One of the most precise and reliable guitar players, Steve Morse bases his style on classical and country music. Here are some of his most expressive licks:
Steve Morse often uses fast runs where he alternates diatonic and chromatic patterns. Let's start with a short example from Collateral Damage:
Another one from Simple Simon:
Steve Morse uses sometimes 4-notes per string runs that require fast changes of position like in this example from Brave New World:
And fast changes of direction. From Barbary Coast:
Repetitive patterns are also one of Morse's techniques. An example from Runaway Train:
Speaking of precision, one of Morse's trademarks is his fast riffs. A theme from Stressfest:
And a more extended one from Tumeni Notes:
Double-stops are one of the most prefered techniques by country guitarists. From Runaway Train:
An example of right-hand tapping from Collateral Damage:
Morse uses free strings in a creative way like in Rally Cry:
An A-drone from Air On a Six String:
Steve Morse keeps his tempo and precision when playing arpeggios. From Runaway Train:
Even in his themes, Morse dares to play fast, complex arpeggios like this sequence from User Friendly:
And a more extended example of Morse's arpeggios from Tumeni Notes:
