Today I am in an acoustic mood again, so after browsing YT for a short while, when I found this video I immediately wanted to share it with you.

I really like this kind of music, relaxes me and makes me think of a quiet evening by the fire, with a glass of red wine, playing my acoustic guitar after a long day at the office. Should be also winter or autumn, I think, but not necessarily…

By the way, did you notice that when it comes to playing the acoustic guitar, there is no moment of the day better than…the night?

And now sit back, relax and let the song flow…

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I guess today I am in an acoustic mood, who knows, I have watched a few videos on YT with live performances with just a guitar and a voice and I have decided to post here a video of Avril Lavigne live.

The reason for which I post this video here is that I really liked how the rhythm goes on guitar and how they both managed to transmit energy and freshness with only one guitar, no drums, no bass. I like how the guitar player plays the fast rhythm passages on acoustic guitar. If you would have asked me I would have said that punk needs electric guitars. Well, how about it, works great with only a voice and an acoustic guitar if you have the right artist.

How do you find it?

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Patience was the song that really turned me to rock music and I have always thought the sound there is the most you can get from an acoustic guitar.

The sound is so clean and warm that nothing can beat it and the fact there are no drums there gave me the feeling of being closer to the song, like the song was recorded by a few guys playing the guitar for fun, like we used to do at one party or another…

Now I have discovered on YT this version of Patience played by Velvet Revolver and even if they didn’t change that much to it, the new voice makes it sound different while keeping the rest of it makes it sound the same. New and still the same, does it make any sense to you?

How do you like this version? Did you know it?

PS: Listen closely, did one of the guitar players played a flat note on 1:21 or is it just me?! I love those moments!!

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I am quite excited everytime I read something about fingerstyle guitar players. I don’t play this way, but I enjoy every second watching one of these guys playing. I have posted here a couple of videos of Sungha Jung, a fingerstyle guitar player of only 11 yo, I have posted about Andy McKee also, I have posted about Phil Keaggy, which I consider to be one of the best ever…

Today I have seen this video of Don Ross, a true artist! Here’s a beautiful performance, a beautiful song and a very smooth way of playing the guitar!

Enjoy and comment!

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Thanks to yesterday discussion about locking tuners vs Floyd Rose systems, Jon of GuitarNoize.com pointed me to this video. It is very interesting to watch a custom process of how a guitar can be particularly tuned/prepared for playing, after a solid analyze of the neck, strings, etc.

It’s a process of very fine tuning and I am not speaking here about tuning the strings to a particular note, but tuning the guitar itself. Seems that it doesn’t matter, electric guitars or acoustic guitars, they can all go through this process.

What do you think? Is it useful or is just a fancy thing? Would you do it? I wonder how much such a custom fine tuning process costs?

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A discussion today with one of my friends and long time guitar buddy made me remember a story that I have forgotten. Or at least I thought it is forgotten…

During my high school period, I went camping with a couple of friends somewhere in the neighborhood of a village. We spent there a couple of nights around the fire. I used to have long hair and of course, my acoustic guitar with me.

When we wanted to return to the city, we realized we missed the bus to get us home and the next one was leaving the second morning, so we had to spend one more night there. So we decided to spend the night in the bus station and play the guitar.

We met these 2 young ladies, sisters, that were living there, they saw us playing the guitar and they joined us in the bus station; they played and singed very well and we had a great time there. One of them told us that her boyfriend also plays the guitar and sings. Well…

During that night they sang a few songs, that I don’t remember, except one because of 2 particular reasons: the girl playing the guitar and and singing lead used a very interesting combination , going from D chord to Dm and still keeping the G key and damn, it sounded so beautiful. The second reason was a verse something like “God only has clothes for beautiful girls”.

The next morning we left and we never saw these girls again.

3-4 years later?

I was in the university this time, still wearing long hair, still playing the guitar, this time in a real band, hard rock. Of course, the night life was great, we had parties all the time, mostly in the university buildings (where students live when they are not from the city, damn, I can not find the word!!!).

Best friends. Beer. Girls. Girlfriends. Drinking parties. Guitar.

The girlfriend of one of my best friends tells me one day: you know, I have a cousin playing the guitar and he sings also, with his girlfriend, maybe we could all meet one day. Well, why not? Let’s meet. Of course, the proper occasion was an other party in the same location I can not find the name for.

So, we meet. I meet the guy, his future wife, his sister, who was part of their singing band at these parties, damn, a lot of people. We became friends, playing and singing together at every such party. We played once on the roof of the university facilities, in the middle of the night, with this friend that made me to remember this story. He also plays the guitar.

So, around 8 months pass, time when we’ve got drunk a lot of times playing the guitar and having a lot of fun. Everywhere where those parties took place, we played together.

Well…One night, the wife of my guitar friend takes the guitar and starts to sing a beautiful song where she used at a moment a D to Dm change over a verse like “God only has clothes for beautiful girls”. My eyes popped out! Where do you know this song from? Well, she says, I composed it!! My jaw dropped…Where did you say you are from? From there…Damn! Do you remember about 3-4 years ago 3 guys playing the guitar in the bus station…her eyes popped out! It was YOU?!!! YEAH, DAMN IT! IT WAS ME!!!

I should tell you that everybody around us didn’t quite understand the story, of course, after we explained it everybody made fun of us because for 8 months we didn’t recognize each other but because of a song we did…For many months this story was told to our friends who were not there the first time and of course, for for a long time everybody made fun of us.

I should tell you that I would really love to hear this song again and I think I am going to ask this (girl)friend of mine,when I will see her next time, to record it for me and send it because it seems that really marked a moment in my life.

So, how is that for a real guitar story? Huh?

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I guess that childhood memories and heroes always haunt us over time. I guess this is the case with Aranjuez Guitar Quartet playing Pink Panther theme on classic guitars.

After the first smiles, if you have the patience to listen to it until the end, you will see they also transformed the theme a bit and improvise over a blues progression keeping the original idea. Sounds interesting.

Enjoy!

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I am sure most of you know Steve Vai’s famous 3 neck Ibanez guitar. It makes a very interesting show to watch, because, beside being the Master of The Space Guitar, Mr Vai is also the Master of Visual Appearances and I think we all know what I am speaking about.

But are you familiar with the concept of “Harpolyre”? If not, read on, watch this video and let me know what you think!

…the new classification of “fretted harp guitars” - however, I don’t want to make too much of this term, as I expect it will confuse the casual reader into thinking I consider it a type of true harp guitar. It is not. Nor is it a “triple-neck” guitar, nor a type of lyre guitar. Despite most major museums having specimens, no scholar has addressed the instrument in any detail, though many have noted the unusual tunings of the outer necks - obviously not intended for chords. Yet they are fully fretted, even extending to glued-on soundboard frets in some specimens…

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Now, can you tell me where did Mr Vai get his inspiration from? Could it be this instrument?

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It may sound like a elementary school homework but I have really thought about this these last days. I have realized why I love that much playing the guitar.

It is not (only) because I love rock music, it is not (only) because of the beautiful sound or the energy when you hear the overdrive…

The reason I love playing the guitar is the fact that it opens infinite possibilities to my music. Think about it: every time you pick up your guitar you can come up with something totally different, something new and beautiful. I love the fact that my guitar is the door to infinite possibilities of expression.

Think about is this way: me, you, Satriani, Vai, Malmsteen, Hendrix, May, Segovia, Dimebag Darrel, Paco De Lucia , Frank Gambale, we all have the same damn thing: a 6 string instrument, but each one of us makes it sound different.

I love the fact that the same 6 strings are able to produce music that is so different: rock, jazz, blues, funk, classic music, flamenco, folk, damn, there are so many possibilities out there. And all these thanks to 6 strings and a box!

I kept on thinking these days about this and I realize I love the guitar more and more each day, exactly because of this and I realize that I am so small and tiny compared to the possibilities this instrument has. If I don’t make better music is because I can’t. My guitar surely can because it showed it so many times over the years all over the world! There are so many records to prove it!

By the way, IG launched a very interesting idea, “Hug your guitar week” and I think his initiative is a great way to show your guitar you love her.

So tell your guitar here why do you love her and give her a hug on IG’s blog!

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You can not argue that this guy developed a strange talent…

I can’t help myself asking what actually determined him to learn to play the guitar with that damn spoon?

Now, stumble that and digg!! Thank you!

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