Guitarsite News

This week we feature jazz guitarist Joe Finn, the creator of "The Jazz Guitar Almanac".

This week we feature jazz guitarist Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius. This fine guitarist, who has played with many jazz greats including Oscar Peterson has a very comprehensive website with MP3s, video clips and many other features.

Another Exclusive Interview/questionnaire type thingie by Dave Roberts exclusively for Extreme Guitars.

One of the Vision Music's most popular, ongoing features, especially for first and second year guitar and bass players, is the 'Eye Test' page.

I managed to catch Ron Eschet at Guitar Night with John Pisano and Dave Carpenter this past week. I have known about Ron for many years and in fact, he once played on a song called Mango Jam that I wrote with producer Esmond Edwards for jazz pianist Milcho Leviev. However, this was the first opportunity I had to hear him live.

OK, this is a big one.

We just finished a series on 'legendary guitarists' of the past. Our next series will focus once again on contemporary guitar players. One of my readers suggested I do a column on Lorne Lofsky and once I investigated his playing, it seemed the perfect way to begin.

This week we feature jazz guitarist George Van Eps, known as the "Father of the Seven String Guitar". In this, the last of the 'guitar legends of the past' series, I would like to present a column on George Van Eps. Happily, I got to see George Van Eps play his 7 string guitar here in LA shortly before his before his death in 1998.

Last week we did Barney Kessel. This week we will tell you about Kessel's contemporary and friend Tal Farlow. Tal Farlow was one of kind, a true be-bop guitarist.

Continuing with our guitar legends series, I would like to present a column on Barney Kessel. Along with guitar giants like Tal Farlow, he was a great an innovator when it came to playing be-bop, and his soloing skills were truly awesome.

This week we feature jazz legend Wes Montgomery, one of the most influential guitar players in Jazz.

Django Reinhardt lost the full use of his last two fingers in a fire early in his life, however he still managed to play brilliantly dazzling solos with only his two remaining fingers, and went on to become a jazz guitar legend.

Joe Pass is perhaps my all time favorite straight ahead jazz style guitar player. At solo guitar, he was absolutely untouchable and his single line playing was masterful beyond words.

This week we are featuring veteran guitarist Steve Khan, who has selected as one of the 22 All-time Greatest Jazz Guitarist by Jazz Life magazine.

It is a privilege for me to do a column on my friend Sid Jacobs. I met Sid at John Pisano's Guitar Night here in LA, and we became friends soon after. Sid comes down to my gigs and sits in from time (a real kick in pants for me, I might add), and his playing always leaves a great impression with all that hear him.

Staying true to Ernie Ball's commitment to no-hype functional tools for musicians, Ernie Ball's new leather guitar straps are available in two lengths, two widths and two colors. The comfortable and supportive straps feature Velcro for easy, on-the-spot adjustments, even when the guitar is strapped on.

I caught Hideaki Tokunaga several weeks ago at the Baked Potato jazz club here in LA playing with Tony DoRosario and John Pisano. Hideaki Tokunaga has a captivating style and a sweet, warm tone, playing wonderfully fluid melody lines using his thumb instead of a pick.

American guitarist and composer John Scofield who fuses jazz, funk, rock, blues and soul into his own style is this week's featured artist.

I first heard Pat live at Spazios here earlier this year. He is a very accomplished player with prodigious technique and a very musical style.

Louisiana guitarist Phil duGrey is like something you've never seen before. Equipped with a 17 string guitar he is a one man orchestra.

I had first heard of Anthony Wilson through a mutual friend, the legendary jazz producer Esmond Edwards. He said Anthony was a super fine guitarist and that I should check him out. As Esmond produced 5 albums for George Benson and also produced numerous recordings for Kenny Burrell and B.B. King, I guess he should know.

There must be something in the water in Philly that spawns such great guitar players as Pat Martino and Jimmy Bruno. Although we did a bit on Jimmy earlier, now that I have had a chance to met him and see him play, I have more to report.

If someone asked who the world's best 'half dozen' jazz guitar players were, you could say Pat Martino was certainly one of them, and not get much of an argument from anyone. Actually, in may people's opinion, he heads the list.

This week we are featuring Mark Elf, another player I discovered on jazz radio here in LA, like featured guitarist Jimmy Bruno

"Attention Metalheads! This week I shall introduce you to the low-down potential of the 7A tuning.

This week we feature Guitarist Bruce Forman. Bruce is a brilliant west coast guitarist from here in the US, with a number of albums featuring him as leader.

You will see for yourself the second 8 string guitar tuned from a low B to a high A in history. It is my 1992 Gibson "Piano Guitar" prototype. It followed the first 8 string (low B to high A) in history, which was also a Gibson Signature prototype of mine.

The Locrian Mode is the name given to Notes 7 to 14 of a Major Scale (the seven note one 'do re mi' etc) or notes 2 to 9 of a Natural Minor Scale(the relative minor scale of the 'do re mi' one).

This week, Guy answers our readers queries about 7-string playing in a band context.

The phrygian Mode is a particularly useful scale. With a little experimentation it can be used in and out of its proper context i.e. D phrygian has the same notes as the G Natural Minor scale (G Aeolian) so its proper context is within the Key of Gminor (or its relative Bb Major).

This week I'm still trying to make amends for the old 7A bias (you will be pleased to know that I now spend equal time with each tuning) with this group of bar chords.

Here are some Power-type chords for all the 7B tuners.

In response to the growing cries for 7B tuned bits, here are the Modes for 7B tuners.

Guitar Players have always been my heroes, to me the singers batted zero. That is really true, I love Guitar Music, and Playing the Guitar has been a passion with me for many years.

Here are some diminished arpeggios for seven string guitar players.

Here are some Dominant 7th Arpeggios for 7 string guitarists:

This week I've laid out an expanded fretboard for the curious folk out there who might be wondering what the names of the notes they play are.

Here are some good tips for re-voicing old 6 string chords as 7 string chords...

Here's the latest from our Seven string guy... Guy Pople.

Alex Gregory writes to GNW: Re: 1987-88 Fender 7 String Stratocasters (Maestro A. Gregory Signature models)

Dean Farley reviews the Komet Amplification 50-Watt all-tube amplifier head.

This month we had an Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes pedal come in the shop and go right out again, pity as I freakin loved it.

This retrograde inversion sheet music submitted to us by [email protected]

Peter Blue gives some tips on how to un-rattle a Fender Blues Junior amplifier.

One thing I like to do while I practice guitar is watch martial arts movies. There are probably three reasons for this. First of all, it gets my wife out of the room, which allows me to concentrate on my practice.

Psychedelic music was first popularized in 1965. British bands like the Stones, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin wore flamboyant pants, pumps, shirts and hairstyles. These bands helped to define fashion trends as well as the hottest musical innovations of the decade:

Genre: Rock Style: Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter

By IAN MUNRO of The Age, Melbourne

A few thoughts from Laurence Juber On "LJ Plays the Beatles"

I've been writing a series of stories about my experiences as a guitar player in a cover band. It's called "Roadhouse Stories." Here's another one of the stories: "SUPER CHIEF"

British Psychedelic Guitar Sounds by John Tapella.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' version of Jimi Hendrix's "Fire," which closed out the riotous Woodstock '99 festival, also will close the first disc of the upcoming Woodstock 99 double-CD set. The 32-song album, due Oct. 19, also will include tracks from Bush, Everclear, Dave Matthews Band, Chemical Brothers.

A New Prospective on Microphone Technology by Dean L. Farley.

Here is some advice on how to prevent your Hollow Body electric guitar from feeding back:

I'd like to talk about a very important discovery I made a couple of years ago. It deals with how increasing your guitar's headstock mass can increase your sustain. I'd always regarded this theory as a bit of a myth - until I experienced it first hand!

At rec.music.makers.guitar this week there was talk of Peavey buying out Gibson! Posts included: