(Photo credits lowfatbrains)

When I posted the funny top ten list for a power metal band, I didn’t think it will be such a hit.

Now, on a music blog that I read everyday (littlerockjams.com) I have found an other one that looks kind of a “Top 10 tips for a blues song”.

I will put here a few “funny tips”, without ruining the original list, that I invite you to read on the original site:

1. Most Blues begin with: “Woke up this morning…”
2. “I got a good woman” is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, “I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town.”
3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes… Sort of: “Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher, and she weigh 500 pound.”
4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch - ain’t no way out.
5. Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Tiffany, Brooke, Brittany and Heather can’t sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

And my favorite…I don’t care how tragic your life: if you own a computer, you cannot sing the blues!

Read it all here.

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A few minutes ago, a friend pointed me to this video. God, I laughed my heart out, can this even be possible?!!

Not related to guitars, only to music and human stupidity, but worth every second of it.
I beg you, take a few seconds to watch this cause it’s freaking unbelievable!

And, guys, please have mercy, spread this around!!!
God, we are too many on this earth! Ken Leeeee, tulibu dibu douchoo!!

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(Picture courtesy of rachel)

Yesterday I have found on GuitarNoise.com forum a very interesting topic that made me think. One guy there was complaining about reaching a plateau as a guitar player and not being able to grow anymore in the last years. He asked for suggestions to overcome this.

Being a forum, people answered. My first thought was that people will give guitar related suggestions, but it was not like this. The answer he received was on an other level, was about feelings, music, expressing…

I will try to reproduce here the original question and the answer that got me started:

“I feel that I’ve reached a plateau the last 3-4 years and I’m hoping someone can give me some advice that will help me move my playing up the ladder. I suppose I don’t really know what to do with all I’ve learned, or perhaps I’m not aware of what I’m missing.

I’ve been in bands, studied college level theory, know all the technical stuff (ie bends, tapping, harmonics, sweep arpeggios, legato, etc), know tons of scales and modal patterns in all keys, and I can learn reasonable songs by tab or by CD.

I have not attempted to learn shred soloing, just because I’m in a modern rock band and don’t have a use for it. My original music just seems so bland and boring, and my lead improve seems to all sound the same.

Suggestions?”

And an other guy answered:

“Okay, first of all, props to you for learning all that, you definitely have all the musical tools you need. Now take the final step: express yourself. This might seem obvious but it’s really a whole new skill to learn and it comes with a whole new group of exercises. Here are some ideas:

• Write a chord progression using just two chords. Make it interesting so don’t come up with C-G7.
• If you did a progression in a major key do a new one in a minor key and vica versa.
• Get out a piece of paper and write down ten events of your life that are really important to you. Things that literally changed your life and made you who you are now. Don’t be a wimp so be honest.
• Take one event of that list and describe it in twenty lines.
• Take a look at those lines; every phrase and sentence should reflect how you feel about it.
• Write a melody that reflects the general feeling of that event and text.
• Write a chord progression around that melody.
• Fit the text you wrote to the melody, make sure the emphasis is on the correct words.
• Post the song here and await the criticism.

You’ll probably learn a lot in this process, not just about guitar but also just music in general and even about you yourself. Listen to what people say and repeat the process. Your only goal is expressing yourself better then you did last song. Do this ten times.

Think about a logical way to sequence these ten tracks. Maybe chronological, have it start with the oldest event and end with the most recent event. Or soundwise: start with the softer songs and slowly build to the rock tunes or vice versa. Use your imagine.

Okay, now you’ve completed a full album and we’re probably a few months down the road. Remember you as a person have a unique background. Your mission as an artist is to turn that into your own unique music, and that’s very, very difficult. It will force you to use the correct music tools to create a coherent musical experience, and you’ll have to be extremely honest to yourself.”

The original thread is here so you can enjoy it for yourself.

I just loved it and I think that is a true example of thinking outside the box.

Just that I ask myself, beside being a very interesting answer, does this help overcoming such a “plateau”?

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I know Eddie Van Halen had problems with his health since a while, he had drinking problems and in the 90’s he was diagnosed with mouth cancer but in 2002 he announced he got well. Now he is again in hospital, for an illness that has not yet been made public. Doctors say that tests need to be done.

I don’t know, it feels like something breaks inside me every time I hear such things. Eddie Van Halen is a legend, an icon. He was one of the guitar players that influenced rock guitar playing very much, if we consider tapping techniques, beside his huge contribution to what rock means.

I am not a big fan of Van Halen, like as in having all his albums or knowing all his songs, but I appreciate his contribution to worldwide rock culture and to what guitar means.

Van Halen has postponed concerts this week as guitarist Eddie Van Halen undergoes medical testing for an undisclosed condition.

“According to Eddie Van Halen’s physician, he is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures,” according to a statement released Monday by Van Halen’s representative and the tour promoter, Live Nation.

Eddie Van Halen has had medical setbacks in recent years, including a battle with cancer and a trip to rehab. A representative for Van Halen did not return a phone message or e-mail from The Associated Press seeking further information about his ailment. (Yahoo news)

Some things in this world should never change, artists should always stay young, healthy the way we knew them in the first place. Ugly events should not take place, people should not become mean, old or…dead.

Just an utopia but what a beautiful one!

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I have seen this on YouTube, but I would surely not do this with my guitar at home. I actually wouldn’t do this with this guitar either! I think it is a crazy and extreme test and I don’t think it is relevant because you will probably not find your guitar in this situation that often, right?

So, is this a “white ball” for Steinberger guitars or it is not relevant at all? Would you consider such a criteria when buying a guitar? (I am not saying you should stand on a guitar in the guitar shop just to test it before you buy it, you would probably end up beaten by the guy selling it)

Well, what do you think?

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Today, a friend of mine told me that another one of our songs has been uploaded on a local “YouTube like” site. Well, I was wondering some time ago if I should upload it myself or not, since this is a song very dear to me.

Seems that Costin (axlfuckinrose here), is the one who uploaded it in the end, so why not? The song is a pop-rock ballad recorded I think in 1999 or 2000 I can’t remember, it was from our pop-rock period, after we decided to forget the damn trends that everybody was trying to follow back then and go to for the good old pop-rock. Whatever…

Here’s the song:

The song is about 20 years old now, if I counted well, it is written by Costin and his guitar friends long time ago. Going together at some parties, we used to sing it with only one acoustic guitar and because it fits Costin’s voice perfectly, I insisted to sing it with the band, even if he had his doubts regarding this.I was mad about acoustic guitars at that point, I still am, actually, so the song was recorded in a small local studio here in Pitesti on an acoustic guitar, no electric, to give it that warm sound.The studio was in his beginnings also, not much rock recording experience so it was kind of test and research so the sound does not compare to the previous song I posted here, but I don’t consider this as an issue.It is in Romanian, so you won’t probably understand much of it, but I will try to put here a fast translation. It goes like this:

The song is called “Your eyes”

1) Your eyes haven’t yet faded inside me,
I still feel your hair on my forehead…

Chorus: My life is your life and would be a sin and dirty,
To regret anything…

2) I still feel your mouth on my lips,
Your body, I still feel it in my arms…

Chorus: My life is your life and would be a sin and dirty,
To regret anything…

That’s about all that it is, no solo, no big things, just 4 chords and a beautiful(IMO) melody. I think is one of the songs that I love the most, from that period when we used to play melodic songs, very much clean or acoustic guitar, man, I loved that period. Everyone of our songs could be played with just one single acoustic guitar and it sounded fine! We were in any moment ready for an unplugged show! That’s what I call music, songs that can be played on piano and acoustic guitar.

I still need those times, I think they represented me more even if I love the sound of a powerful overdrive and of an electric guitar. I love power metal, remember? But I do play this kind of music every time I have the opportunity!

Don’t judge the sound, just listen the song…

By the way, the picture represents us back then, I think. Can you tell which one is me out of that picture?

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This post is brought to you by John Jinright, aka Dr J. from jinright.edublogs.org. John is Ph.D. in music education and currently teaches music theory, applied oboe and bassoon, audio production at TROY University.

Before that, John worked in the music business, started a music store and finally decided that teaching fits him best.

Dr. J played vibes in a Dixieland band (Jack Marshall and the Alabama Dixiecats), and piano in a big band (Tony Marino and The Checkmates) plus filled in on percussion with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, studied mixing with Charles Dye, Ed Seay and Roger Nichols, three Grammy-winning engineers/producers and film/tv scoring with composer/sound designer Michael Wynne.

Quite an impressive history, reason for which I am more than happy to introduce Dr. J to you.

So, here we go:

Howdy, Ya’ll.

I’m honored to guest blog on GuitarFlame.com. Frankly, I don’t think of myself as a great guitarist, but I’d like to share my best tips on performing and learning music in general. I happen to be a music teacher and I rarely resist the opportunity to share what I’ve learned so far. So, without further ado, here are almost all my secrets (10 of them) from 39 years of music study and performing:

1. You must play each note as if it were the only one which you would play. My sainted teacher repeated this mantra over and over, mimicking the thick German accent of one of her teachers. It’s talking about understanding each note’s value within the phrase, not just rhythmically, but dynamically and emotionally as well.I’m still bad about “faking” the fast stuff; to get it right I know I should practice it slowly in the beginning and pay attention to each note. That’s where secret #2 comes in:
2. Invest in a metronome and use it. I own one of the non-electronic kind; –sort of a pyramid affair with a weight that slides up and down to make tempo changes. I’ll take a sloppy passage and slide the weight up (slower) until I can execute it flawlessly, then slide the weight down a notch at a time, gradually speeding things up.It takes a great deal of patience and I have to be in the mood for this kind of practice.
3. Practice for short periods of time and take frequent breaks UNLESS you are practicing to increase your endurance. We musicians rely so much on muscle memory and I firmly believe that the most productive time you can spend teaching your brain to remember the movements is really only the first 15-20 minutes of a practice session. After this amount of time, the brain is no longer interested in storing muscle memory information and if you continue to practice without taking a break, all you are doing is exercising your muscles.Give your brain a rest and go do something else for a while, then get back to practicing.

   Repetition is key.If you don’t get back to practicing within a day or so, the learning that took place is flushed from short term memory and you start all over again.

   Frequent recall (with breaks in between) teaches the brain that this information is something you’re going to be asking it to do over and over.When this occurs, that learning is transferred from short term memory to long term memory and then you’ve really “learned” it.

4. Relaxation is key. Playing an instrument involves the recall of distances and building a “feeling” of where your hands are at all times. Tension is the enemy of muscle memory and awareness.When you sense that your muscles are tight, concentrate on relaxing them. Take a break, if necessary. Continuing to practice while your muscles are burning is neither pleasant nor productive, so do something to end the tension. You might analyze your posture, breathing, and/or finger position.

   Strive to eliminate wasted motion and find the easiest way. Relax.

5. Students, don’t practice music you don’t like. Many of you may find this statement amazing, but the reason I didn’t become an organist was because my pipe organ teacher insisted that I learn to play French organ music. I decided to quit pipe organ because I hated the pieces so much.If your teacher gives you something you absolutely can’t stand to practice, ask them to give you something else.There’s so much good music out there, it’s pointless to waste your time on things you don’t like.

   There’s more than one path to performance. If your teacher won’t budge and insists that you learn a certain piece, then find a different teacher. I was blessed to have a teacher that let me decide what I wanted to work on.

   Since I was part of the process of education, I felt a sense of ownership in practicing and worked much harder on my music than most of my peers. I’ll confess that I hated practicing scales; –this may have slowed me down temporarily in developing some aspects of technique, but when I found a piece I liked that had scales in it, I worked those passages and mastered it. To this day, I still hate practicing scales, but within the context of a good piece of music, it’s really not so bad.

6. If you want to be the best in your field, learn to sightread. If you aren’t the best music reader, it’s OK….we all begin at the same place. The key is to avoid frustration and develop a sense of adventure. And don’t stop trying!Develop a love for discovering new music and feed your habit. I look for new music ALL THE TIME and while I still encounter things I can’t play, I can read most music the way you’d read a newspaper. I’ve had students that were not good at sightreading, but with encouragement, they’ve become sightreading monsters.

   If your musical education continues to the point of graduate school or conservatory study, you’ll find that this is the skill that separates the best from the rest.

7. Discover the “zone.” There’s a state of concentration that good musicians develop that allows them to be totally aware of the music yet oblivious to outside distractions.Many beginning performers have to deal with stagefright; those “butterflies” in your stomach that cause you to make mistakes that affect the performance. That inner voice of self-doubt is something that you can will yourself to turn off, but it’s a very difficult hurdle to overcome.

   One trick I use is to ask my students to play a piece they’re very familiar with, then ask some other students (strangers pulled from out in the hall) to come into my studio and listen. Then, they’re instructed to do everything they can to try to break my performer’s concentration; –they can talk to them, make fun of them, even touch them to try to break their concentration.

   With a little bit of practice enduring these kinds of distractions, most students get in touch with their powers of concentration and “will” themselves to get through the piece. The next step, of course, is to practice this newfound concentration skill in front of a real audience.

   I’ll admit that finding the zone can be very difficult for some, but with determination, they will master it.

8. Get behind the music. Learn as many things about the original performer(s) and composer as you can. Imagine that performing this song is like reciting lines from a play or a poem. Your job as musician is not only to recreate the song, but to “own” it.Some music requires flawless attention to the original style and sound; other pieces may allow you to change the style, improvise, or even remix it.

   I love to hear great cover tunes that reflect the musicianship of those performers who can remain true to the original intent of the song, but still color it in their own unique way.

9. Learn from others. Years ago, some professors wrote about a great conversation. It’s like you’re at a party and you walk up to some people who are actively talking about a subject. You listen a bit, then you add your voice to the conversation. This is what we do as musicians; –the musical conversation has been going on for centuries before we ever entered the room.The reasons we create music have changed little over the centuries, but we all have the opportunity to learn from the ones who have come before us. And the performers that surround us all have different backgrounds and are at different stages of their respective musical journeys.

   Always respect that and listen carefully to what they have to say. You’ll be glad you did.

10. Find your spiritual side in music. Music is supernatural. Natural sounds occur in the course of everyday life (i.e. dogs barking, telephones ringing, people talking).Guitars are not a natural instrument; they are extraordinarily constructed to sound unlike anything else in nature. Singing is not ordinary speech; it is extraordinary, i.e. supernatural. Be aware that every time you sing or pick up an instrument and play you are creating a sound that’s unlike anything found in nature. It is innately a spiritual thing that we musicians do.

    Be aware of that and develop an awareness of music’s connection with the human spirit. It’s what separates us from all other creatures. Pardon me for preaching, but we also have a responsibility to be aware of the impact of what we do on others. Music conveys meaning in a more powerful way than ordinary speech. It can lift us to new heights or push our spirits down to the depths of despair.

    While we can certainly argue the point that music is a universal language, that part of humanity that it reaches is certainly universal. While I don’t wish to begin a debate over what music is bad or good for us, I do hope that you’ll try to make the highest quality of music that you possibly can. And be the best influence you can be on others…you might just make a difference with your music.

How about it?

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One of the rules of blogging says that after a good traffic spike you need to post good content so your returning visitors read something interesting and come back for more.

Well, this is the theory. In my case I could just not apply this since I needed to leave the city on a long time planned WE holiday in the mountains. So, even if I felt I could have done more to my blog on Saturday morning after the 3587 visits I had on Friday, I had to pack my clothes, take my acoustic guitar and together with my wife and best friends, we headed for the snowy mountains.

I could only say it was beautiful. A warm hotel in the middle of the mountains, cold and clean air, grill at below zero degrees (Celsius that is ) a lot of beer and best friends. What more could you ask for?

Well, in the middle of the night a blizzard suddenly started and we decided to go out for a snow fight, even if the snow stopped us from seeing clearly, while the wind was blowing us away.

(that’s me on the left)

After the snow fight we went to play some pool, drink some wine upstairs and play a bit of guitar. In one word? Fun!

Coming back was not as easy as we were expecting since the snow made the road almost unusable, as you see in the above picture (even if the hotel administration cleared it this very morning), but we made it. And it was fun cause I’ve sung and played the guitar all the way back (of course, it was not me behind the wheel). We came home with our batteries full and eager to go again. Actually, our wives have already proposed an other one 2 months from now. Well, why not?

But until then, back to blogging to reach 5000 visitors per day, right?!!

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As you probably know if you read regularly my blog, I am on a dare of reaching 5000 visitors per day in the next 6 5 months. One of my planned activities for this month and for the months to come is guest blogging.

Starting tomorrow, you will read on my blog quality posts from quest fellow guitar bloggers around the world. I guarantee you quality, not quantity.

So, first post, tomorrow, from a music teacher, Ph.D. in music education, sharing his most valuable 10 secrets gathered in 39 years of music study and performing. Curious already?

Stay close!

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A few days ago a bronze statue of local hero Bon Scott was unveiled in front of thoughts of AC/DC fans at the Aussie Rock Concert at Claremont Showgrounds.

High scratchy voice and a real presence on stage,Bon Scott died in 1980, at age 33 leaving behind an unmeasurable treasure of rock moments.

Those about to rock salute you!

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