Great work Troy and team.. I sat and watched the whole series in one go.. it was like watching a documentary of my own life. Thanks for doing this for us guitar players !
Thanks Ben! That's an impressive amount of '80s to ingest in one sitting. I recommend not operating any heavy machinery until the urges to moonwalk and dive-bomb subside. Thanks for watching!
Nomlas Salmon Well if you check out early Paul Gilbert videos, he was trailing edge too -- and he burned. Also trailing edge: Shawn Lane and George Benson. You're in good company.
Man. Me too!!! Like a small glimpse into my life. Except Troy crashed through the barriers I couldn’t get though. I had sweep picking down but how deep he went in on alternate and slant picking is unbelievable!!!
This series is so completely kick ass. I gave up on a lot of this stuff in college in the 90s because I couldn't find the pieces to unlock the code... I'm so back in the game now... Time to unearth all my old spandex, notebooks and copies of Guitar for the Practicing Musician mags. You rock sir!
The simple genius of Yngwie's descending and ascending harmonic minor on a single string becomes even more impressive when you apply it to the other strings. In his words, "If you take those same notes and put them on the next string, you have a pattern that spans the whole neck." Yngwie most famously does this with Phrygian Dominant, Diminished 7th and Harmonic Minor, but that simple concept can be applied to any scale, in any key.
Ricardo Lucas IKR!? What a sikk joke! I have no idea why he hasn’t amassed - at the VERY LEAST - 1 Million subs!! And this was produced “As Good As it Gets” & more than 5ish years ago! It’s my tenth(at least) watch! Cheers Dude
So,i'm walking around the village and i come to Tower records where a small crowd of metal heads had gathered outside, i walk in and find out Yngwie is there to do a "meet and greet" and sign copies of his just released album.Having no clue i proceeded to the album racks to look and browse. as they let crowd in to purchase the album and then stand in line for a chat and an autograph they began to play the album over the house system.Identical reaction,one of those WTF moments! I grab a copy and as i'm paying i notice a flyer behind the cash register.Yngwie is playing at L'amours that Friday and Saturday and you could get tickets right there! i buy three tickets for Friday and three for Saturday. I lived two blocks from the club and can't begin to list how many guitarists i've seen up close.Friday comes around and i go to our hangout looking to invite someone and no one's around,so i grab this kid, Richie was not a musician not a metal head and we headed down to the club. There couldn"t have been more than a hundred people there!i I stood at the edge of the stage looking up at Yngwie in utter disbelief,i glance to my left and Richie"s mouth is wide open,just staring up. I looked around and everybody's jaw had hit the ground.after the initial schock subsided the line to public phone was endless, the word was out! Needless to say ,Saturday's gig was filled to capacity and the rest is history!
Damn wachting your videos makes so much fun ! All the people, who say Yngwie just doing always the same, and has just copied, should wacht your Series, because you proof how much of a genius YNgwie is :D ! Thank you for doing so many great videos !
***** hey Troy...I just learned about your vids, and love them btw. i was wondering which section of your site would have lessons/drills etc regarding your riffs and picking techniques? thanks :)
we had gotten live in 85' and the Alcatraz show on VHS in about...1987 and literally watched it every night for a year like it was a movie...we'd all go to my one friends house turn out all the lights and then hang onto EVERY note and phrase Yngwie would play in awe of how great his playing was...but not only that...the emotion and story he could tell with those notes...he wasn't this emotionless speedster that people who claim....back then he was totally connected to everything he played and it had so much passion and emotion./
Yes, you are my friend, a technical Genius! Totally over the top. Amazing. I can't say enough. I can't even begin to approach what you're teaching, but it is still fascinating to watch the show.
Episode 7 was an absolute light bulb moment and I recall vividly watching the Yngwie video and having no idea what he's doing to play so fast?! Great work on this, so nostalgic!
This is so epic I could watch as a movie on a movie theater, and would have all the emotion an epic movie has... could be like... the movie about an epic struggle of a guitar player hehehehe
Hey Dude, Just finished Cracking the Code season 1, and it was fantastic! Lot's of things I identify with, and also really well produced. Many props to you, good sir
Thanks a lot for making the videos. Not only are they a great way to learn and improve as a guitarist but they're fun to watch. I've already noticed my playing technique and speed improve greatly just through changing the pick technique due to your series. Really appreciate it.
Troy, seriously the "what ?!!" you do on the first arpeggio Yngwie plays is so classic !!! Gives me the strength to plug back my VCR and work it again.
I just got done watching all 8 episodes of season 1 in a row, and I must say you did a truly great job! You and I have a lot of common, I likewise remember back in the day ripping my hair out trying to figure out what hell these guys were doing. It was impossible when the best you got was half-assed transcriptions in those artist books, of which I found the Cherry Lane books were the closest thing to an accurate transcription there was. I had an old 8 multi track recorder that could play things slowed down one octave, so I likewise spent countless hours destroying the rewind button. In the end, nothing beats those REH/Hot Licks videos where you can see close up what these guys were doing with their own hands. Then it was all about destroying the rewind button on the VCR and/or DVD player as well. Again, thanks for putting the time into making these. I honestly believe what you are doing here is very important to the guitar community.
Great show/episode! I love that you dig into the mechanics of great players and I also enjoy hearing about the historical and cultural context in which these greats emerged! Great work, thank you!
I have to say, I truly enjoy your videos. A true trip down memory lane. Your life was very similar to mine. Guitar competitions, hot licks music videos and of course, CROSSROADS! Thanks again!
These videos are awesome. Very educational and simultaneously entertaining. I'm happy I stumbled upon them. Makes me wanna shred. They give lots of insight to how the pros do it.
I just recently found your channel. As a 40 something, I never understood solos. I understood scales and keys but never understood how solos were made. You really opened my eyes on how to how they are put together. I have been watching all weekend and have enjoyed it. Thanks so much for these vids.
I love this series, i was fortunate enough to have grown up in this era (internet), i`m 23 and i start it playing guitar at 13 but without youtube and tabs basically the internet. I wouldn`t have learned more than half of what i know. I came across the Yngwie`s Hot Licks video about 5 years ago but i only start it to brake down Yngwie`s technique recently. Everything you described in this video is perfect. Thanks for posting this! This is exactly the kind of series i was looking for.
Series was recommended to me by someone for learning to play better. so far THIS episode was the only one of value and substance that actually provided any direction or information regarding playing guitar yourself, and practicing. everything else serves as a documentary/autobiographical fluff.
Just an FYI you're watching our original dramatic series, not our instructional material. It was intended as a kind of nerdy memoir, and it connected with lots of people on that level. Try not to parse its content for playing advice. That said, the next episode, 9, which reveals how Yngwie Malmsteen's technique actually works, really did change things for players all around the world. It was the first mainstream discussion of how string switching actually works in practice. But if you're looking for a more typical sequence of steps for actually *doing* these things, you probably want our instructional material, which is here ( troygrady.com/primer/ ). You can find lots of excerpts from this on the channel, but just keep in mind these are just samples presented in no particular order, and not really where I'd start. For someone just approaching this subject, the first step is to gather baseline diagnostics on your joint motion so you know what you're working with. Here's one of our RUclips lessons on this subject ( ruclips.net/video/L6PUCTaNAOw/видео.html ). I'd start there, since measurement and testing is the key to informed practice.
Love this series. Just stumbled across it today and have watched all 8 eps of season 1. Very entertaining and packed full of useful information that makes it fun instead of what sometimes can become painstakingly boring to studying guitar and music books to get this information. I applaud you sir. What a fresh innovative way of presenting the information and taking us, the audience, with you back through your personal journey of discovery and teaching us as you go. Editing is great. Keep up the outstanding work. Thank You.....
Absolutely the best thing I've ever seen on youtube! I watched the whole series in one sitting, it was so enthralling. As others have said it's like watching my life story. You haven't just cracked the code, you've broken it! I'll bet the rock glitterati are seething now their secret's out. Love the way you give the secret without giving it away. Eternal gratitude to you Troy.
Thanks man! I don't think any of the virtuosos are too worried about giving up their secrets. In fact I have to say that the guys I interviewed with the slow-motion camera for Season 3 were all super enthusiastic and open about everything they did. More about this footage coming up soon...
Watched the whole lot in one go.. It was almost like a documentary of my life! Amazing work Troy! Blown away.. Possibly one of the best channels I have come across on YT.. Keep up the fantastic work! :)
Troy this is perfect. I followed you from start of your site until your site stopped at : "filming an indie" title and stayed like that forever . Every now and then I went on site to see if there is any change. And after 5 years I gave up ... I thought such a shame that you dont teach us anymore and I thought that cracking the code went downhill and that project will be forgotten. And then accidentally I saw this. WTF, this is perfect, you really worked hard all this time. I wish you luck and keep up the great work !
really well done series. anyone who was learning guitar in the 80's can instantly relate to all of this. great topical pop culture refrences as well. and... BRILLIANT idea to use the SK-1, wish i had thought of that back then, would have saved a lot of time. thanks for making this. looking forward to checking out season 2.
RonMitchMusic The Sk-1 changed my guitar playing life! Other guys had variable speed tape decks, which was probably even better. But hey you use what you've got.
Wow wow wow! Troy, just discovered these episodes and watched the whole first season in one sitting, thank you so much. I'm a 41 year old guitar player who grew up in the suburbs of Sydney Australia and watching this was like watching my own adolescence. The struggles, frustrations and helplessness you had were so similar to my own experiences through the 80's shred guitar labyrinth. Thank you again, I can't wait to see the next season and will try to make a donation to your site asap. Bravo!!!!
Thanks man! Happy to be able to strike that chord of commonality here -- the show isn't really about me per se, so much as it's about the journey of learning that we all experienced.
Troy....a most impressive and intuitive series exploring beneath the surface of all these remarkable guitarists.....like I have seen others to comment, watching was like looking back on my own journey from almost no resources back in the early 80's up to the internet era and its avalanche of resources.(though precious few really ever made a very big impact)..I remember thinking that we were gonna get lazy when Guitar for the Practicing Musician came out and had all those tabs and lessons,etc....!! ha ha......I saw Yngwie in Dallas on the Rising Force tour in a small venue and we were right by the stage...A band named Talas opened for them and as you no doubt know, that was Billy Sheehan's band he fronted....talk about a bombastic show.....wow!!! I just wanted to say thanks for sharing information that many have puzzled over and struggled with for years...it is really important to those of us that are in this for the right reasons....I love YJM but I have always been a huge fan of Tony Macalpine and how effortless he makes it all seem....and his genuine humbleness is refreshing when you have been used to some of the bigger egos like Vinnie Moore. T-Mac is like a modern day classical composer........cheers and thanks a hell of a lot.....!!!!!
The amounts of editing work us amazing..and serve your point amazingly...i gave up the guitar years ago for piano but pick it back up this week watching this .amazingly it start to sound good .thanx
Absolutely Brilliant! And I agree with Ben Higgins, this was like watching my whole guitar playing life unfold. I have yet to master right=left hand synch and have had to rely on slides, hammers and pulls, maybe now I will break on through!
You tell my story exactly...except I gave up trying to play anything except Panama and one lonely Satriani tune. I descended into pentatonic blues wanking. I don't know how to practice. Coincidentally I already hold the pick right, so there is still hope for me after 43 years of playing.Ver y informative and ENERTAINING stuff. Best thing on the RUclips! THANK YOU!
"BRAVO!" T'was my 8th straight viewing of Guitar Genius - Troy Grady's vids and unfortunately, I need a break (but like a kid who can't stop playing videos games in order to beat a boss)...I shall take-a-break to appreciate & absorb this immaculate FREE gift that is being supplied by Troy, it's producers & RUclips #ThankYou
Great stuff, I loved every episode.At 4:12, I remember getting the video, seeing that lick and then reading the tab and going,,,, ummmm, NO???.Looking forward to season 2 episode 2 and beyond. All the best Troy.
Ha. The tablature was a little creative back then. They did the best with what they had. Your average beginner knows more these days than experts did way back when, even if their playing abilities are still developing. Amazing times we live in.
***** yeah nice work. looking forward to the picking hand technique in season 2. After about twenty of years trying to play flat pick i discovered a video the other day about angled picking. opening up whole new levels. I just watched your whole season front to back. THis vid would have been great 15 years ago. :)
Your work is amazing, wonderfully entertaining and you make everything understood to perfection (And English is not my native language). I have been passionate and excited to see these videos, because I understand the feeling that has led you to do this magnificent work for the guitarists that we learn without schools or teachers. Thank you very much again, Troy. Thanks to your work my picking technique is definitely improving, because I found those problems that you said on videos...but you solve it perfectly. Thank yo so much for sharing this.
I... I don't know how to thank you for this video.. I've been playing with the trailing edge forward since I started playing 8 years ago. All of the bending in the thumb and wrist always gave me tiny pains after a long session, but now this new angle.. I don't know how I could have been so silly before! Not even kidding, I just had my own one of those unexplainable shredding moments. This is literally the first time I've been able to alternate pick without accidentally slipping into "econosweeping." Thank you so much, I love your videos :)
I actually got to see Malmsteen twice, first on is Trilogy tour and then Odyssey. I was fortunate enough to catch one of his (many) picks and it was a revelation for me as well. I had already been picking in the manner of "leading edge" down but his 2mm thick pick made a huge difference. Love these videos btw..
Amazing how much work you've put into this. I remember your stuff on your site in the past about 'Cracking The Code'. You also had some preview movies of players on the site, filmed with with an action cam (or however you call it). You're a real pit bull for sticking to it for that long :)
I really wish there were courses which show you specific licks and musical ideas using these techniques in addition to the explanations of the techniques themselves.
Troy you have created something awesome and of incredible value to me .As a left-handed player Who plays like a right-handed player all my life I struggled with limitations of right-hand speed! all my life! If you want to do a study on left hand players playing like right handers and maybe do a video of your method working for ambidextrous playing I would be all in for that. I always used to believe that due to being a left-hander who plays like a right-hander was the main reason for my struggling with maximum speeds both in picking with a pic and in fingerpicking, Simply by watching your series I have watched my right hand become more loose I also do exercises where are use both hands simultaneously doing the same move for months using mirrors and simultaneous in the air moving of both hands , trying to fool my brain into thinking my right hand is my left hand. I have noticed some interesting things where working with a mirror ,similar to what stroke patients do ( DOIGE Neuroplasticity Studies for ex : The brain that changes itself) that if I look from the top down at my hand at either the right or the left hand with a mirror covering one hand _ my brain can be fooled into thinking it’s actually looking at the opposite hand, Something very interesting happened not only when I put a mirror on the left side to make my right think that it’s my left hand , which is my main hand! did the right hand speed up but the opposite also happens that : when I put a mirror where the right hand is so That my brain was thinking the mirror image it was seing of the left-hand moving was actually the right hand- it then slowed my left hand which is fast down! This made me realise that the nerves and muscles are the same exact on both sides of the body and speed limits in both hands are solely due to wiring in the brain which can be rewired using primary training techniques! The brush your teeth test: so while can you brush your teeth easier with your main hand the right hand if you’re a right-hander or the left-hand if you’re a left-hander, brushing your teeth with much more detail and faster and more control with your main hand is what usually people do. Often the differences are extreme. Now with watching your videos and only thinking about for hours a day pathways in my brain have started to Open and I can now see myself moving to what has been an unattainable goal for more than 30 years of playing. through a very good career as an acoustic singer and guitar player songwriter , with a high level of skill of articulation rhythm playing and composition on both instruments but always running into a wall with speed in my right hand, this was always something that blocked me mentally, spiritually and sometimes even made me depressed because I knew that my musical talent was much higher than what my right hand was able to deliver, I pull my hat to you sir for creating such incredible value for free and I will gladly join you in your online courses but as I noted before if you do want to work with a left-hander who plays like a right-hander and see how far we can go which I think would be quite interesting then I am very open to maybe doing a video series of my exploits working with you personally . Most respectful and happy greetings from Europe, Chris Shermer
Great work Sir. Malmsteen has being a hero of mine for a very long time now. As much as guys like Satriani , Vai , Gilbert , Stevie Ray Vaugh ,Prince yep Prince the most talented musician overhauled mastering 14 instruments , Zack Wylde , VH , Pettrucci ,Tony MacAlpine ,Alex Lifeson and many more. Wish i would have learned sooner about Cracking the code. Now thanks to you i am a fan. Thanks again and long live to Cracking the code.
I've thoroughly enjoyed your cracking the code series. I was a guitar nut back in the late 80's early 90's but at some point I made a decision to stop learning. Around the time Vai and Satriani appeared. I think I subconsciously decided I could never be that good, so I just gave up. But I've recently got back into it with a vengeance and you're videos are incredibly inspiring, great job!
Great work Troy and team.. I sat and watched the whole series in one go.. it was like watching a documentary of my own life. Thanks for doing this for us guitar players !
Thanks Ben! That's an impressive amount of '80s to ingest in one sitting. I recommend not operating any heavy machinery until the urges to moonwalk and dive-bomb subside.
Thanks for watching!
Nomlas Salmon Well if you check out early Paul Gilbert videos, he was trailing edge too -- and he burned. Also trailing edge: Shawn Lane and George Benson. You're in good company.
Man. Me too!!! Like a small glimpse into my life. Except Troy crashed through the barriers I couldn’t get though. I had sweep picking down but how deep he went in on alternate and slant picking is unbelievable!!!
""slow" for Yngwie is a kind of "slow" for an electron. " Very good!!!
This series is one of the greatest guitar resources ever made
I'm addicted. This series is so amazing.
This series is so completely kick ass. I gave up on a lot of this stuff in college in the 90s because I couldn't find the pieces to unlock the code... I'm so back in the game now... Time to unearth all my old spandex, notebooks and copies of Guitar for the Practicing Musician mags. You rock sir!
The simple genius of Yngwie's descending and ascending harmonic minor on a single string becomes even more impressive when you apply it to the other strings.
In his words, "If you take those same notes and put them on the next string, you have a pattern that spans the whole neck."
Yngwie most famously does this with Phrygian Dominant, Diminished 7th and Harmonic Minor, but that simple concept can be applied to any scale, in any key.
The only RUclipsr I will never skip the ads for. That's how good your videos are bud
Dude...wtf?
You should have atn least 500k subscribers... what the hell is wrong with youtube?
Ricardo Lucas IKR!? What a sikk joke! I have no idea why he hasn’t amassed - at the VERY LEAST - 1 Million subs!! And this was produced “As Good As it Gets” & more than 5ish years ago! It’s my tenth(at least) watch! Cheers Dude
Most people don't play an instrument and those who do aren't always so obsessed with technique. They just want to play a bit here and there.
8:50 "I am a Viking" reggae style.. Love these vids
So,i'm walking around the village and i come to Tower records where a small crowd of metal heads had gathered outside, i walk in and find out Yngwie is there to do a "meet and greet" and sign copies of his just released album.Having no clue i proceeded to the album racks to look and browse. as they let crowd in to purchase the album and then stand in line for a chat and an autograph they began to play the album over the house system.Identical reaction,one of those WTF moments! I grab a copy and as i'm paying i notice a flyer behind the cash register.Yngwie is playing at L'amours that Friday and Saturday and you could get tickets right there! i buy three tickets for Friday and three for Saturday. I lived two blocks from the club and can't begin to list how many guitarists i've seen up close.Friday comes around and i go to our hangout looking to invite someone and no one's around,so i grab this kid, Richie was not a musician not a metal head and we headed down to the club. There couldn"t have been more than a hundred people there!i I stood at the edge of the stage looking up at Yngwie in utter disbelief,i glance to my left and Richie"s mouth is wide open,just staring up. I looked around and everybody's jaw had hit the ground.after the initial schock subsided the line to public phone was endless, the word was out! Needless to say ,Saturday's gig was filled to capacity and the rest is history!
I bingewatched it all at once, and now I have to go back and give a like to every vid. Stupid me...
Damn wachting your videos makes so much fun ! All the people, who say Yngwie just doing always the same, and has just copied, should wacht your Series, because you proof how much of a genius YNgwie is :D !
Thank you for doing so many great videos !
It's true, Yngwie did all this amazing stuff by feel -- definitely an athletic all-star.
Yeah ! Will you continue with yngwie stuff ? I'm really looking forward to !
We will return to Yngwie periodically throughout the show. Some things about his technique we won't figure out until later on.
Thanks for the respond !
***** hey Troy...I just learned about your vids, and love them btw. i was wondering which section of your site would have lessons/drills etc regarding your riffs and picking techniques? thanks :)
This series almost seems too good to just be on RUclips. Best thing I've discovered in a while
I need years to comprehend every detail Troy unleashed
How you guys integrate all the pop culture references is stunning! Had to share it with my peeps. It's awesome!!!
Kenneth Gonzalez Culture vultures unite!
15:40 "I feel a rising force"
In other words:
"Ability to play like Yngwie J. Malmsteen fills you with DETERMINATION"
Richie kotzen solved the picking problem, he ditched the pick.
Yeah but guy is still fast as fuck. His legatos were so immaculate that he just uses that now to branch off to his other notes.
Good for blues and legato type playing mostly
Can’t believe these videos are free. What an awesome guy
This is the best guitar video I've seen so far.
Thank you Troy !
we had gotten live in 85' and the Alcatraz show on VHS in about...1987 and literally watched it every night for a year like it was a movie...we'd all go to my one friends house turn out all the lights and then hang onto EVERY note and phrase Yngwie would play in awe of how great his playing was...but not only that...the emotion and story he could tell with those notes...he wasn't this emotionless speedster that people who claim....back then he was totally connected to everything he played and it had so much passion and emotion./
Troy, these videos are unreal. What a tremendous amount of work you have put into these.
Thank you.
Yes, you are my friend, a technical Genius! Totally over the top. Amazing. I can't say enough. I can't even begin to approach what you're teaching, but it is still fascinating to watch the show.
This is by far the best Guitar related Show on RUclips. Thank you...
Episode 7 was an absolute light bulb moment and I recall vividly watching the Yngwie video and having no idea what he's doing to play so fast?! Great work on this, so nostalgic!
This guitar journey and all the animation stuff is product of an outstanding job ! Thanks for sharing .
Bloody fantastic!! Super job well done! How you managed to make one mans journey through guitar hell THIS entertaining is masterful.
You have restored my faith in myself as a guitar player. Thank you so much for all of your awesome guitar knowledge.
This is so epic I could watch as a movie on a movie theater, and would have all the emotion an epic movie has... could be like... the movie about an epic struggle of a guitar player hehehehe
Hey Dude, Just finished Cracking the Code season 1, and it was fantastic! Lot's of things I identify with, and also really well produced. Many props to you, good sir
Your videos are by far the most entertaining instructional videos I have ever seen. Great work!
AWESOME, just AWESOME! Great videos and keep doing this great work!
troy thank u so much for this from the bottom of my heart
Yngwie-is a true ROCK STAR-and was here two weeks ago-What a Show!!
Incredibly well made video! Love it, Love Yngwie. this is great!
Thanks a lot for making the videos. Not only are they a great way to learn and improve as a guitarist but they're fun to watch. I've already noticed my playing technique and speed improve greatly just through changing the pick technique due to your series.
Really appreciate it.
I like your videos because you put a whole science behind playing guitar. The way the science evolves through the decades is quite cool.
Troy, seriously the "what ?!!" you do on the first arpeggio Yngwie plays is so classic !!! Gives me the strength to plug back my VCR and work it again.
Amazing video.... really great work Troy Grady!!
Cant stop watching these vídeos. Very entertaining and informative. Great job.
Great show Troy. Looking forward to season 2
I just got done watching all 8 episodes of season 1 in a row, and I must say you did a truly great job!
You and I have a lot of common, I likewise remember back in the day ripping my hair out trying to figure out what hell these guys were doing. It was impossible when the best you got was half-assed transcriptions in those artist books, of which I found the Cherry Lane books were the closest thing to an accurate transcription there was.
I had an old 8 multi track recorder that could play things slowed down one octave, so I likewise spent countless hours destroying the rewind button. In the end, nothing beats those REH/Hot Licks videos where you can see close up what these guys were doing with their own hands. Then it was all about destroying the rewind button on the VCR and/or DVD player as well.
Again, thanks for putting the time into making these. I honestly believe what you are doing here is very important to the guitar community.
Great show/episode! I love that you dig into the mechanics of great players and I also enjoy hearing about the historical and cultural context in which these greats emerged! Great work, thank you!
Isaac Tanner Indeed, history + analysis is our thing. Thanks for watching!
I have to say, I truly enjoy your videos. A true trip down memory lane. Your life was very similar to mine. Guitar competitions, hot licks music videos and of course, CROSSROADS! Thanks again!
These videos are awesome. Very educational and simultaneously entertaining. I'm happy I stumbled upon them. Makes me wanna shred. They give lots of insight to how the pros do it.
I just recently found your channel. As a 40 something, I never understood solos. I understood scales and keys but never understood how solos were made. You really opened my eyes on how to how they are put together. I have been watching all weekend and have enjoyed it. Thanks so much for these vids.
Great job! I really enjoyed the show!
Awesome and useful videos, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with us...
I love this series, i was fortunate enough to have grown up in this era (internet), i`m 23 and i start it playing guitar at 13 but without youtube and tabs basically the internet. I wouldn`t have learned more than half of what i know. I came across the Yngwie`s Hot Licks video about 5 years ago but i only start it to brake down Yngwie`s technique recently.
Everything you described in this video is perfect. Thanks for posting this! This is exactly the kind of series i was looking for.
Series was recommended to me by someone for learning to play better. so far THIS episode was the only one of value and substance that actually provided any direction or information regarding playing guitar yourself, and practicing. everything else serves as a documentary/autobiographical fluff.
Just an FYI you're watching our original dramatic series, not our instructional material. It was intended as a kind of nerdy memoir, and it connected with lots of people on that level. Try not to parse its content for playing advice. That said, the next episode, 9, which reveals how Yngwie Malmsteen's technique actually works, really did change things for players all around the world. It was the first mainstream discussion of how string switching actually works in practice. But if you're looking for a more typical sequence of steps for actually *doing* these things, you probably want our instructional material, which is here ( troygrady.com/primer/ ). You can find lots of excerpts from this on the channel, but just keep in mind these are just samples presented in no particular order, and not really where I'd start. For someone just approaching this subject, the first step is to gather baseline diagnostics on your joint motion so you know what you're working with. Here's one of our RUclips lessons on this subject ( ruclips.net/video/L6PUCTaNAOw/видео.html ). I'd start there, since measurement and testing is the key to informed practice.
Never seen anything quite like this. An informative guitar lesson with a relatable and nostalgic storyline and crazy animations. Enjoyed!
That's a pretty good one-line encapsulation of what we're doing!
Love this series. Just stumbled across it today and have watched all 8 eps of season 1. Very entertaining and packed full of useful information that makes it fun instead of what sometimes can become painstakingly boring to studying guitar and music books to get this information. I applaud you sir. What a fresh innovative way of presenting the information and taking us, the audience, with you back through your personal journey of discovery and teaching us as you go. Editing is great. Keep up the outstanding work. Thank You.....
Awesome! Thanks for watching, and for 'getting' us. And stay tuned - we're just getting started!
Absolutely the best thing I've ever seen on youtube! I watched the whole series in one sitting, it was so enthralling. As others have said it's like watching my life story. You haven't just cracked the code, you've broken it! I'll bet the rock glitterati are seething now their secret's out. Love the way you give the secret without giving it away. Eternal gratitude to you Troy.
Thanks man! I don't think any of the virtuosos are too worried about giving up their secrets. In fact I have to say that the guys I interviewed with the slow-motion camera for Season 3 were all super enthusiastic and open about everything they did. More about this footage coming up soon...
I love the production value man!
Watched the whole lot in one go.. It was almost like a documentary of my life! Amazing work Troy! Blown away.. Possibly one of the best channels I have come across on YT.. Keep up the fantastic work! :)
For sure, this is the story of all of us. Thanks for watching!
mee too,exakt the same , so happy that I finde this! thanks u Troy!!
I agree absolutely incredible I can't stop watching!
Troy this is perfect. I followed you from start of your site until your site stopped at : "filming an indie" title and stayed like that forever . Every now and then I went on site to see if there is any change. And after 5 years I gave up ... I thought such a shame that you dont teach us anymore and I thought that cracking the code went downhill and that project will be forgotten. And then accidentally I saw this. WTF, this is perfect, you really worked hard all this time. I wish you luck and keep up the great work !
Aweome, thanks for sticking with us!
amazing story troy...thx for sharing it with us :D
really well done series. anyone who was learning guitar in the 80's can instantly relate to all of this. great topical pop culture refrences as well. and... BRILLIANT idea to use the SK-1, wish i had thought of that back then, would have saved a lot of time. thanks for making this. looking forward to checking out season 2.
RonMitchMusic The Sk-1 changed my guitar playing life! Other guys had variable speed tape decks, which was probably even better. But hey you use what you've got.
Best show ever! I love each episode!
Wow wow wow! Troy, just discovered these episodes and watched the whole first season in one sitting, thank you so much. I'm a 41 year old guitar player who grew up in the suburbs of Sydney Australia and watching this was like watching my own adolescence. The struggles, frustrations and helplessness you had were so similar to my own experiences through the 80's shred guitar labyrinth. Thank you again, I can't wait to see the next season and will try to make a donation to your site asap. Bravo!!!!
Thanks man! Happy to be able to strike that chord of commonality here -- the show isn't really about me per se, so much as it's about the journey of learning that we all experienced.
Awesome video!!
This is super educational man thank you
Troy....a most impressive and intuitive series exploring beneath the surface of all these remarkable guitarists.....like I have seen others to comment, watching was like looking back on my own journey from almost no resources back in the early 80's up to the internet era and its avalanche of resources.(though precious few really ever made a very big impact)..I remember thinking that we were gonna get lazy when Guitar for the Practicing Musician came out and had all those tabs and lessons,etc....!! ha ha......I saw Yngwie in Dallas on the Rising Force tour in a small venue and we were right by the stage...A band named Talas opened for them and as you no doubt know, that was Billy Sheehan's band he fronted....talk about a bombastic show.....wow!!! I just wanted to say thanks for sharing information that many have puzzled over and struggled with for years...it is really important to those of us that are in this for the right reasons....I love YJM but I have always been a huge fan of Tony Macalpine and how effortless he makes it all seem....and his genuine humbleness is refreshing when you have been used to some of the bigger egos like Vinnie Moore. T-Mac is like a modern day classical composer........cheers and thanks a hell of a lot.....!!!!!
The amounts of editing work us amazing..and serve your point amazingly...i gave up the guitar years ago for piano but pick it back up this week watching this .amazingly it start to sound good .thanx
Awesome! Piano is great. And more straightforward technically in a lot of ways. But welcome back to the guitar.
Absolutely Brilliant! And I agree with Ben Higgins, this was like watching my whole guitar playing life unfold. I have yet to master right=left hand synch and have had to rely on slides, hammers and pulls, maybe now I will break on through!
Great man!, congratulations for this amazing youtube channel!,:).
Just LOVE these videos. I don't even intend to play any of it. I just love watching the attention to detail, and the humour.
Thanks! We try bring a little story to the analysis.
Every episode deserves an Oscar Award, period.
i cant stop watching this over and over ... this is IT 🤘👍🤓 Amazing Troy 👍👍👍 you are the Best ....
Best RUclips videos ever 🎸🎸
Thanks man!
Hats off....Flawless work.
Thanks Fidel!
this is really an excellent video series that documents such a wealth of information about guitar virtuosity. thumbs up for the hard work!
Thanks for watching!
You tell my story exactly...except I gave up trying to play anything except Panama and one lonely Satriani tune. I descended into pentatonic blues wanking. I don't know how to practice. Coincidentally I already hold the pick right, so there is still hope for me after 43 years of playing.Ver y informative and ENERTAINING stuff. Best thing on the RUclips! THANK YOU!
"BRAVO!" T'was my 8th straight viewing of Guitar Genius - Troy Grady's vids and unfortunately, I need a break (but like a kid who can't stop playing videos games in order to beat a boss)...I shall take-a-break to appreciate & absorb this immaculate FREE gift that is being supplied by Troy, it's producers & RUclips #ThankYou
Great stuff, I loved every episode.At 4:12, I remember getting the video, seeing that lick and then reading the tab and going,,,, ummmm, NO???.Looking forward to season 2 episode 2 and beyond. All the best Troy.
Ha. The tablature was a little creative back then. They did the best with what they had. Your average beginner knows more these days than experts did way back when, even if their playing abilities are still developing. Amazing times we live in.
Star Licks Had Yngwie, It was all on Cassette Tape, I had all 11 tapes and the booklet with the tabs and compositions, It helped me immensely 🎸😎
Wowzers! I watched the whole first season, amazing work!
Thanks! More to come soon.
***** yeah nice work. looking forward to the picking hand technique in season 2. After about twenty of years trying to play flat pick i discovered a video the other day about angled picking. opening up whole new levels. I just watched your whole season front to back. THis vid would have been great 15 years ago. :)
Your work is amazing, wonderfully entertaining and you make everything understood to perfection (And English is not my native language).
I have been passionate and excited to see these videos, because I understand the feeling that has led you to do this magnificent work for the guitarists that we learn without schools or teachers.
Thank you very much again, Troy.
Thanks to your work my picking technique is definitely improving,
because I found those problems that you said on videos...but you solve it perfectly.
Thank yo so much for sharing this.
9:38 damn, not only were you *shreddin* by the time you were in 9th grade, but you were also already super handsome back then!
I... I don't know how to thank you for this video.. I've been playing with the trailing edge forward since I started playing 8 years ago. All of the bending in the thumb and wrist always gave me tiny pains after a long session, but now this new angle.. I don't know how I could have been so silly before! Not even kidding, I just had my own one of those unexplainable shredding moments. This is literally the first time I've been able to alternate pick without accidentally slipping into "econosweeping."
Thank you so much, I love your videos :)
troy's storytelling abilities are as good as his guitar techniques
you are so intelligent! it shows. please. more of them!
3:26 - Me after watching Troy's excellent revelations! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge!
I actually got to see Malmsteen twice, first on is Trilogy tour and then Odyssey. I was fortunate enough to catch one of his (many) picks and it was a revelation for me as well. I had already been picking in the manner of "leading edge" down but his 2mm thick pick made a huge difference. Love these videos btw..
Awesome work! I really enjoy all your videos. Mis respetos Amigo.
Mil gracias!
Amazing work!!! Can't wait for the Frank Gambale episode
Great skill in making this type of video. This is pro level. You really put a lot of work in to your video. Great
I've been playing for 35 Years on guitar... And I love this...
Thanks man!
OMG!! I FORGOT THIS SERIES EVEN EXISTED!!!!! ooff so many flashbacks:p
That was REALLY COOL!!!!!
Amazing how much work you've put into this. I remember your stuff on your site in the past about 'Cracking The Code'. You also had some preview movies of players on the site, filmed with with an action cam (or however you call it). You're a real pit bull for sticking to it for that long :)
Re: slow motion player videos, your timing is impeccable. This is new as of today: troygrady.com/2014/05/22/introducing-the-code-archive/
You are a godsend to young guitarists like myself
I really wish there were courses which show you specific licks and musical ideas using these techniques in addition to the explanations of the techniques themselves.
Troy you have created something awesome and of incredible value to me .As a left-handed player Who plays like a right-handed player all my life I struggled with limitations of right-hand speed! all my life! If you want to do a study on left hand players playing like right handers and maybe do a video of your method working for ambidextrous playing I would be all in for that. I always used to believe that due to being a left-hander who plays like a right-hander was the main reason for my struggling with maximum speeds both in picking with a pic and in fingerpicking, Simply by watching your series I have watched my right hand become more loose I also do exercises where are use both hands simultaneously doing the same move for months using mirrors and simultaneous in the air moving of both hands , trying to fool my brain into thinking my right hand is my left hand.
I have noticed some interesting things where working with a mirror ,similar to what stroke patients do ( DOIGE Neuroplasticity Studies for ex : The brain that changes itself) that if I look from the top down at my hand at either the right or the left hand with a mirror covering one hand _ my brain can be fooled into thinking it’s actually looking at the opposite hand, Something very interesting happened not only when I put a mirror on the left side to make my right think that it’s my left hand , which is my main hand! did the right hand speed up but the opposite also happens that : when I put a mirror where the right hand is so
That my brain was thinking the mirror image it was seing of the left-hand moving was actually the right hand- it then slowed my left hand which is fast down! This made me realise that the nerves and muscles are the same exact on both sides of the body and speed limits in both hands are solely due to wiring in the brain which can be rewired using primary training techniques! The brush your teeth test: so while can you brush your teeth easier with your main hand the right hand if you’re a right-hander or the left-hand if you’re a left-hander, brushing your teeth with much more detail and faster and more control with your main hand is what usually people do. Often the differences are extreme.
Now with watching your videos and only thinking about for hours a day pathways in my brain have started to Open and I can now see myself moving to what has been an unattainable goal for more than 30 years of playing. through a very good career as an acoustic singer and guitar player songwriter , with a high level of skill of articulation rhythm playing and composition on both instruments but always running into a wall with speed in my right hand, this was always something that blocked me mentally, spiritually and sometimes even made me depressed because I knew that my musical talent was much higher than what my right hand was able to deliver,
I pull my hat to you sir for creating such incredible value for free and I will gladly join you in your online courses but as I noted before if you do want to work with a left-hander who plays like a right-hander and see how far we can go which I think would be quite interesting then I am very open to maybe doing a video series of my exploits working with you personally . Most respectful and happy greetings from Europe, Chris Shermer
Great work Sir. Malmsteen has being a hero of mine for a very long time now. As much as guys like Satriani , Vai , Gilbert , Stevie Ray Vaugh ,Prince yep Prince the most talented musician overhauled mastering 14 instruments , Zack Wylde , VH , Pettrucci ,Tony MacAlpine ,Alex Lifeson and many more. Wish i would have learned sooner about Cracking the code. Now thanks to you i am a fan. Thanks again and long live to Cracking the code.
Prince is the man -- a very weird man, but the man nevertheless. Small guitar players unite!
Thanks for watching!
I've thoroughly enjoyed your cracking the code series. I was a guitar nut back in the late 80's early 90's but at some point I made a decision to stop learning. Around the time Vai and Satriani appeared. I think I subconsciously decided I could never be that good, so I just gave up. But I've recently got back into it with a vengeance and you're videos are incredibly inspiring, great job!
yeah i was playing hardcore 2 years ago.. then stopped.. this series has inspired me also
Great video...info on chunking for Malmsteen makes sense. He is big on chromatically moving up and down the neck.
VERY VERY helpful
my mullet grew 4 inches in just an hour while watching these videos. awesome!
Wowwww!!! Best youtube series!! I've watched all of them in a row and now i'm dying for season 2.
Sorry for my english!
Greetings from Argentina!
The infamous Exercise 5!!! I've been there!
Tuviste este tape en Argentina? Amazing. Pero sí, el quinto... no como escrito!
***** I would love to listen some of your own stuff. Loved the Theme from Cracking the Code.
Thanks for the response!
dude you re awesome!