When one thinks of Brazilian guitar, the soft sounds of a classical guitar playing Bossa Nova or Samba usually comes to mind. But, there is a new generation of Brazilian guitarists that are stepping beyond expectations, branching out to the modern Jazz-Rock-Funk Fusion genre and taking Brazilian guitar into new and exciting directions.
Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History by noted rock author, Chris Welch, landed in our shop a short while ago and at first glance, we knew it was worth checking out. Sure, there’s the Clapton connection, but the book exudes high quality and we’re familiar with past books by Welch.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when I first started to check out the Amplitube App and iRig attachment for the iPad (also available for the iPod and iPhone). As someone that grew up in a day and age when if you wanted a new amp sound, you bought a new amp, and the best effects were single pedals or the occasional multi-effects unit that beat expectation.
For those who are Fender obsessed and love the contours and sounds of Fender guitars, author Tom Wheeler’s latest book, The Dream Factory: Fender Custom Shop, offers up the comprehensive story of the Shop, complete with its compelling history, a series of stunning photos, highlights on some very cool CS axes, and the inside scoop on the genesis of the Custom Shop straight from some of the custom builders.
There are few guitarists on the scene today that can boast the performing and teaching career that Sheryl Bailey has built up over the past decade. Not only have her albums been well received, and she is constantly performing as both a leader and side woman, but she has built a reputation as one of the top jazz guitar teachers anywhere, through both her video releases and her work at the Berklee College of Music.
Throughout the history of music, artists across the board have drawn upon personal experience to inspire their songwriting. Whether it be tales of love won and lost, dealing with personal demons or experiences growing up in an interesting family, songwriters will often dig into their personal past when looking for new inspiration. Singer and songwriter Jeremy Schonfeld is an artist with a personal story to tell and he does so with powerful emotional drive and first-rate musicianship on his latest work Iron and Coal.
Scale books for guitarists seem to be hitting shelves in record numbers these days. With the evolution of the ebook, there has been a boom of self-published books being released, providing more options for guitar consumers than ever before. Because of these myriad options, it seems like a great time to be a guitarist, because of the wide variety of teaching materials available. But, at the same time it’s harder than ever to decide which product is worth buying, especially when money is tight.
John Medeski (keyboards), Chris Wood (bass) and Billy Martin (drums and other percussion) have reunited with guitarist John Scofield on MSMW Live: In Case The World Changes Its Mind. Their first collaboration was on Scofield’s album A Go Go and later on Out Louder, which was released in 2006. This recording is a live collection of twelve tracks featuring songs from those two previous efforts.
It’s a bold and yet entirely appropriate move to offer listeners a taste of what they can expect to spend their money on, given the instant-gratification considerations of modern-day digital distribution. And so it’s a calculated risk very likely to pay off for Reznor not only in regards to sales but the critical acclaim he has become long-accustomed to as he enters a new age of artistic relevance.
Guitar players usually fall within two camps when it comes to how they pick their instrument. On the one side you have the players that use a pick to play and strum all of their notes and chords, and on the other side of the aisle you have cats that fingerpick to pluck each note and chord. While both approaches offer merit, depending on the style of music played and the tastes of the guitarist using them, many players often ignore a third option when it comes to their choice of picking technique.
