How to sing and play guitar at the same time
Plus, an awesome masterclass from Intervals
Happy November, and welcome to the latest issue of Six String Sunday Club. A lot of people think they have to wait until January to make resolutions and start anew. I’m here to tell you that, that type of thinking usually fails, and you can actually get a headstart on your resolutions right now.
Whether you want to increase your speed on guitar by another 10 bpm, learn a few new modes, or learn some new songs, there’s never a better time than right now. This week’s issue should help you with some of those goals, because we have some great advice from Mary Spender, Aaron Marshall, Eric Gales, and many more.
Let’s get into this week’s links!
This week’s guitar links!
- How To Sing and Play Guitar At The Same Time - I feel like the ability to sing and play guitar at the same time is one of the biggest rites of passage for any guitar player. I hear this question all the time with students, and who better to answer the question of how you do it, than with Mary Spender? Mary has been a singer/songwriter for as long as I can remember. In the video she gives some super helpful tips on how to accomplish singing and playing at the same time. I'm looking forward to her new album, which should be dropping in the next month or so!
- Paul Gilbert's Picking is INSANE - Ben Eller is great at taking fun licks and turning them into lessons. Eller put together a fun Paul Gilbert style lick that to work on hammer ons/pull offs, alternate picking and more.
- Twin Peaks wah-wah pedal | Jack Gardiner - Wah is one of my favorite guitar effects. It's probably because of all the Kirk Hammett I listened to growing up. In this video, Jack Gardiner shows off a new wah from Ibanez, called the Twin Peaks wah. The cool thing about it, is that it has a peak for both the lower and higher frequencies, with a balance knob that lets you blend the peaks to your liking. It's kind of hard to get across the point with text, so make sure to check out the video.
- 3 John 5 Licks From 2022 - Still in a spooky mood from Halloween? Check out David Brewster's latest lesson, with 3 awesome licks from John 5. The licks all come from John 5 and the Creatures in Austin, Tx. And Brewster is doing it all on a Telecaster, because...of course!
- Aaron Marshall (Intervals) Live From Guitar Center Hollywood - This has to be one of the best masterclasses I've seen in a while. Not only does Aaron play a bunch of Intervals songs (which sounded great btw - props to the engineer!), but he also answered some great questions from the crowd and online. I loved his thoughtful answers. Really looking forward to the next Intervals album.
- "From The Monkees To The Hollywood Bowl" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience - The Hendrix Experience put out a super short documentary about when Hendrix opened up for the Monkees for a few dates, and how that went. Spoilers, the Monkees fans weren't ready for Hendrix's legendary playing. “He plays guitar with his teeth!”
- He’s considered one of the top blues guitarists in the world, but nobody plays pentatonics like Eric Gales – learn his tastiest licks - Many consider Eric Gales a modern day Hendrix. I love Eric's playing - I'm still listening to and getting inspired by his latest album 'Crown' which was released last year. Guitar World put together a 5 example lesson on Gales' playing, that you should totally check out. If you're familiar with the pentatonic or blues scale, I'm sure you'll like these licks.
- The Ultimate Johnny Marr Guitar Lesson - Done playing all those awesome Eric Gales licks? The next thing you should work on, are your rhythm chops. I'm a huge fan of Johnny Marr's rhythmic playing, and I adore his arpeggio work. His last couple of solo albums, have been some of my favorites to listen to. Guitar Player put together a big lesson on Marr, with lots of examples for you to work on.
- The Incredible Journey of a Female Guitar Hero feat. @SusanTedeschiTrucks - Marty Schwartz caught up with Susan Tedeschi to talk about playing with her husband Derek Trucks, the famous signatures on her Telecaster, and the 25th reunion of her landmark 'Just Won't Burn' album. If you get a chance, look up some of the live performances of the Tedeschi Trucks Band - you will not be dissapointed!
- JoBo's Pro Tips on how to play with Guitar Legends! - And finally...how do you play with guitar legends? Turns out some espionage might be in order.