Michael Angelo Batio Lesson

Michael Angelo Batio Style

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  • Welcome to the first ever GMC lesson in the style of Michael Angelo Batio!

    To many of you, Batio needs no introduction. He is an American shred guitarist who first rose to prominence in the 1980's with his band, Nitro. However, it was during the 90's that his solo albums and instructional videos really showcased his extraordinary talents to the world. He is quite rightly regarded as one of the best alternate pickers in the world, but you could say the same about his sweeping technique... and pretty much everything else!

    Although Michael (or MAB as he's popularly known) uses techniques that are common within the world of guitar, like alternate picking, sweep picking and legato, it's the way that he puts it all together that makes him identifiable. His precision and cleanliness of technique is astounding and his ability to go from a lightning fast run to a pitch perfect bend with singing vibrato should inspire most of us to get practising!

    Of course, MAB is also well known for his 'over, under' technique which I had to replicate otherwise it wouldn't have been a true MAB lesson!

    I took some personal liberty with creating a suitable backing track but it's the solo itself in which I've tried to encapsulate MAB's style. Note that the rhythm section starts at 120bpm and when it pauses for the solo to take over it shoots up to 140bpm. Very rapid indeed. I've created several backing tracks so please make use of them. Even if you don't play this at 140bpm you can still benefit from the alternate picking ideas and challenge yourself to switch between speed and vibrato in the blink of an eye.

    So, prepare yourself to go head to head with the style of a true guitar virtuoso. Enjoy!

    Ben

    Tempo: 120bpm & 140bpm

    (With the other backing tracks, the rhythm section always starts 20bpm slower than the stated tempo)

    Gear: Marshall JVM 410H and a touch of chorus in Cubase.

    Scales used:





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