“Speed Kills 2” Study Tips and Etude

by Sarah Spisak, Transcriber and Editor

The first ten exercises are chromatic workouts for both picking and fret hands. I have researched countless books and
videos and in all of them I never found such a concise yet comprehensive system for this purpose. Be sure to use the
alternate picking as you ascend. It is tempting to use one down-stroke, sweeping as you do on the descent. After only a
week or so of doing these exercises my alternate picking improved dramatically and you can get the same results. After
you get comfortable with the picking patterns in these examples, apply them to pentatonic and diatonic scales and
modes. You can move the scale patterns up and down the neck chromatically, as in Bonus Example One (following text)
or work through different positions of the same scale as in Bonus Example Two. Notice that the time signature for all of
the exercises in this first set is 4/4. My original transcriptions were in an intimidating combination of ¾ and 11/16 time.
While the complex signature was a more accurate representation of the phrasing, we decided that 4/4 would look better.
As you play these, you will find a natural way to place the beat in each 23 note phrase. There is no need to feel and hear
these in 4/4.

Exercise Thirteen, inspired by jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, is the most complex in terms of phrasing and this is
reflected in the transcription. At the end of bar four (the first bar, with its pickup notes, is not considered bar one) you will
nd
see 32 notes. These are simply grace notes, played as a rake into the downbeat of the next measure. A similar rake
occurs in measure nine. Listen to Michael play this lick and you will hear that he swings it. In metal guitar it is common
th
to play steady streams of 16 notes in straight time; this lick reminds us that we should consider more varied phrasing if
we don’t want to sound as if we are “typing” mechanically on the instrument. Also, by looking to players outside of the
metal style for ideas, we broaden our range of influence.

Michael told me that Example Sixteen starts on beat four. This may seem odd at first, but it is designed to create an
interesting rhythmic effect. Played alone, the lick seems to start on the downbeat, but when drums and bass enter (if
played with accompaniment) it will seem to shift. Michael said that this idea was inspired by Eddie Van Halen. Try
playing this lick with a drum machine or sequencer, or your band, to hear it in context.

The concepts of licks on the DVD can be combined. Apply the string-skipping of Example Seventeen with the whole tone
scale in Example Fourteen to make a new lick. Transpose licks into other keys or octaves. The possibilities should keep
you busy and entertained for many hours!

In the video, Michael mentions the importance of finding musical ways to practice your skills. This will make your
practice sessions much more fun, and you will find it easier to apply your technique to actual music. As a demonstration,
I have written a short etude (study) for you. It begins with a simple melodic theme. I recommend that you use sweep
picking for the arpeggios in measures one, three, five, and seven. In bar nine we begin a harmonic sequence of major
and minor seventh arpeggios arranged with two notes per string. This is a good place to use alternate picking. In bar 21
we have a string skipping pattern in A harmonic minor. After returning to the original melodic theme, the study concludes
with a descending five string sweep arpeggio in the parallel major.

As always, it was very inspiring to work with Michael on a DVD for Metal Method. On the first day that I called him to talk
about the transcriptions for “Speed Kills 2” he had just flown back to Chicago from Florida. He had been awake and
travelling for many hours and was about to go to sleep so I told him to get some rest and we would work the next day. A
short while later he called me back; instead of resting he was working on the files I had sent him. This is an example of
Michael’s incredible dedication to his work and to you, his students. He is like an Olympian of music, and if we all worked
even a little harder like he does we could accomplish much more in the days and years of our lives.

Hopefully the licks and exercises on this DVD will inspire your practice sessions.

-Sarah Spisak

Copyright 2006 Metal Method, MetalRiffs

Bonus Ex. 01
3 3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3

44
Ú 2
3 5 7 5 3
3 5 7 7 5 3
2 4 6 6 4 2
2 4 5 5 4 2
2 4 5 5 4 2
3 5 5 3 2 3 4 6

etc.
3 3 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Ú
4 6 8 6 4
4 6 8 8 6 4
3 5 7 7 5 3
3 5 6 6 5 3
3 5 6 6 5 3 4 6 7
6 4 3 4 5 7

Bonus Ex. 02

Ú
2 5 2
3 5 5 3 5
2 4 4 2 4 7
2 4 4 2 4 7
2 5 5 2 5 7
2 5 5 2 5 7

etc.

Ú
5 7 5 7 10 7
7 7 5 7 10 10 7
7 4 7 9 9 7
7 4 7 9 9
7 5 7 9
7 5 7 10
SK2 Etude Sarah Spisak
3 3 3 3

ª 4 12 8 10 9 10 8 12 ª
ª4 ª
13 12 10 12 8 8 12 13 12 10
13 12 10 9 10 10 13 12 10
9

3 3 3 3
5
15 12 12 15 16 15 13 15 12 12 15 16 15 13 20
13 13 16 15 13 12 13 13 16 15 13
12 12

9 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

10 13
9 12 9 9 12 7 10 7
7 10 7 7 10 10 7 10 7 7 10 10
7 10 7 7 10 10 5 8 8
5 8 8

12 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
10 13
10 13 10 10 13 8 12
7 10 10 7 10 7 7 10 5 9 5
5 9 5 5 9 9 5 9 5 5 9 9
5 8 5 5 8 8 3 7 7
3 7 7

16 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
8 12
8 12 8 8 12 6 10
5 9 9 5 9 5 5 9 4 7 4
3 7 3 3 7 7 3 6 3 3 6 6
3 7 3 3 7 7 2 5 5
1 5 5

ª
20 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
7 10 13 12 10
6 9 6 6 9 13 12 10
4 7 7 13 10 9 13 10 9
12 10 9 12 10 9
12 11 8 7
12 10 8 10 12 0 4 4 8

24 3 3 3 3
8 12 13 12 10 12 8 8 12 13 12 10
10 13 12 10 9 10 10 13 12 10
9 9
7 9 10

ª ª 12
28 3 3 3 3
12 8 8 12 13 12 10 8 12 16 17
10 10 13 12 10 9 10 14
9 9 14
7 9 10 14
7 16 12
8

copyright 2006 Metal Method, MetalRiffs