Never before seen footage of EVH and Jason Becker
Plus, what you should do before working with a mix engineer
This week’s issue has a helpful video from Mary Spender if you’re considering quitting guitar, an awesome masterclass featuring Josh Smith and Kirk Fletcher, some never before seen footage with EVH visiting Jason Becker, and much more.
With the holidays rapidly approaching, what are you looking to get as a cool guitar or music gift? Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to have family gift me a guitar lesson with a bunch of teachers I really look up to. But, I’m always up for getting a new pedal or guitar gadget. Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
This week’s guitar links!
- Watch This If You're Thinking of Quitting - It sounds like Mary Spender is doing some reverse psychology in her latest video - and it's very valid. I've grown tired of some of these more mental rather than technical videos in the music education space, but this one was actually good. If you truly are thinking of giving up on the guitar, this might change your mind.
- LIVE: Josh Smith and Kirk Fletcher Masterclass! - GuitarVivo has been partnering up with some of the best guitar players out there lately. I've purchased a ton of their books, and I have to say they are all well worth their price point (which is typically under twenty bucks). Their latest book is a collaboration with JTC Guitar, with 100 modern day blues licks. To celebrate the occasion, Luke from GuitarVivo had two blues heavy hitters - Josh Smith and Kirk Fletcher.
- Josh Scott Presents: The Complete History of Guitar Effects | Part 1 - If there's anyone that knows about guitar effects, it's JHS Pedals' Josh Scott. Sweetwater tapped him to create a new series called The Complete History of Guiar Effects. In part 1 Josh talks about everything from the creation of the Bigsby, to tape delay, Telecasters and more. Excited to see where this series goes. If you want even more, I'd recommend The Pedal Movie.
- Kiko Loureiro Shares the Secret to Flawless Playing - Although he might have recently left Megadeth, without a doubt Kiko Loureiro has been one of the best lead guitar players in Megadeth's long history. He hung out on Rick Beato's 2nd channel to talk about his practice routine, and how he plays so cleanly. If you want even more good advice, check out Victor Wooten talking to Beato about his trick to improvising.
- Eddie Van Halen with Jason Becker - Never Before Seen Footage - Not only did Norman's Rare Guitars get this never before seen footage of EVH visiting Jason Becker, they also link to an auction where Becker is selling the guitar EVH gifted him that day. You could tell this was a special moment between the two.
- Jam with Mika. B minor, Cliffhanger. Animated Jams - Practicing new techniques and ideas over real music helps those things actually stick. Check out this new jam track with Mika Tyyska, called Cliffhanger, which is in B minor. Not only is there a lot of space to try your own ideas, but you can virtually trade licks with Mika for some inspiration.
- Working With a Mix Engineer | Tape Op Magazine | Longform candid interviews with music producers and audio engineers covering mixing, mastering, recording and music production - I've been getting a physical copy of Tape Op magazine for as long as I can remember. If you don't already subscribe, you should check out their magazine, because it's ad supported, and ships to you for free! Larry Crane, who's the owner of Tape Op, and a great engineer in his own right, recently put out a fantastic article on what you should do before working with a mix engineer. If you or your band is in the early phases of getting an album recorded, you should totally read this.
- How to play guitar solos in a blues trio - I enjoyed this quick lesson from Guitar World, where Richard Barrett shows us a couple of great licks to play that are more suited to a blues trio. If you're looking to get a Hendrix/SRV/Mayer style vibe going on, check out this lesson.
- “I've had hundreds of thousands of guitars pass through my hands – there's a difference between a good guitar and a great guitar”: The Music Zoo founder Tommy Colletti launches his own USA-built custom guitar line, Colletti Guitars - I've bought a guitar or two from the Music Zoo, and they've always shipped to me in amazing shape, in tune, and ready to play. Now, the founder of the Music Zoo, Tommy Colletti is launching Colletti Guitars. If you check out the video in the post, you can get an idea why Tommy started the brand. These guitars are gorgeous, and sound great - all seem to be around a $4K price point.