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Alter Bridge

2 guitar songs · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Hard Rock

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Band Overview

History and Guitar Legacy

Alter Bridge formed in Orlando, Florida in 2004, emerging from Creed with vocalist/guitarist Myles Kennedy, guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Since their debut 'One Day Remains' through 'Pawns & Kings' (2022), they've become one of the most guitar-centric Hard Rock bands of the 21st century. Their defining characteristic is the dual-guitar interplay between Kennedy and Tremonti, two elite players who approach the instrument from distinctly different angles.

Playing Style and Techniques

Mark Tremonti is regarded as one of the best metal rhythm guitarists of his generation, combining relentless downpicking power with technically advanced lead work including sweep picking, string skipping, and neoclassical phrasing. Myles Kennedy brings blues-infused melody through expressive bends, wide vibrato, and tasteful legato lines. Together they create push-pull dynamics where heavy, chugging rhythm parts give way to soaring melodic leads within the same song.

Why Guitarists Study Alter Bridge

Alter Bridge offers exceptional study material through layered sonic architecture that rewards close examination. Their catalog spans diverse difficulty levels, from accessible intermediate rhythm work like 'Addicted To Pain' to benchmark pieces like the 'Blackbird' outro solo, which many guitarists use to measure technical progress. The band demonstrates how heavy rhythm foundations and melodic lead work combine to create compelling hard rock compositions.

Difficulty and Learning Path

Alter Bridge material falls firmly in the intermediate-to-advanced range, with certain solos reaching elite territory. Guitarists need solid fundamentals in alternate and downpicking, comfort with drop tunings, and developing legato and sweep technique for advanced material. The 'Blackbird' solo exemplifies their demanding standard, featuring sweep-picked arpeggios, rapid alternate picking, wide intervallic leaps, and emotionally charged bending at challenging tempos.

What Makes Alter Bridge Essential for Guitar Players

  • Mark Tremonti's rhythm playing is built on devastating downpicking precision and tight palm-muting in drop D tuning. His right-hand consistency on chug-heavy riffs like 'Addicted To Pain' rivals the best thrash players, making his parts excellent exercises for building right-hand endurance and attack consistency.
  • The 'Blackbird' outro solo is a masterclass in advanced lead technique, it combines sweep-picked arpeggios across multiple string groups, rapid alternate picking sequences, expressive whole-step bends with vibrato, and dramatic string-skipping intervals. It's one of the most celebrated rock guitar solos of the 2000s and a serious technical workout.
  • Myles Kennedy's rhythm and lead contributions lean on blues-rock vocabulary, pentatonic runs with chromatic passing tones, behind-the-nut bends, and a wide, vocal-like vibrato. His clean arpeggiated chord voicings add harmonic depth during verses, often using add9 and sus4 shapes that are great for expanding your chord vocabulary beyond basic barre forms.
  • Alter Bridge frequently uses layered guitar harmonies in thirds and sixths, reminiscent of Iron Maiden but applied in a modern rock context. Learning to track how Kennedy and Tremonti split harmonized lines teaches you arrangement thinking, understanding how two guitars can occupy different harmonic roles simultaneously.
  • Their use of dynamic contrast is something every guitarist should study. Songs regularly shift from whisper-quiet clean passages to massive distorted sections, requiring precise control of picking dynamics, volume knob use, and gain staging. This isn't just about technique, it's about learning to serve the song's emotional arc with your playing.

Did You Know?

Mark Tremonti's practice regimen is legendary, he's spoken about practicing four to six hours daily during touring downtime, focusing heavily on alternate picking exercises and sweep picking patterns. His technique improved so dramatically between Alter Bridge's first and second albums that fans often describe it as a completely different guitarist.

The 'Blackbird' solo was originally even longer. Tremonti composed it as a standalone piece and then adapted it to fit the song's outro. He has described it as the single most difficult thing he's ever recorded, requiring numerous takes to nail the final version.

Myles Kennedy developed his hybrid picking technique partly from studying Mark Knopfler and partly from playing mandolin, which informed his approach to clean arpeggiated passages and fingerstyle textures that appear throughout Alter Bridge's quieter sections.

Tremonti uses a consistent drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-E) across most of the Alter Bridge catalog, but on some tracks they've tuned down to drop C# and even drop B for his solo project, meaning his PRS signature guitars are built with slightly heavier string gauges (.011-.052) to maintain tension and intonation stability.

During the recording of 'Fortress' (2013), producer Michael 'Elvis' Baskette encouraged Tremonti to track rhythm parts with less gain than he used live, resulting in a tighter, more articulate tone that reveals pick attack and muting technique, a great lesson in how less distortion often sounds heavier on record.

Mark Tremonti has cited Metallica's James Hetfield as his single biggest influence on rhythm guitar, which is clearly audible in his aggressive downpicking approach. For lead playing, he cites Yngwie Malmsteen, Al Di Meola, and Steve Morse as key inspirations, explaining the neoclassical and fusion elements that creep into his solos.

Alter Bridge's songs are frequently used in guitar competitions and audition pieces. The 'Blackbird' solo in particular has become a rite-of-passage piece on YouTube, with thousands of cover attempts, making it one of the most-covered modern rock solos online.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Blackbird album cover
Blackbird 2007

This is the album where Tremonti's technique fully matured and the band's dual-guitar identity solidified. The title track's outro solo is essential learning for any aspiring lead guitarist, it covers sweep picking, alternate picking, bending, and phrasing at a high level. Other tracks like 'Ties That Bind' and 'Watch Over You' offer excellent rhythm and clean playing studies respectively.

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Fortress album cover
Fortress 2013

Arguably their heaviest and most technically demanding album overall. 'Addicted To Pain' is a perfect intermediate-level riff workout in drop D, while 'Cry of Achilles' features blazing lead work and complex rhythmic patterns. The production is guitar-forward with excellent separation between the two guitar parts, making it ideal for learning by ear.

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AB III album cover
AB III 2010

Their darkest record showcases a wider dynamic range and more experimental guitar textures. 'Slip to the Void' features one of Tremonti's most technically demanding solos, while 'Words Darker Than Their Wings' offers a beautiful acoustic-to-electric build that teaches arrangement dynamics. Great for intermediate players looking to expand beyond just riffs and solos into full-song guitar craft.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Mark Tremonti is synonymous with PRS, he's played PRS Tremonti Signature models since the early 2000s, featuring a single-cutaway mahogany body, maple top, 25-inch scale length, and Pattern Thin neck profile. He typically uses the charcoal burst and satin finishes with stoptail bridge (no tremolo). Myles Kennedy plays a PRS Myles Kennedy Signature, a bolt-on construction model with a slightly different feel, as well as various PRS Custom 24s and occasionally a Gibson Les Paul for heavier tones in the studio.

Amp

Tremonti has been a long-time PRS amp user, running PRS MT 100 (Mark Tremonti signature head) and previously PRS Archon amplifiers, high-gain, EL34-powered tube heads designed for tight, articulate distortion with a pronounced midrange. He runs them loud for natural tube saturation and typically uses the lead channel for rhythm tones, keeping gain around 6-7 to retain pick attack clarity. Myles Kennedy has used a mix of PRS amps and Marshall JCM800s, favoring a slightly more open, less saturated gain tone.

Pickups

Tremonti's PRS Signature guitars feature his custom-wound PRS Mark Tremonti humbuckers, medium-high output (~14k bridge, ~8k neck) with an alnico V magnet. These pickups are designed for tight bass response and clear upper-mids, giving his palm-muted chugs definition without becoming muddy. The neck pickup is voiced warmer for clean arpeggios and bluesy leads. Myles Kennedy's PRS signature uses PRS 58/15 LT pickups, lower output, more vintage-flavored humbuckers that respond well to pick dynamics and clean up beautifully when you roll back the volume knob.

Effects & Chain

Tremonti keeps his pedalboard relatively simple: a Morley Mark Tremonti Wah, MXR EVH Phase 90 for occasional lead textures, a delay pedal (TC Electronic Flashback or similar) for solo ambiance, and a noise gate to keep high-gain tones tight. His core tone is overwhelmingly amp-driven, he rarely uses overdrive or boost pedals, preferring the natural saturation of his PRS heads. Myles Kennedy uses a similar minimalist approach with wah, delay, and reverb, occasionally adding a clean boost for solo sections. The takeaway: Alter Bridge's tone comes from guitars and amps first, not pedal stacking.

Recommended Gear

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Myles Kennedy reaches for the Les Paul in the studio when Alter Bridge needs heavier, more saturated tones beyond what his PRS delivers. Its thicker body and traditional humbuckers add warmth and sustain to rhythm work, complementing his slightly less-compressed amp tones.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Custom's slightly thicker top and refined electronics give Myles Kennedy a darker, more controlled palette for layered studio recordings. This guitar bridges his PRS versatility with classic rock weight, perfect for Alter Bridge's dynamic range between clean arpeggios and crushing riffs.

PRS Custom 24
Guitar

PRS Custom 24

Myles Kennedy's workhorse alongside his signature model, the Custom 24 offers the same bolt-on snap and tonal flexibility as his PRS but with traditional 24-fret access for extended lead passages. Its responsive pickups complement his Marshall amp's open gain character.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Myles Kennedy's go-to alternative to PRS amps, the JCM800 delivers the less-saturated, more dynamic gain tone he favors for leads and cleaner sections. Its legendary presence peak cuts through without the tight midrange coloration of his PRS heads.

MXR Phase 90
Pedal

MXR Phase 90

Mark Tremonti layers this classic modulation sparingly across Alter Bridge leads to add movement and space without cluttering his amp-first tone philosophy. The subtle swirl complements his delay-driven solo textures perfectly.

ISP Decimator Noise Gate
Pedal

ISP Decimator Noise Gate

Essential for taming Mark Tremonti's high-gain PRS MT 100 during palm-muted rhythms, the Decimator keeps tight chugs articulate and gate-free, preserving pick attack clarity at extreme gain levels.

How to Practice Alter Bridge on GuitarZone

Every Alter Bridge song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Addicted To Pain - Guitar LessonPractice Blackbird - Guitar Lesson