Joe Satriani's Electric Guitar Method

Do you know the secrets behind Joe Satriani's electric guitar technique? Let's face it, we all dream of playing like him, but it's so hard! It feels like the whole world is conspiring against us, because no matter how badly we want it, it seems impossible to pull off. 

The good news is that there's no reason to keep searching for an answer, because here we tell you everything. Yes, we'll tell you everything so you can build the best foundation and reach the level you're after on electric guitar. 

The secrets of Joe Satriani's electric guitar technique

This astonishing electric guitar hero has managed to become the ultimate benchmark for technique, creativity and skill on a legendary level. 

His students include Kirk Hammett, Marty Friedman and the one and only Steve Vai, among others. That said, Satriani himself joked that he was playing the accordion back when he taught Vai the electric guitar.

So now, let's dig into the secrets of Joe Satriani's electric guitar technique.

Nimble fingers

This is the first thing Satriani does to reach his level and stay 100% athletic for his electric guitar acrobatics. 

In the book where he shares the secrets of his technique, he lays out a series of finger exercises worthy of Cirque du Soleil. So you'll want to build a routine that walks step by step through the finger stretches and warm-ups Satriani does before he gets going. 

Unusual tunings

This is the next level, because acrobatic fingers aren't enough on their own if you don't also develop a legendary musical ear. To do that, you need to practice both standard and unusual tunings, with and without a tuner. 

On top of that, there are plenty of other tunings, such as: 

• E - G - D - G - A - D.
• E - G - D - E - A - E.
• D - A - D - G - B - E.

These are just a few of the tunings you should practice to get closer and closer to Joe Satriani. 

Right-hand harmonics

You can't reach a high level on electric guitar without mastering right-hand harmonics. 

To this end, Joe Satriani encourages his readers to pinch the strings with part of the pick and the thumb on the notes where harmonics come out most easily.

• Every note at the fifth fret.
• Every note at the seventh fret.
• Absolutely every note at the twelfth fret.

So you've got it easy when it comes to practicing harmonics, and once you've got these down, you move on to the rest, which are a touch more complex, but nothing to worry about.

Scales harmonized in octaves

These electric guitar scales are the ones where you play the same note on two different strings simultaneously. 

The goal of this exercise is to help you learn the entire range of the fretboard and the location of every note on each fret. 

In Satriani's case, he feels it's very important to start by practicing two octaves per string and then three octaves per string. 

Scales on a single electric guitar string

The great electric guitar master believes it's very important to be skilled enough to play scales on a single string. That's why you'll see a string break on him mid-concert and he just carries on as if nothing happened. 

In the same way, he considers it vital to play these scales in rhythmic subdivisions in order to master complex high-speed moves like triplets, sextuplets and quintuplets, with the metronome as your greatest ally. 

Dedication to electric guitar practice

Without this, you'll never reach a solid level on the instrument, let alone catch up to the legend Joe Satriani. 

That's why it's important to put in daily sessions of at least three hours of practice. 

In closing, we're leaving you a link to this legendary guitarist's complete method so you can download it and start your training. 

Are you ready? You'd better be, and remember you can always reach out to us so we can answer any questions you might have.