Zakk Wylde: Guitar Boot Camp

Posted 04/10/2013 at 9:18am | by Zakk Wylde, Nick Bowcott

In this classic lesson, Zakk Wylde leads you through his brewtal guitar boot camp!

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2) BE DISCIPLINED

“You gotta have discipline, man,” says Zakk. “The reason I love people like Jack Lambert and [six-time Mr. Olympian] Dorian Yates to death is the discipline it took for them to get where they got. Same for John McLaughlin and Yngwie Malmsteen. I mean, those guys just keep getting better, and regardless of what you think of their music, you’ve gotta give them props for that. If you want to be as good as they are, you need to be disciplined about practicing. For example, every morning I grab a guitar, sit down and get to work. There are days when I don’t have as much time as I’d like, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t pick up a guitar and practice.

“One thing I like to do is start off with chromatic exercises, picking each note and using alternate picking,” says Zakk as he cranks out FIGURES 1 and 2 at a breakneck pace. “And, if I want a real good workout, I’ll start both these at the first fret and take them all the way up the neck and then back down again,” he says while playing FIGURE 3, a longer version of the pattern shown in FIGURE 1, to illustrate his point.

“Then I usually run through some pentatonic [five-note] and diatonic [seven-note] scale shit all over the neck. I think it’s important that you get to know the five pentatonic scale patterns [FIGURE 4] and the seven diatonic scale patterns [FIGURE 5] back to front and inside out, so that you can rip through them fast and with total confidence. Together, they form the basic framework you need to be able to slam out killer leads.

“Sometimes, instead of just running up and down the scale shapes, I’ll come up with fingering patterns that make these scales sound more musical and less like finger exercises,” Zakk says, playing FIGURE 6 and FIGURE 7 to illustrate. “There are lots of patterns and combinations of patterns you can come up with.”

In addition to practicing scales and modes, Zakk works religiously on technique he’s referred to in his popular monthly Brewtality column as “connecting the dots.” It requires that you become familiar with these patterns and how to link them together, so that you can move seamlessly up and down the neck as well as across it. “Doing this is important because it opens up the whole fretboard,” says Zakk, playing FIGURES 8–10 to prove his point. FIGURE 10 is an A minor pentatonic monster run that climbs the neck on the high E and B strings, then goes across it at the 17th fret before climbing back down on the low E and A strings.

“I find it’s very beneficial to play these kinds of finger exercises along to the radio or your favorite records,” says Zakk. “Doing that makes them sound more interesting and, more important, helps teach you how to apply these kinds of runs in real songs.”

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ccjacques

April 10, 2013 at 6:16pm

You are the real deal Bersker, thanks for the lesson.

thom77

April 10, 2013 at 2:30pm

It funny to hear Zakk talk about all his idols. I wonder if he realizes how much he inspires and is "idolized" by all of us? I hope he does and continues to create for a long time to come. Thanks Zakk! BLS for life.

smokeyman

April 10, 2013 at 11:20am

One thing that I believe its important but very few people write about is sounding like yorself. yor ultimate goal should not be to play a randy rhoads or jimmy page song note for note, but to develop your own style and write your own music. If you just learn songs you are only going to be in a cover band or something, if you truly want to be great you should take what you have learned and make it your own. learning songs should be a step into something more

jpin109

February 24, 2013 at 1:42pm

Zakk thank you for a great read and great lesson. BLS for life. Keep on making great music.

bobtheguitarman

August 22, 2011 at 7:12pm

First of all.I never heard Zakk say how great he was,only how great he wants to be.And how he never stops trying to improve.Dont discount the fact that he plays all of Randys stuff plus Jake E Lees stuff,and still has his own style to boot.Who cares if he plays pentatonics.If it sounds good it is good.If you read the whole thing he also mentions diatonics too KNUCKLE HEAD!!!!Ill I can say is good luck to Gus G because he has to play Randy,Jake,Zakk,and his own style too.
Props to you brother ZAKK!!!!

oldstnic

August 21, 2011 at 4:21pm

If Zakk Wylde wants to be the best, he's got to give up playing pentatonics! Ooops, that's his hole act, without pentatonics he's got nothing. It's kinda hard to be the best when you've only got one leg to stand on (Zakk). I love hearing Zakk toot his own horn about how great he is, because those of use who know we are better than Zakk, get a real ego boost. And Zakk, if your reading this, anytime, any place...

Rocking4Ever

December 10, 2011 at 12:43pm

Sorry a**hole (aka oldstnic). I agree with crowman - Music is art NOT a sport. I have only been playing for a total of 3 years oldstnic...if you want to compete in a sport I do have over 10 years of martial arts experience...so oldstnic, if you are reading this, anytime, any place...

There is no place this forums for people like you. We are all musicians so f**k off!!!!

crowman

November 22, 2011 at 9:50pm

If u want competition go play sport!!! Music is art NOT a sport. its about expression and interpretation. Kurt Cobain sold more records than u could hope to dream off and he primarily used powerchords, why? Because people related to it! Zakk has never floated his own boat, if anything he always pays kudos to the guitar players the come before him. Its people like you that are destroying music as an art form. Rock music is about rebelling against people like u. And funny how u bag out Zakk for self promotion THEN go a promote YOURSELF! Haha. You belong on politics with that kind of Hypocrisy!

Lucifer66

August 23, 2011 at 2:42am

That's a rather narrow minded comment, considering pentatonics are the most widely used and the basis of what blues and rock music was created with. Sure there are many other interesting scales, but to count one of the main ones out just because you consider it "too basic" for some reason is very short sighted in my opinion.

Personally I like to mix scales together and rarely stay in the same scale all the way though a run just to see what I come up with. I find that if I stay in one scale too long it gets rather boring, at least that's where I'm at these days.

But I must say it's amusing to watch a nobody challenge Zakk Wylde on guitar. I doubt he would waste his time with you, but if he did I would love to watch. While you may not like his recordings you must know that he didn't get where he is unless he put in some serious time and effort and you should stop and think about that. I'm sure you have not heard everything he actually can play.

Myself, I would play with anyone, but I would never say that I'm better than someone because it might just come back to bite me in the ass.

bobtheguitarman

August 22, 2011 at 7:44pm

I SUPPOSE YOUR BETTER THAN STEVE VAI TOO RIGHT?HOW ABOUT PAUL GILBERT AND JOHN PETRUCCI?

bobtheguitarman

August 22, 2011 at 7:15pm

How many albums have you sold.Is Gibson making signiture les pauls with your name on it?

razorrex

August 22, 2011 at 1:29pm

*whole

I really don't come from this article thinking that Zakk is real high on himself. Don't know where you read that where Zakk thinks he is god on guitar or something.

Besides, who plays pentatonics on GUITAR anymore anyhow?! I bet you go "caving" along with Nigel Tufnel because of how lame American Rock has become. LOL.

the360eddie

August 22, 2011 at 1:11am

You really are better than Wylde. That's why I bought all your albums. Keep it up! I can't wait for the next tour. In the mean time, I'll just keep playing your riffs on your pro model guitar.

michael6305

August 25, 2011 at 1:45pm

HaHaHaHa.......that's awesome.

hlent63

August 01, 2010 at 10:33am

Awesome interview. Really respected Zakk's approach to it all. And the honorable mentions of jack Lambert, Frank marino, and T.T. Quick really took me back.

rhoads667

June 07, 2009 at 11:42pm

ZAKK WYLDE RULZ

this lesson is excelent
a must study

Zakk Wylde: Guitar Boot Camp

Zakk Wylde: Guitar Boot Camp

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Comments

ccjacques

thom77

smokeyman

jpin109

bobtheguitarman

oldstnic

Rocking4Ever

crowman

Lucifer66

bobtheguitarman

bobtheguitarman

razorrex

the360eddie

michael6305

hlent63

rhoads667

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