Get the most from your DVD and book/CD lessons- and your valuable time!

This lesson is primarily about using our Metal Method DVDs to your greatest advantage but much of this info will also apply to your other videos and book/CD packs.

First I would like to mention two important features that some people miss; the PDFs and the Scorch files. Apparently, in their excitement to get to the first riff or playing example some students skip the intro material which explains these files and how to find them on the disc. We appreciate your enthusiasm but don't want you to miss these! Full details and instructions about them are on the discs already so I'll move along to some tips on studying and practicing.

We used to recommend that you not skip ahead and watch the later lessons on a video before you had worked on the previous material. This was mainly to keep you inspired as you came to newer material along the linear timeline. Personally, I always felt that I could prolong the enjoyment of a lesson book or video by not skipping ahead. It seemed a bit naughty! Now my rational mind is trying to persuade my intuition that there is a better way. I have found ways to get better results, but it still feels a little "wrong"!

As soon as you get a new video or book, don't waste any time beginning to absorb it in any way possible. Here are some ways to do this:

Put it on your iPod

Copy the video to your iPod. Then you can take it to the gym and watch it while on the treadmill, bike, stairs climber or elliptical trainer. This makes double use of your valuable time! You could also watch the videos on a plane, train, bus, or in a car (please, not while driving!). This brings us to another way to start putting the lesson into your ears and brain. Listen to the audio while you drive your car. Don't focus hard enough to be a distracted driver. Any time spent listening is an investment in your progress!

Practice Transcribing

Ear training is critical in your development as a musician. One of the very best ways to develop your ears is to practice transcribing. Before you look at the tab for a lesson, sample the audio and play it at half speed. Do your best to learn the lick or riff without the tab. Write your work on tab paper. Chances are good that before you get an accurate transcription you will come up with something that is close to what you hear. This might be your next original riff or lick! You might go off on a tangent with what you have created. Have fun with this! It's one of the most rewarding aspects of practice and study.

You can do a similar exercise with the Scorch files. Open a file and set the tempo to a crawl. Drag the window to the bottom of your screen so that you can't see the tab. It should look something like this:

You won't get some of the auditory clues that you would from hearing the actual guitar part, but this can be useful.

Study the tab away from your guitar...

You might have opportunities when you can't play your guitar but you can quietly study the tab, either on your computer or printed pages. Try to hear the music in your head as you read it. Count the rhythms carefully. Write the names of the notes over the tab (if printed).

Other Opportunities to Maximize Your Time

You can probably find some more time in your day that can be used to watch your videos. Even when you can't give your full attention, you can benefit from playing videos while:

Cooking
Eating
Folding Laundry
Relaxing in front of the TV
Sick in Bed
Recovering from an Injury

See what time YOU can find!