I've been doing lots of GMC lessons lately and I feel like learning some new songs are due.

However I'd like them to be more metal related to practice more alternating Picking, sweeping, and right hand stamina.

Here's the catch, I want to start learning songs by ear. That is, transcribing them down in tab (or regular notation, i don't know which one is better) and thus learning them that way. I'm farely new at transcription so be gentle .

PS-for those who notate a lot- Tab or Regular Notation AND do any of you guys use software to figure out the shredding passages?

Iron Maiden:
The Trooper
Hallowed be thy name. These will help you with hand stamina, alternate picking, and the solos have lots of legato.

Megadeth:
Hanger 18
Symphony of Destruction

Metallica:
Master of Puppets
One

Right Hand Stamina (im assuming picking hand)
Iced Earth - Stormrider
Iced Earth - Travel In Stygian
Iced Earth - Nightmares
Iced Earth - Desert Rain

Take them slowly, Iced Earths songs built 100% of my stamina today

Sweeping:
Trivium - Detonation
Storm Warrior - Lindisfarne

Alternate Picking:
Rhapsody - Unholy Warcry (Now known as Rhapsody Of Fire)
Michale Angelo Batio - Anything, check out his instructional DVD's, "Hand Without Shadows", and "Planet Gemini"
Dream Theater - Pick any album or song where petrucci plays a fast solo, and use what he plays as excercises

As for the ear thing, there arent songs really that are best for that, i suppose that would be songs that are fairly simple, you dont wanna start out trying to gigure out "Hangar 18" or something, try simple riff oriented songs like "Symphony Of Destruction" by megadeth.

Thanks ill givem all a try, though I have trouble finding Iced Earth material on Itunes, are their records easy to find at a store or should I just use amazon?

I use Audacity (freeware) to slow down and loop playback Anastasio123. There are also now a couple of portable cd and mp3 players that do the same - cost about 100UK Sterling or about 200USD.

For alt picking I've used Steve Morse/Dregs songs (Take it off the top/Cruise Missile/VHT) because I like them and he alt picks...
Sweeping - Frank Gambale.

Couple of nice things about figuring out a song yourself and tabbing/notating it is you get a much better understanding of the song and not all tabs/transcriptions are accurate or complete. A lot of Allan Holdsworth tabs are neither . Though to be fair to the transcriber I'm not surprised they are v difficult to transcribe (at least for me - part way through trying to transcribe all of Devil Takes the hindmost' arrgh ). Holdsworth is great for difficult stretches, phrasing, legato and so on btw.

Also consider tabbing non-guitar based stuff as well - sax is good imo for getting away from playing stock guitar type runs and riffs

Cheers,
Tony

Yea, thats how I feel about learning songs with lots fast playing. Most amateur tabs cant figure out that stuff, official transcriptions are too confusing, and if i tried to figure it out myself I'd be lost

But I thnk if i work at simpler songs like Uncreator said, ill be able to figure more difficult, shred-like songs.

Anyway, thanks Tony, and everyone elses, suggestions. I'm gonna try out as much as i can of everything everybody suggested.

This post has been edited by Anastasio123: Jul 18 2007, 10:20 PM