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Vox DA5: know any good dunes?

Good amps are hard to come by in the desert (Too true - Ed) . So Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, lead guitarist with Tinariwen, who both records and lives in the Sahara, depends on his Vox DA5 when the band go out and about among the dunes. Strapped onto the back of the...

Two Signed Shadows Guitars In Charity Auction

A Fender 50s Classic Stratocaster and Burns Marquee are being auctioned in aid of Children In Need – and both have been signed by The Shadows (including Cliff) on their recent reunion tour. These two beauties will be auctioned during the interval at ...

Paul McCartney European tour

Yes! One of what must be the few remaining chances to see a genuine ex-Beatle live on-stage Here are the details: Following a massive tour of the US this summer, Paul McCartney today announces his first European Tour since 2004. This December will see...

How to Read Tablature for Guitar and Bass

I have to admit when posting guitar or bass lessons I sometimes forget about the person that has just started to play. Today I'm focusing my attention on helping those aspiring players out with an explanation of how to read guitar and bass tablature.

StaffsTablature (or tab) is a number system for reading notes on the neck of the guitar. It does not require you to have knowledge of standard music notation. This system was designed specifically for guitar. Most music for guitar is available in tab. Tablature is a crucial and essential part of your guitar playing career.

The six lines of the tablature staff represent each of the six strings. The top line is the thinnest (highest pitch) string. The bottom line is the thickest (lowest pitch) string. The lines in between are the 2nd through 5th strings. The numbers placed directly on these lines show you the fret number to play the note at. At the bottom, underneath the staff, is a series if numbers. These numbers show you which left hand fingers you should use to fret the notes.

Guitar Tablature Explanation












Reading Chord Tablature

Chords can also be written in tab. If there are several numbers stacked together in a column, those notes should be played or strummed at the same time. Here are the Am and Em chords with the tablature written out beneath each diagram. Since the fingerings are shown on the chord diagrams, there is no reason to repeat them underneath the tab.















Bass Tablature Explanation

Tablature (or tab) is a number system for reading notes on the neck of the Bass guitar. It does not require you to have knowledge of standard music notation. This system was designed specifically for guitar and bass. Most music for bass guitar is available in tab. Tablature is a crucial and essential part of your bass playing career.The four lines of the tablature staff represent each of the four strings. The top line is the thinnest (highest pitch) string the first string. The bottom line is the thickest (lowest pitch) string the fourth string. The lines between are the second and third strings. The numbers placed directly on these lines show you the fret number to play the note at. At the bottom, underneath the staff, is a series if numbers. These numbers show you which left hand fingers you should use to fret the notes.



Rob Balduccis' Lick Of The Week - Float

In Rob Balducci's LOTW, Rob talks about and playing a bit of his song Float ( I Remember...) from the CD Violet Horizon.


The Rock House Instructor and Favored Nations Artist said on his web site:

"This song is a very ambient tune. It was recorded using two different amps, both on clean sounds and I was using different delay and chorus setting on each amp for the track off the CD etc... I had a little bit of an idea of what I wanted to do but it was basically improvised. We also added a keyboard track as well on the recording. We did two takes and I choose the one that is on my CD Violet Horizon. In this demo of the tune, I am using my Ibanez RGA LAC guitar and going into my Cornford MK5011 head and using a Maxon ad 999 pro delay and an Ernie Ball volume pedal."
"The name of the tune and the inspiration behind the tune is a very personal one. I have diabetes and I have it since I am 11 years old. When you have Diabetes you sometimes have what is called a diabetic reaction in where your blood sugar goes to low and at times you can pass out or sort of get really out of it as though you feel kind of like you are in a weird space. When you are in this state the people around you are worried and trying to help you and sometimes things can get crazy... but even though I may seem really out of it and people think that I do not hear them or see them, I do. It sort of feels like you are Floating in space or something. I do remember what was going on when I come out of it, hence the title Float ( I remember...)"

Check out Violet Horizon at http://www.robbalducci.com/





ROLAND SHIPS TD-20SX V-PRO SERIES V-DRUMS


Roland Corporation U.S. is pleased to announce general availability of the new V-Drums® V-Pro® Series TD-20SX (http://www.rolandus.com/products/TD-20SX). With a stunning new look, highly expressive sounds, and upgraded hardware throughout, the flagship TD-20SX provides the best and most natural playing experience available from Roland’s storied V-Drums line.

The TD-20SX debuts a completely new look for the V-Pro Series, with striking brushed-metal V-Pads™ and V-Kick™ shells, a more substantial V-Kick for a solid, natural feel, silver colored V-Cymbals®, and a rock-solid chrome drum rack with new metal clamps and internal cable management. In addition, the newly designed V-Pads allow drummers to easily change shell wraps for their V-Pads and V-Kick to customize the look of their kit.

At the heart of the TD-20SX is the new TD-20X Percussion Sound Module, which combines the features of Roland’s TD-20 and TDW-20 expansion board. With 920 drum instruments, 100 drum kits, new sound layering and enhanced editing features, new compression algorithms, and new ambience choices for a wide variety of live environments, the TD-20X brings the quality and sound expected from the leader in electronic drums.

The new MDS-25 Drum Stand, designed for professional stage use, provides rock-solid stability with its advanced weight-balanced design. The newly designed metal mounts for cymbals and toms provide a highly flexible setup. The rubber protective sleeve shields the cables from damage, while the new clear-cabling system complements the overall design.

The TD-20SX is now shipping with an MSRP of $8,169.00.



Pentatonic Phrasing Lesson 1 - Blog Classic Lessons!

This is a repost of one of my earliest and most popular video lessons. Since the blog is being "reactivated" I think I am going to have one new lesson, a few "Reconstruction" blog entries and a "Classic" every week...

GuitarWorldBlips: vote it up!

Hello!

This week we are going to learn a simple device to help you build coherent phrases with the Pentatonic or Blues Scales.  If you do not already know these scales, you can download a worksheet on the Minor Pentatonic Scale Here :

Minor Pentatonic Scale Worksheet - Home Position

We are going to use just a small section of the scale in A Minor Pentatonic on the 3rd and 4th strings, and play small 3 and 4 note ideas.  Then we will try another section of the scale on the 1st and 2nd strings.  The main thing is to listen to how each phrase ends.  Does it sound resolved, or does it not sound like it comes to an ending?

The idea of "call and response" or "question and answer" is very useful.  If you think of a complete phrase as having a "question" first half, where the phrase does not sound like it has ended and an "answer" second half where it does come to an end, your idea will sound more complete.

If you are having a conversation with someone and they asked you a question such as "Did you take the trash out?", even if you didn't speak the same language a listener would get the idea that you had been asked a question because of your vocal inflection...basically, the pitch of your would go up at the end of the phrase among other small clues.  The answer "No, I did not take the trash out!" will sound more resolved, and probably will have the pitch of your voice end lower.  Try it and see!

The licks in the lesson do not all have the last note of the "question" idea ending in a higher pitch, but I want you to do is to listen to what each ending pitch sounds like, and determine for yourself what sounds like a complete phrase!





Click here for a printable version of this lesson





Here are some recommendations for you to check out...simple blues guitar with short phrases that really make sense from two of my biggest influences and a really useful book that I use quite a bit in my studio from Robert Calva...

B.B. King Live at the Regal is one of my all time favorite albums, and the solo on "Sweet Little Angel" is a must learn...



Albert Kings "King of the Blues Guitar" is another of my favorites...the song "Crosscut Saw (LP Version) is a great easy blues solo to learn!



A cool book that I use with my students to get them soloing with backing tracks and learning some other rhythm guitar skills is "Texas Blues Guitar" by Robert Calva...he has "blues box" scale patterns, a ton of standard licks, solos for you to learn that are well structured and the examples are in four styles...shuffle, slow 12/8 blues, latin and straight feels!



McCoy Tyner Interview: Guitars

McCoy Tyner Interview: GuitarsThe year 1960 found two of jazz’s rising stars in a moment of flux. After finding world-wide recognition for his contribution to the classic Miles Davis quintets of the late 1950s, and experimenting with different lineups for his own group, saxophonist John Coltrane was in search of a new quartet to

Guitar International Magazine posted 24 hours ago from guitarinternational.com

Find more top guitar news, videos, and blogs on GuitarWorldBlips: Guitar

Give Your Rhythm Parts a Boost with Partial Chord Shapes

I’ve spoken about him before, but Mark Wein of Mark Wein Guitar Lessons really knows his stuff, and I’ve gotten a lot mileage from his free video tutorials. One set of tutorials that I found as a real useful review, plus learning some new stuff as well, is his series on Partial Chord Shapes. Really [...]

Guitars (CD/DVD): McCoy Tyner: Music

Product Description ''I've never done anything like this before'' McCoy Tyner recently said of his second album on McCoy Tyner Music/Half Note Records, a CD/DVD titled GUITARS. Along with a trio of Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette, Tyner invited guitarists Bill Frisell, Derek Trucks, John ...

Guitar International found this 26 hours ago on amazon.com

Find more top guitar news, videos, and blogs on GuitarWorldBlips: Guitar, Derek Trucks

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Monthly Archives

Recent Entries

  1. Vox DA5: know any good dunes?
    Monday, October 26, 2009
  2. Two Signed Shadows Guitars In Charity Auction
    Monday, October 26, 2009
  3. Paul McCartney European tour
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  4. How to Read Tablature for Guitar and Bass
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  5. Rob Balduccis' Lick Of The Week - Float
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  6. ROLAND SHIPS TD-20SX V-PRO SERIES V-DRUMS
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  7. Pentatonic Phrasing Lesson 1 - Blog Classic Lessons!
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  8. McCoy Tyner Interview: Guitars
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  9. Give Your Rhythm Parts a Boost with Partial Chord Shapes
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009
  10. Guitars (CD/DVD): McCoy Tyner: Music
    Wednesday, October 21, 2009

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