Slash "Sweet child of mine" guitar lesson
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Time for the fast, and probably the most difficult part of the solo. It is very important not to try to swallow the whole run, but to brake the fast passage down into small segments. Otherwise, learning this could take a very long time (probably will anyway - unless you're Yngwie).

The passage is broken down into the three following parts, but you may want to break down those into even smaller segments. Note: On the original recording this section is played with a wah-wah pedal.

In the following segment, the G string should be palm muted (see Glossary), to get the right staccato tone. The bend ("b") is played very subtly (~ quarter step bend) in the fast version.

This next segment involves some fast postion shifts, practice these separately.

This last segment yields a pre bend ("pb") which is quite hard to execute up to tempo.

Now let us put it together, first slowly:

Then fast:

Finally, I want you to understand that playing a solo like this one requires alot of work - it is however "doable" for anyone who is determined enough (you don't need some special talent). It is important not to give up - even if some of the licks might feel impossible for you hands.

I want you to think about one thing: When I started practicing seriously I had the opprtunity to have a great guitar tutor (Kristian Nieman from Therion). This helped me alot, because even though I did all the practicing by myself (obviously ! ), Kristian made sure I didn't learn anything the wrong way (bad habits are very hard to get rid off).

So what am I trying to say? - Well, you can learn almost anything by yourself - but you have to attend a live guitar lesson once in a while. There is no way you can learn a difficult solo like this one with bad habits "programmed" into your playing - this solo is hard enough anyway! If you don't have the possibility to visit a teacher, I strongly recommend downloading my first dvd, where I explain the most common bad habits which self-taught guitarists tend to get.

Rock on,

/Kristofer