It is relatively simple for anyone to be able to learn how to play shred guitar music like musicians such as Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert or Rusty Cooley. However, for any guitarist to play like them they need to dedicate time to their playing and also have plenty of patience. If you want to improve the way you play shred guitar then you need to be using a metronome.
Below we offer some advice that you may find useful when you are thinking of learning how to play shred guitar in a similar fashion to the musicians we mention above. Of course what you first need to do is get together the right equipment, namely a good electric guitar and a metronome. Then when you have these you will be able to begin learning about how to play shred guitar music yourself.
Step 1 - You first need to spend some time looking for the kinds of sheet music and tabs that have the types of shred licks that you would like to learn how to play. One of the best and easiest places to find what you are looking for these days is the internet.
Step 2 - After find the piece of music that you wish to learn how to play it is time to get your electric guitar and metronome set up. However, many people are unable to purchase a real metronome and instead use one of the many online ones instead.
Step 3 - It is crucial that when you are learning any new licks that you do so very slowly at first and without actually using the metronome initially. It is vital that you continue to play at this slow speed until you begin to feel more confident that everything you are learning has been ingrained in your memory.
Step 4 - As soon as you feel that you have the piece memorized now is time to start practicing the piece again but this time using the metronome. When you first start using the metronome it is best to keep the tempo of it down to around 40 beats per minute and also make sure that you remain in time with it. Keep playing at this tempo until you are able to play it both cleanly and accurately.
Step 5 - You should only increase the tempo of the metronome when you have been able to play the piece properly without making any mistakes 5 times in a row. Then you need to increase the tempo again but only in increments of 5 beats per minute each time. Again you should only increase the tempo until you reach the correct speed at which it should be played after being able to play it 5 times in a row without making any mistakes.
Although these steps may seem relatively simple when it comes to learning how to play shred guitar. You need to be aware that you will need to spend many hours using the metronome before you can play it correctly. Also if you find at any time that you cannot play the lick at a faster tempo then turn just turn the metronome off and go back to step one. Then when you feel comfortable playing the piece at this speed once more use the metronome again. However, make sure that you reduce the tempo down to 10 beats per minute below that where you were having difficulties.