Guitar Licks and Tips

80’s band Zon and Put on the Show

Chris — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:01:15 +0000

A Canadian band called Zon, was a theatrical band that was ahead of it’s time. Although I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing this band, it does hold a special part in my rock and roll heart!

While playing in Pylis, we played this song as an opening number. It got my heart just a pumping at break neck speed! The great keyboardist Tony F., recorded this circus like pipe organ sounding song that was followed by a keyboard solo that helped us lead into this tune! Ah, the memories!

Another tune from these guys that we did was called Time for your Love. It had lots of fun openings for me to jam on stage and boy was that fun! See CounterPoint, there was a time that I could pull off some free jamming/soloing on my axe! Too bad that I couldn’t reach deep into my little bag of tricks and show you what I mean.

If you are a fan of this band and you are looking some of their tunes to download, then check out this site for more info.

Enjoy.

Canadian pomp rockers Zon, which were originally released at the end of the 70s. What set them apart from other Canadian bands at the time, was their theatrical approach. Anyone who saw them performing live 25 years ago, will tell you how impressive they were. With special costumes and masks, it was indeed something you had to see at the time. Musically the band played keyboard orientated rock and have always been compared to Queen and (especially) Styx. As a matter of fact, one of the highlights of their (rather short) career came when they were asked to support Styx on their “Grand Illusion” tour. CBS took them under their wings and released “Astral Projector” in 1978 and “Back Down To Earth” a year later. In my opinion, the former is the better of the two, because it’s Zon from start to finish. On “Back Down To Earth”, CBS tried to push them into a more ‘commercial’ direction and the guys didn’t get enough time to write (enough) decent songs. Negative publicity and a corporate cleanout saw CBS dropping them from their roster. A (rather weak) third album was released on the small Falcon Records in 1980 before the band called it quits.
Rock Report

Keep on Jammin’

The Retractable Guitar

Chris — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:01:22 +0000

The newest gimmick for a full size guitar out there is called the Voyage-Air. It’s for guitarist out there that needs the extra room/space when they are traveling. The Voyage-Air appears perfectly designed to fit in the overhead compartment on an airplane.

It folds in half where the neck meets the body of the guitar. I guess you might call it the fold-and-stow guitar of the future! No I am NOT referring to the Retractable Guitar from Guitar Hero, just to make things clear! They report that the intonation basically remains the same on the Voyage-Air guitar and all you need to do is re-tune it just a little bit when you place it back into position.

I’ve just heard about this guitar while reading my favorite guitar magazine Acoustic Guitar and their review of it and it looks ok if that is what your looking for in a guitar. There are two things that bother me so far about this thing.

First is, how many sets of strings are you going to be going through when you bend the guitar back into it’s shipping position over and over again?

When I re-string my guitar, I always take the new strings out of the package and neatly place the old one into it for future use. This is just in case I can’t get to a music store to replace it. I also keep an a extra full set of backup strings as well, because Murphy’s Law is always around the corner when you least expect him!

If any of the old strings that I take off my guitar have a bend in them anywhere, I immediately throw that one out! It is rendered useless, trust my on this one.

Now considering I’ve never played or seen a Voyage-Air guitar, I can’t say with any certainty that my next concern is warranted. What will it sound like?

I don’t trust things that are gimmicky. If I want something, I buy something for one reason and one reason only! If a manufacturer isn’t focusing on what it’s really good at and then it attempts to please too many people with other less and whistles then something has to give!

Now here is my second concern, the sound quality. This particular part of any guitar that is paramount to me … the action is a close second. How will the front react to the subtle vibrations after all the tension on it, from bending the neck back and forth, be in a few years?

I realize that the Voyage-Air is relatively new on the market and we will have to wait and see it’s true potential only after a few years in the field, to judge it’s outcome correctly.

I’d love to find anyone out there that has picked up one of these guitars. Are you going through more strings then usual? Has the sound quality gone down the more you retracted it? Please let us know!

Keep on Jammin’

Worlds smallest guitar is called the Nanoguitar

Chris — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:01:27 +0000

The worlds smallest guitar is about the size of a single blood cell or 10 micrometers long! Good God that’s small. Can you imagine the pick that you’d have to use to play this puppy?

I got this piece from the Cornell Science News site and the article is a good read for musicians. I knew that I just had to post this one for all of you tiny guitarists out there … me included.

The world’s smallest guitar is 10 micrometers long — about the size of a single cell — with six strings each about 50 nanometers, or 100 atoms, wide. Made by Cornell University researchers from crystalline silicon, it demonstrates a new technology for a new generation of electromechanical devices

Keep on Jammin’, very carefully though!

A Cardiac Rap

Chris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:01:35 +0000

Cardiac surgeons are certainly life savers to say the least. They can change lives and make one aware of the simpler things in it that makes it worth living! These men and women touch our hearts in so many ways that one may not be cognizant of. I bet you never thought about the music side of ones heart but this guy sure does!

I work with this great guy not to mention fine guitarist and he is definitely one in a million! I hope you enjoy his musical work … and never have to experience the other gift that he has to offer us.

Cardiac King, Keep on jammin’!

Rise Against Delivers: Much More Than a “One-Hit Wonder” and Punk Band

Chris — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:16:19 +0000

Punk rock group Rise Against is on a fast rise in America’s music scene. The band started as in Chicago in 1999, and changed its name in 2000 before it struck a record deal with Fat Wreck Chords, headed by Fat Mike of NOFX. These days, the group is continuing to record under the Geffen label, which is part of Universal Music Group.

Bandmembers include Tim McIlrath, on lead vocals and guitar, Brandon Barnes, percussionist, Joe Principe on bass and Zach Blair, also on guitar. Everyone except Brandon Barnes is heavily involved in PETA and is a devoted vegetarian. Early on, the band had a few changes, but its core members are now solid and cohesive, partners both personally and professionally.

The band had its first contract with Fat Wreck Chords, a place many top acts have gotten their start. The band has toured hard and its hard work has begun to pay off. Music and merchandise began to flow and to attract attention as the band played with groups like Strung Out, NOFX, Sick of It All, and AFI. In 2003’s Warped Tour, major record companies began to notice the group and came to call on them. By 2004, the group had had one of its biggest accomplishments, making the first of its albums under the Geffen label. In 2004, their album, Siren Song of the Counter Culture, was released.

With that, the group began to appear on the Billboard charts, and finally got a gold record. In 2006, they recorded The Sufferer and the Witness. This album hit the Billboard charts at number 10 and sold almost 50,000 copies during its first week. Some of the top songs for the band during 2004 through 2006 were Prayer of the Refugee,” “The Good Left Undone,” “Give It All,” and “Swing Life Away.” In 2008, their album Appeal to Ransom was released. It contains such hits as “Reeducation through Labor” and “Audience of One.”

Rise Against keeps on touring and works constantly in the studios and on stage, and has released there own brand of Rise Against merch. Their efforts have produced a much bigger fan base, but the edgy punk sound has mellowed to some extent. Fans don’t really care about this, though, because the group’s talent and drive continued to be the catalyst for their great musical talents, and they are continually on show. In 2009, the band will tour again in Canada and the United States, with punk bands Billy Talent, Rancid, and the Riverboat Gamblers.

Band on the run?

Chris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:01:14 +0000

Have you ever seen anything like these two guys, one naked and one dressed, on a two person (one piano) motorcycle on the road during your travels? I know I haven’t and hope never to see something like what these tow guys are up to heading towards me on the highway! I guess these guys really are a band on the run!

The one question I have musically about this picture is how many miles to the tuning up of his piano does this guy get?

Keep on Jammin’

What does a Truss Rod on your guitar do?

Chris — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:01:49 +0000

Adjusting the Truss Rod in your guitar to doctor up your action on the fretboard is something that I don’t think I’ll try on my beloved Larrivee L-03. This is something that should be left to the professionals, unless your doing this on your old beater guitar before attempting this on your good axe!

The Truss Rod in a guitar is embedded in the middle of a guitar’s fretboard, closer to the bottom of it, moving from the head of the guitar to it’s body. It consists of 1 or 2 metal bars that are designed to adjust/move the neck of the guitar up or down making it easier to play, get a unique/certain sound that you desire or to help out that buzzing sound that one gets when playing a note somewhere on the fretboard.

At one end of the Truss Rod there is a nut that allows you to adjust it. It can be accessed by either the head of the guitar (normally there is a plastic cover over the opening) or located where the fretboard meets the body of the guitar. The other end is where the rod is anchored or fixed into position. This will give the adjusting end the tension that you will need to move the Truss Rod.

The 2 types of truss rods are single and double action.

The single truss rod allows you to move the guitar neck in one direction (or as some technicians call one way) only. This makes the neck go in an up-bow or upwards direction. If you place your guitar on a flat surface and look at it sideways, the head of it will be higher then the body of the guitar. The double lets you go both directions.

So this is a basic introduction to what the Truss Rod does in your guitar. If there is some interest on this topic here on this blog, then I will do some more detailed updates in the future!

Keep on Jammin’

Here is a great book for the intermediate guitarist that wants to know a little more about how his/her instrument works. This might make a neat Christmas present for the guitar player in your life!

Fret MD: Acoustic Guitar Setup and Maintenance

The guitars that your metal heroes have endorsed

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:07:18 +0000

There are mixed feelings in the guitaring community about signature models -they are customized for another person, not you, and cost alot more because of the name on them. Here’s a few of the signature guitars out there for the ‘metallers’.

Dean Guitars ‘Dimebag Darrell’ range. The average guitarist will have one guitar made for them -Dimebag has a range of 33 guitars made in his memory. The Pantera guitarist died tragically in 2004, and since then Dean have supplied us with a whole range of Dimebag guitars, shaped as flying Vs or Explorers. Depending on the age of the guitar depends of what Pickups you get – EMGs or ‘Dimebuckers’. So select your choice of pickup and decide which of the 33 looks best to you and enjoy hours upon hours of metal. If Dimebag was your hero, this is the range to look at prices range from the ‘dimeblade’ at £219 to the ‘rebel razorback’ at £3500 -so choose wisely.

BC Rich Kerry King Signature series. Not to be outdone, One half of Slayer’s guitaring duo Kerry King, has his own signature range. Available as either a flying V or Explorer shaped guitar as well, painted with tribal designs to match his head tattoos, these guitars look as mean as their owner, but how do they sound? Not bad, they certainly go along way to helping you achieve that harsh ‘Slayer’ guitar tone.The range has BC Rich’s own brand of pickups in them to give the guitar a little added kick.

Jackon’s Phil Demell guitar. Created with help from Machine Head’s lead guitarist Phil Demell, the Jackson guitar has one hell of a kick to it. The guitar has EMG pickups and is shaped like a flying V and ready to tear your head off. Expensive at £1100m but if you’ve got your money and love your metal its the guitar to go for, and it comes tuned to drop B as well.

Looking for electric guitars? Or maybe you prefer acoustic guitars? Visit here.

Train Your Voice To Sing Higher With These Tips

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:06:18 +0000

A few points to remember about expanding your vocal abilities are as follows.

Before you work on extreme methods of singing high notes, be sure you understand the basics of vocal production. This is absolutely necessary. Your voice can be damaged if you do not comprehend how it works to begin with. You know how a hoarse voice feels if you scream at a baseball game one day and can hardly talk the next.

Vocal ranges are defined as soprano, alto, tenor and bass. SATB is the acronym which refers to the vocal ranges. Your range is defined as the lowest note you can sing pleasantly most of the time to the highest. Your teacher can help you define what your range is or you can go up from middle C until you can no longer comfortably go and downward in the same way. You can refine your range only when you know what it is.

In order that you do not set yourself up for failure, set an achievable goal. If you want to be reasonable, do not set a goal of reaching an extra octave of range in the near future. You may incur lasting injury to your vocal cords if you choose such a goal. Practice and diligence are the only things that will bring results. Always warm up your voice before attempting to stretch it, just like a runner. Warming up is done by all singers and with good reason.

Your voice will become better with time and practice. Runners and singers must follow the same rules in this regard.

Always get guidance from an instructor or program in order to improve. Teacher to student is the best way, albeit expensive. Many online programs offer a perfectly acceptable alternative to the teacher and student relationship.

While you practice your singing at home, try these two ideas.

Exercise standing, facing a mirror. In this way you can observe the position of your jaw and chest. Your posture should be correct and your jaw should not reach up for the high note. It is a natural inclination to reach with your posture, but this harms your ability to hit the note.

None of us hear ourselves the way we actually sound, record yourself and see. It is a shock at first to hear what you sound like, but if you continue to use this valuable tool you will get better even quicker. If you record a lesson you can go over and over it to pick it apart, so to speak. Money for lessons is not easy to come by, get the most out of your lessons.

In the state-of-the-art study of singing, time and effort will produce the best results if you want to become a better singer.

One heck of a patriotic guitar

Chris — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:01:11 +0000

Now this is a neat little guitar. I’m not sure if it is a Maple Leaf that they’re trying to represent here but I’ll take!

Hell even Slash, the original guitar player from Guns and Roses, is playing one!

I’m not sure who made this unique guitar or if it’s just a one of a kind model. Too bad I couldn’t find the guitar case that went with it.

It’s obvious to the trained guitarist eyes that soloing would be very limited and playing it on your lap may prove to be a problem but what the heck, eh?

Keep on Jammin’

Guitar Licks and Tips

80’s band Zon and Put on the Show

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Worlds smallest guitar is called the Nanoguitar

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Rise Against Delivers: Much More Than a “One-Hit Wonder” and Punk Band

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What does a Truss Rod on your guitar do?

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