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
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
More
  • Tiny Dancer
  • Browser DAWs
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Restring your guitar
  1. Tutorials
  2. Guitar Lessons & Tutorials

Quick licks: intermediate #3

News
By 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
Read more
Chords
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials Confused by guitar tabs and notation? Use this complete guide to reading music for guitar
 
 
Carlos Santana
Artists Carlos Santana on Miles and McLaughlin, Hendrix and SRV, and his quest for eternal melody
 
 
The Ibanez Standard Series RGR431PB finished in Charcoal Gray Flat
Electric Guitars “Ibanez serves up another RG that’s built for stunt guitar, priced for virtuosos-in-training, and with enough sounds to please the fusion kid and headbanger alike”: Ibanez RGR431PB review
 
 
MusicRadar Guitar Gear Round-up June 2026
Guitars MusicRadar’s epic guitar gear round-up: June ’26 edit, ft. EHX, PRS, Fender’s mega-launch and more
 
 
Fender Jim Root Telecaster Shoreline Gold
Artists Jim Root’s made-for-metal Fender Telecaster gets a makeover with a custom finish from the golden era
 
 
Human League
Artists Replicate the sonic magic of the Human League’s defining synth-pop anthem
 
 
Latest in Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Guitar Tricks Summer Black Friday promo
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials Get almost $1k of guitar tuition from our number one online platform for only $99 with this epic Summer Black Friday deal – over 11,000 lessons, plus bonus gifts
 
 
Chords
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials Confused by guitar tabs and notation? Use this complete guide to reading music for guitar
 
 
Scale
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials "Don't play scales just to get faster. Speed is a happy by-product of playing more accurately": Beginner Guitar Lessons - nailing scales
 
 
Guitar maintenance
Guitars "There isn't one correct answer": 6 things you need you need know about how to clean and condition your guitar fretboard
 
 
Tom Morello
Artists How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
 
 
Close up of a person playing guitar
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials 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
 
 
Latest in News
MACY'S 4th OF JULY FIREWORKS -- 2026 -- Pictured: Noah Kahan performs at the "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks" -- (Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/NBC via Getty Images)
Gigs & Festivals Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan wants nappies at gigs amid troubling rise in concertgoers defecating
 
 
Sander De Keere
Artists Sander de Keere reimagines the church organ as an 'ancient synthesizer'
 
 
Rolling Stones earbuds
Headphones Technics drops limited-edition wireless earbuds in collaboration with the Rolling Stones
 
 
U2 and Martin Garrix
Bands "We go back a long way": U2 join forces with DJ and producer Martin Garrix for new track Fireflies
 
 
Sophie Lloyd shreds on her signature Kiesel
Artists Sophie Lloyd pays tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne with a shred cover of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid
 
 
Human brain listens to yellow headphones isolated view on blue background 3d render image
Artists One more time: It's MusicRadar's Quiz of the Week #15!
 
 

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 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...