Newsletter Vol. 3 # 28 – August 15, 2006

Greetings,

Welcome to Volume 3, Issue #28 of Guitar Noise News!

In This Issue:

• News and Announcements
• Complete Idiot’s Guide To Bass Guitar Giveaway
• New Articles and Lessons
• Exploring Music With Darrin Koltow
• Digging Through The Archives
• Event Horizon
• Reviews
• International Songwriting Contest
• Random Thoughts

News And Announcements

The middle of August is here upon us and we welcome you to the August 15 edition of Guitar Noise News.

One of the things I’ve been enjoying lately is hearing from people about how much they’ve been out and playing with others. A number of our readers and Forum members seem to out there finding out firsthand of the joys of sharing their music.

I just this weekend got a note informing me that Guitar Noise reader Tina Mellen-Whittimore won an American Fender Stratocaster for her entry at Dan Denley’s amazingguitarsecrets.com. You can read Tina’s entry, along with many, many others, here

Congratulations on your new guitar, Tina, and I hope that you have a great time playing it!

Complete Idiot’s Guide To Playing Bass Guitar Giveaway

Our new contest doesn’t involve anything as fancy as a new guitar. But we are giving away twenty autographed copies of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Bass Guitar, which will be out in bookstores very soon. September 5 is the “official” date I’ve received, but from what I’ve heard about publishing, plan on giving or taking a few days.

Because my writing this book could not have come about without the support of Guitar Noise and the readers of this site, Paul and I want to show our appreciation by giving away these twenty autographed copies of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Bass Guitar over the course of the next few months.

I’d like to take that a step further, though. The first ten copies of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Bass Guitar to be given away will be selected from contestants who are subscribers to Guitar Noise News. If you’d like a chance to win a copy, then just follow the following rules:

First, answer the following questions:

How long have you been visiting Guitar Noise?

Do you remember how you first learned about our website? (link, search engine, referral from friend, etc.,)

What section of Guitar Noise do you visit most often?

What keeps you coming back to Guitar Noise?

How many strings are there on a typical four-string bass guitar?

Second, send your answers along with your name and email address to: contest@guitarnoise.com

And BE CERTAIN TO WRITE “Bass Book Giveaway” IN THE SUBJECT LINE

We will be accepting entries up through August 31, 2006. The drawing will be held on September 10 and winners will be announced in the September 15 issue of Guitar Noise News.

I will ship these books anywhere in the world, so everyone with a mailing address is eligible to enter.

New Articles And Lessons

Sean Bui
A Lesson In Irish Flatpicking Guitar
by Doug Sparling

GN’s favorite Celtic lesson writer returns with a jig in his step. Here’s a sprightly air in 6/8 time to challenge you and delight your ears!

Take This Test
by Tom Hess

Knowing your goals, knowing yourself is one of the smartest ways of pursuing your desired path in life, whether it’s a music career or simply being a better friend or family member. Take a few minutes and let Tom help you find your way.

5 Essentials Of Music Career Success
by Peter Spellman

Music is too big a world for a one-size-fits-all model of music career success. Musicians’ career paths are as unique as their individual finger prints. Peter Spellman shares his guidelines for anyone trying to make a career out of their love of music.

Exploring Music With Darrin Koltow

Bump it Down

Last time we took a major chord shape and transferred it from strings 2 to 5, to strings 1 through 4. The purpose of doing that is to expand your knowledge of the fretboard. When you learn one shape, whether a scale, chord or something else, you increase your fretboard navigation skills if you translate that shape to as many different places as possible. When you can move around the fretboard with ease, you get a sense of being a solid guitarist.

We’re going to cover the flip side of Bump It Down in this installment. We’ll take a pattern that falls across that gnarly difference in tuning between strings 2 and 3, and move it down in pitch. We translated a chord last time, so let’s do a lick this time.

|-8-7-6-4-5-------|-----------|
|-----------6-----|-----------|
|-------------8-7-|-5-----5---|
|-----------------|---6-7-----|
|-----------------|---------8-|
|-----------------|-----------|

|-----------------|-----------|
|-8-7-6-4-5-------|-----------|
|-----------5-----|-----------|
|-------------8-7-|-5-----5---|
|-----------------|---6-7-----|
|-----------------|---------8-|

These are all eighth notes.

Look at the differences between the two tabs. Really, the only place you need to look is at strings 2 and 3. Obviously, nothing remains on string 1 in the second tab. The transferred lick starts on string 2 now. All the fret numbers are the same, for string 2, as they were for string 1, in the original lick.

Now look at string 3 on the transferred lick: its one note, at fret 5, is one fret less than the corresponding note of the original lick, which is on string 2, fret 6.

Beyond string 3, all other fret numbers are the same. In other words, strings 4 and 5 of the original lick transfer exactly, fret for fret, from the pattern on strings 3 and 4 of the original lick.

Look more closely at string 3 of the transposed lick. What did we do to transfer the notes used to be on string 2? All we did was slide back the fret one.

Put it another way: whatever pattern you have on string 2 that you want to duplicate on string 3, shift that complete pattern “left” one fret. “Left” is in quotes because if you’re fretting notes with your right hand, left is going to be right.

Thanks for reading.

Darrin Koltow

For those of you who might like to know more about Darrin, let me direct you to his website, Maximum Musician and also to his page here at Guitar Noise.

Once again, let me thank Mr. Koltow for his continued presence on the Internet. Darrin helped inspire many to contribute their knowledge online and I know that many of the readers of Guitar Noise appreciate his efforts.

Digging Through The Archives

If all goes well, we should have MP3 files for the Easy Songs for Beginners Lesson, Before You Accuse Me up when this newsletter comes out. If not, they’ll be up very shortly!

And we’re hoping that we’re finally on track to start in on putting together MP3 files for all our old lesson on a regular schedule. Keep your fingers crossed!

Event Horizon

Supporting Guitar Noise and the Guitar Noise community is not always about money or time. Sometimes it’s about being there. Literally. As musicians, it’s always good to support each other simply by being at a gig if it’s at all possible.

One thing we’d really like to do is to help promote your shows, whether it’s in a stadium or at a ten-seat coffee house. Not only is it a great way to help support each other, it’s also a terrific way to meet more musicians!

So please feel free to write me if you’ve got some gigs coming up. Remember that Guitar Noise News is sent out on the first and fifteenth of each month. Usually I will have it ready to be sent out a few days ahead of time, so plan accordingly. For instance, if you’ve got something coming up in the last two weeks of July (that is, after the fifteenth), then let me know by the tenth or the twelfth. If you’ve already got a show in August, let me know, too! It’s never too early to plan for things!

Send your gig dates to me at dhodgeguitar@aol.com and try to put “gig alert” in the subject header.

Fans of Hap Hazard, band of Guitar Noise forum member Bish, will have to bear with me as my notes have them performing at both the 11th Street Bar and Grill and the Bettendorf (Iowa) J.C.s on September 1. I’ll try to get the correct dates before our next newsletter. From all reports, Hap Hazard’s two gigs at the Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport, Iowa were rousing successes.

The David Ray Band with Bob Bartlett plays every Wednesday at the Rustler’s SteakHouse in Porterville, CA from 6:00-9:30 outside on the deck during the summer.

It’s cool to say “I knew someone when…” and, for me, it’s been a joy to post about Dennis Corbin. “Corbind,” as he’s known on the Forum pages, is currently in two bands and they’re keeping him busy! You can catch him playing with Late Calling this coming Saturday, August 19th from 9:30pm-2am at Ballyhoo’s Lounge, located at 10424 Grand Avenue in Franklin Park, IL (847-288-1538) and the first Saturday in September (the 3rd) at the Annual Pig Roast in Matteson, IL. I believe that gig runs from 4 PM ’til 8 PM, even though Dennis’ note said 8 AM! In between those two gigs, Dennis will be playing with the band No Trace on Saturday August 26th from 6 to 9 PM At the Annual Block Party on Harrison & Elizabeth Avenues in Lombard, IL.

Tonight, August 15, you’ll find GN Forum member “millard” and his band, The Marsh Mellow Stone Band, will be playing at diPiazzas in Long Beach, California from 7PM-9PM. They do originals and some covers of late 60s/early 70s songs, sticking to the sort of cosmic and groovy side of things.

If you’re in the neighborhood of any of these shows, drop in and meet some of the people you’ve been chatting with online. And be sure to say that I say hello!

And even though I did this last time, I’d still like to take a minute to wish GN Forum member “Geoo” the best of luck playing at his recital this Saturday (August 19), somewhere in Norman, Oklahoma. Those of you who frequent the Gigs and Jams page of the Forums know that Geoo is also busy putting a country music band together and I can’t wait to be announcing their gigs right here in our newsletter.

Reviews

When things run smoothly, reviews go up almost all the time here at Guitar Noise. But we also know that what we post is, pardon the cliché, the very tip of the iceberg. If you’d like to pass along a review of an album, concert, DVD (tutorial, concert or otherwise), book or even a guitar or guitar/music product, feel free to drop me a line and try to put “proposed review” in the subject.

For those of you who are always thinking about “giving back to the community,” this is certainly a fine way to do so.

International Songwriting Competition

International Songwriting Competition Now Accepting Entries For 2006 Enter Now For Your Chance To Win Up To $150,000 In Cash And Prizes

The International Songwriting Competition is now accepting entries for 2006. Over $150,000 (USD) in cash and merchandise will be awarded to the 2006 winners. ISC’s $25,000 cash Grand Prize is the largest cash Grand Prize in any songwriting competition (in addition to over $20,000 in other prizes awarded to the Grand Prize winner). One of the largest and most prestigious songwriting competitions in the world, ISC offers the perfect opportunity to gain exposure and media attention in the music industry. ISC welcomes original songs from musicians, artists, and songwriters at every level from amateur to professional. You may submit as many songs as desired in each category or enter the same song in more than one category. Enter your songs now to get the ISC Early Bird discount. Go to www.songwritingcompetition.com/entry.htm to enter your songs via mail or online.

ISC is unique because of its judges. Since its inception, ISC has been renowned for having the most prestigious judging panel of any competition in the world. Its judges include high-profile recording artists and respected music executives. In just the past month, ISC has added many new judges to the 2006 panel, including Frank Black (Pixies), Sean Paul, Tiësto (Producer/Remixer/DJ), Mona Scott-Young (President, Violator Records), Jerry Lee Lewis, and Betty Pino (DJ, WAMR Miami/Pioneer of Latin Radio). Stay tuned for announcements on more new judges. Entering ISC offers you the chance to have your music heard by these influential members of the music industry.

The complete 2006 ISC judging panel includes: Tom Waits; Rosanne Cash; Sean Paul; Tiësto (Producer/Remixer/DJ); Frank Black (Pixies); Charlie Walk (President, Epic Records); Monte Lipman (President, Universal Records); Steve Lillywhite (Senior VP of A&R, Columbia Records/Producer – credits include U2, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, and Peter Gabriel); Robert Smith (The Cure); John Mayall; John Scofield; Amy Ray (Indigo Girls); Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Jerry Lee Lewis; MercyMe; Macy Gray; Charlie Musselwhite; Peter Hook (New Order); Jeff Stinco (Simple Plan); Mona Scott-Young (President, Violator Records); Alexandra Patsavas (Owner, The Chop Shop Music Supervision – credits include The OC, Grey’s Anatomy, Without A Trace, Carnivale, Rescue Me); Barbara Sedun (VP Creative, EMI Music Publishing Canada); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Cameron Strang (President, New West Records); Betty Pino (DJ, WAMR Miami/Pioneer of Latin Radio); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Dan Storper (President, Putumayo World Music); Thomas Brooman (Co-Founder/Artistic Director, WOMAD); Danny Epstein (Music Supervisor, Sesame Street/Sesame Workshop); Tara Griggs-Magee (Executive VP of Gospel/Urban Music, Sony Records); Emily Wittmann (Vice-President, Nick Records); Leib Ostrow (CEO, Music For Little People); and more to be added…

Enter any of ISC’s 18 categories: Pop/Top 40, AAA (Adult Album Alternative), Rock, Country, Americana, R&B/Hip-Hop, Blues, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Jazz, Gospel/Christian, Latin Music, Instrumental, Dance/Electronica, World Music, Children’s Music, Lyrics Only, Teen, and Performance Please visit www.songwritingcompetition.com for an entry form or more details.

Random Thoughts

It seems like ages ago already, but I was in Minneapolis a little over a week ago to participate in the annual Riverside Jam. We had a great time playing indoors at the A Fine Grind Coffeehouse in Saint Paul and outdoors at the Central Park Amphitheater in Roseville.

The Riverside Jam, which has been going on since the year 2000, is a formal informal gathering of former band mates, friends, friends of friends and guitar students that meet once a year to play music and enjoy each other’s company. The past four years we’ve been lucky to have John Reichert along to take photos. He’s sent a sampling along to Paul, who’s posted them here

There are also some pictures taken at last month’s Guitar Noise Mini-Camp, courtesy of campers Karen and Glen. That was a lot of fun, too!

Until our next newsletter, please stay safe and play well.

And, as always,

Peace