The technology of today allows us to do things that we never imagined possible before. With the development of various mediums such as the computers, everything nowadays can be simulated, especially guitar equipments. Long ago, if we want great tones from an amp, we have to buy a very expensive amplifier, a tube amplifier. Now, you don’t have to do that. With a click of a mouse and the proper hardware, you’ll be having the greatest tones that you ever had in your life, all in your computer, and that’s 1/28 of the price of a vintage tube amp. So if you want to know more about this, I urge you to read more. This would save you the trouble of learning somewhere else which is very dodgy for there are lots of unreliable information sources out there. So sit back and read.
Amp modeling software is the new trend nowadays. Stomp boxes, cabinets, gadgets, effects, miking, name it, it has it and it is all packed in single software. Just add a little for the hardware (controllers) and you are ready to rock, backed up by a professionally – sounding rig. Software’s like Amplitube and Guitar rig provides you with this, and you could even use your iPhone. Imagine that?
Blink 182’s infamous drummer, Travis Barker has recently announced that he is preparing to release a solo album. But it won’t be pretty much similar to Blink 182, it is leaning more to the hip-hop side of Barker. The title, Transplants and Expensive Taste. Barker has allegedly recruited some of the biggest names in the industry of rap and hip – hop. Expect collaborations from Eminem, Lil Wayne and the self – proclaimed gangster’, Snoop Dogg. Also, still cooking in the kitchen is team ups with Drake, T.I., The Game, Pharell Williams, RZA, Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross, The Cool Kids, and Clipse.
And if all you Blink 182 fans out there are worried, worry no more. Barker ain’t splitting up with the band, he’s just doing some side – lines (if you could call that one) and you could expect them to be on tour in Europe.
My Thoughts: I am always a fan of Travis Barker, not that he is super good in his drumming, because he definitely isn’t the best around, but I admire the way he portrays his act. The whole pop and punk image, he knows how to project it perfectly. That is one of the major things that admire from him.
Here’s something that would inspire all you artists out there. I know almost all of you wants to put out your own material out there but don’t know where to start. So to help you with this, I have tips here that would get you up and running. It’s not that hard to put out a CD, yeah, that’s a fact. That is if you’re only doing it for yourself, for your own satisfaction, which is in my opinion, the best attitude towards it. If you do it for yourself first, everything would follow. Anyway, here’s how to do it:
- First and the most obvious thing that you should do are to write your own song.
- If you don’t have a home studio, complete with instruments, you could always use what is available. Say you only have a guitar and bass guitar; you could use software for the drums and other instruments. I suggest using Mixcraft for drums and guitar rig for amps.
- Record your song using audio recording software like audition.
- Mix it, master it, level everything, and make sure it sounds good for you.
- Burn a master CD. Then duplicate and distribute. That’s it!
I’m not talking about serious mistakes. I am talking about the mistakes that you could do on stage. So what about it? It is of very humiliating experience to make an obvious mistake on stage with regards to your performance. But the truth with these mistakes is that it is very inevitable to complete the show without making a single mistake. You can’t do a 100% perfect show because we are only human and we are prone to mistakes. But the thing is not all people would notice that mistake and that makes it fine. Its okay to make mistakes while performing but it is better if you know how to make it not obvious. Here are some tips to be successful on that.
While performing, if you make a mistake, don’t let them notice it. Make a poker face, because if you laugh or react, you will show the people that you indeed made a mistake. That is if you don’t want them to notice. But most of the time, people known it is normal to make errors while performing live. That is why if the best thing you could do when you commit a mistake is laugh it all out.
Had been rumors that front man of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler had agreed to be the next American idol judge replacing the place of either Simon Cowell or Ellen DeGeneres. Simon Cowell quit American idol for him to focus on his own talent show the X Factor and Ellen DeGeneres walked out after one season. Rumor has it that Tyler was offered the position and is now considering his options. On an interview Tyler told reporters that he would be honest in terms of judging the contestants and would tell them frankly if the deserve a shot or not, if they have it or they just don’t have it.
Personally I think that Steven Tyler is the most credible candidate for replacing the former American idol judges who left. Tyler is one influential musician in his own right and for me I think he is a legend. He has a great voice and a great performance level on stage. So if there’s any one more worthy to judge upcoming artists and front man and woman. So I really hope that this would come to pass. It is also another reason for Tyler not to fall off stage
Legendary guitar player of guns and roses, Slash has recently teamed up with Epiphone guitar company 2 to 8 big sack replica of the guitar that he used on appetite for destruction album, use your illusion one and two, snake pit, and his new album. The original Les Paul that slash used produces a distinct tone that everybody is dying to produce. That exact tonal quality that everyone is looking for is possible in the new Epiphone Slash appetite for destruction Les Paul. It is also limited edition guitar for only 3000 will be created and that is all. The new Epiphone Les Paul will hit the stores on October 2010. The Epiphone guitar is a Best Buy indeed because it is relatively cheaper than a Gibson but also has the same tonal quality or something close to that.
Concerning the specifications of the guitar, there is almost no difference between the Epiphone version and the Gibson version, from the wood used and the hardware and other components, it’s all the same. The only big difference that is very noticeable is the brand named on the Headstock where the other one is says Epiphone and the other says Gibson. No I’m not joking that is very true. So if you want to look as cool as Slash, you simply can’t. Though the state you could do is grab this guitar and sound like him.
The sudden death of their drummer, the rev, was a crippling moment for both the band in their personal lives. One thing that if people don’t know about avenged sevenfold is that they grew up as a band since the beginning. They don’t just hire people to be their band mates; they all have built a strong foundation in terms of relationships with one another. That is the reason why it was very hard for them to lose the rev. He was not just an awesome drummer but he was also a loving brother.
The new album, nightmare, which is made possible because of the fans, and a voluntary effort of legendary drummer, mike Portnoy, shows the exact emotional burden, the sadness that the group is currently experiencing. From the songs, “so far away” which is of very straightforward statement, visualizing when they are currently feeling right now, up to the classic rock anthem, “victim”, you know that there’s something going on. But despite of all the motions, they never failed to still project the very essence of avenged sevenfold. The originality and the heaviness is still there reaches in my opinion a miraculous feat that they accomplished as a group. Even though the rev is not here anymore, one should listen to the album, you’ll feel like he’s lurking behind you. Try listening to the song “fiction” in the middle of the night with no lights on. That was the last song that the rev gave them and is also a prophecy of his death.
What did I do today to improve my guitar playing?
Well, I spent one hour practicing my guitar techniques. And the rest is history. And currently watching John Mayer’s Los Angeles concert titled where the light is and is looking for new things to discover. It just came to me that John Mayer is a bit like Jimi Hendrix, only white. He has the same guitar styles and singing style. I think John Mayer’s biggest influence is Jimi Hendrix. You can tell by the way he talks, the way he sings and the way he plays the guitar.
I also saw today on USTREAM, an interview with the remaining members of avenged sevenfold. They talk about their new experiences with the new drummer, and explain some of the new songs. All of them were quite funny and quite emotional at the same time. That is pretty much obvious because the year are undergoing a very difficult year since their drummer The REV died last year and since then they are never the same again. Now they have Mike Portnoy to fill up the drums but of course they will never be the same without The REV. That’s pretty much it.
Most guitar players focus so much on their speed and other factors to the point that the forget to enhance their ability to keep their tempo. That’s the problem for most guitar players. They can’t keep your tempo. Especially when they are doing their guitar solo, they tend to be off tempo. Now if you want to know what could possibly improve your time keeping skills, I have a very simple answer. Metronome is the word. Metronome could possibly train you to enhance your time keeping skill and keep you on tempo. Today I will teach you how to use a metronome and use it to your advantage.
How does a metronome work? The electronic device signals you the current time signature. Usually, the signals are represented by ticks and clicks. The ticks and clicks her synchronize with if the current time signature. It is important that you are able to hear it well enough so that you could want it or if you are on or off tempo. Now, how is this useful in your practice? Well, you could use it to control your tempo. The best way to practice is firs start with a slow tempo, and the metronome could help you on that. When the time comes that you need to increase speed, simply adjust your metronome. That’s it!
The world of guitar playing is like a war, you have to acquire weapons in your arsenal and whoever’s got the big gun wins. The same with guitars. Whoever masters the techniques, are considered great. So if you want to be good in guitar playing, the best way to do it is to learn and master the different techniques. And if you are looking for that information on the internet, look no further for I have something for you, something to learn. It is a simple technique to do but is very useful and you would find it more important when you advance through your guitar playing. The technique that I am talking about is the pull – off. You will understand the full potential of this technique once you master this.
The pull – off technique is the twin brother of the hammer on technique. However, it is done by doing the opposite of the hammer on. Ok before you do it, ready the two fingers that you would use to this. Usually, it is the index and the ring finger. So here’s what you are going to do, place your index on the 2nd string on the 5th fret and the index on the 2nd string, 3rd fret. Now, pluck the first note and make the 2nd note sound by plucking the string using your ring finger downwards.
That’s basically it, practice more and you will be able to master it.
While performing on a show on Florida last Thursday evening, Smashing Pumpkins vocalist and front man Billy Corgan collapsed while performing the bands hit song, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.” He says that he has no memory of falling down and woke up with a bruise and he was moving slow. That has got to hurt.
Smashing Pumpkins is the premiere alternative rock band on the 90’s era. While everybody was trying to be Grunge and stuff, they were alternative and weird. But personally, I dig their music. Who doesn’t? Especially the 2 – CD epic Mellon Collie album? That one won a Grammy, if I’m not mistaken.
Funny how lots of musicians have collapsed on stage lately and thanks to YouTube, people all over the world is able to view it. Whether to laugh it or not, it’s up to them. What I’m wondering is what’s causing these things to happen? A curse? A device that was fired from the crowd which can invisibly cause you to collapse? Diet? Heart problems? There is lot of factors to consider so for you aspiring bands, here’s a tip:
- Before going on stage to perform, eat properly.
- Drink lots of water before and while performing and after performing.
- Don’t do drugs.
Live performances are the most critical moments in your musical career. This is where you would be judged according to your performance. Recording can be cheated, if you know what I am talking about. That is the reason why most synthetic acts (Bieber, Britney) don’t do it live, they lip sync their performances because they suck in singing. But we musicians don’t do that crap. So here are the tips for great live performances:
- Before recording your song, consider this: make sure that you could play what you recorded on that CD or at least plays it as close as possible to the CD. So if possible, don’t put loads of layers of guitars on it. Or if you can’t help it, you could always hire back up musicians to fill in the gap in your music or play over a backing track.
- Give it your best shot. Always put in your mind that it would be the last gig so you have to play your best performance ever. This is an effective method. Always think that you have to give your best shot and you wouldn’t notice it but the show would be great.
- Always prepare. Do all the necessary preparations; practice, equipments, gears and all other stuff that is necessary for your live performance.
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It is important when you play the guitar that you hit the exact notes that you are intending to hit or you need to hit. This is what we call, accuracy, in guitar playing. Inaccurate guitar playing is the reason for dirty sounding performance and that is not good, and some guitar players make this an excuse for their shortcomings. But professionals know better. It doesn’t matter if you are slow as long as you are hitting the exact notes and with the right timing. Speed can be developed through time and constant practice but for now, it is important that you focus on your accuracy.
You can practice hitting four consecutive note s on four consecutive frets on the six strings starting from the lowest string to the highest string. It creates some sort of box shape. Does this going down and then up and then move a half fret up? Does this until you reach the max fret that you could play it then go back down once more? This improves your accuracy, alternate picking and speed at the same time. This is what I did everyday and it worked for me. I still do this today but I do it much faster than I did before.
Accuracy is essential…
Well, there’s nothing much in this topic but I am just wondering why artists do acoustic versions of their song. I have my guesses and hypothesis but I want to listen to yours. Anyway, I have just noticed artists, rock bands doing acoustic versions of their songs. A watered – down, melodramatic and raw version of their songs. It’s pretty much easy to listen to and I totally have no objections. I just wonder what’s behind the reason. I know it’s no big deal but for me it bothers me. Maybe you have a simple answer to my question, I don’t know and I have my own answers as well, I am just not sure if they are right.
I have this theory here. Just a couple of them. First is, they do acoustic versions of their songs because they want their songs to fit in to almost every crowd or listener. Acoustic music is good for everybody; everybody listens to it since it’s easy to digest and relaxing to hear. So to fit in to that category, they make acoustic versions out of their songs. Another theory that I have is that they wanted to see a different side of the song. Like they were asking themselves that, “what would it be like if it’s watered – down and acoustically raw?” something like that.
Don’t you know that the best way to improve your improvisation is to improvise your improvisation skills while jamming along; doing improvisation on backing tracks that could improve your improvisation skills?
That’s way too much improvisation.
Anyway, guitar backing tracks are simply instrumentals that lack the guitar parts in it. Why does it lack guitar parts? Because it is for you to fill in. yes, you will be the one to fill that gap, it’s like playing with a band on your computer or cod. This technique can greatly improve your improvisation, guitar techniques and guitar solo skills since you are constantly sharpening them. And you also don’t get the pain of been humiliated when making mistakes because you’re backing band won’t complain about it. Lol.
Anyway, if you really want something that would help you in your improvisation, try guitar backing tracks. They are found everywhere on the internet, just search for it. Even guitar teachers would suggest them to you because they are indeed good methods of practicing. Try practicing at least three guitar backing tracks per day for starters. Then move on to the more complicated ones then to the faster ones. Just follow a regular practice schedule and you will be up and ready.
We are currently having a slight bit of a trouble within our band. I don’t know and I’m not sure why but I am currently unimpressed with the way our bass guitar is playing. Weak, lifeless and monotonic bass playing is what I always get when he’s around. I was the one who recorded the bass tracks on our EP and it is because I don’t trust him with it. But you know what the funny thing about this is; I don’t want to kick him out of the band. For some reasons, I didn’t. I was on the verge of doing that but my conscience is telling me not too.
Anyway, maybe one of the reasons why I didn’t do it is because it is hard to find a decent bass player nowadays. Most of the bass players here all have their own bands and recruiting them is like dissing their band mates as well. So you gain a bass player and thousands of enemies, that, I don’t like. Anyway, I just hope he would improve, I know that there is always room for improvement, only if you are willing to improve. So what I’m doing right now is urging him to practice. I hope I’m doing the right thing.
This is a question actually, whether it is better to use the effects on an amplifier or your very own multi effects processor. Well, let’s settle down the difference. Not all amplifiers have effects, and not all of them have stomp boxes but if they do, they sound really good like the LINE 6 amps that they are producing. But the thing with amplifiers is, you can’t just bring it anywhere with you. It’s huge and heavy, that is the major problem and the main reason why we should prefer the multi FX ones. They are of course portable, you could bring them anywhere you like and they already have almost everything you need.
You know what; I don’t think there’s an argument here. It’s pretty obvious that multi FX are better choice. But if you are a pro guitar player and have your own roadie, it’s nice to bring your LINE 6 with your or your Fender Cyber twin or whatever Amp with built in multi effects that you are using. But anyway, since we are just ordinary guitar players, let’s stick with our multi effects rig and be happy with it. Besides, it does the job already and does it pretty well.
Fans of the legendary rock group, the Beatles has recently been enraged by no other than John Lennon’s son, Sean Lennon by allowing Lady Gaga to use the iconic legendary piano of the late front man. Sean had recently invited over the Poker Face singer into their home and allowed her to play the Piano and took a picture of her while playing it. He later posted it on his twitter account and automatically, it sent a tidal wave of hate comments from the group’s supporters saying that he shouldn’t allow her to even touch the piano.
Lennon on the other hand defended his decision to give the singer permission to use the piano and told his followers not to be very judgmental. Furthermore, he told them to lighten and quit being so uptight about it saying that the piano was his mother’s because it was John Lennon’s birthday gift to Yoko Ono. Lady Gaga was said to be A Beatles Fan.
Anyway, I don’t think that there’s anything wrong about it. There’s nothing holy about Lennon’s iconic piano. She didn’t do anything bad to it, she was just playing it. So people lighten up and don’t act like you own everything. They have the right to let anyone play that piano.
The Phenomenal rock band from Manchester, England, has recently disbanded due to the usual argument of brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher. Oasis had released a greatest hits album before that incident and that marked the end of the career of the rock band. But not the members. Oasis may be gone but their members have gone to form other groups. Liam went to form Beady Eye, together with all of the former Oasis band members except for Noel Gallagher, who went solo. Some people took it badly, thinking that it was the end for them, and the brothers as well but some looked at it in a new light saying that this would mean that they are free to explore other horizons and open up other possibilities. Both Liam and Noel are great songwriters and singers, experienced and veterans so there’s no problem there. It all comes down to their supporters. It is possible that they would be divided between the two or might even support both but we still don’t know. What we do know is we could expect Liam’s new band releasing a single anytime this year and as well as Noel’s solo project too. “Time Flies” is already out in all music outlets worldwide, a 2 – CD greatest hits compilation album.
The title sounds kinda funny. But this is the whole point of this post. I want to share to you, just in case you don’t know about it, the 10 guitar players that you should really look up to. Regardless of your preferred genre, I suggest you try and listen to the style and the techniques they used. This list is just part of a larger list which I cannot place all in this tiny post so here we go:
10. John Mayer – The youngest on the list but certainly not the least. Mayer has proven himself to all critics that he’s worthy to be placed on that line up of legendary guitar players. Blues, Rock and Jazz, that’s what John Mayer is all about.
9. George Harrison – The Legendary Lead Guitar Player for the band called, The Beatles, you might have heard about them. He’s playing every note with utter importance. Just listen to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
8. Brian May – Queen’s founding member, world renown Guitarist.
7. Paul Gilbert – Metal Guitar Virtuoso.
6. John Petrucci – Dream Theater guitar GOD.
5. B.B. King – If you’re into blues, you should definitely know BB King.
4. Eric Clapton – One of the most influential guitar players in the whole world.
3. Joe Satriani – Needs No intro
2. Eddie Van Halen – Remember Van Halen and his techniques?
1. Jimi Hendrix – and of course, who would disagree?
Well there you have it, my top 10. This list is purely my opinion and not an official list of greatest guitar players because there are loads of them out there, all great on what they do.