Not all teachers are boring tank-top fans, some of them are radical, down-with-the-kids guitar-types. As any true virtuoso will tell you, there's no better way to learn than by hanging out with other players - and then stealing their moves.

John Petrucci: “[I went to] Berklee, a jazz school, and I didn’t have a lot of jazz background, so getting into some of the chord melody and improv classes was tough but challenging. The way I visualised it is that your playing goes in steps. You get to a plateau, then something clicks and ‘boom’.”

Misha Mansoor: “I’ve always been the kind of person who says ‘screw the manual’. I’ve tried learning theory a bunch of times and I end up cheating and using my ear. Guitar playing has been a real struggle for me, because I have really bad technique. It’s like the step thing: it feels like I plateau, then the next day for some reason it starts to makes sense. I’d also hang around musicians who are better than I am, because it’s free guitar lessons.”

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