South of the border

Happy New Year! May 2005 be your best yet, and if you have any spare cash, send it off to your favorite charity for the thousands upon thousands who are having the worst time of their lives.

This week I look at a few bars of a TexMex feel. I think we all know the sound ... that acoustic flavor that conjures up images of balmy, tropical evenings South of the Border. This flavor of music uses harmony in sixths, which are back to front thirds.

Go to this page and get stuck into it.

There are about 30 similar lessons over at Guitar for Beginners and Beyond, all movie/tab/midi, in case you're wondering what to do these holidays.

PlaneTalk, The Truly Totally Different Guitar Instruction Book continues to enlighten twangers all over the World. I get such positive feedback ... here is a post from the WholeNote.com forum:

"I've never seen the book from Di Meola, but I'll wager the info there against Kirk's book, Plane Talk. This book breaks down the basics of both the fretboard and music theory and marries the two. It's the best book I've ever seen. There is not another book like it on the market. Hey, I've been playing for over 30 years, and I learned something from this book."

For any slide guitar enthusiasts, I recently recorded a version of my late dad's favorite tune. If you're interested in a new twist on an old nugget:

Stream it
Download it

I triple tracked my old Gibson J-50 acoustic for the rhythm part. My trusty Stratocaster played that famous melody.

All the best, remember to play at least a little bit each and every day to keep everything progressing.