Joe opens with “Demonic Trance,” a dark, harmonically dense piece written as the introduction to a new record.
Demonic Trance
Dark Harmony
Minor-nine major-seven, diminished-major-seven, diminished-seven, and dominant-flat-nine chords show how Joe adapts Berklee harmony requirements into ominous metal sounds.
Min9 Maj7 E Shape
Min9 Maj7 C shape
Diminished Maj7 E Shape
Diminished Maj7 C Shape
Diminished Maj7 E Shape II
The Evilest Chord
Diminished Seventh
Dom7 Flat9
Teaching Metal
Joe discusses representing metal on the Berklee guitar faculty, the range of subgenres his students bring to lessons, and the value of serious stylistic knowledge alongside the core curriculum.
Dark Scales Of Metal
Blackmore, Yngwie, and the European shred tradition lead into harmonic minor, Phrygian dominant, Hungarian minor, double harmonic, and Byzantine scale sounds.
Harmonic Minor 1st Degree
Phrygian Dominant 1st Degree
Hungarian Minor 4-3 Shape Improv
Byzantine Scale 1st Degree
Fretboard Mapping
Joe demonstrates Hungarian and harmonic minor across multiple positions, combines three- and four-note-per-string shapes, and explains how a focused collection of useful fingerings becomes a connected vocabulary.
Hungarian Minor 1st Degree
Hungarian Minor 2nd Degree
Harmonic Minor 4-3 Shape
Hungarian Minor 4-3 Shape
Hungarian Minor Octave Improv
Hungarian Minor Chromatic
Hungarian Minor Hexatonic
Hungarian Minor Hexatonic Sequence
Hungarian Minor Hexatonic Sequence II
Hungarian Minor Positions
Harmonic Minor 3rd Degree
Hungarian Minor 3rd Degree
Harmonic Minor 3-4 Shape Asc
Harmonic Minor 3-4 Shape Descending
Hungarian Minor 3-4 Shape
Hungarian Minor 3-4 Shape Improv
Harmonic Minor 4-3 Shape Descending
Economy Picking Origins
Influences including Yngwie and Impellitteri lead Joe to an economy motion that developed largely unconsciously, with subtle thumb movement assisting his fastest scale playing.
Ascending Sixes
Mixed Minor Economy Tk1
Diatonic Economy Positions
Economy Picking Patterns
Six-note arpeggio figures, mixed-minor runs, repeated downstrokes, odd groupings, and speed tests reveal how Joe combines alternate strokes, sweeps, and finger motion inside long lines.
Arpeggio Minor 2nd Inversion
Arpeggio Six-Note Pattern Tk1
Arpeggio Six-Note Pattern Slow
Arpeggio Six-Note Pattern Tk2
Arpeggio Six-Note Pattern Medium Fast
Mixed Minor Economy Positions
Mixed Minor Economy Pickup
Mixed Minor Economy Slow Tk1
Mixed Minor Economy Slow Tk2
Harmonic Minor Di Meola Pattern
Harmonic Minor Di Meola Sixes
Mixed Minor Economy Tk2
Technique And Teaching
Joe compares finger-driven economy picking with stronger wrist-and-arm alternate picking and explains why students need workable options, musical vocabulary, and practice rather than one prescribed motion.
Ascending Fours Low Strings
Volcano Pattern Tk1
Descending 3nps
Volcano Pattern Tk2
Volcano Pattern Sequence
Ascending Fours High Strings
Ascending Fours High Strings Slow
Circular Fours Slow
Circular Fours
Pedal Tone Picking
Two- and three-string pedal figures combine repeated notes, scale fragments, and diminished ideas while Joe discusses the evenness, control, and maintenance these classically influenced lines require.
Pedal 2str Tk1
Pedal Fragment
Pedal 2str Tk2
Pedal 3str Tk1
Pedal 3str Tk2
Pedal 2str Tk3
Pedal Fragment Etude
Pedal 2str Tk4
Pedal 2str Tk5
Pedal 3str Tk3
Pedal Fragment B String
Pedal Fragment D String
Practice And Maintenance
Joe describes practicing through grooves and current compositions, keeping his hands continuously active, working at varied tempos, and preserving both control and musical detail as technique ages.
Performance Mindset
Physical condition, sleep, confidence, and the unpredictability of live playing lead to Joe’s goal of delivering a performance strong enough that the audience is sorry when it ends.
