Nick Vail’s StagePlayer
The StagePlayer is a combination folding stool/guitar stand created by Nick Vail Designs. I use a folding stool similar to this when I play guitar, and I can see the benefit to having an attached guitar stand.
Here are some of the features of the StagePlayer:
- no assembly required
- weighs only 10lbs
- fully padded and comfortable
- fits most guitars, basses, and banjos
- neck support and non-slip foam on the folding support arms
- safe for all finishes
- rugged metal construction
- holds up to 250lbs
How to Draw a Guitar
DragoArt.com features drawing tutorials for drawing many different objects. Recently, a drawing tutorial was posted on how to draw Kirk Hammett’s signature ESP guitar. Another post by the same artist described how to draw an acoustic guitar. These are interesting tutorials. If you’re interested in drawing, you should check them out.
JamLegend
JamLegend is an online game in the vein of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. According to the JamLegend Web site:
Enjoy a potentially unlimited song list through a new platform allowing artists to promote their music in an engaging way. JamLegend features massive online multiplayer for real-time showdowns between thousands of players, as well as turn based competition for dueling with a friend. Robust social features, leaderboards, real-time notifications, and social network integration round out the features list. Best of all, it’s free.
JamLegend seems to be positioning itself as not only an online game, but a place for artists to launch new songs that fans can then play. The site is currently in private beta, but you can sign up for an invite code and watch a trailer on the JamLegend.com Web site.
Free Jam Tracks
a website dedicated to giving you free jam tracks
nuff said - it time to jam!
Free jam tracks are available in MP3 and WMA format and in multiple styles, including blues, reggae, rock, metal, country, and jazz. The tracks are well-done and sound fairly professional. You can also get jam tracks for bass players and drummers. If you’re interested, you can also read about the equipment used to create the tracks.
Daily Deal: Sonny Landreth From the Reach for $2.99
Amazon.com publishes a daily deal each day featuring MP3 albums that are on sale for $2.99. Today’s MP3 Daily Deal is Sonny Landreth’s From the Reach, which features Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Vince Gill, and others.
For various reasons, I don’t typically buy anything from Amazon, but this is a great deal on a great album. If you haven’t yet purchased From the Reach, do so today at Amazon.com for only $2.99. (This is a one-day deal; tomorrow the price will be raised back up to $8.99, which is still a good deal on a great album.)
Stevie Ray Vaughan on Rosewood Fretboards
Stevie Ray Vaughan, in an October 1984 interview with Guitar Player Magazine, responding to the question “Do any of your guitars have maple necks?”:
Lenny does. It has a real clear tone, and the pickups are microphonic-you can hear it when you hit the pickguard. But when you play it soft, it sounds great. When I first got the guitar, it had a rosewood fretboard, but it was thinner, and that bothered me. So I put a copy of a Fender maple neck on there that Billy Gibbons gave me. I like the rosewood necks usually, because, for one thing, when you sweat, you don’t get blisters. It seems like the finish on a maple neck gets hotter, and there’s more friction. As hard as I play and as much as I sweat, I get sore enough as it is. There’s a fatter sound on the rosewood, as far as I can tell. It’s not as bright. The ebony fretboard seems a little clearer, but it’s fat, too.
I’ve previously expressed my preference for rosewood fretboards. It’s interesting to hear Stevie Ray’s opinion on the matter.
Tallan “T-Man” Latz Banned in Wisconsin
The Associated Press reported last week that a young 8-year old blues guitarist named Tallan “T-Man” Latz was recently banned from playing in bars in Wisconsin:
An anonymous e-mail sent to state officials complained that Tallan was too young to perform in taverns and nightclubs because of state child labor laws. His booking agent even got an anonymous letter threatening her with death if she keeps booking him.
While I think sending death threats and being jealous of another guitar player (especially an 8-year-old prodigy) is ridiculous, I actually agree with the decision to ban Tallan from bars. While Tallan is obviously a unique talent, I don’t see the benefit in regularly putting him into a bar environment at such a young age. He’s still able to play at other venues, just not in bars.
I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from Tallan in the future, but you won’t be hearing him in bars in the near future. Here’s a video clip of Tallan playing with Les Paul this past June:
Joe Bonamassa on the Les Paul
Joe Bonamassa discussing why he chose the Les Paul as his instrument of choice:
“One night, I was doing this classical thing I do using the volume control, and I was playing it on a Strat,” Bonamassa said. “When I finished the show someone came up to me and told that I sounded like Stevie Ray [Vaughan] playing a violin. Well, bless his heart, and God bless Stevie Ray, but it sounded nothing like Stevie Ray. And please don’t get me wrong, I was heavily influenced by Stevie, but what it showed me is that if you waltz up there with a Stratocaster and play anything remotely resembling the blues you’re going to be compared to someone else.”
Unfortunately, I think he’s right. If you strap on a Strat and play a blues lick, you’re going to be compared to Stevie Ray. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, but I imagine it can get frustrating if you’re trying to make a name for yourself as a guitarist and songwriter.
Pre-Gig Rituals
Many athletes are superstitious. Whenever they get on a streak, they try and do the same thing before each game. For example, they may wear the same shirt and the same socks, or they may eat the same food before each game.
Are musicians similarly superstitious? I.e. if you gig regularly, do you have a pre-gig ritual that you must follow before every show? Do you have to listen to the same song before every show? Do you have to have a group hug before every show?
I haven’t gigged in a long time, so I don’t have any pre-gig rituals. However, if you gig regularly, let us know if you have any pre-gig rituals!
Do you want to be a guitar player, or do you want to play guitar?
During one of John Grisham’s recent book tours, Grisham answered questions posed by readers. One reader posed the basic question “How can I become a writer?” I thought Grisham’s response was fantastic. He essentially responded by saying “Do you want to be a writer, or do you want to write?” It was a very thought-provoking answer, and I think the same logic applies to the guitar.
I think most of us got into playing guitar because we wanted to be a guitar player. We were inspired by our favorite guitarist(s), and we picked up the instrument to try and recreate the music that we loved. Moreover, many of us wanted to be a famous guitar hero that other people look up to like we looked up to our heroes. Wanting to be a guitar player is not a bad thing. However, at some point, those of us that stick with the instrument must make the transition from wanting to be a guitar player to wanting to play guitar.
You might be wondering, “What’s the difference?” The distinction is this. Wanting to be a guitar player is an external motivating factor. The focus is on how other people perceive you. By contrast, wanting to play guitar is an internal motivating factor. You are playing guitar because you want to, not because you want others to perceive you as a guitar player. If you want to play the guitar, you will do so even if no one else knows about it. It takes a lot of hours woodshedding in order to be a great guitar player, and most of those hours are spent alone hunched over the guitar. And, spending all that time requires a great desire to play the guitar.
Although I think wanting to play guitar is more important than wanting to be a guitar player, I’m not suggesting that you can’t want to do both. In fact, some of the best artists are those that love the guitar so much, they can’t think of doing anything other than being a guitar player and playing the guitar all the time. The choices are not mutually exclusive. However, I don’t think you can ever be a great guitar player unless you want to play guitar all the time.
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About
Welcome to my guitar blog! My name is Josh, and this site is my attempt to celebrate the guitar, its history, and its players. Read more...
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