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Guitar world

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I was at our pharmacy the other day picking up some meds for my wife and I had to wait for the quit a while for the prescription to be filled. As everyone knows, there is only so many things you can do to pass the time waiting in any pharmacy, so I picked up a guitar magazine. While browsing their selection I came across Guitar World, the one with Eddie & Wolf Van Halen on the cover.

I took the book out of it’s plastic cover and started to leaf through it. The articles were interesting enough and the behind the scene photo’s of Zeppelin’s reunion concert was worth the price!

The one thing that caught my eye was this CD/DVD that came with it. It had Lenny Kravitz Exclusive Lesson on the cover of it, (ahhhh) and other video’s about “Special Riffs” and “String Bending” … When I got home I put the CD into the old computer and checked it out!

They had all sorts of stuff on it but the best was from this guitarist called Phil X. His little thing on this was called ” Betcha can’t play this, with Phil X“(I realize that his video on the DVD is not up there right now, but wait a month to try this out, you’ll see what I mean!).

It was about this speed freak on guitar playing this riff on his axe, at around MACH 5 no less!!! He did it a couple of times and then slowed it down one time to let us mere mortals to watch in real time. He reminded me of Wayne and Garth so much that I just had to share this with all of you!

Keep on Jammin’





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!

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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.

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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!

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

Awesome, I F—in’ Shot That! part 2

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The instruments were vintage except for the electric stand up bass, which I was impressed that they even tried to use this one. If you’ve ever tried to play a fretless instrument, then you will appreciate it even more!

For those not in the loop, the fretless instrument is a device that is used only after you have pretty much mastered it. On a fretted instrument, the distance between the frets are where you place your fingers. If not placed directly in between them, you will get a sound that is not clear and muffled. If you are not good on a fretted one, then a fretless instrument will make you sound very bad!

The keyboardist, Money Mark, used a Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes piano and a Leslie speaker (please look at the design part of this one). This guy plays real old school keyboards and has the chops to prove it.

The guitarist was playing a Gibson with Morley Wah wah pedal! Unfortunately I can not see what he is playing through.

The bongo player seemed to be using 5 in total. What they are is a mystery to me,but by the quality of his percussion playing, they were more then likely NOT off the rack.

The drummer, Alfredo Ortiz, seemed to be playing a 5-6 piece Ludwig, metallic gold kit. Oh what a beautiful look they have and the sound is pure rhythmical magic! When I was growing up playing in Brantford, every drummer would have killed for a kit like that!

Keep on Jammin’

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