These are some questions that I have answered for students.

Question- What gauge of strings do you play? I am struggling between 10’s and 9’s. I can’t seem to play leads that well with 10’s, but like the fuller tone. 9’s bend easier for me. Maybe 9’s with heavier bottoms? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. -Michael

Sarah- I play a hybrid set of strings. It's the top half from a set of .09s and the bottom three from a set of .10s. This gives me beefy riffs and smooth leads. I think you will like this solution!

Question- Could you help me get the distortion sound that Metallica uses? I’m using a Fender standard Strat and a Fender Ultimate Chorus amp and a Boss Metal Zone distortion petal. Can you tell me how to dial everything in so I can get this sound?

Sarah- Your Strat probably has single coil pickups. If they don't have enough output you might want to try one of the new super-coil pickups which is made like a high output humbucker but fits in the single-coil cavity. To get the earlier Metallica sound, try "scooping" (cutting) the midrange frequencies on your amp while boosting the bass and treble. This is what they did to get that sound.

Question- I have a Peavey 160 Supreme and a GSP 21 Legend signal processor. I want to get the stereo effects but cannot figure out how to use the effects loop on either. Can I get stereo sound with one amp or do I need two?

Sarah- You can only get stereo effects by using two separate amps, unless you use a stereo amp. For example, I have a Fender Princeton Stereo Chorus. It has two effect loops and two speakers. Still, to get a big stereo sound you will want two amps positioned at least a short distance from one another.

Question- I’ve always wondered how to take full advantage of all the scales in my head. I know a lot of scales but not how to apply them.

Sarah- I had the same problem after I got my degree in music. I had learned a huge amount of theory, but the school had not offered any courses like “Metal Riffology” or “How to Shred in the Locrian Mode”! Once you get the theory sorted out in your head you need to study how to apply it. One of my favorite ways to do this is to analyze songs and solos. If you have trouble with this, start with a book, column or website that does this for you. Then start to experiment. If you see one of your favorite players uses a certain mode over a particular chord change, then make a midi file of those chords and start to explore the possibilities. Set the tempo at a very low speed and resist the urge to wail on tired pentatonic licks. Think carefully about emphasizing chord tones. If you can’t think this fast, write out the notes of each chord on a “cheat sheet”. Finally, it’s important to know the sound of the scales so you can identify them by ear. You can learn this by playing the scales over backing chords. For example, play A Lydian over an A major chord. All this work will start to pay off very quickly and you will find yourself learning to “play by ear” and not by the formulas and patterns.

Question- I’m a new player and I need to know how to tune my guitar down one and a half steps to a C#. I do have a chromatic tuner. Any help would be great.

Sarah- Dropping standard tuning down a minor third will give you the following pitches: C#, F#, B, E, G#, C# (low to high). You might want to use some heavy gauge strings for this. It will be pretty floppy!

Question- I have been playing guitar for around two years now, and while I have obviously improved over time I can’t help but feel that I could have improved a lot more with a good practice regime. I have tried to write out a sort of timetable for myself but it never seems to work. I have around 4 hours per day to practice and I want to use it to the fullest. In case it makes any difference I am into heavy rock, like Satriani and Vai. Could you please give me any pointers?

Sarah- It helps to have specific and attainable goals in mind. For example, perhaps you want to play your favorite shred-o-rama by Steve Vai. That will probably be a long-term goal if you are a second year student. It is good to break your plan into reasonable steps and arrange your practice routine accordingly. This is one thing that is so excellent about the Metal Method Basic Course. Each of the six "Stages" is divided into four lessons. You could decide to focus on one lesson at a time, in sequential order, until you reach the end of the series. In this way, the structure of your practice routine is already in place.