page_title: Michael Angelo Batio
section_title: Style
hierarchical_section_title: Michael Angelo Batio / Style
caption_attribution_description: Michael Angelo Batio with his double guitar
context_page_description: Michael Angelo Batio, also known as Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist and columnist from Chicago, Illinois. He was the lead guitarist for the Los Angeles-based glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
  Batio's work has encompassed many genres, but he is best known for playing heavy metal and its subgenres such as neoclassical metal, and speed metal. Batio has an advanced knowledge of music theory, having a deep understanding of complex scale combinations and time signatures which assist him in his compositions. He is widely known for his technical mastery of the fretboard and his extremely fast picking and sweep picked arpeggios. He is also known for his showmanship during performances, particularly his use of the "Over-Under" technique, and for his ability to play a double and quad guitar, using both hands to play. Batio is also noted for his guitar instruction DVDs in the "Speed Kills" series which teach shred guitar techniques and how to "master the art of playing lightning fast".
  Batio was voted the "No. 1 Fastest Guitar Shredder of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine in 2003.
context_section_description: He plays extremely fast and well articulated alternate picking, which he credits to his use of anchoring, or planting the fingers he does not use on the body of the guitar while picking to restrict motion. He is also adept at fluid, sweep-picked arpeggios and tapping. Batio has cited F-sharp minor and F-sharp phrygian dominant as two of his favorite keys. He has described F sharp minor as a "demonic" key, giving a dark, evil sound. Batio invented and often demonstrates the "Over-Under" technique, which involves flipping his fretting hand over and under the neck rapidly, playing the guitar both regularly and like a piano. 
  He is ambidextrous, a skill he taught himself. This enables him to play two guitars at the same time either in synchronization or using separate harmonies. This includes playing completely different parts at once, as shown while playing his famous Double-Guitar. Though naturally left-handed, he plays as right-handed when playing one guitar.
  Batio gave lessons to guitarist Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame) while at college. Morello has credited MAB with teaching him in a feature article in Guitar World Magazine in 2005. Batio also gave lessons to guitarist Mark Tremonti after Creed broke up and Tremonti wanted to learn more techniques.
  Batio has a deep interest in European medieval history, castles and architecture, and is often seen wearing an all-black outfit with chains and other designs related to the medieval period. Many of his guitars have been designed to feature chainmail and flames in the artwork.
caption: Michael Angelo Batio
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