Mark Tremonti’s 2015 practice routine
Mark is an eternal student of the guitar and because of this, he gives some of the best playing advice you’ll hear anywhere. Here, we take four techniques that Mark has been working on this year and assemble a practice routine worthy of the man himself
“Whenever I do clinics, I ask people to do the down-pick challenge with me. It’s easy to get mentally, but not physically. After 30 seconds, people lose stamina. It’s like working a muscle. If you do that three times a day until you burn out, you’ll notice your downstrokes improve. They are the essence of speed-metal rhythm playing.” “I remember what Zakk Wylde told me: ‘Pick everything!’ I was never a ‘pick everything’ kinda guy – I would use pull-offs here and there. But for practising, Zakk’s approach is really great, because by the time you come back to playing your normal songs, you’ll be completely nailing it.” “Usually, I’ll fly through pentatonic shapes at 140bpm and try to pick the most awkward spots, then continue through those shapes. I won’t think about where I’m going, I’m just trying to survive! Then I take it up with the metronome. Joe Bonamassa inspired me to work on more of that stuff.”
“People overlook following the chord progression [and] hitting [notes from] the chords. As simple as it sounds, for many years I didn’t know what that meant. If the chord goes from here to here in the rhythm, then hit that perfect note when it changes, get off it and go back to the main scale.”
for a week and learn something different like a jazz solo, for example. I was learning some Robben Ford stuff the other day; it’s amazing what he can do with just a few notes. It’s all feel and phrasing. You have to put heart and soul into it.”
Ditchthe pick
You! Yes, you! It’s time to use your fingers “To improve my fingerstyle, what I did was learn Bach’s Bouree In E Minor. I didn’t even know the rhythm, I just had the tab, so I just played it as fast as humanly possible with two fingers. Then I learned The Call Of Ktulu by Metallica and after that, Tesla’s Love Song. From there on, I was tucking my pick behind my second finger and using my thumb and third. The main thing is to get that rhythm going with the thumb. Do something like a 6/8 rhythm and float around the guitar in open D5 tuning. You’ll definitely come up with something different!”
Let the music breathe
Doing the unexpected will give your music much more identity “Especially if you’re playing over fast music, you have to let it breathe. Don’t make your first lick fast. Make it a bend or an overbend or some weird out-of-tune thing. There are so many little tricks you can use, like doublestops that go out of pitch if your guitar has a floating bridge. That shit sounds cool! Give it space to breathe and remain focused.”
Learnfromanyoneyoucan
Be open enough to let inspiration come from unexpected places “I love sitting down with other players, regardless of how good anyone else thinks they are. I always ask for their top three real go-to licks. Most of the time they’re badass! It can surprise you, especially when it’s someone in a band that don’t have solos in their music. Every time we go on tour, I find the guy from the other band and jam. I did this with Clint Lowery from Sevendust. He showed me these awesome sliding licks!”
Invest in the right
equipment
Get what you need for right now and think about later when you get there “When you’re starting out, get something fun with loads of effects. The Line 6 Bogner Spider Valve HD100 was really affordable and sounded awesome. Then, when you really get serious about it, think about something more high range. It depends on what style you’re going for. I personally don’t like Marshalls. Even though they are great for the midrange bite, they’re not suited as well for the chuggy stuff. Put a Boogie or a Bogner next to a Marshall and duke it out… it will get eaten alive.”
Keep listening
Find the inspiration to improve “I search online for new guitarists to inspire me, or I’ll run into people by accident. Like Bonamassa, I went to see his show and I realised how much work I had to do. You can’t look at him and think, ‘Maybe I can catch that in a few years.’ He’s been playing since he was four years old!
“You know who is a great shredder and teacher? Andy James. I bought his Nuno Bettencourt tutorial DVD and I started playing better than ever! He’s a sick player.”
Play with class
It’s really all about heart and soul “I would rather listen to someone like Brent Mason than the best of the shredders. That’s what I like about Guthrie Govan. People might think he’s a shredder, but he’s got so much class and emotion in his playing for a technique-driven player. That’s what I respect, that’s what I look for: someone who has heart when they play.”
“I love sitt ing down with other players and asking for their top three real go-to licks”