20 Practice Exercises · modelled on the Landau track
Renegade //Drills
Twenty graded exercises built from the techniques in Renegade Destruction — the palm-muted Bm engine, the bends, the D Dorian fusion runs, the touch harmonics and the climactic long lines. Work them up and the real tab falls under your fingers.
On the tab: these are original drills written to train the song's exact techniques, keys and positions — not a copy of the published transcription. Same vocabulary, my note sequences. Pair them with your tab and the recording.
A · Riff & Rhythm Engine — Bm
EX 01Bm pedal engine
90 → 134 bpm
TRAINS · Main riff feel · P.M.
Palm-muted B with the b3 walk — the song's rhythmic backbone. Accent every downbeat.
A|-2-2-2-2--2-4-5-2--2-2-2-2--0-2----
B........ B C# D B ........ A B ( P.M. throughout )
EX 02Quarter-bend smear
free → 110
TRAINS · Landau ¼ inflection
The lazy quarter-tone push on the b3 — vocal, not a clean half-step. Sing it first.
G|-7(¼)-----7(¼)-----9--7(¼)---------
D push D push E D push
EX 03Slide-stab power moves
100 → 132
TRAINS · Chromatic chord hits
Tight palm-muted power-chord stabs connected by slides — the chordal punctuation between riffs.
D|-9-9-/-7-7---9-9-/-11-11-----------
A|-7-7-/-5-5---7-7-/-9--9------------
( P.M. stabs, slide cleanly between )
EX 04Dead-string rake
100 → 132
TRAINS · Verse groove
Muted 16th rakes into accented notes. The x's are felt, the numbers are heard.
e|-x-x-7--x-x-x-9--x-x-7--x-x-x-10---
B|-x-x-x--x-x-x-x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x----
B........ C#....... B....... D
EX 05Chorus ostinato
loop 3 min @ 134
TRAINS · B(no5) loop · endurance
The hypnotic repeating cell. Loop without a dropped mute or a rushed beat — focus test.
B|-9--x--7---9--x--7---9--x--7-------
G|-9--x--7---9--x--7---9--x--7-------
ring mute hit ( even, no drift )
B · Bm Lead Vocabulary
EX 06Bend & hold
free
TRAINS · Full bend + vibrato
Bend A up a whole step to B, hold, add even metered vibrato at the top of the bend.
B|-10b(full)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A -> B, sustain, vibrato in time
EX 07Half-bend release
80 bpm
TRAINS · Vocal ½ ornament
Push F# a half-step into G and release — the crying ornament Landau leans on.
B|-7b(½)r-7--10----7b(½)r-7----------
F#->G->F# A F#->G->F#
EX 08Slide-connected lick
90 bpm
TRAINS · Position bridge
Slide joins the 7th and 12th-fret boxes so the line travels instead of sitting still.
e|-7--10--/--12--10------------------
B|-------------------12-10-----------
B D slide E D B A
EX 09Pentatonic hammer/pull
100 bpm
TRAINS · Bm pent legato
All slurred — one pick attack per string, the rest hammered and pulled. Even volume.
e|-7h10p7----------------------------
B|--------10h12p10-------------------
G|----------------9h11p9------------
B D B A B A E F# E
EX 10Aeolian descender
96 bpm
TRAINS · b6 feature lick
Descending B Aeolian hitting the b6 (G) — the dark renegade note, deliberately exposed.
e|-12-10-9-7-------------------------
B|-----------10-8-7-----------------
G|------------------9-7-------------
E D C# B A G(b6) F# E D
EX 11Repeated-note trill
100 → 140
TRAINS · Right-hand engine
Fast even trill between F# and the b6 (G). Builds the picking/trill stamina the leads need.
B|-7h8h7h8h7h8h7h8h7h8h7h8-----------
F#-G trill, dead even, build speed
C · D Dorian C-Section
EX 12D Dorian triplet ascent
80 → 138
TRAINS · 3nps legato
The fusion-solo engine. Even triplets, slurred, climbing the D Dorian box.
e|----------------10h12h13----------
B|----------10h12h13----------------
G|-10h12----------------------------
F G A B C D E F ( triplets )
EX 13D Dorian descent
80 → 138
TRAINS · Triplet cascade
The hardest direction — pull-offs as loud as picked notes, no slowing on string changes.
e|-13p12p10--------------------------
B|----------13p12p10----------------
G|-------------------12p10----------
F E D C B A G F
EX 14Dorian shift up
90 bpm
TRAINS · Box-to-box · high reg
The slide lands exactly on 15 every time, carrying you into the 17th-fret register.
B|-10-12-13--/--15-17---------------
e|--------------------17-15---------
A B C slide D E A G
EX 15Nat-6 target lick
96 bpm
TRAINS · The Dorian colour
Lean on the B (the natural 6) — the one note that makes this Dorian and not plain D minor.
G|-12h14p12--------------------------
B|----------12h13h12----------------
G A G B(6) C B
EX 16LONG Dorian run
60 → 120
TRAINS · Full-neck ascent
A long connected D Dorian line from the A string to the top — the centrepiece run of the section.
e|------------------------------10-12-13-15-17
B|--------------------10-12-13----------------
G|-------------10-12-14-----------------------
D|------10-12-14------------------------------
A|10-12-14-----------------------------------
G A B C D E F G A A B C D E F G A
D · Hard Licks & Long Runs
EX 17Touch harmonics
free
TRAINS · Bridge · TH octaves
Tap exactly 12 frets above the fretted note for the octave harmonic. Tap-and-lift fast or it dulls.
e|-5<17>----7<19>----9<21>------------
fret / touch-harmonic 12 frets up, chime each
EX 18Descending triplet sequence
80 → 142
TRAINS · Climax speed · HARD
The final-solo cascade. Sequenced descending triplets across strings — exposes weak fingers.
e|-14p12--12p10--10p9----------------
B|--------------------12p10--10p8----
3 3 3 3 3
F# E E D D C# B A A G
EX 19LONG Bm legato run
60 → 120
TRAINS · Full-neck ascent · HARD
Three-notes-per-string B Aeolian from the low E to the high E — one continuous liquid gesture.
E|-7-9-10------------------------------------------
A|--------7-9-10-----------------------------------
D|--------------7-9-11-----------------------------
G|--------------------7-9-11-----------------------
B|---------------------------7-8-10----------------
e|----------------------------------7-9-10-12------
B C# D E F# G A B C# D E F# F# G A B C# D E
EX 20Climax combo lick
slow first
TRAINS · Bend + shift + tail · HARDEST
The payoff: high-position run, a full bend with vibrato, then a fast descending tail to the b6. Everything at once.
e|-10-12-14--12b(full)~~~~--10-9-7---
B|-----------------------------------10-8--
D E F# E->F# bend & hold D C# B A G(b6)