Secret "Stairway" Amp, Hetfield Gets Emotional, Updates on the Magnet
Plus helpful knowledge from Frusciante and Vai
It’s been a fun week over at the Chasing Sound Discord server. We’ve been talking about everything from new gear to our song learning challenge. The song learning challenge has been a lot of fun, as a couple of us tackle Oasis’ “Some Might Say”. Turns out the album version is tuned up a quarter step from standard, and there are some fun chords to learn, like Bsus2 and Cadd9.
I also did another episode of Chasing Sound Live! just yesterday. I’d love to have you hop on the livestream and interact in the chat. You can check out the replay here.
Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
One thing that EVERY Great Legato Player Has in Common, and a thing you NEED to practice - One thing Vai, Tom Quayle, Govan and others have in common, is that they have a killer legato technique. John Cordy shows us some great 3 note per string legato ideas to work on. Later in the week, he also dropped a video with a trick on quick pentatonic runs similar to Bonamassa and Eric Johnson. You can check that video out here.
3 Music Theory Exercises That Actually Help You Play Better - How can you use theory to your advantage while actually playing guitar. Jens Larsen shows us 3 ways that we can use theory based ideas to play better. Surprise, this video has a heavy focus on triads, one of my favorite topics to talk about.
I Took a BREAK from Guitar… Here’s What Happened - Ben Eller just took a 8 day break from the guitar. In his latest video, he discusses how he regained his chops, and what he was surprised to find still was in good shape. I know we’ve been talking about it a lot lately, but this is one of those great behind the scenes types of videos that shows how much work goes into the YouTube videos we watch.
JAZZ Up Your BLUES with Kirk Fletcher’s Tasty Guitar Moves! fretLIVE Lesson (Gospel/R&B/Jazz/Blues) - I’ve been working on a lot of jazz related guitar lessons lately, and trying to sneak some of those licks into my blues playing. That’s why I was so psyched to see Kirk Fletcher’s latest video about jazzing up your blues. Check out this nearly half an hour vid.
The Easy Lick Beginners Need to Focus On! - Want an easy way to outline a minor or major chord? You’d be surprised to learn that a simple pentatonic lick you might already have under your fingers is the key to doing just that!
REVV | Shawn Tubbs Signature Tilt Overdrive Pedal | The sound in my head - I don’t usually link to a whole lot of gear in this newsletter, but I was excited to see Revv put out a new overdrive in collaboration with Shawn Tubbs. The pedal sounds awesome! If you haven’t checked out Shawn’s great album of mini guitar ideas, go check that out here.
The SECRET Amp On STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN! - At this point, you might think you know nearly everything there is to know about Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”. As Chris Brooks shows off though, did you know about Page’s secret amp he used on the track?
The Magnet Factory Final Sample! Unboxing And Overview - Troy Grady shows off the final sample of the Magnet, which is a product that helps hold your phone in place to record your picking hand. I can’t wait for this to be on sale. I missed the Kickstarter, but am interested in picking one up! What do you think about the Magnet?
When Is A Triad Not A Triad? - We’ve been talking so much about triads over the past couple of months. But when is a triad, not a triad? When it’s a 7th chord! Ry Naylor breaks down the theory behind making 7th chords from triad shapes you might already know.
Creating Effective Goals for Guitarists - I loved this video from Chris Sherland. It’s a back to basics video that’ll change your mindset on guitar goals. Set big goals, set sub goals, and then put in the work! Chris’ videos are always fun to watch, and leave me with something new to think about each time.
James Hetfield gets emotional onstage after feeling “insecure” about his guitar playing - I had to link to this article this week, because Metallica is what first got me into guitar years ago. I can’t believe after the massive success that Metallica and James Hetfield have had, that someone like him could get insecure about his guitar playing. Undoubtedly one of the best rhythm guitarists of all time. I hope Hetfield and co. keep trucking along, making new albums and touring the world.
John Frusciante shares 7 tips that will make you a better guitarist - Two great articles with tips from some of the most influential players out there. The first one is from John Frusciante of the Chili Peppers, who has 7 tips not only for guitarists, but musicians in general.
“It All Starts In the Mind”: Steve Vai Shares Some Words of Wisdom for Guitarists - We also had Guitar Player dipping into the interview archives, with Steve Vai dropping 3 short bits of inspiration on mentally getting in the zone with guitar.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading Six String Sunday!
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