I'm happy to announce another contest here on Guitar Lifestyle! I have several copies of Steve Morse's latest CD Out Standing in Their Field to give away. In my opinion, this is one of Morse's best albums in a long time. Like Morse's previous albums, he melds various styles together to create an eclectic album of great guitar playing, as well as great bass playing by Dave … [Read more...]
Music First
Classical guitarist and composer Kevin Gallagher, from his recent article "Music First": We cannot excel at any style of music by simply putting our fingers in the correct place at the correct time. There are no excellent jazz guitarists that I know of who don't have an understanding of jazz music. There are no great pop guitarists who don't have an understanding of pop music. … [Read more...]
Johnny Hiland Now Endorsing Ernie Ball Music Man Guitars
Sterling Ball has confirmed that former PRS-endorser Johnny Hiland is now endorsing Ernie Ball Music Man guitars: As of today Johnny Hiland has joined our family as a valued endorsee. Johnny is over the moon with the Silhouette and will be playing them for a long time we both hope. This was rumored a few weeks ago, but at the time Ball stated that he and Hiland had not spoken … [Read more...]
Blues with Brains Volumes II and III
In June, I reviewed Chuck D'Aloia's Blues with Brains DVD, which is designed to help you add some sophistication to your blues. I liked the DVD, and I like Chuck's approach to teaching. Since then, Chuck has released two new volumes of his Blues with Brains series, providing further information about how to jazz up your blues soloing. Volume 2 expands upon the insights provided … [Read more...]
Notable Albums of 2009
At the end of the year, I always like to reflect on all the great music that came out during the year. There were quite a few good albums that were released in 2009. Here's a list of some of the more notable ones that crossed my radar in 2009 (in no particular order): The Ballad of John Henry by Joe Bonamassa - Each new album by Joe Bonamassa shows him stretching the … [Read more...]