In this lesson we’ll be working on alternate picking. The lesson is very simple, we’ll take a lick from Paul Gilbert, vary it a little bit, and then increase the tempo to get a really great workout from this one idea.
“Let it Be” would end up being one of the most bittersweet songs in the Beatles catalog, or anyone’s musical library for that matter. Released in March of 1970, the song was the last single released by the Fab Four before Paul McCartney announced that he was leaving the band.
Creating music with other musicians is such a touchy subject for some people, because everyone has a different drive to make music. For some it is ego, for some it is money, for some it’s the pleasure of making music they like and perhaps the message it carries, and for some it’s a joy to share that experience with other musicians and the audience. Now, I don’t think that any of those reasons are right or wrong. You can even have all of them. It all depends how you deal with them and what your ultimate musical goal is.
Telling the story of a time traveller who witnesses the apocalypse, before returning to the present day, being transformed into metal and then after being mocked, starting the very destruction he witnessed in the future, Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” is one of the most memorable and covered songs in rock history.
Talking to Sammy Hagar, it’s hard to tell that the prolific guitarist, singer and songwriter has been working as a professional musician for almost 44 years, beginning his career by recording “Reach Out to Find Me” and “Read My Thoughts” in 1967. During the intervening years, Hagar has had several successful solo careers, been a member of the rock band Montrose, and spent a decade with Van Halen at the height of the band’s fame in the mid ‘80s and early ‘90. Throughout it all has maintained an exuberance and excitement for music that is often only found in performers half his age or younger.
Evolving from an earlier song titled “Hey Jules,” which Paul McCartney wrote for John Lennon’s son Julian to comfort him after his parent’s divorce, “Hey Jude” has since become one of the Beatles’ most recognized and best-loved songs. At over 7 minutes in length, it was, at the time, the longest single ever to top the charts.
Released in 2010, Avenged Sevenfold’s “Nightmare,” was the first single following the death of drummer The Rev. Though he will never be replaced in the minds of AS’s fans, prog-rock drummer extrordinare Mike Portnoy jumped in and took The Rev’s place, who recorded the demo version, on the single.
Featured on Atreyu’s fifth studio album Congregation of the Damned, “Storm to Pass” may not be as recognizable as some of the band’s other singles, but it’s hard driving beats, ethereal arpeggios and screaming vocals are as strong as any song the band has released in recent years.
For a song that was written to stand against censorship in music, Alice in Chain’s hit single “Man in the Box” has been censored itself many time over the years. From the band’s Vevo YouTube channel, to radio, to the video game Rock Band 2, the song’s lyrics have been changed to be more family friendly, something that seems to go against the lyrical intend of the song.
Download Dream On by Aerosmith, today’s officially licensed free tab of the day.
