Thanks for visiting Cracking the Code! If you’re here to level up your technique, you’re in the right place.

We’ve put together this page to help new members get started with the site.

Browse below to learn more and get a sense of the material we have. Want to dig in further? Join here, or log in if you already have an account!

The first thing we suggest doing is going through the Pickslanting Primer — this contains all our introductory tutorial on picks and grip, picking motions, and the techniques used by players like Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, John McLaughlin, and more:

To learn more about how the site works, head to our Help Center at any time — this has info on navigating the site, video timeline features, and the interactive Soundslice notation player.

It also covers how we use the Cracking the Code Forum, including how to get personalized feedback using the “Technique Critique” section and sharing video of your playing:

Speaking of the forum, we suggest heading over to take a look and introduce yourself!

It’s an awesome resource for technique questions, and discussion on all things music and mechanics. We have a lot of great discussions here — try searching for something you want to talk about, or creating a new topic of your own.

Enjoy — and if you have questions, please feel free to reach out! You can also return to this page, and the Help Center, any time from the links in the footer.

Done for now? Explore the rest of the site from the Cracking the Code Dashboard.