Blues Power - Walk, Don't Run: Slow Blues Comping

When Jimi Hendrix emerged as the major new force in rock guitar in 1967, his style was so revolutionary that many listeners didn't realize just how deeply rooted in tradition his playing was. His personality on the instrument was so strong that he virtually swallowed up his influences. On "Red House," you can hear traces of a style that dates back to the very first master of electric blues guitar, T-Bone Walker.

T-Bone laid down a style of slow-blues "comping" (rhythm playing) that has withstood the test of time, having been handed down to each new generation of blues guitarists for over 60 years now. By learning something of his style, you'll be one step closer to not only understanding Hendrix, but also to developing your own style.

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Blues Power - Walk, Don't Run: Slow Blues Comping

SOLOING STRATEGIES: B.B. King

He’s the king of the blues, the genre’s elder statesman, and a one-of-a-kind musician. B.B. King is that one guitarist who nearly anyone can recognize with only a single note. Of course, that note would sing with sustain and be drenched in fret-hand vibrato. Nobody plays, or sings, the blues like King. He was, and still is, at the forefront of electric blues guitar. His catalog is essential listening for anyone even thinking of playing a 12-bar tune. Indeed, noteworthy players such as Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Guy, and Jimi Hendrix all cut their teeth on King’s solos. And now, eighty years young and still out on the road, King is a living legend if there ever was one. Let’s explore the licks and phrases of this blues giant.

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SOLOING STRATEGIES: B.B. King

Talkin' Blues: The Versatility of Sixth and Ninth Chords

These videos are related to the March 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full text and tablature for the column, you can pick up the issue of newsstands now or in our online store.

In the March edition of "Talkin' Blues," Musicians Institute instructor Keith Wyatt looks at the versatility of sixth and ninth chords.

"The number of theoretically possible guitar chords is seemingly infinite," says Wyatt," but when it comes to playing a given style, most players wind up with a relatively small set of go-to voicings." Check out the videos below for tips on how to break out of these habits!

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Talkin' Blues: The Versatility of Sixth and Ninth Chords

Chuck Berry (born October 18, 1926)

Charles Edward Anderson “Chuck” Berry (born October 18, 1926) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as “Maybellene” (1955), “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957) and “Johnny B. Goode” (1958), Chuck Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music.

Born into a middle class family in St. Louis, Missouri, Berry had an interest in music from an early age and gave his first public performance at Sumner High School. While still a high school student he served a prison sentence for armed robbery between 1944 and 1947. On his release, Berry settled into married life and worked at an automobile assembly plant. By early 1953, influenced by the guitar riffs and showmanship techniques of blues player T-Bone Walker, he was performing in the evenings with the Johnnie Johnson Trio. His break came when he traveled to Chicago in May, 1955, and met Muddy Waters, who suggested he contact Leonard Chess of Chess Records. With Chess he recorded “Maybellene”—Berry’s adaptation of the country song “Ida Red”—which sold over a million copies, reaching #1 on Billboard’s Rhythm and Blues chart. By the end of the 1950s, Berry was an established star with several hit records and film appearances to his name as well as a lucrative touring career. He had also established his own St. Louis-based nightclub, called Berry’s Club Bandstand. But in January, 1962, Berry was sentenced to three years in prison for offenses under the Mann Act—he had transported a 14-year-old girl across state lines.

After his release in 1963, Berry had several more hits, including “No Particular Place To Go”, “You Never Can Tell”, and “Nadine”, but these did not achieve the same success, or lasting impact, of his 1950s songs, and by the 1970s he was more in demand as a nostalgic live performer, playing his past hits with local backup bands of variable quality. His insistence on being paid cash led to a jail sentence in 1979—four months and community service for tax evasion.

Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986, with the comment that he “laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance.” Berry is included in several Rolling Stone “Greatest of All Time” lists, including being ranked fifth on their 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll included three of Chuck Berry’s songs: “Johnny B. Goode”, “Maybellene”, and “Rock and Roll Music”. Today – at the age of 84 – Berry continues to play live.

Early life and apprenticeship with Johnnie Johnson (1926–54)

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Berry was the fourth child in a family of six. He grew up in the north St. Louis neighborhood known as “The Ville,” an area where many middle class St. Louis people lived at the time. His father, Henry, was a contractor and deacon of a nearby Baptist church, his mother Martha a certified public school principal. His middle class upbringing allowed him to pursue his interest in music from an early age and he gave his first public performance in 1941 while still at Sumner High School. Just three years later, in 1944, while still at Sumner High School, he was arrested and convicted of armed robbery after robbing three shops in Kansas City and then stealing a car at gunpoint with some friends.Berry’s own account in his autobiography is that his car broke down and he then flagged down a passing car and stole it at gunpoint with a non-functional pistol. Berry was sent to the Intermediate Reformatory for Young Men at Algoa, near Jefferson City, Missouri,where he formed a singing quartet and did some boxing.

After his release from prison on his 21st birthday in 1947, Berry married Themetta “Toddy” Suggs on 28 October 1948, who gave birth to Darlin Ingrid Berry on 3 October 1950. Berry supported his family doing a number of jobs in St. Louis: working briefly as a factory worker at two automobile assembly plants, as well as being janitor for the apartment building where he and his wife lived. Afterwards he trained as a beautician at the Poro College of Cosmetology, founded by Annie Turnbo Malone. He was doing well enough by 1950 to buy a “small three room brick cottage with a bath” in Whittier Street, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

By the early 1950s, Berry was working with local bands in the clubs of St. Louis as an extra source of income. He had been playing the blues since his teens, and he borrowed both guitar riffs and showmanship techniques from blues player T-Bone Walker, as well as taking guitar lessons from his friend Ira Harris that laid the foundation for his guitar style. By early 1953 Berry was performing with Johnnie Johnson’s trio, starting a long-time collaboration with the pianist. Although the band played mostly blues and ballads, the most popular music among whites in the area was country. Berry wrote, “Curiosity provoked me to lay a lot of our country stuff on our predominantly black audience and some of our black audience began whispering ‘who is that black hillbilly at the Cosmo?’ After they laughed at me a few times they began requesting the hillbilly stuff and enjoyed dancing to it.”

Berry’s calculated showmanship, along with mixing country tunes with R&B tunes, and singing in the style of Nat “King” Cole to the music of Muddy Waters, brought in a wider audience, particularly affluent white people.

In May 1955, Berry traveled to Chicago where he met Waters, who suggested he contact Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Berry thought his blues material would be of most interest to Chess, but to his surprise it was an old country and western recording by Bob Wills, entitled “Ida Red” that got Chess’s attention. Chess had seen the rhythm and blues market shrink and was looking to move beyond it, and he thought Berry might be the artist for that purpose. So on May 21, 1955 Berry recorded an adaptation of “Ida Red”—”Maybellene”—which featured Johnnie Johnson on piano, Jerome Green (from Bo Diddley‘s band) on the maracas, Jasper Thomas on the drums and Willie Dixon on the bass. “Maybellene” sold over a million copies, reaching #1 on Billboard’s Rhythm and Blues chart and #5 on the 10 September 1955 Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart.

At the end of June 1956, his song “Roll Over Beethoven” reached #29 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, and Berry toured as one of the “Top Acts of ’56″. He and Carl Perkins became friends. Perkins said that “I knew when I first heard Chuck that he’d been affected by country music. I respected his writing; his records were very, very great.” As they toured, Perkins discovered that Berry not only liked country music, but knew about as many songs as he did. Jimmie Rodgers was one of his favorites. “Chuck knew every Blue Yodel and most of Bill Monroe’s songs as well,” Perkins remembered. “He told me about how he was raised very poor, very tough. He had a hard life. He was a good guy. I really liked him.”

In late 1957 Berry took part in Alan Freed’s “Biggest Show of Stars for 1957″ United States tour with the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and others. He also guest starred on ABC’s The Guy Mitchell Show, having sung his hit song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”. The hits continued from 1957 to 1959, with Berry scoring over a dozen chart singles during this period, including the top 10 U.S. hits “School Days”, “Rock and Roll Music”, “Sweet Little Sixteen”, and “Johnny B. Goode”. He appeared in two early rock and roll movies. The first was Rock Rock Rock, released in 1956. He is shown singing “You Can’t Catch Me.” He had a speaking role as himself in the 1959 film Go, Johnny, Go! along with Alan Freed, and was also shown performing his songs “Johnny B. Goode,” “Memphis, Tennessee,” and “Little Queenie.” His performance of “Sweet Little Sixteen” at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 is captured in the motion picture Jazz on a Summer’s Day.

By the end of the 1950s, Berry was an established star with several hit records and film appearances to his name, as well as a lucrative touring career. He had established a racially integrated St. Louis-based nightclub, called Berry’s Club Bandstand, and was investing in real estate. But in December 1959, Berry was arrested under the Mann Act after an allegation that he had sex with a 14-year-old Apache waitress whom he had transported over state lines to work as a hat check girl at his club. After an initial two-week trial in March 1960, Berry was convicted, fined $5,000, and sentenced to five years in prison. Berry’s appeal that the judge’s comments and attitude were racist and prejudiced the jury against him was upheld, and a second trial was heard in May and June 1961, which resulted in Berry being given a three-year prison sentence. After another appeal failed, Berry served one and one half years in prison from February 1962 to October 1963. Berry had continued recording and performing during the trials, though his output had slowed down as his popularity declined; his final single released before being imprisoned was “Come On”.

“Nadine” and move to Mercury (1963–69)

When Berry was released from prison in 1963, he was able to return to recording and performing due to the British invasion acts of the 1960s—most notably the Beatles and the Rolling Stones—having kept up an interest in his music by releasing cover versions of his songs; along with other bands reworking his songs, such as the Beach Boys basing their 1963 hit “Surfin’ USA” on Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen”. In 1964–65 Berry released eight singles, including three, “No Particular Place To Go” (a reworking of “School Day”), “You Never Can Tell”, and “Nadine,” which achieved commercial success, reaching the top 20 of the Billboard 100. Between 1966 and 1969 Berry released five albums on the Mercury label, including his first live album Live at Fillmore Auditorium in which he was backed by the Steve Miller Band.

While this was not a successful period for studio work, Berry was still a top concert draw. In May 1964, he did a successful tour of the UK, though when he returned in January 1965 his behavior was erratic and moody, and his touring style of using unrehearsed local backing bands and a strict non-negotiable contract was earning him a reputation as a difficult yet unexciting performer. He also played at large events in North America, such as the Schaefer Music Festival in New York City’s Central Park in July 1969, and the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival in October.

Back to Chess: “My Ding-a-Ling” to White House concert (1970–79)

Berry helped give life to a subculture… Even “My Ding-a-Ling”, a fourth-grade wee-wee joke that used to mortify true believers at college concerts, permitted a lot of twelve-year-olds new insight into the moribund concept of “dirty” when it hit the airwaves…

Berry returned to Chess from 1970 to 1973. There were no hit singles from the 1970 album Back Home, then in 1972 Chess released a live recording of “My Ding-a-Ling”, a novelty song which Berry had recorded in a different version on his 1968 LP “From St. Louie to Frisco” as “My Tambourine”. The track became Berry’s only No. 1 single. A live recording of “Reelin’ And Rockin’” was also issued as a follow-up single that same year and would prove to be Berry’s final top-40 hit in both the U.S. and the UK. Both singles were featured on the part-live/part-studio album The London Chuck Berry Sessions which was one of a series of London Sessions albums which included other Chess mainstay artists Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Berry’s second tenure with Chess ended with the 1975 album Chuck Berry, after which he did not make a studio record until 1979′s Rock It for Atco Records, his last studio album to date.

In the 1970s Berry toured on the basis of his earlier successes. He was on the road for many years, carrying only his Gibson guitar, confident that he could hire a band that already knew his music no matter where he went. Allmusic has said that in this period his “live performances became increasingly erratic, [...] working with terrible backup bands and turning in sloppy, out-of-tune performances” which “tarnished his reputation with younger fans and oldtimers” alike. Among the many bandleaders performing a backup role with Chuck Berry were Bruce Springsteen and Steve Miller when each was just starting his career. Springsteen related in the video Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll that Berry did not even give the band a set list and just expected the musicians to follow his lead after each guitar intro. Berry neither spoke to nor thanked the band after the show. Nevertheless, Springsteen backed Berry again when he appeared at the concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. At the request of Jimmy Carter, Chuck Berry performed at the White House on June 1, 1979.

Berry’s type of touring style, traveling the “oldies” circuit in the 1970s (where he was often paid in cash by local promoters) added ammunition to the Internal Revenue Service’s accusations that Berry was a chronic income tax evader. Facing criminal sanction for the third time, Berry pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to four months in prison and 1,000 hours of community service—doing benefit concerts—in 1979.

Still on the road (1980–present)

Berry continued to play 70 to 100 one-nighters per year in the 1980s, still traveling solo and requiring a local band to back him at each stop. In 1986, Taylor Hackford made a documentary film, Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, of a celebration concert for Berry’s sixtieth birthday, organised by Keith Richards, in which Berry reveals his bitterness at the fame and financial success that Richards achieved on the back of Berry’s songs. Eric Clapton, Etta James, Julian Lennon, Robert Cray and Linda Ronstadt, among others, appeared with Berry on stage and film. During the concert, Berry played a Gibson ES-355, the luxury version of the ES-335 that he favored on his 1970s tours. Richards played a black Fender Telecaster Custom, Cray a Fender Stratocaster and Clapton a Gibson ES 350T, the same guitar Berry used on his early recordings.

In the late 1980s, Berry bought a restaurant in Wentzville, Missouri, called The Southern Air, and in 1990 he was sued by several women who claimed that he had installed a video camera in the ladies’ bathroom. Berry claimed that he had the camera installed to catch red-handed a worker who was suspected of stealing from the restaurant. Though his guilt was never proven in court, Berry opted for a class action settlement with 59 women. Berry’s biographer, Bruce Pegg, estimated that it cost Berry over $1.2 million plus legal fees. It was during this time that he began using Wayne T. Schoeneberg as his legal counsel. Reportedly, a police raid on his house did find videotapes of women using the restroom, and one of the women was a minor. Also found in the raid were 62 grams of marijuana. Felony drug and child-abuse charges were filed. In order to avoid the child-abuse charges, Berry agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was given a six-month suspended jail sentence, two years’ unsupervised probation, and ordered to donate $5,000 to a local hospital.

In November 2000, Berry again faced legal charges when he was sued by his former pianist Johnnie Johnson, who claimed that he co-wrote over 50 songs, including “No Particular Place to Go”, “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Roll Over Beethoven”, that credit Berry alone. The case was dismissed when the judge ruled that too much time had passed since the songs were written.

Currently, Berry usually performs one Wednesday each month at Blueberry Hill, a restaurant and bar located in the Delmar Loop neighborhood in St. Louis. In 2008, Berry toured Europe, with stops in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, and Spain. In mid-2008, he played at Virgin Festival in Baltimore, MD.He presently lives in Ladue, Missouri, approximately 10 miles west of St. Louis. During a New Year’s Day 2011 concert in Chicago, Berry, suffering from exhaustion, passed out and had to be helped off stage.
Legacy

While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together. It was his particular genius to graft country & western guitar licks onto a rhythm & blues chassis in his very first single, “Maybellene.”

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

A pioneer of rock music, Berry was a significant influence on the development of both the music and the attitude associated with the rock music lifestyle. With songs such as “Maybellene” (1955), “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957) and “Johnny B. Goode” (1958), Chuck Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics successfully aimed to appeal to the early teenage market by using graphic and humorous descriptions of teen dances, fast cars, high-school life, and consumer culture, and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music. His records are a rich storehouse of the essential lyrical, showmanship and musical components of rock and roll; and, in addition to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, a large number of significant popular-music performers have recorded Berry’s songs. Though not technically accomplished, his guitar style is distinctive – he incorporated electronic effects to mimic the sound of bottleneck blues guitarists, and drew on the influence of guitar players such as Charlie Christian, and T-Bone Walker, to produce a clear and exciting sound that many later guitar musicians would acknowledge as a major influence in their own style. Berry’s showmanship has been influential on other rock guitar players, particularly his one-legged hop routine, and the “duck walk”, which he first used as a child when he walked “stooping with full-bended knees, but with my back and head vertical” under a table to retrieve a ball and his family found it entertaining; he used it when “performing in New York for the first time and some journalist branded it the duck walk.”

The rock critic Robert Christgau considers him “the greatest of the rock and rollers,” while John Lennon said that “if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.” Ted Nugent said “If you don’t know every Chuck Berry lick, you can’t play rock guitar.” Among the honors he has received, have been the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2000, and being named seventh on Time Magazine’s 2009 list of the 10 best electric guitar players of all-time. On May 14, 2002, Chuck Berry was honored as one of the first BMI Icons at the 50th annual BMI Pop Awards. He was presented the award along with BMI affiliates Bo Diddley and Little Richard.

Berry is included in several Rolling Stone “Greatest of All Time” lists. In September 2003, the magazine named him number 6 in their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. This was followed in November of the same year by his compilation album The Great Twenty-Eight being ranked 21st in the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The following year, in March 2004, Berry was ranked fifth out of “The Immortals – The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. In December 2004, six of his songs were included in the “Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, namely “Johnny B. Goode” (# 7), “Maybellene” (# 18), “Roll Over Beethoven” (# 97), “Rock and Roll Music” (#128), “Sweet Little Sixteen” (# 272) and “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” (# 374). In June 2008, his song “Johnny B. Goode” ranked first place in the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”.

Blues Power - Shuffling On: Shuffle Rhythm Patterns

The shuffle feel is the essence of the blues. Every blues guitarist should know how to play at least a couple of different shuffle comp (accompaniment) patterns. I'd like to introduce you to three basic patterns that you can solo over. The shuffle is based on a triplet rhythm with the middle note missing. To get a shuffle, first tap your foot at a medium tempo and play three notes for every beat. Then take out the middle note, leaving the first and third. This lopsided feel is the shuffle. For simplicity's sake, shuffle rhythms are often written using straight eighth notes with an indication to play with a shuffle or swing feel (TAB FIGURE 1).

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Blues Power - Shuffling On: Shuffle Rhythm Patterns

Fender Bass And Other Great Guitar Center Deals

If you play the guitar or even if you just love the sound, you know the name Fender bass. Ever since Clarence "Leo" Fender founded his guitar works in 1946, this brand has been a standout for the guitar in general and the electric guitar specifically. It's always popular for professionals and amateur musicians alike.

His predecessors made electric guitars however "Leo's" were the first to be both a musical and monetary success and he possessed the original functioning prototype of the dense-body bass which has become the foundation of most all rock bands. More often than not, you'll also probably discover that it is a Fender bass in that rock group, as well.

If you are considering electric guitars for a holiday gift, or any time you need a Fender bass or other guitar, there are few better options than The Guitar Center using its online store at guitar center com. They have an amazing selection of Fender instruments in addition to nearly every other brand that exists, and some very appealing prices and offers.

For early-bird shoppers, why not get a Fender bass now with no payments until 2009? With eligible purchases, there are no payments or interest for a full fourteen months, and if paid off prior, zero interest which is hard to match. Even if you're not looking for a present, it will be tempting to treat yourself! Check out the website for complete details.

Feel free to visit one of their other stores and test out the Fender bass or guitar of your choice. Be sure to check the website for their amazing web-only special deals. New arrivals come in often and they carry all of the necessary guitar accessories. You can order strings, cases, and most everything else you would want from the comfort of your own computer.

Choosing a musical instrument as a gift for a loved one or a treat for yourself is a wonderful idea. The Guitar Center has a vast inventory of stringed instruments available online to make shopping easier than ever. They are affordable as well, with instruments available for well under $400.

Daniel Wright

Blues Power - Climbing to the Top: Playing Turnarounds

The turnaround is the last two bars of the progression, where the tune gets ready to "turn around" and go back to the top. TAB FIGURE 1 depicts a 12-bar blues in the key of A with a common turnaround. What makes the turnaround especially challenging is that the soloist must compose a strong finishing statement while playing over rapid-fire chord changes. The solution to this sticky problem is to memorize several turnaround licks-this will allow you to pull them out of your trick bag when needed. Let's see how they work.

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Blues Power - Climbing to the Top: Playing Turnarounds

Fender Bass: Still #1 After All These Years

Special effects due to amplification and multiple sound options have made electric guitars popular since their invention. One that is particularly popular is the Fender Bass, not only because if you buy bass guitar, your looking for quality and sound, but because the name itself is so familiar to many music fans and musicians.

The brand has been around for 61 years since "Leo" Fender perfected his electric solid body bass and opened the California based company in 1946. Other companies had sold electric basses, but his was considered the first successful mass-marketed one. Today, the headquarters are in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the guitars are manufactured in Korea, Japan, Mexico and Corona, California. The company was sold to a larger corporation but eventually repurchased by the employees.

You can be certain that any Fender Bass will be an excellent instrument and carrying the standard and guarantees of the brand with it. However, choosing just the right instrument for any one musician may be an intimidating process due to the number of options and choices to consider.

Price is always important for any purchase, but in this case it is more important to find the instrument that best fits both your style and they way you plan to use the guitar. Some styles of necks, frets, keyboards, and body shapes will be good for one, but bad for another player. The sound also varies with the type of wood used to make it, as well as with the different designs and even the coating of the instrument.

Some guitars are better suited to rock music and others are intended for the more mellow sounds of jazz, and you can find a Fender Bass to meet either style, or many other styles like blues and country music. A list of those stars playing a Fender Bass or other style guitar from the brand will demonstrate how respected and versatile the brand is. Artist Freddy Fender renamed himself in honor of his guitar brand!

Even small details like a coating or no coating on the fret board will change the sound and even a good guitar can sound less desirable on a poor amplifier. It is important to get the best equipment you can afford that meets your needs rather than trying to settle for some instrument that will never make you happy. The only real way to choose a Fender Bass model is to try them out and see which one is the best fit, then to shop for the best price and finance if necessary.

Try out the models to see if you want a jazz type, a classic precision line, or another design by going to the company website to locate dealers in your area. People generally find several that are what they are looking for this way, and can then narrow down the choices by price and look. There are also deals to be found on the internet, want ads, and pawn shops.

Daniel Wright

Blues Power - Texas Boogie: Stevie Ray and the Shuffle

Stevie Ray Vaughan earned respect as both a blues and rock player-a musician who could bridge the two worlds in a single solo. As with all great guitarists, his rhythm playing was as strong as his leads. He excelled at a style of shuffle playing that has its roots in earlier players, yet he was able to turn it into a personal trademark. This column is dedicated to Stevie's memory.

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Blues Power - Texas Boogie: Stevie Ray and the Shuffle

Martin Guitar - Top Quality Yields Top Sounds

For well over a century and a half, The Martin Guitar Company has been continuously producing acoustic guitars that are acknowledged to be the finest for playing music in the world. The Company has, through the years, managed to survive with each succeeding generation from C. F. Martin, Sr.'s Stauffer influenced creations of the 1830s to recent developments introduced by C. F. Martin IV. Continuous operation under family management is a feat bordering on the remarkable, reflecting six generations of dedication to the guitar maker's craft. In or out of the music industry, C. F. Martin has few rivals for sheer staying power.

The story behind one of America's most famous guitars began on January 31, 1796, in Markneukirchen, Germany, with the birth of Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. Born into a long line of cabinet makers, Christian Frederick took up the family craft at the early age of 15, when he left his hometown and traveled to Vienna to apprentice with Johann Stauffer, a renowned guitar maker.

Accepted business practices in the early days of making a Martin guitar were far removed from today's methods and reflected a simpler society. Barter was common in the retail trade. C. F. Martin's personal records contain numerous entries of trading musical merchandise for everything from a case of wine to children's clothing. New York City's teeming Lower East Side was a harsh environment that was a world apart from the pastoral Saxony where Martin and his family grew up.

The following years were a period of significant development for C. F. Martin guitar makers. In addition to products sold by Ludecus and Wolter in New York, company records indicate that numerous shipments were made to the then centers of trade, which were primarily shipping posts and those cities served by the canal system, since the railroad had yet to evolve.

Martin's shipping records made frequent mention of sales in Boston, Albany, Philadelphia, Richmond, Petersburg, Nashville, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and New Orleans. Business in the period was obviously satisfactory, for in an advertisement in 1850 the company declared, "C. F. Martin Guitar Maker, respectfully informs the musical public generally that the great favor bestowed upon him has induced him to enlarge his factory, in order to supply the increasing demand for his instruments."

Martin Guitar has always adhered to the highest standards of musical excellence, and it has also been managed very competently. This probably explains the company's remarkable success throughout its many years in business. Their choice of products and their marketing have changed over time, but the company's basic attitude to guitar-making has always been the same. Frank Henry Martin is known for having said to potential buyers, "A good guitar cannot be made for the same price as a poor one, but nobody regrets the extra cost of a good guitar." This statement of policy was uttered almost eighty years ago, but it still accurately reflects the attitude at Martin Guitar.

Daniel Wright

Mobile And Music

On the move most of the time and want to get and stay connected all the time? Also want to get entertained wherever possible? What if there is a solution which allows you to remain in touch with your near and dear ones and at the same time be pampered with fine music? What if such a solution comes in a pretty inexpensive way? Surely we all would like to jump for it. Would we not? Well, here is a magic wand which will help you talk to your friends and will also bring you your favorite songs and music. The mobile-music marriage has comes as a great blessing for all music lovers. We can all ride our passion without any loss of time.

In fact the way music has transformed in recent decades is phenomenal. Today music, mobiles and multimedia are all available at one platform and the thin line between distinct technologies is only getting more and more blurred. We can download music on our mobiles, copy it on our PCs and then make CDs for our convenience. What a way to love and appreciate music.

Let us discuss some of the ways with which you can use your simple mobile instrument as a hi-fi system and a powerhouse of music. The mobile-music market is growing fast as more and more people are having mobile phones to get connected. Mobile music does satisfy this very important need for entertainment. Be it a college going teenager or a high flying executive, it is catching up with the imagination of all those who have a passion for music. It is also a great stress buster for those leading a hectic life.

Most new generation phones are equipped with music players that support music stored in various digital formats such as WMA, MP3, M4A and AAC. You can also download the tracks over the air and play it to your liking. It is worthwhile to opt for a phone that has a microSD card of 1 GB to download music software and store your favorite songs and music albums. You can also connect a headphone to the instrument to do multi tasking and to listen to your favorite music without any interruption. In fact if you own a car, no need to have a separate car audio, as your mobile can comfortably serve as one.

The Digital Music Player is the new in thing for those on the move. Today a number of companies in the field such as Nokia, Samsung, Sony and others are making instruments which cater to this very important segment of the market. A few of these phones come equipped with the latest music software to further enhance the quality of music. The mobiles companies are also having tie-ups with the media companies for giving you the latest content. The market is huge and ever evolving with not only music but also clippings of your favorite TV programs, news, sports, weather forecast and other contents available on the fly. A win-win situation for every body.

So if you also want to join the bandwagon, it is not too difficult. Just get a music enabled phone and download your favorite music. You have got the perfect answer to your quest for entertainment all the time. Can it get any simpler? Maybe not in the near future at least. Beyond that - only time will tell.

Sarika Kabra

Blues Power - Walk, Don't Run: Slow Blues Comping

When Jimi Hendrix emerged as the major new force in rock guitar in 1967, his style was so revolutionary that many listeners didn't realize just how deeply rooted in tradition his playing was. His personality on the instrument was so strong that he virtually swallowed up his influences. On "Red House," you can hear traces of a style that dates back to the very first master of electric blues guitar, T-Bone Walker.

T-Bone laid down a style of slow-blues "comping" (rhythm playing) that has withstood the test of time, having been handed down to each new generation of blues guitarists for over 60 years now. By learning something of his style, you'll be one step closer to not only understanding Hendrix, but also to developing your own style.

Click below for lesson.

Blues Power - Walk, Don't Run: Slow Blues Comping

Saxophone Blues Scales

If you're a saxophonist interested in playing any type of blues based music including rock and roll and even jazz then you need to use the blues scale as your number one tool to make things sound right.

A little history
If you want to investigate back to the beginnings of the blues as it came about in America just start with W.C. Handy, who was a black composer active in the early 1900's when the blues form began to get popularized in large part because of his instrumental compositions "Memphis Blues" (1912) and "St. Louis Blues" (1914). Of coarse the blues oral tradition can be traced back to the mid 1800's.

The blues scale
Because our western music has it's roots in European classical music the music theorists needed to notate the blues scale as it was naturally played and sung into an understandable notation which could be analyzed and played by western trained musicians.

The simplest way to explain it's theory is this:
Simply take the traditional major scale; C D E F G A B C and flatten the 3rd, 5th, and 7th. Now it looks like this: C D Eb E F Gb G A Bb C.
(Please look at the example on my website for the full musical notation). Notice the E, G, and B have been flattened, they are the 3rd, 5th and 7th notes of the C major scale and flattening them makes the scale sound minor thus giving it the "blues" or sad sound as opposed to the "major" or happy sound.

For us sax players these flat notes are perfect to incorporate a "growl" sound to further emphasize that "bluesy" expression or make it a bit more nasty. Two other things to notice; the 3rd and 5th can be played as a flat or not but the 7th generally is only played as a flat and not the major 7th in this type of scale or musical genre. (for some audio examples please refer to the website version of this article).

So now our basic major scale of 8 notes is now a blues scale of 10 notes. There are other variations to this blues scale; the basic version for example is a 7 note scale: C Eb F F# G Bb C (the F# being the same as the Gb). Adding the D, E natural and A give us more musical possibilities and will not change the basic sound of the blues scale. Even adding a flat 9th ( D flat) was a favorite thing Charlie Parker did a lot and is a good way to jazz up your phrases.

The blues progression
Of coarse this is all just words and notes and theory. You have to apply it and in any blues music this is done over a musical progression thats 12 measures in length, thus the term "12 bar blues".

We're in the key of C so the first 4 bars will be the C chord. The 5th and 6th bars change to the 4 chord which is F (4th note in the C scale).
The 7th and 8th bars change back to the 1 chord (C). The 9th and 10th bars change to the 5 chord, which is G. The 11th and 12th bars change back to the 1 chord (C). There are variations in this 12 bar pattern and can be seen on the website version of this article.

When starting out you can get away with just playing the same C blues scale over the entire progression but try to emphasize 1 or 2 of the notes in the F and G chord to make things a little more interesting. For example, over the F chord play an F or an A note to emphasize the harmonic color of the chord a little more.

In conclusion
The blues mean different things to many people ranging from musical styles to a way of life or philosophy. The blues do have musical influences from Europe and Africa but it is truly an American musical form and tradition fully rooted in the black experience of the post-war southern United States.

I want to be clear that when I talk about the blues or the blues scale I'm not only referring to this type of musical tradition and style but include funk, R&B, country, jazz and pop. Like the old saying goes; The blues had a baby and they names it rock and roll and from there came just about every form of pop music in western history since that explosive time in the mid 1900's

And so, I think it's safe to say that the blues scale is easily one of the most used and important scales for all types of western popular music.

John Ferreira

Waiting On That Check (Jim Duff & the Necessities)

In Deep: The Jimi Hendrix Rhythm Guitar Method

Hole Notes: The Chord and Rhythm Patterns of Django Reinhardt

These videos are related to the February 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full text and tablature for the column, you can pick up the issue of newsstands now or in our online store.

In this month's "Hole Notes," Musician's Institute instructor Dale Turned takes a look at artistry of guitar great and inventor of "gypsy jazz," Django Reinhardt. Because his famed quintet, Hot Club of France, didn't have a percussionist, the rhythmic patterns and chord choices in Django's unique brand of jazz were of paramount importance.

Click below for lesson.

Hole Notes: The Chord and Rhythm Patterns of Django Reinhardt

Fender Guitar: A Fun Investment For You

The first name which strikes us when we think of electric guitars is undoubtedly "Fender". Most every guitarist dreams of owning a Fender guitar. Most of the renowned rock guitarists as well as guitarists of other music genre swear by their Fender guitars. Before we discuss the various types of Fender guitars available, let us take a overview of the Fender musical instruments corporation.

Arizona is the home of this guitar manufacturer. The wild success of Fender's "Stratocaster" and "Telecaster" guitars has helped it's rise to fame. A solid body is a feature of both of these electric guitars. Even though many popular brands of electric guitars are on the market today, the reputation and likability of Fender guitars is without comparison.

The most popular Fender guitar to date is the Fender Stratocaster. This is a solid-body electric guitar with a maple neck. The fret board of this guitar is made of maple, rosewood or ebony. This amazing guitar boasts of three single-coil pick-ups. The Fender Stratocaster is a versatile guitar as it allows the player to produce a large variety of tones. This guitar has been associated with music greats like Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and many more guitar legends.

Likewise, another well-known Fender guitar is the "Fender Telecaster". This electric guitar has two single-coil pick-ups. The Telecaster is popular for its prominent sound quality. Even today, after almost six decades of its birth, the Telecaster continues to impress millions with its crystal clear sound. Many beautiful melodies have been developed on the Fender Telecaster.

Fender manufactures other electric guitars like the "Fender Esquire". Designed in 1950, the Esquire had one single-coil pick-up. This guitar is also a solid body guitar. Though essentially being a single pick-up guitar, the Fender Esquire never failed to impress the audience with its perfect tone and melody.

If you know the type of sound quality you want in a guitar, then it's not hard to select a Fender guitar to meet your needs. Fender electric guitars are available worldwide, plus there are many online music stores where you can purchase your chosen musical instrument. By buying a Fender electric guitar you'll be able to create a melodic aura which will captivate your audiences and make your performance a most memorable one.

Daniel Wright

HELD MY BABY LAST NIGHT - HOUND DOG TAYLOR and the HouseRockers

Learn Piano Blues

No matter what level of playing you're at now or which musical instruments you may know how to play, learn piano blues and you'll be much better off for it. As someone who spends a lot of time playing the saxophone and writing music I have found learning to play the piano invaluable for musical ideas, arranging for other instruments and just plain fun and relaxation. Not to mention being able to accompany other performers when the opportunity comes up.

Learn piano blues and you have also learned many other of your favorite rock and roll songs as well since that style developed out of blues music so the two styles are harmonically very close.

Another great thing about being able to play some kind of blues piano is that you can learn a couple fairly easy patterns on each hand and as you become more comfortable with them before you know it you can quickly develop them into patterns that are slightly more technical and before you know it you're playing some very decent boogie woogie too.

The boogie style came directly out of the blues and is one of the best ways for a pianist to show what they can do. This style of blues with a bit of speed is very impressive.

I learned by standing behind and beside some of my piano player friends and just watched what they did with their hands. Watching from above you can really see what's going on with both hands and how these repetitive riffs are being executed.

It's amazing how easy it can be when you break it down and take it slow. Then, like anything else, with a little daily practice comes the speed and dexterity. Sure, kids usually pick it up quicker than adults but anyone who has the desire to learn can do it regardless of age.

So, learning to play blues music on the piano is not only very basic technically but is also a great spring board for other styles like gospel and jazz. Even if you only learn to play the blues think of the fun you'll have next time there's a jam session opportunity... you know what they say; Blues is the international language of music.

John Ferreira

How To Get The Beat Going With Your Guitar

The reason that so many people fail at playing the guitar is because they give up their lessons too soon. They usually think that they are not capable of learning the instrument and think that the problem lies completely with them.

The truth of the matter is that the problem is not with the person learning but the method they are using to learn. If the player finds that he has advanced to a certain level and is unable to continue they should consider the technique they are using to learn the guitar.

The only way to move beyond this problem is to try another technique and see if it helps.

When you ask eight out of ten people who are learning the guitar why they continued they would answer that they learned the approach of feeling the beat.

The experts in guitar playing will tell you that there is a difference between a good guitarist and a great guitarist is their ability to feel the beat.

What you are learning is that feeling the beat will completely change the way you are learning your instrument. When you try to feel the beat as you are playing the guitar you will bring inside yourself the pulse of the song and let it flow out of you to the strings on your instrument.

This is where the understanding of playing the guitar from your soul comes from. That is the approach you are using in this method.

The experts in the music field know that when a singer or composer puts their emotion and soul into a piece of music the result is a person who stands above the crowd. When a musician learns how to feel the beat in the music they are playing they will put the individual notes in their body and let the music flow from them.

So you must be wondering how you learn to feel the beat.

The first thing you will need to do is internalize the beat. You will want to be emotionally ready to play your guitar. Listen to the music and feel a connection between the music and your feelings. This is how you feel the beat when it is flowing in you. Once you have gotten the beat inside of you should play those strings and play the feelings you are having not the song.

You will also need to learn to play a song by ear. Once you learn how to feel the beat you will begin to learn how to play music by ear. The act of playing the guitar by ear involves listening to some music and being able to play it. There have been many great musicians that had this ability. Once they felt the song inside of them they were able to begin playing the notes as the song progressed. Most of the people who write music do not use the tabs and music sheets; they simply play music as they hear it inside of themselves.

You do not have to follow the rules when you are learning to play the guitar. The instrument you are trying to play and the music is available to anyone who wants to play. Take some time to become acquainted with your instrument and learn to feel the beat. It will not happen overnight, you will need to practice and allow the music to become a part of you.

Many people who fail at the guitar just didn’t put in enough time and practice. You will need to put in the time if you ever want to become an expert at playing. Just get started and before you know it you will be playing like a pro.

Rick Napolitano

Talkin' Blues: Conversational Phrasing

These videos are related to the February 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full text and tablature for the column, you can pick up the issue of newsstands now or in our online store.

February's "Talkin' Blues" column looks at the ways in which everyday speech patterns influence blues guitar playing, a concept called conversational phrasing. Conversational phrasing could be best epitomized by the guitar work of Albert Collins, but as Keith Wyatt points out, it has remained a secret ingredient in the arsenals of many guitar greats.

Click on the link below for lesson.

Talkin' Blues: Conversational Phrasing

Bummer: All major music publishers are now suing Grooveshark (update) | VentureBeat

EMI, one of the largest music publishers in the world, is suing streaming music service Grooveshark over a discrepancy in royalty payments.

Grooveshark is different from other prominent streaming music services like Spotify, MOG and Rdio because it doesn’t have broad licensing agreements to play the majority of its music. It depends on its users to upload music that can be enjoyed by the community. If a user uploads a file that he or she doesn’t own and it gets a DMCA complaint, Grooveshark takes the file down.

To date, Universal Music Group, Sony Music and the Warner Music Group have filed a lawsuit against Grooveshark for allegedly pirating thousands of songs through its streaming service.

Now EMI is accusing Grooveshark of not paying any royalties since entering into a streaming music licensing agreement in 2009, according to a Reuters report. This means that all four of the major music companies are now tied up in legal disputes with Grooveshark for one reason or another — making the music startup’s future look mighty bleak.

Grooveshark estimates that it owes EMI about $150,000 in fees. EMI, however, says that the amount owed is much larger and that Grooveshark has “continued to exploit” its copyrighted music while ignoring demands for both accounting statements and payments. We’ve reached out to Grooveshark for comment and will update this post with any new information.

Gainesville, Fla.-based Grooveshark has over 30 million active monthly users who stream more than 15 billion songs per year, according to the company. In November, the company rolled out a new design of its online music player that includes a social layer.

Update: 11:00 a.m. PST

A Grooveshark spokesperson responded to our inquiries about the accusations by pointing out that EMI music publishing (not the record label) is the organization currently disputing the royalty payments. The spokesperson also clarified that EMI filed a formal complaint (not a full lawsuit) with the New York State Supreme Court. Here’s a copy of the full court document: EMI Entertainment World Inc v. Escape Media Group Inc, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 650013/2012 (PDF).

Official statement from Grooveshark below:

“We make regular payments to EMI. This is a contract dispute with the Publisher EMI (not the record label) that we expect to resolve.”

Bummer: All major music publishers are now suing Grooveshark (update) | VentureBeat

Hard Rock Rising

FREE Tracks. Download to Vote. Decide a Winner!
Please vote for Jim Duff & the Necessities to play LIVE at Louisville for Hard Rock Rising. Download FREE tracks and vote now! Voting ends February 5th.

Learn How to Play the Guitar Quickly

Before we dive into the basics of how to play the guitar, let's take a look at the actual exercise layout. When we watch our favorite rock stars jamming with their amazing guitars at concerts or in music videos, we are envious of their speed, dexterity and skill. We want to be able to do the same thing and find ourselves wondering how in the world they learned to play so well.

The guitar is not a difficult instrument to learn how to play, but before you begin taking lessons there are a few basics you should keep in mind. You must be determined to succeed. Without determination, you are destined to give up before you've learned to play this wonderful instrument. Determination is especially important when it comes to learning to play the guitar.

Patience is the Key

Another key to learning the guitar is patience. You cannot become a rock star overnight. Learning the guitar takes time, especially during the initial days. Once you have these two basic tenets, the third thing, which is specific to music, is having a musical ear. You have to be able to, over a period of time, identify the sounds associated with particular notes.

Buy yourself a Guitar

The first step to actually learning how to play the guitar is to get yourself a guitar. Owning a guitar is vital to the learning process simply because learning involves constant practice. You have to constantly practice what you learn, as a lack of practice can make you rusty and setback your learning process.

Having your own guitar enables you to practice whenever you want, at the frequency you desire. Also, the feeling of ownership is a big confidence booster. By purchasing your own guitar, you have taken the first step to learning how to play it. The last and final preliminary step before you kick off the actual learning process is getting yourself a teacher.

Find a Good Teacher

In the days before the Internet, to learn how to play the guitar, you had to learn from a guitar teacher. This meant you had to actually go to the house of a teacher, or have the teacher come to your house. That was quite a limiting experience, because there was no guarantee the teacher you were learning from was the best or was able to teach you the style you wanted to learn.

Did you Know?
These days it's getting harder and harder to find a good guitar teacher that will actually come to your house and teach you how to play the guitar. Most aspiring players are looking towards the Internet for lessons.

Learning Guitar Online

There has been an explosion of online guitar teaching course lately and this has changed the equation forever. There are numerous online websites that are designed to teach a student how to play the guitar. These courses take potential guitar players from the simple basics to complex chords and various playing styles. In order to learn online, all you really need is your guitar, a computer and internet access. You should search for a site that best suits your particular needs. Once you've found the perfect site for you, jump right in and start taking those guitar lessons. You will be glad that you did.

Kirk Downing

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Thanks to all of our fans!

I just want to send a shout out to all of our supporters and fans to let you know that because of you we have sold over 7,000 downloads and 4,000 CD’s! My sincerest thanks to each of you! Who needs a record deal when we have people like you that support what we're doing? I absolutely love our fans and I never will be able to truly express my gratitude for each and every one of you!
People really do have the power to make choices when it comes to music, thanks to the Internet. In the end, a record deal means nothing to me because I didn't start making music for fame. All along, for me, it has always been my passion for music, my passion to share this passion. I care about music and because of music, I care about my fans. Someone asked me the other day if I had “'made it”' yet? I replied, "Well, if truth be known, I "made it”' a long time ago." They responded by saying, "I don't hear you on the radio or see you on TV." I answered by saying, ‘I have raised my son to be an independent, educated young man.' I have taught him that respecting
others and hard work will yield positive results. I am working to instill in my daughter these same values. I have taught them not to be dependent others, but, at the same time to know that we are there for them if and when they need us, that by the will of The Almighty they have the power to be whatever they want to be. In the end, for me, that's really what this life, fame, success -- all of it -- is about to me.

In Deep: Howlin' Wolf and Hubert Sumlin

In this month's "In Deep," our own Andy Aledort takes a close-up look at the blues guitar artistry of Howlin' Wolf and Hubert Sumlin, the guitarists who epitomized the sound of Chicago blues.

In Deep: Howlin' Wolf and Hubert Sumlin

The Art Of Practicing

I have always believed that success, in practically any subject you can think of, is a direct result of "clear thinking". That is, the ability to understand very clearly what needs to be achieved and the action to set about surmounting very necessary hurdles in order to reach those goals. Less than successful people are either not clear in their goals or for one reason or another give up along the way. It's leveling that rough terrain, along with a clearly defined end result in mind that will get you there in the end. The success roadmap might go something like this:

Visualize goal => Surmount problems => Score

Sounds simple doesn't it? However, this clear thinking is all very well but it's usually the thought required before step 1 (visualization) that causes problems. Very often the goal does not manifest in mind because the process is so overwhelming.

And so it is with practicing the guitar, or any instrument for that matter. In more laymen's terms it's more like "What the hell should I be practicing?".

Practice is a constant struggle for many people. There is so much to learn and often so little time to allocate to it. For the jazz musician, clear thinking can be as simple as "I really like that Charlie Parker 2, 5 - how does he do that?". Then transcribing the line, practicing it in all keys and working the phrase into your own vocabulary. The 'score' as I like to call it is the ability to work it in to your own playing. I want to talk a little about that in a minute.

First, I think the most important thing to talk about is how to make best use of your practice time. There was a time when I started playing where I used to sit in my room and allocate 15 minutes to practicing scales and arpeggios, 10 minutes on technique exercises, 20 minutes on sight reading and 1/2 an hour on practicing my classical guitar repertoire. Why? because my teacher told me I had to. Years later once I started to study jazz guitar on my own I didn't feel the need to be practicing this way. It wasn't really benefiting me fully. I started to have my own goals in mind that I wanted to reach. I wanted to learn to play like one or two of my heroes, but more importantly because I liked what they played. Even more under the microscope were certain melodic lines and licks that tweaked my ear and fueled me to transcribe or simply copy the way they phrased or 'felt' a phrase. Once I clearly had in mind what I wanted to achieve I could go about achieving it - I knew what I had to do.

It's important to sit down to practice and be really clear about what you are going to do during that practice time. Now, one thing that helped me tremendously was when I made a huge commitment to scheduled practicing. In other words, deciding that every single day, no matter what, I would sit down and dedicate exactly one hour to working at this instrument. The amazing thing I found is that my regularly scheduled practice literally fueled my regularly scheduled practice! Does this make sense? What this means is that, the more I practiced, the more I wanted to practice. What started out as a committed hour turned into committed six hour sessions. Once I got into music college in London I remember waking up in the morning and practicing until I went to bed at night, remembering to eat on occasion. I was so fueled by the commitment to practice that the drive to play took over completely.

Regular practice clearly keeps your guitar technique on tip top form. There's nothing like picking up the guitar and playing a few short runs and being on top of your game, simply because you are playing regularly.

The other wonderful thing about committing to regular practice is that it actually helps you to think much more clearly, because you start to see results. Once you start to see results the concept of learning is much less overwhelming and you are able to make decisions about what you want to work on much more easily.

So do yourself a huge favor, first, make the decision to want to get much better at your guitar playing. Then once you have decided that, make a clear commitment right now and allocate a certain time of day to your guitar practice. If you only have limited time then give yourself what you know you can afford. Once you get your teeth into this system, if you don't have more time, trust me you will want to find more time. You might just want to wake up earlier. The drive to learn will take over.

Quality practice is key. I find now I am older that, if I let myself, I can get more and more distracted because there are so many other facets to my life. When I make the decision to focus 100% on my guitar problems and how I can surmount them, I find I can get completely absorbed for hours once I get going. Sometimes it helps to avoid those distractions from the outset. Maybe turn the phone off!

There is a huge difference between playing the guitar and practicing the guitar. I can play for days quite happily but am I learning anything new? Not unless I stop myself and work on my weaknesses. And there are plenty of those trust me! Many years ago I wanted to learn licks from my favorite players. I would hear a line and transcribe it. Many times I found that those musical phrases would not come out in my playing and I asked myself why. It dawned on me that there were three possible reasons:

1) I found the phrase too technically difficult to pull off.
2) It just didn't feel like it belonged in my vocabulary.
3) I hadn't fully explored the idea enough - perhaps I didn't fully understand how to use it in a practical sense.

Let's talk about these briefly.

Sometimes a horn line does not necessarily fit under the fingers on the guitar. The line might sound just terrific on a sax but if I can't play it on my guitar it's not going to have the same effect. In fact quite the opposite! Everyone is somewhat limited technically (although there are a few players that keep my head scratching I must admit!), every player has a ceiling in their own mind and I think it's perfectly OK to let some things go because they are just two gymnastic on the guitar. It's of course relative to each player's ability and comfort zone.

Occasionally I'll try and work something into my music vocabulary and it just doesn't feel like me. Some players sound great playing certain things and when I play them them they either sound too much like that other great player or I just don't feel it. Music has to be personal, it's OK to weed out stuff that you don't want to use, even when those 'weeds' are a rose garden to others.

The last idea is something very important I think. That is the idea that when you work on some new vocabulary or a new harmonic idea, that you fully understand how to use it and just as importantly, how to work it into your playing so it comes out naturally. Let's assume you are transcribing a lick on a CD you like. The first thing to do is to make sure you get the notes right. You might slow it down (there is plenty of software on the market that enables you to do this now). Whatever it takes, make sure the notes you are transcribing are correct. Then it is a matter of practicing that phrase so it feels good when you play it.

Now most folks stop right there and wonder why the phrase never shows up in their playing. The secret is to figure out exactly what chord (or group of chords) is being played underneath that line. After that, figure out what other chords could also be played underneath that phrase. Next, learn how to play that phrase everywhere on the fretboard, in different positions and keys. Finally and the most important, work the phrase into your own playing. To do this, start by improvising in any way that you normally might and focus on ways to connect that new phrase you want to play. The new phrase starts on a certain note and you will need to focus on that starting note in order to make a connection to it. Practice improvising freely and connecting to that new phrase, focusing on its starting note. Do this in all keys. Pretty soon you will know if the phrase is going to come out into your playing or not.

The art of practice is a huge subject and musicians have written complete books on it. But I do believe the real success starts with clear thinking. Make a decision to focus on something specific. Here is a more detailed roadmap to take on board:

1) Visualize. What do you want to work on - what do you want to achieve?
2) Plan. What exactly do you have to do in order to achieve that goal?
3) Action. Explore the subject in enough detail.
4) Surmount. Expect problems along the way - this is normal - don't give up! Just level the terrain.
5) Score - making sure that the subject is fully absorbed and part of your new musical make up, unless you decide otherwise.

Great players really got to grips with practicing in the early stages. It became fascinating to them and the results they saw fueled more practice. It's a self perpetuating phenomenon. By simply not practicing, the incentive to pick up your instrument diminishes over time. Then the excuses start to pour out in torrents. Then regrets. Then a very dusty guitar possibly in a dark attic somewhere.

Get practicing. Quality practice. Ask yourself questions. Look for the answers. Insist on results. This is the key to improving.

Chris Standring

One Way Out (Jim Duff & the Necessities)

Blues Jamtrack in the Key Of " A " To Practice Your Licks

Learn How to Easily Read Guitar Tabs

With all those technical quarter notes and treble clefs, who really has time to learn guitar chords and riffs without spending days, weeks or even months taking private music lessons? Music notation is intimidating, but there is a simple solution to the problem - guitar tablature. Known as tab to professional musicians, it is almost like a diagram that shows guitarists exactly where to place their fingers. Tab presents amateurs and professionals alike with an easy way to learn new guitar chords or even a complete song. Let's break down the basics.

Where to begin with guitar tabs

Think of it this way - if you can read a map, then you can also learn guitar chords from tab. Tab consists of six horizontal lines, representing the strings of the guitar (similar to a guitar chord chart, only sideways). The low E string is represented by the bottom line, and the other strings follow in succession the highest E. Players simply follow symbols on the lines indicating what string should be pushed, and in what location (fret). For example, if the number one appears on the top line, it indicates that a finger should be placed on the highest guitar string, in the first fret. When multiple numbers appear simultaneously, it indicates that certain strings should be pushed at the same time, in the fret indicated by the numbers provided.

Taking guitar tabs to the next musical level

Most tab will indicate the chord symbol above the lines and fret numbers, so that more advanced players can read along with what they already know. Advanced tab notation may consist of complex instructions from the author. For example, sometimes a guitarist will slap their finger down forcefully on top of a string, creating a different sound. This technique, known as a hammer-on, is often indicated by appearance of the letter h in tab.

Unfortunately, tab does not have a set of standardized rules, and there are many variations. There is also little direction for rhythm and timing, but it will work well for musicians who have a good ear, and a preexisting idea about how something is supposed to sound before they play it. It is best to start by picking out a well known, simple folk melody that is easily identifiable, and then move on to more complex patterns including chords and riffs.

Guitar tabs for every musician

Tab is not only an excellent way to learn new guitar chords; it is also used to notate scales, riffs, or entire songs. Guitarists who wish to try their hand with classical pieces, but do not read standard notation can experience the joy of tackling and mastering challenging pieces. Many publishers create albums of classical pieces which include standard notation, chords, and tab. Every genre is available in tab on the Internet or for purchase in a music store.

One of the greatest aspects of tab is that once you learn how to read it, the notation can be applied to many stringed instruments like the mandolin or bass. The possibilities for a blossoming musician are endless with this simple system. From chord charts to power ballads and sonatas, tab will expand your repertoire to include an unlimited number of pieces.

Jay Field

Etta James - At Last

John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers- Mists Of Time - Stories

Playing Guitar - A Reflection Of Your Soul

The guitar, be it electric or acoustic, is the most versatile of instruments. You can strum a few chords, adopt a highly disciplined classical guitar technique, or play sophisticated jazz chord and scale progressions. The choice is yours. Whatever your bag, the journey to achieving your goal and the fundamental sound is the real buzz.

It's a funny thing, but music is unlike most other activities. Take football for example, there is no escaping the fact that if you want to play pro-football you had better be good and there are no short cuts. Technique and fitness is an absolute must. Musical expression is different and shares may similarities with the spoken word. A few well chosen words can be far more effective than a tidal wave of sophisticated verbal statement. So it is with playing the guitar.

Arguably, the most successful singer songwriter who ever lived is Bob Dylan, whose delivery is based essentially on guitar sounds combined with an awesome skill as a lyricist. His musical structure is generally simple - but the simplicity of the music combined with great hook lines and lyrics is bang on the nail as a musical statement.

So the fact to take on board is that technical ability has little to do with musical talent. If your groove is a simple country, reggae or blues feel you can be damn good and highly relevant without being a technical genius. The simple player who plays with feel and taste is a musician, the same as a highly accomplished classical or jazz guitarist. It is amazing how formally trained musicians, i.e. classical, or other technical jazz players, are usually the most ineffective exponents of rock, country, pop or blues music.

Playing guitar is essentially an attitude, combined with feel and the necessary musical knowledge to express what you wish to play. Don't be fooled into following the path of so many potentially great musicians and be fazed by more accomplished players. When you tune in to the simplicity of a player such as the great blues guitarist B. B. King, you can't help but be affected by his economy of notes, played in such a meaningful, soulful musical context.

Playing guitar has an infinite number of possibilities. It is the most adaptable, useable instrument, and it's the journey to your goal that's the fun part. You will never stop learning guitar. Each time you pick it up you will discover something new and it needn't be hard to play to be relevant!

Arthor Pens

The 4-Letter Acronym That Could Kill The New Music Industry

As some of you may already know, there are two bills bouncing around Capitol Hill called PIPA and SOPA that are supposed to stop websites and internet services from illegally giving away other people’s music (this also extends to film, books, software, video games etc., but I am only going to focus on the music side of things).

I adamantly believe that when an artist creates and records a song, the artist, and only the artist, should have the right to do with it what they want. If they want to sell it, they should sell it. If they want to give it away, it’s theirs to give away. No one else has the right to make those decisions for them.

As noble as this premise may sound, the reality is that the world is full of good people, bad people, and uneducated people. And, whether we like it or not, all these people have access to technology that makes a lot of my beliefs moot–what good is a belief or law if it is simply unenforceable.

To that end, Congress got lobbied hard by the RIAA to write a new law that allows its label members (note: the RIAA is the trade association for the major labels) to have a new legal weapon to go after “rogue” websites and services that give the middle finger to copyright by allowing people to get music for free from artists that do not want to give it away for free.

The problem is that the bills lobbied for were done so by the RIAA, the organization that no longer represents the music industry. The majority of today’s music is being created, distributed, bought, streamed and shared from artists outside of the RIAA label member system. The RIAA and its members are no longer the voice of the industry; they are the voice of what was, and an ever-shrinking part of what is. Congress needs to wake up to this fact.

Or said more eloquently by the Deputy Director of Future Of Music Coalition Casey Rae Hunter:

“Artists have every right to be wary when powerful entertainment conglomerates push for policies that could undermine free expression, all the while claiming to speak for creators.”

The second problem is that the bill gives the old school players the power to not only protect their copyrights (which I support), but also to kill the new music industry.

Simply stated, if the SOPA bill was signed into law in its original form, TuneCore could have been threatened to be turned off, and thus cut off the choice, freedom, and future revenue from the hundreds of thousands of TuneCore Artists that have earned over a quarter billion dollars. Fortunately, TuneCore would be able to handle the threat, but others with fewer resources may not have the same outcome (not to mention why should TuneCore have to spend its time and money to deal with another entity making frivolous claims).

And before you think I am being hyperbolic, here is a perfect example; the US is already seizing web properties through the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division. One of their targets was a hip-hop blog called Djaz1.com which they literally shut down, claiming the hip-hop blog was illegally distributing songs it did not have the right to distribute. That’s right, the government just grabbed the domain and shut the thing down.

Turns out the government had it all wrong – and a year later they finally relented, but not before irreparable damage was done.
The article on TechDirt titled: “Feds Falsely Censor Popular Blog For Over A Year, Deny All Due Process, Hide All Details…” provides a great play by play. The author summarizes it well when he says:

The Dajaz1 case became particularly interesting to us, after we saw evidence showing that the songs that ICE used in its affidavit as “evidence” of criminal copyright infringement were songs sent by representatives of the copyright holder with the request that the site publicize the works — in one case, even coming from a VP at a major music label. Even worse, about the only evidence that ICE had that these songs were infringing was the word of the “VP of Anti-Piracy Legal Affairs for the RIAA,” Carlos Linares, who was simply not in a position to know if the songs were infringing or authorized. In fact, one of the songs involved an artist not even represented by an RIAA label, and Linares clearly had absolutely no right to speak on behalf of that artist.

If this doesn’t scare the crap out of you, it should. If the original versions of the SOPA or PIPA bills passed, TuneCore, just like Djaz1.com could have been targeted.

The concept behind the bill is good—protect copyright—but the execution stinks. Congressman and Senators don’t know that the power has shifted, and they need to hear from you.

Seriously, they need to hear from you.

Take action, get involved. Call your Senator and/or Congressman and tell them what you think and why.

Or go here to learn and do more.

By Jeff Price

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Do You Want Free Rhapsody Downloads?

Free music is a big deal in this world and more people are finding that they are working the process out to make a change in the way that things are being done. When you are looking to get some free music then you have to be sure that you are getting it from the right place. The last thing that you want is to go through a huge process to get the free music just to find out that you are getting nothing more than a bunch of Indie bands that are covering really old tunes and so on. This will make it impossible for you to get what you are looking for.

Through it all you can see that you are working through the deals in the right way when you investigate the place that is giving away the free music downloads. In this case we are talking about free Rhapsody downloads. This is something that is becoming more and more popular as they are trying to attract some customers. Well those customers are going to be disappointed when they get there because of the fact that most of the songs that the place has are all indie music and cover tunes by bands that no one has ever heard of.

The idea behind the free Rhapsody downloads is to get the customers in there to find the indie bands that have done all of their cover tunes and so on. When you start looking through the catalog of tunes you will find that they have cover tunes of nearly any song that you can dream of. This is where the free Rhapsody downloads come into play. They are willing to give them away because they want to help get the small bands developed and found by the people of the world.

You can see that free Rhapsody downloads is a great thing for those people that are looking to find the newer bands that they have not heard. Well you can see that you are going to have the best time with this company. However, there are a good many people that are not even close to being happy with it. They are looking to have a chance in this process and you can see that they want something more.

So if you are looking for the free Rhapsody downloads then you should think about the fact that they are all indie music and they have nothing to do with the original artists out there in the world at this point.

Hilary Mujikwa

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Think and Play Better by Using Your Non-Dominant Hand More Often

Hello, all! In my crusade to blog about things guitarists can benefit from (things that have very little to do with actually playing guitar), I'd like to discuss something that comes up a lot when we are in our practice rooms: dexterity -- dominance or cross-dominance.

Think and Play Better by Using Your Non-Dominant Hand More Often

Learn Guitar

If you are similar to many first timers coming to understand how to learn guitar playing, you are likely sitting in front of your computer screen right now with your guitar sitting next to you dreaming of how you are going to impress your friends with something you are going to learn.

Firstly you need to realize that the guitar is a very unque instrument and perhaps you can't make it sound good just yet, if you stick with it though the rewards that come with being able to play well are very much worth the time it took you to learn. You will no doubt find that learning the guitar will give you many hours of enjoyment.

How To Learn Guitar Techniques

One of the many challenges tha you will face is trying to figure out how to learn guitar techniques, with so many teachers and so many different techniques you very well may have to do what you feel is best for you. You might go as far as to modify the technique to make it doable for you.

It may sound strange talking about comfort and ease learning guitar playing techniques, but they do play a huge part with your picking and strumming that new guitar. As you will soon begin to understand.

Not everyones fingers are the same lengths and what works for the person with short, stubby fingers doesn't work for the guitar player who has long, slender fingers. You will notice this once you try to play a few chords and cry out, 'this isn't natural! I can't make my fingers bend that way!" This reaction is typical and takes place with most of us trying to understand how to learn play guitar.

Don't Stop Trying

Hang in there and keep trying to learn guitar because it is a long process and to be truthful, the best advice that any guitar teacher can give is the age-old line of practice, practice,and more practice!

Only practice in playing your guitar is going to improve what you have learned so far.If you aren't willing to dedicate a lot of practice time, more than likley you are going to throw in the towel because you will not be progressing fast enough and your fingertips are too sore to continue.

Tom Johnson

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Learning To Play Guitar By Ear

You have a huge advantage if you are a guitar player who can immediately play a new tune you have just heard. You can improvise in your performance and promptly learn new music. Being able to play guitar by ear will not just make you the soul of a party. You also gain professional standing as a competent musician.

You have a lot of choices if you want to learn how to play the guitar. The traditional method is to take private lessons from an expert guitar teacher. You can also teach yourself from a book, an instructional video or DVD, or online from a website. Multimedia guitar lessons on the internet have become a leading choice. No matter how you learn how to play the guitar, you will soon reach to a point when you will be keen to learn how to play a familiar song or a new one you heard on the movies. Maybe you want to learn how to play your favorite song from your favorite CD by your favorite band. What about your favorite television theme song?

Whatever song it is, one way to learn the tune is to purchase the sheet music or score and learn how to play it from following the written music notes. Just getting the score for a new song can be difficult, and there is usually a cost and a delay before you can even start to learn. An alternative more flexible way to learn the song you want, is to learn to play the guitar by ear. If you learn guitar by ear, you will be able to pick up just about any song you want just by listening to the CD. This will become a very useful skill, especially if you want to have a career in a music related field. You could take the following two steps if you want to learn guitar by ear.

How To Learn Guitar By Ear

If you want to learn guitar by ear, here are a few tips that will help. The first thing you will need to do so that you can learn guitar by ear is to train your ear to listen. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be born with an ear for music in order to learn guitar by ear. You can, in fact, train your ear to pick up the guitar chords of the music. The main thing you will learn to pick up just by listening to the music is changes in the chords, as well as to identify the differences between chords. It is important to be able to recognize the difference between major and minor chords.

The next step when you learn guitar by ear is to develop the skill to tune your guitar to match the song. This may sound easy enough, but this is an art you must learn. You need to tune your guitar so that it is in tune with the song you want to learn. Sometimes this is best accomplished by tuning individual strings to be in tune with individual notes.

If you can follow these two basic steps, you are well on your way to learn guitar by ear.

Alastair McLea

Download MP3 Music From Legal Sources

You can see that many of the parts of the internet are considered to be dark alleys. Like the towns and countries of the world there is much in the way of bad parts of the internet. You will find that most often these places are where the illegal happens and the last thing that you want to do is get caught using the places where illegal activities take place. If you are caught there then you have to be sure that you getting some legal help because you could be charged with several crimes that are able to land you in jail for a good long time.

More often then not these illegal places are working with things like download MP3 music. They know that people will come and do what they want with the idea of music. So they are going to post as much as they can along the way but you have to be sure that you are not taking part in this. Legal download MP3 music sites do exist out there and you do not want to get into trouble. The fact of the matter is that many people are doing this and things are starting to go bad for them.

There is also the idea of the viruses. When you go out to download MP3 music then you have to be careful about where you are finding it. The fact is that the illegal sites are most likely going to have files that have viruses and so on. They will also put spyware and adware on their files. When you download them then you are going to be infected. This is part of the process where they make money and you have to be sure that you are not getting taken for this system.

The legal sites are not going to have any of this kind of thing. They know that people are going to come to download MP3 music and they want it to go smoothly without worry and if they end up getting a virus then they are going to leave in a big hurry. Of course that is not going to stop some people from still trying to get to the illegal sites. However, there are many more enforcement branches out there that are working to get to the people that do the illegal downloads.

All in all it is best to download MP3 music from the legal sources to protect yourself legally and protect your computer and vital information from the hackers.

Hilary Mujikwa

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Unlimited MP3 Downloads Changing Digital Music Concepts

The idea of getting music for the MP3 player that you have is starting to get much easier. We have seen in the past where people have had to go to great lengths to make sure that they are getting the songs that they want. Well that is not always the way it will be for you when you are willing to get a little information under your belt. The changes that have been made in recent years are really helping matters and as such you have to see that you are getting more from the entire process with just a little bit of help.

Unlimited MP3 downloads are the wave of the future for the music lovers out there. When we are looking to this system we can see that we are getting all that we can from the system. When you have unlimited MP3 downloads then you are able to get all the songs that you want without having to spend a fortune on the individual tracks. This is something that is cost effective for those that have a lot of different tastes in music and want to have something that is mixed up on their players.

Unlimited MP3 downloads are not hard to come by anymore. Most of the companies that offer music downloads are doing the unlimited idea per membership fee. This means that you can download as much as you want as long as you have paid the monthly membership fee. Most often the unlimited MP3 downloads like this are going to be far more impressive then the pay per track listings. This is due to the fact that you can get a lot more for the money when you are using the unlimited MP3 downloads section.

You need to be sure that you are getting the best of the best in the pricing department here though. Some of the companies list unlimited MP3 downloads but then you visit the site and find out that you have to have the highest membership level if you are planning on doing the unlimited downloads. You do not want to get stuck with a plan that you cannot afford.

Always check the terms and conditions for the unlimited MP3 downloads as well. You do not want to be stuck with some really off the wall terms that you cannot live with .The companies on the web are required to have clear terms and conditions posted if they charge for their service.

Hilary Mujikwa