 10 ELECTRIC GUITAR FINISHES OF THE YEAR

01. Tobacco Sunburst
02. Black
03. Whale Blue
04. Santana Yellow
05. Scarlet Red
06. Orange
07. Grey Black
08. Vintage Cherry
09. Blue Matteo
10. Vintage Sunburst

For more about PRS Guitars, visit prsguitars.com.

Metallica have posted another official performance video over at MetallicaTV.

This time, it's a clip of "Fade to Black" from their August 13 show in Shanghai, China.

Of course, since the video is about 18 minutes long, there's a whole lot more going on. First we see bassist Robert Trujillo meeting fans and signing autographs, then we get to watch the band (minus Lars, who eventually joins in) rehearse a few songs. The video ends with a pro-shot performance of "Fade to Black."

In other Metallica news, the guys have scheduled the first public screening of their upcoming 3D film, Metallica Through the Never. It will take place 7:15 p.m. September 17 at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, California. It serves as the kickoff for the 36th annual Mill Valley Film Festival, an 11-day event that boasts works from 200 filmmakers from around the globe.

Locals (or anyone, for that matter) who want to go can buy tickets right here.

Besides reliable gear, sensible footwear and a guaranteed ride to gigs, members of good backing bands must have:

• Humility. After all, they're not the stars. The frontman (or woman) is.

• Natural talent and/or undeniable skill. A frontman doesn't need to wonder if his guitarist will actually nail the tricky guitar solo this time. That stuff needs to be automatic.

• Personality. No, they're not the stars, but backing-band members can't be bland sticks in the mud, either. They need to bring something unique to the table, each part of the band combining to create a superior "whole."

The best backing bands, of course, have all these qualities — plus lots of success. Some of them of have played on countless hits. Some have played a role in music history. Others just have so much talent that they automatically move to the next level.

This story is about 10 such backing bands.

Note that we kept our choices to backing bands with actual "names." These are groups we call "ampersand bands," since their name, in most of these cases, follows an ampersand or an "and" in the act's full name, such as John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers or Johnny and The Moondogs (neither of whom are included on this list).

So even though Bill Black and Scotty Moore kicked vintage ass as Elvis Presley's backing duo, the duo never had a name. And the talented gents who backed Roger Waters or Paul McCartney at last week's 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief? No name. You get the idea.

We also tried to focus on bands that kept a core group of members intact over the years. For example, we'd consider Elvis Costello's Attractions (always the same three guys) over Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention (This Wikipedia page says it all).

On that note, here they are, Guitar World's 10 best backing bands of all time. Enjoy!

10. The Band

Although The Band are best known for their own dark, rustic late-'60s masterpieces Music from Big Pink and The Band, they hit the world stage in the mid-'60s as Bob Dylan's backing band.

Actually, their backing-band pedigree started in 1958, when they hooked up with rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins and called themselves The Hawks. After short-lived stints as Levon & the Hawks and the Canadian Squires, the gang was hired by Dylan in 1965, just as he was ditching his acoustic/folk persona in favor of Strats and heavier rock.

Dylan and the Band (still known as the Hawks for a while) — Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel — toured the US in 1965 and the world in 1966, enduring the heckling and disapproval of folk-music purists every step of the way.

The Band were on stage with Dylan in Manchester, England, on May 17, 1966, when an audience member shouted "Judas!" Dylan replied, "I don't believe you. You're a liar!" He then turned to The Band and said, "Play it fucking loud!" before launching into "Like a Rolling Stone."

The Band followed Dylan to Woodstock, New York, where they recorded The Basement Tapes. It was a relationship that wound up lasting — albeit loosely — for several years, in the form of various touring and recording projects.

In terms of sheer talent, The Band were a dream team. Every member of the group was a multi-instrumentalist. They could provide soaring harmony vocals, oddball lead guitar, mesmerizing keyboards and everything from fiddle to trombone to sax to mandolin.

Maybe The Band were at the right place at the right time, but there's no denying they occupy a special place in rock history.

09. The Roots

Acclaimed by many to be hip-hop’s first “real band,” the Roots are one of the genre's longest-standing acts.

Formed by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia back in 1987, the Roots' 13 studio albums alone have been enough to propel them to household-name status, including a Grammy nod for their latest album, 2011's Undun.

But when they're not breaking down genre barriers, the Roots also have earned a reputation as one of the best backing acts going. In 2005, they appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party, a documentary film that saw them team up with everyone from Erykah Badu to Big Daddy Kane.

Since 2009, the band has served as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, curating the program's music (sometimes controversially) and backing multiple guests through the years. Tune in any given night and you'll likely catch one of guitarist "Captain" Kirk Douglas' fine selection of Gibsons, including a beautiful CS-356.

08. The Blue Caps

Of the major "named" backing bands of rock’s first generation — Buddy Holly’s Crickets, Bill Haley’s Comets, Johnny Burnette’s Rock n’ Roll Trio and Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps (We'll even include Johnny Cash's Tennessee Three) — the Blue Caps had a monopoly on super-serious chops. Among their lineup was — to quote Jeff Beck — the “demon-like” Cliff Gallup.

Gallup, whose playing and sound are perhaps best described as "ahead of their time," was a true pioneer who had a massive influence on the first wave of British Invasion players, particularly Beck, who incorporated Gallup’s lightning-fast triplet pull-offs into his own playing. Gallup's quick "slap-echo" delay, as heard on Bluejean Bop and Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, is still considered the gold standard sound for rockabilly guitarists.

The Blue Caps also included Willie Williams on rhythm guitar, Jack Neal on upright bass and Dickie Harrell on drums, a crew that could drive fans into a frenzy with relentless rockabilly beats as heard in “Jump Back, Honey, Jump Back,” “B-I-Bickey-Bi, Bo-Bo-Go” and “Hold Me, Hug Me, Rock Me.”

Gallup, who left the band in 1956, was replaced by Russell Williford, followed by Johnny Meeks. He died in 1988.

07. The Funk Brothers

Unlike the rest of the bands on this list, the Funk Brothers weren't an "official" backing band; their nickname didn't follow an "and" or an ampersand in a band name, and they didn't make their living on the road backing a single artist.

The Funk Brothers were a crew of Detroit-based session musicians who played on most Motown recordings from 1959 to 1972.

As claimed in the opening titles to Paul Justman's 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the Funk Brothers have "played on more No. 1 hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys — combined." And while you might want to head for your iPhone's calculator and dive into Google land to verify that, there's no denying they played on an impressive collection of Motown hits, including "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone,""I Heard It Through the Grapevine,""My Girl,""Ain't No Mountain High Enough,""Baby Love,""Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours,""The Tears of a Clown" and "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave."

They can be heard on singles and/or albums by Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, The Temptations (Check out the video below), The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, The Marvelettes, The Contours, the Jackson 5, The Four Tops, The Spinners, The Originals and other acts.

Although the Funk Brothers weren't quite as fluid an ensemble as Wings or the Mothers of Invention, many musicians have been members of the brotherhood. Core members included guitarists Robert White, Eddie Willis and Joe Messina, Joe Hunter (bandleader), Earl Van Dyke (piano), James Jamerson (bass); Benny "Papa Zita" Benjamin (drums), Richard "Pistol" Allen (drums), Paul Riser (trombone), Jack Ashford (tambourine, percussion, vibraphone, marimba), Jack Brokensha (vibraphone, marimba) and Eddie "Bongo" Brown (percussion).

Other notable members include guitarist Dennis Coffey and bassist Bob Babbitt.

06. Double Trouble

In the early '80s, Texan Stevie Ray Vaughan breathed new life into a faded genre called the blues, created a distinctive modern Texas sound that is still mimicked today and introduced Jimi Hendrix, Albert King and Lightnin' Hopkins to a new generation of guitar players.

But he didn't do it alone.

Behind him every step of the way were Double Trouble — bassist Tommy Shannon, drummer Chris Layton and (as of 1985), keyboardist Reese Wynans. It can be argued (Note the COMMENTS section below, folks!) that Vaughan only really sounded like Vaughan when he was backed by Double Trouble. His sound changed when he made cameo appearances on other artists' albums and on the Vaughan Brothers' 1990 LP, Family Style.

Layton and Shannon — who, as Johnny Winter's former bassist, brought his own Texas blues pedigree into the mix — formed the perfect rhythm section for Vaughan, filling the gaps and adding dynamics during 15-minute versions of "Little Wing/Third Stone from the Sun" and sounding like a blues-shuffle instructional tape on "Empty Arms."

They understood their role in catchy guitar-based instrumentals like "Scuttle Buttin',""Rude Mood,""Boilermaker" and "Stang's Swang" and knew how to alter their playing styles to fit each mood and blues sub-genre.

Wynans' arrival in 1985 gave the band a bigger, beefier sound, as heard on Soul To Soul and In Step.

Since Vaughan's death in 1990, Double Trouble have backed a host of artists, including Jimmie Vaughan, Buddy Guy and, most recently, Albert Cummings.

05. The Wailers

Formed in the early ‘60s when Peter Tosh taught a young Robert Nesta Marley how to play guitar, the Wailers — in one incarnation or another — would back reggae’s most legendary figure throughout his entire career.

There are two distinct periods in the strata of Wailers history. The group’s original incarnation featured Tosh on guitar, with the Wailers existing as essentially a three-piece (with Bunny Livingston on percussion) between 1966 and 1974.

Citing unfair treatment within the group, Livingston and Tosh exited the band in ‘74, leaving Marley to regroup, establishing a new version of the Wailers that would serve as his backing band for the remainder of his career. The new Wailers lineup would hit the road in 1975 with Al Anderson handling guitar duties. Anderson would only stick around through '76, however, opting to join Peter Tosh's Word, Sound and Power and opening the door for Junior Marvin to enter the scene.

Marvin would breathe new life into the Wailers, as evidenced by the massive success of 1977's Exodus. But if you asked Marvin, he'd give all the credit to Roger Mayer, the man who Jimi Hendrix trusted to help craft his groundbreaking guitar sounds.

“You listen to the Wailers from 1977 onward and you listen to the Wailers pre-1977, and you will hear the difference,” Marvin says. “Part of that is down to Roger Mayer.”

But beyond a reinvigorated lineup and the technical know-how of Mayer, it was undoubtedly Marley’s strict work ethic that, regardless of lineup, made the Wailers one of the tightest backing bands in history.

“Bob was on top of everything, perfectly woven with everything,” Marvin said. “You felt like nothing would go wrong. Bob would rehearse us so much. At the end of rehearsal, you could play that thing in your sleep.”

These days, you can catch multiple versions of the Wailers on tour. The Wailers Band, led by “Family Man” Barrett, and the Original Wailers, featuring Al Anderson and Junior Marvin, are both doing their parts to keep the music and spirit of Bob Marley alive.

04. Booker T. & the M.G.'s

Among the first backing bands to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Booker T. and the M.G.s may very well be the most imitated house band in history, playing on hundreds of recordings for Stax Records, fortifying the sound of Southern soul in the process. During the 1960s, they would lend their talents to countless hits, including Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," even backing Redding at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

While primarily known as a backing band, Booker T. & the M.G.’s also received some acclaim on their own, particularly with the 1962 instrumental “Green Onions,” which was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" American sound recordings earlier this year.

In 1965, original bassist Lewie Steinberg would part ways with the band, paving the way for another Stax house band member, Donald “Duck” Dunn, to join the fray, solidifying a storied musical partnership.

“Steve and I are like an old married couple,” Dunn would later say of his relationship with Cropper. “I can look at him and know what he’s going to order for dinner.”

A further nod to their in-demand status, Dunn and Cropper would later join a pair of young Hollywood actors looking to cut an album of slick blues and R&B. They called themselves “the Blues Brothers.”

03. The Heartbreakers

Some names in popular culture are just inseparable: Starsky and Hutch; Laverne and Shirley; and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Formed from the remnants of the Southern rock band Mudcrutch, the pairing of Petty's wry lyrics and penchant for melodies gelled seamlessly with the rock steady rhythm section of drummer Stan Lynch and bassist Ron Blair.

And even when Petty — much to the dismay of many, including his bandmates — went solo in the late ‘80s, guitarist Mike Campbell was never far away, playing guitar on every track of the critically acclaimed Full Moon Fever.

Outside of the Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell is a much-sought-after studio musician, adding his tasteful licks to recordings from the likes of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, among others.

02. The E Street Band

Two high-profile Bruce Springsteen solo albums — Nebraska and We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions— might be fine pieces of work, but there's nothing quite like the sound of Springsteen when he's backed by the musicians who've had his back since 1972, the E Street Band.

The E Street Band is proof that a great band is more than the sum of its parts. Current band members, including Steven Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Nils Lofgren and Garry Tallent, might have their own successful side projects (including a never-ending series of mob-related cable TV shows), but they all know who's "Boss." When they are called to action, they are truly a force to be reckoned with. In this way, they are perhaps the perfect backing band; they live to serve their leader, but they do it while adding touches of their individual personalities and strengths.

Springsteen's early albums are clearly defined by the sound of the E Street Band, especially the trademark sax playing of the late Clarence Clemons. They often transformed what could have been simple compositions into grand, sprawling, dramatic works, such as "Born to Run" (Check out the live video below), "Lost in the Flood" and "Backstreets."

And while the band might not be so concerned with forging new sounds in 2013, as a live unit, they kick ass when it comes to generating excitement and reproducing their classic sound.

01. Crazy Horse

From 1969’s Everybody Knows This is Nowhere all that way up through the excellent Psychedelic Pill from 2012, the partnership between Neil Young and Crazy Horse stands as one of the most prolific in rock lore.

While the band has gone through its share of incarnations through the years, the drum-tight rhythm section of Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina has been intact since the ‘60s, and guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro has been a steady fixture since 1975’s Zuma.

In the realm of backing bands, Crazy Horse are far from the tightest act around, drifting lazily but deliberately between tempos with the occasional burst of cacophonous noise thrown in for good measure. But Young has never tapped them for metronome-like precision; he always comes back to them because, in the purest musical sense, they complete each other.

“I don’t think of my guitar solos as guitar solos,” said Young in a classic Guitar World interview, “because when we play, we’re like a big band jamming and taking long rides together.”

And so Crazy Horse stand atop the heap of backing bands for an unparalleled ability to elevate their frontman to new heights, never hesitating to take a leap out of the pocket when the music calls for it. Assuming their signature stance, huddled tightly around Molina's drum set, you get the undeniable impression that they're in another world entirely, journeying through strange landscapes with no particular destination in mind.

Neil Young said it himself: “I can’t do this with anyone else.”