The Guitar Thread

[Top_Cat]

YouTube - Little Wing (unedited)- Frank Gambale, Bunny Brunel

Gambale playing Little Wing at NAMM quite a few years ago. Top bit of improv and shows what a good player he is for many reasons. Whilst an unbelievable player who could technically put any other player in the shade, playing this song you can't just shred it out and have to try a bit harder to find the melody. So many guys just try to rip on blues/pentatonic scales and utterly ruin the feel of the song (Steve Vai, looking at you). Gambale is one of the very, very, very few players who is capable of doing ultra-technical fusion shred in one gig and then ripping out a great blues solo in another.

In all seriousness, can barely think of another player I've ever heard who can do both technique and feel so convincingly, most guys try to find a half-way point between the two and do that every time rather than, essentially, turning into two separate players depending on who they're playing with. Guthrie Govan or Greg Howe maybe? Don't think those are quite in Gambale's sphere technically, though.

For context, this is Frank's usual stuff.

YouTube - Frank Gambale Tips On Breaking Into Music

Vastly under-rated player. I notice he's using a Yamaha Pacifica in the first clip too. Awesome guitars anyway, let alone for the price.

EDIT: Notice how much Frank backs off from 4:18 and just fills the space behind the keyboard solo, sign of a pro. Oh man, such a sweet little bit at 5:50 there too, just so much guitar to listen to. Simple but not simplistic, if that makes sense. The keyboard solo is exactly what I'm talking about as far as how NOT to play Little Wing, incidentally.

[Days of Grace]

Bought my first left-handed acoustic in August last year. Luckily my mate is obsessive about guitar so I got a free teacher. I just needed to buy him a beer now and then.

Just started playing barre chords. I can do the minor shapes okay but struggle with the A-major shape when playing a B barre chord. I sometimes cheat and just use two fingers. Hardly notice the difference in sound.

The barres are ringing out okay, but getting to them from a open-chord is a hassle and takes time. I guess just repetition will solve that eventually.

I have no problem getting between open chords, though.

I joined my mate and his wife in their band as the drummer, and we perform in Omiya, near Tokyo, about once a month.

Here is my debut on guitar:
YouTube - The InfraRednecks - Country Honk

Then, on drums:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjam-...eature=related


Just a bit of fun, really.

[Top_Cat]

Yep, repetition is the key. Repeat until you're good.

Only been playing for a year, getting up on stage and playing your chords that clean, should be pretty damn happy with that (nice voice too). Just got to loosen the wrist a bit but that'll come with time. What's the thickness of your plectrum?

[Burgey]

My son got his first guitar the past week or so, an acoustic one. Hopefully I get to see him play it a fair bit.

[PhoenixFire]

Just tab (ver 2) by Radiohead @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

Any tips on how to play the first chord? I really want to get there, but my fingers don't quite seem long enough..

[Top_Cat]

The first chord is a type II barre chord and this is why tabs by themselves don't give enough info to actually learn how to play guitar. I assume you're trying to put your first finger on the 3rd fret of the A string and then the other 3 on the 5th of the D, G and B strings? You can if you want but 99% of players do it this way because it's much easier;



Couple of things;

- Initially it's hard to barre with your third finger and all the notes to ring out but you'll get used to it
- Notice how his 3rd finger is flat but slightly raised towards the first knuckle, this is to make sure you don't let the high E string sound. The fleshy part of his finger just after the first knuckle mutes it. If you play a full barre with your 3rd finger, the first chord of the song, in this case a C major, will be a C6. Have to make sure the high E is muted. Tough initially but, again, gets easier with practice (and hurts).

Burgey, good on you for getting your boy into playing guitar. Just learning it has many flow-on benefits cognitively so keep him at it and he'll be better at maths (seriously). Of course, there's the risk he may want to play music for a living.....

As for me personally, got asked to audition for a heavy band. They played Soundwave in '09 so they seem to be doing quite well, means I now have to source a guitar which I can tune down to low-C. Need a re-inforced neck and some damn heavy strings for that. Got three of their songs to learn by the end of the week and have to find time to transcribe them. This is them;

ISAW - Artist - triple j Unearthed - free music | new Australian music | independent music

Playing Soundwave;

YouTube - ISAW Soundwave 2010 - Gods for Guns.m2t

It's a totally different mindset to playing improv jazz like in the Colourphonics. Playing jazz, you need the ability to play off-the-cuff, essentially writing songs as you go, play solos, know when to back-off, you can experiment with different sounds because you have the space and time to make and correct mistakes, etc. This sort of band, once you know the parts that's it, no improv at all, have to lock into what the bass and drums are doing and there's not many solos in their stuff so it's technically it's easier but mistakes and playing around with the timing on the fly are a no-no. Plus it's just balls out music, very little need to back off.

Going to be interesting.

[PhoenixFire]

I've posted this in here because I know you'll read it (@ corey)

I've got these old Mission speakers that I really want to use with my computer. They don't have any leads or cables to connect them to my computer or anything like that. Do I need an amplifier to use them as well?

[wellAlbidarned]

The whole four years I've played bass, I've used a 150 watt Jansen dinosaur. It's fine for practice on my own, or even with a couple of guitarists, but once you add a drummer into the mix (gotta crank the volume past 3 o'clock), it starts producing some nasty fuzz, and not the good type of "nasty". Not that I actually have any money for a upgrade, I'd still be interested to hear from anyone with advice or recommendations for getting an amp that's a step up from what I've got. Cheers.

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFire

I've posted this in here because I know you'll read it (@ corey)

I've got these old Mission speakers that I really want to use with my computer. They don't have any leads or cables to connect them to my computer or anything like that. Do I need an amplifier to use them as well?

How old? Model numbers?

[Top_Cat]

Originally Posted by wellAlbidarned

The whole four years I've played bass, I've used a 150 watt Jansen dinosaur. It's fine for practice on my own, or even with a couple of guitarists, but once you add a drummer into the mix (gotta crank the volume past 3 o'clock), it starts producing some nasty fuzz, and not the good type of "nasty". Not that I actually have any money for a upgrade, I'd still be interested to hear from anyone with advice or recommendations for getting an amp that's a step up from what I've got. Cheers.

In my experience, bass players with < 300w amps struggle in any rehearsal situation. Certainly you'd want more than that for the average pub/club gig.

[PhoenixFire]

How do I play 8th fret on the A string and 10th fret on the B, G and mid D strings for an arpeggi? I take it you don't just stretch your fingers that way because it seems basically impossible.

[Top_Cat]

If I understand what you're asking;

The Guitar Thread

Missed out on the metal band, thought the audition went really well but the guy who got it has cool tatts*.



*have no info to suggest this is the case, may be (bruised) ego speaking.

[PhoenixFire]

Ah I managed to miss that entire post, thanks

[PhoenixFire]

YouTube - Radiohead - The Rip

Any idea how Jonny is playing that (i.e either fingerpicking or with a plectrum), I really can't tell?

[Top_Cat]

From the video, it looks as if Thom is playing the arppegios. Jonny's fingers are barely moving at all so if he's using anything, it's a pick. He might even be just playing the bass notes.

Either/or would work. Best piece of guitar advice I ever got was that, within reason, it doesn't matter how you play something as long as you play it the same way every time.