Chicken or the Egg Theory The question of “How do you create music if you don’t know music theory?” comes up often. It seems that to some degree we’re fed the notion that we must have a great understanding of the finite technical details of music theory to come up with creative ideas. Truth is, […]
There are a many great slide guitar tones. One of the hardest to achieve is a cleanish tone with sustain and a gentle whine. It’s one of those tones you don’t just plug straight into an amp and achieve. It takes a bit of manipulation. The clean sound from most amplifiers is bright with a […]
If you’ve spent enough time with an electric guitar, it’s likely you understand the relationship between the guitar and amp. You’ve likely experienced the incredible subtly volume plays in the tone of the electric guitar. Gain staging is such a huge part of electric guitar tone. There are hundreds of pedals that try to emulate […]
Consecutive Learning We have all kinds of ways to acquire guitar related information these days. The internet has allowed us to travel through a universe of guitar knowledge. Although there is a lot of access to theory or lessons, one thing that eludes many aspiring players is the order of information acquisition. Woah, that was […]
It’s very important to use a metronome when practicing. Some players get caught in a trap though and never develop a strong relationship with the click. They tend t obey instead of communicate. Here are some tis on how to strengthen your relationship with a metronome.
Often when guitarists build a pedalboard, they take a long time to design a configuration they will commit to for a period of time. This tends to mean candle lit dinners, long walks on the beach and maybe even a weekend getaway. There is something abut the permanence to a pedalboard that makes some guitarists […]
Recently, I went on the search for a phaser pedal. It had been some time since I’ve owned one. I purchased a 90’s era Phase 90 in the… You guessed it, 1990’s. I wasn’t really pleased with the sound of that particular pedal. For one thing, whenever the pedal was bypassed, I could still hear […]
I must admit to being a nay sayer of heavy distortion pedals. I’ve tried so many and have been regularly disappointed. So many have fallen short of really sounding like a high gain amp. For the few that had good tone, they’re often so noisy it’s hard to use in live settings. Buzz Alert When […]
Melodic Pentatonic Shape Shifter When you study melody you start to notice some interesting traits. Some of which seem to go against most instincts of guitarists. What happens when you place a guitar in the hands of a guitarist and ask them to lead? There tends to be a steady stream of notes that run […]
Research and Development There is a lot of work put into preparing for a gig. Aside from the obvious learning material and rehearsing, there is sound development. Some gigs you simply just plug a guitar straight into an amp and go. Others require a bit more sonic planning. It’s not un-common for me to spend […]