In this video
Festival season has just kicked off here in the UK — so this week's live session is all about the big songs being played at headline shows this summer.
I kick things off by helping Tony T out with Sweet Child O' Mine on acoustic. I walk through how to pitch the vocal comfortably in standard tuning, why singing it an octave down works brilliantly, and how to approach the song without a singer using a loop pedal — including a quick live demo of that concept.
The main lesson is Paradise City by Guns N' Roses. I cover the iconic opening riff in detail — how to keep your first finger anchored, the importance of alternate picking and small relaxed movements to build speed, and how the song's chord progression (G, C, F) maps onto everything you've already learned. I also break down the A minor pentatonic solo section, point out how it's clearly influenced by Stairway to Heaven, and share the middle-finger trick that makes the trickier lick monumentally easier.
After that I do a quick look at She Bangs the Drums by The Stone Roses — focusing on the Hendrix-style chord voicings and Chuck Berry-influenced double stops that make the song so distinctive.
Along the way I talk about: how YouTube content ID and copyright strikes work for cover videos, my thoughts on the new Rolling Stones track In the Stars (including the AI de-aging video), Paul McCartney's upcoming solo album, and what I got up to at The Great Escape Festival — including a great solo acoustic performance of Must Be Love that inspired a short look at playing songs like that without a band.
I also share the news that my Joe Satriani interview is going live the next day, chat about Download Festival coming up, and give a few tips on finding songs that suit your vocal range for open mic nights.
Timestamps and tabs for all songs are available in my courses and on the Discord. See you next week!