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Jamplay is a great educational tool

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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’





The Spider Capo By Creative Tunings

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The Spider Capo by Creative Tunings looks unlike any other capo that I have ever seen. It looks like a very sturdy device to use and it certainly has many applications at it’s finger tips. I myself have not used a partial guitar Capo before but I’d love to take the Spider Capo out for a spin. It may look like something that a band from the movie Mad Max uses, but it’s very functional.

creative tuning spider capo

I first came across the Spider Capo in my Acoustic Guitar(AG) May 2010 issue on pg. 29. They say that the six rotating levers (Creative Tunings refer to them as Fingers) maybe a little bit delicate to get use to, but it definitely appears to be worth getting use to. The Fingers are also fine tune adjusters as well.

The Spider Capo is made to support any type of guitar, either acoustic or electric, that you play on. The adjustable side arms accommodates any guitar neck width with dense leather pads that will save the finish on your guitar neck. There is also comes a banjo version as well, very cool!

creative tunings spider capo The Spider Capo has the capability to capo each individual string as well as to used as a regular capo. Imagine being able to not only play in front of a capo but behind it as well! It offers the guitarist the selection of multiple tunings that can help you develop a big, full colourful sound. This is something that really gives me unlimited enthusiasm for this accessory.

My favorite example of what it can do for you is in the video from Brian Gore. It’s when he is performing Fringe Hinge. It has unmistakable echos of the Great Micheal Hedges to it. In this video Staffan uses 2 Spider Capos on his guitar at once.

Pay special attention near the end of this piece where you can see him adjusts his top capo on the fly while playing the tune. You can hear the chord changes that he shares with us during a difficult part in the song. Tell me you wouldn’t want to have that capability in one of your creations.

Being a guitarist who loves to provide a full tonal sound to the audience. If I had a Spider Capo, I would love to see what results I would have with it, particularly when playing certain melodies in concert with open string accompaniment!

Their site is just chalk full of video and audio examples on how to put this futuristic looking capo into play. They call this section Performance Examples. Creative Tunings provide us with tons of cases here that will enhance your own distinctive style of guitar performing.

If your not quite sure on how the Spider Capo works, then check out this link and go through the intro tutorial. It will help you in how to use it into proper perspective for ya. Creative Tunings also provides us with a nice informative downloadable PDG file for sample tuning starters.

This unique guitar accessory has made me want to go out and pick this thing up! When I do, I’ll give you all a hands on description on how it works, stay tuned!

Keep on Jammin’

Jesse Winchester’s Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding

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While watching a taped episode of Spectacle with Elvis Costello, I was introduced to one of the best guitar/singer song writers that I never heard of, his name is Jesse Winchester! On stage was a number of other great musicians/song writers that are fabulous in their own right but none of the songs that they performed during that show came anywhere close to the magic that Jesse Winchester’s Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding!

The simplicity of his playing grew into a wave of emotions that swept through my whole body and mind. The warmth of Jesse’s guitar slowly brought me back to a more simpler time. It brought my wife and I to attention. We started focusing us on the song, blocking everything else out of our mind. Hell, the house could of been on fire and we wouldn’t of noticed!

Jesse Winchester has such a style all of his own. You could repeat every single note from this song but you will never be able to match the emotion that he brings to the piece. From his intricate guitar finger picking right down to the vibe that he gives from his soft voice is something that can not be taught.

On another note, as you all know from reading some of my past posts, I am not that into lyrics but man they are just plain beautiful! I have to admit that, while taking in this one, I turned into a little mound of mush. When writing this post I was drawn to replay this song about 6 times in a row. I guess I’m just a hopeless romantic at heart. How does he do it?!

So take a listen to this gem of a song and tell me what you were experiencing during it!

Keep on Jammin’

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