Halo Guitar

On the heels of the previous post’s introduction of Mary (cannabis leaf-shaped guitar) to Jane (hemp guitar cabinet), it seemed appropriate to acknowledge another match from the “only a matter of time” file: Halo played on an Xbox using the Guitar Hero controller. The video has undoubtedly made the rounds, but for those who […]

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Mary, Meet Jane

The notion that all musicians rely on psychotropic aids - either to stimulate their creativity or as an inherent part of their lifestyle - is an antiquated cliché with little basis in reality. Scores of musicians, including guitarists, attack their art with singular purpose and untainted mind, inspired only by the grace of their instrument […]

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Making Guitars and Stuff

If the final category at the top of the $100,000 Pyramid were “Things that guitarBlog would love to make,” the following is a list of clues to patiently but persistently offer in the waning, frenetic seconds of the Winners’ Circle round:
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Sphere: Related Content

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Great Moments in Song

Certain songs contain a specific moment - a poignant lyric, or monumental riff, or exhilarating key change - that signals a shift to greatness. It is a moment for which listeners wait, stilling their hands from turning the dial until . . . check it out, here it comes . . . rock ON!
Sometimes the […]

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Hashing Mash Bashing

On the heels of your thoughtful and thought-provoking comments on playing originals vs. covers, an Ultimate-Guitar.com article profiles “Beatallica” - a band that mashes Beatles and Metallica songs into hybrid “creations.” The songs are mashed (”Blackened In The U.S.S.R.,” “A Garage Dayz Nite,” and “Helvester Of Skelter”); the band members’ […]

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A Lighter Shade of Green (Guitar)

Music blogs are buzzing with cross-over issues stemming from the recent Live Earth concerts, (check out iGBlog and GuitarNoize), many citing questions by the media as to the whether the performing musicians are personally committed to “going green.” (John Mayer, one of many put in the “hot” seat, apparently quipped, “If you want to […]

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Original or Cover?

Nothing furthers musical understanding more than studying how skilled musicians have constructed a song. Then again, nothing furthers musical understanding more than going through the process of creation yourself. That said, practicing songs that you know and with which everyone can sing along provides the best inspiration for the critical task of continuing […]

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Great Moments in Song - Verse 2

songs Comments (1)

The first Great Moments in Song post described critical points in a composition - a poignant lyric, monumental riff or exhilarating key change - that signal a shift to greatness. A few examples were offered and several excellent submissions were added by comment. Subjectively great? Objectively great? No need to debate the details.

Those moments are gathered below [edited lightly, credited further below], and are led off by a new offering. Perhaps the list will grow . . . More on page 54

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guitarblog @ August 10, 2007

Puff Breathes Again

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(photo: peterpaulandmary.com)

This Sunday afternoon, Peter Yarrow of the legendary folk group Peter, Paul & Mary and co-writer (with Leonard Lipton) of perennial kids’ favorite and unintended hippie anthem Puff, the Magic Dragon, will mount a stool at a DC Barnes & Noble and sing his sweet song for perusing bibliophiles, overheated tourists and a gaggle of family oglers. More on page 53

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guitarblog @ August 8, 2007

guitarBlogRoll

guitarBlogs Comments (7)

Eliminate guitar blogs with dated posts, ignore the ones with so-so content, leave aside the gems I have yet to discover, and you are left with: guitarBlogRoll!

If you are in the market for a new axe, Electric Guitar Review is a solid first-stop resource. EGR does an impressive job of providing pretty pictures and informative descriptions of newly released guitars and, on occasion, accompanying gear.

For the Fender-inspired, Strat-o-Blogster focuses on all things Stratocaster, but includes More on page 49

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guitarblog @ August 3, 2007

Strong Fingers

performances Comments (3)

His name is Andy McKee, and based on the View Count over at YouTube, I am approximately the 10 millionth person to discover him. So, this is not what I’d call a scoop. Here are a couple fun videos that demonstrate what pumping tiny little dumbbells can do for your guitar prowess. Just don’t watch if you’re having trouble holding that barre chord; it may just be discouraging.

Get more info at Andy McKee’s Official Website.

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guitarblog @ August 1, 2007

Satch and/or Vai

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(photo: guitarworld.com)

The latest issue of Guitar World hits the stands today with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai on the cover, revealing something that I never fully comprehended: These are two different guys. I don’t mean that their seemingly congruent styles - which Guitar World credits with launching the shred boom twenty years ago - are actually quite distinct. I mean that they are not, in fact, the same person. This is a Clark Kent/Superman type of realization.

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guitarblog @ July 31, 2007