3 Greg Howe Licks From 1988

Here's the next Three-For-All lesson with 3 Greg Howe Licks From 1988.
Greg Howe is an '80s shred guitar pioneer and first appeared as one of the original players that debuted on Shrapnel Records back in the day, alongside shred-guitar heroes such as Tony MacAlpine, Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, Richie Kotzen, and the gang.
This lesson features a batch of licks that came from an old GIT clinic bootleg from 1988. The camera angle is spot-on and gives viewers a great look at Greg's hands as he's flying around the neck and blazing through a lot of great phrases, licks, and ideas.
The licks shared in this lesson revolve around slippery arpeggios, targeting specific tonalities over chord progressions, lots of legato and string-skipping, and much more. Needless to say, the licks in this lesson are demanding and difficult to play, but will surely open some new doors and ideas for you to experiment with and explore.
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[@leeDs718]

each lick: 1) 3:21 2) 4:50 3) 6:23 4) 8:23 thanks for your videos! I'm learning these now, the timestamps are for a quick reference. i really enjoy your spoken insight.

[@anthony27436]

Greg Howe, amazing eclectic and humble guitarists ... Funny story, I was vacationing in Athens Greece and I walked into a small jazz club and you'll never guess who was on tour performing there ... Greg Howe!

[@Not_Interested93]

That’s pretty cool haha what are the chances of that?!

[@charlesgoller71]

Love listening to this dude explain these licks, it’s actually incredibly informative yet easy and relaxing. lol. Well done.

[@thrashaddiction]

great vid, anyone into early Van Halen Roth era albums (1978-1984), check the 2 Howe II ‎- High Gear & Howe II ‎- Now Hear This...overlooked albums

[@rick3747]

I live near Easton, PA. Greg did live here and we would see him all over from the Lehigh Valley Mall to Jimmy's hotdogs in Easton to many different music stores in the valley. Greg always took time to shake your hand and chat a bit. Don't know if he is still here, but the Lehigh Valley is very proud of Greg.

[@kilterkaos1]

I’m 54, I was a big fan of shrapnel records.

[@jeffreyp1855]

Rick, I'm 50 and was high school pals with semi-famous guitarist Ira Black, who introduced me to Mike Varney's, Shrapnel. The guy had an awesome ear for talent! Yngwie, Gilbert, MacAlpine, Becker, Friedman, Howe etc. For a teenager who just got into playing metal guitar, it was like being a kid in a candy store. 🤘🏻

[@DaveSteele07]

Shrapnel opened my ears to how far guitar can be taken! I’m also glad to see younger players carrying on the torch!!

[@dsalbert9572]

Rick Allen Yep! Bad ass players on that label- brings back fond memories.

[@kilterkaos1]

David/Susan It was always a treat to find a band that was on a Shrapnel Label. You had to dig but on occasion you would find one. Sad thing was record stores kept shrinking the metal section and then eventually throwing it in with rock section. And then came Rap!

[@shredhead76]

Shrapnel really introduced a ton of great players that might not have been noticed.

[@guitarkis4969]

Some of my favorite vids are yours David! Question....how the heck do you learn all these licks in such a short time? How much practice time do you think you use? Keep up the GREAT lessons!

[@uncleremus5046]

Greg Howe’s debut album too me is still his best & Varney’s best. As a player Greg has grown into a hybrid fusion playing monster leaving his peers in his dust. Phrasing, Technique, he has it all. The Jeff Beck of Shred often imitated but never duplicated. Thanks again 🍺‘Sky!🤘

[@EricBourassa]

Uncle Remus totally agreed he’s left everyone else in the dust!

[@RobertoReyesChHC]

He’s got mojo and is way up there but he still uses a mute for certain parts including tapping which seems unnecessary considering his level of chops and decades of playing. Still a certified boss though.

[@EricBourassa]

@@RobertoReyesChHC the mute is necessary for him now because he uses less gain today- greater chance for string noise to come through. in the 80's he didn't need the mute because he used so much gain that the compressed distortion destroyed any string noise beyond whichever note was being tapped.

[@RobertoReyesChHC]

Eric Bourassa That may be necessary for him but the notion is usually more gain = more noise. I use little gain now and prefer the sound of a p90 and I’ve never had that issue. I’ve seen folks do some complex tapping, including the guitarist of my band, on low gain settings and on clean settings straight to the amp with no issues. No need to boast but I do not see the logic or practicality in your argument. You also don’t strike me as someone who knows him and his rig personally but if there are any resources you can point to regarding your assessment please share.

[@uncleremus5046]

I personally cannot find fault in any of Greg’s playing. One thing to remember Howe always played nice lines not mindless six note repetitive patterns. He is an unbelievable player not shredder! Big Difference...

[@RayTheGuitar]

Lick 1 .... 03:22 Lick 2 .... 04:49 Lick 3 .... 06:23 Bonus Lick .... 08:21

[@vladjones2446]

More Greg Howe please Dave. That slippery triplet chromatic legato thing is killer. ‘Introspection’ totally blew my mind when I first heard it. That clean toned shredding!

[@justinkantner7162]

Instant thumbs up, Greg’s playing was so skilled and tasteful. Although I’m in the minority, I loved Greg’s neoclassical playing. 👍🏻 Fun watch...

[@michaelblack5030]

Me too

[@michaeldempsey3471]

With that Vitali fellow? It was scary good!

[@justinkantner7162]

Yep, Vitalij Kuprij 👍🏻.

[@michaelblack5030]

Allways great 👍,who gives you a thumb down,Vivian Campbell please

[@voronOsphere]

I love Vivian Campbell!

[@InvisibleJiuJitsu]

first guitar i had growing up was a white greg howe HM Strat. I still miss that guitar to this day!

[@derekm.8392]

Could we do a lesson on Nick Johnston

[@christianneumann9027]

Honestly, you are a great monster player too!

[@tommartling2473]

Superb lesson David. Of all the Shrapnel guys, Greg's my favorite. His playing has a bounce and swing that none of the other guys have. Love both you guys. Thanks for the Starship trooper lesson. Never got that beginning part till your lesson ( I know, amatuer).

[@2chill4stress98]

Do something on Roy Clark ! That would be cool to see

[@drewm5898]

I'm totally gonna steal that E7/D7 lick, and Dave is now an accomplice!

[@EricBourassa]

Haha lol. Not a bad crime to be associated with

[@williamdon3442]

It sure is a slick lick

[@dylanclancy5396]

Could you please do a lesson on nick Johnston? He’s such an awesome player but there’s very little on KZbin on him

[@EricBourassa]

Dylan Clancy I saw nick Johnston live twice by accident and was blown away both times. The dude is killer

[@skidjs]

I own an HM Strat identical to the thumbnail.

[@MindsEyeMuseGuitar]

Greg Howe is a genius. Such unique playing

[@mattyoxide3650]

Big influence on Guthrie Govan I’m hearing.

[@vladjones2446]

mattyoxide I’ve always said this. Greg is funkier, more creative, has the edge for me.

[@mattyoxide3650]

Yeah true. I liked his first shreddy album - I’ve got the original VINYL - but hated his guitar sound. Just a little too harsh. Got INTROSPECTION later and really noticed a big improvement in his sound and style.

[@bradhilton9113]

Greg Howe is awesome! He's able to do so much while heavily using his pointer and ring finger extensively.

[@Ratso_DeLynch]

David, amazing ! And SO damn clean , almost more precise than the joined footage video that shows the original lick?! 👀 thanks again for the amazing content! When possible , I will be joining your patreon to support you and your awesome channel further man. So, speaking of *shrapnel*...you've mentioned howe, kotzen, Moore and others from the introductuon of varneys shrapnel era. Now how about for *the next free for all* be the one to cap off that era in 1990' imo the most unique of the crop: * *michael lee firkins* * Firkins style really picked up where Jeff beck , kotzen and Becker left off but with that mix of country blues swing , late 80s soloing and pseudo slide action with the whammy bar that is the closest to sounding like a lap steel in that shred context similar to how Jeff beck was the best example of that technique in more of a rock context" but I definitely digress and that's just my opinion! * The free for all" videos specifically from your channel were the best thing to expand my playing in late 2019, cannot wait to watch many many more (while continuously learning and revisiting the old ones lol). Thanks mate and cheers from Niagara falls canada! 😊🙏🤟 - Adam

[@anthony27436]

I would love to see a lesson on The working Man guitar solo .. Alex Lifeson

[@abdelrahmankhaled8239]

Your lessons are always great thank you dude. Greg Howe was an influence on tom quayle you should do tom quayle three-for-all

[@voronOsphere]

Tom Quayle is a new discovery for me. A super unique Modal Monster!

[@paoloblaquera-guitarist461]

Excellent! Made me pick up my axe and practice at 5am hahaha

[@EricBourassa]

Dude these are great. Just when I think I understand Greg’s thinking... here’s 3 more WTF ideas that are literally out of the box stuff

[@perarmira6923]

A Lesson from Al PITRELLI...,please!!! 1 of the most complete & underrated guitar players

[@RipVDub]

Greg was/is a monster. The sound was in the EVH vein but on steroids. Going to have slow this a bit to learn it...thanks Dave!

[@EricBourassa]

RipVW68 EVH on steroids is a good way of putting it!

[@CrowaX]

I have a request. Check out the "Brett Garsed Solo" video. "playscroll" is the name of the uploader. Brett is playing some godlike legato stuff at 01:52. I believe this is the same solo from "Uluru", a song on Nelson's live album from 1991.

[@dsvet]

Hahaaaa! Finally! Thank you thank you brother!

[@curtwehrmeyer124]

Howe fantastic !! Another great licks lesson. How about 3 Spanish style licks from 3 different musicians. Thanks Dave.

[@billwilliams6338]

LATE NIGHT LESSONS, thanks for the greg howe lesson. I have watched greg howe VHS lessons in the 80's but didn't understand what his trademark licks were and still are. You gave me some insight looks like his likes to "slide his pivot notes" into different positions i have noticed in your video. But you also were saying something about what kind of 7th arpeggios greg howe theory he uses.

[@srh361]

Just wanted to say that you are my favorite channel on KZbin! I've learned SO much from watching this channel its unreal.

[@dfifty2]

Yeah Greg Howe is a complete genius, so musical with stunning technique. My favorite guitar player

[@Blue_3rd]

Dizzy licks, flirting with the sus 4...love it! Excellently played and explained, thank you.

[@markdakel9253]

I’ve been following your channel for a couple of months now and I have become a better player because of you and the excellent teaching. THANK YOU for what you do.

[@tanchokdewan9020]

Lucky you with such a coaching goes with this master.......

[@dwightburns6699]

in my opinion Greg Howard one of the most well-rounded guitar players out there today and I love that band Marigold at that he did I wish I could come out with another album that girl's got a killer voice

[@guitarfreak0194]

This is great... I love his playing man. I think him and kotzen did an album or two... Incredible

[@renecents]

Congrat on 20K subscribers. 👏

[@patrickmayer9566]

,,,,,,,,,hello,,,,,,,,,,,great vid..heard all these videos of MR.Howe,,,,long time ago!!!😯...tnx,,,,,,,,but,better is the T-shirt.!...I a proud to say I saw ACDC,1981..f.t.a.t.r..concert,Denver,CO....it was epic....so is your interpretation of Greg's playing! Wow,spot on....here for school!!! I have been schooled.......dude!..........pat.

[@RICCARDOREARDON]

YOU NEVER,EVER CEASE TO AMAZE AND IMPRESS ME..THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR LESSON'S.. I DO HAVE MY FAVORITE'S.. BUT EACH VIDEO LESSON IS EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE..THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING..

[@gabrielthurnher]

just recently stumbled upon your channel. i'm really enyoing your videos! thanks!

[@Jasonfurrofficial]

When Greg released his latest album, Wheelhouse, he played at Southgate House in Covington, KY. Stu Hamm played with him. The concert cost me $18 in 2017!!! Stu Hamm and I hung out all night after the gig. Apparently Stu's dad taught athe the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music which why Stu always plays Foggy Mountain Breakdown as a nod to his family living in Kentucky. Greg is a great dude and a helluva player! Thank you for doing this lesson!

[@juancarlosgranados4425]

Could you tell me what kind of pickups do you have on that strat? Thanks very much.

[@jnh73]

David posted a video about his setup a few days ago. Check it out.

[@johnlopez5531]

Can anyone provide the name/model of the guitar in the thumbnail? So fresh.

[@skidjs]

1988 HM Strat

[@tonyrobertsguitar]

Great vid great playing, man! New subscriber here… GH must’ve HEAVILY influenced guthrie govan, but I never hear that mentioned by anyone (including guthrie). I feel like people have “glossed over” Greg’s funk/shred niche which many modern day players, esp in the UK for some reason, are now known for. Do you have any thoughts on that?

[@babilonex]

Great lesson as usual. Thanks for sharing! 🤘

[@darylm.stephens9603]

I'd say your a pretty darn good player sir.

[@SuperHorsecow]

Great Stuff! Loved his most recent album; Wheelhouse.

[@MercutioUK2006]

He hit the scene as an absolute monster and kept improving. Just one of THE most influential players I can think of that isn't mentioned too frequently. The first time I watched his REH Video with that intro solo......I nearly cried ;-)

[@EricBourassa]

Dave Thompson has anyone evolved their playing the way Greg has? I’d be hard pressed to find anyone that refined their playing over the years like he has

[@MercutioUK2006]

@@EricBourassacan't think of many folks who moved forwards - they either stayed as they were, pumping out the same licks, or actually took steps backwards. I mean, it is the nature of the beast and I'm not criticising anyone.

[@EricBourassa]

Dave Thompson agreed

[@johnnybgood774]

He didnt use the pinky on the first one

[@ignacioinder]

Greg one of the OGs that gets kinda not that much credit. lotta years ago i was watching the biggest TV festival here in chile and Enrique Iglesias (yeah i know) was playing and "we" heard the word his touring with howe and get ASAP to the TV....Bummer AF...he was so low on the mix for the solos and improv....you could just laugh cause he was ALOT on camera. Nice material as always !

[@jozjonlin3170]

You have to love the HM Strat, which Howe used for quite a while. I have an 1990 American chrome red HM with the fairly rare HS pickup config. It's 30 years old and plays like a dream and sounds like a beast. That DiMarzio Super 3 humbucker is really hot. I'm a sucker for the HM, so I just picked up a white 2020 reissue a couple months ago. I'm having a blast playing it and love all the tones I can get with the HSS. I think Howe really brought the HM as a super-strat to life while he played them. If you're a Gibson person, you'll probably hate it. Then again, I don't like playing Gibson guitars.

[@mettlus]

You ain’t bad either,

[@rudyv5046]

Hoosier Daddy whipping it out !!!! You are shameless! We love it! Great job man! Greg Howe is in a league all his own...shreds, dips into the funk, slaps the pop and always totally rocks!!! Thanks for listening to my suggestion and I'm sure others. We appreciate ya

[@citizzencain]

Was Larry Mitchell on Shrapnel Records?

[@adriankoski2876]

Larry Mitchell rocks good one id love to see a lesson on .

[@thebomb7590]

Thank you so much for this lesson! Greg is a super melodic guitarist and a very, very interesting one!

[@808Monkseal]

Love your "'Space Invader" screensaver. Brings back memories. Bruh I am all ears with your lesson. GH is another fave, but his stuff is super slippery.

[@timgust4229]

Hey David....Check out Cry of Love....Audley Freed....Certified Bad Ass.

[@RobertoReyesChHC]

Hey! Great video I think there may be a resurgence in all things Greg Howe and that’s rad. I came upon him years ago for his Fusion playing but then delved head first into his 80s shredder roots with the classical tinges. Good to see people making videos on his older licks. The re-issue HM strat may be in my possession later this year...

[@genevai2893]

finally :) thank you

[@mdm73100]

Dave , great job bro..Greg is an absolute beast , he does very original and out of the box licks . very fun player to listen to.. you explained some of Greg’s stuff very well… well done..!

[@PedroSilvaMusic]

Random thought from last night - Remember Guy Mann-Dude? I think that was the tail end of Shrapnel records. Name popped into my head 30 years later for no reason.

[@NIGHTFRIGHT2011]

Could listen to you all day. You're obviously an amazing guitarist in your own right,but it takes serious chops to demonstrate the licks of guys like Howe,Kotzen etc!

[@zachmcgrain7815]

Man, I'm so loving your lessons since I subscribed. I've played for many years but been lazy with getting my mind set into working these out due to 13 hours to maintain surviving .Is there tabs or do you recommend working my ear or slowing the track?

[@wattage2007]

Well played that man. Greg's licks are magically exotic and you've got them down!

[@lyresmyth]

Nice break down... So I was fortunate enough to live in the same town and take lessons from Greg. I can tell you that there's a lot of stock things he does you seen in these licks he's very masterful at combining these licks. On their own they could sound like an exercise but he makes them sound so different in what he plays but the core idea is based from those stock licks.. Years later I'm just finally able to at least understand what he was doing, playing it though is a different story.. :)

Great video, David, thanks for sharing this with us. You're a very gifted player and teacher.

[@ferrollg]

Awesome, thanks David.

[@guitarmemoir]

Greg is a great Blues player and these are some tasty examples of his Maj/Min 3rd moves. Great choices for a lesson. Well done and thx.

[@ghurabadota886]

@latenightlessons what scale are these runs based off of it's def a weird the g,a,c,db, is weird combo i would love some exposition on the theory aspects of these licks thanks man great lesson as alaways.

[@gaesardone7954]

I still own a Fender Strat HM , ( Introspection) 👍( Kahler👎)

[@ulstervillan1307]

Hi ya, any chance that you could share some love for Rowan Robertson (lock up the wolves era).?

[@davekiddie4467]

More Greg

[@killerhit00]

Hey David, how are you getting your tone ? I've always played with a lot of distortion, but I'm trying to get away from that and play with a cleaner tone

[@st9919]

Perfect cover image with the Fender NAMM '20 releases on the way

[@derekm.8392]

Awesome lesson Dave! Greg is an awesome player!

[@danielgonzaleztejedor9486]

Just noticed that Neil Peart tribute up there.

[@voronOsphere]

Thanks! I see it, too. Exit Stage Left! We'll definitely be missing Neil!

[@centaurus5676]

That was a refreshing set of licks there, very nice playing. Will there be a 3 Dave Brewster licks? That would be difficult to select only 3.

[@voronOsphere]

I'd learn just as much from David teaching his own style as I do from the other lessons!

[@centaurus5676]

@@voronOsphere yes I know what you mean exactly. thanks.

[@Michael-lp9tt]

Tabs would help bro!! But i cant be asking for too much. I know 😛

[@andrewsantos3283]

The fact that Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake hired Greg Howe tells the level his talent is

[@relaxingcare2818]

Mantap pak nor.. u must post greg howe more maybe.. i need to learn what him play .. really cool man .. cheers

[@Zerocalc1980]

greg howe is an oustanding player! a big source of inspiration fo many guitarists!

[@wtffrankreich6873]

One of my favourite lesson . You are awesome !!!

[@BenMcrea61]

Fantastic lesson and you are far from sloppy man - you’re an amazing player!

[@alexi.e.roivainen]

Dunno if you did this or not but Tony MacAlpine plz!

[@absalontienda9371]

Jason Becker, please!

[@voronOsphere]

Oh YES!!!!!! Jason Becker all the way!!!!!!

[@keanuuuu]

Great video with awesome licks, would love to see tabs but will have to try and work some of it out by ear. Greg is playing an HM Strat in the video, presumably you’ve heard about the HM Strat limited re-release 😀

[@InvisibleJiuJitsu]

wait, what????

[@keanuuuu]

Invisible Jiu Jitsu Yep google it, more news at NAMM 2020 very shortly

[@stringbender11672]

Good one bro!!! 🤘😎👍🖤🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@furiousnewf]

Awesome sauce... Greg Rocks!

[@tonynewell3801]

Great video! Greg was a beast right out of the gate. Thanks.

[@TheIecCreemMan]

is that a x2 on your strat in the neck slot? sorry can you do a rig rundown would be cool

[@OlemirCandido]

Wow!!! Nice job man. Thanks.

[@Danumurti18]

it's hard, but you play it like easy and clean 😄

[@thedominator211]

I think you should show some Rush lyrics from 2112 as a tribute to Neil thanks 😭😭😭

[@voronOsphere]

Even more, I'd like an analysis of the Rush rhythm section (drums, bass, guitar) and how it all works together to form some of the greatest rock rhythms and riffs in history! Chords, time signatures etc.

[@kanebowlin5123]

Daym your a good player an daym those licks are awsome tasty

[@deanlatter5657]

Fender just reissued that 80's super strat looks rad!

[@rioace3953]

07:29 - 07:32 oh yeah! :-)