Learn From Session Legends
Plus, Greg Koch's Trio live from Sweetwater Studios!
Do you love sweet, sweet blues rock? Well, you’re in luck. The Koch Marshall Trio was inspired over at the Sweetwater Studios, and they’ve put out a 7 song album that’s fantastic. Also in this week’s issue, legends Paul Jackson Jr. and Eddie Martinez share their stories working with the stars. There’s a lot of interviews in this issue, but you can learn a bunch from them. And to not skimp on lesson material, make sure to check out Ben Eller breaking down a bit of Cracking the Code - the video might change your life. Alright, let’s get into these links!
This week’s gristle-tastic links!
- 21 Things You Didn't Know About Guitar - Samurai Guitarist hits us with 21 things you might not know about guitar. I have to admit, even after playing for a couple decades, I didn't know a bunch of these. Guitar as a weapon? Reminds me of Dethklok. 😂
- Paul Jackson Jr. Breaks Down his Most Iconic Guitar Parts - Sweet looking PRS singlecut, an amazing console, and some of the most legendary guitar parts of all time? I was drawn to this video immediately. Vertex Effects sits down with Paul Jackson Jr., who's worked with Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, Whitney Houston and more.
- Can You Do The 30 Most Difficult Guitar Techniques? - Trem gargles, lizard down the throat, etc. These all sound like creepy google searches, but they're actually 30 guitar techniques you can try. How many of these do you have under your fingers?
- Diagnosing Your Pick Slant for Max Speed! - Speaking of technique, if you want to get a dose of what Troy Grady's Cracking the Code is all about, you should check out this video from Ben Eller. The trick is getting comfortable with pick slanting. This small change has changed my and many other guitarists lives.
- Gristletime! Sweet Gristle | Sweetwater Studio Sessions - I love Greg Koch's playing so much, and his trio is on fire here at Sweetwater's Studios. Greg makes a ton of guitar videos these days, but on this one his signature guitar with P90’s sounds more phenomenal than ever. I was so psyched I picked up the sessions on Bandcamp. You can pick them up for less than 8 bucks right here.
- COFFEE WITH DEVIN TOWNSEND - I've geeked out numerous times over Devin Townsend. I just love the way his albums sound - they always sound massive and cinematic. Ola Englund recently sat down with Devin to talk about playing with Steve Vai, writing music, surviving as a musician, and lots more.
- The Captain Meets Eric Krasno! - NEW D'Angelico Eric Krasno Signature Guitar! - I grew up listening to Eric Krasno's fun jazz work in Soulive, and have been following his career ever since. He's been busy writing new music, producing, and working with a bunch of companies on new gear. Speaking of which, check out his brand new D'Angelico EK Signature, which sounds amazing.
- Watch Pedalpocalypse, Season 1: - What if you could only play with 3 pedals for the rest of your life? Head to this link to watch all of season 1's answers.
- What Makes This Pedal Great? Boss DS-1 - It's likely that you have a Boss DS-1 somewhere in your house - the iconic pedal has sold over a million and a half units since its release. Brian Wampler, who knows a thing or two about pedal making talks about why the DS-1 is so great. With Brian you get that really interesting technical insight, breadboards and all.
- Session guitar legend Eddie Martinez shares the studio secrets behind classic records from Run-D.M.C., Mick Jagger, Robert Palmer and David Lee Roth - We talked about Paul Jackson Jr. above, but don't sleep on this interview with session legend Eddie Martinez. They talk about working with DLR, Robert Palmer, Jeff Beck and more on some of the most legendary songs. It's awesome to see one person be successful in so many different genres. One of my favorite interviews in a while.
- 5 ways to get more out of your power chords - If you're reading this newsletter, you probably already know how to play power chords (if not, see my lessons link below!) If you want to try a handful of ways to spice up your power chords, check out this short lesson. It features stuff like pinch harmonics, accents, and more.
- Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarist, is Dead at 71 - Ending this week's issue on a sad note, as we lost Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynrd. Rossington was the last original member of Skynyrd, and that closes out an end of an era for one of rock's most classic bands. I have to imagine "Free Bird" and “Sweet Home Alabama" were the first songs of a lot of guitarists growing up. But don't forget about the rest of their awesome catalog. Guitar World wrote up a top 25 of the band, which you can check out here.
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!
Nice to see a mention of David Lee Roth, not a name you hear much any more, but what a talent.