Guitar Techniques Builders

Joe Pinnavaia walks through his Guitar Techniques eBook on video, demonstrating the warm-ups and technique builders he has used in his own playing for years. For Joe, good technique doesn't mean shredding — it means command over your instrument, so you can play the things you actually want to play. Some exercises draw inspiration from MIT/GIT, Steve Vai's 10-hour workout, and George Lynch's finger-stretching exercises.

What's covered

• Alternate picking broken into separate downstrokes and upstrokes — evening out the weaker upstroke to tighten both rhythm and single-line playing
• Directional picking and four- and three-note-per-string exercises (pivots and mode-style scale patterns)
• Cross-string exercises for cleaner transitions between strings, with alternate and hybrid picking options
• Angular exercises — one-note-per-string diagonal patterns that build toward sweep picking
• String skipping, displacement, and contrary-motion variations to improve accuracy across the fretboard
• Finger independence and stretching exercises for wider reaches and four-note-per-string lines
• Practical advice on muting, tone for technique practice, metronome work, and avoiding hand strain

Two short synchronization pieces put the ideas into a more musical context, and the Guitar Techniques eBook is included with the course. Go in with an open mind and use these builders to expand your practice routine — the goal is developing your own musical voice on the instrument.