Guitar Parts - A Guitarist's Blog

I'm On C25K. I'm Running. Finally.

2012-01-03T06:51:00.001-08:00

I've been saying I've wanted to runw for months. Some of the people I play with run. Some of my friends on tour run all the time. I've wanted to, so I bought running shoes and all. Really, all the running shoes did was notify the dogs we were going to the park. So I was walking. It was a start.

On New Years day I went to my Bro in laws for dinner. Pork. It's good luck for the first of the year, so they say. My sis in law said she started running couch 2 5K. She never ran before, she explained. So What is that motivated her? I downloaded the app. Well, a psuedo app that clocks time. No coach, which works out well for me because I can listen to the music I'm working on while I run. I'm on track!

I had no problem motivating myself to run. I had every problem doing something productive on the scheduled time that the uncertainty made it tiresome. I'd get ready to go and I'd feel like I wasn't doing something right for my overall.

The cool thing on the app is it marks off what I completed. So I feel like I've accomplished something. I got throught first session! There's a big green bar that shows me. Sweet!

In any event, I can't stop thinking about running.

The Best Songwriting

2011-12-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

I think the best songwriting happens when a band just jams and stops...and then someone plays something that sparks the new song. It's the magic you can't get elsewhere. You won't find it in your bedroom alone at 4am. You won't find it in the van on the way to the gig. There's something about the "space" that makes the whole thing more sacred.

I remember reading a bit in Musician's Magazine on my fellow CT guitarist Keith Richards, where he said he jammed buddy holly songs on the piano when he was looking to write something. I would have to imagine it was almost to prep himself to find greatness in his songs by playing proven songs he already thought were great beforehand. I hope that makes sense.

I also know that by following Steve Vai, that he likes to play for hours before he starts writing. As almost to prep himself for his best ability.

Sometimes I just go in for it without practicing. That was yesterday. I sat with my acoustic and wrote three simple and effective riffs.

Tonight my band Fear The State wrote 2 riffs inside of 10 minutes. It started with our drummer playing a crazy beat, almost like a continuous drumroll. So I played 4 chords over it, and we all sat and managed to make a song we all enjoyed in 10 mins.

Of course time will tell how good it is.

Check out my band online @ www.fearthestate.com and check out www.marcamendola.com & follow me on twitter @ www.twitter.com/maramendola

Here's a Great Idea...COMMUNICATE! WTF?!

2011-08-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

So Today I'm dealing with BS about a show that's supposed to happen in 8 days from now. It was planned out way ahead of time, and somehow it got all screwed up. I'm here picking up pieces, making calls and writing this to let people know what a pain in the ass you can be if you don't communicate with people.

Communication is key to a lot of great things in this world. I'm sure I've been guilty of not communicating once. However, that's no excuse for everyone else to follow. after all, who has followed me anyway?

So I'm sitting here trying to come up with answers on the show and I'm telling you it stinks. Just keep this in mind next time the show is postponed or cancelled. it's probably some miscommunication via the promoter and venue and not your artist being flaky.

Oh No, I'm not aggravated.

-Marc

p.s. I got a new guitar this week. look at it on www.youtube.com/guitaroogle

Vamping & Revamping

2011-05-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today I got back to an 8-track rebuild project I was working on this winter. It never got finished, thanks to the snow. But I go the deck put back together so at least I could use it as a console and utilize the pre-amps. The deck was an 8track recorder. A Tascam 388. And as I know that the preamps aren't the most amazing, they are 30 years old and if I can utilize a couple clean ones, I can probably make some records off of it in the house.

Which reminds me, there's something about the vamps I put down in the house. They groove, they resonate with people more and I notice this. Maybe I resonate better as a music composer in my home? I'm not really sure. If you listen to the new Fear The State song "Meet Our Maker" I sang the riff in the yard. Somewhere on my computer it's labeled "yard riff". Pretty elementary, but just like that school of rock movie where Jack Black and Kyle Gass have a scene where they don't hit the recorder to catch the greatest song in the world...I've been there and I've missed it. So now I do silly things like talk into my voicemail...video tape the chair so I can here the new song I wrote just now, and other wild things of that nature. It may seem silly, but it's the way musicians work. This one seems to have worked out well.

Arpeggios and More Guitar Tricks

2011-04-05T08:38:00.001-07:00

I learned a lot about scales and modes from Frank Gambale's guitar articles when I was younger. This video demonstrates how amazing this guy is! I mean, he's fast, articulate and innovative. I'm working on this lick right now.

Here's a cool YouTube video

Also while on Youtube...look up Frank Gambale Sweep. can't believe the accuracy.

Pop Songs and ReWriting in Studio

2011-03-01T21:24:00.001-08:00

Today went really well. I cut some studio tracks last night where my voice sounded great, yet the parts weren't right yet. So i find myself needing to rewrite the song melody/lyric/parts it gets out of control when you don't have to stop. I mean...it's my shop. I can work this until next year, right? Next time around, i'm playing my songs for people with an acoustic and then producing. I don't know if i need to hear the songs in that almost complete state to notice it could be stronger? I did it today while working on a pop song I wrote. I had to have more parts on it, yet i couldn't get the part out on the spot, so it waits another week or so until completion. Hopefully it all happens quickly, because i need some records done!

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Paying Dues Worth The Price

2011-02-20T22:21:00.001-08:00

Last night i played down at Anna Liffey's in New Haven, CT with my band Fear The State. It was Big Ian's Birthday Bash. (Which sounds like another Bday Bash i named many years ago...hmmm..did i influence that? Can't be.)
We took this show because These Green Eyes were playing the event. A spectacular band! We love doing shows with good bands. It makes it fun. These Green Eyes is great! And they did a 2 piece show....minus the drummer. Very cool.

Upon entering I met up with Logic, New Haven rap artist who was doing a cd in my studio with Redemption Records about 2 years ago. He told me he was MCing the event, and that he would finally get to see my band.

We loaded in and set up, and my backup git was giving me wierd sounds, so it was a one guitar night. No biggy.
No biggy until I got up onstage and broke my Gstring first song in! What's the chance....with fresh strings!
So i ask for a Gstring and everyone chuckles, assuming I was asking for women's under garments, and I was noticing we had a nice crowd, so I just continue to play a 5 string. I figured these are still our songs, we're still playing them. I'm not passing up an assuming crowd for a gstring! F No! So we kept it going, and it went well.

Into the Fear The State song Gangsters and Rockstars I call Logic up to freestyle an intro, so he destroys it as always, we launch into the song, while Logic hangs up front with the Mic. So we play the 2verses and the 2chorus' and let him go again! As soon as he was done, we lauched into the last chorus and brought down the house! People were into Gangsters and Rockstars, and kept mentioning it to me all night.

Reflecting on the whole thing, it's exactly what the song Gangsters and Rockstars is about.
Paying dues and building friendships and musical relationships. Life is funny sometimes.

Thank You to all who came out last night and saw Fear The State.

Until next time.....

Follow me on Twitter.com/marcamendola.

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Uniting The Notes

2010-11-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

I was just thinking...if everyone picked out 12 notes, wrote a lick, practiced it for a week, how much better would we be? Write me if you try it. Let's videotape it and you tube it.

My PRS Experience 2010

2010-10-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Friday I got the opportunity to go to the PRS Experience in Stevensville, MD. Being a PRS artist gave me this chance to visit the guitar factory, the private stock office and hear stories from Paul Smith and some guitarists who have been using the guitars for years, like David Grissom (John Mellencamp) and Howard Leese (Heart).

I Put Together This Video of Some of The Pictures I Took Friday Sept 24, 2010.

My trip proved to me that The PRS guitar is a perfectly tuned guitar. The craftsmanship they put into each guitar and the main design are amazing. I know people have said it, and many agree, but this was my realization that these guitars are seriously perfect. There was a showing where David Grissom played Paul's gold Top Les Paul and then a PRS...and I could hear how perfect the PRS was. Personally, every neck I wrapped my hand around that day felt great to me as well.

I really liked the new NFS....I'm a sucker for a maple fingerboard! I hope to hear the nearfields pickups at NAMM as i didn't find a spot where i could try them.

On the "Experience" I saw the way they piece together the 2 piece quilt tops, how they pic the private stock pieces and I even got to tap the neck blocks to hear the ringing of the wood. This is the way you pick your guitar neck in the private stock office. Very interesting to see how they work on the inlays, too. Also, I found the staff on the line were very informative.

Outside there was a staining booth where you could try your hand at making a top (including sanding) and a place where you could set some frets into a neck (i did this). It was a great experience. They do this every September and if you sign up early enough you can purchase a pass and attend. Most of the things I did were definitely on the tour, so if you are a guitar enthusiast or find some of this interesting, I would totally suggest you go. I'll be there next year!

Check out www.prsguitars.com

Old Guitar Makes New Sounds

2010-08-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

I just repaired an old guitar today. An old Ibanez RX guitar. The input jack wasn't soldered correctly and it came out of the jack. In the process, I cleaned it up at the studio. Polished the frets, restrung it and set the action a bit lower than it was. It was like a whole new guitar to me. I immediately wrote some riffs on it and I played it all day today, except for Fear The State rehearsal. I think I might track some parts tomorrow with it, and there was talk about doing a video with it as well, due to it's color. Go grab your old ax and recreate it!

BTW...Hard Luck Kings out of Los Angeles has me up on their website as a KING! www.HardLuckKings.com along with the Likes of Jason Ellis of XM Radio! go Check that out! -Marc

Cassette recording in the Digital Recording Age

2010-08-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

I love the cassette. I know. It sounds bad, and it breaks and it "warbles", but it's cheap, it's quick and it's amazing at hearing what I just did five minutes ago that I think might be my next big riff!

Ever see the movie Pic Of Destiny? There's a section where they didn't hit record and they missed the great idea. That's what I'm talking about.

This past week I watched Jimmy Page play in the Documentary "This Might Get Loud".
I can't get over how amazing he produces sound from the guitar. I FEEL IT when he plays...on video. (Imagine if I was in the same room? I'd explode from Feeling, for sure.) I spend hours of days of years trying to do what he does.

So This week, I dropped the handheld radioshack cassette in front of the practice amp in the room my daughter calls the "guitar room" and I recorded 30 minutes of guitar music that will eventually morph into 5 or 6 songs for something. Maybe a Fear The State song, or a riff for TV production or for the many Hip Hop people I've been working with in the studio this summer...who knows. But the point is, I captured the music while I jammed through it on my cassette and I think you should too. Don't whine & don't cry it sounds bad. Just get those ideas down and get it done. This might be your next big hit.

The Best Riffs Start With A Beat

2010-06-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Some of my best riffs have come from setting a tempo and letting my fingers play. Often times I find that changing the tempo will help me change my focus and hence make me come up with better riffs and better songs.

Try it today. I'm going to next.

Marc

Try This Picking Trick

2010-06-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Grab a Quarter and Strum your git. It's got one of the coolest sounds. The metal on metal sound makes the notes more pronounced. It's super sweet. I use it on single note runs in the studio. Sometimes as a backup to picks during live sets.

Billy Gibbons used a Peso on some of the ZZTop Recordings. Try some of those licks with the quarter and you'll get the idea.

I hope all you dad's got to play guitar today...or maybe got a new git!!
Happy Father's Day.

-Marc

My Consistency Is Better at Guitar Than Blogging

2010-06-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

No Lie...I haven't been consistent with my Blogging. I'm working on that. I have been consistent with my picking hand on my guitar, and isn't that the key to success with guitar playing? Practice with a metronome and work on your right hand.

Need a quick refresher? Write me an email @ marc@marcamendola.com and I can get you in for a quick lesson on metronome practicing.

-Marc

keep up with me at www.twitter.com/marcamendola

Flying Guitars - Travel with Gig Bag or Not -PPLUS- My Secret Space on Each Plane.

2010-02-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've flown guitars a lot around the US. It seems that if I'm taking one guitar, a thin gig bag as a carry-on works perfectly. I pack mine with my clothes to protect the guitar, since the "closet" on the plane and the overhead bins are always tight. The clothes help cushion the shoving that goes on while getting it in place, or when it's in flight.

I've found that if you're taking one hard shell it has to be checked, so you must Duct tape the case shut. Yes, it will probably ruin the case, but it's to protect the guitar. Guitars out of their cases laying on the runway are not exactly precious guitars. They sort of look like toothpicks. Not exactly easy on my stomach. So duct tape those shut. The tape they provide is usually a bit skimpy, as well.
If I'm taking a couple gits I'll duct tape them together in 2 hardshell cases. Sometimes the skycaps will count them as 1 bag. That's sweet and money saving, as I think it's $20 to ship a git!

I watched a bass player have to check his bass last minute on my last flight. It was in a gig bag with some padding. I'm not comfortable with that.

I always say nicely that I need to bring my guitar on-board, and since the guitar is smaller than a bass, they usually let me find a spot. My favorite spot is behind the last seat. I put it on the floor, so that the last seats can recline. With baggage fees being charged now, and people trying to save time, more roller-bags are on board more than ever and the overhead bins are always full.

This past time I even looked into getting a double guitar bag.
Has anyone ever gotten a "double guitar" gig bag? I've never seen one in person. I'm very curious about those. comment if you've had one.

Happy Flying!!! Protect your git at all costs!

- Marc
www.marcamendola.com

Added New Years Resolution-Slide Guitar

2010-01-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

As if I don't have enough to do, I'm taking slide guitar on this year.

So I've played with some Great Musicians in my time. I've recorded a track with Professor Griff of Public Enemy, I've worked with Roger Vasquez of Ill Nino when I was in Coretez and I've had the opportunity to play onstage with Clint and Corey Lowery in Hello Demons Meet Skeletons, I did a session with Tommy Mandel, Keyboard player to Brian Adams with Sony 80's Artist/drummer Hilly Michaels, and I've met RZA on a TV show called Farmclub and I now play with only the greatest musicians in the 3 bands I get onstage with...Fear The State, Drew Stevyns Band and Samarai Cab Co. This is how I find the inspiration for playing my instrument. I get to jam with and hang with these incredible musicians. But this past week....a student brought inspiration into the studio in the way of a slide he got over the holiday.

This week we trekked out on the internet looking for "In my Time of Dying" the classic Led Zeppelin song. Anyone who knows me a bit knows I love Zep. (1st Metal Health Concert I played Zep with Stephen Pearcy of RATT. Opus heard he wanted to play some Zeppelin and grabbed me to bring to him.) I never realized how smooth the slide playing was on this Zep classic. It's amazing. When I break out the slide, it's always a little rough. It's a task to run the medal or glass across the strings and make it sound great. I've owned the brass slide, the glass slide and I've even made a slide with my brother at Amendola Trucking back in the day when I was a kid. (We got behind the work bench in the garage with 18 wheelers, got a piece of copper or lead pipe and cut it for my finger length...I think we used some steel wool and then there it was...my first slide. come to think of it...that might have been my dad who did that. I'll ask my bro and get to the bottom of it.)

So in this lesson, we got in my time of dying on the speakers...listened and played.
Incredible slide line. But I've heard it so many times before I needed a little bit more. And I thought of a story my new tech Max told me about meeting Warren Haynes in NYC recently. So I dialed up nothing else but....The Allman Brothers...and I became a fan of the slide guitar player in seconds.

In minutes I saw the Allman Brothers rehearse Statesboro Blues. I was amazed by Warren Haynes' slide playing. I was so amazed by it, it burned an imajavascript:void(0)ge in my mind I can still see 4 days later. The next thing I viewed was Statesboro Blues live. This live setting had Derek Trucks on guitar as well, where the rehearsal had Dicky Betts on Guitar.

Then we listened to Duane Allman on the end of Layla...it was incredibly sweet, as I'm sure you have heard.

All of this has made me make a new resolution. I'm learning slide this year. I need to have the ability to make that sweet sound. It's that simple.
Once I learn more, I'll pass it on.

Guitar Room is at Full Capacity

2010-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm in what should have always been my family room...which Cadence renamed the guitar room. we just added her kitchenette set in here, as well as a VCR and her video games to the room, yet she still calls it the guitar room. Yep. My girl knows what's up. Guitars are amazing and they need their own room. Even at 3...she gets it. Actually....give her more credit...she'll be 3 on weds...so technically she is 2.

So we've re-arranged the guitar room to be more "family friendly".

So here's something....does anyone else just get their feed of news on everything via their twitter and/or facebook? I totally do. and I like it that way.
I often read Rev Run's column at twitter.com/REVRUNWISDOM and I just found Butch Walker's Blog via Pete Wentz's tweets. Butch Walker's Blog talks about how they Caroled on Xmas Eve. Kind of interesting, I thought. East Coasters may say " it's too cold to carol" but on the west coast they not only went...they crashed on the beach to watch the sunrise with a bottle of tequila.

Here...we rearrange guitar rooms to be multifaceted so we can have a change of atmosphere while we do the same activities.

Stay warm east coast. I'm going to ship off to LA sometime this month to do more Drew Stevyns Band shows. I'll also be freezing in New England with Fear The State. Check my dates at www.marcamendola.com...they constantly change and are being updated.

New Years Resolutions - Not Just 4 New Years Anymore - Happy Twenty Ten !

2009-12-31T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hello!!!

So many people ask what your resolution for the New Year is going to be.
Me...I'm going to write more music. Acoustic, electric, digital ....all of it. I might even track a ton of Ukelele. My grandfather gave me one eons ago. Not a fancy one either, but that's why I should record some masters using it!
To aid in this process of mass musical composition I purchased a M-Audio Fast Track the other day to help me at home. Seems I'm always up late at night with ideas flowing, but I have nothing close to me (my studio is 20 mins away!) to get the job done that I can easily transfer into the AudioHotel Studio. So...I purchased the fast track. My bassist Jeff in Fear The State just got one, and he said it's amazing. And so...I wait for the UPS man like a kid waiting for Santa Claus. It can't get here quick enough. You see...sometimes writing an idea at 2am in my cold lower level just has magic nothing else can imagine. I don't know what it is, but it works for me. My goal with all this music is to get it used in all different formats. Singers, Bands, TV, Radio, Commercials and Movies. Don't worry...there will be New Fear The State music out this year, too. It's already in the works.

Other resolutions for me are going to be to work out. My arm is killing me from painting a small ceiling. So...it's time..I need to work out daily. cut the BS and act like an old man for cryin out loud. Get to the gym.
I'll drink more water, too....but I'm still drinking beer. It's all american, and I like it. Plus...it's the only thing I splurge on. (Magic Hat for NYE!! TWENTY TEN Coming in Strong!!! YEAH!! )

The other resolution I'm holding onto from last year is to make resolutions on the spot. New Years Eve is only another day, my friends. You should always commit to what you think to yourself, or at least I think so. So I'm doing that. It's like absolute honestly. It makes me happy. Try it. Next time you think you need to change something, make a decision and change it at that moment. That's it. No turning back.

The other thing I'm going to do this year is FOCUS. I'm going to Focus on my tasks more closely so I can accomplish more. Sounds simple enough. I'm sure it's not, but I'll find out. I would imagine it's going to show me what's most important to me. And that's perfect.

Happy resoluting....and Happy New Year! Twenty-Ten coming in!
Smile, Be Yourself and Focus.

-Marc
www.MarcAmendola.com
www.FearTheState.com - Fear The State on iTunes.com!!
Buy our music and help us pay bills!

The 10 Minute Easter Sunday Song & Video

2009-10-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

I wrote this song in 10 minutes on Easter Morning. I've written tons of songs with a lot of people. Never a 10 minute song I released. This is the only one. And it's because Fear The State liked it so much that we put it out.

It's probably been about 3 or 4 years ago now. I remember I was just playing my Martin and just wrote down these words in what is now my daughter's bedroom. It took me longer to record this song then it did to write it. And BTW...this is the original recording, just remixed.

The Guitar Has Brought Me Here

2009-10-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hello reader. I'm Marc Amendola, Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter and all around musician. I play in the bands Fear The State, Gargantua Soul, and Coretez. I got to play for Hello Demons...Meet Skeletons, too. Google me, or search these bands and you will see all sorts of things. Go ahead...check it all out. Then come back here! Read up.

I started this blog so I could tell you all my stories. Everyone has stories. Some people don't like to tell them. I am not one of those people.

I've named this blog very simply. All my best stories of most of my life have been brought to me due to my guitar playing. So That's where the Guitar part comes in. The 'Stuff" part comes in due to the fact that the career musician learns a lot of industry terms. These might seem very common, but used with the correct inflection, tone, tamber, dynamic and pitch (even bending) can take on whole new meanings. One of these terms is "stuff". Us Musicians have tons of Stuff. Stuff covers just about everything we need to refer to. Otherwise, we feel the rest of the way.

Some of those other words are more of the 4 letter origin and have tons of dynamic inflection and tone as well. You probably use some of them in your workplace too. But your boss probably gets mad when you use them. We get extra credit sometimes.

Now, I said "most of my life" because I just became a parent a few years back. To me, this is whole new chapter in life for me. I can't get enough of my little girl.

So here is Guitar Stuff. The blog for guitarists, musicians, enthusiasts, music lovers and families. I have some stories. Be sure to add yourself to get the updates. I hope you enjoy.

-Marc