Hey everyone! In this tutorial, we're going to learn how to play a melodic lead section from a song I'm writing. To me, this is one of those licks that once you learn, it's pretty fun to play over and over! It's entertaining to the ear, and also a good workout for the hands.
The tempo for this lick is 187bpm, and we're primarily going to be using eighth notes with the occasional shift to sixteenth notes.
Think fluidity when playing this. We have an intenese rhythm section underneath us and we want to sound like a smooth, melodic "topping" to the brutal, djent cake. :) The legato in this lick is essential to executing these smooth runs. Keep it fluid, steady, and in time.
For the brief tapping section across bars 5 and 6, I'm using my picking hand's middle finger to tap the 18th fret, and my ring finger to tap the 20th fret.
Lastly, you'll see 1/2 step bends come up a few times. Play around with the character/timing/vibrato with those bends to give them your own personality. You may notice how my bends are very abrupt as I like the attitude and twang that brings, but experiement with whatever sounds best to you.
Once you get it down, check out the next page for the backing track!