Tag Archives: Guitar World

Rodrigo Y Grabriela perform their instrumental song “The Soundmaker”, then they teach us how to play it!!!

This is pretty cool!!! The Mexican acoustic duo, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, is featured for Guitar World’s Acoustic Nation in youtube. Here is Rodrigo and Gabriela playing their hit instrumental, “The Soundmaker” from their new album, “9 Dead Alive”. After they play the song, they teach us how to play the song with Guitar World’s instructor, Jimmy Brown.

I think both are great musicians. Both Rodrigo and Gabriela seem like they are very friendly and down to earth people. They’re always smiling. Always polite. No ego with those two at all. We need more musicians like them.

Gabriela may not seem to do much in her guitar playing but after her teaching her secret, the way she plays looks very challenging and tough to do. You see, Gabriela has a more percussive style of guitar playing. I love the way she plays chords and slaps her hand with the guitar as if she’s playing the bongos or something. That’s the trick with the acoustic guitar. You can turn your acoustic into a drumset or a metronome. Just use your hands. I know some might criticize Gabriela’s playing but in her defense, I think she is just Rodrigo’s metronome. She helps him stay in time. I think that’s what she’s pretty much used for but she’s still a great player.

I only have two of their albums and will get more of their albums soon. I love their music. Their newest album, “9 Dead Alive” is really good stuff and recommended listening. I listen to it a lot.

Kev

Congrats to Doug Marks and 30 years of business with, “Metal Method” guitar instructional course…

To you musicians out there, you may have heard the name, Doug Marks. You may have heard the Metal Method, guitar instructional company over the years. I’m sure you’ve even seen Metal Method get advertised through most music magazines, especially guitar magazines like, Guitar World. I have learned some stuff from Metal Method for a little bit. When I first started out on guitar, I had a few cassette tapes from Doug’s course to help get started on guitar playing. Plus, I learned to sing through their “Vocal Power” instructional DVD with, Jim Gillette. This is no fake course, or no scam or anything like that. It’s real instructional stuff, and it really works. Doug Marks is one of the best guitar instructors out there, in my opinion. Someday, I will buy their entire guitar course whenever I have the extra cash, so I can further my guitar chops to a new level. Congrats to Doug and 30 years. Doug Marks gets my respect ’cause it’s amazing that he kept the company alive after all these years.

Check out Doug Marks interview with Guitar World: here.

Check out Metal Method’s official website: here.

Kev

Report: Guitar World snubs Michael J. Fox for “Johnny B. Goode” in their “Top 10 Big Screen Moments” list…

I usually like Guitar World magazine, but I’m dissapointed in their “Top 10 Big Screen Moments” list, where they list the top guitar moments of all time in film. I agree with everything in this list, but I can’t believe they snubbed Michael J. Fox, left him off the list. Marty McFly playing “Johnny B. Good” in “Back to the Future” is the greatest guitar film moment of all time.

Check out the list here:

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/top_10_big_screen_guitar_moments

Are the editors of Guitar World living under a rock? Have they even seen, “Back to the Future”? Marty McFly playing “Johnny B. Goode” is such a badass scene. It’s such a shame that scene was left out of the list. If you’re going to do a top “Best Guitar moments in films” list and not include this in, you’re not the true music lover that you say you are.

Kev

Varg Vikernes of Burzum interviewed for Guitar World…

So I got this month’s Guitar World magazine with Jimi Hendrix on the cover. I read some of it over the weekend. In the magazine, had an interview with a guy that kind of caught my attention. His name is Varg Vikernes, the frontman for his band, Burzum. It’s a black metal band. While I am a fan of heavy music, I never listened to black metal before. If you want some really scary shit in the metal industry, forget Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson, check out this guy, Varg Vikernes. Varg is a musician from Norway. He was just released from prison after a 15 year sentence for the murder of Euronymous of another death metal band called, Mayhem. Varg was originally sentenced for 21 years for murder and burning down several churches but he was released early for parole.

Now he’s out, and had an interview with Guitar World magazine. He’s made several albums under the Burzum name. He doesn’t have an actual band, he’s a one man band, actually. Played all instruments himself. He’s made two albums while in prison. While he’s not allowed any instruments in prison, he was allowed to have a synthesizer so he recorded two albums in prison. He’s got a new album out, but he made that one in a studio.

I was curious to hear Burzum music, so I went looking for tracks in youtube, and they are interesting. Varg Vikernes was a pretty controversial figure in the Black Metal industry. Expect him to be a little more well known now that Guitar World got him.

Listen to a Burzum track here, which I actually kind of like. Interesting sound and unique.

Kev

Report: Ever wonder about Neil Young’s live gear setup? Here are the details…

Most famous rock n’ roll bands use a lot of very expensive, fancy gadgets, and impressive equipment when playing live on stage. Stuff like 4 or 5 Full stack of Marshall amps, loads of pedalboards, and like 20 different guitars on stage.

Not with Neil Young. Neil keeps his live setup small and simple. Simply by using a few beat up vintage amps, and he doesn’t use too many guitars on stage.

Neil uses the same gear throughout his gigs and uses the same guitar throughout his performance. His no. 1 rule when playing, he always thought it was better to not change anything at concerts.

Bands like to switch guitars on stage and use different sounds, but Neil likes to keep everything the same.

Read this interesting article here on how Neil plays live:

http://www.guitarworld.com/article/neil_young_ragged_glory

Kev

Cool Video: Fast shredding and string skipping on 7 string guitar…

Here’s a guitar player who auditioned for Guitar World’s “Shred the Web II” contest. This guy’s playing impressed me so I had to post it.

Check out that 7 string guitar and the way he moves his hands up and down, and across the fretboard pretty quickly. That 7 string guitar has a very fat fretboard. You think this is easy to do? It takes years and long hard work to get there. You don’t play like this over night that’s for sure.

I’ve been playing for 14 years and still can’t play like this yet.

Enjoy.

Kev

NEW: Yngwie Malmsteen on cover for Guitar World for July issue…

Guitar God Yngwie Malmsteen will hit the cover on Guitar World magazine for the July issue.

The next issue of Guitar World will be all about learning how to play fast and learn how to shred.

See more here:

http://www.guitarworld.com/guitar_world_on_sale_now

The magazine will feature lessons by other guitar gods such as Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and other players teaching you how to play fast.

Playing fast guitar is one of my biggest goals in my own guitar playing. I’m learning and making my way up there but could be better at it. I’m still learning how to have a good ear in improvising and all that. This next issue for Guitar World will be good information for my own guitar playing as well.

I want to be jamming with other guitarists and musicians, it’s why I’m learning my chops and trying to get better, become a more profesional player. Playing lead guitar and kick ass riffs is what I’m all about.

Kev