Newsletter Vol. 3 # 3 – August 01, 2005
Greetings,
Welcome to Volume 3, Issue #3 of Guitar Noise News!
In This Issue:
- News and Announcements
- New Articles and Lessons
- Top Choices – Guitar Noise Staff Picks!
- Exploring Music With Darrin Koltow
- Email Of The Moment
- Emails? We Get Emails!
- Tutorial Tips
- Digging Through The Archives / Forum Findings
- Event Horizon
- Reviews
- Random Thoughts
News And Announcements
Today is August first and I hope you’re reading the latest edition of Guitar Noise News, Volume III. If you haven’t received it yet, then I guess I could write anything, whether about guitars, cats, Shakespeare or (very) simple home improvements and you’d never know. That’s not a good thing. We are still experiencing some bugs with the new delivery system so, as always, your patience is much appreciated. Hopefully we will shortly be back to our normal selves, with only minor problems to deal with.
Speaking of minor problems, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been patient with the little mistakes I’ve been making while putting articles up online. Normally Paul does this sort of thing, but he’s been very busy of late and asked my assistance. While I like to think I’m doing a fairly competent job, usually there are a number of glaring mistakes in each article. Maybe I should think of myself as a rug maker who deliberately muffs the pattern in order to make his project unique. But the truth is that I’m just a person who is prone to making mistakes. Anyone who’s played music will attest to that! Be that as it may, I’d like to again thank everyone for their patience and kindness in pointing out where corrections might be made.
Many of the Guitar Noise staffers have been busy since we last spoke. A-J Charron, as you’ll read, managed to get invited to NAMM’s summer show in Indianapolis. Paul’s gotten so busy that he’s decided to ask for help:
Help Wanted!
Are you interested in online advertising? Guitar Noise is looking to create an advertising sales position. This will most likely be paid in commissions rather than salary.
If you already know about cpm, cpa, and clickthroughs we would like to talk to you about tailoring a position for you on the Gutar Noise team. If you would like more information about this position please send an email to Paul Hackett.
Amos Lee CD Contest:
An acoustic guitar artist influenced by soul and folk greats Amos has infused these two sounds to make one completely his own. His stripped down and poetic approach is pure and completely unique. Good Luck! Contest ends August 15th!
Our congratulations go out to Linda Yechiel and Mike Cash, who are both winners of our July giveaway. They have both won copies of Tony Ionni’s new solo album, Fused.
Now let’s check out all the new stuff that’s gone online since we last chatted:
New Articles And Lessons
Strumming For Beginners
by Matt Guitar
Here is a wonderfully detailed, step by step tutorial for those who are having a bit of trouble with their strumming. Matt’s put together a series of exercises designed to jump start your rhythm guitar playing and it’s a great read, too!
Guitar Goddesses
by David Wagle
Women play guitar and play it well. If you’re not familiar with any great women guitar players, “Guitar Goddesses,” if you will, then let David Wagle get you acquainted with four exceptionally talented ones right now!
Summer NAMM
by A-J Charron
A-J made the trip from Montreal to Indianapolis last weekend to visit the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) summer show, a brave thing considering the heat! Here is his report on the event.
Top Choices: Guitar Noise Staff Picks
One of the things about playing with others that doesn’t always get mentioned is that it’s a great way to find out about music that you might not otherwise hear. I’m going to be participating in a big jam next weekend and I’ve been asked to play mandolin on a song by Los Super Seven called Rio De Tanapa . If you’ve not heard of this group, I’m certain you have heard of some of their members, folks like David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos. Ruben Ramos, Raul Malo, Rick Trevino and Freddie Fender might also be names you recognize.
Having never heard the original version, I went out and bought a copy of the group’s self-titled (and Grammy Award winning) 1998 album. That led me to buy Canto , their second CD and when I saw that the group recently put out a third album, Heard It On The X , it found a place in my CD collection as well.
The group highlights what many folks call “border music,” that blend, to quote ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, of “Hillbilly-Jesus-Country and Blues,” all with a distinctive Mexican flavor. Dan Goodman, the Executive Producer and in many ways the spirit behind Los Super Seven brought in some surprising guest frontmen for their last outing, including Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Delbert McClinton, John Hiatt and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.
If you are looking to expand your musical horizons, any of the three CDs by Los Super Seven would be a good way to start.
And let me give you advance warning that my next gig is with a jug band!
Exploring Music With Darrin Koltow
For those of you who’ve come in late, Darrin Koltow of Maximum Musician has been kind enough to volunteer to regularly contribute to Guitar Noise News. Here is his third installment on “Chords of the Big Picture:”
We’re exploring the three types of chords that are all you need to see the Big Picture of making music. For the first two chord types (tonic and subdominant), see the past two issues of this newsletter on Guitar Noise (just click onto the “news” section icon on the home page).
Remember our main point: no matter what you see or hear in notated or recorded music, there are only three types of chords, as they relate to key centers: tonic, dominant and subdominant. These chords set up key centers in our Westernized minds when we hear them.
Let’s look at the dominant chord. What is it, and what’s its purpose in setting up a key center? Time for a metaphor: taking a vacation from home. The tonic chord is like your home. The lovely vacation place you travel to is like the subdominant: it’s great to be there, but you have no illusion about it being your home. Even as your lying on the beach or knocking back that third margarita, a part of you is thinking, “I kind of miss being home (the tonic).”
So when we hear the subdominant (vacation spot), we’re already thinking about getting home. Before too long, we’re on the ship or in the car on way home. That’s the dominant: you’re one step away from being home. When your ear hears a dominant chord, it’s saying “Yipee. We’re almost home. Just one chord away.”
How do we find the dominant chord? There are two that can function as dominant, whether the music you’re hearing is in a minor or major key center. Chords that function as dominants are built on the fifth (V) and seventh (vii) degree of the major or minor scale.
Example: get your guitar and play a G7 followed by a C. The G7 is the V chord in the key center of C major.
There’s another chord in C major that can serve as a dominant, but you might not know it. It’s Bm7b5, the vii in C major. Here’s a pattern for it: X, 3, 2, 3, 2, X. These are fret numbers, reading from left to right, highest pitch E string to low E string.
Play that Bm7b5 chord, then follow it with the C major. See how much like G7 it sounds? As we’ve done with the other chord types, let’s compare the notes of the two dominant types:
G7 has G B D F
Bm7b5 has B D F A
Three out of four notes in common — no wonder they can serve the same function. They’re practically the same chord.
Practical uses? The next time you come across a G7 while playing a tune, try playing Bm7b5 instead. Or, if you’re writing a tune and want a darker feeling than what the G7 provides, use Bm7b5.
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.
And 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.
Email Of The Moment
For whatever reason, sometimes a particular topic comes up over and over in a relatively short period of time. Since our last newsletter, I’ve gotten quite a few emails about this subject:
I read your guitar lesson on “Imagine” and I am impressed how good of quality it is. My respect. Still I do have to complain… Most of the lessons on Guitar Noise do not have a full end-version of the tab that you can print and study on. You see, I do not want to sit with my guitar in front of the computer for an hour. Maybe there can be something done about that? Thanks for your work and time comrade!
Thanks for writing and thank you as well for your kind words concerning my lesson on Imagine.
There are two main reasons why the lessons I write for Guitar Noise do not have complete TAB versions of a particular song. The first deals with that ever hazy issue of copyright and, believe it or not, isn’t the main reason.
My primary reason for not doing so deals with teaching. There are a few song lessons that do have “complete” TABS at the end of the lesson. And these, far and away, are the ones I get the most questions about. Why? Because people don’t read the explanations, they only go to the TAB! I guess I wouldn’t mind it so much if I didn’t spend so much time writing out all the text as well as the notation!
So putting the lessons together in this manner is my way of trying to ensure that the teaching and lesson aspects of the song lesson are given more thrust than the song itself. I know that this is not optimal for everyone, but in the long run I think it does the most good. But, like anything, I’m more than open to discussion on it.
In the meantime, though, you might want to do what I do – print out the lesson and then cut and paste together (literally using scissors and tape) a completely notated song. It takes mere moments to do and will stay with you the rest of your life.
Emails? We Get Emails!
Hi David,
In Guitar Lesson #22, Tricks Of The Trade, the tab for Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door has circles around the strings that are to be played. I have searched your Portable GN CD for an explanation of these circles and cannot find the reason for these circles around the numbers. Maybe I have overlooked the answer. Can you please explain what the circles mean for the Tab on Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door?
Great website and CD.
Thanks
This is an older article, one written when I was still learning the ropes of the MusEdit software we use here for most of the lessons on Guitar Noise. In this lesson, the TAB also has the same stems as the notation, that is the numbers will have the same lines running off them as the notes do, indicating that they (the TAB numbers) are either quarter noted, eighth notes and so on. The ones with circles around them are simply half notes (two beats) or whole notes (four beats). If you look at the notation as well as the TAB, you should make the correlation between the two.
And sorry about the confusion! This will definitely be something we’ll address when we overhaul the old material.
Tutorial Tips
We also get emails offering suggestions and tutorial tips. I got this one a while back and would like to share it with you all. It concerns the Easy Songs for Beginners’ Lesson on Love The One You’re With:
Excellent version of the song. Thanks But I think the Outro (dit-dit-dit’s) should use the same C/D chord at the third fret that you use in verse (just lift third finger from second string on alternating strums), then sliding up to the D chord at fifth fret. This also puts you in perfect position to hit last chord by adding little finger to the first string at the tenth fret. For that matter, I think the last line of chorus (“…love the one you’re with…”) should also use the C/D at third fret sliding to D at fifth fret. In drop D tuning the transition from G to C/D allows index finger to remain in place. Very natural. And it simplifies the song as you don’t need either the C or the Cmaj 9 at all. Just a thought . . .
And it’s a great idea! Thanks for writing and thank you very much for the suggestion on arranging this piece. I’m sure that a lot of our readers will find it a great way to play this song.
And speaking of which…
Digging Through The Archives / Forum Findings
One of the whole points of Guitar Noise, if not the main reason for the site’s existence, is that we are a tutorial web site. Being teachers, we understand that there are many, many, many ways of doing any particular thing. This is part of the joy of music (and life) in general and the guitar in particular. As you browse through any of our articles, do feel free to write in with suggestions.
Another thing to check out is the “Guitar Noise Lessons” page on the Forum. Here many readers have added comments concerning their questions, experiences, troubles and successes with particular lessons. It’s a great way to get many of the questions you might have answered relatively quickly. And it’s also a great way to find “study buddies!”
Event Horizon
If you happen to live in my neck of the woods and you need a good laugh, I’ll be playing in a Jug Band at a Benefit Concert in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on August 20. I’ll post more of the details as soon as I learn about them myself!
Reviews
Acoustic Serenade
CD Review by A-J Charron
Acoustic Serenade is Bob Dease and Robert van Buren, both handling classical guitars. The result? A very beautiful album. Ten tracks of wonderfully well composed and well executed music.
Hoffman: Bad Seeds
CD Review by A-J Charron
The debut disc from Iceland’s Hoffman grows on you with each listen. It’s a blend of grunge, neo-punk, classic rock and a few other things thrown in for good measure.
Hurry Home Early – The Songs of Warren Zevon
CD Review by A-J Charron
A tribute disc to the late great Warren Zevon, featuring great performances from up and coming new artists such as Phil Cody, Simone Stevens, Tom Flannery and Robb Johnson.
Ivory Knight: Unconscience
CD Review by A-J Charron
The second CD from Ivory Knight, featuring the impeccable guitar work of contributor Rob Gravelle, shows the band in fine form with strong melodies and powerful vocals and guitars.
Turning Point: Matador
CD Review by A-J Charron
The latest album from Turning Point borrows from a lot of different genres, while managing to remain Jazz. Interesting, to say the least – and quite different, too.
Metamorphosis: Then All Was Silent
CD Review by A-J Charron
A blend of old and new styles, this is a very interesting album.
Threshold: Replica
CD Review by A-J Charron
A terrific disc with new versions of old songs plus two previously unreleased pieces, this CD is available only through Threshold’s website. A great treat for fans as well as people new to this talented band.
Random Thoughts
Where I live, summer is announced not by the arrival of June or by the appearance of some migratory bird. Here in the Berkshires, summer commences with the first “Tag Sale” of the area. A “tag sale” is another name for a garage sale, yard sale, moving sale or whatever you’d like to call it. Basically someone decides that he or she has too much stuff and decides to put it all out on his or her lawn to see if anyone might buy any of it. Sometimes a number of families will go in together on a sale. Sometimes a group will use a tag sale as a way to raise money – accepting donations of articles from people in the group itself or gathering things from folks in the community.
You never know what you might find at a tag sale. I’ve managed in the past year to find some CDs that I’ve always wanted to listen to, books I’ve been meaning to read, things for the house (especially the kitchen) that I never seem to have gotten ’round to buying.
And occasionally you might find something musical. Or something that might help you out musically. Last summer, for instance, I managed to find more than enough music stands so that hosting seminars or jams here at my home means no one has to bring one along.
We also found a Yamaha classical guitar being sold for twenty-five dollars (US). This became a birthday gift for a friend’s nephew.
And this brings up two main points I’d like to briefly discuss today – classical guitars and gifts.
Inexpensive classical guitars are workhorses. Mine (a Yamaha) is going on fifteen years old now and there is also another Yamaha in my home that is close to thirty. They’ve been to summer camps, picnics, campfires, workshops, classrooms, bars, graduation ceremonies, short hikes and overnights and just about any place you can think of. Mind you, these are not top-of-the-line models. They are meant to be played and we fully understand that these guitars are going to get (and have already gotten) more than their share of the bumps, nicks, bruises, dings, dents and other adventurous mishaps that you don’t want your “nice” guitar to undergo.
But it’s because of this “I’ll take it anywhere” attitude that these guitars are so precious. I have met people who have guitars so expensive that they rarely get played. Something might happen to it! This is not the chosen life of a guitar. They are instruments of expression, but not artwork. They can be hung on the wall but shout to be held and played. Their value is in the joy they give both the performer and the audience, not in being bought and sold on eBay like stock portfolios.
This is not to say that I don’t think you shouldn’t get yourself an expensive guitar. All I’m advising is that you don’t get trapped into not playing your guitar because of financial attachments. The guitar, ultimately, is a very temporary instrument. After all, it’s made of wood and strings. It is not meant to be around forever, any more than any of us are.
So if you find yourself thinking you’d like a second guitar, don’t necessarily think about moving “up.” Think about getting something to play without even thinking about it twice. There are a lot of guitars out there looking for a home.
And that brings us to point two: While there are a lot of guitars out there looking for homes, there are also lots of people out there who are looking for something in their lives that will bring them enjoyment and satisfaction.
A lot of schools, private and public, are trying to teach guitar to their students. It’s not easy, as the student may not have a guitar. If you find a guitar at a “tag sale” (or whatever you’d like to call them) that you don’t need or want, consider making it a gift to someone who might need and want it. Instead of getting yourself something that will simply sit around the house, pick up something that someone will use and enjoy and love.
From the many emails I’ve gotten since I’ve been writing for Guitar Noise, I know that many of our readers got their first guitar as a gift or a “hand-me-down.” It’s only fitting to keep that kind of tradition going. And, as you all can attest, this is a single gift that can last one’s lifetime.
Until we see you again on August 15, stay safe and enjoy yourselves.
And, as always,
Peace
David