Newsletter Vol. 4 # 1 – April 15, 2011

Greetings,

Welcome to Volume 4, Issue #1 of Guitar Noise News!

In This Issue:

  • Greetings, News and Announcements
  • Guitar Noise Featured Artist
  • Topic of the Month
  • New Articles, Lessons, Reviews and Stuff
  • Great Advice from Great Teachers
  • Events Horizon
  • Random Thoughts

Greetings, News And Announcements

Hello to all! And welcome to the latest issue of Guitar Noise News, the free twice-a-month newsletter from Guitar Noise. I hope that you enjoyed our previous April Fool’s Day issue and that you had a relatively easy time separating the real items from the jokes. If not, well, just drop me a line and I’ll be happy to give you a quick run down.

One item that was mentioned, which wasn’t an April Fool’s Day joke, bears repeating:

As many of you know, Paul has been working on negotiating the return of the music examples (both in notation and guitar tablature) with various publishers since last spring. The good news is that we are close to making deals and should be able to repost many, but not all, of our “Easy Songs for Beginners” and “Songs for Intermediates” lessons sometime in the (hopefully) very near future.

It seems that the final phase of these negotiations is being excruciatingly slow and our apologies for that. But you will know the news, one way or the other, as soon as we do. And both Paul and I extend our thanks for both your support and your patience through all this.

Guitar Noise Featured Artist

Pete Townshend is our Guitar Noise Featured Artist of the Month for April. He may not be someone you first think about when you think “rock guitarist” but his influence is still strong. Find out more about him on the Guitar Noise Profile Page.

Topic Of The Month

Our April “Topic of the Month is “Music Theory without Tears.” We at Guitar Noise have prided ourselves over the years on being able to give guitarists and other musicians the theory they need in a painless manner. Sometimes it’s like you’re not even aware that it is music theory at all but rather just stuff you knew but didn’t know how to explain! So if you want to get the easiest introduction possible to music theory or simply just brush up on the theory you already know, go on over to the Guitar Noise home page and click on the “Topic of the Month” up in the top left corner, just below the blue banner.

New Articles, Lessons, Reviews and Stuff

Bob Dylan in Ho Chi Minh City
Concert Review by Paul Hackett

On April 10, 2011 Bob Dylan and his band brought their latest tour to this Vietnamese city of nine million people. They played an excellent show, rolling through the excellent selections of their eighteen-song set and offering new arrangements on everything, not just the old songs but the new ones as well.

How To Fix Common Guitar Practice Problems With And Without A Metronome
by Tom Hess

Using a metronome during guitar practice is very helpful but it’s also important to know when not to use it. Tom Hess explores the reasons both for using a metronome and not using a metronome when trying to improve your guitar playing.

Hammer-Ons
Mini-Lesson by David Hodge

Hammer-ons are one of the four basic slurring techniques of playing guitar. While many guitarists think of them as just a technique of the lead guitarist, they are essential to rhythm playing as well.

Great Advice From Great Teachers

We thrilled to announce that, starting this issue, we’re going to have a number of the teachers from the Guitar Noise community contribute some advice about music, guitars and all sorts of topics. First up is Tom (“Noteboat”) Serb, longtime Guitar Noise contributor and founder of the Midwest Music Academy in Plainfield, Illinois.

David suggested I write up a little something on practice habits for this issue – it just so happens that students at our music school receive a booklet I put together called “How to Practice Your Musical Instrument”. Since we teach a lot of different instruments, not everything in it applies to the guitar… but I thought I’d pick through it for some tips you might find useful.

  • Practicing frequently (several times a day for just a few minutes at a time) will produce better results than practicing for a long time every few days.
  • It’s not how much time you put in; it’s how much you put into your time. Focused practice can accomplish a lot efficiently – but wiggling your fingers around while your mind drifts really isn’t practicing!
  • If you practice as early as you can – even right after you get up in the morning – you won’t be as likely to miss any practice sessions. And if you feel like it, you can always get in an extra practice session later on in the day.
  • The ability to play an instrument builds one skill on top of others. Make sure you get the fundamentals right.
  • Review should be part of your practice routine. When you learned to read, you probably had a favorite book you read hundreds of times – learning to read music takes the same kind of review.
  • Try to practice for a few minutes right after a lesson – it will help you remember little details.
  • Muscle memory is developed through repetition. An amateur practices until they get it right; a professional practices until they never get it wrong!
  • Try to sing what you play. It will help you develop your ear and improve the results you get from practicing.
  • The first time you play a piece, keep a pencil handy. Mark the spots you have trouble with – those are the ones you should put the most practice time into!
  • Break complex passages down into smaller bites and work through each one before trying to put the whole thing together.
  • There’s a difference between practicing and rehearsing, and between practicing and playing. Approach each session understanding what your purpose is.
  • There is a best time of the day to practice, but it depends on you. Pay attention to the results you get at different times of the day, and try to practice during your most productive times.
  • Practice slowly enough so you’re not making any mistakes. Practice doesn’t make perfect – practice makes permanent – so don’t waste your time practicing mistakes!

Events Horizon

Doug James’ group Southern Roots has got some shows both tonight and tomorrow. They’ll be at the Honey Whytes All American Cafe 2116 E. Main St Richmond, VA 9 PM on both Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th.

And if you’re in the Chicago region, try to check out Slightly Offensive, with GN member Tom (“Tommygunz”) McLaughlin on Guitar at The Tilted Kilt Chicago Ridge (6401 W 95th St, Chicago Ridge IL) this Sunday, April 17 and then at Charleston’s (2101 Calistoga Drive, New Lenox IL) on Saturday, April 30

Random Thoughts

There’s one last bit of news I’m thrilled to pass along to you. I’ve just gotten a contract from String Letter Publishing, the folks who print Acoustic Guitar Magazine, to write a tutorial book for their “Private Lesson Books” series. It will be titled “Rhythm and Strumming Basics” and it should be out in bookstores before the end of the year.

I’m very excited about this new project as it will be focusing on the challenges many beginners have with strumming well and keeping time while playing. It will start with the very basics and gradually work the reader up through syncopation, swing rhythms, using partial chord and single string as part of strumming and more.

As ever, I am grateful to the entire Guitar Noise community, without whom none of the books I’ve written would ever be possible. I can only hope that my writing lives up to your expectations.

And speaking of writing, wait ’til you see some of the lessons coming your way soon! We’ll have lots to chat about in our next issue of Guitar Noise News. Until then, play well and play often.

And, as always,

Peace