1 - ESSENTIAL MUSIC RESOURCES:

There are search slots for these all on one page at:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/search.htm


CD NOW for CDs
http://cdnow.com/from=sr-767167
As well as secure transactions, advance orders & quick delivery of
thousands of CDs in stock, CD NOW have sound clips, reviews &
other merchandise, plus up to 30% discount


International Lyrics Server
http://www.lyrics.ch/
Lyrics to thousands of songs for free


All-Music Guide
http://www.allmusic.com/
Biographies & discographies
Very comprehensive and detailed music database


UBL - Ultimate Band List
http://ubl.com/
Where to go to find out about your favourite band...
Search for links to all the best sites, on any artist


Guitar Notes Tab Search - the largest collection of guitar music on the net? Use the search engine to look through over 40,000 songs (more than just olga)
http://www.guitarnotes.com/olga


not forgetting...

1000 Great Guitar Sites
Your guide to the best in guitar music: TAB, Bands, MP3...
http://www.GuitarSite.com/


and the 2000 Guitars Database
http://www.GuitarSite.com/database.htm


There are search slots for all of these, all on one page at:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/search.htm


and here's a couple more sites, from Erik Ramsaur:

http://www.gearsearch.com
The musician's resource for finding music instrument and equipment
dealers.

http://worldwidebands.com
Check out Indie Bands and Artists of all Music Styles!


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2 - WIN A GUITAR

Visit the Fretted Instruments site at http://www.fretted.com.au for your chance to win a Takamine G-330 Acoustic Guitar, Valued At $550. Competition open to everyone as prize includes international shipping!


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COUNTRY MUSIC - WIN, WIN, WIN!!!

Country comes to Great Guitar Sites! There's currently a new page under construction at: http://www.GuitarSite.com/country.htm
Win a tape of Leighton Watts great country music for yourself, just by telling me your favorite Country Music site to link to the new page!
Check Leighton out here: http://www.GuitarSite.com/ozbands2.htm#Leighton


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3 - MERLE HAGGARD

If the question were asked, "Who forged the genre that is known today as
'modern country music?'," only a tiny group of country immortals could step forward to share the spotlight. One, out of that select handful, would be Merle Haggard. Merle wasn't in the delivery room on the morning country music was born; it simply seems like he was. And you won't hear anybody refer to him as the father of country music. But many will swear he's at least its godfather.

Read more at this new tribute to Merle on this site:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/MerleHaggard.htm

Read this week's Prize-Winning article by JD CASTEEL of Mcloud, Oklahoma, about his encounter with Merle recently:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/MerleHaggard.htm#MerleHaggard_story


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4 - GUITAR RECORDS announces availability of the following
new Chet Atkins CDs- $11 each, plus postage:

1) Me and My Guitar/First Nashville Guitar Quartet
2) Chester and Lester/Guitar Monsters
3) My Favorite Guitars/It's a Guitar World
4) Caribbean Guitar/Travelin'
5) Most Popular Guitar/Travelin'
6) Super Hits (new compilation with "Mr. Sandman" and 9 others

E-Mail: guitarrecords@scescape.net
or Web: http://www.GuitarRecords.com

More on Chet Atkins:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/ChetAtkins.htm


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5 - Insectgirl CD

Australian band Insectgirl, have released their first CD
DI=DIY(do it equals do it yourself) and the *complete CD*
has been RealAudio encoded and is available for a listen
from their website at DriftWood:

http://www.dw.com.au/insectgirl


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6 - TABLATURE

New tab in the archive:
"The Dope Show" by Marilyn Manson
From the album: Mechanical Animals
Found at:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/tab/M/MarilynManson/Dope_Show.htm


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7 - MUSICIANS HEALTH RESOURCES

http://www.musicianshealth.com
Musician's Health - An educational web site devoted to the understanding and the explanation of musician's injuries, along with guidelines regarding injury prevention and for achieving an optimum state of health

Here's some more musicians health links to try:

http://www.ata.org
The American Tinnitis Association

http://www.hearnet.com
Hearing Education Awareness for Rockers

http://www.artsmed.org
Performing Arts Medicine Association

http://www.cygnet.co.uk/BPAMT/
British Performing Arts Medical Trust

http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/pt/pt1/
Performing Arts Medicine at Ithaca College

http://members.aol.com/iamaorg/index.html
The International Arts-Medicine Assoc

There's even more at:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/health.htm


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8 - PICKING EXERCISES

Whenever you're going to do any form of strenuous exercise you should always warm up first - if you want to avoid possibly hurting yourself! Check out some picking and warm-up exercises here:
http://www.GuitarSite.com/PickingExercises/


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9 - GETTING STEADY BACK-UP

From Rick: tanawana@usa.net

"As a steadily live performing guitarist I've reached a point where I'm a little impatient with the constant change of hands in drummers and bass players and the shortage of good keys in my area that I must go through just to play live steadily."

"I've considered turning to sequencing drums, bass and maybe keys at
times, as steady "no headache" back-up players, when I need them.
Years ago I would have said "no way" to this, but dealing with
bar owners (a group in their own world) and the additional work of keeping a steady flow of good players is beginning to be a little too distracting for me. Any ideas for a direction in this area as far as where to get the back-up parts pre-recorded quickly?"

What would you suggest Rick do?

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10 - AND YOU THINK BLONDES ARE STUPID?
From_: Adam gighire@rock.com

Ok,
I don't write often, but here's one for the "Funny Stories Dept.".

About 15 years ago I used to share a flat in Sydney with two redheads,
let's call them Debbie and Jackie - 'cause that's their real names.
These two girls could never seem to agree on anything, which was strange
because they had a lot in common. Apart from both being redheads they
both thought they new everything.

One night we were sitting around watching TV and having a few <--INSERT
FAVOURITE INDULGENCE HERE -->'s, and I was practising scales on my
Fender Strat, when I decided to ask their expert and profound opinion on
a matter that had been vexing me about the tonal characteristics of that
particular instrument.

I asked them if they preferred the sound of the guitar using the "neck"
pickup or using the pickup in the "bridge" position, which I illustrated
by switching between the two settings and playing an open E chord. They
both asked me to repeat this exercise a few times before they gave me
their differing (as usual) opinions on the matter and began arguing about it.

I was trying very hard not to laugh the whole time this was going on,
because the guitar wasn't even plugged in when I was playing it.

- Adam


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Apologies if this last article caused offence to anyone!

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11 - Instrumental Electric Guitar Music Project

Hi, I'm crazy about Instrumental Electric Guitar Music.
I collect it, write occasionally for some music magazines and have my own instrumental electric guitar music radio show (monthly since 1995)
called "Mad for Scales" - from Heavy/Rock to Jazz/Fusion (including other
genres Blues, Pop, Free a.s.o.).

It consists of a portrait, then some reviews (incl. new stuff, demos etc.), then a question to answer, events (if there are some and there is time) and the record of the month.

There are some American guys, Frank Gambale(Aus), Vernon Reid, John Petrucci, Tony MacAlpine, Shawn Lane... and Mr Steve Morse. Plus a lot of German/European guitarists in the studio. Some bring older or/and un-
released material with them some even their guitar...

Maybe if there is interrest I'll bring it to the Net sometime...
I even recorded and broadcasted a concert. Last year I founded the record label "Scales Records" with a broad variety of styles. The first releases will be later on this year. The look should be not only on virtuoso performance, but on good compositions that last. I also want to build up
a mailorder service (on the Net). People try to talk me into writing a book on this issue, but I think I may need to dig out more material!

Could anyone help me with the Instrumental Guitar Project by providing contacts of special people, media, shops, mail order... plus the guitarists, with cds, demos, info etc.

Joerg Pasler, Im Drostebusch 29B, 48155 Muenster, Germany
scales@muenster.de

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12 - WIN PRIZES

OK, here's you chance to help fellow musicians AND help yourself to a
valuable prize! All you have to do is either:

A - review a great guitar site
that I don't already have a link to

OR

B - write something for this Guitar Newsletter
(sent to GuitarMaster@hitsquad.com).

All entries are eligible for entry to the newsletter at a future date, but the prizes go to the most original / entertaining / interesting / useful article. It can be a funny guitar-related experience, a tip, joke, tab, review - anything fellow guitarists would enjoy reading!
What do you win? You can check out some of the prizes

PLUS *** Visit the Fretted Instruments site
for your chance to win a Takamine G-330 Acoustic Guitar, Valued At $550