SPEED MECHANICS FOR LEAD GUITAR
By Iwo Iwaszkiewicz
From Guitar School magazine - September 1991

Sharpened your axe but having trouble sharpening your chops? Or maybe you just need to add to your collection of killer riffs?. Well, no need to fret, maim or murder, Speed Mechanics For Lead Guitar, by Troy Stetina, can help. This three-part book and cassette package, divided into Mechanics, Rhythm and Creativity, is an excellent tool for anyone, beginner to advanced, who wants to fine-tune his lead chops and overall playing.

Part One, Mechanics, starts with an abundance of warm-up exercises, tips for practicing and specific exercises for both the right and left hands. Later, Stetina gives you a catalog of great licks for speed and sweep picking in the styles of Rhoads, Lynch, Maimsteen and others.

Part Two, Rhythm, covers different variations of 12-bar blues progressions, shuffles and off-beats. Stetina also includes some very easy-to-understand explanations of triplets, 16ths and other rhythmic concepts. The section ends with a transcription of Paganini's 10th Caprice, a great piece in which to apply the techniques taught in this book.

Part Three, Creativity, includes lessons on intervals, voices and scale integration. Stetina concentrates on creative playing and developing your "ability to bring something into existence by imaginative skill."

This lesson's strength is in the 195 written and recorded examples, its clarity and classical transcriptions. The entire project is complemented by Stetina's flawless playing on the included cassette. After working through Speed Mechanics For Lead Guitar, you'll feel a lot more confident about your lead chops.