Tom Morello shares his toggle-switching technique origins

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Tom Morello’s electric guitar playing style is founded around three core concepts: a molotov cocktail of killer riffs, Whammy pedal abuse and toggle switching - and now the Rage Against The Machine founder has revealed the unlikely origins of the latter technique.

During a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything, one fan asked about Morello’s kill-switching technique, to which the guitarist replied, “It’s not a kill switch; it is the toggle switch, standard issue.

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Prior to his college days, Morello wasn’t much of a guitar player, according to pal and former bandmate, Tool’s Adam Jones, who stated, “It’s just amazing to me now how much Tom sucked at that moment when I met him, and now no-one can touch him.”

Morello’s next venture is his Guitar Revolution camp, which takes place in January 2020 at Newport Beach, CA, and features the likes of Nuno Bettencourt, John 5, Billy Howerdel and many more.

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Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.