Lost In Time
It's interesting to think of the ways people speak about time, and their relationship to it. Certainly, the subject of time has been the study of not only scientists in recent times, but even more so by mystics, sages, and saints throughout the ages. Saint Augustine, one of the early church Fathers of Christianity and a major philosopher of his day, wrestled with the question of time, saying of it, "if one asks me I know, if I try to explain it to someone, I know not...my soul is on fire to understand the great enigma". He sensed that he...Choosing A Teacher
The electric guitar has advanced far beyond the time when someone could teach himself (or herself) to become a world class player. If your ambition is to become a competent player and a competent musician, you need a competent teacher. Even if your goals are more modest, you can reach those goals far more quickly, easily and efficiently with the guidance of the right teacher. Much of the information that is needed to learn about guitar playing (and music in general) is available from many different sources. There are hundreds of books, instructional videos, CD-ROMs and, of course, the internet....So I Didn't Become a Rock Star
In 1976, I wanted to be a rock star. I was filled with energy and teenage angst and saw those Marshall Stacks and hard ear-splitting stretched E-strings as the only relief from it. Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Peter Frampton, REO Speedwagon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, Boston, Santana, Journey, and some punks from Pasadena named Van Halen. Rock and roll guitar was it. I was saved from a life of glum boredom. I loved the electric guitar, and still do! It is a very large part of who I am. But I'm not a rock star. I'm just a guy that...От Тоники до Музимы
Вместо вступления До осени 1975 года этого мира для меня просто не существовало. То есть, он конечно был и бдаже развивался по каким-то своим законам, но мне был не интересен - до 1975 года все мои мысли были заняты исключительно коллекционированием пластмассовыхГДР-овских индейцев, книжками про первобытных людей, 16-мм железной дорогой, сделанной в той же ГДР, ну и чем-то еще, конечно. А в 1975 году произошло несколько важных событий, бесповоротно изменивших всю мою дальнейшую жизнь.Во-первых, до Жуковского, небольшого подмосковного городка, где я тогда жил, дошли записи Deep Purple. То есть тогда-то мы даже не знали, что это Deep Purple, и тем более,...Russian guitar makers
We have been used to hearing a slogan in this country: "Everything in the name of Man; Everything for Man." Yet, nobody has cared to provide for decent toilet paper. So, common people have to make do with strips of official party newspapers--but only after they tear away the pictures of sacred Communist gurus. They're not so careful with the pictures of the many smaller gurus, however. These are the bureaucrats who, unencumbered by the slightest doubt, are the ones who decide what is good and what is bad, and what the people need, and what they don't. They decide what music...Completely Pentatonic
I've talked to a lot of people who's main complaint is "I can't get out of playing the same scale pattern." After a little more probing, I discover that they are totally familiar with the root pentatonic minor pattern, (like A pentatonic minor at the 5th fret) but don't know what else to do with it. Here's a lesson that you will want to make sure that you don't lose! Print it out and stick it in your guitar case. I have always been an advocate of knowing what to play, anywhere on the neck. For those of you who are sick and tired...How to practice chord changes
Many people begin to play the guitar by learning a few chord changes to their favorite song. In fact, I learned this way. There are many things to be aware of while doing this. There are things to know and do that can make it easier, and guarantee you will have success. There are also many things that can go wrong, and guarantee trouble. You should first understand that often the term "simple chords" is very misleading. Most "simple chords" for guitar require quite complex movements of the fingers, in order for them to get into the final "form" of the...Anatomy of a Pickup
As musicians, most of us are a little tone crazy. Even though we might be getting a good sound out of our instrument, we just know that it could be better. There are many different elements that contribute to an instrument's tone, but the place most people start when they're dissatisfied with their sound is the pickups. But how do we know which pickups will be right for us? There are dozens of manufacturers making countless different designs. In addition to the enormous number of options available, the sound one can expect from these pickups are described in terms like “bright”, “warm”,...
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