Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently spoke with Music Radar and offered five key tips for guitarists. Following is an excerpt from his rundown.

Do it right or not at all

Mustaine: "When it comes to guitar playing, doing something badly for a long period of time will only lead you being able to do it bad. So start slow, do it properly, use a metronome and look at the technique you’re doing properly. Some people will play their guitar so low and almost sideways, their fingers perpendicular to the fretlines, and I think that’s one of the things that will decrease your speed, approaching the guitar from that angle.

The other thing is when you’re picking your notes, a lot of guitarists try to play fast with the right-hand fingers sticking out. Well, it stands to reason that having those fingers sticking out is going to cause mass and slow you down. Pull those fingers in and you’ll be able to start going a lot faster."

Go with the flow and you might surprise yourself

Mustaine: "I was not pursuing the frontman role in Megadeth; I had my fair share of doing stuff like talking to the audience in Metallica, purely because James (Hetfield) simply wouldn’t. So my role was that of a lead guitar player who did a bit of background vocals.

When it came time for me to learn how to sing, it was almost an afterthought. I have vocalists I've looked up to over my life – Sean Harris from Diamond Head, Chris Cornell, John Bush from Anthrax a little bit, too. But to play guitar and sing at the same time is like rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time… or whatever that co-ordination thing is that people do! I think the greatest reward for me is not doing things that other people can’t do, but rather watching their faces while I do it. Because I like to entertain people and see them go, 'Fuck! That’s the gnarliest thing I’ve seen in my life, bro!'"

Read the complete list here.

In the new video below, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine gives a lesson on how to play the main riff in the band's song, "Tornado Of Souls". The footage filmed backstage in Reno, NV on August 31.

Dates for Megadeth's Tour Of The Year with Lamb Of God, Trivium and Hatebreed are listed below.

Upcoming Tour Of The Year dates are listed below.

September
15 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
16 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
18 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
19 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
20 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion
22 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
24 - Mount Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre
26 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis
28 - Minneapolis, MN - Armory
30 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage

October
1 - Laval, QC - Place Bell
2 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Videotron

* Festival Date featuring all 4 bands.