“Challenge the Masters” by Jon Tapella is a book of classical music examples written in a neo-classical style aimed at rock and metal guitar players. Everything is arranged so that it can be played with a pick, so think Jason Becker or Paul Gilbert playing through classical pieces rather than classical guitarists John Williams or Sharon Isbin.
This book first came on my radar when my friend Ryan showed it to me in college. Despite not going to music school like I did, his sweep picking technique was impressive, and frankly better than mine, so I decided to give this book a look.
The great thing about this book is that it provides real world examples of pieces that use techniques like sweep picking and tapping. All of the pieces are well arranged and thoroughly enjoyable to play. I ended up learning Paganini’s “Caprice No. 16” to perform for a post-Berklee senior recital for friends and family who could not attend my actual senior recital in Boston. It was a fun challenge to pull off! You can hear me play it in the link below more recently. I only play through the first section, but it will at least give you an idea of what this piece sounds like and what you can expect to learn from this book, and I threw some blues shredding at the end just for fun.
“Challenge the Masters” was also ahead of it’s time in arranging Pachabel’s Canon for rock guitar, predating Jerry C’s canon rock by over a decade. I remember in the years preceding “Canon Rock” that many players would jam on Canon in D with heavy guitars, but “Canon Rock” was the first one to pull it all together and make it a metal instrumental standard. I don’t know for sure, but it’s certainly possible that “Challenge the Masters” may have helped to inspire this rendition.
Who is this book for?
- Rock and Metal guitar players looking to improve their overall technique and to bolster techniques like sweep picking and tapping through actual pieces of music.
- Players looking for a challenge.
- Players interested in playing classical music with a pick-style approach.
Who is this book not for?
- Strummers
- Players not interested in playing classical music on any level.
I highly recommend this book as an awesome resource since it’s format encourages learning advanced techniques via time-honored amazing music.
Ready to get shredding? Got your classical wig and cape? Pick up a copy of “Challenge the Masters” here…
Challenge the Masters by John Tapella
Happy shredding!