Beginning with the major pentatonic

In the last post called Jamming I I introduced you all to a movable pentatonic minor blues box. It’s the foundation of most blues rock guitar and a really very highly versatile scale that will allow you to play licks, phrases and motifs across the neck.

BUT it’s definitely a scale with a dark and minor character: moody, doleful and chock full of midnight moonlight. What happens though if you manage to shake off those blues shackles and even crack a wry old grin into your sleeve every now and then?

So to complement the minor today I`m going to introduce the Major Pentatonic Box and this has a much more uplifting “major” character. If this sounds a litttle like GREEK to you then “DONT PANIC!” because it’s all about creating a mood, it’s all about discovering the way different sounds and intervals (the gaps between notes in terms of both pitch and space) create, enhance or combine to communicate emotion.

Paul Ubana Jones Fingerpicking

In the late eighties Paul and his family moved to New Zealand, which is still their permanent home. He has continued to perform internationally, to growing acclaim. Concert performances include opening for the likes of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo’, Tuck and Patti, and Crowded House.

Understandably Paul’s “off the hook” skills aren’t something that’ll come to you overnight, unless you’re friends with the devil, but, to compliment the awesome Blind Blake style fingerpicking lesson from Jim Bruce, Paul’s approach to fusion expands upon an already eloquent vocabulary.

So, here is Paul discussing one of his clawhammer thumb picking patterns.

Whilst this may be out of your playing depth technically Paul describes some helpful techniques in approaching fingerpicking such as focusing upon a relaxed hand and extracting and concentrating upon the the rhythm of the left hand – it`s well worth spending some time in trying to apply Paul’s advice to your own picking practice regime.

In a world of increasing homogeneity and gratuitous eulogising of the mediocre by the media simply for what appears to be the sake of having something to talking about, it’s a rare sight to behold aberrations to the normal especially in the form of unique and uncompromising talent.

Smokin’ Guitars with Daddy Mojo Smojo

After last weeks biscuit tin bandolero post today`s magnificent homewares based gutar art comes courtesy of the fine, fine craftsmen at Daddy Mojo!After last weeks biscuit tin bandolero post today`s magnificent homewares based guitar art comes courtesy of the fine, fine craftsmen at Daddy Mojo!
If you have a penchant for the ostentatious and chocolatey flavours of the Republic of Cuba’s most famous export, hand rolled upon the thighs of young Cuban virgins as it is then light up another top ranking stogie because when you’ve finished that box the fellas at Mojo Daddy can turn it into a world of acoustic worhty of any bluesgrass, cotton-pickin’, square dancin’, chicken pickin` jamboree!

Listening & guitar I

Which is the right way to learn?

With the explosion of the internet and the vast cornucopia of you tube videos, tablature sites and other resources available online it’s easy to forget that one of the key skills for any musician is the ability to listen. Before the internet came along most of us learnt from records – through attempts to emulate or approximate the playing of artists we enjoyed listening to.Not from the internet but through learning songs from records a nd playing along with them.

Eric Clapton has consistently reiterated that he listened and learnt his trade from artists such as Freddie, B.B. and Albert King for example. He didn’t use tabs – he learned by listening. Nuances come across in listening: listening cannot be written down; and while tablature can be a fast shortcut to playing a piece of music there is an invaluable experiential quality to be gained from using your ears.

Because listening is exactly what you`ll be doing when you’re playing along with a group or in the studio it’s a very highly valuable exercise for any guitarist. The particular qualities of any high calibre guitarist cannot be expressed in tablature form. What makes a guitarist exceptional is the combination of technique, timing, phrasing and tonal quality that they bring to their playing – facets that your ear alone can pick up.

It takes a long time but its worth taking the time to train your ear through replicating the sounds that you hear on records. To begin with you`ll struggle and find it difficult, but over time the process will become easier.

Being an imitator is the first step along the road to becoming a creator but there are ways of imitation. Looking up the tab on the internet is the fast easy way, but if you really want to develop then use your ears as well. Remember though the sound you`re really looking to find is the sound of yourself.

BOSS PEDALS

Boss have put together a basic interactive online pedal board that can help you configure and chain together some effects and sounds. If you are new to pedals then this is a great place to start.

It’s no substitute fro heading down to your nearest guitar dealer and playing Stairway to Heaven for four hours but it might help get you in the mood.

Gaining the Edge

Yeah right! The reality is that the Edge redefined rock/pop guitar sounds in a way that was highly distinctive, innovative and non-traditional way that originally fell like machine gun fire randomly across the cannon of guitar – blues, funk,  rock,  punk, new wave etcetera – that his sounds have now become mainstream and replicated to […]

Jeff Healey

There’s an awful lot of talk about tone and technique but talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. One guitarist who never let anything get in the way of his playing , and also one will be sorely missed is the immense and unique talent of Jeff Healey a blind guitarist who played the guitar whilst it lay across his lap.

Healey’s literally hands-on approach to the guitar gave him an unsurpassable level of attack & sustain rivalling that of Jimi Hendrix combined with an absolutely devastating high octane thumb fretting and soaring string bending technique. I saw Jeff in the early 90`s in London and the performance was absolutely mesmerising, highly physical and intensely emotional. If you’re struggling to find inspiration and the practice routine or lessons are getting you down perhaps try doing it with your eyes shut.

Beer Amp

My liver suffered to bring you this awesome amp, don’t worry… the beer went to a good cause! The sleek design and sound quality will blow you away! Works great for Guitar, Bass, and MP3 players. Plugs into a standard wall outlet. The amp has a power switch and volume control. Makes a great gift […]