Paul Wardingham’s 20 Metal Licks – Advanced Sweep, Tapping & Arpeggio Techniques

Ever wondered how modern metal virtuosos conjure those rapid-fire, futuristic licks that sound impossible on a fretboard? For advanced players hungry for a challenge, Paul Wardingham’s “20 Metal Licks” package hits harder than most. It bundles sweep picking, tapping, arpeggios, and exotic scales—all topped off with video, tab, and real backing tracks, straight from one of the genre’s most forward-thinking guitarists.

Here’s why it matters: most lick packs repackage the same old exercises and generic tricks. This one stands out because each lick is built for real-life, high-speed playing, with detailed breakdowns and the sort of advanced techniques you’ll actually hear on modern records. This guide digs into what’s inside, which techniques Wardingham pushes further than anybody else, and how you can use these licks to build your own next-level skills.

What Is Paul Wardingham’s 20 Metal Licks?

Paul Wardingham’s "20 Metal Licks" package is more than just another download of riffs and scale runs—it’s a full study system for advanced metal guitar. Released through JTC Guitar, this pack breaks the mold by combining high-definition video lessons, fully transcribed tabs (both PDF and Guitar Pro), and professional backing tracks engineered for metal training. The goal isn’t just to show off. It’s to bring players right up to where modern, technical metal is at in 2025.

Package Contents: Video, Tab, and Backing Tracks

Inside the download, you’ll find:

• 20 licks, progressive in difficulty, each designed with technique and musical phrasing at the forefront
• Full-speed and slow-motion HD video demonstrations for every lick
• Detailed tablature (PDF and Guitar Pro) so you don’t miss a note or finger motion
• Pro-quality backing tracks—these aren’t generic loops, but properly mixed stems letting you drop right into a band context
• Comprehensive lesson notes, including fingerings, scale choices, and application tips for each lick

Unlike most downloadable lick packs that rely on recycled pentatonic runs or sweep fragments, Wardingham’s collection builds each lick to highlight modern metal techniques, including hybrid picking, tapping, wide-interval arpeggios, exotic scales, and rhythmic control.

About Paul Wardingham: Modern Metal Innovator

Paul Wardingham has built a reputation as one of modern metal’s most inventive voices. Mixing elements of fusion, progressive metal, and 8-bit “futuristic” styles, he’s known for clean execution, out-there scale fingers, and a willingness to push both hands into unexplored technical zones. His instructional packages, particularly this "20 Metal Licks" set, don’t just teach mechanics—they show the thinking behind each move. The licks here aren’t just technical—each one fits modern metal solos and phrasing, influenced by artists like Allan Holdsworth, Brett Garsed, and a current crop of progressive metal guitarists.

The unique blend in this package is its structure and clarity. Video, tab, and backing make each lick digestible—plus, everything is performed to real-world backing so you practice in time, not just in isolation.

Advanced Techniques in Paul Wardingham’s 20 Metal Licks

This isn’t a pack of basic “show off” licks. Each of Wardingham’s 20 licks builds on the pillars of modern metal: sweep picking, tapping, arpeggios, and the use of exotic scales. What sets these apart is how seamlessly he fuses the techniques—and the new shapes, sounds, and approaches that come out as a result.

Sweep Picking and Sweep-Tapped Arpeggios

Sweep picking gets reimagined here. Instead of just working through major or minor arpeggios, Wardingham integrates sus2 and major7 arpeggios, often finishing the run with a tap—what’s called sweep-tapped arpeggios. The movement isn’t just straight across the strings. Often, there’s a diagonal right-hand motion, especially when tapping notes off the sweep. This ergonomic twist lets the right hand cover wide reaches on the fretboard without breaking flow.

• Try This Now: Practice a sus2 arpeggio shape (root-2-5) and add a tapped note on the high E string, using a diagonal sweep for reach.
• Tone tip: Light palm-muting and fret-hand damping throughout the sweep minimize string noise.

This approach creates the kind of rapid, “cybernetic” runs heard in modern instrumental metal. The integration of sus2 and major7 shapes gives the arpeggios a tension-filled, futuristic edge.

Tapping Techniques: Beyond the Basics

Wardingham’s package digs deep into wide-interval tapping and “Computer Tapping”—seven-note repeating patterns using more than one right-hand finger, often high up the fretboard. Unlike classic Van Halen two-finger tapping, these licks may use three or four fingers. The trick is diagonal hand positioning and even finger allocation, which makes speed and clarity possible. Many licks combine tapping with string skipping for wide intervallic patterns that regular alternate picking can’t touch.

• Try This Now: Isolate a computer-tapping pattern (such as 7 notes looped) with three right-hand fingers—focus on muting all unplayed strings with your palm and left-hand index finger.
• Challenge: Attempt the same lick cleanly at half-speed, increasing speed only when each tap is perfectly timed to a metronome click.

Step-by-step, the package stresses hand muting: palm contact on lower strings, fret-hand touch for top-string muting, killing unwanted noise before it starts—a necessity with all that tapping.

Exotic Scales and Modal Sounds

Wardingham is known for exploring outside the standard box. In his 20 Metal Licks, you’ll find:

• Whole Tone scale—unpredictable tension, often used in rising runs
• Lydian Dominant—#4 adds a mysterious, "floating" sound
• Mixolydian b6—a staple for epic, cinematic metal progressions
• Phrygian Dominant and Indian Pentatonics—classic “exotic” feel for modern shred

Why use these? They take solos off the beaten path, create tension and release, and keep things sounding fresh. Each lick’s tab explicitly labels which scale is in play, so you learn both the notes and the theory behind the drama.

Timing, Groove, and Rhythmic Precision

All the technique in the world won’t help unless it sits right “in time.” Wardingham’s biggest emphasis: landing the first arpeggio note squarely on the beat, letting the rest fall naturally. Rhythm gets special attention—metronome practice is mandatory to master these licks. Each lick comes with makeshift 'groove checkpoints' built around the underlying track’s pulse.

• Tip: Don’t count each sweep or tap. Instead, focus on hitting the target note with the backing track’s downbeat.
• Metronome drill: Start at 60bpm, increase by 5bpm only when timing is flawless across the entire lick.

Small imperfections can turn a futuristic lick into a rhythmic mess. Clean, groove-based timing is non-negotiable here—practiced on every lick, not just the fast ones, as echoed by the best advice in GuitarTricks’ advanced sweep picking tutorial.

How to Learn and Master the 20 Metal Licks

Diving into a set of advanced metal licks can feel overwhelming—especially when they blend sweep picking, tapping, string-skipping, and odd scales in one exercise. Wardingham’s package isn’t just for brushing up on technique, it’s a roadmap for what’s actually needed to play these in real-life musical situations. Here’s how players are getting the most from it.

Step-by-Step Learning Strategy

• Slow first, always: Start with the slow-motion videos. Match each motion with the tab, no matter how basic it seems.
• Break it up: Don’t tackle a full lick all at once. Isolate tough chunks (e.g., sweep ascents, tapping descents) and nail them separately.
• Chaining: Once each segment is clean, chain them together. Don’t move up in tempo until both hands sync perfectly for every section.
• Repeat, then progress: Only push the speed when every note is clear and on-time with the metronome and the backing track.

Clean, incremental progress always beats running messy licks at full speed. Turns out, all the advice in GuitarTricks’ sweep-tap lessons holds up: use short bursts, nail the pulse, then string them together for the final version.

Making the Most of Video and Tab Resources

Don’t just watch—pause the videos, loop the hardest two bars, and check the tab for fingering changes. Use Guitar Pro to slow down playback and see where finger shifts or pick direction change. Many of Wardingham’s licks look scarier than they sound when broken into two-bar or four-bar segments. The pro backing tracks let you apply each lick musically, not just mechanically.

• Try muting the guitar with a towel or fret wrap to focus purely on hand synchronization before letting the notes ring out fully.
• Once you’re solid alone, switch to the full backing track—practice locking your licks “in the pocket” with the rhythm section.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Even advanced players hit walls. Most common issues:

• Inconsistent timing: Usually means pushing ahead of the click. Solution: Practice with metronome, focus on start and end notes of each phrase.
• Noise or missed notes: Excess string noise? Try fret-hand muting and left-hand touch damping during wide-interval taps. Missed taps? Slow down, check finger angle and hand position.
• Fatigue: Hand cramps are common with computer tapping and sweeping. Take regular short breaks. Watch out for tension in the right forearm and pinky—shake it out every few minutes.

Small adjustments can make the difference between chaotic and machine-precise execution. Most problems trace back to either going too fast too early or trying to learn everything in one massive chunk. Patience wins out—every time.

Who Should Use Paul Wardingham’s 20 Metal Licks?

This isn’t a beginner-friendly set, and that’s the point. Paul Wardingham’s 20 Metal Licks targets advanced or at least intermediate-advanced guitarists ready to stretch their technique, speed, and phrasing into new territory. Here’s how to tell if it’s the right resource—and why it stands out even among boutique metal lick collections.

Is This Package Right for You?

• You already know how to sweep pick basic triads and tap with two fingers
• Your hands can play at moderate tempos without major fatigue or breakdown
• Working through complex arpeggio shapes, unusual scales, or hybrid lines feels like a challenge you want, not a punishment

If you check these boxes, Wardingham’s approach can move your playing forward—he’s not just repeating standard sweep-tap shapes, but pushing concepts like wide-interval tapping and phrase-based groove. If you only know pentatonic boxes or haven’t tackled metronome routines, try some less advanced packs before jumping in here.

Applying These Licks to Your Own Playing

Players can use these licks as templates—break them down, adapt a phrase, and then inject the motifs into solos, improvisations, or even songwriting. Here are some ways advanced guitarists put the material to work:

• Borrowing unique shapes for solos
• Weaving hybrid arpeggios into modern metal/fusion tracks
• Improvising using whole tone or Lydian Dominant fragments (not just minor pentatonic lines)
• Developing “computer tapping” based signature licks

The licks don’t have to stay in isolation. The package is a springboard for players eager to experiment and craft their own sound, rooted in Wardingham’s forward-thinking approach.

Conclusion

Paul Wardingham’s “20 Metal Licks” sets a new benchmark for advanced metal technique study. It’s not just another set of difficult exercises—it maps out an entire vocabulary of modern metal sounds. By pairing advanced sweep picking, tapping, wide-interval arpeggios, and futuristic scales with backing tracks and multi-angle video, the package offers a real-world, step-by-step pathway from practice room to studio performance. Players looking to innovate in the world of metal and fusion will find each lick pushes both hands and ears further, all while keeping it musical and grounded in groove. Dig in, stay patient, and see just how far your technique—and creativity—can reach.