Six Strings and A Dream

 We will always admire our classical roots.... No two guitar players are the same. We may share similar musical tastes and playing styles, but note for note we are each our own unique player that differentiates us from one another. I believe, that in the first steps of learning the instrument, a lay out of the path upon which musical virtues we indulge in will be established. From the various backgrounds we are from, to the music we choose to listen to; there are just too many factors on what shapes us as guitar players. It is most certain however, that a country finger picking player will distinguish him or herself from an 80's shred aficionado.  ...but we will always love to rock out!   Yet, with all our differences aside, we still like learn from one another, incorporating musical techniques from across various genres. So, what brings us together in today's post is the song "Cannon." There are air quotes on that word because, yo...

Yes, thank you very much Mr. Van Halen for breaking out in the late 70's and showing the world just how musically slow paced they were. Yes, thank you for incorporating finger tapping into nearly every single guitar solo you dished out. Yes, thank you Mr. Van Halen for providing the world with the razzle-dazzle display of guitar virtuosity that is the song, Eruption. Because yes, you did just that Mr. Van Halen, you erupted into the hearts and minds of many guitarists, and now everyone is finger tapping, and that is a great thing!  While many argue that Van Halen was not the first guitar player to incorporate finger tapping into his or her music, he sure was the first to bring it into the mainstream slow paced world at the time. There were many bands out in the 1970's, but none in my simple minded opinion made an impact quite like Van Halen. See, the beauty of it all, is that no one at the time had heard guitar playing at this breakneck speed. Many wonder after listenin...

                      Everybody loves playing the electric guitar with all its fancy tones, effects, and rock n roll vibes, but everybody should appreciate what inspired that electronic wonder; the acoustic guitar! (Well in this case the classical guitar tricked out with nylon strings, but we're keeping thins simple here) There are many astonishing acoustic guitar players out there, but my favorite is hands down is the blissful pairing of Rodrigo y Gabriela!                These two had a very adventurous start in their music careers, beginning in Mexico City where they met each other after joining a local heavy metal group. One of their biggest inspirations is the all mighty Metallica, which drew the pair closer to each other in their song writing conundrums.(the duo are indeed married, which is...

                                                         The Magical Joys of Effect Pedals                     Guitar players truly have an obsession with a term known as "tone." (Strong emphasis on those quotation marks there) Check out any other blog, guitar archive website, or music store provider, and you will see a discussion about tone in almost every single one of them. Tone is like the flavor of your guitar's sound, and how you mold that flavor is derived from many MANY factors such as: your pick-ups, your strings, your amplifier, playing a stratocaster, using a rosewood or maple neck, is your guitar's body solid or hollow, do you have a bolt-on neck or set-through? (This could be an entirely different blog on its own) The gear we use is important, but above all; practice! practice ...

        So on today's blog post we will be left in astonishment and sheer amazement as we partake in the musical blessing provided to us by the mysterious mask wearing guitar virtuoso known by the world as Buckethead. (hype intensifies within my heart!) Mr.Buckethead is a guitarist that truly stands out from the crowd, with his robotic inspired outlook, superior guitar playing (more on that in a moment), and his love for all things that are NOT normal.          A quick bio about this masked man, or even woman for we know, Buckethead has been making music since the mid 80's, providing soundtracks for horror movies, as well as instrumentation for various video games including the opening theme to the infamous arcade shooter Galaga. But Buckehead is a fellow who keeps to himself, as any credit he deserves is never truly publicized; someone who likes to work in the shadows presumably. His website, http...

       A good afternoon and a mighty fine salutations to my dear readers and fellow six string players! (Or you crazy 7 or 8 string players) Consider this blog and the posts that follow an awe inspiring admiration for a wide assortment of all the blunders and wonders that derive from the guitar world. Do not worry Bass players, for your refined and well kept secrecy of the low end frequencies are to be praised here as well!For starters, I am completely new to blogging, so I am still learning how to organize my posts and my endless jargon that accompanies it. Hopefully, as I become more acquainted with this fancy blog machine, my future posts will be much more structured! For now, let us just dive right into it. I guess a bit about myself is needed: I am not a fantastic guitarist, let alone an average one. To sum it up, I enjoy playing guitar like I enjoy a nice chicken fried steak; I just eat it and enjoy it! (Or in this case play it and enjo...