All in Thoughts
And So It Began
When I was a kid I heard a guy make cool sounds using wood and steel. And I liked it. So I decided to become one of those guys.
Too Good For Your Own Good?
The passing of Alan Holdsworth has me thinking about “virtuoso” guitarists. If you have never heard of Alan Holdsworth, that is my point. Although he was a highly skilled player with amazing technique and was highly respected by professional musicians, outside of guitar players, fusion, and prog rock circles I doubt many people know him. It’s a common sad story that...
It Makes Me Wonder
Because I occasionally buy guitar supplies online, I end up seeing online advertising for gaudy t-shirts that are a variation on the theme “I’m cool because I play guitar.” My friends and family already know I play guitar. And they know I’m not cool. So who is this t-shirt message for? If I walk into...
Jazz Band Update
I started to start a jazz band back in August. My idea was a little untraditional. Instead of a standard fixed line up for the band, I decided I wanted to have a “collective” of musicians who could play whenever they are available. There were good reasons for this...
Guitar Naming Laziness
Why do so many guitar companies use letter/number combinations to name their guitars? Is it laziness? Is it easier to fit letter/number combinations on their spreadsheets?...
Guitars Are Tools
Guitars are tools. They are tools designed to create music. Every good workman appreciates quality tools. They make the job easier and more enjoyable. But they are still tools, designed to do a job. A hammer drives nails. A guitar makes music. I think sometimes guitar players...
Starting To Start A Band
I’m starting to start a jazz band. Starting a band can be difficult. You have a vision in you head but no one else can read your mind. So you try to explain it using words. Unfortunately, words are mostly inadequate when it comes to explaining music. And then...
Everything Is An Effect
If you hang around guitar players or visit guitar discussion groups you will soon run into debates about using guitar effects and tone.
One side of the debate usually argues “tone comes from your fingers” and suggests that “all you need is a good tube amp and a guitar, then use the tone and volume controls.”
Tear Down Those Musical Walls
A common question guitar instructors ask their students is “What kind of music do you like?” Being a guitar instructor I have asked this question myself knowing that the answer is usually going to be one particular style of music. It may be country, or classic rock, or blues, or metal. It doesn’t really matter. The point is
Weird Guitar Stuff #2
I never really understood why some guitar players only play acoustic or only play electric guitar. They are missing half the fun.
Who Coined The Term Shred?
There is much historical debate on who coined the term "shred" as it relates to guitar. One explanation states that it was coined in the early 1980s by a guitar magazine writer
George Martin, The "Fifth Beatle" Dies At Age 90
In 1962 The Beatles were a raw rock and roll band that nobody in the music industry wanted to produce. But George Martin, a young producer at EMI Studios with a classical music and novelty record background, heard a creative spark he thought he could nurture. And over the next eight years he guided the lads from Liverpool from a raw vocal guitar band into a musical phenomenon, and arguably the most popular and influential band of all times.
Trials Of The Musician With A Common Name
Some musicians can go by their first name only, like Cher or Elvis. That doesn't work for Mark. So I thought about changing my name to Reginaldo. But I don't look much like a Reginaldo, and people already know me as Mark. So then I thought about changing the spelling of my name to Reginaldo but still pronouncing it Mark.
I Want To Be A Clone
Many guitar players start out by copying their heroes. It is only natural to want to learn the music you like and copy the players who inspire you. When I was a teenager, I also wanted to play like my guitar heroes. But I wasn’t very good at copying their style.
The Best Things In Life Require Risk
I am mainly a guitar player but a couple of years ago a guitar student of mine asked me if I taught bass. I said “I don’t play bass, but have wanted to learn how for a long time. How about we learn it together?” She agreed and we started alternating guitar lesson one week, bass lesson the next.
New Gibson "Nobody Famous" Signature Model Archtop?
Open Letter to the Gibson Guitar Corporation:
"I just want to publicly let the Gibson Guitar Corporation know that I am available to endorse a Mark Starlin "Nobody Famous" signature model L-5. Sure you already have Wes Montgomery and Lee Ritenour signature model L-5s. But just imagine the outpouring of positive publicity Gibson would get if you built a signature model L-5 for a non-famous jazz guy named Mark Starlin (me) who could never afford one, and who would write about the guitar repeatedly on his website, and brag about it on gigs.
Music Versus Technique
Think about this. Would you rather have someone come up to you after a gig and say:
“I love your music.”
or
“You are an awesome guitar player.”
Some Things Never Get Old
Some things never get old. Like opening up a guitar case and seeing the guitar you are about to play. And the anticipation of another musical journey.
Taylor Swift = Superhero
I never really thought too much about Taylor Swift until recently. To me she was someone who wrote love and breakup songs that many girls loved. My girl guitar students were usually excited to learn the song “Ours” and my guy students usually groaned at the mention of her. But in the past few months she has elevated herself in my opinion in several ways.