John Cordy shows us the ins and outs of bends
Plus, the '24 St. Jude fundraiser kick off is here!
This week’s issue is a lot of fun. We have great playing from guys like Trapp, Bukovac and Jedd Hughes, we have a killer lesson on bends from John Cordy, a great way to practice scales in an impactful way, and a look at Prince’s rhythm work.
I can’t believe we’re already in September. It seems like the summer went pretty quickly this year. I’ve been working on a lot of fun stuff to close out the year strong for Chasing Sound. I have a review coming next week for a piece of gear that’ll really help you as a guitar player, and it might not be what you think. I’ve also been messing around with Matteo Mancuso’s new masterclass on JTC. I love trying to wrap my brain around playing a different way than what I’m used to.
But most importantly this week, is that I kicked off this year’s St. Jude fundraiser. Every September I run a fundraiser through Chasing Sound to support this amazing cause. Our initial goal is pretty small, and we’re already halfway there. If you could contribute even a few bucks, it’d go a long way. I plan to be more active on social, on the blog, and on YouTube to support the campaign this month, so keep an eye out. You can check out the donation link below. Thanks for your support!
This week’s guitar links!
Tom Bukovac Guthrie Trapp And Jedd Hughes Dish Out A Hefty Dose Of Inspiration Don't Miss This One! - 3 powerhouse guitar players, all in the same spot, doing some fantastic improv jams and talking about their thought process on the guitar - this was a treat to watch live. Tom Bukovac, Guthrie Trapp and Jedd Hughes sat down for Brett Papa's channel, with around 45 mins of awesome playing and inspiration. If you take a look in the vid's description, you can also see that Trapp and Bukovac have guitar courses coming up, which is super exciting.
Slide Guitar 101: How to Sound “Vocal” [5 Tips] - One of the best reasons to learn slide, is to get that very legato, vocal sound on guitar. This week, Dylan Adams gives us 5 great tips on how to attain that vocal sound by focusing on your scales, some techniques to use, and why it's never a bad idea to listen to actual vocalists for inspiration. Check out the video for the full lesson.
Is it CREEPY To Copy Your Favourite Guitar Players? Is Paul Gilbert Right? - Is it weird to copy what your favorite guitarists do? Spoilers: I really don't think so, and it's one of the best ways I found, especially early on, to learn guitar and become a better player. John Cordy shares his thoughts on what he pulled from a recent Paul Gilbert interview. So at this point, we're doing commentary, on commentary on top of commentary. Are we in the guitar multiverse yet? All jokes aside, John always puts out fantastic videos, and I'm so grateful all the content he's given us over the years. I link to him often and sub to his Patreon, because he has a channel I admire greatly. Speaking of which, just as I was going to publish this week's newsletter, John also came out with a fantastic lesson on bends. You should definitely check that out here.
How to Practice Scales (The Most Musical Way) - It's one thing to run scales up and down the neck (please don't do this, unless you're at the very beginning of learning the shape). It's another thing to use these scales as fast as you can in a musical context. Eric Haugen teaches us just that in his latest video. He shows us a few ways to play chords, and interject scale tones while playing along. Eric then takes some well known songs to hammer home his point on learning scales the fun way.
Chordplay - The Chords Of Prince - Prince is known for his amazing musicianship, and on guitar, for his lead playing. But this week, David Brewster breaks down some of the best chord work by Prince, in a number of his songs. These chords/riffs are a ton of fun to play. You can learn an insane amount about tasteful rhythm playing by studying his songs.
Travis Picking Practice Routine - Play By Yourself - Rockabilly, Country-Blues Guitar Lesson - Travis picking is one of those techniques that has always turned my ear. I love the way the melody and rhythm all come together from the same guitar player. If you want to get started learning this fun style, check out this video from swift lessons. The video breaks down a country-infused blues progression that sounds like a ton of fun to play.
Familiar with the blues? Then you shouldn’t have any problems transitioning to country. In this country guitar masterclass, we teach you everything you need to know to make it in Nashville - If you're still in that country mood from the link above, you should check out this recent lesson from one of my favorite country players, Daniel Donato. Donato in collaboration with Pickup Music and GW breaks down some essential things you need to know when getting into country for the first time. If you'd like to help out the channel and check out Pickup Music, make sure to use my link. They have tons of courses with great guitar players, a great interface, and a bunch of helpful material to help you learn all sorts of styles.
“We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime”: Hear Eddie Van Halen solo again in an unreleased preview of the last song he worked on with his brother - Alex Van Halen has shared a snippet of the last song he and Eddie ever worked on, called “Unfinished". The playing is great, the tone is uniquely EVH, and I can't wait to hear the whole thing. The full song will be released in the audiobook version of Alex's forthcoming book titled 'Brothers’, which is due out in October.
Official Yngwie Malmsteen | So I see a lot of these comments where people are saying I can’t be as good as you or I gave up playing the guitar after I saw you. Music… - I enjoyed reading this IG post from Yngwie Malmsteen. He makes the case that the portrayal of guitar being a sport has been pushed on to him and other shredders over the last couple of decades, but that you should have fun at whatever level you are on guitar. I've said it numerous times in the past - there's been many times I've watched someone like a Vai, Govan, Gilbert or other virtuosos and jokingly said I've want to quit guitar. But instead, I try to take their virtuosity as inspiration for my own playing. The best thing you can do is pick and choose the best pieces of all the guitarists you admire, and incorporate them into your own playing, to the best of your ability. And at the end of the day, have fun! That's what music and learning an instrument is all about.
Music Dysmorphia Problem: Why You Dislike Your Own Guitar Playing with John Bohlinger | Last Call - How do you get out of your own way when criticizing your own guitar playing? The guys at Premier Guitar sat down to compare something like body dysmoprhia to guitar playing. Are you always hating on your playing, tone, and more? This is a helpful video to watch to get a boost of inspiration, and let some of that perfectionist guard down.