Robben Ford hangs out at TPS
Plus, Eric Haugen on how to be a tasteful guitarist
This week’s issue has so many killer lessons. We have Kiko Loureiro taking us behind the curtain on his practice routine, David Pots showing us 13 awesome drone riffs, Rick Beato hanging out with Nathaniel Murphy, while playing $400 thousand dollar guitars, and so much more.
Now that we’re about 4 months into 2024, what have you been working on this year? What are your hopes and dreams when it comes to learning guitar, writing songs, and more? Let’s get into this week’s links!
This week’s guitar links!
My current practice strategy LIVE - If you want to make progress on guitar, it's helpful to know what to practice to make a real impact on your playing. That's why I love going behind the scenes with different guitarists’ practice routines. This week, ex-Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro did a livestream on how he practices. What I loved about this concept, is that even Kiko's practice sounds musical. What's your current practice routine? Let me know in the comments section or by replying to this email.
13 Must-Know Riffs with Droning Strings - I loved this fun lesson with David Pots over at Song Notes. He talks about 13 riffs that all incorporate drone strings. Songs like 1979 from the Smashing Pumpkins, She Talks to Angels by the Black Crowes and more. This style can really make your left and right hand synchronization take a huge leap.
MOTIFS: Musical BUILDING BLOCKS for IMPROVISATION - I'm a big fan of Adam Levy's channel on YouTube, and I also have been tearing through his new book, "String Theories". In his latest video he talks about a technique that everyone can incorporate - motifs. These bite sized phrases can be so useful when improvising, and they'll also help you learn the entirety of the fretboard, as you transpose them all over the neck.
Periphery Guitar Workshop | Guitar Center Hollywood - All three guitarists from Periphery hung out at Guitar Center Hollywood, for a great guitar workshop. Not only did they answer questions and break down some of their favorite tracks, they also played a couple of Periphery songs too.
The Guitarist EVERYONE'S Talking About - Rick Beato hangs out with the excellent Nathaniel Murphy. Come for the fantastic playing, stay for the $400 thousand dollar guitars. Plus, a Tele which Murphy says is his favorite at all of CME (if you have $40K).
Let's Go Beyond Boomer Bends! - Chris Sherland teaches a lesson on bending the right way. This is without a doubt one of the number one ways that will make your playing sound more professional. And there's only minimal talk about "boomer bends" in this one.
The Guthrie Trapp Trio - “Saint Tommy B”-Live From The Underdog Bar - I'm so excited for Guthrie Trapp and Tom Bukovac's album to come out in a few short days. In the meantime, I was checking out this great video of Trapp's trio band, playing “Saint Tommy B” live from Nashville. Guthrie is such an underrated player.
How to Be a Tasteful Guitarist - Eric Haugen is one of those players who is not flashy, but is tasteful in the best ways. And that's exactly what he's talking about in his new series on YouTube. I'm really excited for this series, as I'd much rather write tasteful licks than ones simply trying to impress.
Robben Ford At TPS! [New Pedalboard, Little Walter Amp, Playing Tips & More] - Tone geeks unite - Robben Ford just landed on the newest episode of That Pedal Show. Ford talks about his current pedalboard, producing new artists, why he still loves the ZenDrive, signature guitars, and much more.
Eric Gales' six favorite Eric Gales riffs - I enjoyed watching Eric Gales break down 6 of his favorite riffs from across the timeline of his albums. Gales is such a solid player, and I'm always inspired hearing his thought process behind guitar playing.
5 innovations from Fender that changed the world of guitar - Not only did Fender give us iconic guitars like the Strat and Telecaster, they changed the landscape of the guitar in many other ways too. Check out this short roundup from Guitar World, where they talk about some ideas Fender has dreamed up in its legendary history.
Five Essential St. Vincent Songs That Guitarists Need to Hear - St. Vincent is out with a new album this week, and I recommend giving it a shot - there's always a lot of ear candy on these albums. I love that Annie Clark always makes guitar on her records sound unique. Guitar.com got together 5 songs of hers that you absolutely need to hear. The playing and production on these songs is a breath of fresh air in the weirdest and best way possible.