Twitter Link
Syndicate
Mark's Guitar Blog
My blog has moved!
Our New Website is Up!
|
Hey guys! Just letting you know that this particular site will no longer be updated although it will remain up and running. All new lessons will be at www.MWGLforums.com both in my new blog over there Mark's New Guitar Blog and on the new site Front Page where you will not only have articles from me but several other contributors on playing guitar and making music in general! You will need to register (it's free!) at the new site since it is different from this one (if you do not already have a forum membership) but in addition to being able to post in the forums you get your own blog, we have free file hosting for you and access not only to my lessons but lessons and tutorials from many other experienced folks in our online community on subjects like Studio Recording, Live Performance, playing other instruments like Bass, Drums, Keyboards and Vocals as well as the staff of my physical music school in Orange California, Premier Music www.PremierSchoolofMusic.com and events such as our regular RecordingFests! Thanks and I'll see you guys over there.. Mark |
A short interview/Lesson I did with Oscar Jordan of ShareMyGuitar.com!
Whats up? I haven't been writing in my blog for about a month or so due to the studio being horribly busy and some website updates and whatnot, but I should be going again in February as things die down. This week was the NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants) and while I was there checking things out I did a few interviews, one for VintageRock.com that we'll see in a few weeks and this one with "ShareMyGuitar.com" that was just posted today....it's a quick version of my "Hendrix Rhythm Guitar" lesson from a few months ago....
Here are a few product reviews and other junk from the show that I posted over the weekend: Click here for a list of NAMM reviews and stories!
on GuitarWorld.com if you dig this blog!
Here are a few product reviews and other junk from the show that I posted over the weekend: Click here for a list of NAMM reviews and stories!
on GuitarWorld.com if you dig this blog!
Blog Rewind - Hybrid Picking, Walking Basslines and Double Stops
This weeks lesson is what I call a "Goodie Bag" lesson. I have a batch of licks or ideas that are loosely connected, but each can stand on their own...do all or part of the lesson!
The theme this week is "Hybrid Picking". Hybrid picking is where you use a combination of pick and fingers to play the strings as opposed to just using the pick or just playing fingerstyle.
The first example is a walking bass line played with the pick while the other fingers play chords. The thing to keep in mind is that the chord either happens WITH the bass note, or in between bass notes...it is not as hard as it seems.
The next few examples are mostly "double stops", where you play two notes at one time on adjacent strings. If you are playing more in a Chuck Berry style, you would use your pick to play the double stops. I usually play more of a country vibe on these ideas, so I use my ring and middle fingers to pluck both strings at the same time, and use the pick to play any single notes.
The fifth line down does not have any double stops, but I use the ring finger (notated "A" below) to snap the first of every six notes in the line.
The next two lines are ideas that you can use for either soloing, or as a rhythm guitar riff. Hybrid pick or pick normally, they will sound great in Blues, Rock or Country styles.
The licks on the last line are more for soloing...
Have fun with these...next week, more goodies!
Click Here for a Printable PDF version of this LessonThe theme this week is "Hybrid Picking". Hybrid picking is where you use a combination of pick and fingers to play the strings as opposed to just using the pick or just playing fingerstyle.
The first example is a walking bass line played with the pick while the other fingers play chords. The thing to keep in mind is that the chord either happens WITH the bass note, or in between bass notes...it is not as hard as it seems.
The next few examples are mostly "double stops", where you play two notes at one time on adjacent strings. If you are playing more in a Chuck Berry style, you would use your pick to play the double stops. I usually play more of a country vibe on these ideas, so I use my ring and middle fingers to pluck both strings at the same time, and use the pick to play any single notes.
The fifth line down does not have any double stops, but I use the ring finger (notated "A" below) to snap the first of every six notes in the line.
The next two lines are ideas that you can use for either soloing, or as a rhythm guitar riff. Hybrid pick or pick normally, they will sound great in Blues, Rock or Country styles.
The licks on the last line are more for soloing...
Have fun with these...next week, more goodies!
on GuitarWorld.com
The Joys of the Two Continent and Three State Cover Band
Today is the "Reveal" for the Recordingfest on my forum, and I personally collaborated on "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin with three other guys I've never met in person.
Here is the mp3: Black Dog
Instead of the usual "go to a studio, mic the instruments and perform the song and overdub" scheme that was how we used to have to do things computer recording and the internet have allowed me to record music with people on the other side of the globe in the privacy of my own office between students.
I have an Apple iMac with ProTools 8 LE recording software and an Mbox Mini. Instead of micing an amplifier I used a software amp modeler called GTR 3 Solo. Just enough to record with the big boys
I won't write too much about the process other than the Drums were recorded first in Norway, emailed to West Virginia to have bass played on them and then emailed to me.
Where they sat for about a month until I got around to playing rhythm guitar. I am usually the bottleneck in these things.
Usually the last week or so before things are due I get the rhythm guitars done and then shipped off to the next guy. All of the parts are emailed to the guy in W.V. since he is essentially the engineer and producer. After I sent back my rhythm guitars he sent a mix to the vocalist in San Diego who tracked his vocals while I went back to work on getting the solo happening.
I struggled with the solo a bit Saturday morning but my first student (who is a massive Led Zep fan) came for his lesson with his 1968 VOS Les Paul with pickups and electronics that he had custom made to emulate the Jimmy Page Les Paul I figured I'd give his guitar a go and the solo ended up coming together on his guitar. Sometimes a little bit of inspiration goes a long way!
Here I am at 8am Saturday morning trying to "BRING THE RAWK!!!!". Eventually it was "brought" and all of the tracks were mixed and posted for the 1970's Recordingfest on my forum.
Some of the other collaborations I've done with these guys:
Round and Round by Ratt
Still of the Night by Whitesnake
I get to play the music I wish I could have pulled of in High School, without the bad hair
on GuitarWorld.com!
Here is the mp3: Black Dog
Instead of the usual "go to a studio, mic the instruments and perform the song and overdub" scheme that was how we used to have to do things computer recording and the internet have allowed me to record music with people on the other side of the globe in the privacy of my own office between students.
I have an Apple iMac with ProTools 8 LE recording software and an Mbox Mini. Instead of micing an amplifier I used a software amp modeler called GTR 3 Solo. Just enough to record with the big boys
I won't write too much about the process other than the Drums were recorded first in Norway, emailed to West Virginia to have bass played on them and then emailed to me.
Where they sat for about a month until I got around to playing rhythm guitar. I am usually the bottleneck in these things.
Usually the last week or so before things are due I get the rhythm guitars done and then shipped off to the next guy. All of the parts are emailed to the guy in W.V. since he is essentially the engineer and producer. After I sent back my rhythm guitars he sent a mix to the vocalist in San Diego who tracked his vocals while I went back to work on getting the solo happening.
I struggled with the solo a bit Saturday morning but my first student (who is a massive Led Zep fan) came for his lesson with his 1968 VOS Les Paul with pickups and electronics that he had custom made to emulate the Jimmy Page Les Paul I figured I'd give his guitar a go and the solo ended up coming together on his guitar. Sometimes a little bit of inspiration goes a long way!
Here I am at 8am Saturday morning trying to "BRING THE RAWK!!!!". Eventually it was "brought" and all of the tracks were mixed and posted for the 1970's Recordingfest on my forum.
Some of the other collaborations I've done with these guys:
Round and Round by Ratt
Still of the Night by Whitesnake
I get to play the music I wish I could have pulled of in High School, without the bad hair
on GuitarWorld.com!
3 Note Per String Minor Scales
This is the 3rd of the 3 note per string lessons and it is the last of our "getting the patterns under our fingers" lessons.
Here are the first two:
3 Note per string Major Scales
3 Note per string Mixolydian Scales
Click here for a printable version of this lesson.
Here are the first two:
3 Note per string Major Scales
3 Note per string Mixolydian Scales
Click here for a printable version of this lesson.
Last minute Jazz gig
My buddy Martin lost the guitarist for his trio gig Saturday night so I headed out to the birthplace of Jazz (Yorba Linda, CA
)
to play two sets with him and a Singer/Violinist. It's a low volume gig
so the Tele neck pickup/slightly rolled down tone/solid state amp was
the sonic "Uniform of the Day".The FM65DSP will be seeing it's first gig ever. Actually, I don't think Ive even mentioned it on the forum. A student gave it to me a few years ago and it was in my office until the recent repainting. Not an inspiring amp, but it will get the job done. Not a gig for 40 year old (loud) tube amps in need of service so my Deluxe and Bassman stayed home.
The gig went pretty well. It was all lead sheet reading and the violinist played or sang most of the melodies since it was her gig. I sang one tune but it was mostly a comping gig with the occasional solo. It was nice to see some improvement in my playing since the last gig I did like this was last Christmas on Rodeo Drive.
Actually in the parking garage on Rodeo Drive since it was raining that night
These are the tunes that I remember playing:
Bewitched
But Beautiful
Autumn Leaves
Black Orpheus
God Save the Child
Sugar Sweet (I sang)
Blue Monk
All of Me
Fly me to the Moon
There were several other tunes I can't remember right now. Most of the night was spent doing the Freddy Green/Django style quarter note comping since it seemed to fit with the violin and the song selection best. The 2-3 Bossas that we played were a nice departure from that feel.
Apparently the singer liked me so I'm on the sub list for the gig now. The regular guitarist is my friend Stu Goodis who is a great Jazz guitarist who's studied with Pat Martino among others. I'm no where near the jazzer that he is but I think she liked the bluesy and more old style stuff I brought to the table. Being able to sing didn't hurt, either....
How I'm doing at the moment in my own battles and my discovery of "Sarod" picking.
I haven't been blogging on the "Reconstruction" thing the last few weeks...life got hectic and my actual "studies" went by the wayside although I've been playing a bunch. I'm recording a version of "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin for the forums Recordingfest with a few friends, I got asked to play the "Star Spangled Banner" ala Jimi Hendrix at a local political function and I have gigs coming up with two different bands in the next few weeks.
One thing that has been progressing is my right hand technique, though. I think it all started when Robert Renman from Dolphinstreet.com came by my studio to visit last December and while playing my guitars sounded totally different than me. One thing was his choice of pick (heavy, where I was playing Fender Mediums) but his hands just worked more efficiently on the instrument than mine did. The whole last year has been me working on that inspiration. The Bluegrass stuff has helped, as well as getting rid of the Pod in my teaching studio. Not having the compressed amp models to play through all day long has really forced me to be more accurate and consistent with my pick attack.
This week's revelation has come from one of the guys in my forum (mosiddqui), who posted a Peber Brown video on "Sarod" picking. Just working on it last night for an hour or so I was actually able to gain some fluidity and some dynamic headroom that I didn't have before in my pick attack....here are the videos:
The "What did you work on today" thread has been cool because it's giving us some food for thought in our own practicing by watching what some of the other guys are working on...I highly recommend it! http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8063
One thing that has been progressing is my right hand technique, though. I think it all started when Robert Renman from Dolphinstreet.com came by my studio to visit last December and while playing my guitars sounded totally different than me. One thing was his choice of pick (heavy, where I was playing Fender Mediums) but his hands just worked more efficiently on the instrument than mine did. The whole last year has been me working on that inspiration. The Bluegrass stuff has helped, as well as getting rid of the Pod in my teaching studio. Not having the compressed amp models to play through all day long has really forced me to be more accurate and consistent with my pick attack.
This week's revelation has come from one of the guys in my forum (mosiddqui), who posted a Peber Brown video on "Sarod" picking. Just working on it last night for an hour or so I was actually able to gain some fluidity and some dynamic headroom that I didn't have before in my pick attack....here are the videos:
The "What did you work on today" thread has been cool because it's giving us some food for thought in our own practicing by watching what some of the other guys are working on...I highly recommend it! http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8063
Blog Rewind - Minor Pentatonic Scale Lesson #4 - Sequences
Click here for a printable PDF Version of this lesson!
Click here if you'd like to vote for this entry on GuitarWorld.com!
Click here if you'd like to vote for this entry on GuitarWorld.com!
3 Note Per String Mixolydian Scales
This is the second lesson in our series on 3 note per string scale fingerings. I chose the Mixolydian Mode this week since it is so similar to the Major scale (the only difference is that the 7th note is one fret or "half step" lower) and because I had a student who needed the lesson this week. 
Click here for a printable version of this lesson
Click here for a printable version of this lesson
Blog Rewind - Minor Pentatonic Scale Lesson #3
Here is the third in our series on building phrases in the minor pentatonic scale. This week is not as much about the phrase building as it is about knowing where your scale patterns and notes are all over the neck. Next week will be our fourth (and probably last) lesson on this subject and we will spend a little more time playing music as opposed to running scales, but for now we need this foundation to build on.
At the end of the video there are two short extras of me playing. After I did the lesson I thought I should do a small improvised piece to demonstrate how to play these ideas all over the neck. I liked both of them, so I figured I would leave them in. Please disregard my lame verbal introduction, since I was going to do a couple of takes and keep the best and not use them both!
Click here for downloadable PDF versions of this lesson
