Captain Beefheart’s Guitar Tip – Stop Thinking
Playing guitar is one of those skills where there is no special secret, no key to your own greatness. It pretty much takes a combination of practice, and just feeling the music.
Psychedelic rocker, and favorite of rock snobs the world-over, Captain Beefheart rattled off his “10 Commandments of Guitar Playing.” One of his commandments really hit home for me because it took me so long to realize, and I continue to struggle with it:
5. If you’re guilty of thinking, you’re out
If your brain is part of the process, you’re missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.
It takes a lot for me to switch off my brain and just feel, but I’m starting to do it.
I find it easier to stop thinking when I play with other people, and/or jam on the same song for a long time. Grateful Dead tunes are amazing for this.
On a much lighter note, I also liked the Captain’s 10th commandment:
10. You gotta have a hood for your engine
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can’t escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.
I think it’s time to pick up the guitar for a while before bed.
(Beefheart.com Via BoingBoing)
Guitar Practice Tips from Pros
Over the last six months, I’ve become more serious about playing guitar. As a result, I’m working on creating a more structured practice regimen for myself.
At the moment it’s kind of a trial and error system while I determine what works, but I did find a series of tips from legendary guitarists John Petrucci (Dream Theater), Joe Satriani (Chickenfoot), and Dimebag Darrell (Pantera). While all three men are known for their shredding, the tips apple to any style of play.
Some of my favorites are:
John Petrucci – Use a metronome
I don’t use one often enough.
Dimebag Darrell – Play from the heart
If you aren’t feeling it, you’re doing it wrong.
Joe Satriani – Run through every chord you know
I have a feeling that this will help immensely.
John Petrucci – Record yourself
I’ve been messing around with recording, and it’s a pretty scary experience to hear your mistakes played back. It’s like listening to yourself on an answering machine.
Joe Satriani -Stay in tune
If the notes don’t sound right, it won’t feel right.
Have a look at their full list of tips.
Prince is a Crazy Guitarist
Regardless of your opinion of Prince’s musical stylings, you can’t argue with fact that the guy is a killer guitarist. He manages to shred with soul, a feat that is accomplished by a rare few.
This performance of the Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps from the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction of George Harrison features Tom Petty, Dhani Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Stevie Ferrone, and Prince.
If you’re impatient, Prince’s solo kicks in at 3:30, and continues throughout the song.
Wagon Wheel by The Old Crow Medicine Show
The Old Crow Medicine Show is an old-time sting band that I’m told is reminiscent of early 20th Century, pre-recording music (I claim no expertise on the subject).
Their most popular song (according to iTunes & YouTube) is Wagon Wheel. It’s a folksy, twangy number that OCMS created from an unfinished Bob Dylan song. Enjoy.
Wagon Wheel grew on me while jamming with the NJ Acoustic Music in the Park Meetup Group.
It’s a fun song to jam on, and if you live near Central Jersey, the Meetup Group is a wonderful, judgement free place to play.
Check us out at http://www.meetup.com/NJ-Acoustic-Music-in-the-Park/
2010 Holiday Buyers Guide
Let Santafest 2010 begin, try not to get maimed in a Black Friday stampede.
Here are some gift ideas for that special geek in your life:
Notebooks
PC
HP Envy 14 - If I was buying a PC, it would be this guy.
Mac
11 inch MacBook Air – The compact, aesthetically pleasing notebook packs it’s fair share of power. If I have to buy a new notebook this year, it will be an Air.
Video Games
Xbox 360
Kinect – Microsoft’s motion gaming hardware turns your whole body into a controller. This is leaps and bounds more interesting that anything that Nintendo or Sony have going on. Microsoft’s motion technology represents the biggest leap in gaming technology since the Wii, and it will change a whole lot more than just gaming.
Halo Reach – The latest installment in the Halo series plays like a best-of game. It take the best elements of what came before it, and the result is a wonderful FPS.
PS3
Heavy Rain – This very adult murder mystery changed the way I think of video games. It’s not a long game, but it will stay with you long after you finish it.
3D Dot Game Hero – A modern-ish love-letter to the early Zelda games. This is a must play for old-school gamers.
God of War III - The journey of Kratos comes to a bloody conclusion. This is probably the best hack & slash/ puzzler made to date.
Xbox 360 & PS3
Mass Effect 2 – My favorite game of 2010. The science-fantasy story is so immersive that I didn’t want to stop playing. Every time they release new DLC, I go back for more.
Rock Band 3 - This is by far the best music game ever made. The pro mode actually teaches you to play a keyboard or guitar. I am waiting to buy it when the real guitar controller is released in March.
DVD / Blu-ray
Netflix – Don’t bother buying DVDs this year, a Netflix subscription will go a lot further.
Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 – This year’s guitar festival hosted by Eric Clapton will amaze. The talent assembled is a rare sight to see, and will be truly special for any fan of the instrument.
Graphic Novel
Ex Machina – Ten volumes of brilliant dialoge and intrigue. It’s a story of politics and super-heroics. Think The West Wing meets The Matrix, but still very grounded.
Novels
Daemon & Freedom™ - These two books by Daniel Suarez take a very interesting and entertaining look at the state of the world, and the influence of technology. They are both geek and non-geek friendly.
Roland Micro Cube Guitar Amp
This little amp that my girlfriend gave me for my birthday is about 9x9x6. It’s small, light, and portable.
It’s also loud enough that I am certain I could piss off my neighbor with it… Although that’s not my goal. I asked for a small amp because my larger one always pissed them off.
The Roland Micro Cube has a lot of cool features for a tiny amp. It mimics a wide variety of different “classic” amplifiers, and it comes with a few effects.
JC Clean
This is basically the Roland Jazz Chorus Amp. Bust out the jazz chords; Little Wing sounds great on this setting.
Black Panel
Sounds like many Fender Amps. It’s versatile, and great from most classic rock sounds.
Brit Combo
Has the low gain sound of a Vox AC 30. Good for clean tones. This setting works well for bluesy songs.
Stack Classic
Modeled on a Marshall stack. This is excellent for big sounds and hard rock. Think Cream, Zeppelin, and AC/DC.
R-Fier
This sounds like a heavy metal boutique amp. There’s a ton of gain, it’s super crunchy, and very badass.
Acoustic & Mic
They do exactly what the names suggest.
Effects
Chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo: If you use them correctly, they sound good. Use them incorrectly, and they are really goofy.
Delay: This works very well, allowing you to have a slight echo, or have your notes hang in there long after your strummed them.
Reverb: Also has a nice range to it. On low settings it give your tone a nice presence, on higher settings it really creates a nice wet reverb sound.
Bottom-line
The Roland Micro Cube is small, so don’t expect to gig with it. It’s also solid-state, and not tube driven, so it can’t produce the full sounds of the amps that it models, but for its size, and price ($125ish), it’s a great amp.
Back to rocking out.
The UpSouth Twisters
I have been taking guitar lessons with a guy named Billy Roues for the last few years. Aside from being a great teacher, exceptional guitarist, and all around good guy, he is also puts on one hell of a show. He performs with a number of different bands that span quite a few genres, and I go to see him play whenever I have time.
Last weekend he played at the Turning Point in Piermont, NY (near where I grew up) with his band, the UpSouth Twisters. Whenever Billy plays, he mashes genres, techniques, and styles into a sound that is uniquely his own (and he has a few of them). He plays with his brother and bassist/ blues harp extraordinaire Muddy Roues; accordion wizard Kenny Margolis (if you don’t like the accordion, watch Kenny, he will change your mind); master of the washboard Boris Kinberg; and the difficult to see, but easy to hear Billy Rankin on drums. The UpSouth Twisters play an fun combination of Cajun zydeco, rockabilly, and blues that is easy to love.
They play mostly original material during their shows, but they always cut loose on their cover of Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country.” Their rendition is stunning, and as far as I’m concerned, blows the original out of the water. To prove it to you, I recorded their last performance. The audio isn’t perfect, and the video didn’t quite capture the power of their performance, but it certainly gets the point across.
You can purchase their CDs or see their tour dates on their website: www.upsouthtwisters.com
If you get a chance, go see them live; they are really worth it.
