In this video
In a change to the advertised programme, this one's inspired by a weekend at Water Bear Music in Brighton for Dan Hawkins of The Darkness's classic rock camp — co-hosted by Bruce John Dickinson of Little Angels. The three songs taught over the weekend were Dio's Holy Diver, Breaking the Law and Kashmir, so we dive into two of those here along with the biggest lessons from the weekend.
The session opens with some community check-ins, power chord muting tips and a quick look at I Am by Iron Maiden, before getting into the main content:
Vibrato and stage performance — the biggest takeaway from the weekend. Dan Hawkins' tip about using your legs to unlock stage presence and charisma, why it matters even at open mic night, and how to apply it whether you're in a classic rock band or a solo singer-songwriter. Plus a deep look at vibrato technique — how to pivot around the first finger, making single notes sound incredible, and practising over drone tracks
Breaking the Law – Judas Priest — natural minor scale (not pentatonic), the iconic riff broken down note by note, power chord sections, the rhythm trick most people get wrong, and how to approach the solo using B minor pentatonic and a touch of D Dorian
Kashmir – Led Zeppelin — DADGAD tuning explained, the Phrygian dominant riff broken down in detail, muting technique for the signature groove, and how to navigate the song's structure
Along the way there's chat about the two-five chord progression, Santana's Oye Como Va and Another Brick in the Wall as examples of expressive single note playing, and plenty of 1996 and 60s song requests coming in ahead of next week's Guitar Time Machine session.