Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
The Spice Girls
Artists Greg Lester on how he crafted the classic nylon-string guitar solo in the Spice Girls’ 2 Become 1
Yes backstage
Artists Unpacking the technical genius behind one of the most iconic rock songs of the 1980s
Steve Morse poses in the studio with his Ernie Ball Music Man signature model – not the guitar synth at the bridge.
Artists “Nobody can play better than that guy, man!”: Steve Morse on the supernatural powers of Petrucci, Johnson and Blackmore
Neal Schon
Artists “There are players with amazing dexterity”: Journey’s Neal Schon says that “classic guitar records” still matter
John Mayer
Artists “It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
Adrian Belew with the Fender Stratocaster that he and Seymour Duncan relic'd in the back garden
Artists Adrian Belew on how he and Seymour Duncan made one of the first relic’d guitars
Fender and Jackson's Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary Collection: FMIC has unveiled a signature guitar and bass collection to celebrate 50 years of the British metal institution.
Artists Fender and Jackson celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden with limited run signature collection
A Cort G200SE on a dirty white floor
Electric Guitars "Just as good as many affordable Squier, Epiphone, or Yamaha guitars I’ve played": Cort G200SE review
A PRS McCarty 594 on a hard case
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Van Morrison
Artists How Van Morrison recorded his greatest song
The Knack
Artists “It was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I fell in love with her instantly. And it sparked something”
Status Quo
Artists “I remember saying to Clapton, ‘You try playing that one riff for eight minutes!’”: The secret to Status Quo's riff power
Steve morse and Jon Lord play onstage together during a 1996 Deep Purple show in Amsterdam.
Artists Steve Morse on why he loved writing with Jon Lord and the Deep Purple track that started with a cup of tea
Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut in Wychwood greenburst finish
Electric Guitars "For garage, punk, and rock styles, it’s got the tonal firepower on offer": Gretsch Electromatic CVT Double-Cut review
Neal Schon
Artists “Steve Cropper was right next door, and he wrote the song. I was kind of nervous!”: When a guitar hero got the jitters
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: intermediate #3

News
By Guitar Techniques ( Guitar Techniques ) published 11 July 2011

A Morello-style riff and Surfing era Satriani

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intermediate lick one: Rage riffing

Intermediate lick one: Rage riffing

Drop your sixth string down from E to D for this Tom Morello style riff . The double-stops in bars 2 and 4 and the octaves in bar 3 sound great if slurred instead of picked individually.

Use a solid Marshall type crunch to get the most out of this RATM style riff. Neck single-coil pickup into a Marshall overdrive is the most authentic for Morello-isms but bridge humbucker into heavy distortion would also sound very effective.

Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2
Intermediate lick two: Satch chordal tapping

Intermediate lick two: Satch chordal tapping

Reminiscent of the early Satriani 'Surfing' era, we've got 5ths from the fretting hand and two-note tapping from the other to create some interesting and musical chording. The chords follow D Phrygian scale and the 7/8 signature can be counted as 3+2+2. Clean, percussive tone here.

Page 2 of 2
Page 2 of 2
Guitar Techniques
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players image
The worlds best high-quality guitar tuition from the UKs foremost teachers and players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Alex Skolnick play his silverburst ESP signature model [left] while Joe Satriani plays his JS signature Ibanez
“You can be an educated musician but also have feel and be a street player”: Alex Skolnick on what he learned from Joe Satriani
 
 
John Mayer
“It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
 
 
Jackson Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas: these retro S-styles take the high-performance electric guitar brand back to the '80s, offering single and dual-humbucker platforms for shred with the choice of rosewood or maple fingerboards – and what about that "Two-Face" black-and-white finish?
“These guitars empower metal artists with the authentic, crushing tone that built Jackson’s legendary reputation”: Jackson takes us back to the heyday of shred with the Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – and what about that Two Face finish?
 
 
Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost plays his custom 7-string V live onstage with red and white stagelights behind him.
Greg Mackintosh on the secrets behind the Paradise Lost sound and why he is still trying to learn Trouble’s tone tricks
 
 
Johnny Marr demoes his new signature Jaguar Special with its trio of custom-wound lipstick pickups.
Fender and Johnny Marr reimagine the Jaguar with signature stunner featuring three custom-wound lipstick single-coils
 
 
Charvel Limited Edition Sean Long Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 1 HH HT M: the While She Sleeps guitarists artist model is now officially available in Neon Pink by popular demand.
By popular demand, Sean Long of While She Sleeps’ Charvel signature model now comes in Neon Pink
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Close up of a person playing guitar
With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
 
 
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
 
 
MusicNomad fret tuition
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
 
 
George Harrison
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
 
 
MusicNomad guitar fret cleaning
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
 
 
Jimmy Page
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
 
 
Latest in News
Bill Ward of Black Sabbath, inductee, and Lars Ulrich of Metallica
"I just love Metallica. I love Lars' drumming": naysayers, listen up - Bill Ward explains why Lars Ulrich is a brilliant drummer
 
 
David Byrne against a blue background, shielding his eyes from a birght light with his hand
“Rowdy, fun songs that gently poke at and refer to the holidays”: Hate Christmas music? David Byrne has a gift for you
 
 
Breland takes part in the panel Country Music In The UK: Growth And Influence at Shoreditch Town Hall during SXSW London 2025 on June 04, 2025 in London, England
People were asleep at the wheel”: Country star Breland lambasts record companies over their investment in AI
 
 
Green square on a cream background
"This record shouldn’t, strictly speaking, be possible at all”: Here's Autechre – reinterpreted on acoustic guitar
 
 
Lead singer and guitarist Robert Smith of The Cure performs on stage at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands 25th November 2022
“A run of shows to dream about”: Robert Smith announces line up for his first run of Teenage Cancer Trust concerts
 
 
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
“The whole thing that AI can do – if you think about it, it’s just really creepy”: A warning from Aerosmith's Joe Perry
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...