AllMovie

Michael Lee Firkins falls in with the same group of guitar virtuosos as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Vinnie Moore -- guitarists who were part of the heavy metal instrumental wave of the '80s. Having played with the Howling Iguanas as well as producing three solo albums, Firkins is considered one of the best guitarists around. With this title happily on his mantle, it is no wonder that Arlen Roth and the Hot Licks Video crew convinced Firkins to sit down in front of the camera, plug in his axe and show the aspiring guitarists of the world how to wail. Firkins covers a great deal of ground, showing how to create a practice routine consisting of scale, whammy bar exercises, blues leads, tapping effects, and finger picking that will help any lead guitarist sound all the more authentic. Though this tutorial is easily followed and understood, the pupil should have some basic guitar knowledge and understanding of jargon before committing to this lesson.