Category: Music
-
Low Society is back with a new album that is drawing attention, having been placed on the ballot for a Grammy in the American Roots category. The title song is a hit and a delicious irony in itself. Sanctified means pure – whereas “Sanctified” the song is an unselfconscious synthesis of blues, rock & roll…
-
In a recent Facebook post someone asked, “If you could meet xyz dead rock star, what would you ask them?” My immediate thought was, “how did you practice?” I can remember numerous tips from various guitar heroes and heroines over the years, but they're never enough. In a series of blog posts exploring this eternal…
-
“He has the magic right hand!” So said a student of mine about David Bowie and his amazing twelve-string guitar playing. We all want freedom of expression on the guitar and no less with rhythm and strumming. You need to be able to play any rhythm at any time. But where to start? The…
-
My quest to find a P90s guitar seemed like it was going on forever. It all started with a reissue double-cut Les Paul Special that a friend of mine had years back. I coveted that guitar and looked around for one a little, but they were scarce and expensive. More recently, I ramped up the…
-
It was a little dark in this studio, but a bevy of Fender beauties was on hand for some recording work on the new Saints and Sinners album. It was only after recording for several hours that I realized what a bounty of Fender delishiousness was present and I took this picture. There is one…
-
Dinah Washington doesn't get a lot of press these days, but before her untimely death in 1963, she was known as The Queen. Her style is a little hard to pin down and that might be a reason why she’s less well known than other female jazz, blues and pop singers of her day. Dinah…
-
Strumming the guitar is sometimes challenging when you’re starting out. The motions can feel awkward, and it seems like there are many different patterns to learn. In fact, there are two main strum patterns that are absolutely essential, and if you get them down, it will make it easier to learn the more complex patterns.…
-
It was the cover of Mott The Hoople Live that hooked me. With its crisscrossing blue and red lights, front line of three rock warriors, and bass player Overend Watts’ outrageously colorful getup, it was hard to resist. The back cover was equally impressive, with the lurid purple-tinged lighting and marionettes hanging above the stage.…
-
The biggest challenge facing beginning guitarists is the question of how to improve the speed and accuracy of chord changes. How do the fingers move as a unit? Which finger moves first? The truth is, a kind of organization is involved with each chord change, and one can cultivate that skill. One of the…
On Practicing Guitar 