Music Radar has published a rundown of tips for aspiring guitarists from some of rock and metal's best known artists. Following is an excerpt:

John Petrucci (Dream Theater): "One very important side of my playing lies in the execution of rhythm. I have a very percussive style. It’s one I’ve developed with Dream Theater over the years, and requires the guitar to be very locked into the rhythm of the drums… Way more than what that would normally entail. I’ve always looked at it this way: When you think about doing a full show, you’ll be playing rhythm guitar for at least 90 percent of the night, maybe even more! Having the stamina and right-hand control to attain an aggressive, tight and distorted tone is a very big part of it." 

Steve Vai: "When most people say 'technique', they’re referring to fast playing. But technique goes much deeper than that. It’s the control of all aspects. It’s how you pick. It’s where you pick. It’s your tone. It’s the way you bend notes. It’s the way you vibrate them. It’s your ability to be really dynamic: really soft then really loud. The technique is in the bends with the bar, in the chords, the vibrato. Technique is a big word that people have homogenised."

Dave Mustaine (Megadeth): "It’s really, really important to pick the right shape and size guitar for yourself. The next thing is your configuration of strings and picks. I prefer Cleartone strings right now, because they use this hybrid alloy to make the strings stay in tune longer, plus they have a cleaner sound. I use Tortex picks which Cleartone make for me at .73 size, which are the yellow ones. You have to remember these are all important factors: things you constantly touch and use to play guitar."

Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen): "Obviously, enjoy doing what you’re doing. Bottom line is, you’ve gotta love what you’re doing. There are no rules. I think it’s funny when people take all these music theory classes, it’s exactly that. It’s theory. You know? You have 12 notes, the 13th one is the octave, do whatever you want with them. It’s really that simple. There are no mistakes: I call those passing notes!"

Check out the complete rundown here.