This is not to say that you would not on occasion go back and practice songs you know, epsecially if you're getting ready for a gig or if you're warming up. For the most part save your pieces that you play well for performing and practice your weaknesses. By making your weaknesses strengths you will become a better player!
11.29.2007
Things You Can Do to Become a Better Player Now! PART 2
This is not to say that you would not on occasion go back and practice songs you know, epsecially if you're getting ready for a gig or if you're warming up. For the most part save your pieces that you play well for performing and practice your weaknesses. By making your weaknesses strengths you will become a better player!
11.28.2007
Jack of all Trades.....................
You know how the saying goes don’t you? Jack of all trades, master of none. Unfortunately that’s how many musicians end up. That’s how I was for the longest time. Learning scales, riffs, chops and any other technique that I could get my hands on. I was learning and working hard …. (This is where you pretend the Twilight Zone TV show music is playing) …. or was I. I’m sure many of you are like me, or how I was. You grab your favorite instructional book or DVD and you pick up where you left off yesterday, or the day before or you’re ready to move onto the next lesson. Whatever it is, you need to realize one thing. YOU ARE LEARNING TECHNIQUES.
You are learning scales, learning how to use these scales to begin to solo. You’re learning chords, learning chords to play rhythm patterns. You are learning hammer ons, pull off’s, bends and all kinds of neat, useful techniques. Now, I know how this practice works, been there done it, changed my view of it. Take the Minor Pentatonic scale for example. You run through the 5 positions, ok maybe you run through them maybe twice, then say to yourself “well I got that down, think I’ll get that tab of Crazy Train out and play it”. Then we spend the next half hour or hour going from excitement and anticipation to frustration. Setting the guitar down and waiting for tomorrow or even next week to try the same routine all over again. This is absolutely insane, doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
Techniques are so important, whether you are just starting or you’ve been playing guitar for 30 years. Practice should be slow and deliberate. When you are learning the basic open chords practice making each string in that chord ring out, practice another chord when you have the first one down, practice changing from chord to chord. If it’s hard to switch chords, then keep practicing, s-l-o-w-l-y. As time goes on your speed will pick up, this will happen naturally but you have to start slowly to learn how to properly make them sound. When you’re learning the Pentatonic scales the same applies. Learn one position at a time. After you learn the 5 positions then practice them …. everyday …. without fail. Slow and deliberate. Speed will come naturally. I’m not saying to run the scale 5 times and move onto the next one. I firmly believe in the use of a metronome. Turn that baby on and practice the A minor 1st position for 5 minutes straight, no breaks, no rests just practice the scale. 5 positions times 5 minutes equals 25 minutes. As you get better and by better I mean when you can play the scale at say 80 BPM then for 5 minutes, making each note ring clear and flow effortlessly through the scale then kick it up to 90 BPM, then 100 BPM and so on. It won’t take long and you’ll have smoke coming off your fret board. If you practice for an hour that still leaves 35 minutes to look at the Crazy Train tab and start figuring it out. The thing is you will have a much better grasp of things when you look at the tab and recognize the patterns that are being used and your fingers are familiar with those patterns.
I bet if you asked any musician, whether it’s John McCarthy, Freekbass, Mark Rizzo or Edie Van Halen I bet they would tell you that they consistently practice the basics that got them to the level of playing and entertaining they are at today.
11.16.2007
The Gift of Christmas
11.15.2007
Which Artist Rock House is Working on!
Alexi is a monster guitarist and was recently feature on the cover of Guitar World Magazine along with Steve Vai and Zack Wylde. Alexi is the little guy in front, but his technique and playing are anything but little.
Alexi hails from Finland, he started playing when he was about 11 years old and has dedicated his life to creating music and developing his technique. He is known for his incredible six string momentum and melodic speed along with stern vocal strenght.
DEAL POINTS: If all goes well, we could be in the studio as early January 2008. He has basically agreed to the deal, it's just that we are now sorting out the use of the COB music for the backing tracks and working at integrating ESP Guitars into the mix. We're doing this for a few reason. One they can help the Rock House army grow, they make a custom Alexi guitar that we want as a give away for a Live Chat we'll do with him at some point and if they agree to handle his travel expenses we 'll produce an entry level DVD they can use for ESP guitar packs. In addition there is also the issue of Bea who is his manager that must travel with him. We have to sort out who will pay for her. I don't really think we should have to becuase he'll be with us the entire time. However, at the end of the day I think Rock House will end up having to do it just to keep things moving along. As you can see see a lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes to make these programs come together.
THERE's MORE: So while Joe P. is working on the front end to make all this happen, John McCarthty is fast at work with his team going over the music and picking out all the "technique goodies" and dveloping the examples that he is going have Alexi show you guys in his program.
Stay tuned to the home page http://www.rockhousemethod.com/ to see what the deal is finalized.
BASS PLAYERS AND DRUMMERS DON'T WORRY WE'RE THINKING OF YOU TO. ONCE THESE DEALS GO DOWN WITH THE GUITARIST, WE MOVE ONTO THE OTHER MEMBER FO THE BAND!
A Significant Day in Rock House History!
For those of you who don't know who he is , Bernie is the person credited with creating the modern language for the Keyboard. He has performed on over 300 records for a diverse range of musicians including The Pretenders, Parliament, Buddy Guy, Robin Ford, Burning Spear, Talking Heads, Keith Richards and the list just goes on and on. Two years ago there was a documentary released on his life called "Stranger Here on Earth"
Bernie was, first and foremost, a chief architect of the music of Parliament and Funkadelic. On monster jams like “Flashlight” and “Aquaboogie,” he revolutionized the use of synthesizers. On trippier album cuts like “Tales of Kidd Funkadelic” and “Atmosphere,” Bernard flexed classical chops in a radically post-modern context and blew a generation of minds.
WHAT WE LEARNED AND WANT TO PASS ON RIGHT NOW!
Here is the a little a little sample of what we learned from Bernie today. This little bit of advice goes out to not just Keyboard players, but all musicians. The number one thing Bernie teaches is "LESS IS MORE." So many times during the production he wasn't playing anything to complicated or complex, the beauty was in how he was finding the spaces musically and filling this spaces sounds that fit with the tracks. He was more concerned with the over all sonics of the piece. He is thinking, "what can I add that makes sense but doesn't step all over the other musicians."
Many times as musicians we tend to want to play the most technically complex riff or we get into a setting and want to show off or just plan rip it up. Bernie kept hammering home LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN... it is the key to adding ingredients that work. be concerned with what the piece sounds like when it all comes together, not just your what your part sounds like.
Solid advice from a a true musical legend! Look for Bernie's DVD early 2008.
Trailer from Bernie's Documentary "Stranger Here on Earth"
11.10.2007
Rock House Nominated for Award
" Hey joe I wanted to alert you The Rock House Method series has been nominated for a Music & Sound Award for Best Instructional Book/Video company. We’d love to get a comment from you about it, 50 words or less, by Nov. 13. A photo is fine as well.:
Congratulations!
Brian Berk
How cool is that? I just can't beleive it, what is so exciting about this award is that this comes directly from the dealers and manufacturers they are the ones who nominate you. Other awards are based on magazine editors who give awards to company's who "wink, wink, nudge nudge" advertise. But this is honest to goodness and comes right from the store owners!
When we started Rock House in 2002 our mission was to create a unique system of learning that was engaging, self-motivated, fun to use and that offered the student on going web based lesson support. We never consider the efforts would result in nominations or awards. We’re honored to be considering for such and award!
Joe P.
11.06.2007
Picking Exercise from the DVD Learn Rock Acoustic by The Rock House Method
For Details about the full DVD program check
out the Rock House Catalog here
Playing Tips From Rock House
Q: Is a guitar amp head the same as an amp … only smaller or is there a bigger difference? I’ve heard the terms combo and stack but I don’t know what these are. I really want to get a new amp but I want to make sure I make the right choice. Thanks!
A: An amp that comes in an all-in-one unit that has one or more speakers as well as an amplifier section is usually referred to as combo amp. With this type of amp, you can just plug in, turn it on, and start ripping it up. An amp head is just the electronics section with no speaker. You need to plug the head into a speaker cabinet to make the sound come from your guitar. This type of amp is called a "stack" because you stack the head on top of the speaker cabinet.
Learning Scales in Multiple Keys, Don Hemmer; Salt Lake City, UT
Q: First off I love your DVDs, they rock my socks, and they are a wonderful source of learning; I have referred your DVDs to many of my friends. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can help me with:
You play the natural minor scale in the key of E in your DVD. I have memorized that scale and all 5 positions as well as mixing the positions together and connecting them like Legos, but when I go to play in another key I get so confused and lost that I don’t know where I’m at in the scale when I’m improvising. Do you have any tips that will help me flow through the scales in any key without getting confused? I always choke and get stuck when it comes to different keys playing the natural minor scale. Please help me.
Do you have any practice suggestions or any suggestions at all on how I can play better leads and feel the solos? I know the natural minor scale in the key of E, but yet I can’t feel the leads and "speak" my solos.
A: Once you know the scales they are the same patterns no matter what key you choose, you just play them on different frets. I suggest that you now focus on the key of A and memorize all five positions in this key, since the two most popular keys are E & A. Here are the frets to play all five scales in A:
1st position - 5th fret
2nd position - 7th fret
3rd position - 10th fret
4th position - 12th fret
5th position - 15th or 3rd fret
Once you have the A and E scales memorized you should be able to get the other keys fairly easy by relation as follows:
B would be just two frets up from A
G would be just two frets down from A
D would be two frets down from E
F is just one fret up from E
As far as "speaking" with the scales, this will take some time and practice. Try playing the scales over progressions and start to use them as creative tools instead of thinking of them as scales. This will get you on your way to making that guitar talk!
Writing Songs 101, What Chords Go Together?Derek Kreider; Austin, TX
Q: I would like to attempt writing my own songs but I need a little help getting started in the right direction. This may sound like a dumb question but could you please give me a list of the chords that would work together in the key of A Major? Your help is greatly appreciated.
A: First, asking questions is not dumb—this is how we learn new information to help us grow! The chords in the key of A Major are as follows:A Major - B Minor - C# Minor - D Major - E 7th - F# Minor - G# Diminished
There is a chord scale that corresponds with any major scale that goes as follows:I - Major 7th, ii - Minor 7th, iii - Minor 7th , IV - Major 7th, V - Major 7th, vi - Minor 7th, vii - Minor 7th b5
The three principle chords are the I, IV & V. You can take this formula and apply it to any major scale to find all the chords that will be in that key. This does not mean that you can’t use other chords to create songs and progressions (most rules have some exceptions) they are just the chords that will fit best.
Have some fun and create a masterpiece!