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Archives for January 2008

The “B-bender”

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I realize that some people who view this blog are not guitar players but just bloggers who happen to come across my page from time to time. For those few, I want to bring different insights about guitars and techniques that us players use that are invisible to most eyes and ears of music lovers! This topic may just bend your mind! (ok, that’s a bad one)

The tool that I wish to talk about is the “B-bender”. Basically, this devise bends a string a full tone (going from one note to the one directly above or below it) without having to use your fingers. It is also known as “The Third Hand”.

Ok, now imagine this if you will. Have you or have you ever watched someone pick any string on the guitar and then with another finger go to the head of the guitar (the part that you tune with) and push down on that same string that they hit? You would hear a bending or a sliding of a note, it would have sounded like a wah, wah like sound, didn’t it? Now that is what the B-bender device does but on the fly. The Pedal or Slide guitar is where the sound originates from.

This sound is just so relaxing to play. When I do through this lick in somewhere in a song, it has this calming effect on me and others as well I guess! The most popular song that show cases this is on the Eagles tune called “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, it’s the beginning guitar lick. Although I’m not a country player, I just love to throw this sound in just for some dramatic flare whenever I can!

b-bender.jpg

The list of guitarist who use this type of device is a literal who’s who of guitar legends! Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards …

You get the picture now don’t you. BTW The image above is the schematics of this device.

tele_b-bender.jpg

This device was made by a man named Gene Sez in around 1966, but the main idea for this came from Clarence White. Clarence wanted to be able to deliver this effect but having it tied up to his guitar strap and soon it became guitar history! The first recording of this sound was when they were the house band at the Nashville West in El Monte in 1966. This CD is now considered by Guitar Player Magazine, “One of the top 20 essential country albums of all time.” Not bad of an idea now is it!

b-benderback.jpg

Keep on Jammin’ (or should I say bendin’?)





Peter Schmidt

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Good old Peter has been one of those great friends growing up in my early moving to Toronto period! We lived together at this dorm called Co-op Housing in the late 80’s.

petejeffheally.jpg Peter and Jeff Healey.

We soon found out that we were both guitar players early on and really liked our own playing styles. he was a lover of the blues then and now has taken it to a higher level today!

peterschmit1.jpg

He use to be in a band with a few other high school and fellow Co-op students in a band called “The Big Kahuna”. They played mostly Stones, Red Hot Chilly Peppers and my favorite band that they covered perfectly was The Black Crows.

While gigging one night at a bar at 1130 Queen St East, called Stratengers, and I videoed them live and it was the start of my love affair with the video camera! I found a copy of it on a old “C tape” and when I can, I’ll throw it up on youtube for you all. Oh those were more simpler days. I don’t think that they have bands playing there but according to most T.O. pizza critics they have the best pizza on Queen St not to mention some awesome east Indian food!

He has played in numerous great blues bands, has toured extensively in Canada and the US and lives around 4-5 months of the year in Cuba! He teaches out of his condo in North York and just lives and breaths the blue 24/7. I STRONGLY SUGGEST that if you are looking for a serious blues teacher then he would be the be all and end all of your search! If you choose to contact him pleas tell him to “Do it up BIG TIME” and you’ll get a free first lesson!

peteincuba.jpg Peter with his band in Cuba.

Please go to his site and check out for yourself his playing and PLEASE LEAVE a comment or e-mail him, it would be a favour for me if you did! If you do so, I’ll give you a free lesson off line and make it worth your while!

As Keith Richards would say “Love Ya Live!”

Keep on Jammin’ (Peter Schmidt)

Does anyone know how to read tabs

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I’m just kiddin’!

Are you a guitar player or wanna be that has anyone ever heard of this timeless classic called Hotel California by this band called the Eagles? Have you ever picked up a guitar book with or without tab’s/tablature, that has promised that you will sound just like the record/CD? Has the promise ever been true? Well below is a version that I have dreamed up to make your dreams come true!

I too have watched people and read books that attempt to reproduce this song to no avail. I listened and tried for many, many years to get it just right and while goofing around one time last year, it came to me with the clarity that has been missing in other attempts.

NOTE: the following tabs are for recreational use and for those who wish to change idea’s and not to be used in public. This is just a personal interpretation what I hear and how I might play it. This is to be used in an educational way only!

VERY IMPORTANT!!!!! The ” _ ” that is placed under the “6” and the “4” in the part/chord (that is part of the ” F# and the E” section of the intro part), you MUST hit/slap & hold with your “middle finger of your RIGHT HAND”. Use the left side of this finger to hit and hold the note, it takes a long time to get use to the feeling!

Intro.

Bm F# A
E 7 0 2 I 2 2 I 5 6 5 I
B 7 3 3 I 2 I 5 5 7 I
G 7 7 4 4 I 3 3 OR 3 3 I I
D 9 4 4 I 4 4 4 I 7 I
A I I 0 I
E 7 I 2 6 2 I I

E G D
E 0 0 I 3 I 2 I
B 0 I 0 3 I 3 I
G 1 1 OR 1 1 I 0 0 2 4 I 2 2 I
D 2 2 I 0 I 0 4 4 I
A I I I
E 0 0 4 I 3 I I

Em F#
E 0 0 0 0 I 9
B 0 0 0 0 I 7
G 0 0 OR 0 0 0 I 9 9
D 2 2 4 5 2 I 8
A I 9 9
E 0 I

So try this one out everyone and get back to us and tell us how ya did! I did this tab in Microsoft Wood and I will figure out how to format the future tabs to read better soon.

Keep on Jammin’

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