I’m a musician, writer, and comic artist. Welcome to my website.
Neil Young is one of the few artists who has successfully jumped from solo acoustic singer-songwriter to grunge rocker to country bandleader and had hits in each style. This song is one of his popular acoustic hits. And while it is an acoustic song with country flavorings, it also has a cool driving acoustic guitar part with riffs in the intro that feels more rock than country.
The original "gut strings" used for classical guitars were made from the small intestines of sheep. The three treble strings were made from sheep intestine, referred to as plain gut, while the three bass strings were made of a silk thread core wound with gut. The production material changed to nylon due to World War II, when all available gut and was used in the production of surgical thread for wounded soldiers.
Many new guitar players spend most of their time practicing while seated. However, you will rarely play live sitting down — unless you are doing an acoustic guitar set on a stool, or playing classical guitar. It is a good idea to start spending time practicing the guitar while standing. Buy a strap if you don’t have one and adjust it until the guitar is in a comfortable position (not too high or low) similar to where it would be sitting down.
The song was written in 1963 by popular latin jazz musician Tito Puente, but when Santana covered it replacing the flute and horn parts with overdriven rock guitar it became a huge hit for the young latin rock group. The rhythmic Am7 to D9 chords and latin percussion provide the perfect bed for the single note rock guitar of Carlos Santana playing the melody.
When you play outdoor gigs, you never know where you might end up playing. Yesterday Peak City Sound was booked to play at a PGA tournament at a very nice local country club. Sweet. But we ended up playing on a huge balcony way above the audience, who were milling around a bunch of food trucks.
For 30 years I thought Gordon Lightfoot was singing “every highway.” Today I learned it was “carefree highway.” I don’t like the song now.
Nothing will improve your guitar playing quite like playing with other musicians. Whether it’s a guitar teacher, a friend who also plays guitar, starting a band with friends, being part of a jam session, playing at church, playing at school, or anything that involves playing with other real live musicians, it is good for you. You will invariably pick up ideas, riffs, chords, techniques, or just experience that will improve your playing and make you a better musician.
I have posted a new Jam Track on the Media Page And YouTube. It is a slightly funky track called Kinda Funky. Jam Tracks are full band (guitar, bass, keys, drums) backing tracks that you can use to practice guitar soloing over.
"Chopping" the treble strings of a chord on beats 2 and 4 is a staple of Motown and 60's R&B music. This song also adds a simple guitar riff in the chorus. It is good practice to play songs where you don’t play the 1 beat. (Reggae is another example of music where the guitar often doesn’t play the 1 beat.)
You should get into the habit of playing every day. If you play every day, you will improve faster. Becoming a good guitar player is a mix of desire and spending time actually playing. Repetition is the key to learning anything.
I found a copy of Moby Dick in a field Over The Hills And Far Away. In the back of it was an advertisement for a Stairway To Heaven that people could buy. I was a little Dazed And Confused, but I figured it was just a scam, so I decided I would be better off Going To California and seeing The Ocean. Unfortunately a Black Dog blocked my path and gave No Quarter. I thought Hey, Hey What Can I Do? Then I remembered that I had picked up Four Sticks for firewood and I threw them. The dog chased them and I ran like a Fool In The Rain. It was In The Evening so I knew it would be a Night Flight. When I finally made it Down By The Seaside it was a real Celebration Day.
This is the song that put the "power" into power chords. It was also the first 45 (vinyl single) I ever bought when I was 12. It had the album version of Smoke On The Water on one side and the radio edit of Smoke On The Water on the other. I remember thinking "What a rip-off." Ha ha.
One of my musical goals is to play a green tambourine in a yellow submarine.
"Now listen while I play, play, play, play, play, play, play, play..."
Open chords are chords that have at least one open string. Many guitar players begin by learning open chords. Then they progress to power chords, barre chords and other moveable chord shapes. While there are no hard rules, a lot of popular music (rock, country, pop, folk, etc.) is created using mainly Major and Minor chords with other types of chords (7, m7, maj7, sus4, etc.) being used less often. Blues music typically uses a lot of 7th chords and even some 9th chords.
In 1978 I was a teenager working as a grill cook at a restaurant called Bill Knapps in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I got to know the janitor there who played some guitar and sang (he sounded a lot like Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull.) His name was Dave (I can’t remember his last name.) Dave lived in a house with three other guys who were all in local bands. Dave invited me over to do some jamming. I was expecting it to be just him and me, but when I got there, two of his roommates where there.
I was just thinking how much the way of life in the "Wild West" affected 1980's "Hair Metal" music. For example, imagine if cattle driving hadn't been such a big part of the old west, and Bon Jovi had to re-write the lyrics to Wanted Dead Or Alive to reflect
A capo is a mechanical device that clamps onto the neck of the guitar and changes the guitar's tuning. Capos are typically used by acoustic guitar players, but they work equally well on electric guitars. There are essentially two types of guitar capos: six string capos and cut capos.
You have probably heard the saying “Practice makes perfect” and there is a element of truth to the cliche. If you practice something enough times you should be able to play it well consistently. But should perfection be the ultimate goal for music?
Chicago was one of the most popular rock bands of the 70s to incorporate a horn section into its music. This song is one you can learn in stages. Even beginners can handle the fun, opening riff with a little alternate picking practice. It simply descends down the 6th string moving form the 5th fret to the 3rd to the 2nd to the 1st to the open 6th string. Then starts again.
Did you know that the guitar is a transposing instrument? It is. What’s a transposing instrument? A transposing instrument is an instrument whose written notes are read at a pitch different than concert pitch. What is concert pitch? Concert pitch is a standard set for use in orchestras. In concert pitch the A note above middle C on the piano is 440 Hz.
