The guitar pick dispenser pedal is real
Plus, the Chasing Sound book club kicks off in August
I can’t believe we’re already at the last newsletter of July. I feel like this summer has been so packed with events that it feels like we’re trucking right along. I had a little time off this Friday, and I was riffing on a classic Metallica song, plus I announced the new Chasing Sound Book Club, which is kicking off with The Advancing Guitarist in August. Check out that video here.
This week I have some great guitar lessons videos for you, plus we have Brian Wampler riffing on a Rick Beato idea to make “What Makes This Pedal Great?” featuring the Blues Driver. There’s also a lot of gear going up for sale soon (take a look at the last section of this week’s issue). Let’s get right into this week’s links.
This Week’s Guitar Links
- How to REALLY Practice Licks and Legato - John Cordy talks about the benefits of learning licks, and what that learning time offers you long term. Not only is the lick important, but you can target problem areas in your playing to kill a couple birds with one stone. I've talked about this on the livestream in the past, comparing it to James Clear's habit stacking method. Cordy shows us a great legato lick to wrap the video up.
- What Makes This Pedal Great? Boss BD-2 Blues Driver - You've almost certainly seen Rick Beato's "What Makes This Song Great?" series. Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals put a twist on that series with "What Makes This Pedal Great?”. Wampler kicks off the series with the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. He goes through the circuit, shows off audio examples and more. I love hearing all the technical details behind the design.
- Recording Guitar Tones with Nita Strauss - Guitar Center caught up with Nita Strauss to make a couple of videos about recording guitar. Nita and GC set up a sick home studio rig, with Nita having the ability to demo multiple tones for a song. Also check out Nita's song breakdown of the lead single “Summer Storm", which is off her awesome new album.
- LEVEL UP Your SHRED SKILLS!! - Want to shred like Nita? Check out this new video from Ben Eller. He plays through shred licks and asks the question if making a lick more technically difficult to play, makes it cooler. No matter what your opinioin, this video will get your chops up.
- Rhythm Guitar 101: The Blues! Feel & Timing - I always like watching Guthrie Trapp's videos, because he's actually recording, playing live, and in the mix on the road. His lessons always come with a bunch of stories. His latest focuses on playing blues rhythm, with tips from his years of playing the genre.
- 6 WAYS TO SOLO over DOMINANT 7 CHORDS (Altered Scale, Diminished Scale, Mixolydian) | Ben Eunson - If you're looking for something a little more advanced, check out Ben Eunson's latest video, where he talks about 6 great ways to solo over dominant 7 chords. You'll find these chords in everything from jazz to blues and more. Learning the Mixolydian mode alone will help you with nearly any genre of music you're playing.
- Connecting Chords and Melodies: The Fun Useful Way - Guthrie Trapp put out a great lesson on breaking down bigger chords into smaller ones, and connecting the melodies through these smaller chord shapes. It's all about investigating what notes are moving between each chord. One of my favorite lessons of the week.
- Sam Bell - How to Make Real Progress on Guitar - If you're feeling burnt out, and like you're not making progress on guitar, you should check out Sam Bell's latest video for Lick Library. One of the best bits of advice I got from the video is breaking down your progress with checkpoints and into "seasons". It makes practicing seem less overwhelming.
- Five Things You Should Know About Frets - I enjoyed checking out this quick primer all about frets. If you're new to the guitar, you might not know how much they affect the feel and tone, and that at some point, they even need to be replaced. If you want even more tips related to gear, check out this post on 9 guitar tech tips you should know.
Got G.A.S.? These links might not help
Lots of gear is going up for sale soon. Jason Becker is selling a very sentimental guitar that EVH gave him when they first met. Both Muse and Jack White are selling off lots of gear, including Jack’s White Blood Cells guitar, and Muse’s Kempers with their tones on them. Dimebag’s Warhead amp is slated to come out this year, and GW is wondering if his guitars are next? And finally, someone made a guitar pick dispenser inside of a pedal, and you can get your very own by backing their Indiegogo campaign. What new gear have you picked up recently?
- Jason Becker is selling the guitar Eddie Van Halen gave him in their emotional first meeting
- Dimebag Darrell’s legendary Warhead amp is returning this year – could his guitars be next?
- Guitar Pick Dispenser Pedal | Indiegogo
Looking for great guitar or recording lessons? I’m taking new students for end of summer / early fall!
Try out 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!