On Practicing Guitar

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Category: Music

  • Joe Perry Bio Review – Rocks

    I started writing this before the news of Joe’s illness. All I can say is, “Get Well, Joe!” Hopefully, he’ll make a full recovery. It was scary to spend so much time reading about Joe Perry and then hear that his life was in danger. At its core Rocks: My Life In and Out of…

  • Catching Up On Sleepless Nights

    Ellen and Ron prepare to hit the road Sleepless Nights has been one busy group these days. We returned to Parigot, the lovely French Restaurant on the border of Chinatown and Soho, on Saturday, June 18th. We played two sets that night and a raucous party ensued after the show during which we were informed…

  • Wilson Pickett’s It’s Too Late – Who Was That Masked Man?

    Wilson Pickett, Cornell Dupree and Jimi Hendrix rock the house. R&B titan Wilson Pickett really knew guitar players. Just two of the hot shots that he employed in the 1960s include Duane Allman and Jimi Hendrix. Didn’t they come out number one and number two on a Rolling Stone Greatest Guitarists list awhile back? Well,…

  • Fender Pro Junior – A Sexy Little Beast

    A reliable, lightweight and great-sounding gig amp is high on the list of most guitar players, and I recently joined the ranks of those seeking to prevent backaches as well as rock the house. Before that, I played mostly locally, used backline amps or lugged various let’s just say more committed amps like a Fender…

  • Saints and Sinners Play American Trash Saturday May 21st at 10PM

    Saints and Sinners at Desmond's Tavern on the 5th of May  - Photo by Andrea Fischman Saints and Sinners, formerly the Anodyne Blues Band, will be appearing Saturday, May 21 at American Trash for a three set, all out shin-dig from 10pm until 1am. The Anodyne Blues Band moniker served us well for over seven…

  • Adventures in Guitar Mods – The Squier 51

    Ever since my friend Steve changed the ancient volume pot in my ’76 Strat to a brand new American made CTS pot, I have been itching to learn how to do guitar mods. My obsession may even have begun shortly after a student of mine brought over a black Fender Squier 51. These guitars are…

  • Sleepless Nights Preview and Gig This Sunday at HiFi Bar

    Sleepless Nights is in the midst of completing their first demo and we thought we would share this tune with everyone. It’s the Stones’ “No Expectations,” (The link is below – just click on it) a song that I’ve been playing forever. At a rehearsal not that long ago, we tried a kind of ‘he…

  • Hubert Sumlin and “The Shake” – Spoonful Solo

    Hubert Sumlin played on all of Howling Wolf’s sides from the mid-fifties to the early sixties and beyond. He’s known for his ‘crazy,’ ‘unpredictable’ style, which includes sharp upwards slides, squawking staccato double stops and chords, and off kilter yet memorable signature licks and fills. But he was also an early master of one of…

  • Ten Essential Blues Albums (It Goes to Eleven)

    I’ve been planning a trip to Memphis recently and in my research I ran across an interesting New York Times article called, “Driving the Blues Trail – In Search of a Lost Muse,” by Rick Bragg. At the end of the article, the author includes a list of blues records that have been honored by…

  • Jimi Hendrix ‘Hey Joe’ Solo Analysis Part I

    Analysis of Jimi Hendrix solo on “Hey Joe.” The solo that Jimi Hendrix laid down for his debut single “Hey Joe” in November of 1966 is one of his most straightforward and accessible efforts. I’ve taught it to many of my students, yet each time I return to it, I hear something new. The solo…