Welcome to the Tom Morello MasterClass review! Tom Morello is an acclaimed guitarist, songwriter, and political activist who has worked with some of the music industry’s biggest names.
In his MasterClass, Tom shares his knowledge and experience to help aspiring guitarists develop their skills and achieve their musical goals.
This review will explore what topics are covered in the class, how it’s structured, and what viewers can expect from taking this course.
Who is Tom Morello?
Tom Morello is probably already known to you if you’re here. Here are some bizarre facts about him that you may not be aware of.
Tom Morello is ranked #26 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time and has won two Grammy Awards and the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for his work against world starvation.
Bruce Springsteen asked Tom Morello to participate in his limited edition record, The Ghost of Tom Joad since he is such an iconic player of the electric guitar.
Morello has a degree in social sciences from Harvard University in addition to being a fantastic guitarist. Additionally, he had brief cameos in Iron Man 2 and Star Trek. To get a feel for Morello and his teaching method, check out the trailer if you haven’t already.
Who is it For?
1. Guitarists looking at developing a unique voice:
Tom spends a lot of time elaborating on how to use his inspirations to create his own style.
You can learn to do the same in your own manner by watching Tom break down his own riffs and compositions and discussing how he borrows from various musical genres.
2. Songwriters:
Tom offers a lot of useful exercises you may utilize if you wish to improve your songwriting abilities and concentrate on rock-based songs.
He would show a number of strategies and procedures you can use to build riffs and parts for songs, and I thought the riff-writing sections of the course were excellent.
3. RATM/Audioslave fans:
Even though I’ve read several interviews and articles from Tom Morello over the years, this MasterClass taught me significantly more about his method of writing in RATM than all the interviews and videos put together.
This is an excellent resource if you want to learn more about how Tom composed the guitar parts for RATM. He goes through complete songs in a few case studies, and he often utilized RATM riffs as examples throughout the course.
What Will you Learn in the Course?
Like every MasterClass, Morello begins with an introduction that discusses his history and qualifications to teach this particular subject.
He asks his pupils to leave their idols behind and push the musical limitations that could be restricting them right now as he starts his lesson.
Riffs, a Morello-favored electrical guitar style, are covered as the course moves on.
An in-depth look at Morello’s instruments and equipment, as well as how he utilizes them to create a noise chart that aids in the creation of new sounds and song parts, is included in this set of tutorials.
The next topic of Morello’s video lessons is about musical influences, or more precisely, other artists whom he admires.
He talks about musicians who have inspired his own music as well as how students might learn more successfully from musicians they may look up to.
This connects to a collection of practice-related video tutorials. These include the value of practicing, as well as the methods Morello suggests for honing your talents, such as playing slowly, playing quickly, finger exercises, and more.
The creation of music and melodies will next be explored, along with a look at the pentatonic and blues scales, how to improvise solos, and how to lose yourself in your music while playing a sol.
Along with case studies from other guitarists like Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen, this collection of video tutorials also includes an overview of his own work with Rage Against the Machine.
The writing of songs is covered in-depth in Morello’s online course. The next set of video tutorials goes in-depth on the composition of songs, covering topics like how to come up with a unique or genuine sound.
As an example, he breaks down one of Rage Against the Machine’s greatest singles in a case study on how to compose lyrics that are impactful and honest.
Finally, Morello discusses how to perform well on stage, including how to warm up for a performance, put together a strong line-up, and locate musicians you get along with.
The last session of the course focuses on Morello’s instruments and gear and offers parting advice on music as an art and how to push yourself as a musician.
Why Do I Recommend Tom Morello Masterclass?
4 reasons why I recommend Tom Morello Masterclass are:
1. Thorough workbook:
Almost all of the riffs that Morello plays for the class are notated in tabs and conventional musical notation, whether they are well-known riffs like the Cochise riff or spontaneous improvisations.
You’ll also see notation for what your fingers play as well as what you’ll hear written down alongside riffs with layered effects.
It makes it possible for you to follow along with Morello’s playing, try out various techniques, and fully comprehend what he is doing.
I really valued having it to work with since this level of detail had probably taken hours to prepare. I was even able to play the Cochise riff on the electric harp straight immediately, thanks to it!
2. Well-thought-through content:
Unusual for a MasterClass course, the material leans toward the practical with really useful advice for enhancing your guitar playing.
The lectures advance, breaking down many concepts one at a time, and then conclude with further anecdotal advice from Morello.
I sometimes thought the anecdotal sessions were a bit too slow-moving, but after such an intense semester, I was happy to see the recent talking head classes.
3. Morello is an awesome teacher:
Sometimes the issue with well-known educators is that although they are knowledgeable in their field, they have no clue how to educate. Morello has extensive expertise in teaching guitar privately to live pupils, and it shows.
He knows how to simplify things for a novice (despite not being a musician, I felt able to experiment with guitar riffs) and how to go a bit deeper with more complex ideas.
He has obviously given his work a lot of consideration as an artist. He didn’t get to where he is by mistake. Therefore, he can properly explain the measures you need to follow to become better at playing.
In this MasterClass, Morello offers some of the same top-notch advice that I have learned from the finest professors in the world and from two internationally recognized music institutions from which I graduated.
4. Great balance of practical and anecdotal:
There are many useful lessons and advice in this MasterClass, as well as several insightful remarks from Morello. I thought the balance was perfect. I would practice or do tasks after certain classes, which helped me play more effectively.
Although I like this kind of lecture, the anecdotal teachings are what really set this course apart.
It’s fascinating to learn about Morello’s experiences with his many bands, including Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage, and to discover how he came to be regarded as such an iconic figure.
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Conclusion: Tom Morello Masterclass Review 2024
Tom Morello’s MasterClass offers a unique opportunity for guitar players of all levels to learn from one of the greats of rock history. His lessons provide inspiration as well as valuable advice on techniques that can be used in any genre of music.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to develop your playing or an experienced player looking for new ideas, this class has something for everyone.
