How to make people think you can play guitar
Plus, news about the song challenge and practice rooms
How’s it going this week? I’ve been busy gearing up for May, as my schedule is going to be jam packed with cool things going on - we have the songwriting challenge coming up, new posts, new videos, and so much more.
I actually got back to doing livestreams just yesterday, when I went live to talk about my thoughts on Kirk Hammett, why the new practice rooms inside of Discord are so effective, and what’ll take place in the songwriting challenge. At the tail end of the stream I even had on Simon Allaway to discuss building guitars, some new music he’s checking out and more. You can catch the replay right here. It'd mean the world to me if you liked the video or even better, subscribed to the channel. I'd love to have even more viewers for the next livestream!
This Week’s Guitar Links
- How To Make People Think You Can Play Guitar - I had to start with this one, because I feel like we've all been this guitar player at some point in our lives. Jared Dines gives us some helpful advice on making people think you can play the guitar. 😆
- The Marty Friedman Interview: From Megadeth to Japanese Guitar Icon - I'm so glad to see Marty Friedman still making the rounds. I've seen him play with Megadeth and on solo tours, and he's such an exciting guitarist to watch. Rick Beato sat down with Friedman to discuss touring, working on a new album, his work with Jason Becker, his adventures in Japan and lots more.
- Extreme - "Banshee" (Official Music Video) - Extreme is back with two new songs off their upcoming album. Here's my favorite of the two, called "Banshee”. As friend of the newsletter Jeremy M. said in our Discord chat, this is the most Extreme-like song of the bunch so far. I love the feel good sound of this song, and Nuno's great solo (EVH would be proud). Also this week, Bettencourt talked to Guitar.com about writing music, saying “We’re writing f***ing nursery rhymes for adults at the end of the day.”
- The CHAOS of flying with musical instruments - Traveling with your guitar any time soon? You should check out Adam Neely's latest video. Along with a handful of other musicians, he talks about some tips and tricks on getting your instrument on to planes, and how to make it easier on yourself when traveling.
- Why 99% of Blues Guitarists Are STUCK... - If you were reading last week, I mentioned Ross Campbell doing a free 1 hour blues masterclass. I checked the masterclass out this week, and the free lesson is fantastic. Ross talks all about targeting chord tones over a 1 4 5 progression. In addition to the masterclass, he's also written a book with Guitar Vivo. I'm making my way through the book now, but it seems like a great value. You can check it out here.
- Kirk Hammett reveals the secret weapon behind his guitar tone: “I can’t believe I’m telling you about it!” - You'll be as surprised as me to hear the secret weapon isn't a wah pedal. TBH I was pretty shocked to hear what Hammett was messing with for his dynamic tone on '72 Seasons'.
- This Will CHANGE The Way You Play Guitar feat. @guthrietrappmusic - Marty Schwartz headed to Nashville to talk with the always awesome Guthrie Trapp. In this video they talk about how to make your chords more exciting. There's some great advice in this one.
- The Fearless Flyers Live in Europe - The Fearless Flyers are truly a supergroup. If you want to get your funk on, and from the guitar side enjoy the playing of Cory Wong and Mark Lettieri, check out this full concert live from Europe. And if you'd like to learn the rhythm style of Cory, Guitar Player just put out an awesome lesson on it. Check that out with audio and tab right here.
- Fender Master Pickup Maker Talks About The New CuNiFe Range! - If you'd rather geek out about pickups, check out this interview with master pickup builder Tim Shaw. Tim has some great stories about Fender, and the new CuNiFe range of pickups.
- Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Santana, ZZ Top… Crossroads 2023 might offer the greatest lineup of guitar talent ever assembled - I remember watching Clapton's Crossroads festival DVDs when I was younger, so it was awesome to see that the festival was back in action. Crossroads 2023 is jam packed with some of the best guitarists on the planet - Bonamassa, Clapton, Mayer, Santana, and many more. Are you going to these shows in September?
- “If You Want to Be Successful, You Have to Love What You Do:” EHX Founder Mike Matthews Reveals the Secrets of His Success - Mike Matthews is a legend in the guitar community. I'll never forget replacing a battery on an EHX Big Muff, taking out the battery and seeing Mike's face staring back at me. Mike talks about the trials and tribulations of EHX, which he founded, and his secrets to success in this short interview with GP.
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!