Metallica Roars Back With '72 Seasons'
Plus, tons of new gear coming out of NAMM '23
This week has been super eventful in the guitar world. We have lots of drool worthy gear coming out of NAMM, and it’s also a big week because Metallica released their new album.
I have two questions for you this week - what do you think of Metallica’s ’72 Seasons’, and what’s your favorite piece of gear to come out of this year’s NAMM show? Let me know by replying to this e-mail or commenting if you’re reading this on Substack. Let’s get into this week’s links!
My Favorite Guitar Links of the Week!
- This Exercise TRANSFORMED my Playing - Arpeggios in the Major Scale - First up, we have this helpful arpeggio exercise from John Cordy. If you're looking to hit all the right target notes, this exercise is a great place to start.
- The Most Neglected Skill On Guitar - And if instead you're looking to work on technique, you should check out this video from Cameron Cooper. Cameron talks all about bending and vibrato, and how you can work on both things. Confidence is key!
- “Putting in the Work Is How You’re Going to Become a Better Player”: John Petrucci’s Top Ten Tips for Guitarists - What about learning from one of the most technically skilled and cleanest guitarists on the planet? John Petrucci gives 10 tips for guitar players - many of these are no brainers, but the tagline of the article is what says it all - you have to be willing to put in the hours.
- “Being Afraid to Try Is Not Going to Help You Expand”: Eric Gales Shares Some of His Best Guitar Playing Tips - And if you want even more tips, check out this article with advice from Eric Gales. Gales talks about using vibrato and dynamics to enhance your lines, practicing with backing tracks, playing in different positions to shore up your knowledge of the fretboard, and lots more.
- FREE Blues Improvisation Masterclass 🎸 16/04/23 - I'm a huge fan of Ross Campbell's playing and teaching on YouTube. By the time you're reading this, he should've already given away his blues improv masterclass. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but wanted to give you a heads up!
- NAMM 2023 live: all the biggest news as it happens - Guitar World has put together an awesome hub for NAMM show news. We have new guitars, amps, effects and more from all sorts of brands. I'm so excited to check out all this new gear.
- T Rex Binson Echorec – NAMM 2023 - I've loved checking out all the new gear coming out of NAMM. There's been a lot of surprises, but one of the oddest and coolest things I've seen is the T Rex Binson Echorec. This has to be one of the coolest looking delay pedals I've ever seen. And not only does it look unique, but it sounds pretty wild too.
- Is this upgrade REALLY worth your MONEY? | Friday Fretworks - In other gear news, Chris Buck compares more expensive Mogami cables to some pretty standard Fender cables. Can you hear the difference?
- The Chord Trick Every Pro Uses (Inversions) - Some of my favorite bands often use progressions that turn my ear. When I go to look at why type of chords they’re using, they always seem to use inversions tastefully. Rhett Shull gives us a low down on how we can unlock these voicings in our own playing.
- Learn Five Scorching Slowhand Eric Clapton's Licks From 1966 - A prior student of mine showed me the “My Blues Guitar" channel a while back, and I'm so glad he did (thanks Vic!) In the channel's latest lesson, they break down 5 killer licks from one of my favorite Clapton eras.
- These are the most valuable vintage Fender finishes according to Reverb - Buy what you like of course, but next time you go to purchase a guitar, you might want to think harder about the finish you're choosing. Reverb just provided some data on the most valuable Fender finishes. I was surprised to see some of my own personal favorite colors further down on the list.
- James Hetfield was offered the chance to buy the Greeny Les Paul before Kirk Hammett, but he turned it down: “I’m a real idiot” - This week has been Metallica-centric, because the band just released its '72 Seasons' album. Metallica has been making the rounds on talk shows, running promos, kicking off launch parties, and much more to promote their new album. Recently when the band was on the Howard Stern show, James Hetfield said that he actually was offered the legendary "Greeny" guitar before Hammett. If you watch the video, you can check out Hammett explaining why “Greeny’s" tone is so unique for a Les Paul.
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!