Guitar Licks and Tips

Open (Alternative) guitar tuning opens up a whole new world of possibilities for old and new inspiring guitar players. Some of the best songs I’ve ever played are in alternate tuning. Suite Judy blue eyes from CSNY, Penny for your thoughts by Peter Frampton and Never going back again from Fleetwood Mac are just a few examples of what you can do with this innovative choice of tunings.

Joni Mitchell was the first guitarist that I encountered using this technique. I never tried this form of playing for a couple of years after playing. When I ventured on this coarse, I found that it opened up a whole new world of guitar playing for me. It certainly took a while to get use to it.

After a while through trial and error, I found that i could expand my chord progressions and better yet, develop that full sound that I have been looking for. Stepping out of your comfort zone is a must for all guitar players. Remember, it’s better to goof up while practicing in the comfort of your own home first before jumping in!

Open Tuning is very frustrating to master at first glance. Check out this link and give it a whirl!

Do you use alternative or open tuning? If so, what are you favorite ones?

Keep on Jammin’

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I saw Elvis Costello perform his song called Town Crier on his TV show Spectacle January 2010 and after hearing it for the first time I was hooked! The song is a beautiful ballad that is so soft on the ears that it is difficult not to like it. He had the tables turned this time in playing the part of the interviewee? Mary Louise Parker is the interviewer that just sits there and melts for all to see. I know I did when I heard it.

I love how he just strums the strings on his acoustic guitar, a Stella I think, that gives off such a warm and inviting sound to the piece. This is a perfect example of how not using a pick can create a very intimate sound to a song. The chord structure and bridges that Mr Costello uses are simple and to the point.

In the beginning part before he starts playing, Elvis makes the point of saying that he would love to hear Barry White sing this one but with no disrespect to Barry, I think only Elvis could pull this one off. Mind you, it would be an interesting version for sure!

So sit back, turn down the lights, fire up a candle or two, OR if it’s raining outside get out your notebook and watch it while the rain is hitting the roof just right and enjoy!

Keep on Jammin’ Elvis

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Jamplay is a fabulous site for any level of guitarists. The video tutorials are simple and easy to use. If your looking for some songs that you’ve always wanted to play or just looking to add a little extra something to your own musical style then this site might be for you.

While reading my latest version of Acoustic Guitar I found one of those annoying flyers that come inside most magazine. You know the ones. They put them on the same page of an article that you are interested in and you always have to push it aside in order to read it. Man do I most of them … except for this one.

I was just about to rip it out when I started to quickly glance over it. It looked like most irritating flyers but something made me think twice before discarding it. I then got up, turned on my computer and went to the website. It came with a password so I decided to investigate a little bit further.

After signing up as a member of Jamplay and inputting the free password that I found on the flyer, I came across a number of interesting topics on this site. On some level the Product Reviews and Forums categories got me intrigued. Then I went to another area of interest, it was the Live Q & A Instructor Schedule. I’ve never ever used a service like this before and with time dwindling away fast, I then proceeded to checkout the tunes that they had in their View Archived News video lesson’s area at the bottom of the page.

I was very impressed at what they had there. They have split most of the lessons onto 3 screens for easy viewing. If you pick a certain video to watch, go down below it and look at the breakdown of the video. It’s a smart way to get a quick overview on what is actually on the video in a text format.

This is very important if you have only a limited amount bandwidth to use from your ISP(Internet Service Provider) package. There’s nothing more frustrating then having to pay for going over your allotted download levels. The video teachers on Jamplay were breaking down songs into small sections in such a straight forward way that would make it perfect for any guitar player.

Jamplay has this other area of the site called Jam Tracks. Jam Tracks provide background music so you can practice your soloing or chord progressions all in one place. The play list has 199 styles/genres to choose from so take your time. Near the bottom there are tabs, scales to use for practicing with it and a discussion section to explore. You can even download the songs, very nice.

So if you want to see what I’m talking about, go to Jamplay.com and register for membership. In the password column put in puffyshirt and go crazy. It allows you limited area’s of the site to go and it’s only a free membership for 7 days but it’s worth it. If you do get a full membership, come on back and tell us what you think about it.

Keep on Jammin’

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