Mind Over Matter — The Science of Shred with Michael Head

“What music really comes down to, like a lot of things, is people. Whether you are playing a gig, producing a recording project or coordinating events, it’s all about the people. If you’re listening to my music at a gig we are having a connection. And especially, working in the studio, you are having some impact on this artist’s future. That means something. There’s always collaboration….

Peter Sprague on Jazz Guitar, Surf, & Breaking Even

Another golden moment that stand’s out in Peter’s recall came in Washington D.C. playing with Chick and Al Jarreau. And then doing film work with Chick on the movie The Cat Chasers, starring Kelly McGillis. The band included Vinnie Callouta on drums, Chick, Pattittuci, Kujala. The trust he earned with Correa was such that Sprague became the one to organize Chick’s music in book form for publishing purposes.

Own Your Tone! A Practical Guide to Electric Guitar Tone

Guitar tone is the sound or timbre of the guitar which could mean the effects that are being used, what pickup selection is being used, is it played with a plectrum or fingerpicked, and many other factors. You could say that the sound difference between an acoustic guitar and electric guitar is due to the difference in tone. Or the difference between Kirk Hammett’s distorted guitars in Metallica and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits’s clean to lightly overdriven sound is due to differences in tone.

Want to be a better guitarist? Check out Steve Vai’s Guitar Workout

Since its appearance in Guitar World in 1990, Vai’s intensive guitar regimen has been the Holy Grail for serious players. Here is the lesson that shaped a generation of guitarists. Vai sat down with guitarist/transcriber Dave Whitehill and outlined his practice routine for the January 1990 issue of Guitar World. Never before had a guitarist […]