Creative Legato Exercises with Odd Meters By Mark Holcomb published 9 August 19 Learn how to execute “spider crawl” riffs.
How to Use Chord Changes to Devise Inventive Riffs By Mark Holcomb published 28 June 19 Learn how to build a chord progression from interesting and unusual voicings.
How to Craft a Long Riff with No Repetition By Mark Holcomb published 28 February 19 How to give the impression of repetition in a riff, without there actually being any repetition at all.
Creating Riffs from Arpeggios, and the Intro and Verses to “Priestess” By Mark Holcomb published 7 February 19 Walk the line between playing only single notes while also outlining “wide” chord voicings via the use of arpeggios.
How to Incorporate Finger Slides and Legato Techniques into Intricate Phrases By Mark Holcomb published 18 January 19 Employing finger slides can inspire new and different melodic ideas.
Using Quick Shifts and Long Slides to Add Interesting Movement to Licks By Mark Holcomb published 3 January 19 Achieve a sense of movement with single-note riffs that incorporate dramatic position shifts up and down the fretboard.
Double Strummed Octaves, and My Solo in “The Price Is Wrong” By Mark Holcomb published 31 October 18 Learn more about double strummed octaves in this lesson from Periphery's Mark Holcomb.
Navigating the Intricate Seven-String Licks in Periphery's “Flatline” By Mark Holcomb published 16 March 17 Throughout the course of these columns, my focus has been primarily on the six-string guitar parts I’ve crafted that are featured in the music of both Periphery and my side project, Haunted Shores.
How to Play the Fast-Moving Licks in “The Way the News Goes” By Mark Holcomb published 22 February 17
Mastering the Sliding Techniques in Haunted Shores' “Blast Inc.” By Mark Holcomb published 24 January 17 A song that many fans have asked me about is “Blast Inc.,” which I recorded with my side project, Haunted Shores.
Using Unusual Tunings to Create Fresh, Unique Riffs By Mark Holcomb published 11 May 16 A songwriting device I find very useful and inspiring and have explored extensively is to use alternate tunings.
Mark Holcomb Lesson: Devising the Unconventional, Acrobatic Guitar Riff in “The Bad Thing” By Mark Holcomb published 11 March 16 A Periphery riff that people often asked me about is the bridge section to “The Bad Thing,” from our 2015 album, Juggernaut: Omega.
Mark Holcomb Lesson: Angular Rhythms and Unusual Chord Voicings, and More on “Mile Zero” By Mark Holcomb published 17 February 16
Working with Five- and Six-String Chord Voicings, and How to Play Periphery's “Mile Zero” By Mark Holcomb published 12 January 16
Holcomb-Mania with Mark Holcomb: Using Dissonant, Close Intervals to Create Jarring Chords — Video By Mark Holcomb published 16 July 15
Holcomb-Mania with Mark Holcomb: Building Chords Into Single-Note Riff Ideas — Video By Mark Holcomb published 18 June 15
