Blogs

Guitar Girl’d: Interview with New York City Country Girl Ali Isabella

Laura B. Whitmore — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:18:47 +0000

I wasn’t sure what to expect from singer/songwriter Ali Isabella.

I met her at her hotel in Los Angeles the day before she was to perform for a showcase I hosted at the ASCAP expo last month for the Women’s International Music Network. I can honestly say I was delighted with everything about her — her smile, her giggle, her infectious music, her strong songwriting, and her energy. Like a breath of fresh air.

At the tender age of 17, Isabella has checked more off her bucket list than some do in a lifetime. She’s opened up for Reba McEntire at Wembley Arena and was the youngest performer to ever appear on that famed stage.

She’s headlined pre-Grammy parties that honored Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder. Her debut single, “New York City Country Girl,” reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart and was No. 1 for four weeks on the Billboard Country Hot Single Sales charts.

Now Isabella is poised to release her next album, which will include co-writing credits with top writers like Chas Sandford, Susan Ruth, Marty Dodson, Ryan Tyndell and Matt Bednarsky.

Her music has matured into a lovely blend of country-tinged pop songs that showcase her sweet voice and knack for writing those niggling hooks that play over and over in your head. I for one anticipate her star will continue to rise. And I’m usually right about these things!

GUITAR WORLD: Tell me about your background. Why did you start playing guitar and writing songs?

I got into music because of my dad. My grandma lives in Queens, New York, and we lived in Westchester. When we came home from her house, it seemed like a pretty long drive for a little kid. My father would play Frank Sinatra in the car, and those are some of the first songs I learned. I remember my favorite song of his, and it still is today, “My Kind of Town Chicago Is.” I know all the words to it.

You have some country tinges to your music. How did you get into that?

I do like country music. I don’t consider myself a full-on country artist. I definitely have country influences, but the reason I love country music is because a lot of the songwriting is story-telling, and that’s what I love to do with my songs. That’s why country music is so relatable. I really love the story-telling aspect.

I hear you have some new songs you’re going to be releasing.

On my last trip in Nashville, which was a couple of weeks ago, I had this new song, “Stay.” I wrote that with Chas Sanford, and it’s got a bossa nova kind of feel to it. It’s really cool. It’s really different, but it’s really fun. I’m also doing this other song, “Remind My Heart,” which I wrote with Marty Dodson and Ryan Tyndell. Ryan Tyndell, actually, he co-wrote “Springsteen” for Eric Church, so it was really cool. It was awesome.

And you’ll be touring this summer?

Yes! I’m doing Cirque Musica. It has an orchestra and there’s also like trapeze artists. It’s really cool. It’s kind of like Cirque du Soleil. But I’m going to be headlining that for them. I’m going to be singing some songs Debbie Gibson wrote. Then I’m also going to some summer camps and performing there for kids, so that should be a lot of fun.

Can you tell me a little bit about your guitar?

I have a Taylor 814-CE, and it’s really nice. It’s acoustic-electric, and I really love it.

Do you play any other instruments?

Yeah, I play the piano. I really wanna master both of them. I also picked up mandolin. It’s just really fun. And you can take it anywhere, it’s so small. I kind of know ukulele, but not that well.

You're not a ukulele master?

No, I think I know like two chords on that. It’s a cool instrument. It’s just, I don’t know, I really wanna master the guitar and piano first before I start doing that. Also, it doesn’t really help me with my music, but I played French horn for the longest time ever in elementary school and middle school. So I know French horn, and you can’t really use that to sing bu ...

Well, you probably learned how to read music from playing the French horn.

Yeah, I think doing band in middle school and elementary school really helped me.

That’s why there needs to be music in school, right?

Yeah, definitely. And actually, at my school where I am, they didn’t have music before, but a couple of friends and I were suggesting it, and now they do have band and orchestra.

What advice would you give other aspiring musicians if they wanna move ahead with music?

I think it helps a lot if you write your own songs, ‘cause I think by doing that, people are able to relate more to them because you’re telling your own story. I think that’s really important just to have your own music. I just think it’s different if you’re singing a song that someone else wrote for you.

I heard you are involved in a Foundation, can you tell me about that?

Yes! I recently became a creative activist for the Creative Vision Foundation in Malibu. This lady, Kathy Eldon, her son Dan Eldon was the youngest Reuters photographer over in Somalia. There was an international crisis over there, and unfortunately, he was stoned to death when he was 22. But the way that she dealt with this ... her son was really into inspiring people and spreading a positive message, so she created this foundation Creative Vision Foundation. Its goal is to inspire other people to make change to the world through media and art. I recently wrote a theme song for them for their movie. You can find out more about them at creativevisions.org.

What’s the name of the song?

It’s called “All of my Life.” It’s about making change in the world and inspiring other people to be inspired. I think that’s really important, because especially with all these tragedies, to send positive messages out there.

Find out more about this talented singer/songwriter at aliisabella.com.

Laura B. Whitmore is a singer/songwriter based in the San Francisco bay area. A veteran music industry marketer, she has spent over two decades doing marketing, PR and artist relations for several guitar-related brands including Marshall and VOX. Her company, Mad Sun Marketing, represents Dean Markley, Agile Partners, Peavey, Jammit, Notion Music, Guitar World and many more. Laura was instrumental in the launch of the Guitar World Lick of the Day app. She is the founder of the Women's International Music Network at thewimn.com, producer of the Women's Music Summit and the lead singer for the rock band Summer Music Project. More at mad-sun.com.

Bent Out of Shape: Learning Paganini's 16th Caprice in G Minor, Part 2

Will Wallner — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:27:38 +0000

Last time, we started to learn Paganini's 16th Caprice in G Minor.

The first part took you to bar 14 of the piece. This week, we will continue with the second part.

After receiving a few questions from readers concerning Part 1, I wanted to quickly address an important issue. I forgot to tell you that in some circumstances, you might find it easier to arrange some of the notes differently than what the tab states in certain sections.

As long as you are playing the exact same notes, it is totally fine to rearrange the positions on the fret board in order make it easier for you to play. The tab is just a suggestion for where the notes should be played.

Now, let's look at the next part of the piece. Here is the 16th Caprice performed by me, in its entirety, at 100 bpm. Feel free to use it as a guide. Part 2 begins at 0:42 and ends at 1:18. I've also put markers on the file to help you navigate.

Starting at the first bar (bar 15), we have some linear sequences that are a nice break from the wide intervals and arpeggios from the previous part. At bar 18, there is a tricky jump from low E to high E, but it shouldn't be too tricky with some practice. After this section, we move back to an A# major arpeggio in bar 21 followed by some pedal point sequences in bar 22.

This motif is mimicked in the next two bars with a C diminished arpeggio followed by another pedal point sequence with some extremely wide intervals in bar 24. Use your pinky to play the D note on the high E string and your first finger to play the descending bass notes. This bar could be picked using a hybrid of the pick and fingers or entirely with the pick.

Bars 25 and 26 have an interesting chromatic pedal point motif, which requires you "skip strings" between the A and high E. The next three bars will challenge you with some wide stretches. They contain ascending arpeggio sequences played in two note groupings.

The tab suggests you should use legato hammer-ons for each group, but I prefer to pick each note. This section can be difficult due to the wide stretches and amount of notes/positions to remember for each bar. I use my first finger and pinky exclusively for these sequences. As I said in Part 1, begin very slow and master each section at a slow comfortable pace before increasing the tempo.

Following this section is a much-welcomed descending sequence at bar 30 using thirds over much smaller intervals. Then we finish Part 2 with some descending chromatic runs, which compared to previous sections, should be fairly easy to execute.

Next week, we will look at the final part of the piece with an ending review on how learning this piece will help improve your playing.

Will Wallner is a guitarist from England now living in Los Angeles. He recently signed a solo deal with Polish record label Metal Mind Productions for the release of his debut album, which features influential musicians from hard rock and heavy metal. He also is the lead guitarist for White Wizzard (Earache Records) and in 2012 toured Japan, America and Canada. Follow Will on Facebook and Twitter.

Jeff Beck Featured on New LeAnn Rimes Album, 'Spitfire'

Damian Fanelli — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:36:46 +0000

Not that anyone can blame him, but Jeff Beck really seems to enjoy recording and performing with female musicians.

It was recently announced that Beck, 68, will be featured on a track on LeAnn Rimes' upcoming album, Spitfire, which will be released June 4.

The song, a cover of Buddy and Julie Miller's "Gasoline and Matches," also will feature Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas on vocals. Other guests on the album include Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski.

Since I'm a Beck completist — someone who buys every available recording featuring Beck's guitar work (It's a disease) — I guess I'll be downloading a LeAnn Rimes song on June 4, something I honestly didn't see coming.

However, this collaboration shouldn't come as a complete surprise. In recent years, Beck has appeared on albums by Cyndi Lauper, Joss Stone and Beth Hart, to name just a few. And, of course, he's recorded and/or performed with Imelda May, Rhonda Smith, Olivia Safe, Tal Wilkenfeld, Jennifer Batten, etc.

Here are a few examples of Beck's recent work with the ladies:

... with Tal Wilkenfeld ...

... with Joss Stone ...

... with Rhonda Smith ...

... with Jennifer Batten ...

... with Beth Hart ...

... with Imelda May ...

... with Joss Stone again ...

... with Imelda May again ...

... with Cyndi Lauper ...

Additional Content

Monster Licks: Embrace Your Inner-Monster with the Pentatonic Scale!

Glenn Proudfoot — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:12:27 +0000

In the first installment of my new Monster Licks series, I'm going to take you through my extensive pentatonic lick library.

These licks are the product of many years of hard work, and I'm glad to be sharing them with you!

The straight (minor) pentatonic scale often gets overlooked when soloing. I find that most guitarists tend to head to the blues scale or other variations of the pentatonic because they find the straight scale a little limiting. The reality is that this scale is incredibly powerful and versatile. Tonally, it’s found in all kinds of music, anything from traditional Chinese music to blues, onto modern heavy/hard rock — literally everything.

I've found that part of the issue with this particular scale is the box form it is taught in. It is limiting for guitarists. This is why I approach it with a combination of three and two notes per string to open up the scale and fingerings, while also incorporating arpeggios and legato, etc.

My goal with this scale is to be able to utilize the modern techniques of players such as Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, but to keep the rock/blues tonality of the pentatonic scale. Shawn Lane was a major influence on my playing in this area; he was a player who knew no limits or boundaries.

The Monster Lick (I suggest breaking down the lick as written below)

01. This lick starts with a series of three-string arpeggios. I'm incorporating legato and some slides into these arpeggios to maintain a nice, even flow and make the transitions smooth. The stretches can be a little tricky to grasp at first; I suggest making sure your left thumb (for you right-handers) is placed right behind the neck in a more classical approach. This immediately creates more separation in your fingers and allows for greater stretches.

02. From here, I move into a long legato/tapping line, all on the high E string. This then leads into two six-string arpeggios, then back into another legato/tapping line. This section is a really great example of how to branch out of the box form of the pentatonic by combining two of the box forms. I suggest you really spend some time understanding this section and mastering it, because it will start to open up a lot of new possibilities for your playing and soloing.

03. This leads us into the section where I swing my hand over the top of the neck and play a six-string arpeggio. Now, this is pure guitar gymnastics. You should view this technique as a challenge only. It is NOT essential; it's there so you can blow the minds of your friends when you're sitting around jamming. Just have some fun with it! The keys to performing this are the notes from which I pivot my hand to swing it over the top. The first pivot point is the 10th fret on the high E; the next is the 12th fret of the low E. Make note of these. It's very clear in the video when played slow.

04. I finish this lick with a legato line starting on the high E and finishing on the low E. I find that legato works so great with the pentatonic scale. It can be a little challenging at times due to the wide intervals, but I'm sure you will agree it creates a very cool sound.

I hope you enjoy! Please join me on YouTube right here! Or just contact me at glennproudfoot.com.

Australia's Glenn Proudfoot has played and toured with major signed bands and artists in Europe and Australia, including progressive rockers Prazsky Vyber. Glenn released his first instrumental solo album, Lick Em, in 2010. It is available on iTunes and at glennproudfoot.com.

Gig Review: An Evening with Steven Wilson in Downtown Los Angeles

Andrew Bansal — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:05:30 +0000

It takes a certain ability to be able to appreciate everything British musician Steven Wilson brings to his multiple projects — from Porcupine Tree to Blackfield to No-Man to IEM — but whenever he's in town, the fans show up in droves.

That’s exactly what happened at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles on May 10, when he performed with his solo band.

As posh as the venue is (It's part of LA Live in the immediate vicinity of the Staples Center), it still makes for an intimate setting. It’s no wonder Wilson prefers to play here when he's in LA; in terms of sound quality, I don’t think there’s a better venue for rock/metal in the city.

The stage and the atmosphere were set for a full-on Steven Wilson live experience.

As there was no support act in this "evening with" show, the doors opened at 8 p.m., and the evening’s proceedings began with an intro video at around 8:35 p.m. The backdrop screen showed an image of the moon similar to the one on the cover of Wilson's latest solo album, The Raven That Refused To Sing, with clouds slowly moving across it on screen and in the form of stage fog. As the clock went past 9 p.m., the video faded away and the band appeared on stage, led by Wilson.

What transpired over the next two and a half hours was a stunning musical exhibition that displayed all of Wilson’s talents, and then some. He brought on a much different on-stage personality and energy throughout this performance as compared to shows with Porcupine Tree.

His multi-instrumental prowess couldn't be missed as he sang, donned electric and acoustic guitars and handled piano and computer samples. In terms of the set list, he and his band played the new album in its entirety, plus selections from his last two solo albums. The focus on solo material was apt for this evening, and only during the encore did Wilson reference Porcupine Tree, ending the show with "Radioactive Toy" amidst loud cheers.

That said, it wasn’t a one-man show by any means. When Wilson picks a group of musicians to tour with him, he doesn’t mess around. Guitarist Guthrie Govan was a bonus for all attendees. Chad Wackerman was a beast on the drums, as mentioned by Wilson several times during the show. Nick Beggs on bass and Chapman Stick, Theo Travis on saxophone and flute and Adam Holtzman on keyboards rounded out this incredible band.

Even though the entire new album was performed, it wasn’t as if the crowd was waiting for older material. Wilson’s music is so twisted and unconventional, the song sometimes doesn’t even matter. The evening was a musical story with 14 chapters, all of which seemed connected to each other, following a progression of sorts.

In between some of these chapters, Wilson shared some great anecdotes. His audience interaction was nothing short of hilarious, as he briefly described the stories behind "Postcard," "Harmony Korine" and "Raider II"; made fun of an Amazon.com review of his album and made snide remarks about the traditional "Free Bird" joke.

A sizeable portion of the evening’s latter half was played with the projection screen in front of the band, something I'd never seen before. It was a unique way of combining music and theater, with tunes such as "The Watchmaker" being enhanced tenfold by a slide of images taking the foreground even as the band continued on playing the music.

I should mention that the set included plenty of downright heavy moments, making it a truly diverse show capable of pleasing fans of heavy and mellow music.

This tour has come to an end, but the next time Wilson comes around for a solo tour, I suggest all music lovers try to attend. My advice would be to do so in a completely sober state of mind, like I did, because this exhibition is extremely mind-bending. Any further alteration of the mind would be pointless and dangerous.

For more information on Wilson and his projects, visit stevenwilsonhq.com.

Set List:

01. Luminol
02. Drive Home
03. The Pin Drop
04. Postcard
05. The Holy Drinker
06. Deform to Form a Star
07. The Watchmaker
08. Index
09. Insurgentes
10. Harmony Korine
11. No Part of Me
12. Raider II
13. The Raven That Refused to Sing
14. Radioactive Toy (encore)

Additional Content

Song Facts: The Beatles — "Nowhere Man"

Damian Fanelli — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:52:59 +0000

John Lennon wrote this gentle folk-rock ballad in the autumn of 1965 at his home in Kenwood, St. George’s Hill Estate, Weybridge, Surrey.

Just as "Yesterday" mysteriously came to Paul McCartney, "Nowhere Man" simply came to Lennon at dawn after he'd stayed up all night, struggling to come up with a new song for Rubber Soul. He happened upon a phrase, "nowhere man," which, he felt, described his own fears about himself. "I thought of myself sitting there, doing nothing and getting nowhere," he later said.

The song, a quasi-biographical composition in the vein of "I'm A Loser" and "Help!," was recorded on October 22, 1965, after several failed attempts the day before. Apart from its beautiful, ethereal vocal harmonies, the song is also striking for the parts played by McCartney and George Harrison.

Besides gracing the track with his most melodic bass part to date, McCartney was instrumental in wringing an ultra-trebly sound out of Harrison's and Lennon's newly acquired Sonic Blue Fender Stratocasters, especially for Harrison's joyous, verse-based guitar solo.

"We wanted very trebly guitars, which [Stratocasters] are. They're among the most trebly guitars I've ever heard on record," McCartney said. "The engineer said, 'All right' … and we said 'That's not enough,' and he said … 'I've only got one pot and that's it!' We replied, 'Well, put that through another lot of faders and put the treble up on that."

It can be argued that the high-E harmonic note that ends Harrison's guitar solo also sounds the death knell for The Beatles' reliance on their once-ubiquitous Beatlemania-era instruments, namely their Gretsches and Rickenbackers (excluding McCartney's 4001S, which he'd use well into the late Wings era).

Damian Fanelli is the online managing editor at Guitar World.

Additional Content

Session Guitar: Creating Templates to Ease Work Flow

Ron Zabrocki — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:38:59 +0000

Greetings! In this column, I'd like to address my approach to projects. This particular week, I am called upon to create a large number of 30-second spots for TV and internet commercials.

The producers were fairly specific about styles and sounds. When this sort of job happens, I like to create templates to make work flow as easy and creative as possible.

If you're not familiar with the term, the online dictionary offers this definition: "A document or file having a preset format, used as a starting point for a particular application so that the format does not have to be recreated each time it is used."

Sounds good to me. Let's get started.

My first templates are in the computer. I set up a template in my program of choice to include at least 12 mono tracks, 12 stereo tracks, a few favorite FX and at least 12 MIDI tracks. I place an EQ, a limiter and a maximizer on the mix buss. I don't keep these on, just ready to go. I also prep a pile of loops as starting points and grooves. I have many virtual keyboards and drum choices and have about three that I like to start with and have those in the ready to call upon at will.

Externally I have several choice keyboard modules. Since I'm doing the composing and playing, I set up templates in a module or three for basic starting-point sounds. This project will be very guitar heavy, but the modules will be my backing band, and I want them all set and flexible to meet my needs.

On to the amp-modeling templates.

Once again, on my job, the HD 500 and sometimes my trusty, older Floor Pod XT are the choice. I create a bank of sounds needed for the project, ranging from heavy/overdriven to as clean as possible, with certain time-based FX to have ready. I also like to have the models be as flexible as possible.

Maybe my semi-overdriven sound can be made almost clean by lowering the drive or shutting off a stomp box. Or my clean sound can be made chimier with a chorus and compressor. A button or two, a flip of a switch and I'm onto another track. Layering is very important here. Just the fact that I can save time by having a separate amp on the right and left help my speed and creativity. Don't think I don't have a Marshall cabinet in the ready with a mic or two on it and a head or two just in case. But, man, I have to tell ya, those tubes have been sadly neglected lately.

Now onto the guitar templates. This is a no-brainer, since I am a guitarist. There are many guitars needed on a guitar-heavy project, so as to keep sonic interest, ear candy, in the minds of the producers: Strat, Les Paul, semi-hollow 335, etc.

If you know me by now, you know I'm going right for the Line 6 JTV-89. Talk about templates? This guitar has 29 starting sounds! I know from experience that no two guitars sound exactly alike. So when a song requires a Strat, it means the "elements" of a Strat. Or LP. Or 335. So when I think Strat, I think in two terms. Position 4, out of phase, or treble pickup. When I think Les Paul, I think neck, "woman tone" or fat bridge; "335" could mean Larry Carlton or B.B. King blues. Or maybe a Foo Fighters rhythm sound.

I own all of these guitars. But why in all hell would I choose to use them and tune them, and accustom my hands to each, when one guitar will give me them all?

I'm not feeling like I'm short-changing anyone by doing this. It's a new world for session guys, and anyone who doesn't keep up will be passed by because I will be able to work faster, stay more creative and be finished before you are tuning up another axe! And I freaking love my collection of guitars. And during this project, I may find the need to pick up a Strat or whatever.

But I doubt it. This is a job. "The right tool for the right job" is the maxim. This is a truth that will not change. But the tools will and have. Try and use tape to record on a deadline. Oh, and those who know me, know of my dislike of capos. I've always hated having to re-tune after a capo was clamped. With the virtual capo feature, I can double a part in another position to give, what I consider, a better sound than a 12-string.

Example: Song is in G. Play open G in first position. Virtual Capo the 7th fret and play in C, and voila! Fuller sound!

Checkout the youtube video below for a demo on the JTV-89. This video demos the guitar models unprocessed.

Ron Zabrocki on Ron Zabrocki: I’m a session guitarist from New York, now living in Connecticut. I started playing at age 6, sight reading right off the bat. That’s how I was taught, so I just believed everyone started that way! I could pretty much sight read anything within a few years, and that aided me in becoming a session guy later in life. I took lessons from anyone I could and was fortunate enough to have some wonderful instructors, including John Scofield, Joe Pass and Alan DeMausse. I’ve played many jingle sessions, and even now I not only play them but have written a few. I’ve “ghosted” for a few people that shall remain nameless, but they get the credit and I got the money! I’ve played sessions in every style, from pop to jazz.

A Clean Sweep: Mastering Sweep Arpeggios with John Petrucci

John Petrucci — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:58:30 +0000

Here's a classic column from the pages of Guitar World magazine.

I always get frustrated when I hear someone talking about sweep arpeggios.

Though there are plenty of licks and examples out there, no one has ever really broken down the mechanics of the technique. As a result, guitarists have had to figure them out by trial and error. This became all the more evident when I was teaching.

My students repeatedly made the same mistake: they'd hold a barre chord while articulating each note. To play sweep arpeggios correctly, you have to mute each note with the left hand immediately after picking it.

The best way to learn sweep picking is to first isolate the right- and left-hand techniques, master them separately and then coordinate them. Let's begin with the right hand. Basically, you have to let the pick "fall" from string to string as if you were strumming a chord. Don't try to separate the pick strokes!

This technique feels weird at first, but picture your right hand as a Slinky going down from step to step-just let it fall. When executing an upstroke sweep, drag the pick upwards over the strings. Keep your hand loose and relaxed, as if it were being lifted by a string tied around your wrist.

Now let's look at the left hand. In order to use the sweeping technique, you can only play one note per string. As I noted earlier, you need to mute each string with the left hand immediately after picking it to keep the notes from "bleeding" into each other and sounding like an ordinary strummed chord. FIGURE 1 is an atonal-sound sweep picking exercise that is designed to coordinate you left-hand muting and right-hand sweeping techniques. Practice it slowly at first, concentrating on keeping the notes separate and distinct. The try playing it faster.

Muting the strings with the left hand can be difficult whenever two or more consecutive notes are on the same fret, as when sweeping a familiar barre chord shape. The key to muting the strings properly and keeping the notes separate when barring is using what's know as the rolling technique. Rolling involves fully extending your barring finger so that it becomes slightly arched. This is absolutely essential in order to make the technique work. If your fingers don't seem to want to bend backwards, you can work on increasing your flexibility by fully extending all your knuckles and pressing your opposite fingertips together gently. When performing this limbering exercise, be careful not to press too hard, as you could overextend your joints and injure them.

Let's look at an example of the rolling technique, using a major triad shape on the D, G and B strings (Figure 2). In order to make the rolling technique work you'll need to fret the D string note with the tip of your finger, using the fleshy underside of the finger to fret the G- and B-string notes. To execute the first roll in Figure 2, pick the D string. Then, as you go to pick the G string, arch the first knuckle of your barring finger and roll the finger in the direction of the sweep, so that the tip of the finger mutes D string. As you pick the B string, continue rolling the finger to mute the G string. Done correctly, the notes will sound separate and distinct. When performing the descending (upstroke) sweeps in Figure 2, roll your barring finger in the opposite direction. Keep repeating the C and D triads in Figure 2 until you can sweep them quickly and cleanly. The rolling movement should be like that of a rocking chair. Practice rolling with all four fingers of your left hand.

Once you master Figure 2, try FIGURE 3, which will help you gain left-hand facility across the fingerboard while sweep picking. Make sure you follow the right-hand picking pattern indicated above the tablature. It's tricky, but well worth the effort!

As you coordinate the right-hand sweeping with the left-hand rolling and muting, you'll start to develop the speed and definition that makes sweep picking such an exciting technique. FIGURE 4 is a jazzy sounding lick that combine sweep picking, alternate picking, rolling and quick position shifting. The lick is just chromatically descending minor-sever arpeggios, but listen to how cool Ebm7 and Dbm7 sound over A7 altered and G7 altered, respectively.

This lick sounds great when played with the sweep technique. Work on coordinating both hands. Proceed slowly at first and concentrate on maintaining a steady flow of 16th notes. Though it'll feel awkward at first, you'll be truly amazed how you'll sound when it clicks.

Video: 25 Years Ago Today — Led Zeppelin Reunite for Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary Party

Damian Fanelli — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:28:20 +0000

Today is something of an anniversary for Led Zeppelin.

On May 14, 1988, the band — Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham (the 2007 Celebration Day lineup) — reunited for Atlantic Records' massive 40th anniversary party at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

Below, you'll find a video of Led Zeppelin's complete set from that night, starting with "Kashmir," moving into "Heartbreaker" (complete with a variation on Page's famous guitar solo), followed by an updated version of "Whole Lotta Love" (Note the change in the riff). After that, you'll find "Misty Mountain Hop" and other goodies; in all, it's 30-plus minutes of pure, late-'80s Led Zeppelin.

On a personal note, I watched their set on TV that night, and I remember the horrible mix the band — or maybe it was just the TV viewers — were subjected to. The faulty mix is most obvious on "Kashmir." (Can anyone hear Jones' keyboards? I can't.) Luckily, the more guitar-heavy tracks sound much better.

Other acts performing that night included Foreigner, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wilson Pickett and Ben E. King.

Three years earlier, the band got together for Live Aid; maybe we'll revisit that blessed event sometime this summer ... maybe not.

Additional Content

Guitar Strength: A Guide to "Symmetrical" Shredding

Scott Marano — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:13:28 +0000

I remember someone telling me that George Lynch once said he heard B.B. King say something that instantly improved his guitar style.

It went something like this: “If you play a wrong note, play it again like you mean it and it’ll sound like the best note you played all night."

The dubious origins of this gem aside, I've always found this to be an almost religious concept to strive toward, where any note can work anywhere if it is done with purposeful conviction.

In a guitar-player-friendly form, an easy way to play a lot of these purposefully performed “wrong” notes with conviction is through the use of licks and phrases composed of symmetrical fingerings. The trick with these is that they use the same fingering and fretting on all six strings and don’t adhere to any pure scale continuity, so you need to fit them into a fretboard context that relates to the key or chord (and its associated fingerings) you’re playing in/over.

In the case of these examples, I’ll show you how these symmetrical shapes relate to E for the convenience of performing the necessary stretches and for their ease of use over E major or E minor harmonies. But there are keys-inside-the-key that you might also notice that can be used as well. Just try to find at least two strings of the six whose fingerings sync up in some way to the key you’re playing in, and you’re ready to rock this!

Symmetrical fingerings can work with any fretting or fingering pattern (Any 1-2-3, 1-2-4, -1-3-4 pattern will work). Most almost-the-same-as-the-scale fingerings sound only OK, so I’ll be basing most of the examples on arpeggio-related shapes, since they have a wide intervallic stretch on each individual string, while having much smaller jumps when moving from string to string.

This creates a lot of interesting and unexpected melodic movement related to the fingering contour, depending on how the fingering patterns are phrased.

Based on a 1-2-4 fingering E diminished arpeggio on the E string, Example 1A is a shape often used by Zakk Wylde, John 5 and the aforementioned George Lynch.

Example 1B uses the shape in a ridiculously simple way to execute a pattern moving in groups of nine across successive patterns of three notes on three strings (E-A-D, A-D-G, D-G-B, G-B-E, then back the other way E-B-G, B-G-D, G-D-A, D-A-E).

Stretch the pinky one fret further into an E minor arpeggio on the E strings (E,G,B) and you get the shape in Example 2A, which was used to great effect by Dimebag Darrell all over the Cowboys From Hell album as well as many other examples from throughout his career.

Example 2B uses “The Dime” in a Paul Gilbert-inspired, shred-friendly string skipping legato pattern that covers a vast intervallic range with a smooth, yet aggressive flow. Note the picking instructions and pay particular attention to the muted alternate-picked “turnaround and re-launch” in the latter half of the pattern on beat three of each bar. Be sure to try out this pattern within some of your favorite three-note-per-string scale fingerings!

Of course, no discussion of symmetrical fingerings would be complete without mentioning Edward Van Halen, whose ever-unique guitar style has always utilized this technique with extreme sophistication, taste and conviction.

While EVH has used many different forms and variations of these fingerings throughout the years, Example 3A depicts the E major (E, G#, B)-based shape made famous on songs like “Ice Cream Man” from Van Halen. Note the wider shift between the root note (E) and the 3rd (G#) of the arpeggio relative to the previous examples. Try both the 1-2-4 and 1-3-4 fingerings to see which allows you to most efficiently play through the shape.

On the topic of Eddie’s “Ice Cream Man” solo, Example 3B is inspired by spirit and feel of the original lick. This is a great legato stretch exercise that utilizes the EVH-approved “hammer-on-from-nowhere” (More on that technique can be found in my previous article HERE) on the transitions from higher to lower strings and has a unique and challenging truncation of the shape at the end of each phrase that adds a very cool intervallic and melodic curve ball to the overall flow of the line.

Going to the extreme in both the physical stretch and the intervallic leaps between the notes, Example 4A is based on an E augmented arpeggio (E, G#, C). I have affectionately named this one the “Shawn Lane” as he was known to use this shape often, and licks based around this pattern channel the spirit of the wide stretched, intervallically complex “outside” licks that flowed effortlessly from his fingers. This fingering (I highly recommend a 1-2-4) is not for the faint-of-heart, so be sure to warm up sufficiently before attempting it (Stop playing it IMMEDIATELY if you feel any sharp pain in your fingers or wrist!).

To have some fun with this shape, Example 4B uses a Zakk Wylde-inspired picking pattern that combines both economy picking and alternate picking. Also, to continue in the Shawn Lane-vein, the patterns are grouped in 7's, which lend horn-like flow to the lick.

To perform each pattern, start on the middle finger note on the low string with a downstroke, push through the index finger-fretted note on the adjacent string with another downstroke, and continue through the remaining notes with alternate picking (up-down-up on the 4-2-1 fingered notes on the same string, and down-up on the 2-1 fingered notes on the next higher string in the pattern). If the stretch is too much, try the pattern with any of the other symmetrical shapes depicted or with a comfortable fingering pattern of your own.

The remaining examples add in a right-hand tapping element to further expand the symmetrical shapes. Example 5A is a shape that would be right at home in George Lynch’s style, relating to the first four notes in E Phrygian Dominant (E,F,G#,A,B,C,D) and possessing a lot of chromatic movement, overlap and half-steps.

Example 5B begins with a “hammer-on from nowhere” that is then again used throughout the pattern, and you’ll find that in combination with the tapped notes that is makes it very easy to facilitate the string-skipped basis of the pattern. This one is very cool when you’re looking for something flashy and exotic! Be sure to finish off with a tapped artificial harmonic, fretting the 12th fret on the E and lightly tapping right above the 24th fret (or right where the 24th fret would be for those of us with 22 frets).

Finally, Example 6A and Example 6A continue in this Lynch-esque vein, adding a legato tap and slide into the mix and expanding the pattern even further. I’ve kept the left-hand stretch to a minimum, but you should obviously try your own variation with both the left-hand stretch pattern and the “tap-slide” spread.

In the case of these examples, the close-knit half-step relativity between the 12th and 13th frets and the 17th and 18th will create a lot of overlapping echo-type effects as you cross the pattern from string to string, especially due to the legato tap-slide-and return slide in Example 6B. Get the pattern down, experiment and have fun!

I’ve really only begun to scratch the surface here with what is possible through the use of symmetrical fingerings. The best part with these is that since you’re not necessarily restricted to a key, there are essentially no rules, so let ‘er rip and just be sure to play, as you should always, like you MEAN IT.

Happy shredding!

Scott Marano has dedicated his life to the study of the guitar, honing his chops at the Berklee College of Music under the tutelage of Jon Finn and Joe Stump and working as an accomplished guitarist, performer, songwriter and in-demand instructor. In 2007, Scott developed the Guitar Strength program to inspire and provide accelerated education to guitarists of all ages and in all styles through state-of-the-art private guitar lessons in his home state of Rhode Island and globally via Skype. Learn more at GuitarStrength.com.

Gig Review: Wild Child, 'the Ultimate Doors Tribute Act,’ Perform Live on National Television

Andrew Bansal — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:56:32 +0000

A lot of people don't hold tribute bands in the highest regard. After all, they're playing somebody else’s music.

But most of these people might not be aware that the tribute-band scene in Los Angeles is huge. Quite a few tribute acts have their own followings and are invariably successful when it comes to selling out prestigious venues.

Wild Child, a Doors tribute band, have been around for more than 20 years, and it’s time they got some recognition for their unending dedication to the music they’ve loved and mastered. Thanks to AXS TV’s series, The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands, Wild Child got a spot on national TV on May 6, playing in front of a packed Roxy Theatre crowd.

Having seen this band several times before at venues like the House Of Blues and the Whisky A Go Go, I knew what to expect in terms of the performance level. This time, I was curious about how they'd make the same impact within an hour’s time, since they usually play much longer sets.

After being introduced, they took the Roxy by storm, belting out one classic after another. Starting with the fitting "Break On Through," they brought their A game from the get-go. Singer Dave Brock is a well-known figure in local circles, as he has not only kept this band going strong all these years but now also performs with actual Doors Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger. You can’t get any better than Dave when it comes to impersonating Jim Morrison’s voice, mannerisms and appearance.

Having said that, it’s not all about Brock. His band mates mesh well with him and play their part in recreating the Doors’ magic. In this set, despite the time limit, they managed to include awe-inspiring renditions of some of the Doors’ biggest hits, such as "Riders On The Storm," "Roadhouse Blues," "Light My Fire" and "LA Woman," and they were full versions at that; nothing was abridged.

The crowd had an absolute ball during Wild Child’s set, which came to a close with "When The Music’s Over." With that, the band thanked everyone, took a bow and gracefully exited the stage.

If you’re even remotely a Doors fan and happen to live in Southern California, don't miss out on this experience! Visit their official website for all the information. All in all, it was a fantastic performance by Wild Child, one worthy of their spot on AXS TV’s Greatest Tribute Bands series.

Also check out http://greatesttributebands.eventbrite.com/ to see what tributes AXS TV has coming up in this series.

Wild Child Set List:

01. Break On Through
02. Love Me Two Times
03. Soul Kitchen
04. People Are Strange
05. Hello, I Love You
06. Alabama Song
07. Love Her Madly
08. Touch Me
09. Riders On The Storm
10. Roadhouse Blues
11. Light My Fire
12. LA Woman
13. When The Music’s Over

Andrew Bansal is a writer who has been running his own website, Metal Assault, since early 2010, and has been prolific in covering the hard rock and heavy metal scene by posting interviews, news, reviews and pictures on his website — with the help of a small group of people. He briefly moved away from the Los Angeles scene and explored metal in India, but he is now back in LA continuing from where he left off.

Review: Re-Axe's Axe-Handler Guitar Stands

Billy Voight — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:04:58 +0000

The Axe-Handler by Re-Axe. Yes that’s a healthy display of the hyphen. And no, we're not talking about the kind of axe George Washington used to cut down a cherry tree.

What we are talking about is an American-made, mega-portable guitar stand that you can stash inside your case or gigbag to save your instrument from being the victim of a party foul at your next gig or living-room jam session.

There are two flavors of the Axe-Handler — the Original and the S/O.

What’s the difference? They both sit on the edge of your coffee table, desk, stool, amp or speaker cabinet and anchor your guitar or bass against gravity. But there are a few subtle differences. The Original Axe-Handler offers a pick holder. You’ll note the flat cutout that works best if you place your guitar strings-first into the holder.

The Axe-Handler S/O is a multi-tasker. The S/O stands for “strings out,” which means you place the back of the neck inside the soft V-shaped cutout. What I liked best about the S/O was that I could stand it upright on any table or even inside my guitar case and change strings or do minor tweaks.

Both Axe-Handler models are made from a durable rubber and are internally braced with steel. This ain’t no cookie-cutter nonsense! They stand about an inch tall and take up about as much space as a pack of guitar strings. The weight is comparable to full can of soda.

You can buy either of Re-Axe’s Axe-Handlers online, but the guys encourage you to check out a local music shop. In fact, the name of the Axe-Handler came from a music shop. Instead of dealing exclusively with the big commercial chains, they prefer to stick with local shops all over the US. Check their website below to find a list of dealers.

Web: http://re-axe.com
Street price: The Original, $17.95. The S/O, $16.95

You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.

Guitar Strength: The Ins and Outs of Supersonic Alternate Picking

Scott Marano — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:55:06 +0000

New students are always coming to me asking, “How do I improve my sloppy, inaccurate, clumsy and slow picking technique?”

More often than not, the first thing I notice about their playing is that they employ an unpolished technique that lacks the discipline of a steady, consistent and controlled use of strict alternate picking.

What I find with these students, especially those who were previously self-taught, is that their technique is a haphazard (yet sometimes logical) combination of alternate, economy and awkward sweep picking.

While being skilled at economy picking and sweep picking is essential in every guitarist’s bag of tricks, I find that these students are not performing these techniques deliberately, but instead as an accidental consequence of dealing with the tricky nature of crossing from string to string when dealing with 1-per or 3-note-per-string style phrasing patterns.

The “tricky” bit that seems to trip these students up comes when specific mechanical movements come into play, specifically those found when crossing from a lower-pitched string with a downstroke to a higher-pitched string with an upstroke (“outside” picking), and when crossing from a higher-pitched string with a downstroke to a lower-pitched string with an upstroke (“inside” picking).

The following examples are exercises and licks I have found will clean up any guitarist’s picking technique and give them the control and accuracy to greatly improve their ability to achieve the speed and fluidity they desire. Though there are exceptions to this rule, for the sake of these exercises, make sure the alternating pick strokes are accomplished with firm, yet relaxed grip of the pick and a rotation of the pick hand wrist similar to that of turning a key in a door.

Example 1a shows “outside” picking at its most basic. After picking down on the B string, you’ll swing back around, to the outside of the high E string, and strike the string with an upstroke, swinging back around the outside of the B string and striking it with a downstroke, etc. Example 1b is the opposite, “inside” picking, going down on the high E and coming back up inside the E and B with an upstroke on the B.

Most guitarists I encounter with problem pick technique usually have no difficulty using strict alternate picking with pentatonic derived lines, as more often than not they are using a downstroke when going to a new string, regardless of whether going upwards or downwards on the strings, so to get them used to the adjustment of crossing strings with more complex scale patterns, I often have them perform the simple three-note per string pattern in Example 2a.

The simplicity of the fingering pattern will allow for focus on the “swing” of the pick hand. Example 2b is similarly simple as far as the fingering, but many students find that the inside picking motion slows them down.

In the case of any difficulty with either variation, stick with it! Practice slowly and methodically at first with a metronome, focusing on coordination of rhythmic fretting and a well-timed rotation of the wrist. Also note that in each exercise, every new beat begins on a downstroke, so let the physicality of the rhythm guide you and slightly emphasize each beat to help create thrust throughout the pattern.

In a similar vein but more focused on pure speed mechanics, Examples 3a and 3b are inspired by the “Paul Gilbert Exercise,” running a four-note pattern in a circle. Note that while the notes are the same, the rhythmic shift of where the downstrokes are changes the feel of the pattern dramatically (and the “snap” of the high E on the beat in Example 3b can be addictive at high speeds!).

The next obvious step is to combine the two styles of picking into one line/exercise. Examples 4a through 4d are variations on these combinations using two different six-note patterns in each loop. Example 4a goes up Pattern 1 and down Pattern 2, Example 4b goes down Pattern 1 and up Pattern 2, Example 4c goes up Pattern 2 and down Pattern 1, and Example 4d goes down Pattern 2 and up Pattern 1.

Other than the obvious differences in the fingering and picking of each of these, pay attention to the relativity between their melodic contour and the relation to their respective beats. Practiced properly, each of these will have dramatically different feels! Be sure to try variations like this with some of your favorite practice patterns and licks.

Example 5 demonstrates the concept of combining both inside and outside picking in a real world scenario. This Gus G-style “solo crescendo” lick combines three different shapes in an expanded loop in Dm, shifting positions with each beat.

So far the examples have dealt with repetitive patterns on two strings, but the Paul Gilbert-inspired Example 6 takes outside picking further in a connective pattern ascending across all 6 strings. In this case, the pattern expands beginning on the low E, then the A, then the D, etc., culminating in an Am arpeggio beginning with a tapped C note at the 20th fret on the high E and then continuing through the arpeggio with pull-offs and sweep picking.

This maneuver, and the alternate picked notes on the A string at the end of the phrase, will greatly emphasize your overall control of your picking, as you’ll find that momentum can be difficult to overcome when you switch techniques.

Finally, Example 7 works a Buckethead/Greg Howe-style ascending E Major (D# Locrian fingering) pattern emphasizing inside picking. As with the previous example, this example once again focuses on controlling momentum, rising to a crescendo by shifting the angle of the pattern from vertical to horizontal.

All players, regardless of their skill level can benefit from breaking down and focusing on the mechanics of their alternate picking technique. Beginners and intermediates will get the most benefit by practicing the above exercises with a metronome and focusing on rhythmic accuracy and finger articulation with the goal of relaxed speed, moving the picking patterns into any scale patterns they know, and advanced players should expand the patterns mathematically across the fretboard and/or increase the difficulty of the exercises by incorporating string skipping.

Happy shredding!

Take a Dip in the "Sour Milk Sea," a 1968 Track Featuring Three Beatles and Eric Clapton

Damian Fanelli — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:12:29 +0000

British musician Jackie Lomax was born on this date (May 10) in 1944.

I'd like to celebrate this seemingly arbitrary milestone by discussing the most famous thing Lomax, a former member of a Liverpool band called the Undertakers, has ever been involved in — the recording of "Sour Milk Sea."

The song, which was recorded and released in 1968, is legendary because it is very nearly a Beatles recording.

Like a lot of Beatles songs, "Sour Milk Sea" was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Also like a lot of Beatles songs, it was written by George Harrison and features Harrison on lead guitar, Paul McCartney on bass and Ringo Starr on drums.

John Lennon didn't take part in the session. However, we get to hear the brilliance of Cream guitarist Eric Clapton (who played on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps") and ace session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins (who played on the Beatles' "Revolution") on piano.

That's Lomax on vocals.

"I wrote 'Sour Milk Sea' in Rishikesh, India," Harrison said. "I never actually recorded the song. It was done by Jackie Lomax on his album Is This What You Want? It's based on Vishvasara Tantra, from Tantric art. 'What is here is elsewhere, what is not here is nowhere.' It's a picture, and the picture is called Sour Milk Sea — Kalladadi Samudra in Sanskrit. I used Sour Milk Sea as the idea of — if you're in the shit, don't go around moaning about it: Do something about it."

"Sour Milk Sea" was released as a Jackie Lomax single in August 1968 on Apple Records.

"With Eric Clapton playing on it, it was on fire," Lomax said. "When the backing tape was played back, I thought it worked as an instrumental. 'You want me to sing on top of that?!' There I am in the studio and there are three Beatles in the control room watching me ... I guess I was nervous at first, but after a couple of takes I was into it."

Clapton's jamming guitar solo starts at 1:50; Harrison's melody-based guitar solo starts at 2:08. Enjoy!

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Five Awesome Robert Johnson Covers (Besides "Crossroads")

Damian Fanelli — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:41:51 +0000

Robert Johnson, the man who Eric Clapton called "the most important blues musician who ever lived," was born around 102 years ago, on May 8, 1911, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.

Although he lived only 27 years, his haunting singing, guitar skills and compositions have influenced generations of musicians and continue to fascinate the most gifted of guitarists.

Johnson created an essential body of blues guitar music, recording 29 songs in 1936/1937 that would exert a profound influence on guys like Clapton, Elmore James, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and many others.

"Robert was the only guitar player with a little different style than all the other guys had," "Honeyboy" Edwards, Johnson's contemporary and friend, told Guitar World in 2011. "'Cause he had the turnaround to his blues. The turnaround is when you have a solo in betwixt the verses. You stoppin' to have a solo. But all the rest of the guys, like Tommy Johnson and them, they had a little short time. Wasn't enough for you to pay attention to. So Robert had a different style than the other blues players."

Below are five great covers of songs attributed to Johnson. You'll notice I've decided to leave out Cream's uber-famous 1968 live version of "Crossroads" because, well, isn't that choice a little obvious? Yes, it's a great recording, it's 100 percent classic, it's got great guitar and bass playing by Clapton and Jack Bruce, but enough already. You've heard it 9,037 times!

If you really need a Clapton fix, check out my far-less-obvious choice below, a track from his 2004 Johnson tribute album, Mr. and Mr. Johnson.

Enjoy!

Led Zeppelin, "Traveling Riverside Blues"

Big Joe Williams, "Hellhound on My Trail"

Eric Clapton, "Milkcow's Calf Blues"

Howlin' Wolf, "Dust My Broom"

The Rolling Stones, "Love in Vain"

Damian Fanelli is the online managing editor at Guitar World. Follow him on Twitter.

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