GUITAR BLOG INSIDER...

MUSICIANS - Never Waste Your Time with These...
 
On this episode of the, "Guitar Blog Insider," we discuss how musicians can end up wasting their time on stupid things that won't build their; careers, their happiness, or their bank accounts. 

As a musician, there are a lot of times when we will be contacted about doing gigs, or about attending media events /interviews that will quite likely end up being a total waste of our time. There's also a lot of things that we can get wrapped up in (day to day) that can waste our time as well. Obviously, this is NOT good, and we need to learn how to pick and choose what fits our long term success goals.

Let's face it, our time is valuable. We need to use it wisely. Some things may seem like good ideas at first, but after considering the details, (if they don't benefit our own music strategy), it's a good bet that they aren't going to do much to advance our careers. Overall, we only have so many hours in each day, so we have to use our time wisely and we need to make sure that every minuet is spent effectively.

MUSICIANS - Never Waste Your Time with These

Courtesy of Casey van Wensem... 

Modern songs typically use fairly simple chord progressions, however applying a few expanded chord writing concepts can actually have a lot to offer, even in the simplest of song settings...

More advanced chord types or songwriting concepts don't have to sound complex. In fact many of these songwriting tools are based upon very simple principles.

Take for example, voice leading. This technique is the art of identifying and enhancing melodic movement between chords. So while a typical musician might see a chord progression like C-G-Am as three distinct (but harmonically related) chords, someone with experience in voice leading might see not only those three distinct chords, but also three (or more) distinct melodies that flow from one chord to the next.


The best way to explore new songwriting techniques is to experiment with different chord inversions and different chord types. The most basic way to play a chord pattern would be to play each chord in its root position, using the lowest note from the popular triad chord to form the bassline.

However, if you wanted to mix things up, you could play the G chord in its first inversion, using the B as the bass note. This would create a simple walking pattern in the bassline from the C down to the A.Or, you could change the "Am" to an "Am7." This is subtle, yet it may produce just the result you're looking for.

This work of altering chords in simple ways is probably something we’ve all done as writers thousands of times without even thinking about it (especially if you play the guitar). And, as we’ll see, these simple concepts can take on many useful applications in contemporary songwriting. Here are a few examples to get you started.


1. Add linear movement to bass-lines
Ascending and descending bass-lines have become a fixture in contemporary rock and pop music, and this is largely thanks to the concept of voice leading. You can think of this application of voice leading as a continuation of the C-G-Am example mentioned above.

Jazz players will often think in this way – by limiting the movement in their hand positions to a minimum, they can play faster, tighter-fitting harmonies that move quickly and smoothly from one chord to the next. Even if you don’t play jazz, you can use this technique to create melodic bass-lines with more interesting harmonic content than bass-lines built around simple root notes.


2. Expanding upon harmonies
The concept of voice leading comes to us from the choral tradition, so it makes sense to apply this concept to harmonies. While you will often hear choirs and vocal groups singing “chords,” most choral composers don’t think about chord progressions in the same way that a pianist or guitarist might.

If we begin to use each voice (soprano-alto-tenor-bass) as its own melodic line that interlocks with the other individual melodic lines to create chords we'll achieve an expanded harmony. This also extends to larger chord types, (like; 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th).

When you expand harmony, be sure that your parts aren’t jumping around wildly from note to note. Work hard to make sure the chord tones are moving smoothly from one note to another.take your time and test a lot of different chords, until you discover just the right sound.

To harness this technique, the next time you’re working on expanding harmonies, try thinking of each chord voice not just as a harmonic element, but as its own melodic element as well.Notes will stand out more at upper registers, so pay a lot of attention to all of the highest notes. The better those notes react and form the upper melody, the better the overall connectedness will be for the song.


3. Create and release tension
Singer/songwriter Andrew Bird describes chord movements as “finding the melody in a chord progression.” That’s exactly what he did with the bridge to his song “Roma Fade” from the album Are You Serious.

On an episode of the Song Exploder podcast, Bird talks about how he played with chord inversions in the bridge while paying attention “not just [to] the outer voices […] but the inner voices.”

This helped him turn a simple three-chord progression into a tight harmonic line that “keep[s] the tension rising” in the lead-up to the chorus. Listen to how he achieves this in the video below, starting at around 1:14. 



Think of how else you could apply this concept to create movement and tension within your own simple chord progressions.


Paying more attention to chord movements will have a lot more to offer than what’s mentioned here, but these methods should give you some good places to start if you want to investigate voice leading further. Once you understand the basic principles, you’ll start seeing applications all over the place.

Plus, as you study more chord types, voicings and patterns, you’ll get the added benefit of being able to simultaneously impress and annoy your band-mates by saying things like, “Let’s apply some more complex chordal principles in that bridge to create some further tension within that IV-V-III progression.”

Casey van Wensem is a freelance composer, musician, and writer living in Kelowna, B.C., Canada. You can hear his musical work at birdscompanionmusic.com and read his written work at caseyvanwensemwriting.com.

Courtesy of SonicBids... 

There are any number of obvious and legitimate reasons for learning to record your guitar tracks direct in. When you get the skill down pat, you’ll find the approach delivers a great deal of speed and flexibility without compromising too much on sonic quality...

Nice mics in front of tube amps in good rooms still have their place in the world of recording, but the reality is that great records have been made using the ampless approach – to the delight of thin-walled neighbors everywhere.

Many companies have developed pieces of all-in-one guitar hardware to fill this recording niche. Fractal, Kemper, and Line 6 all provide options that will cover every base. Just plug into the unit, then into your sound card, and play. However, these boxes can be seriously pricey. Instead, I’ll be taking you through a few approaches that are both cheaper and modular.


What's in the box?
Let’s assume that you’ve got some basic idea of home recording and a little studio setup that you can plug into. The only extra thing that you might not have is a direct box. Also known as a DI, these humble rectangles are one of the most misunderstood pieces of gear.



What all direct boxes exist to do is convert a hi-Z (or high-impedance) line-level signal to a lo-Z mic-level signal. They are also able to do other very useful tasks, like lift hum-generating AC ground loops, a typical gremlin of the small studio setup.

It’s useful to school up on DIs – a working knowledge of the basic mechanics and principles behind them will help you become a better audio engineer. But for this specific job, they exist to optimize the volume and enhance the clarity of the raw signal coming out of your guitar.

You’d likely be seeking an active direct box, since the majority of guitar pickups are passive and will benefit from the boost that comes from active electronics. If you’re a guitarist with active pickups, the converse applies: Get yourself a passive box. Radial and Whirlwind are reliable brands.

Don’t break the bank, but don’t cheap out on a DI either. Get something built to last, packing quality electronics ensuring great sound for years.

Okay, so now you’re all tooled up. Make sure your signal isn’t clipping, and then read on!


Method 1: software
Basically, in this method, the computer recreates every step of the signal chain as plugin effects in your DAW.

Amps and pedals are conjured up using digital approximations of analog circuitry – we’ll call these amp simulations. Capturing the sonic signature of certain speaker boxes is done using a process called convolution reverb. When a raw audio signal is “subtracted” from the same signal being recorded via a mic and cab, the leftover data preserves the EQ characteristic of the hardware and room.

Think of these speaker simulations as a specialist reverb that overlays the frequency characteristics of a mic, cab, and room over your signal. In practice, simulating a speaker requires two things. One is a reverb plugin that can load convolution reverb files (more on this later). The second is a collection of files called Impulse Responses or IRs. These get booted up in the reverb plugin and contain the imprint of a cab and mic combo. They’ll be named things like “Marshall 1960s cab with v30, SM57 mic on axis.”

Sound confusing? It kinda is. Maybe your DAW is one like Logic that already packs some of this software inside it. If not, AmpliTube is an old hand with this approach. One of the first on the market, it combined several classic amps, speakers, and effects under the hood of a nice GUI (graphic user interface). IK Multimedia released several versions of it, some free, some cheap, some souped up and pricey.

 

A newcomer on the scene is PositiveGrid’s BIAS FX (shown above). It’s a touch pricey for an entry-level user, but the software gets mad props from touring and recording musicians, who are attracted to the authenticity of the sound and the ability to create custom amps from scratch within the software itself.

But maybe you’d rather not spend any money at all. There are some free options out there.

LePou has modeled a bunch of valve heads, ranging from Marshall to ENGL to MESA/Boogie. The LeXtac, replicating a Bogner Ecstasy, is a mainstay of mine. It offers rich, clean tones on the yellow channel, throaty crunch on blue, and very usable saturation on the red. Nick Crow and Ignite Amps also have some cool stuff worth sifting through.

TSE Audio offer some incredibly useful free options, emulating a Maxon OD808 driver pedal and Tech 21’s ubiquitous Bass Driver DI. The former is perfect for driving an amp for that extra 15 percent of tonal goodness, the latter a one stop shop for DI bass, both at no-brainer prices.

Finally, here’s a zip file of some of my favorite free impulse responses to get you started on speaker simulations. Both LePou and Ignite Amps offer free impulse response loaders that you can run after your amp plugin.


Method 2: hardware
The software method offers great flexibility – you can record your part and modify the tone later at the mixing stage. But the hidden cost is recording latency. Modeling amps and cabs in the box will tax your system, especially as you begin to layer guitars.



You already have an amp you like, and some pedals to boot. You just want to record quietly and quickly. It’s possible to buy a hardware speaker simulator that will allow for silent recording. Ranging from Two Notes’ large rack solution, Torpedo Live, to the compact Radial specialist JDX Reactor DI box, there are lots of options out there.

It’s important that the speaker simulator also functions as a “loadbox.” This means it replicates the impedance of an actual amp speaker. Preamps running without the right load can get damaged, so be careful and do your research here.

Many major amp brands offer guitar heads that are very suitable for a home rig, like Orange’s Tiny Terror. You could even do without a combo’s preamp or an amp head. Companies like Taurus are offering compact floor-based multi-channel amps, and Diago’s Little Smasher packs five watts (enough for recording) into a tiny package.

This approach will eliminate many latency issues. It’s also a somewhat cheap and cheerful alternative to getting one of the big-name rack systems outlined at the beginning of the article. However, since the sound of your amp source and hardware cab simulator are getting “printed” directly into the DAW, it lacks the flexibility of the software approach.

Think about what kind of guitarist you are and what your sonic goals are when considering these trade-offs. There is no overall perfect solution, but there is probably one that works much better for you.

That’s all for now. Happy tracking.

Alex Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer from Sydney, Australia. He founded the post-rock band sleepmakeswaves, with which he has toured Asia, America, Europe, and Australia. In his spare time he writes music for short films, produces bands, and subsists on altogether too much coffee. Alex is the instructor of the upcoming Soundfly course, Ableton Live Clicks and Backing Tracks.

NEW: QwikLicks Series - Video (013)

The latest QwikLicks video is, "Soul / R&B Licks" Available in the FREE members area. Includes a PDF handout!

QwikLicks are a FREE lesson series for all membership levels at Creative Guitar Studio.com. Lessons in the QwikLicks Series will run through a short collection of guitar licks in all kinds of different playing styles...

Episode 013 runs through three Soul / Blues licks in the "B Mixolydian Mode." The licks include a; Filler idea for a two chord vamp from "B6 to B9," Coverage of a static dominant seventh chord, and using the Major Pentatonic with Mixolydian alongside of a minor 3rd. 

Sign into the website with your free members account to watch the lesson, and be sure to download the PDF lesson handout. 

If you're not currently a FREE member of the website, sign up today!

Courtesy of SonicBids... 

Approaching guitar practice without a clear idea of how (and why) you want to achieve your goals on the instrument isn't going to help propel your guitar playing forward...


We've all set a New Year's resolution at some point and have been maybe too ambitious with what we wanted to accomplish in the year. Falling into the cycle of setting unrealistic and vague goals is common when we want to change something in our lives.

In order to make progress on guitar, you need to be honest with yourself about what you want, set goals that align with your aspirations, and understand that a lot more goes into success than a mental to-do list.

Instead of feeling disappointed when you aren't where you want to be down the road with your practice, learn how to set goals the right way in the first place. Here are some easy ways to start setting positive and realistic goals for your guitar studies.



Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.
The first step to setting any goal is to take a glance at what you want to achieve in your future. This is a no-brainer. You need to understand what your aspirations are. But sometimes, when looking at the big picture of life, we can get overwhelmed, stressed, and jump straight to planning one vague goal.

The best way to tackle feeling lost within your future is to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound – or S.M.A.R.T.

S.M.A.R.T goals are going to give you a better framework than just writing a to-do list. Make sure that your plan isn't too broad, stretches your abilities but remain within your reach, is relevant to your future, has some deadline, and allows you to track your progress. If you're a smart person, then you can set "S.M.A.R.T." goals.


Set goals that motivate you
Make sure your short-term goals are in line with your long-term goals and overall passion. You should look forward to your goals and want to work to achieve them. If your goals are motivating, I guarantee you that you'll feel incredible when you finally get to check them off the list.

Of course, you won't feel inspired to practice guitar hard all the time, but needing constant inspiration to get things done is for amateurs. Professionals just go to work. Understand what's within your limits. Have a schedule and follow it to the letter.

We all have our "dream big" goals, and hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having them. But as musicians, we need to understand what we're capable of achieving for our short-term and our long-term futures.

Sure, playing every Eddie Van Halen solo is an amazing goal to work toward, but it may be more achievable to work on learning smaller sections of his solos a few times a month.

Whatever your goals may be, understand what you consider to be long term versus short term. There will be moments when life outside of music will take over and offset your plan, but if you can check little goals off the big list, then you're on the right track.


Don't be afraid to adjust
After determining your time frame for your goals, understand that adjustments will need to be made at some point, and that's okay. Like I said, there will definitely be moments in your career when you're on track for a goal, but life will get in the way.

A friend or family member may need you one evening and you can't study. Perhaps you'll move across the country for employment and a whole month of practice is shot.

This even translates to taking a night off... yeah, that night out sounds a lot better than practicing guitar right now, but do you really need to go out? Don't ever be afraid to adjust a goal to make your life a little bit more doable. Just because you're behind schedule doesn't mean you're not making the effort!


Have someone hold you accountable
It's much easier to complete goals when you hold yourself to a deadline. When other people, like a boss or a band member, are involved in your goals, you become responsible for more than just yourself.

Deadlines can also help keep you stay more motivated rather than searching for inspiration. You just have to sit down and get your work done; there's no room for procrastination.



Treat yo'self
At the end of the day, you're making the effort to propel your guitar playing ahead. You know what you aspire to learn and the steps to take. That's amazing! Especially if you're trying to become a professional player. Remaining positive in a hectic and somewhat insecure industry like the music industry is no easy task. Remind yourself that what you're doing is healthy, positive, and beneficial.just keep working toward your goals.

Throughout it all, treat yourself when you deserve it. Even if that means you checked off learning ten blues licks from a YouTube video, or you got that Clapton run in a solo you've worked on for weeks. Whatever it was, you did it – you learned it - and you earned it.

The purpose of goal setting is to guide you toward your aspirations and future. So try not to put so much pressure on yourself to reach your goals. Life will get in the way sometimes, and that is totally okay. Just remember what's motivating you in the first place, and follow your passion with positivity.

Courtesy of Anthony Cerullo... 

An upcoming chord change is near and as you dig inside your head for the answer, you're met with darkness. Your memory has failed you and, suddenly, you’re playing the wrong note...

We've all been there. You've got a big gig booked at a great venue. Your band has practiced hard for this one. Friends, families, and loving fans pack the place, and they absorb every note dripping from your instrument. The songs should feel like second nature at this point, but something is amiss.


An upcoming chord change is near and as you dig inside your head for the answer, you're met with darkness. The change is fast approaching and your mind scrambles around every crevice to find the solution to this anxiety. Sadly, it's just not there. Memory has failed you and, suddenly, you’re playing the wrong note. Being the good musician that you are, you rub off the memory slip and continue on. The audience is none the wiser.

Mistakes like this happen all the time, and learning how to recover from them is an essential skill as a performer – but it's even better to prevent them from happening in the first place.

There are strategies out there to help improve memorization for performances. Different strategies will work for different people, but here's a solid four-step process you can try.


Step 1: get deep with perception
Many preach the benefits of muscle memory, but when you're deep in a performance, muscle memory isn't something you should rely on. That style of memory will easily collapse under pressure, and suddenly, you'll be in front of a crowd, deep in a memory slip.

Unless you're sight reading a piece for the first time onstage, you'll be better off having a deep perception of a given piece. When you firmly grasp the inner workings of a song, that'll help make for solid memory. You want to know how to play each phrase inside and out and find ways to make deep connections with every aspect of the song. That way, when you're onstage, you'll spend minimal time recalling the details.

Before you begin trying to memorize a song, make sure that your technical aspects are on lock. If there are any mistakes in your fingerings, for instance, that will just be one more thing to think about onstage. During a performance, you want the mind to be as free as possible so that you can focus on bringing artistry to the song.

To help form a deeper perception of a piece, start by finding patterns in the sections and phrases of the song. Analyze the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic aspects, taking special note where each begins and ends. From there, you want to create a visual map of sorts. Take time to establish an emotional connection with each phrase. How does it make you feel when you play that part? Try even writing those feelings down, as that will only help with your connection.


Step 2: ingrain in the membrane
When you ingrain something, that means you construct meaningful memory paths. You want the information on these paths to stick and flow easily. This will involve some repetition, but be careful: mindless repetition will not help construct meaningful memory paths. Learn the art of mindful repetition before beginning.

To help with ingraining, you should organize your practice sessions efficiently. For example, have memorization sessions in which you limit the amount of music to learn. Overloading your brain too quickly will prevent information from being retained. You want to limit learning, at least at first.

When you start to practice, get a mental image of a small section of the music before playing anything. If you can get through it flawlessly in your head, you're doing well. But if it seems fuzzy, there's no point in playing it just yet. Review the song in your head by sections. Complete each section in your a head a few times without error, and then begin connecting them with other pieces.

To further aid in ingraining these memories, make use of different techniques. For example, try singing just the bassline, or physically writing out passages that you find hard to memorize.


Step 3: maintain in the membrane
Even if you've mastered step two, none of it will matter unless you maintain it, which is actually quite simple to do. Just keep up your various memorization techniques on a consistent basis. Make a schedule and stick with it.

Additionally, don't just practice the music, but actually practice performing. Try recording your performances from now on to catch things that you wouldn't have noticed in the moment. Go back, give them a listen, and find the parts where you slip up. Target these sections and then bring them back to the ingraining laboratory for some tweaking.

When reviewing your performance, take it seriously. Get detailed with it. Reinvent the piece if you have to. You may even find that the errors don't have to do with memorization at all. Perhaps you just need to come up with a different fingering. Just because a song is "finished" doesn't mean you can't still take new approaches or incorporate new ideas into it.


Step 4: total recall
Before even taking the stage, make sure you're in a performance-ready state. There are all kinds of warm-up exercises that are designed to help you do this, so find one that works for you and get in the zone.

When you're onstage and in the midst of a song, make sure you're aware. It's all too easy to let the environment of a gig overwhelm your senses, but you need to stay in the moment with your music. As you're singing or playing, think about the present and prepare for the future. Try not to slip into mindless playing.

Awareness doesn't have to compromise your attitude, by the way. You can have fun and remain aware at the same time. Stay positive up there onstage. Approach each piece with confidence, even if you do have a memory slip or two.

Again, there are all kinds of memorization strategies for different people. For this reason, it's important to experiment with the different types and see which one works for you. It'll be hard work, but once you're onstage playing your songs with confidence and without error, you'll be glad you took the time to practice memory.

Anthony Cerullo is a nomadic freelance writer and keyboard player. In his spare time, he can be found reading, hiking mountains, and lying in hammocks for extended periods of time.

Courtesy of Eric Bernsen... 

A full-time career as an independent guitarist is a labor of love. It can take years working to perfect your craft and get your music out there, but in the end it's all worth it...

There are many reasons why some guitar players earn endless acclaim while others remain stuck in the same spot, but the strategies to reach your full potential aren't hidden secrets saved just for the fortunate. Almost every "overnight" success story has years of effort behind it. Here are five ways you can put yourself in the best position to get what you deserve as a guitarist.



1. Sacrifice for your craft
"Sacrifice" is a word that's thrown around a bit too loosely when it comes to life as a musician. If you’re setting aside a few hours at night to work on music and think that'll be enough to attain your goals, sacrifice is something you’ve yet to experience.

Making a living off of music is extremely difficult and not for the lighthearted. It's important to have balance in terms of time management, but practically all of your free time must be focused on your music career in order to succeed. Going out every night of every weekend with friends isn't an option, and all the money you may want to spend on material possessions should be going toward music-related expenses.

Your family and loved ones will have to understand that the only way for you to realize your vision to the fullest is to make music the primary focus in your life. The personal sacrifice will get emotionally draining and there will be many ups and downs, but understanding what "making it" truly entails as an artist is essential if you want to get what you deserve.

2. Understand the importance of relationships
Spending endless hours in the studio working on music is a central part of an artist's lifestyle, but it's equally important to meet fellow musicians and creatives, and that requires being social and fully aware of all the daily happenings in your local music scene.

Conversing with industry peers on social media is all well and good, but a great face-to-face conversation will pay off more in the long run. Attend all of the live shows and networking events you can without neglecting the time it takes to make music to the best of your ability.

Even if it seems like you didn’t receive any personal gain from attending an event, your presence will always be noted and good karma has a solid chance of heading back your way.



3. Become a jack of all trades
In this day and age, succeeding as an independent artist requires much more than simply being a talented musician. You need to be a jack of all trades in order to make sure you’re regarded as a professional in every aspect of your career.

Expertise in the wide variety of popular social media platforms, marketing/promotional strategies, and even Photoshop (for designing show flyers, etc.) is vital if you want to be respected as a well-rounded artist who is on top of all the latest trends. Doing all of this extra legwork may seem like a waste of time and a distraction from your creative process, but the presentation of your work is arguably just as important as the quality of your music.

If all of these skills come naturally to you, that’s great! But no matter how quickly your fanbase grows, there's always more to learn and new things to take advantage of as the music industry evolves.

4. Learn all the business aspects of the music industry
Dealing with paperwork is something you thought you were leaving behind when deciding to be a musician versus working a nine-to-five, but there's no avoiding these sorts of tasks when there's money to be made. Read up on publishing deals, royalties, and booking agencies. Sign up for a performing rights organization like ASCAP or BMI.

Not letting anybody take advantage of you is a huge part of getting what you deserve as a musician and, unfortunately, some people will do whatever they can to keep money in their own pockets. Once you’ve proven yourself as a professional and someone who's good to do business with, you’ll start to see how significant the benefits are of being a business-minded artist.



5. Remember that no one owes you anything
While you might want to think that following all of this advice will automatically lead to success, the truth is that things don’t always work out as expected. If you hit a rough patch and start to blame others for your stagnation, it'll only lead to a downward spiral that's extremely hard to recover from.

Always remember: no one owes you anything, no matter how talented you think you are. If your career isn’t going as expected, it's up to you to bounce work and do everything in your power to change your routine. You make your own luck, and it's important to be grateful for any support you receive, no matter if it’s 10 cheering fans or 1,000.

In order to get what you deserve as a guitarist, you have to earn it every step of the way. The journey to "Guitar Success," isn’t likely to be a smooth one, but you’ll rest easier at night knowing you’re doing all you can to make your dreams a reality.

Eric Bernsen is a marketing/public relations professional and music journalist.