Jason Stallworth

One of the biggest problems metal guitar players face is unwanted string noise. Whether you’re trying to lock in tighter riffs or hold out that one sustained note and really milk it, extra noise from surrounding strings can ruin your tone and clarity. The good news? You can fix this fast once you know what’s causing it. In this lesson, you’ll learn three simple methods to eliminate unwanted…

You already know you’ve got to put the time in to get better on guitar.But saying things like, “Well, just practice more,” – that doesn’t always work, does it? Because sometimes it’s not about practice. It’s about passion.You love metal. You love playing. But the fire just isn’t there, and when you finally find time to play, it’s the same old riffs on repeat. If you’ve been feeling stuck…

Let’s clear the air on something before we get started. A great guitar solo, a professional-sounding guitar solo, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re just throwing a bunch of notes at people. In other words, just because you’re playing endless arpeggios up and down the neck doesn’t automatically make that a great solo. There are two things that truly make a solo stand out: It fits into the context…

Whether you’ve been playing metal riffs for years or you’re just now exploring lead guitar, these simple tone and setup tweaks can completely change how your solos sound and feel. You’ve got your guitar and amp all set up… but something still feels off.Your tone doesn’t sound quite right, or your guitar just doesn’t feel easy to play. Before you spend another dime on new gear, here’s the…

I’ll never forget the first time I heard Blackened by Metallica. That riff completely captivated me to the point where I didn’t just want to listen to metal anymore. I had to be a part of it. I had to learn how to play this stuff. By the way, Blackened uses a really cool technique called string skipping, and that’s just one of the many techniques I’ll share with you below. In this post, I’m…

Before we get into this, let me first encourage you to trust your ears more than anything. Tabs are a great tool, but you never want to rely on them 100%. The real superpower for metal guitar players is combining solid ear training with the ability to read tabs. That said, this post is your quick-start guide to learning how to read guitar tabs – specifically for playing metal riffs. Once you…

I’ve never been a fan of tone-chasing. To me, a quality amp (or amp sim, in this case) should deliver a killer tone right out of the box without endless tweaking. That’s exactly what the Bogren Digital Ampknob BDM Bundle does. In this post, I’ll break down what makes this bundle special, why it’s perfect for rock and metal guitarists, and how it can simplify your tone setup so you can focus more…

The Blackstar HT-5RH MK III amp gives you the best of both worlds with hardware (aka a real amp) and software. And it’s great for small home recording studios as it fits perfectly on your desktop. You don’t need a speaker cab (I’ll show what you’ll use instead, which comes with the amp). You don’t even need an interface as the HT-5 MK III can be used as an audio interface (I’ll show you this, as…

Everything you need to know about the new Blackstar Amped 3 for metal guitarists!

As a metal guitarist, there’s nothing like plugging into a tube amp and cranking it. Whether it’s a combo amp, 2×12, or 4×12 cabinet, you get this dominating sense of power when you start riffing. But it can get tiresome lugging around all that gear show after show. And it’s not always realistic to crank up a tube amp every time you want to record your guitar or just jam. This is where…

I still can't believe someone made a guitar for me! Here's my full write-up of the Shroedder Marksman '87 guitar from Hamburg, Germany!

Dokken, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Cinderella, Warrant, Poison, Winger, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Firehouse, and the list of 80s hard rock and heavy metal bands go on. And although each band had its own distinct style, there was a particular sound that seemed to be the foundation of this extremely awesome era of music. One of those core elements is the guitar. I’d like to introduce you to…

I'm giving you the complete heavy metal rhythm guitar settings that I used to record my upcoming album, Overcometh! @guitarplayer @heavymetal @guitarist

POD Go Lead Guitar Tones and Settings for Live Performances (Clean and Rock Tones)

All musicians and guitarists at every level get stuck in that rut from time to time. These are some tips to help you quickly overcome that and start making progress on guitar! #guitarist #guitarplayer #musician

You’ve learned some killer riffs and have even written some of your own. But lately, you’ve felt stuck. It seems like you’re just playing the same riffs and progressions, over and over. And you just can’t seem to get beyond a certain point on guitar. This happens to ALL guitarists at some point, and at all levels. Even professional musicians with catalogs of hits can find themselves in that rut…

GUITARISTS - Here's how to use the Line 6 POD Go with a real amp (4-cable method) #guitarist #guitargear #guitarplayer

Full-Time Musician’s Guide to Annual Planning (with Free Template Download)

I’ll start this off with the old saying ‘People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.’ And I’d venture to say that most of us creative and free-spirited musicians cringe at the thought of making a plan. Whether you’re a full-time or part-time musician, planning for the year should be high on your list of priorities. If it hasn’t been, I hope this article changes that. In this post, I’m going…

Heavy Metal Workout Mug

Drink your coffee, tea, or protein shake in your Heavy Metal Workout mug! • Ceramic • 15 oz mug dimensions: 4.7″ (12 cm) in height, 3.35″ (8.5 cm) in diameter • Dishwasher and microwave safe