Kirk Hammett goes solo, the pizza pedal, economy picking fun
Plus an awesome live performance of Slash's new album
It’s been a fun week in the guitar world - I’m seeing everything from guitar pedals shaped like pizza to surprise announcements from Kirk Hammett, who’ll be releasing a new 4 track solo album in a few months. If you go back over the last couple of years of this newsletter, it’s crazy to see how much the guitar community has grown - pedal builders, people teaching guitar on YouTube, all sorts of great, new music, and much more.
When I first picked up the guitar at 16 years old, I would’ve never expected that there’d be so many stories to share each and every week about my favorite instrument. Yet here we are! So without further ado, let’s get to this week’s links.
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up - Metal Guitar Cover by Kfir Ochaion - This was too good not to share. And on a Music Man Majesty no less. I feel like both Rick Astley and Petrucci would be proud.
NO ONE Tells You to Practice Double-Tracking [until it’s too late] - You’d be surprised at how many different things show up when you’re in the studio. Oftentimes it’s like a microscope is aimed right at your playing, which is why it’s always great to be prepared. In this vid, Johnathan Cordy talks about double tracking and more.
How to Play “Black Summer” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) | Guitar Lesson - Last week we talked about how RHCP has a new album coming out in a few months, and that their new single, “Black Summer” just came out. This was my favorite song lesson so far, which not only shows us how to play the song and solo, but also gives good ideas for how to get Frusciante’s tone.
What Makes An Intermediate Guitarist? - Didn’t have time to check out Rhett Shull’s “What Makes An Intermediate Guitar Player?” video? You’re in luck - Rhett just made a condensed vid that clocks in at around 17 minutes or so. Great advice if you’re looking to advance your skills on guitar.
Economy picking fun with 4 note pattern - Animated licks of Mika Tyyskä - I had a lot of fun practicing Mika Tyyska’s 4 note economy picking lick all over the neck. Try this simple 4 note lick in your warm up routine if you’re working on picking technique.
Live at Studios 60 - New Slash Album! - Shout out to reader Simon who let me know that Slash, along with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators would be playing their whole new album live. I’m really digging Slash’s playing on this album, and I think it’s better than any of the recent GnR stuff I’ve heard as of late.
5 Tips For Better Legato Playing | Sam Bell | Lick Library - Sam Bell guests on the Lick Library channel to discuss 5 great tips for legato playing - including getting your timing right, working on hammer ons and pull offs, left hand location and more. I also enjoyed this vid from Sam Bell too, where he talks about why less is more.
10 Delay Riffs | Empress Effects Echosystem (Pedal Demo) - I loved this video. The Empress Echosystem is a pricey pedal - in the mid 400 dollar range, but Let’s Play All makes it sound fantastic. They showcase licks from Pink Floyd, Radiohead, U2, Vai and more. Can I start a GoFundMe for this pedal?
The LOUDEST Amps EVER MADE? | Friday Fretworks - This video from Chris Buck, where he plugs in to the Simms-watts AP100 is very cool. Even without being in the room, the Simms-watts, and even the Fender cranked to 10 at the end, sound insanely loud. What’s the loudest amp you’ve ever played?
Tested: Where Does The Tone Come From In An Electric Guitar? - I have seriously missed Jim Lill’s videos so much! His latest one is another experiment in tone - this time focusing on where tone actually comes from. What’s your take on this vid and the concept in general?
Over ONE YEAR In The Making - Had to include this pedal in this week’s issue. It combines two of my favorite things - guitar pedals and pizza. Blake from the Tone Mob podcast teamed up with Big Ear pedals to make the Slice of Pie fuzz - the aesthetic around this pedal is fantastic, and it sounds pretty good too!
Joe Bonamassa: “Songwriting is the last frontier. You can recreate your favorite sounds, but far more important is pushing yourself to write better songs” - Joe Bonamassa has been busier than ever. I liked this recent interview with Guitar World where he talks about his new album, producing and working with Eric Gales, songwriting and more.
“Writing and Recording Isn’t Just About Creating Music… It’s Also an Act of Self-Creation”: Tom Morello Expands on His New Solo Album - Speaking of songwriting, I liked reading about how Tom Morello took a bad thing (Rage having to postpone their tour), and turned it into a good thing - a new Tom Morello album. Not to mention how he gained inspiration from Kanye West, and started the whole demo process from his iPhone.
Capture Mateus Asato’s rhythm and lead techniques with this in-depth lesson - Mateus Asato is one of my favorite guitar players - his use of lead and rhythm playing to create beautiful songs is something to behold. Guitar Techniques gives us a great 2 minute or so Asato-esque piece to work on, with tips on capturing his tone too!
Black Hole of Confusion or Wormhole to Enlightenment? The Unique Relationship Between the G and B Strings - For most players, everything is fine further down on the neck, until you get to that dreaded relationship between the G and B strings. There’s some pretty weird terms in this post, but if you stick with it, it might help demystify those 2 strings for you.
Kirk Hammett announces first solo EP Portals - We got news this week that Kirk Hammett will be coming out with his first ever solo EP, called ‘Portals’. The 4 track album was inspired to provide a “audio cinematic” to his horror exhibitions that he takes out on the road. Really looking forward to hearing what these songs sound like - the EP will be available for Record Store Day on April 23rd.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading Six String Sunday!
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