New Guitar Issue (3/09)

As usual, a bit late… my announcement regarding the newest issue of GUITAR magazine, this one being the March-issue 2009. I wrote a review about two Jackson Dinkys plus one about the all new Morley Kiko Loureiro signature Wah/volume/distortion pedal for it. Also, the newest episode of my “Talking Hands” series is about modes again, and also deals with modal pentatonics. And of course, lots more cool stuff in there, so check it out!

Back to basics

One thing that I really do enjoy every once in a while is to go “back to basics”. What I mean by that is: when you dabble with gear too much, its quite easy to forget about tone (as always, I separate SOUND, which is the equipment-side, and TONE, which is your personal tone, your hands, your “voice”). I have seen a lot of people fiddling with the gear so much that they hardly got to actual play. There of course is nothing wrong with doing that, after all guitarists love that stuff, and its always worth it to try to optimize your gear to get the best out of it.
However, every once in a while I love to just lean back, grab one guitar, plug it straight into an amp through a good cable, and just play with that for an hour or two. Doing that, leaving out everything between your guitar and amp, forces you to actually focus on your tone and phrasing, and might bring out more details of your tone and playing. Imagine you have to play a whole show with just that one guitar and the amp… can you imagine that you’d have to use the controls (volume and tone, plus the pickup switch) more, and in order to get different sounds, to have to actually create them with your hands, i.e. by switching your attack position or using dynamics?
Thats a great experiment.
I recommend to my students to practice with just a very basic setup, leaving out stuff like reverb, delay or modulation FX, in order to hear details better and make sure their playing is accurate. If you sound good through such a basic setup (or even through some crappy-sounding old practice amp), you will sound good through an elaborate, huge setup as well.
But it doesnt only work for practicing… just sitting there, zoning out, playing a guitar straight into the amp, experimenting with all the little details of your playing, using the controls of the guitar, can be a fascinating experience and teach you quite a bit… or help you find all new things to try out and use in your playing.
It can bring you back to earth, and you might even like a simple setup like this. I mentioned Derek Trucks before, who usually sticks to an SG plugged straight into a tube-amp… it doesnt have to be THAT simple, but then again, trying to work with something like that, focussing on the bare essentials can be quite interesting. Try it out!

Listening recommendations, Feb 09

Here are some albums I have found myself listening to a lot recently…

Jeff Beck – Performing This Week… Live At Ronnie Scotts
This is a new live-album by Jeff, recorded when he played a series of concerts at Ronnie Scotts in London. I liked the live album they released last year, but this one is even better. The band sounds fresh and obviously is in a jamming mode, as they change quite a few parts about the songs, and throw in lots of cool little solo parts. Jeff is amazing, maybe even more so than usual. Its amazing how vocal-like his playing is, and some of the stuff he plays is just amazing in terms of “Where does he GET those notes and sounds?!?” (Click to go to the amazon-page)

Derek Trucks – Already Free
This guy is amazing… great, bluesy stuff with a seriously “earthy” vibe. I love his approach… just an SG into a Marshall amp, no fx, just tone, phrasing and great playing. Wonderful album. (click to go to the amazon-page)

Jimmy Herring – Life Boat
I have heard so much great stuff about Jimmy throughout the years… this guy created a lot of buzz among guitarists… I remember my buddy Tommy in Delaware talk about him, bbeing amazed by his playing. Unfortunately, I never got to hear much of his playing (some Jazz Is Dead, and Project Z), so its great to hear his first solo-album. Great vibe to it, and the playing is amazing. This guy not only has a load of chops, but also is just a great improviser, with awesome melodic ideas and such a vast amount of theoretical knowledge, never sounding too “theory-heavy” or boring. Check it out! (click here to go to the amazon page)

Dave Martone – Clean
I have loved Dave’s playing ever since the “A Demons Dream” album, and this one is great too. Very versatile, and one review I read said something along the lines of “This is what the guitar will sound like a hundred years from now”. And its true, too. Reminds me of Satch’s “Engines Of Creation” at times. Amazing chops, and some great guest contributions by Joe Satriani, Jennifer Batten, Billy Sheehan and Greg Howe. (click here to go to the amazon page)

Gary Moore – Bad For You Baby
I saw Gary on TV in a late night show a couple of weeks ago, playing the first single from this album, and I liked it a lot. I used to love his 80s-stuff, like the “Wild Frontier” and “Victims Of The Future” albums. I really liked the first 3 or 4 blues albums too (up to “Blues For Greenie”), but just couldnt get into the stuff he did afterwards. This is a more down-to-earth blues album again, with a lot of great playing, like on “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”, where he really seems to play his heart out. Amazing player, and I think this is the music he really loves to play… it shows. (click here to go to the amazon-page)

Joe Bonamassa – Live From Nowhere In Particular
The more I hear of this guy, the more amazed I am. I have been listening to Joe since like 2006 (ok, I got into his music rather late), and he has always impressed me with his honesty, chops, sense for great melodies, and the energy he puts into his music. This is a live-album, and he truly shines, improvising a lot, and sounds great throughout. He has got quite a reputation for being a great live-performer, and this album will show you why. Looking forward to his new album, too. (click here to go to the amazon page)

Brad Paisley – Play
I love Brad, and I think it took a lot of guts to release an album that is mainly instrumental after all the success he has had recently. Sure, “Start A Band” (the duet with Keith Urban… check out the solos at the end!) is a hit, and its a vocal-tune, but other than that, its mostly instrumental stuff, and Brad not only shows off a lot of chops, but also a load of versatility… jazzy stuff, a beautiful acoustic tune, and his tribute to Eric Johnson, “Cliffs Of Rock City”. Of course most of this is country, but whatever he plays, he rocks, and he blurs stylistic edges quite easily, putting together all those styles quite seamlessly. Amazing player, great guy! Check it out! (click here to go to the amazon-page)