Chris Sherland gets a little sus
Plus, PRS breaks the internet...again!
Hey, how’s it going this week for ya? We have so many awesome links this week - Ben Eller breaking down a Metallica classic, Matteo Mancuso dropped a new track, PRS broke the internet again with their announcement of a t-style guitar, and so much more.
Just a heads up for the next 2 issues of the newsletter - I’m going to be in vacation mode for 2 weeks, so next week, I’ll try and put out a “links only” edition of the newsletter, and I might actually miss an issue the week after. Trying to get some R&R time with my family, so I hope you don’t mind!
Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
This week’s guitar links
- How Metallica Wrote the BEST Metal Song EVER - Metallica's black album changed my life. I remember wearing out the double VHS copies of their Year and a half in the life of Metallica, where they documented the making and touring of their self titled masterpiece. This week, Ben Elller dropped a video on "Enter Sandman". You might think you've heard it all regarding this song, but it's a fun video to watch, talking all about themes being built up and deconstructed throughout the song. And if you want a quick primer on what gear was used on the album, you can check out this recent post from Guitar.com.
- Danny Gill - 5 Tips For Learning Solos - Danny Gill is one of the best teachers on LickLibrary. In his latest video for the channel, he gives us 5 awesome tips for learning solos, while breaking out some of the best solos of all time as examples.
- Your Picking Hand Is The First Gain Stage - Sometimes it's the shortest videos that pack the most punch. Like this video from Tim Lerch, who explains how your picking hand is actually the first gain stage, and has SO much to do with the dynamics of your playing.
- Matteo Mancuso - Samba Party (Official Music Video) - You might have seen Matteo Mancuso drop some otherworldly videos on YouTube. But lately he's been releasing a few singles from his forthcoming album. The latest is "Samba Party”. The tone reminds me of Eric Johnson, and the playing is amazing. I can't wait to hear this full album, which is expected in late July!
- Comparing the PRS NF 53 & Myles Kennedy Signature Model - PRS broke the internet again this week, when they announced the new PRS NF53 and Myles Kennedy signature models. They're the long awaited T-style guitars from PRS. In this video Paul and Rich (artist relations) talk about the differences between the two guitars. Then, in this video you can check out Myles Kennedy talking about his new signature model. And you also have this video, where the always awesome Bryan Ewald demos the NF 53. I'm very excited about these guitars, and am really looking forward to when the inevitably release SE versions down the road. I'm hoping the sound and finishes are as good as the US versions. If the Silver Skys are any indicator, we're going to have a really nice T-style SE in about a year.
- GearFest 2023 Day 1 Livestream: Josh Dun, Tim Henson, Elise Trouw, and More! - Speaking of gear, Sweetwater's GearFest was in full effect over the past couple of days. It seems almost every guitar YouTuber was in the house, so expect a lot of videos soon. Here's Sweetwater's day 1 livestream.
- What Are Suspended Chords? - Chris Sherland takes the sus out of sus chords, and explains how you can change major chords "on the fly" to utilize them into your own playing.
- The Three Essential Moves For Playing The Changes On The Blues - Looking for something a little more advanced? Check out this great video from Fretboard Confidential. He goes over 3 great moves to outline chords when you're playing the changes with blues.
- How to use chromatic approaches to expand your blues soloing vocabulary - If you want even more blues tips, check out Josh Smith's latest video for his GW column. In this month's lesson, he talks all about connecting chords and lead lines using chromaticism.
- 5 game-changing guitar techniques you can learn from Plini - I loved this approachable lesson based on Plini. There's cool Lydian and Dorian runs, tapping, and even a couple of pentatonic licks. Plus, even though Plini is usually playing in drop C#, GW made it easy for everyone by putting these licks in regular drop D.
- This Instagram account is the guitar-building ASMR you didn’t know you needed - Want to relax while watching the interesting process of guitar building? Kanji Kawabata has you covered. Rather than doomscrolling, scroll through Kanji's channel, where he documents the whole process from start to finish.
- Master the Edge’s Stylistic Moves From U2’s Landmark 1983 Album, ‘War’ - If you're looking for a great beginner lesson, and you want to get better at rythm playing, check out this lesson on the Edge’s guitar work from ‘War'. I've always loved how the Edge takes smaller chords and even one or two notes, and along with effects makes lush sounding guitar parts. This is a great intro into his playing style.
Hey did you know, not only do I talk guitar each week, but I also teach it!
Try out a half an hour to see how much you can learn when you know the right things to practice. Whether you want to learn guitar, recording, mixing or more, I can help you out!