“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee

This entry of the dragon is for guitar players and yep, Bruce Lee is right. In truth, I find that many guitar players out there are confused as far as what to practice and how to practice. I can understand why. No one really wants to talk about boring practice routine. That’s ok. I’ll just do it right here.

Read the quote above and understand that what Bruce Lee is talking about is focus and the art of mastering something by repetition. One of the definitions of mastering something is the ability to be able to call on something quickly and perform it exceptionally well.

Here is how this applies to guitar playing.

First of all, many guitar players have already figured out that to stay at the same level technically they are at, they need to at least practice 45 minutes a day. Anything else and you are sliding back. Anything more, give or take, and you’ll be gaining. So, while we are here, I’ll chime in that there are no plateaus in guitar playing. We never arrive and stay at the same level. If we are not getting better, we are getting worse.

Here’s the deal. When guitar players practice they usually jump around the fret board playing parts of someone else’s solos they know, a lick here and there and then they work on something they feel is not yet up to up. But, this is only one type of practice.

If you want to get terrifyingly fast and fluid, we need to check out the Bruce Lee quote.

Instead of playing dozens of 75% there licks, choose one lick and play it over and over and over again. Don’t practice any other ones. Just keep nailing that same lick until the cows come home. Doing so will help break barriers and will allow you to obtain a complete new level of performance out of that one lick.

Here’s where the great bonus appears. Read the next sentence slowly, so you understand. Because the way the guitar is set up, meaning that only frets and strings make up the fret board, anytime you play anything similar to the lick you’ve mastered, anywhere on the fret board – it is already almost if not as good as the lick you practiced. This is one of the great secrets of guitar playing.

Get it? It is absolutely true.

If you want to develop your right hand picking practice one or two licks until they sound incredible. Master them. Own them. This is much more beneficial that practicing 25 licks that never reach a superb level.

How much should you practice the lick? Well, it depends on good you want to get. I used to have about 5 licks like these and I’d put on a timer and watch it while I played each lick for let’s say 5-7 minutes non stop. I had a few licks for right hand picking, one for pull off, one for a long legato run across the neck and so on. I’d play them with a timer at the beginning at every practice session.

Paul Gilbert (Racer X, Mr. Big) practiced his famous Al DiMeola guitar lick so much and got so good at at it that his early guitar shred style was based around it. Now, that’s mastering something.

I hope this helps some of you a bit. Horns Up!

Recently the folks at Skype told me that if there was one guitarist out there that could get metalheads playing together in the internet world, it would be me.

I did not think much of it as first, except being thankful for the complement, but then the gears in my mind started to turn.

What if they are right, indeed?

Then, I started remembering that one of the main gripes from many guitarists that I meet is that they are not in contact with many other players who just get “it” and are into the same type of music and playing they are into. They kind of feel alone in their quest to play better and don’t have enough feedback.

This explains why my Metal Heroes Summer Camp and The Metal Guitar Retreat are popular destination getaways. Not only the players get awesome personalized instruction there, they are indeed connected with others just like them when they attend these events. And, let’s face it, guitar playing can be extremely rewarding, but sometimes lonely place and not as fun if you have to go at it alone.

With that in mind, I had something up my sleeve last few weeks.

 I’d like to announce and introduce you to Metal Mike’s Metal For Life Online Guitar Program.

This group is like none other before it.

You get an exclusive twice a week videos, a Metal Monday motivation message beginning of every week and a private Facebook group hosted by me for only $19.95 per month!

This program is on-going, so you can join today and start right away. Once you register, you’ll be billed automatically each month. And, you are free to cancel any time with no questions asked.

Guitar playing is a funny thing. I should know as I dedicated 32 years of my life to it so far. Hundreds of thousands of players (sound crazy, but it’s true) saw my online videos and they e-mail me saying “Metal Mike, your video really helped me with a technique or with writing riffs,” or, “What do you use to get that guitar tone?” I love getting these e-mails and I reply to everyone.

But, I also know that jumping around the internet looking at a video here and a video there with no rhyme or reason and getting an answer to an isolated question robs these players of true results. Or, if the results come, it is through a very slow process.

The jumping around strategy is too scatterbrained. In order to truly get better fast, you benefit greatly from a succession of videos geared towards a goal and a commentary on what you might be doing wrong. When you pair that up with a support network of players just like you, well then, you can start seeing that this can bring your playing up to a whole another level.

When you get a destination place to visit time and time again for valuable information over a period of time – results come.

I have created an Effective and Inexpensive way to help you obtain your guitar goals.

You can join me at $19.95 per month!

Here is what we’ll be doing together:

(1) 2 videos each week (Tuesday and Friday) on one topic.

(2) Metal Monday Motivation post on Monday.

(3) Membership in a private Facebook group.

(4) Access to me with personal interaction answering your questions, e-mails and overseeing your progress.

(5) Support from players just like you who love to play metal guitar and want other encouraging people around them.

Guitar videos and topics will include a variety of topics from technique to fortifying riffs to leads to practice tips. We’ll talk about guitar tone all the way to guitar travel tips. And, Monday Metal Motivation will hit you each Monday afternoon with a nice dose of mindset shred to keep your week going.

Note: Each video will come with TAB (Tablature) sheet that you can save and print out later. I understand that many players need time to learn licks and each example will be shown slowly and explained well.

You bet I wish I had this when I was growing up!

I learned the old fashioned way of getting mail-order guitar tapes and trying to learn licks from MTV videos. But, here is 2017, we have a new way of learning the guitar.

And, we are doing this for $5 bucks per week.

Check out what some of my students are saying:

“One quick lesson with Mike has doubled my picking speed” .. Ben S.

“You are a great inspiration and a source of knowledge” .. Sebastian S.

“Having Metal Mike as a mentor has enhanced my playing ability drastically! He was able to point out my errors immediately and teach me techniques like no other guitarist I have ever met” .. Tony G.

“Mike helped me unlock my playing potential to a whole new level by showing me awesome licks, riffs and usable theory. There is no substitute for seeking face-to-face instruction from a world class player who has recorded and toured the globe with the all time greats” .. Alex H.

“Thank you for the lesson. Already writing riffs that are inspiring me again” .. Chris W.

“Mike’s instruction is a perfect blend of classic training and real world experience” .. Charles A.

“I will happily take another 100+ lessons without any thought whatsoever” .. Matt B.

“I’m fortunate to be getting first hand information from the ultimate wizard” .. Rob D.

One and that sums it all up from Greg D …

“I feel like I have learned more in the past 4 lessons than last 2 years on my own”  

Read On!

This is an ongoing program, so you can sign up today and jump right in. You can go back and check out any materials we might have covered before you joined as well. Purchase the first month here and we’ll set you up for a recurring monthly billing of $19.95. Once you register, you’ll receive a welcome e-mail with further instructions.

Remember that you can cancel anytime free and clear with no questions asked. 

If this sounds like something that you feel is designed to help you go after your goals go to my Metal Heroes Academy site HERE and let’s rock.

Metal For Life!

I really enjoy computers and the internet age. Some of it frustrates me, of course. I was not born into all of this “stuff.” For those of you older than 24 you know what I’m talking about – e-mail, social media, blogging, websites, new business models. Can I just please just play the guitar? No? Ok. So, you learn and get on with it. Same way we learned how to drive a car or raise a child. We figured it out. After a while, this is no different than changing oil in your car. It is something you do. My real saving grace is that I really enjoy being able to communicate and reach many people through the internet.

However, this online based connectivity is a dark turn for many musicians.

Remember this: money and opportunities flow through people.

Many musicians out there think that they can hide behind a keyboard, send tens of e-mails or newsletters and never leave their house to the place that the strongest connections take place – the real world.

I’m not saying that communicating via e-mail is not important, because it is. However, it is not enough. It is certainly not enough without face to face contact.

What hurts musicians and artists in general in this is that let’s face it – most of “us” would love to stay in and work on whatever is occupying our mind and clicking on the switch to go out and socialize is painful.

But, as an important lesson, please remember that it is essential. You must develop your skills and the more you chisel them out, the more you’ll enjoy staying in touch with the people you find interesting. Through real connections … interesting projects and opportunities will flow.

I find it absolutely best to make 1 heartfelt connection versus 1000 nice to meet you acquaintances. Keep that in mind. It is quality versus quantity. In the age of what can feel like an impersonal world, real connections feel better than ever before. Use that to your advantage. It is hard to succeed as a musician if you dislike talking to people. And if you truly do, work on that skill because it is essential for a career.