It’s hard to keep up with Orianthi these days. The guitarist, who hails from the South Australia city of Adelaide, has been touring the world as a member of Alice Cooper’s band for the past year and a half.

When Guitar World finally catches up with her in Los Angeles, she’s just returning to the mainland from a show in Hawaii. Beyond the pleasures of globe trotting, she is clearly enjoying her long-running stint with the celebrated shock-rocker. “We get to celebrate Halloween all year long,” she says. “And I have the best seat in the house every night.”

It’s a pretty good arrangement for Cooper as well, as Orianthi is one of popular music’s most in-demand players. She is the rare modern guitarist who is equally adept at playing rock, pop, country and blues, not to mention capable of standing toe-to-toe with some of today’s best shredders.

Though only 27 years old, she has played alongside everyone from Cooper, Carlos Santana (her first idol) and Steve Vai to Carrie Underwood, Prince and Michael Jackson, whose band she was a member of for his ill-fated This Is It comeback shows in 2009.

In addition to her always-busy schedule with other musicians, Orianthi records and performs her own music. Her self-released solo debut, Violet Journey, came out in 2007, though it was the 2009 follow-up, Believe, which featured the slick pop-rock hit “According to You,” that proved to be her breakthrough.

Now’s she’s back with Heaven in This Hell, perhaps the most accurate representation to date of her varied style as an artist and a player. The record incorporates everything from heavy modern rock (“You Don’t Wanna Know”) to country-inflected balladry (“Another You” and “Rock”) to widescreen, soaring pop (“If You Think You Know Me”). But mostly there is gritty, bluesy hard rock laced with plenty of incendiary six-string work, as evidenced on the slide-guitar-powered “Fire,” the SRV-influenced “Frozen” and the swampy, wah-drenched title track.

“I’d been listening to a lot of Robert Johnson and Howlin’ Wolf,” Orianthi says about the inspiration behind the album, which she recorded in Nashville with former Eurythmics guitarist Dave Stewart at the helm. “I think you can hear the Delta blues thing in something like the intro to ‘Heaven in This Hell,’ which has that down-home acoustic riff.” Still, these aren’t songs meant for front-porch picking. Rather, Orianthi says, “With every track it was like, How is this gonna go down live? That was the main thing I had in mind when writing and recording these songs. We wanted it to be a blast to play onstage.”

The stage is clearly where Orianthi shines, and she has plans to take this material out on the road as a solo act—if she ever finds the time. She has dates booked with Cooper for much of 2013, and there’s no telling who might come knocking on her door after that. When asked which artists she would most welcome an opportunity to play alongside, Orianthi doesn’t hesitate with her answer: “B.B. King or Eric Clapton. I played at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007, but I’d love to actually do something with Eric. And B.B…he hits one note, and that’s all you need. He’s amazing.”

Given Orianthi’s track record, smart money would bet that these collaborations might happen sooner than she thinks. “I don’t know about that,” she says with a laugh. “But it’d be very cool…”

GUITAR WORLD: Heaven in This Hell has much more of a blues-rock vibe than your past work. Is that where your influences lie?

I was inspired to play electric guitar from listening to a lot of Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King, and that’s always been the kind of music that I gravitate toward. My last record, Believe, was certainly a more commercial record. There was some rock and also a bit of blues, but overall it was more pop. But this time I went back to what I first loved and didn’t overthink it.

Also, Dave [Stewart] is a huge blues fan. We jam a lot of blues on his porch all the time. We started working together because he was making a record at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, and he said, “Come down, check it out.” So I ended up hanging out there for two days and just watching his incredible band, these amazing studio musicians. And I thought, I want to do a record like this. I wanted everyone in a room together, just playing the songs. And we had so much fun. It was really inspiring.

A lot has been made of your relationship with Carlos Santana. How does it feel to have someone who was a childhood idol become a peer and a friend?

It’s pretty crazy. I was actually just out in Seattle with Carlos. He was being honored at the EMP [Experience Music Project] Museum, and I was invited to play. I was doing things like “Jungle Strut” and “Everybody’s Everything” [both from 1971’s Santana] And he was sitting on the couch watching me. I don’t get nervous very often, but I was like, “You’re listening to me play all of your solos. I’m pretty nervous right now.” [laughs] It was surreal. But truthfully, every time I’m around him, I’ll always be in awe. He’s the reason I play electric guitar. His playing is like church. It’s so powerful.

Is it true that you wrote and recorded a song for him when you were 14 years old?

Yes. I did a demo with my dad called Under the Influence. We had this band come over to the house and set up in the kitchen and the living room, and we recorded five songs for a CD. One of them was called “Song for Carlos.” And I sent that CD everywhere, including to Santana’s management.

His brother, Jorge, who works with them, sent me an email that said, “We’ve been playing your CD in our office. We really love it.” That was pretty crazy. Then when I was 18, Carlos came to play in Adelaide and I sent a press kit and CD to his hotel. I just wanted to meet him. I think he probably thought, My gosh, this girl’s insane! But I got to meet him and he said, “Hey, do you want to jam onstage tonight?” And this was in front of, like, 15,000 people. He didn’t even tell me what song we were going to play. We just jammed out for 40 minutes. It was one of those moments I’ll never forget.

It seems you’ve had more than your fair share of unforgettable moments, especially for someone so young. You opened for Steve Vai when you were just 15.

Steve was really the first musician who gave me support. I played with him at a nightclub in Adelaide called Heaven. It was just me. There was no band—I was playing to a track. And all these guys in the audience were just standing there with their arms folded. But Steve was actually watching me from offstage, which felt good. And when he went on that night, he came out with the miner’s light on his head and lasers on his fingers, and I was just like, “Oh, my God.”

It was like Jeff Beck meets Jimi Hendrix. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the whole show, because I was underage. [laughs] But after that, we stayed in contact. I would send him demos, and he would actually listen to them and write back and say things like, “I think this part’s really good,” or, “Maybe if you change this part…” Having his guidance has been super-inspiring. He’s been like an uncle to me.

The two of you recorded a guitar instrumental called “Highly Strung” for your last record. There’s some great playing on it.

That was a lot of fun. The guitar parts you hear on that were actually recorded at his house. We did a demo there and it just had the energy, so we kept it. So those are all demo guitars. Really, the whole thing was improvised. It was like, “I have this idea. Let’s play the riff together. And then you do something and I’ll do something. Then we’ll play the riff again.” Just figuring it out. It was a real honor to do that. He’s such an innovator.

Another innovator that you’ve had the opportunity to work with is Michael Jackson. You were the last guitarist to play with him before his death. How did you come to be in his band?

I was recording with Dianne Warren when I got an email from his people. They had watched some of my YouTube videos and wanted me to come in and audition. And I thought, Is this a joke? But my manager reached out to them, and he said, “It’s for real.” Truthfully, I didn’t even think I was going to get it.

Because, I mean, I’ve listened to Van Halen and all that, but I’m not really that style of player; I’m more of a blues person. But I went in there and I played “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Dirty Diana”… I played the “Beat It” solo but I did my own take on it. Because I’m not going to fill Eddie Van Halen’s shoes. I’m not going to fill Jennifer Batten’s shoes. They’re amazing at what they do, but I just said, “I’m going to do my own thing.” And I did.

What do you recall of Michael from the audition?

I remember that he wanted to hear it really loud. [laughs] He had them turn everything up. But basically, he just sat on a black couch and watched me play. That was probably the most nervous I’ve been in my life. But really, working with Michael was amazing. I remember the first time he danced. I remember him singing “Billie Jean” in front of me. And it’s funny, because then I would go home to my apartment and I’d be cleaning up dog crap, doing normal things. And I’d be thinking, What just happened? And I couldn’t tell anybody for quite a while. It was a secretive thing. Like, “Hey, what are you doing today?” “Ah, nothing…”

While we’re on the subject of enigmatic characters, you’ve also jammed with Prince. What was that experience like?

I was at home and he called me. Like, “Hey, Orianthi. This is Prince.” And what was weird was I had just watched his performance at the Super Bowl, where he did that Foo Fighters song, “Best of You.” And it was amazing. So I’m thinking, Are you serious? And again, he tells me that he had seen some of my YouTube videos and he wants to jam. He said, “I’m going to be at the Record Plant tomorrow and I’m flying down Shelia E. We’ll jam at one o’clock.” And I was like, “Okay!”

So I showed up with my guitar, and he said, “You play one of your ideas, and I’ll play one of mine.” He played bass, I played guitar, and Shelia played drums. We jammed for, like, two hours. And I remember he put his ear right up to my amp, because he wanted to hear everything I was playing. [laughs] That was pretty crazy.

We wound up hanging out for three or four days. We went to a jazz club one night. Another night he played an unannounced show in a hotel lobby. And it was just full of all these people; I think Terrence Howard was in the front, Penelope Cruz... Crazy. He said to me, “Where’s your guitar?” But I didn’t bring it. I didn’t want to be presumptuous. I thought it’d be weird, like, Yeah, it’s right here on my back.

When you play with musicians in various genres, do you tailor your gear to fit the project?

It depends. I always use PRS guitars, but I might change up which ones. With Alice [Cooper], I’m using Custom 24s with Floyd Rose tremolos and thin necks. And I play heavier-gauge strings, because we detune. I also have a Whammy Pedal. Those are all things I need for Alice’s music. But if I’m doing a small, bluesy gig, I’ll take maybe a Custom 22 and a wah pedal. Then with Michael [Jackson], I had a lot of different guitars because I needed to get that funky tone. For amps, I’ll try different things, but lately I’ve been playing mostly the Fender EVH 5150 III.

What was your main gear setup for Heaven in This Hell?

I brought my PRS 22, and I used my own model [the PRS SE Orianthi] for leads. I actually also used an old Strat for some rhythm parts as well, just for a different texture. For amps, it was mostly an old Fender Twin. Then I had a Cry Baby wah, and also a Boss Octave pedal, which you can hear at the beginning of “Heaven in This Hell,” where it comes in super-heavy.

Do you prefer recording and performing your own music or being a part of someone else’s project?

I love both, and I hope I can continue to do both. Being the frontperson is great, because you’re running the show. And I love the guys who play in my band. But then it’s also so much fun to be part of someone else’s band. And I actually see myself more as a guitar player. So it’s really a cool thing to be able to do all of this. But it’s also a lot of work. Getting ready for a tour is a big process, and I enjoy every part of it. Because you learn so much. With Alice’s tour, we had to learn something like 25 songs in a week.

What would you say is the key to being a good side person?

Just play it like you mean it. You have to be present in the moment and be able to harness that energy and also project that energy out at the listener. With Alice, for instance, he takes his audience on a journey every night. And I want to be a part of that journey, not just somebody onstage watching it happen. So you have to go out there and give it everything you’ve got. No matter what you’re doing, make sure you’re not doing it half-assed.

Photo: Jeremy Danger

The following content is related to the July 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.

In the following video, Guitar World's Paul Riario looks at the Dean Dave Mustaine Zero Angel of Deth II, the latest signature model from Megadeth's iconic guitarist.

GuitarWorld.com is revisiting Steve Vai's classic mag column, "The Ultra Zone," for this crash course in ear training.

As I mentioned last time, a valuable method of training your ear is to practice singing the notes that you play on the guitar. I’d like to elaborate on this fun approach and offer you some specific advice on how to go about doing this on your own.

A good way to start this training method is to stay within one scale and key and make sure that you can follow with your voice any melodies or licks that you play. Obviously, you can only sing one note at a time, so you’ll probably want to stick with playing single notes, at least for now, so you can zero in on specific pitches. Let’s say you’re using the A-minor pentatonic scale, illustrated in FIGURE 1A, as your starting point. FIGURE 1B is an example of a line to play and sing simultaneously. This drill can be challenging, but it’s ultimately rewarding.

The next level of this exercise is to venture outside the fixed structure of one scale and add chromatic “passing” tones—the notes that fall between the scale degrees—to the lines you’re trying to sing and play. FIGURE 1C is an example of how you might go about doing this within the A-minor-pentatonic pattern we just looked at. Venturing away from the fixed structure of the diatonic key presents a great challenge to your ears and will strengthen your “pitch-recognition muscles” immensely. If you practice this drill every day, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your ears will “grow.”

An essential element in ear training is the thorough understanding of intervals. An interval is the distance or gap between two notes: if you start on an A note and go up two frets to B, the intervallic distance between the two notes is a major second. If you were to go up four frets from A to C#, the interval between these two notes would be a major third.

FIGURE 2A depicts the A-major scale and indicates the intervallic relationships between the tonic (root note) and all the other notes in the scale. FIGURE 2B shows the chromatic scale, starting on A and covering an octave and a half, with the intervals indicated. I highly recommend memorizing all of these intervallic relationships; a good way to do this is to recite each interval name while playing the notes of the scale.

There are many different exercises one can do to strengthen interval recognition. Here’s one that I like: get a tape recorder and record yourself playing pairs of notes, using root notes combined with either major or minor thirds, as illustrated in FIGURE 3A. Play random pairs of major or minor thirds all over the guitar neck and, after each pair is played, wait a moment and then say either “major” or “minor” to identify the interval. After filling up a 60-minute tape with this random stuff, listen back and try to identify the intervallic relationship by saying “major” or “minor” before your voice on the tape provides the answer. The purpose of this exercise is to train yourself to quickly identify major and minor intervals in all keys, anywhere on the guitar.

The next step is to proceed to other intervals, such as fourths and augmented fourths, which are one half step (one fret) higher than fourths. FIGURE 3B shows random pairs of fourths and augmented fourths; again, fill a 60-minute tape with pairs of notes, then go back and try to identify the intervallic relationships. Another idea is to make a tape of fourths combined with major and minor thirds, or fourths and augmented fourths combined with major and minor thirds. Then, continue this approach using all of the intervals in different combinations.

Another good exercise is to play every type of interval against a fixed root note. For example, if you choose the key of B, begin by playing a low B, and then play a variety of higher notes against this low B. After the higher note is played, identify on the tape what the interval is, and then move on to another interval. This type of exercise is illustrated in FIGURE 4.

By the time you’ve gotten this drill down cold—to the point where you consistently attain a near-perfect score—you will have established a firm grasp of intervals. You may have to make three or four 60-minute tapes, each in a different key, but, in time, you’ll end up knowing this stuff inside out. The study of intervals is something that many musicians work on their entire lives.

I’ll be back next time with some more ear training advice.

On this date in 1969, supergroup Blind Faith, which featured Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Grech, made their live debut at a free concert in London's Hyde Park.

Here's the short set list the short-lived band performed that lovely afternoon. Most of the songs are from the band's only album (1969's Blind Faith), but they also threw in Sam Myers' bluesy "Sleeping in the Ground," a Rolling Stones cover and a Traffic tune ("Means to an End").

01. Well All Right
02. Sea of Joy
03. Sleeping in the Ground
04. Under My Thumb
05. Can't Find My Way Home
06. Do What You Like
07. Presence of the Lord
08. Means to an End
09. Had to Cry Today

Their album cover sparked controversy because it showed a topless pubescent girl holding a silver space ship, which some people perceived as a phallic symbol. The US record company issued it with a different cover featuring a simple photo of the band.

Check out a few tunes from the show, and some amusing crowd shots, below. And note the fairly rare sight of Clapton playing a Tele with a Strat neck.

Last night, guitarist Adrian Belew announced he was quitting Nine Inch Nails.

Belew, noted for his work with Talking Heads and King Crimson, posted the following note on Facebook, via Consequence of Sound:

"hey folks, before this goes too far let me say this: I greatly respect trent and the music he makes. no one is at fault. we both agreed it just was not working. I’m sorry to disappoint anyone. that really hurts. but NIN will do an amazing show and I am back where I belong: creating FLUX."

That post, which has since disappeared from Belew's page, was replaced by the following sentence:

"concerning me being part of the 2013 Nine Inch Nails band: it didn't work."

FLUX, by the way, is Belew's solo project. It also describes the state in which Nine Inch Nails' lineup has found itself in 2013. Bassist Eric Avery left the band in May. A week later, former NIN guitarist Robin Finck rejoined the band.

It should be noted that Belew played an important part in Nine Inch Nails' recent reformation. As Reznor explained in a press release earlier this year, "I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas ... which led to the decision to re-think the idea of what Nine Inch Nails could be."

And let's not forget the quote that appears in the photo below, which appears on Belew's official website:

This is an excerpt from the July 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine. For the rest of this story, plus features on Joe Satriani, Ghost B.C., Mick Jones of Foreigner, Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flats, plus transcriptions of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn,"check out the issue at the Guitar World Online Store.

2011 was well on the way to being one of the best years of Tony Iommi’s life. The guitarist was on a successful book tour to promote Iron Man, his revealing autobiography in which he talks about his life and his career with Black Sabbath.

At the same time, he was reuniting with the original Black Sabbath members—vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward—to write and record a new full-length album, the quartet’s first since 1978’s Never Say Die!

But celebration gave way to concern when Iommi discovered a lump in his groin. Doctors initially misdiagnosed the problem as nothing more than an infection, but when Iommi’s condition worsened, his doctor biopsied the mass. At a follow-up appointment, he told Iommi the result: We found lymphoma.

“Once I heard my doctor say that, my whole world changed,” Iommi says. “I thought, Bloody cancerous lymphoma? Well that’s it. I’ve had it.”

This news came as such a shock that even today, as Guitar World sits across from a healthy-looking Iommi in a cottage in rural West Midlands, England, the guitarist’s affable disposition darkens when he recalls that grim period.

“Once they diagnosed it, I had to start the treatment right away,” he says. “And it knocked me about. I’d go through stages thinking, Can I do this? And then: Of course I can do this. I don’t want to die. I want to carry on and do what I’m supposed to do.”

Iommi’s treatment included an aggressive course of chemotherapy and radiation that attacked the cancer but seriously taxed his immune system. He began to feel sicker, lose weight and weaken, and had to focus what little energy he had into fighting his illness. Plans for the Sabbath record were put on hold. But as the guitarist’s body began responding to treatment, Iommi’s creative spark was rekindled. Much to everyone’s surprise, he turned his attention back to writing the songs that would eventually make up Black Sabbath’s new disc, 13.

“They thought I would pack up,” Iommi says. “But I asked the doctor, ‘Is it okay if I work?’ And he said, ‘Yes, you’ve just got to be careful.’ So I’d go in the studio and play for a bit. Then I’d get tired and I’d have to go and sit down. The guys would tell me not to push it.”

Iommi was determined to get the album made. And as Osbourne and Butler tell us when we catch up with them in a Los Angeles recording studio, where they’re putting the final touches on the album, he rose to the occasion.

“We all rallied around him,” Osbourne says. “But it’s not like we’d be saying, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?’ We just got on with it. Sure, he looked tired, but he was a soldier and marched on. He still had more riffs coming out of him than anyone. None of us would go, ‘Oh, he’s fucking ill again.’ We’re bros. We grew up together. It’s like a family member getting sick.”

“It brought up how we’re all just mortal beings, and we aren’t gonna be here forever,” Butler adds. “Tony and I were on the Heaven & Hell tour with Ronnie James Dio, and six months later Ronnie was dead [from stomach cancer, in 2010]. We didn’t have any inkling that was gonna happen. When Tony got the cancer, obviously that was in his mind. We didn’t know how he’d respond to the treatment. So it was like, Let’s get the album done at all costs, as long as Tony’s up to it. So we’d write for three weeks, and then he’d go for his treatment and we’d all have three weeks off. But it didn’t affect his playing at all. In fact I think it really encouraged him and kept his mind off the cancer, which is the best thing you can possibly do if you have that.”

As Iommi got stronger, his future, as well as Black Sabbath’s, started looking brighter. The band continued writing and rehearsing, and making progress on the new album. On November 11, 2011, Sabbath held a press conference at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go-Go to officially announce that they had reformed and would record an album of new material. But in early 2012, Bill Ward surprised everyone when he announced that he would not move forward with recording, saying he felt “ostracized” by the band and calling the contract he was offered “unsignable.”

“I was shocked,” Iommi says. “We were hearing stuff from lawyers, like, ‘I’m not happy with this. I’m not happy with that.’ We waited a long time for Bill and we wanted to sort it out. But at the end of the day, especially after I was diagnosed, I thought, Fucking hell, that’s it. We’ve got to get a move on. I might pop off next year! So I emailed him and said, ‘Bill, we can’t wait any longer. We’ve got to get on with it.’ And that was it.”

Photo: Travis Shinn

For the rest of this story, plus features on Joe Satriani, Ghost B.C., Mick Jones of Foreigner, Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flats, plus transcriptions of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn,"check out the issue at the Guitar World Online Store.

Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of a new music video by the Glenn Proudfoot Power Trio.

The band features Australian guitarist Glenn Proudfoot, a former Guitar World columnist who now writes the Sick Licks and Monster Licks lessons for GuitarWorld.com.

The track, "Justify," is from the band's new album, Animal, which is available at iTunes and through glennproudfoot.com.

Animal was written and produced by Proudfoot and songwriter/producer Peter "Reggie" Bowman and recorded at Screamlouder Productions in Melbourne, Australia.

"I wanted to keep this album as raw as possible while experimenting with some industrial-style sounds to capture where I'm at musically at the moment," Proudfoot said. "Peter ‘Reggie’ Bowman was able to turn my vision into a reality. He has been a huge influence on my writing and playing over the last couple of years, and it's such an honor to have written and produced this record with him.

"I'm really proud of this album. It's tough, fast and furious, with ripping guitar riffs and solos! Just the way I like it!"

Besides Proudfoot on guitar, "Justify" features Damian Corniola on drums and Jarrod Ross on bass. The music video was shot by Ian Ritter in Melbourne.

Animal Track Listing:

01. Feel Free To Give / 02. Save Me / 03. Loud / 04. Justify / 05. Whip It / 06. Sucker Punch / 07. Animal / 08. Fire At Will / 09. Done / 10. Living It Up / 11. Dear Enemy

Check out the video below, and tell us what you think in the comments! For more about Proudfoot, visit his official website.

Even though Black Sabbath's new album, 13, isn't even out yet, bassist Geezer Butler has already dropped a hint that their highly anticipated new album might not be the band's last.

"I guess you should never say never," Butler told Billboard. "It could be, though. We'll see how this album goes, see what happens."

"Let's put it this way," Ozzy Osbourne said in the same story. "It's taken us 35 years to do this one. So if there's gonna be [another] album, there's gonna be an album, but I don't want to say if there's going to be a follow-up. I wouldn't mind doing another Sabbath album with them, though."

13, which will be available June 11, is the first Black Sabbath album to feature Osbourne since 1978's Never Say Die. You can hear the entire album at iTunes, where it has been streaming for free since Monday. It's also available for pre-order.

Black Sabbath will kick off a North American tour July 25 in Houston.

Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi are GW's current cover stars. Read about Iommi's battle with cancer and the struggle to record 13, plus features on Joe Satriani, Ghost B.C. and Mick Jones of Foreigner and transcriptions of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn."It's all in the July 2013 issue of Guitar World at the Guitar World Online Store.

Guitar World and Vook have announced a partnership for Vook to provide its eBook creation, distribution, marketing and merchandizing services to Guitar World, the leading publication and online destination for guitarists.

The series has launched with its first title, Guitar World Lessons: Beginner Guitar: 20 Essential Rhythm Guitar Styles, a video-enhanced eBook that teaches fundamental guitar techniques. It's available now for $5.99 through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, Sony, Samsung and Vook’s online store. Check out the store links below!

Additionally, Vook is making a non-video-enhanced version available on Kobo and Google.

“‘Guitar World Lessons’ are a blend of written instruction, tablature and video that come together perfectly in an e-book format. We think this is a great new way for people of all skill levels to learn to play guitar,” says Bill Amstutz, VP, publishing director, Music, of NewBay Media. “The Vook platform allows us to easily present and distribute our multimedia content on all e-book devices.”

“Guitar World is the leading name for guitars and guitarists. The opportunity to teach readers new techniques through videos integrated into instructional text is a perfect fit for the enhanced-eBook concept that Vook pioneered,” says Matthew Cavnar, Vook’s VP of Business Development. “We’re looking forward to delivering many more high-quality eBooks for Guitar World to the major marketplaces.”

Guitar World Lessons: Beginner Guitar is available for $5.99 on Amazon, Apple’s iBookstore and Vook, with additional retailers to come soon.

For more about Vook, visit vook.com.

Metallica are undeniably the most influential rock band of the past 30 years. That fact can be perceived simply by looking at the numbers.

They are on the exclusive list of music artists who have sold more than 100 million records, and each of their albums has enjoyed multi-Platinum status, an achievement that even AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and U2 haven’t matched.

And while they’ve never really had a bona fide pop hit, dozens of Metallica songs — including “Seek and Destroy,” “Master of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman” — have become vital landmarks on the vast landscape of music history, inspiring new generations of music fans and aspiring guitarists much the same way “Johnny B. Goode,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Stairway to Heaven” inspired previous generations.

In that respect, Metallica’s influence can be observed simply by tuning into the very culture of modern music. To put it simply, Metallica redefined metal music. During the early Eighties, bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were considered heavy metal. But after Metallica burst out of the underground and into mainstream awareness, the terms heavy and metal didn’t quite seem to fit those bands any more.

Metallica’s sonic signatures — extreme high-gain distortion, rapid-fire down-picked riffs and jackhammer double–bass drum rhythms — became the new vernacular for metal. Since Metallica’s arrival in 1983, thousands of bands—including industrial groups like Ministry, nu-metal newcomers like Korn and unabashed Metallica clones like Trivium—have adopted those characteristics as their own.

Having deep influences has certainly helped Metallica hone their craft. Drummer Lars Ulrich’s vast collection of Seventies Euro metal, punk rock and NWOBHM records provided a bottomless well of inspiration during Metallica’s early days, when the band consisted of Ulrich, guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett (who replaced founding guitarist Dave Mustaine) and bassist Cliff Burton.

The band members never stopped searching for new inspirations, discovering unlikely muses like Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western scores, Tom Waits’ lowlife junkyard blues and Nick Cave’s gothic post-punk swamp rock. Along the way they lost members: Burton died in 1986 and was replaced by Jason Newsted, who left in 2001 and was later replaced by Robert Trujillo. But even as Metallica evolved from progressive thrash epics in the Eighties to shorter and more melodic songs in the Nineties, they never lost the essence of their personality — an indefinable intensity that makes Metallica songs as recognizable as any classic from the Beatles or Led Zeppelin catalogs.

Considering the band’s lasting and ever-growing influence, we felt an examination of its contributions was long overdue. The following 100 songs are significant mileposts that have shaped and defined much of the hard rock and metal music made today, and they’re also the source of some of the coolest riffs ever written for the guitar. No wonder Metallica remain a powerful force to be reckoned with.

A few years ago, the editors of Guitar World magazine 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” (Number 100) and builds to a truly epic finish with Jimmy Page's solo on "Stairway to Heaven" (Number 1).

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

We've kicked off a summer blockbuster of our own — a no-holds-barred six-string shootout. We're pitting Guitar World's top 64 guitar solos against each other in an NCAA-style, 64-team single-elimination tournament. Every day, we will ask you to cast your vote in a different guitar-solo matchup as dictated by the 64-team-style bracket (which we will share soon!).

Note that you can vote only once per matchup. The voting for each matchup ends as soon as the next matchup is posted (Basically, that's one poll per day during the first round of elimination, including weekends and holidays).

In some cases, genre will clash against genre; a thrash solo might compete against a Southern rock solo, for instance. But let's get real: 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? Which is more iconic? or Which one kicks a larger, more impressive assemblage of asses?"

Voting started Monday, June 10, 2013. Today's matchup pits Ritchie Blackmore's work on Deep Purple's "Highway Star" (15) against Kiss'"Shock Me," featuring Ace Frehley (50). Get busy! You'll find the poll at the bottom of the story.


Yesterday's Results

Winner: "For the Love of God" (67.82 percent)
Loser: "Black Star" (32.18 percent)


Round 1, Day 3: "Highway Star" Vs. "Shock Me"

15. “Highway Star”
Soloist: Ritchie Blackmore
Album: Deep Purple—Machine Head (Warner Bros., 1972)

“I wrote that out note for note about a week before we recorded it,” says Ritchie Blackmore. “And that is one of the only times I have ever done that. I wanted it to sound like someone driving in a fast car, for it to be one of those songs you would listen to while speeding. And I wanted a very definite Bach sound, which is why I wrote it out—and why I played those very rigid arpeggios across that very familiar Bach progression—Dm, Gm, Cmaj, Amaj. I believe that I was the first person to do that so obviously on the guitar, and I believe that that’s why it stood out and why people have enjoyed it so much.

“[Keyboardist] Jon Lord worked his part out to mine. Initially, I was going to play my solo over the chords he had planned out. But I couldn’t get off on them, so I made up my own chords and we left the spot for him to write a melody. The keyboard solo is quite a bit more difficult than mine because of all those 16th notes. Over the years, I’ve always played that solo note for note—again, one of the few where I’ve done that—but it just got faster and faster onstage because we would drink more and more whiskey. Jon would have to play his already difficult part faster and faster and he would get very annoyed about it.”

50. "Shock Me”
Soloist: Ace Frehley
Album: Kiss—Alive II (Mercury, 1977)

“I basically did the same solo every night on that tour, with minor alterations, so I had it kind of planned out when I did it the night we recorded it live for Alive II,” says Ace Frehley.

“But if you listen carefully to the ‘Shock Me’ solo you can hear me make a mistake about two thirds of the way through. Instead of tapping a B at the 19th fret of the high E string, I accidentally hit the A# note at the 18th fret—that’s definitely a wrong note for the scale I’m using. We could have fixed it in the mix, but I said to Eddie [Kramer, Alive II producer], ‘Screw it! Leave it in. The run sounds cool, so who cares—it’s rock and roll!’ ”

Cast Your Vote!

Even though the Fender Jaguar has a short, 24-inch scale, 22-fret neck and knobs and switches that can be as confusing as the control panel on a single-engine 1983 Piper Seminole, it’s an undeniably cool guitar, and it looks and sounds awesome.

Although it wasn’t a huge hit for Fender in the early ’60s (Let’s just say it never quite took off like the Strat and the Tele), the model had, and has, a massive cult following.

But despite the all love, some players complain that the Jaguar doesn’t have the sustain of a Strat, and — from personal experience — it often has this weird string-buzz thing going on.

Which is one of the reasons I sold my Jaguar for beer money in 2007 (I did eventually crawl back into this corner of the universe when I bought a Jazzmaster in 2011).

As a member of a New York-based heavy trad instrumental surf rock band called Mister Neutron, I know a lot of Jaguar players. Some of them — including Dave Wronski of Southern California’s Slacktone (also an occasional GuitarWorld.com blogger) — use something called a Buzz Stop to address this problem.

The Buzz Stop, which is made by a company called Whizzo, is a piece of hardware that attaches to the tailpiece of a Jaguar or Jazzmaster. It has a roller, which the strings go under. The benefit is the added down-pressure of the strings against the bridge saddles, which makes for a more “solid” contact.

“The Buzz Stop helps reduce rattles and the tendency of the strings to jump off the bridge saddles when playing aggressively,” Wronski says. “Without it, a lot of string-vibration energy is lost by way of the rattles. I use them on my Jaguars, except for my ’63 sunburst model, which doesn’t seem to need it because the angle and height of the neck pocket are optimal for a good rattle-free setup. The ’63 is well-made; the saddles were better on those old guitars.”

For much more about the Whizzo Buzz Stop (Consider this blog post merely a teaser on the topic), visit North Coast Music's Buzz Stop page. You'll find photos, diagrams, FAQs and dealers.

Stay frosty!

In the meantime, check out Slacktone in action. That's Dave Wronski on the Jaguar, Dusty Watson on drums and Sam Bolle on bass:

Damian Fanelli is the online managing editor at Guitar World.Follow him on Twitter, I mean, if you want ...

Last night, in celebration of the release of 13, Black Sabbath's new album, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler participated in a live Town Hall event that was broadcast on YouTube and Google+.

The broadcast included an interview with the band, an online Q&A session with fans, an exclusive Black Sabbath documentary, the band's complete performance of "The End of the Beginning" from CSI and more.

Now you can watch the entire 90-minute broadcast below.

Osbourne and Butler were on the scene at Angel Orensanz Foundation For Contemporary Art in New York City. Iommi was beamed in from Birmingham, England. 13 drummer Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine) and Osbourne's son Jack joined in via Google+ Hangout from Los Angeles.

The event was hosted by comedian Jim Norton (the first face you see when the video begins), who was one of the many highlights at Guitar World's roasts of Zakk Wylde and Dee Snider.

By the way, we'd like to know what you think of 13. Be sure to tell us in the comments below!

The following content is related to the January 2013 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.

Jimmy Page is regarded as one of rock’s greatest guitarists, bandleaders and producers for the incredibly rich canon of music he created with Led Zeppelin. But not everything produced by the man was as crushingly heavy as Zep favorites like “Whole Lotta Love,” “Heartbreaker,” “Black Dog” and “Rock and Roll.”

Jimmy was often quoted as saying his true passion was to create a combination of “light and shade” in the form of contrasting and complementary musical sounds. These sounds often found their roots in acoustic English and Celtic folk music, and can be heard as well in the proto-metal electric sounds of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream and Page's former band, The Yardbirds.

A standard technique found in English and Celtic folk music is the incorporation of alternate tunings, utilized by some of Page’s favorite guitarists, such as Bert Jansch and Davey Graham.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Lace Music has announced that Gibson's new Bill Kelliher Golden Axe Explorer guitar is fitted with Lace Nitro Hemi pickups dressed in gold-plated finish.

Kelliher, one of the guitarists for Mastodon, has been a Lace endorser for some time. It is fitting that his new Signature Gibson Explorer guitar uses some of his favorite pickups.

Finished with gold-plated covers to match the rest of his Gibson, these pickups were specially built for this run of Golden Axe guitars.

Lace Nitro-Hemi pickups were designed for rock and heavy metal players. It is a serious modern humbucker that can be split for single-coil tones. Bold and aggressive, it will take you from zero to metal in a heartbeat.

Built with Barium Ferrite magnets and using patented Lace Sensor design, this passive high-output pickup has the thump of a fat humbucker with the sparkly bell like top end found in single-coil pickups, proving sweet harmonic overtones that jump off every note for increased sonic depth.

Nitro Hemi pickups are designed for zero noise and exceptional tone in the split-coil mode. As one of Kelliher’s requirements for Mastodon and more, these pickups deliver the tone and looks Kelliher sought for the guitar.

Technical Specs:

Neck: Resistance 15.8Ω, Peak Frequency 2750 Hz, Inductance 4.6 henries
Bridge: Resistance 19.0Ω, Peak Frequency 2600 Hz, Inductance 4.6 henries

For more information, visit Lace at lacemusic.com or Gibson at gibson.com.

I remember my first time playing in front of a crowd like it was yesterday.

I was 16 and had recently started a cover band with my brother on drums and a few neighborhood friends. We all caught the metal bug and wanted nothing else but to play Metallica and Pantera covers all day long.

The other guitarist in the band told us about an opportunity to play a show at his high school. After some nervous contemplation, we all decided to jump on board with the idea.

In hindsight, we played a decent show, considering we were inexperienced and still learning our way around our instruments. But to this day, there's one memory from that show that sticks out like a sore thumb. I made a mistake during my guitar solo. I'm sure you all know the feeling. It was actually the only original song we had written and decided to play at the show. It was my moment to shine, and I screwed up. Or maybe not ...

A few days later when I watched the video of the show, something interesting occurred to me: I didn't notice the mistake. In my mind, the blunder was so obvious that I assumed it would be obvious to everyone else. But I had to re-watch the video a couple of times to actually notice the error I had made. The irony is that the only thing in the video that appears obvious is when I shake my head in frustration after the mistake allegedly happened.

This brings me to the main point of this article — how to effectively let go of our mistakes, especially during a performance.

I think it's safe to say most musicians are perfectionists by nature, which we all hope will produce rewarding results. A majority of the time, our hard work does pay off, and we begin to see noticeable improvements during our formative years. We start to play faster and more accurately with the good old metronome day by day. However, a small byproduct of this strong work ethic begins to grow inside our psyche, which, if unchecked, can spread like a cancer: the tendency to obsess over every last detail.

The line between proficiency and perfection is sometimes blurred, to the detriment of the player. We are solely focused on improving our miscues from the prior day's practice that we don't stop to realize just how far along we've come. When I would play along to songs in my room, I had a habit of replaying a song from the beginning if I screwed up just one section.

Needless to say, there's no "replay" button when you're playing live. Instead, I started getting in the habit of owning my mistakes. This can be an invaluable step forward in your playing. Unless the mistake is catastrophic (which, if you practice effectively, should be a rare occurrence), should you really let it get to you? I don't think so, and sometimes it can be helpful to look at it from a different perspective.

The road to musical perfection is an illusory one paved with good intentions. But from the cracks in the road that we sometimes call mistakes can come style and character.

I remember watching a video diary from the late great Dimebag Darrell (from the DimeVision DVD) where he was describing how uncomfortable he felt when he listened to one of his guitar solos that became the final take on an album. The look on his face said it all; it was cringe-worthy for him to relive this part of the solo (I think it involved one of his "squeals" not living up to his expectations). But one of his friends always pointed out the same section and told Dime it was his favorite part of the solo.

If you watch enough YouTube videos, I'm sure you can find tons of live footage from famous bands where mistakes are made. The question is, How often do you see them shaking their head in frustration? Perception is reality, and if you "own" your occasional slip-ups and quirks, they become non-events and barely noticeable to your audience. In fact, these imperfections help to reinforce the human aspect of your playing and can make the music sound more honest.

It's like taking a test in school: If you want to get a good grade, studying (practicing your instrument) and being prepared for the material is a no-brainer. However, at the end of the day, why get all stressed out because you scored an "A-" instead of an "A" or an "A+"? Instead of dwelling, take pride in what you have accomplished thus far in your musical journey and try not to forget that, at one point, you were completely unable to play the guitar!

Even the best musicians make mistakes, but it's how you react and move forward from those setbacks that truly measure your progress.

Chris Breen is a New Jersey-based guitarist with 14 years of experience under his belt. He, along with his brother Jon (on drums) started the two-piece metal project known as SCARSIC in 2011. Due to a lack of members, Chris tracked guitars, bass and vocals for their self titled four-song demo (available on iTunes, Spotify and Rhapsody). They have recently been joined by bassist Bill Loucas and are writing new material. Chris also is part of an all-acoustic side project known as Eyes Turn Stone. Chris teaches guitar lessons as well (in person or via Skype). If you're interested in taking lessons with Chris, visit BreenMusicLessons.com for more info.

SKB has announced that Strat/Tele guitar and Precision/Jazz bass cases are available now — only from SKB Corporation. The cases were previously manufactured exclusively for Fender Corporation.

The 1SKB-66PRO Rectangular Electric Guitar case accommodates Stratocaster- and Telecaster-shaped models, while the 1SKB-44PRO Electric Bass case will fit Precision- and Jazz-style basses.

Both case models, which are manufactured at SKB’s Mexico factory, are vacuum formed of durable lightweight ABS plastic with molded in stacking ribs for added strength and durability.

Cases include the same patented fiberglass-reinforced TSA locking trigger latches found on the popular i-Series injection-molded flight cases. A comfortable rubber over-molded cushion grip handle is placed in the perfect location for balanced transport.

The interior of these models features a rigid EPS, plush-lined insert for a secure fit to the body and proper neck support of the instrument. A large accessory compartment for picks, strings or a slide is included.

The 1SKB-66PRO Tele/Strat Street Price of $159.99 and the 1SKB-44PRO J/P Bass Street Price of $169.99 cases are covered by SKB’s Unconditional Lifetime Warranty to the original purchaser and are available now. Visit the SKB Summer NAMM Booth #1100 to check them out or contact SKB Music ProAV Sales at 1.800.410.2024. For more info, visit skbcases.com.

Here’s a great offer for Guitar World readers from Guitar Workshop Plus:

Enter now to win free tuition to this summer's Guitar Workshop Plus program! Also, if you register for Guitar Workshop Plus during June, you'll receive a $100 discount off your tuition.*

Spend a week learning and playing with some the best musicians around, including Tosin Abasi, Andy McKee, Dave Martone, Mike Stern, Stu Hamm, Gary Hoey, Rhonda Smith and more!

Mention promo code GW13 on the online registration form or in the "How did you hear about our program?" section of the PDF registration form on our website, or call us at 905-567-8000.

Don’t forget: Click here for your chance to win free tuition.

A drawing will take place, and and the winner notified on or after June 30, 2013.

For more information about the 2013 Guitar Workshop Plus program, head here.

*Offer is valid for new students only who register during June 2013. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Giveaway is for course tuition. Travel and accommodation are the responsibility of the attendee. On-campus room and board is available. If you register to take advantage of the discount offer and you win the contest, you will be refunded the tuition! Good luck!

Railhammer has announced that its Hyper Vintage model pickups are now available with chrome covers.

The covers are made of German silver (nickel silver) and are chrome plated. Unlike brass, German silver has a minimal effect on the sound of the pickup.

The Hyper Vintage pickup is aimed at the player who likes a more traditional PAF-style sound. Using Alnico 5 magnets and 42 gauge wire, the tone is warm, open and lightly compressed with chimey highs. The Hyper Vintage is suited for blues, classic rock, old-school metal and punk, that "brown" sound, or for any player looking for a vintage vibe but wants the advantages of the Railhammer design. The bridge model is wound to 8.5K, the neck model to 7.5K.

Thin rails under the wound strings sense a narrow section of string, producing a tight, clear tone. Large poles under the plain strings sense a wide section of string, producing a fat, thick tone. This allows players to dial in a tight clear tone on the wound strings without the plain strings sounding thin or sterile. The result is improved clarity and tonal balance across all the strings.

Touch sensitivity, sustain and harmonic content are also enhanced by the extremely efficient magnetic structure, and the elimination of any moving parts. The strong magnetic field also prevents any dead spots when bending strings (including on the round pole side).

Other features include universal spacing, six-screw German silver baseplate, four-conductor wiring (for custom wiring such as coil split, phase, series/parallel, etc.) and height-tapered rails that contribute to consistent volume across all the strings.

The patent-pending Railhammers are designed by Joe Naylor.

For more information, visit railhammer.com.

In this edition of In Deep, we’ll examine some of the signature elements of the brilliant blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore’s stunning, immediately identifiable guitar style.

Born in 1952, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Moore picked up the guitar at the age of eight, inspired by the music of Elvis Presley, the Shadows and the Beatles.

But his strongest influences were John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers guitarists Eric Clapton and Peter Green, as well as legendary electric blues progenitors Albert King, B.B King and Albert Collins. Another important influence was Jimi Hendrix; Moore would regularly include Hendrix’s slow blues “Red House” in his live shows.

Though Moore was often seen playing a beautiful Fiesta Red 1961 Strat, his signature sound is more closely associated with the beloved 1959 Les Paul Standard that he played for many years (see sidebar on page 36). He purchased that guitar from Peter Green in 1970 and, fittingly, used it to record his 1995 tribute to his mentor, Blues for Greeny.

Often, Moore would begin a song using the warm tone of his Les Paul’s neck pickup, with which he would perform melodic, vocal-like lines, then switch over to the bridge pickup for his solos to achieve a more aggressive and biting sound.

Moore often employed a fair amount of gain—courtesy of Marshall heads (often JTM45s), 4x12 basketweave Marshall cabinets and Marshall Guv’nor and Ibanez Tube Screamer pedals—and was known for conjuring tremendous sustain, such as the celebrated “endless note” featured in his live performances of his classic song “Parisienne Walkways.”

A great way to approach incorporating Gary Moore–style licks into your playing is to start with the most essential scale for blues/rock soloing, the minor pentatonic. FIGURE 1 shows the A minor pentatonic scale in fifth position.

The fingering I use for this scale is index-pinkie on the low E string, switching to index-ring finger for the rest of the scale. One of the unusual things about Moore’s style is that he preferred to use his middle finger in conjunction with his index for a great many of his licks, similar to the fretting approach of Gypsy jazz great Django Reinhardt. When playing this type of scale in this position, Moore would often use his index and ring fingers on the top two strings and the low E string but would switch to index-middle for all the other strings.

Occasionally, Moore would stick with the index-middle approach across virtually all of the strings, along the lines of FIGURE 2. In this lick, I start by barring the index finger across the top two strings at the fifth fret and use the middle finger to execute the quick half-step bends on the B string, as well as the fast hammer-ons and pull-offs across the B and G strings.

FIGURE 3 details a “traditional” fingering for descending the minor pentatonic scale in this position within groups of 16th-note triplets.
A staple of Moore’s soloing style was to unleash fast flourishes of notes, executed with free-form “crammed” phrasing that rushed over the top of the groove. He would balance these fiery blasts with simpler, more vocal-like phrases that would effectively pull his improvisations back into the groove. For many of these runs, Moore would rely on quick hammer-on/pull-off figures between pairs of notes on a given string, as demonstrated in FIGUREs 4a and 4b.

In FIGURE 5a, I apply this concept to every string as I descend A minor pentatonic in a symmetrical fashion. FIGURE 5b offers a similar, albeit simpler, idea, and FIGURE 5c presents a similar approach applied to an ascending lick.

Further permutations on this concept are shown in FIGURES 6a–c. Once you’ve got a handle on these, try moving to other areas of the fretboard and apply the concepts to other keys, as demonstrated in FIGURES 7a and 7b.

FIGURE 8 offers an example of soloing in Gary’s style over a medium straight-eighths funk groove along the lines of his cover of Albert King’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.’

The title track of Moore’s hit album Still Got the Blues (a complete transcription of which appears in this issue) featured a “cycle of fourths” chord progression more common to jazz than blues or rock.

FIGURE 9 is a melodic solo played over this type of progression in the key of Am. Notice that each phrase makes direct reference to the accompanying chord by targeting its third. Also, bar 6 features a fast pull-off lick to the open high E string, a technique Moore utilized in a great many of his solos.