Newsletter Vol. 4 # 28 – June 1, 2012

David Hodge Gig

Greetings,

Welcome to Volume 4, Issue #28 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
  • Random Thoughts

Greetings, News and Announcements

Hello! Can you believe it’s the start of June already? A new month means it’s time for the latest issue of Guitar Noise News, your free twice-a-month newsletter from Guitar Noise.

Silly as it sounds, one of the reasons I’m having a hard time believing that it’s June already is because this means that July is going to be here before I blink my eyes! On July 3, my latest book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Ukulele” hits the market – you’ll be able to find it in bookstores both online and in the physical world. I’m also a little excited as this book will be available in Kindle, which may appeal to some readers.

“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Ukulele”, like my previous Complete Idiot’s Guides, is an all-purpose tutorial and reference. If you’ve never played the ukulele before, you’ll learn how to in simple step by step instructions. And once you’ve done some practicing to get the basics wired into your head and fingers you’ll then be shown how to add more advanced techniques to your playing.You’ll learn how to spice up your rhythms with slurs (hammer-ons, slides, and pull-offs) and fills, how to play cool rhythms and how to combine strumming and fingerpicking to create your own ukulele style.

The physical book (not the Kindle version) comes with a CD full of audio examples and songs that you can learn and play. Being a tutorial book, most of the songs are Public Domain, but I think I’ve managed to come up with some very cool arrangements that will spark your interest in these old familiar tunes. And, as with “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Guitar,” I’ve had the great fortune to work with Guitar Noise Forum Moderator-in-Chief, Nick Torres, who lends his insanely enviable vocal talents to the project.

The physical book (and CD) will also have a bonus not available on the electronic version – an exclusive arrangement of “Over the Rainbow.” This is a fingerstyle version done like many of our Guitar Noise song lessons – it’s a great accompaniment for singing but it’s also very rooted in chord melody so it can stand up on its own without a vocalist should you want something very cool to perform.

To celebrate this latest book, we’ll be posting up a few ukulele lessons over the summer. In the meantime, if you’re interested in pre-ordering, you can find it here: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Ukulele.

As always, I cannot thank the Guitar Noise community enough for making this book possible. And, again as always, do feel free to write me directly with any questions you may have.

Meanwhile, we’re also thrilled to kick off the month of June with a brand new song lesson – “Sister Golden Hair” by America. This it a totally new song lesson for us, not one of the old ones coming back! It’s a great song to get started on barre chords as well as working on incorporating a mix of barre chords and open position chords into your playing. You’ll find the lesson full of MP3 audio files that will hopefully be helpful guides.

As I’m writing this newsletter, I’ve still got a few things to tweak in the lesson, but it should be up online by the end of the day. Let me know what you think! Also, be on the lookout later this month for “Sister Golden Hair – Part 2” where we’ll discuss and explore ways to make playing this classic song even more interesting.

Guitar Noise Featured Artist

This month, please join us in remembering the life and music of Donald “Duck” Dunn, perhaps best known as the bass player for Booker T. and the M.G.’s. His playing influenced guitarists and bassists alike, not to mention several generations of musicians and songwriters. You can read about this amazing musician in our latest bio, which you will find on the Guitar Noise Profile Page.

Topic of the Month

I can’t get John Fogarty’s “Wrote a Song for Everyone” out of my brain these days! Maybe that’s why we’re having “Songwriting for Beginners” as June’s Guitar Noise Topic of the Month. You can find many great lessons on this topic, from Nick Torres and many other great writers, by stopping at our homepage and clicking on the “Topic of the Month” link up at the top of the page, just below the blue banner.

New Articles, Lessons, Reviews and Stuff

A Punk Primer
by Tom Serb

Punk music is generally loud, fast, and distorted. And that means you’ll be playing power chords almost all of the time. Tom Serb provides a detailed look into the mechanics of punk.

Tom Yoder – Twisted Circles and the Theory of Everything
CD Review by David Hodge

Tom Yoder’s “Twisted Circles and the Theory of Everything” is an intense and exhilarating reworking of twelve classical pieces, with each orchestral instrument replaced by the guitar.

Which Guitar First?
by David Hodge

Most beginners will want to know what kind of guitar to buy first – an acoustic or an electric? Each has its own benefits, as David explains in this article.

Sister Golden Hair
by David Hodge

Surprise! You can learn how to use barre chords effectively while learning America’s classic song, “Sister Golden Hair.”

Random Thoughts

Hate to write and run, but I’ve got to get “Sister Golden Hair” finished so you can all give it a try! Rest assured we’ll have more to discuss in two weeks!

Until our next newsletter, play well and play often. And listen to any music that comes your way.

And, as always,

Peace