From his days with Talas and David Lee Roth to his time spent with Mr. Big and Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan has performed and recorded with some gigantic names in rock. But no other outlet allows Sheehan to flex his bass muscle quite like NIACIN. After a seven-year hiatus, the band — which features Sheehan on bass plus keyboardist John Novello (Chick Corea, Ritchie Cole) and drummer Dennis Chambers (Santana, Parliament) — is back with a new album, KRUSH, a tour de force of sonic blues goodness.

On May 23, Paul Gilbert and ArtistWorks launched Rock Guitar School With Paul Gilbert, an online school that enables students of all ages and ability levels to learn directly from the Racer X and Mr. Big guitarist.

Paul Gilbert and ArtistWorks will launch Rock Guitar School with Paul Gilbert on May 23. The online school will enable students of all ages and ability levels to watch, question and learn with Gilbert.

One of the especially cool things about a guitar is the fact that there are almost always at least a few ways to play the same notes. This fact allows (and forces) us guitarists to explore the different possibilities available through experimentation with alternate fingerings, picking strategies and phrasing. Often, while there are many ways to play the exact same notes, there is usually a “magic” fingering and picking pattern that allows for the easiest and most effective execution of the phrase.