Category: Tips and Online finds

Posted in Tips and Online finds

Thoughts on Guitar Amp live EQ Settings

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I play a lot of gigs of all kinds and styles of music , as I always enjoyed doing that. I always considered myself a bit of a ‘session guitarist’ always trying to ‘fit in’ rather than ‘stick out’. When somebody approaches me at the end of a gig and says  how well I complemented the band and ‘blended in’, I feel I have done my job.

So I wanted to do a post on what I think a lot of guitarists out there get wrong…remember this is my opinion!!

First of all: you need to  find a balance between what is a volume/tone/sustain that is both comfortable and inspiring for you but not overpowering and intrusive for the other band members.

A good approach is to CUT rather than to BOOST on your amp’s EQ section. Unless you are playing on the same stage every night, every room will make your amp sound different. So I always start from all EQ on 12 o’clock and start cutting what I feel makes my tone muddy. Usually…bass!! I always hear too much bass coming from guitar amps. That’s the bass player’s realm.

Cutting frequencies will also allow me to turn up the volume more, which is always a good thing for tone…we all know that! 🙂

A slight boost in the midrange area might help you ‘cut through’ when needed.

I own different amps, but my go-to amp for medium size gigs is a modified Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a Vintage 30 speaker.  Unless you play metal, there is enough in there to make everybody happy at any gig, and not break your back carrying it around. It’s not an expensive amp, and I have seen even Mike Landau use them live and great some great tones…so if it is good enough for him…

Even though ‘all knobs all the way up’ might be  a good setting to record a rhythm part in a studio, this might make your tone clearer and fuller:

Then again…use your ears!! All I mean to say here is try to think like a sound engineer mixing a band rather than just to make your guitar sound bigger.

A last thought: learn to play with a lighter touch. Too many guitarist pick too hard all the time. Let the amp do the work for you, and ‘dig in’ when you need that extra kick or break-up. All my favourite guitarist in terms of tone just about touch the strings with their picking hand.

Suggested Reading:

Guitar Tone: Pursuing the Ultimate Guitar Sound

Posted in Tips and Online finds

Nile Rodgers Masterclass

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Following the theme of master classes from legendary guitarist today I am going to share with you this great video where Nile Rodgers delivers some great funk guitar playing.

Amazing stuff, great quality video as well, very clear and quite easy to follow!

 

 

Posted in Tips and Online finds

30 Days to build a habit

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This is something I have known for years, but I have just started implementing with great results. It works wonders if you are having a hard time making a start on things and you are, like myself, a procrastinator. After all we are creatures of habit and all we have to do is allow the time for a new habit to be formed, until it becomes part of our routine.

It takes 21 consecutive days to form a habit, and about 30 to make it become part of your routine. Start with something generic, like ‘I will practice for the next 30 days every day’, to go to something more detailed like: ‘ I will practice  every day for and hour the next 30 days’, or  ‘I will practice transposing one tune a day for the next 30 days’ or  ‘I will practice to learn major scales for one hour for the next 30 days’.

Just do it, do not be to harsh about it, and you’ll see great results. Make sure you stick to it, don’t give yourself a choice! This is great also to remove negative habits, like ‘I will not judge my playing negatively for the next 30 days’ or ‘I will not ‘noodle’ for the next 30 days’ or ‘I will stretch and correct my posture before I play for the next 30 days’

Watch this great video from Ted.com, you can apply this concept to everyday life.

All you have to do is to make a 30 day calendar to to keep track of your progress, and tick a box once you have achieved the result. I use this great little template from this page (the article is definitely worth a read):

http://andrewdubber.com/2010/03/30-days-of-ideas-05/

I like to print a few an a A4 page and mark the starting date on each 30 day calendar. Most times, I find myself continuing with the new habit after the 30 days without having to keep track.

Good Luck!

Posted in A day in the life of a musician, Tips and Online finds

Posture, Warm ups, Stretching and Health for the Working Guitarist.

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As a working guitarist, sooner or later you will be confronted by tension in your upper body and shoulders. I always try to teach to all my students how to avoid tension and explain how warming up before a session/gig and sitting/standing correctly can make a huge difference in how you will feel at the end of it.

We always forget how playing an instrument, lifting gear, or sitting all day to practice or teach can be a physically demanding task, and I don’t know any athlete that does not warm up before a performance, so why shouldn’t we?

The following is a great video that explains how things work in the upper body:

This is a great set of warm ups and massages by guitar master J. Petrucci:

If tension should arise, a great way to release is explained in this video:

I hope this was helpful, feel free to add a comment below if you find more useful videos!

Posted in A day in the life of a musician, Tips and Online finds

Check List for the forgetful Guitarist

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I usually play 150+ gigs a year in different styles, in different settings, sometimes playing ‘dep’ gigs, where you might not know what you’ll be doing until the last minute, it is easy to forget stuff at home (I have done so twice last week…).

I have created this check-list to make sure this does not happen again, and I decided to share it with you. As you go through the list, get the stuff you need and put it in a big pile by the door.

So, What do you need to bring to tonight’s gig…?

GEAR:

What GUITARS will you play Electric, Acoustic, Hollow Body? Will you need more than one guitar? Go through the set-list in you head.

Do you need PEDALS/PEDAL-BOARD?

Do you have enough GUITAR PICKS?

Do you have all the CABLES you need, plus spares?

Do you have a bag with REPLACEMENT STRINGS, GUITAR CABLES, ACCESSORIES (BATTERIES, CLEANING STUFF, SLIDES…), AND MAINS POWER EXTENSIONS/MULTIPLE PLUGS?

Did you pack a TUNER?

AMPLIFIER(S), or Head+Cab, Plus all Cables?

Will you SING at tonight’s gig? MICROPHONES+MIC STAND +XLR CABLES+LYRICS!

Will you need to MIC UP YOUR AMP/ACOUSTIC GUITAR? (EXTRA MIC+MIC STAND+XLR CABLES)

Will you need EARPLUGS? More than one set?

Will I need a MONITOR or any part of a P.A.?

MUSIC:

Do you have a PRINTED SET-LIST with all the TUNES IN THE RIGHT KEYS?

Do you need to read music/Lyrics? (MUSIC STAND WITH LIGHT, CHARTS)

Did you take the music (CHARTS/ AUDIO TRACKS) with you?

OTHER:

Do you have clear DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUE, address+contact number, and a CONTACT NUMBER for some of the band members?

Do you have COINS TO PAY FOR PARKING?

Is FOOD provided, or do you need to bring it with you? (you’ll be surprised how sometimes you might be playing in the middle of nowhere…)

Do you have the right clothing? Do yo need to bring formal CLOTHES+SHOES!!

Do you need any paperwork/Documents (INVOICE/CONTRACT/INSURANCE/EMAIL PRINTOUT)?

You can download this in a printable poster to print out, as it might be a good idea to hang it up in the room where you keep all the equipment.

>DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE CHECK-LIST<

I hope this helped! Feel free to add more in the comment section below if you feel I have missed something.