Sevens

7 Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Guitar

Learning Guitar Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens.

When I listen, I can hear whether my students are ready to absorb what I have to offer. First I need to know they believe in their ability and, at the same time, that they’re willing to work on their weaknesses.

My students know they are accountable for their own greatness. I always encourage them to care about their own development and realize that they are their own best teachers. The real growth begins at the crossroads where my teaching style intersects with the student’s learning style.

With that said, here are 7 thoughts on teaching and learning guitar:

1. Record your playing, and listen.

You have to know how you really sound; how well you play in tune and in time, and how cleanly.

2. Pay attention to detail.

A player’s expressiveness comes across in the subtleties. Be aware and be accurate in every note you play.

Tagged: guitar, learning, Sevens, teaching

Sevens

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August 24th 2011

7 Guitars That Changed Guitar History

1. Gibson L-5

First introduced: 1923

Also Known As: The First Masterpiece

Notable Players: Mother Maybelle Carter, Eddie Lang, Wes Montgomery, Scotty Moore, Tuck Andress, Lee Ritenour, Pat Martino, Jan Akkerman, John Mayer, Eric Clapton

Quick Facts:
- The Gibson L-5 is the first modern orchestra guitar, the first f-hole archtop guitar, and the first guitar with a 14-fret neck to the body that had an adjustable truss rod.

- It was originally offered as an acoustic instrument, with electric models made available in the 1950s, and was considered the premier rhythm guitar in the big band era.

- Maybelle Carter’s L-5 is now kept at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tagged: guitars, history

Sevens

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August 23rd 2011

7 Deadly Sins of Playing a Live Gig

1. Noodling Between Tunes
There’s no good reason to be playing little licks and riffs between songs. It’s unprofessional and annoys bandmates who are ready to go. Plus, you steal the thunder from a song when you reveal part of it beforehand. The audience shouldn’t even have to hear you tune.

2. Not Pacing The Set List
Like a full-length CD (remember CD’s?), a good set is sequenced carefully. Consider how song order will affect the flow of mood and energy in your performance, and work out a few segues so you won’t have to interrupt that flow. Be ready to make changes as you read the audience, too — but don’t pull out the big guns early if you want to go out with a bang.

3. Bad Banter
Think ahead of time about what you might say when you address the audience, and keep it brief. You can get the momentum going at the top of a set by not talking at all until you’re two or three songs in. If you don’t have anything interesting or funny to say, please, just shut up ’n play yer guitar.

4. Gear Malfunction
Part of being prepared is having all of your gear is in working order before you leave the last rehearsal. There will be times when bad luck throws you a curve, but 99% of onstage gear malfunctions are avoidable. Give everything the once-over ahead of time and be ready to field any emergencies with extra strings, spare cables, fuses, AC adapters and duct tape. Good lord, don’t forget the duct tape.

5. Frowns All Around
Smile, for chrissakes. The audience gets its cue about whether or not this is fun from you. Unless you’re playing in a death metal band, where smiling could reveal you to be a total wuss, let them see that you’re enjoying yourself.

6. No Thanks
Want to endear yourself to bar owners, waitresses, and the guy behind the board? Meet them before you play and throw out a thanks from the stage before you wrap up your set.

7. Slow To Strike
You were dying to get onstage to play, right? So think of the next band on the bill. Don’t start chatting up fans or ordering drinks before you strike your gear. Get the hell off the stage and give the next act a chance to play their full set.

— RM

The Punch-In is edited by Rich Maloof, who has a long history with TrueFire as artist, educator, and producer. Rich’s body of work as a published author and Editor in Chief of Guitar magazine has been distributed and translated internationally.

Tagged: concert, gig, guitar, live, music biz, performance, playing, Sevens

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July 28th 2011

7 Pioneers of Guitar

by Steve “Red” Lasner

1. Les Paul (1915-2009)

Les Paul was jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention.

His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and they sold millions of records. Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tagged: all time, best, greatest, guitar, legends, pioneers

Sevens

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July 18th 2011

7 Deadly Sins of Rehearsing

by Rich Maloof

1. No agenda
Make the most of the band’s time together by knowing what you plan to accomplish. Is it a writing session or a performance rehearsal? Do you need to tighten up a few tunes that were sloppy at the last gig? Plan it out in advance. If the group has vocal harmonies or dual guitar parts to work out, you might want to set up separate rehearsal times for just those band members.

2. Inviting friends and fans
Don’t invite anyone to your rehearsal other than bandmates. It’s fine if you need a manager or other business associate to hear what you’re doing, but keep your legions of fans out. Most musicians just don’t tend to work as productively, or even act normally, when there are other eyes and ears on them. If that many people are dying to hear you play, here’s a crazy idea: book a gig.

3. Free-for-all
It’s one thing to take a moment to adjust your tone or get a new riff under your fingers; it’s another to run a dozen lead lines when everyone else is ready to start working. If your band is populated with aimless, endless noodlers, try setting a new rule for rehearsal: Each player signals that he/she is ready to rehearse by not playing.