A mini masterclass in improv with Julian Lage
Plus, how to lead a jam like a pro
This week’s issue has some super valuable lessons, but I have to start by sharing a highlight of my week. I had the chance to see the John Scofield Trio live at the Newton Theater, and it was nothing short of magical. Scofield’s mastery of dynamics and incredible ability to be in and out of the pocket were on full display as the trio went through two, one hour sets - I guess that’s what happens when you’ve played with legends like Miles Davis. I left the show inspired and ready to put some more time into practicing. There’s still a number of dates left on their tour, and if they’re in your neck of the woods, I suggest checking out a show. Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
This Week’s Guitar Links!
Learn The Fretboard - How To Memorize The Notes Of The Guitar - Let's kick off this week's issue with one of the most important topics for any guitarist - learning all the notes on the fretboard. This new video from Andy Guitar gives us some great tips on the most effective ways we can do this, including - rather than memorizing every single note, start memorizing shapes and understand what those shapes mean (1,3,5, etc.), how to use the "octave trick" which we've talked about at length to find notes, focusing on natural notes and their relationships to sharps and flats, and much more. If you watch any video this week, make sure it's this one!
The John Mayer Pentatonic System - I think any lesson about the pentatonic scale is always a good use of my time. This one from Rotem Sivan talks about a how John Mayer utilizes both the major and minor versions of these scales, and how you can visualize them on the fretboard. Similar to the video above, it's important to understand where the most important chord tones are - which is almost a dual lesson (you're learning intervals and where notes are on the fretboard). Rotem also gives us some tips on singing along, utilizing the blue note, building tension and more.
The Most Important Legato Tips that TRANSFORMED My Playing - I liked this video from John Cordy this week, where he breaks down some tips on legato. He starts off talking about hand placement, how over time legato starts to feel more natural, how you should approach your fretting hand, and much more. The whole video clocks in at about 14 minutes (and has chapters), so it's well worth your time.
How To Improvise On Guitar With Julian Lage - Julian Lage’s enthusiasm and joy for guitar is always infectious. He recently sat down for D’Addario to talk about how he approaches improvising. This gets a little heady, but I love this behind the scenes look at what he’s thinking about. Also the audio is a little weird, but the video as a whole is still well worth it.
The CAGED system clarified for guitar - Guthrie Trapp always talks about the importance of the CAGED system on guitar. He just put out two videos on the system, and this second episode covers more of why the naming trips students up every once in a while. After that, David Pots over at Song Notes, expanded on Guthrie’s video, and gives some ways to practice CAGED with triads, pentatonic scales and more. You can check that vid out here.
How to Lead A Jam Session - What if you find yourself in the position of leading a jam? Eric Haugen helps out with his latest video, which offers both musical and non musical tips for getting along with everyone in the jam, and being confident. As with a lot of Eric’s videos, a lot of this advice is relevant even outside of just playing guitar.
Guitar Pedals Can’t Do This! - I loved Brian Wampler’s latest video on the Terraform and Multiverse plugins. These are both real life pedals, but Wampler also sells them as plugins for your DAW. Brian goes over how these plugin versions can make these types of pedals even more magical with automation. Not only is this great for showcasing these plugins, but using automation always adds another great layer to your mix. The sooner you learn to write automation, the sooner your mixes will sound better.
Quick Hitters
“Arguably one of the most significant Beatles and Lennon artefacts to come to market”: John Lennon’s first Vox amp – used at the Cavern and to record Please Please Me – is headed to auction - You ever hear about this band called the Beatles? Someone will be able to own a bit of rock history, as John Lennon's AC15 Twin is headed to auction soon. This was played at shows in the Cavern, and has to have some sort of magic to it.
Sweep Picking by Edoardo Taddei - GuitarVivo - Every couple of months I tell myself I want to learn how to sweep pick effectively. One book that just was released is helping me with that - it's from Edoardo Taddei, in collaboration with GuitarVivo. GuitarVivo has put out some incredible books over the years, and they are always a great value. Luke Lewis, who runs the company, is doing a top notch job of getting great players to cover some excellent topics. I'll let you know if I make any headway with being able to sweep.
Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee shot multiple times in Las Vegas – now “fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit” - A pretty wild story out of Las Vegas. The former Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee was shot multiple times. The other crazy thing is that Friedman released his new signature amp in a box pedal the same day. If you want to check that out, check out Leon Todd's recent demo.
Fractal’s new VP4 virtual pedalboard puts hundreds of classic stompbox and studio effect models at guitarists' feet in a compact and customizable unit - Speaking of pedals, the other big gear news of the week was that Fractal released their VP4 pedal. It's an effects only unit, that features effects inspired by the flagship Axe-FX III. I think this is a great option for players looking to have a ton of effects in front of their amp, or to beef up a great amp modeler with effects. The VP4 is shipping now, on a first come, first served basis.
“They’re all little pieces”: AI-aided Eddie Van Halen solos could be a possibility, according to Alex Van Halen - Please….no.