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The DIY Magnet

By News 15 Comments

We wanted to update you on the Magnet and the Kickstarter campaign we ran at the end of last year. We didn’t reach our Kickstarter funding goal for the Magnet, so we’ll be placing any plans for a larger scale production run on the back burner for now.

While we’d love to relaunch the campaign at some point, we don’t have a concrete timeline for doing so. But we do want to give you a way to get a Magnet, and to that end we’re offering DIY instructions so you can make one of your own. Read More

Eric Johnson's Pickslanting Pentatonics

By Lessons No Comments

The cascading waterfall of sound that is Eric Johnson’s lead playing has captivated players and listeners for thirty years.

Sonically, it’s an almost formless wash of sunshine. In Eric’s ethereal soundscape, all the edges are smoothed away.

Even the distinction between scales and arpeggios seems to blur. His patterns tumble imperceptibly through positions, like falling through clouds. And his limitless supply of sparsely voiced diatonic chord substitutions only enhances the vertigo. And it’s the seemingly imperturbable precision of Eric’s right hand that makes it all possible.

And now, armed with a modern understanding of picking mechanics, we can actually begin to understand and recreate Eric’s wondrous style. Read More

Happy New Year from Cracking the Code!

By codenews, News 5 Comments

Thanks for an awesome 2014! We’ve hit quite a few milestones in the past year that we’re proud of:

  • Gained 15,000 subscribers to our YouTube channel…
  • …and 1.2 million views and counting!
  • Grown our mailing list by over 250%
  • Released a bunch of great material, from launching Cracking the Code Season 2 to introducing the Masters in Mechanics seminars

To show our appreciation for the views, likes, purchases, downloads, and support for all we do, we’ve got a couple cool Happy New Year freebies for you! Read More

pickslanting vs edge picking

The Difference Between Pickslanting and Edge Picking: An Explainer

By Lessons 37 Comments

Here’s a question we get all the time: what’s the difference between pickslanting and edge picking?

This seems to be a source of frequent confusion. The two are very different, and do completely different things, but since both involve pick angles and rotation, this can be hard to intuit without a direct visual comparison. The above image is from an animation coming up soon in Episode 3, “Eric the Right”, and is designed to make the difference as clear as possible. Read More

Introducing the Masters in Mechanics Video Series!

By codenews, News 30 Comments

Masters in Mechanics Video Series!

Sign up today for an amazing journey of monthly learning!

(Learn more here!)

Or, buy the Antigravity standalone download:

Antigravity: By Demand, On-Demand!

Our acclaimed Masters in Mechanics seminars are now an amazing monthly video series! And we’re jumpstarting the series with our incredible 4-hour Antigravity lecture.

The extensive Antigravity investigation is organized into 25 chapters, and includes a course pack of 70+ slow-mo videos with tablature and insanely detailed performance notes.

Delivering Antigravity live was an amazing way to develop the seminar. But as Troy began staggering into the office baggy-eyed and delirious from marathon four-hour sessions, only to read piles of emails from viewers who couldn’t make the seminar, but still wanted to watch it. It was clear there were still plenty of viewers we’d never be able to fit onto our calendar.

So, with dozens of Antigravities under our belt, we began translating the many live versions of Antigravity to an accessible video version, and we’re thrilled with how it’s turned out.

Read More

Introducing The Magnet

By News 5 Comments

support on kickstarter - button - black

For a long time now, we’ve been working on an amazing tool that allows you to film your guitar playing with an unprecedented degree of clarity. And that amazing tool now has a name: The Magnet.

We’re proud to launch the Kickstarter campaign for the world’s best camera mount for guitar players. The Magnet uses the power of your smartphone to film your playing at speeds up to 240 frames per second, for an intimate view of your technique. Read More

Trick or Teach! Halloween Giveaway

By codenews, News 8 Comments


Contest registration is now closed! Thanks so much for the interest everyone. We’ll be announcing winners this week.

It’s that time of year! And in honor of this season of gluttony and hedonism, Cracking the Code is giving away — not one — but two Masters in Mechanics seminars.

Antigravity and Inside the Volcano deliver over 5 hours of our pioneering investigation of picking technique. Even more fun than egging your neighbor’s house! Read More

Headless in the Saddle

By Features 4 Comments

The only thing more terrifying than being chased by a guy with no head is doing justice to an American icon in animated form. So when author and historian Betsy Bradley approached us about applying our animation chops to the Headless Horseman’s famous equestrian pursuit of Ichabod Crane, we were quaking in our boots. Read More