Expand your guitar vocabulary with this exclusive lesson pack containing some of my favourite licks. The Ultimate Lick Pack contains 10 awesome licks that cover a range of difficulty levels, including some real tongue-twisters and unique sounding phrases!
Each lesson is designed to not only teach you a cool new lick but to give you additional insights into my songwriting process, the techniques used and plenty of other tips and tricks along the way.
Even if you don&#8217;t manage to play every lick note-for-note, each lesson will provide you with some ideas and insights you can take away and apply to your own playing. Also, each lesson includes guitar tabs and a backing track to help you learn and jam along.

In this lesson I&#8217;m going to break down the first solo from Distorted Dreams by my band McRocklin &amp; Hutch. As well as teaching you how to play the notes step-by-step, I also cover all of the finer details &#8211; little tips and techniques that you can apply to your own playing to improve your note clarity and expression.
The solo isn&#8217;t too difficult technically, but it does feature a lot of cool techniques and phrasing which I cover in detail as I break things down. Most notably, it includes a hybrid picking section which sounds great but is also a super easy introduction to the technique if you&#8217;ve never used it before.

Distorted Dreams

Text/PDF

Guitar Pro

Thomas McRocklin

Hybrid Picking

Lick Breakdown

Technique

Distorted Dreams Solo 1

Introduction

Breaking it down

Hybrid picking section

Melodic finish

The finer details

Today we&#8217;re going to break down a track of mine called Drive. We&#8217;re going to break down the techniques involved and show you how to use controlled, slow sweeping to create a really cool effect on the arpeggios &#8211; I&#8217;ve included an exercise that will really help you master this technique.
I&#8217;ll also show you how you can write and come up with a concept like this by linking together simple ideas and turning them into something mindblowing!

Drive

Exercises

Songwriting

Theory

Drive Riff

Breakdown

Exercise

Composition

In this lesson I&#8217;m going to break down the chord progression from one of my tracks &#8211; Square Dreamz.
But we&#8217;re going to go deeper than that&#8230; much deeper! I&#8217;m going to show you exactly how I wrote this track by using melody to lead the chords without thinking too much about theory! I&#8217;ll teach you this method so you can use it to write awesome sounding chord progressions yourself.

Chords

Square Dreamz Chords

Breakdown Part 1

Breakdown Part 2

Solo Section

How To Build Chord Progressions

Finger Stretching Exercise

This solo breakdown from You and Me by McRocklin &amp; Hutch is quite simple to learn but tricky to master. It&#8217;s all about phrasing and delivery, packed full of details that will allow you to take simple lines and make them sound much more complex than they really are.
This lesson is also packed full of solo tips that will change your playing forever &#8211; including how to think ahead with fingering so you never feel rushed and make less mistakes.

Backing Track

Tips and Tricks

You and Me Solo Breakdown

The Breakdown

Today I&#8217;m going to show you one of my favourite go-to shred licks. This lick features a variety of techniques &#8211; sweep picking, hammer ons, pull offs &#8211; and a lot of muting to go along with those to improve your note separation and clarity.
Before we get into the lick itself I&#8217;m also going to demonstrate my approach to playing major arpeggios &#8211; so that you can apply these skills to your own playing and licks!

Tim Hutchinson

Arpeggios

Shred

Black Line Shred Lick

Major Arpeggio Breakdown

Shred Lick Breakdown

In this lesson we&#8217;re going to break down the solo from one of my McRocklin and Hutch tracks &#8211; Neon Skies. The cool thing about this solo is that it has a very Japanese-style sound whilst just using a standard minor scale with no alterations.
There&#8217;s also some interesting sections where you need to push notes through using only your left hand &#8211; and I&#8217;ll show you a couple of exercises that will help improve your technique and hand strength to help pull this off!

Solo

Neon Skies Solo

Solo Breakdown

Exercises and Jam

In this lesson I&#8217;m going to break down the chorus section from my track Clear Skies. This solo is jam-packed with lots of different techniques and flourishes which makes it a lot of fun to play.
I&#8217;m going to guide you through this note-for-note, covering these techniques in detail as well as all of the little details, expression and delivery that will help you get this solo completely locked down. Let&#8217;s do this!

Clear Skies

Alternate Picking

Sweep Picking

Clear Skies Breakdown

In this lesson I break down one of my tracks called Follow The Light. First we&#8217;ll break down the intro and chord sections, which sound really huge and busy, but in fact are really straightforward &#8211; once you know the secrets!
The shred part of this track can be pretty difficult though! It contains a lot of different techniques but I&#8217;ll break the whole thing down for you piece by piece. I&#8217;ll even give you an exercise to practice to help you nail the toughest parts.

Follow The Light

Chord Section

Shred Section

This tongue-twisting solo contains a ton of awesome techniques, so as well as breaking down how to play the notes I&#8217;m going to focus heavily on teaching you the techniques themselves &#8211; so even if you don&#8217;t learn to play the solo note for note you&#8217;ll be able to take the skills you&#8217;ve learned and apply them to your own playing.
At the end of this lesson I&#8217;ve included a bunch of really fun and useful exercises that get you used to delivering these techniques in the real world.

All I Want From You Solo

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

In this lesson I break down the 2nd solo from Distorted Dreams by my band McRocklin and Hutch. This is a really challenging but rewarding solo to learn. It features a couple of awesome techniques, without them this solo wouldn&#8217;t be possible.
As the solo progresses, it introduces new note choices, new modes and sounds. Constructing a solo in this way keeps the listener interested &#8211; and I&#8217;ll teach you how to do that as well. So download the backing track and the tabs&#8230; I&#8217;m going show you all of the techniques and insights so that you have everything you need to make this solo happen!

Distorted Dreams Solo 2

Breakdown Pt1

Breakdown Pt2

Putting it all together

Ultimate Lick Pack

Is your guitar playing stuck in a rut? Do you wish you had more variety in your playing? Or have you always found certain things difficult, when other guitarists make it look easy?
Whether you&#8217;re looking to add a new technique to your arsenal or squeeze an extra ounce of efficiency into your playing, this course will transform your guitar playing &#8211; forever.
Each lesson dives into a different topic from a beginners perspective, so that no details are glossed over and you get all of the information required to nail the mechanics relating to each specific technique.
As well as breaking down each technique, every lesson is packed full of advanced tips that have been gathered from years of practice and experience, so that you are able to learn (or re-learn) these techniques using best-practices that will fundamentally improve your playing, whatever level you are currently at.

Rhythm playing is one of those areas that is often overlooked, whether it&#8217;s because your timing isn&#8217;t so great or you just don&#8217;t have enough elements to create really killer sounding riffs.
This lesson covers every aspect of my approach to rhythm playing, and it&#8217;s packed full of tips and insights that you&#8217;ll be able to pick up and apply to your playing today, whether you&#8217;re just starting our or you&#8217;ve been playing for years!

Pinch Harmonics

Rhythm

Riffs

Heavy Rhythm 101

Palm muting

Open strikes

Chord vibrato

Alternate picking

Using silence

The arcade sound

Breaking up chords

Pinched harmonics

Muted picking

Wylde vibrato

Open notes

Power and depth

Adding variations

Alternate picking chords

Rhythmic flair

This lesson covers everything you need to know to become a tapping master &#8211; whether you&#8217;re a beginner unsure how to get started with tapping or a more experienced player looking for some tips and inspiration to take your playing to the next level.
We start with the basics such as how to transition from picking to tapping, common tapping patterns and changing notes with each hand. Once we&#8217;ve got the fundamentals down we&#8217;re going to crank it up to 11 with some fun advanced tapping techniques &#8211; let&#8217;s go!

Double Stop

Tapping

Tapping 101

Transitioning in and out

Tapping patterns

Changing notes

Using open notes

Advanced tapping

In this lesson I&#8217;m going to give you a full breakdown of all of the mechanics and movements involved in sweep picking so that you can learn everything you need to nail this awesome technique.
I start with the basics, including the best methods for holding the pick correctly so that you can sweep through the strings like a warm knife through butter! As you progress through the lesson you&#8217;ll learn multiple sweeping patterns and how to put everything together so you can use this technique in the real world to deliver some awesome solo action!

Sweep Picking 101

Ascending Sweeps

Descending Sweeps

Changing Direction

Transitioning Between Shapes

Bending is such an important part of playing guitar – it’s a crucial technique to have in your arsenal and it’s worth taking the time to get it right.
In this lesson I break down the fundamentals of bending and answer the most commonly asked questions about the technique. I also share a few of my top secret tips so that you can learn all of the tools you need to become a bending master.

Bending

Vibrato

String Bending 101

Push or Pull

How to Bend

Getting The Pitch Right

To Vibrato or Not

Four Finger Bending

Gimme a Secret Tip!

Over Bending

How Far Can You Bend?

Pinched Harmonic Bends

My Final Tips

There&#8217;s a lot of information out there about pick slanting, but what is the correct information for you and how can you start using it to improve your playing?
The good news is: I&#8217;ve done the research for you!
I&#8217;ve put together this definitive guide to the subject, which will explain exactly what pick slanting is and how you can start using it within your playing &#8211; without undoing any of your existing technique.

Picking

Pick Slanting 101

The Basics

Outside Picking

Hybrid picking sounds super complicated, but it&#8217;s actually quite easy to pick up. In this lesson I break this technique down to teach you everything you need to know so you can start incorporating it into your playing &#8211; today!
We&#8217;ll start with the basics &#8211; what exactly is hybrid picking and how do you pull it off? I&#8217;ll show you why this is such a cool technique, how to practice it effectively, when to use it and which tones it works best with. Even if you&#8217;ve never tried it before, by the end of this lesson you&#8217;ll be able to start using hybrid picking in your playing.

Hybrid Picking 101

What is Hybrid Picking?

What Tones Work Well?

What About Patterns?

If you&#8217;ve wanted to incorporate legato into your playing this is the lesson for you &#8211; I&#8217;m going to give you all of the tools and information you need to incorporate this fun and explosive technique into your playing today!
This lesson covers the fundamentals relating to the tone and mechanics of legato playing, as well as some deep dives into various ways I use legato in my own playing. It&#8217;s packed with tips and tricks as well as a selection of simple, quick exercises that will take your legato chops to the next level.

Legato

String Skipping

Legato 101

Tone and Technique

Pentatonics

Guitar Techniques 101

Does music theory not seem to &#8216;click&#8217; for you? Do you feel like you&#8217;re playing the same licks over and over, but not sure how to break out of the box? Do you wish you could confidently improvise in any key, all over the fretboard?
If so&#8230; this is the course for you!
This course focuses on the practical elements of music theory &#8211; things that will make the most impact on your playing in the shortest space possible. It&#8217;s packed full of information and insights, teaching you how to visualise the fretboard and improvise in any key &#8211; playing all over the neck with complete confidence.
Once you&#8217;ve completed this course, I guarantee you that your guitar playing and understanding of music theory will be transformed forever!

One of the most common questions I get asked is: &#8220;How do I break out from playing the same licks right in the middle of the fretboard all of the time&#8221;
I&#8217;m going to show you some scales that all link up together and explain how you can use them to unlock the entire fretboard &#8211; giving you much more clarity on how to can come up with great note choices, breathe some fresh life into your playing and improve your improvisation skills in any key.

Improvisation

Scales

Unlocking The Fretboard

Shape 1

Shape 2

Shape 3

Shape 4

The Mind Blowing Bit

I use arpeggios all of the time within licks or to transition between different parts of the neck when soloing.
In this video I&#8217;m going to show you the major and minor arpeggio shapes that I think everyone should know, as well as some 3 octave and diminished patterns that are a bit less common but still amazingly useful.
I also explain the best practices for fingering these patterns, and how to think ahead when playing to ensure your fingers are in the correct position during a transition.

Arpeggios Everyone Should Know

Pattern 1

Pattern 2

Pattern 3

3 Octave Patterns

Diminished Patterns

Do you find yourself stuck playing the same scales and patterns all the time?
In this lesson we&#8217;re going to pick a few different keys to improvise in but we&#8217;re going to completely ban the obvious and comfortable scale positions you&#8217;re used to! Instead I&#8217;ll show you some cool new shapes and patterns to use which will force you into using new note choices and phrasing options to help you break out of your habits and breath new life into your playing!

Alternative Scale Positions

A minor

C minor

D minor

This lesson is all about getting you really comfortable playing everywhere on the neck &#8211; without learning any scale positions at all!
This is one of the first things I learned on guitar and is actually how I was able to shred from a very young age. It&#8217;s based on a very simple method that is really easy to learn and will make a huge difference to you when it comes to visualising the fretboard.

Thinking in Tones

Getting started

TSTTSTT

Linking it together

One of the questions I get asked a lot is &#8211; what tuning are you in? I always play in standard tuning, but the way you approach chords and phrasing in different keys can completely transform the way they sound.
This lesson gives you all the insights into my approach to playing in my favourite keys. I&#8217;ll show you how to re-train your fingers to come up with some amazing sounds based on familiar shapes and how to layer harmonics onto chords to create epic soundscapes.

My Favourite Keys

F Sharp Minor

E Minor

B Minor

I absolutely love chromatics, when used in the right place they can add some crazy sounds to licks and solos!
When you&#8217;re practicing chromatics there are few different ways you can do it, and there are a few things that can trip you up.
In this lesson we&#8217;re going to talk about some of my favourite patterns to use, how to practice them and also how chromatics can really help improve your picking technique.

The Ultimate Workout

Chromatics

Don&#8217;t Be So Chromatic

Standard Position

Open Position

Using More Of The Neck

Picking Practice

The Ultimate Chromatic Workout

Practical Guitar Theory

It&#8217;s time to dive into the world of guitar patterns &#8211; how significant are they in improving your technique and enhancing your playing?
After taking a 20-year break from playing, I wanted to incorporate more dynamic alternate picking into my style, patterns made a significant difference in getting there. There are two main patterns that transformed my technique, which I&#8217;m about to share with you. So grab your best pick, and let&#8217;s explore them together.

Do Patterns Actually Work?

The lesson

This lesson starts with a dominant 7th arpeggio vs harmonic minor theme, but quickly turns into a treasure chest of some of my favourite ways to break away from playing in the default scale positions that many guitarists find themselves trapped in.
Follow me as I show you various ways that you can come up with new and fresh note combinations, the results of this will make your solos more unique and exciting to not only play but also to listen to!

Breaking Scale Habits

In this lesson, I dive into the concept of selective picking. While it might seem daunting initially, selective picking is an awesome tool for adding dynamic range and sonic versatility to your playing.
Let&#8217;s demystify this technique and learn how selective picking isn&#8217;t just about flashy moments but is an exciting way to enhance simple note combinations and add unique twists to your licks.

PolyChrome McRocklin Preset - Virtuoso Clean

PolyChrome McRocklin Preset - Virtuoso Clean Lead

Selective Picking

In this lesson, I return from a holiday and reflect on the impact of a 10-day break from playing guitar. I wanted to share my experience and struggles with you, as I try to regain my note sync and confidence by running through various exercises and riffs.
My fingers feel a bit weak, and some of the moves that used to be effortless now feel awkward, but I know that with the right type of practice, it won&#8217;t be long until my strength and dexterity returns. Let&#8217;s see how quickly I can get back into the groove!

Live

Returning From A Break

Tips & tricks

It&#8217;s the launch of the Locked In Solo Challenge! In this lesson, I&#8217;ll break down a massive, stretchy lick featuring sweeping, sliding, hammer-ons, and more. Mastering this lick will give you the edge in the solo challenge.
Plus, there&#8217;s ample space for you to jam and showcase your unique guitar personality over the backing track. Get ready for the Locked In Solo Challenge—it begins now! Join me inside for some musical exploration. Let&#8217;s dive in and elevate your solo game!

Solo Challenge

Locked In Solo Challenge

If you&#8217;re looking to enhance your chord progressions and often find yourself stuck in the same old patterns and shapes every time you pick up your guitar, this lesson is for you!
In this session, I demonstrate my exact method of stacking notes to create compelling chord sounds and help you identify melodies within chords, which can elevate simple progressions into captivating compositions.

Chords and Melody 2

In this lesson, we&#8217;re diving into two exciting tapping licks, one of which we&#8217;ll transform into a mind-bending exercise. This lesson is all about applying tapping in real-world scenarios, so if you&#8217;re tired of just going through the motions, this lesson will help elevate your playing to new heights.
But this isn&#8217;t just about tapping; we&#8217;re going to blend in other techniques too. You&#8217;ll gain the tools to create captivating melodies, seamlessly integrate hammer-ons for thrilling finishes, and receive some killer exercises to let your tapping creativity soar.

The Greatest Tapping Lesson Ever

It&#8217;s time to take a trip back to the &#8217;90s as I break down a track called &#8220;Lucy&#8217;s Breath&#8221; from my 91-95 album. This song is all about energy, pace, and excitement, where simplicity in notes creates killer riffs and exciting solos. You&#8217;ll also notice some Steve Vai influence, as this song was conceived during my time living with him. So, we&#8217;ll explore those influences too.
From the solo to the riff and chorus, we&#8217;re going to dissect it all. And there might even be a few happy accidents to uncover along the way. So let&#8217;s dive in and explore the magic of &#8220;Lucy&#8217;s Breath.&#8221; See you inside for some &#8217;90s nostalgia!

Lucys Breath

Lucy&#8217;s Breath

Time to Shred!

Fast Frets

Recent lessons

Lucy’s Breath

Funk and Inversions

Do Patterns Actually Work?

You and Me End Solo

What do you want to learn?

Tips & tricks

Do Patterns Actually Work?

Breaking Scale Habits

Selective Picking

Returning From A Break

Improvisation

Locked In Solo Challenge

Breaking Scale Habits

Chords and Melody 2

The Greatest Tapping Lesson Ever

Time to Shred!

Lucy’s Breath

Exploring Key Signatures

Metal Shredding

McRocklin Suite Launch Trailer Breakdown

Music Theory

Wild Bill’s Rockabilly Special

A Sit Down With Outside Notes

The World Of Harmonics

Songwriting Using Intervals

Easy Lessons

Funk and Inversions

Tapping Fundamentals

Getting In Sync

Couch Patterns

Intermediate Lessons

Fast Frets

Lucy’s Breath

Do Patterns Actually Work?

You and Me End Solo

Advanced Lessons

SUDO Solo 2 Breakdown

Elemental Solo Breakdown

The Secrets of a Pro Level Guitarist

Square Dreamz Solo

Lick breakdowns

Lucy’s Breath

You and Me End Solo

Locked In Solo Challenge

Fight Tournament Solo Breakdown

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