Remembering Muddy Waters 1915 – 1983

Received this in the email today and thought it was worth posting.

The Classic Studio T label and Blues Legacy would also like to take the opportunity of commemorating the life and music of the legendary Blues artist Muddy Waters who passed on this day (April 30th) 25 years ago.

As many of you know, British trombonist Chris Barber introduced Muddy Waters to UK audiences in 1958.The outcome of the tour with The Chris Barber Band was nothing short of a magnificent milestone in history.The recordings recently discovered by The Blues Legacy are now available on The Blues Lost & Found – Volume 2 album and it is possible to find out more details and purchase online via: http://www.blueslegacy.net/

If you wanted to just hear a few Muddy Waters tracks for free, simply check out our My Space page: www.myspace.com/blueslegacylabel

Muddy Waters was a huge inspiration for musicians in the British scene and is known as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Not only did the tour with Chris Barber enhance Muddy’s reputation in Europe, but in turn, reawakened an interest in the blues from the other side of the Atlantic. Arguably, it was this visit to British shores, with Muddy on electric guitar, which led to the phenomenal rise of the blues explosion. We salute you Muddy!

Remembering Humphrey Lyttelton 1921 - 2008

The Classic Studio T label would like to extend their deepest sympathy to the friends and family of the late, great musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton.

It was announced on the 25th April that the legendary Jazz musician died aged 86. ‘Humph’, as he became known, was a towering figure in the world of music and also a respected presenter on BBC Radio 2 and 4.

The Classic Studio T label, based at Shepperton Filmed Studios first worked with Humphrey Lyttelton when he was invited to our Classic T Stage recording studio by vocalist Elkie Brooks in 2005 for the recording of her Pearls Live DVD. You can see footage of this on You Tube: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JApXXMAwGVw

Elkie and Humph had worked with each other extensively over the years and our label was also proud to release another collaboration from the two on the ‘Trouble In Mind’ album.

Classic have also been working with another of Humph’s good friends in recent years.Jazz legend Chris Barber surprisingly found some previously unreleased material now survived on the Blues Lost & Found – Volume 3 album, which features Chris Barber, Ronny Scott and Humphrey Lyttelton performing on stage together at the Richmond Jazz & Blues Festival in 1964. This was released on the Blues Legacy imprint: http://www.blueslegacy.net/

EMG Pickups to sponsor The Rock House Method

It's always cool to see news about yourself.

EMG Pickups has announced its sponsorship of The Rock House Method, reputedly the fastest growing, most widely used musical instruction system in existence. Explosive growth has been accomplished by developing an accelerated but easy to use system of learning utilising DVD and print, integrated with the Internet. A number of EMG endorsers are instructors for the course, amongst them Rob Arnold - Chimaira, Doug Wimbish – Living Color, Dan Jacobs – Atreyu, along with TRHM founder, John McCarthy.

For more information, please visit http://www.emgpickups.com/

Posted by Stacey @ http://www.guitarsite.com/

Bi-dextral Hammer Ons = Two Hand Tapping

Here's a good article from the Rock House ask the teacher section.

This technique is also often called a less technical name "two hand tapping". Eddie Van Halen made this technique famous for guitar with his solo on "Eruption" from the album Van Halen 1 .

This technique is done by playing a series of hammer ons with both hands tapping on the guitar neck. I’ll give you a specific example so you can get started with this quickly.

1. Hold your first finger down on the fifth fret of the second string.

2. With your right and index finger, hammer down the note on the 12th fret of the same second string. This will sound your first note.

3. Next, snap or pull off your right hand index finger from the note on the twelfth fret and this will sound the note that you were holding down on the fifth fret with your left hand.

4. Now hammer down your left hand fourth finger on the eighth fret of the second string.

5. Keep repeating this three-note pattern 12-5-8 over and over building up speed gradually; remember that your right hand taps on the twelfth fret and your left hand covers the fifth and eighth fret notes.

6. *Quick Tip* Make sure that you hold down your fourth finger at the end of the sequence until your right-hand tap on the twelfth.Experiment with many different variations of this technique using different frets, strings, and patterns and you will find many great sounds.

A Little Help Here Please

Hey Rock House Blog readers. Help us out and rate The Rock House Blog at blogged.com. Here's a link to the site to rate us.



Or you can click the link to the right.

Thanks,
Sarge1875

Blooddrunk hits the charts

From The Children of Bodom site. News on their new album Blooddrunk and a Message from the Bodom Boys.



Blooddrunk first week chart positions: Finland #1 (second week #1 aswell), USA #22, Canada #7, Germany #10, Japan #12 (international chart #2), UK #44 (Rock albums chart #1), Austria #19 ..



"We are so surprised about these chart things that are going on, it's amazing! Even though it's not the main thing for us to be high in charts, or whatsoever, it still feels really good. I think it indicates that metal people buy their records, even though the internet things can make music easily illegally available!



We wanna thank people who've been supporting us in this matter! Respect!"

ATREYU - Lead Sails and Paper Anchor 2.0 in stores now

"Big" Dan Jacobs and ATREYU announced on their MySpace blog that today is the release of Lead Sails Paper Anchor 2.0 and it's jammed full of stuff for our fans including a killer new song recorded just for this and tons of exclusive videos and photographs.

Check it out...we hope you like it as much as we did putting it all together.

They also add "It's been amazing playing for everyone across the US and Canada on Taste of Chaos. We're also looking forward to seeing everyone again this summer on Projekt Revolution."

Dimebag Tribute Song "Leave it Alone" Posted

According to David Ellefson's web site. The Dimebag tribute song he has been recording with David Bittner, Tristan "1690" Grigsby and Tim "Ripper" Owens can now be heard in full at http://www.myspace.com/dimetrack .

It will be going out to radio stations in the USA May 6th and will be available for purchase on iTunes June 3rd. All proceeds from the downloads will be going to the LITTLE KIDS ROCK organization.

Chicago Power Fest 2008

The 6th annual festival will take place

May 1st, 2nd & 3rd

at the Pearl Room in Mokena, IL

TICKETS ON-SALE NOW, SEE EVENT DETAILS

First annual festival "kick-off party," with the Paganfest tourfeaturing

Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr and Eluveitie Thursday, May 1st.

PBS American Masters Series - Marvin Gaye

PBS has a cool series called American Masters. It's an ongoing series of award-winning prime time specials examining the lives, works, and creative processes of our most outstanding cultural artists.

On May 7th at 9:00 PM (ET), they will be airing a series on the life of Marvin Gaye titled What's Going On.

A link to the PBS information page is HERE.

How Can I Keep From Breaking Strings On My Guitar?

First, always handle new strings with care. If you bend or put a kink in a new string when you're taking it out of the pack, you can create a weak spot in the string that will snap in the middle of your first solo every time.

Breaking strings on electric guitars is usually caused by two things: technique and worn bridge saddles. When you pick the strings, they move slightly across the saddle before sounding. The length of travel depends on where and how you pick the string. A tiny burr or groove in the bridge saddles can catch the string and cause it to break. If you're breaking a lot of strings at the bridge, it's probably caused by a funky saddle. Replacement saddles are relatively inexpensive and easy to install at home. Make sure replacement saddles are stainless steel or some other hard metal designed to reduce string breakage. If replacement saddles don't solve the problem, you'll either have to get used to busted strings or change your playing style.

On acoustic guitars, there can be sharp edges near the end of the pin that catch the strings. Sometimes an emory board or fine sandpaper can be carefully used to fix this problem.

Link of the Day - Anthony Lawrence

Rock House Method and Jam Pages contributor Anthony Lawrence is one talented dude. He started playing the guitar at the age of 3 and at age began lessons with Rock House innovator John McCarthy. since time Anthony has never looked back. He's always known what he wanted to do in life. That would be making music and helping others wanting to learn to play music.

Anthony has several major roles in the Rock House family. He has a section at Rock House in the forums along with Caitlin Kalafus. They share their musical experiences and help younger community members of Rock House. At Jam Pages Anthony is a contributing writer.

Anthony has already performed with some of the biggest names in the business including Living Color, Black Stone Cherry, Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom, George Lynch of Dokken, Marc Rizzo of Soulfly, John McCarthy, Rob Arnold of Chimiara, Ripper Owens of Judas Priest, David Ellefson of Megadeath, Skinless, Full Blown Chaos, Jason Bittner of Shadows Fall, Pat Travers, Strapping Young Lad, Maddball and H2O.

To learn more about Anthony check out his links:
Anthonys staff profile on Jam Pages
Anthonys forum profile at Rock House
Anthonys personal MySpace Site

David Ellefson- Role of the Bass Player in a Metal Band - Video

A video from Rock House on You Tube. David Ellefson talks about the role of a bass player.

Official resignation letter to "American Idol"

I'll have to admit one thing, in the seven season's that American Idol has been aired, I've never watched a season until this year. As of last night, my wife and I decided we were not going to watch the rest of this one.

When I started to watch it this season I had a bad feeling it would be this way. I felt it would be nothing more than a popularity contest. That's exactly what it turned out to be last night. America got it wrong, and they got it wring bad. The voting public dosen't really know a talented singer when it's thrown in front of them.

Carly Smithson was thrown if front of the popularity bus last night. The woman with an incredible vocal tallent was voted off. In my opinion she gave the best performance the night before. Belting out a stupendous rendition of "Jesus Christ Superstar" only to be dissed by the 38 million teeny bopper and the "oh, he's cute" voters.

It was just wrong.

2 performances were pretty much bombs. Brook White and Jason Castro, thier performances just plain stunk. One of them should have gone. I don't think either one of them could have pulled off the song that Smithson performed but I believe Smithson could have easily performed either of the songs they did.

There are really only 2 talents that are left. David Cook and Syesha Mercado. Maybe one of them will make it, maybe the theme park singing/slow song singing/forgetable kid David Archuleta will.

Whatever the turn out, I'm done, never again until there is a different format for the show. Which will be never, because it's all about promotion and money. Not what performer has a true tallent for singing.

Sarge1875

Gretsch Rolls Out New Hollow Body Guitar

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (April 17, 2008) - The immensely-popular Gretsch Electromatic series now features a double cutaway hollow body model, the Electromatic G5122DC guitar.Featuring a classic Gretsch-profiled double-cutaway laminated maple hollow body and neck complete with bound rosewood fingerboard, Neo-Classic "Thumbnail" inlays, 22 frets, and chrome-plated vintage-style tuners and hardware, the G5122DC's raging and resonant tones come courtesy of twin dual-coil humbucking pickups, a Bigsby® licensed B60 Vibrato Tailpiece, and rosewood-based Adjusto-Matic bridge.

"We are extremely excited to finally introduce the new G5122DC. It was a direct response to overwhelming requests from Gretsch enthusiasts from around the world wanting our classic double-cutaway electric guitar at an accessible Electromatic price point," said Joe Carducci, marketing manager, Gretsch guitars. The Gretsch Electromatic G5122DC guitar is available in Black and Walnut through authorized Gretsch dealers for a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $900.

Press Release

GIBSON MEMPHIS CUSTOM SHOP CELEBRATES THE 2008 BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL MAY 2-4, 2008

Gibson Guitar, the world's premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology announced its continued support of the world famous Beale Street Music Festival. Just steps outside the equally famous Gibson Memphis Custom Showcase, the festival features three magical days and four big stages on thirty-three acres overlooking the Mississippi River. More than 60 top artists, many of them Gibson musicians, are set to perform throughout the festival. Blues, rock, gospel, R&B, alternative and soul are the musical genres guaranteed to entertain and mesmerize the sold out crowds who gather at the heels of the historic Beale Street district daily. To the world, Memphis means great music and great guitars from Gibson Memphis. Music lovers from around the globe gather at the Beale Street Music Festival to celebrate this vital heritage, this deep river of sound.

Gibson and Baldwin artists performing at the 2008 Beale Street Music Festival include Sheryl Crown, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Black Crowes, Gavin DeGraw, Keb "mo," Roots, My Chemical Romance, Cobie Caillat, Ben Folds, Finger Eleven, Simple Plan, Hubert Sumlin, Jerry Lee Lewis and many more. The complete 2008 lineup can be found by visiting http://www.memphisinmay.org/

Gibson Guitar will play host to the thousands of guest each day at a special interactive area on site at the festival. Some of GibsonMemphis Custom's greatest guitars will be available for consumers to jam and play with including the famous ES-335, ES-339 and Gibson Lucille models. In the year 2000, Gibson kicked open the doors of the Memphis Custom Shop, appropriately just one block from the blues and barbeque joints that line Memphis' legendary Beale Street. A premier Gibson production facility, the Beale Street location has become one of the most well-known sites in the area. Home to some of the world's preeminent luthiers, the Memphis Custom Shop specifically handcrafts Gibson's fine Electric Spanish and Archtop lines, producing models like B.B. King's Lucille, the ES-175 and the iconic ES-335, the world's original semi-hollowbody. For more information on the Gibson Memphis Custom Shop visit http://www.gibson.com/

The Memphis in May International Festival, a non-profit organization who produces the Beale Street Music Festival, is part of it’s month-long Festival in Memphis and was founded in 1977. The purpose of the event is to celebrate and enhance Memphis’ musical heritage and draw attention and visitors from around the world.

Blooddrunk On iTunes - Get a Free Alexi Guitar Lesson

Rock Method Artist/Instructor Alexi Laiho had the following announcement on The Children of Bodom MySpace blog:

Rock House and iTunes are hooking up the free Alexi Video guitar lesson. The total price for the record is $8.99.

You can get it here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=277595307&id=277595302&s=143441

ATREYU on Fuse TV #1 countdown

"Big" Dan Jacobs and his band members from ATREYU are on Fuse TV's #1 video countdown.

A message their blog on MySpace says:

Our video for "Falling Down" has been added to FUSE's "No. 1 Countdown" show.

Click here to vote: http://www.fuse.tv/ontv/shows/no-1-countdown/

We appreciate your support... help get us to 1!!!

Also on their blog this week is the announcement of the release of their latest song "The Squeeze. "

A streem of the song can be heard here: nonelouder.com

ATREYU comments: It's a real ass kicker! Available on our "Lead Sails Paper Anchor 2.0", in stores everywhere next Tuesday 04/22. Also available to preorder, you can find that info in another blog. This release also includes 2 additional songs, 10 exclusive videos and 40+ exclusive photos.

Lineup Announced for The London Guitar Show 2008

The UK's biggest public guitar show is back and has a line-up to get your fingers itching and jaw dropping. Coming this year will be one other than the guitar God himself, Joe Satriani playing live at the London Guitar show. Combine that with performances from Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and the premier live performance of "C3" featuring undisputed guitar greats Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Greg Howe and you've got a guitar show you can't miss.

You don't' need us to tell you ‘Satch' is arguably the most respected and widely acclaimed guitarist on the planet. With 13 Grammy award nominations, over 10 million albums sold and the man voted best guitarist, year in year out, the London Guitar show organizers are honored to have him play an exclusive show on Sunday 15th June. Capacity is limited for this special concert, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Playing Saturday 14th June is fantastic line-up of Guitar heroes.

Metal guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert, best known for playing in Mr. Big, where he played on their multi-platinum selling albums and subsequently has released thirteen solo albums.

Arguably the world's great bass player, Billy Sheehan will be performing. Also an ex-Mr Big band member, Billy went on to record with David Lee Roth and has had a truly stella solo career and continues to top the readers polls across the world as the best bass player on the planet.

Then you'll have the ultimate Guitar concert "C3" featuring :

- Richie Kotzen: Touted as "one of the best guitar players in the world", he joined the multi platinum glam metal band POISON went onto record with Stanley Clarke after which he joined Mr Big! Kotzen has amassed a 25 plus album discography and he is just getting warmed up.

- Top Guitarist, Guthrie Govan is known for his work with Asia ( 2001 to 2006 ) He is a noted guitar teacher through his work with the, Guildford's Academy of Contemporary Music and currently the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. He is also a former winner of "Guitarist of the Year" competition.

- Greg Howe's debut album instantly caught the attention of the whole Guitar community and he has recorded a further eight solo albums. Greg's accomplished solo career has gone from strength to strength and he has also become an internationally in-demand session musician playing on the Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake world tours.

If that isn't enough the show has also announced The RD Crusaders are confirmed to play Sunday 15th June: This unique super group, brought together by Express and OK! proprietor Richard Desmond, will include very special guests and will be playing for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity. Past guest appearances have been made by some of the world's great artists such as Roger Daltry, Robert Plant and Lulu so keep watching the website for more announcements on the bands line-up.

Besides the two live stages, in the main show hall literally hundreds of the top brand names in the business will be exhibiting and every conceivable type of guitar, bass, amp, effect and accessory will be on display under one roof. Visitors will be able to see, hear and try out the very latest gear for themselves, with many exciting new products set to get their first public airing in the UK at the show. There will also be a huge display of drums, sound recording technology and acoustic instruments as well, so bring your band mates for the ultimate band day out at a music exhibition.

The London Guitar Show is part of the UK's Biggest Music exhibition, The London International Music show - now firmly established as one of the UK's premier (and largest) exhibition venues. Located in the heart of London's Docklands, ExCeL is set within a stunning waterfront environment in the dynamic and thriving Docklands and just across the water from The O2 arena.

For further information on The London Guitar Show, the London International Music show, latest news and to buy tickets, click here.

Press Release
Source: LIMS

Learning Guitar Scales

If you're an aspiring guitarist, you love those riffs played by your favorite guitar players. Taking some time to learn to play scales will help you acquire the skills needed to come up with your own improvised runs and riffs. It just takes time and practice and not giving up.Scales can be played in 5 different positions. When you've learned the positions for the type of scale (major, minor, pentatonic, chromatic, etc.) you want to learn, you will be able to play that scale in any key, depending on where you start on the fretboard.

Ultimately you will learn the name of the note of every string on every fret, but you have to start somewhere. The keys of E and A are used often in blues and other pop music styles. E makes a great starting key, since the open sixth string is an E.You will need a scale chart to see where your fingers need to go to make the notes of the scale. These are widely available for free on the web or use the ROCK HOUSE INTERATIVE LEARNING TOOL GUITAR PROFESSOR. It will show you the root the root note that you can keep track of them. The root note for the key of E is E. You've probably noticed that if a song does not end on a root note, you somehow don't feel like it has finished.

Here's a verbal description of how to play a basic E minor pentatonic scale in the first position. Your first note is the open sixth string. The second note will be at the third fret of the sixth string - this is a G. Now go to the open fifth string, an A. Next go to the second fret of the fifth string - a B. The next note is the open fourth string, a D. Now go to the second fret of the fourth string, and pluck an E. If you were reading a scale chart, this note would be in a different color because you're back to a root. But you're not done yet! The next note is the open third string - a G. Now play the note at the second fret of the third string - an A. The next note is the open second string - a B. Then you play the third fret of the second string, which is a D. The open first string is another E, and would be noted again as a root on a scale chart. You can finger the third fret of this string for another G, and then reverse the whole process, going down the scale back to the original open sixth E string.Practice this scale until you get proficient at it and you are on the way to being able to create your own improvised licks in the key of E.

What is Hybird Picking

Most of us have heard the term Hybird picking. It's also known as Chicken Pickin'.

Hybrid picking is a guitar-playing technique that involves picking with a pick and fingers at the same time. It therefore allows guitar players who use a pick (plectrum) to perform music which would normally require fingerstyle playing. It also facilitates wide string leaps (e.g. from the fifth string to the first string, etc) which might otherwise be quite difficult. The technique is not widespread in most genres of guitar playing (though notable exceptions exist, see below), but is most often employed by country/bluegrass flatpickers who play music which occasionally demands fingerstyle passages.


Players who use hybrid picking generally hold the pick in the traditional grip, i.e., between the forefinger and thumb. Since this only involves the use of two fingers, it leaves three fingers of the picking hand free, which is what allows for hybrid picking.


Hybrid picking allows a picking guitarist to play some things otherwise impossible; however, there are limitations to the technique. The primary issue stems from the angle at which the free fingers must pick the strings. While a player who only uses his or her fingers to pluck the strings (e.g., a classical guitarist) holds their hand at such an angle that the fingers travel perpendicular to the strings, allowing for a clear attack, a player holding the pick naturally positions their hand such that the pick strikes perpendicular to the strings, putting the fingers in a position almost parallel to the strings. This makes the attack of the free fingers of a hybrid picking guitarist considerably weaker than that of a purely fingerpicking guitarist, unless significant changes are made to the hybrid picker's hand position. The angle of the fingers for a hybrid picker also limits the speed at which fingerpicked notes can be played, though speed can be achieved as normal using the plectrum.

Practice Habits for Beginning Musicians

Practice Habits for Beginning Musicians

By Anthony Lawrence

So you've finally got that guitar that you had your eye on for so long. Now you’re ready to start sanding down the frets with your fingers. As a beginning Guitarist, it is crucial to practice consistently to progress, develop good technique and proper playing habits. So many young musicians have asked me questions such as “How often do I need to practice to get good?” There is only one answer to that question. The only way to improve is by putting in the time and effort. Guitar is just like going to the gym. If you only work out for an hour a day, you get one hour’s worth of results. That same philosophy applies to guitar playing. The more you practice the more you will build up muscle memory in your fingers. The best way to improve quickly and efficiently is to develop a solid routine that you follow religiously every time you pick up the guitar. A rough outline for a good routine will include exercises that utilize Alternate Picking, chords and switching between chords, as well as creating your own music.

Read the entire article at jampages.com

Two New Drumsticks From SilverFox

SilverFox drumsticks, introduced two new stick models, the "Boston Basher" and the "Sweet Pea"

The Boston Basher debuted at the recent MESSE show in Frankfurt, Germany, to rave reviews from hard rock and heavy metal players. The olive-shaped wood tip and short tapered shoulder achieve maximum projection from snare drums of any construction and bring out a full-bodied tone from toms. At 16" long with a diameter of .620", this durable hickory stick effortlessly achieves heavy volumes on the club scene or in arena venues without feeling heavy in your hands. Derek Kerswill, drummer for Unearth and Kingdom of Sorrow, appreciates the SilverFox commitment to sound quality and durability, "I've been using SilverFox sticks for the last four years and they are HANDS DOWN, the best sticks out there! Bash 'em, thrash 'em, throw 'em in front of a truck...they'll hold up!"

The Sweet Pea also enjoyed a successful debut at the MESSE show in Frankfurt, Germany. At 15-3/4" long with a diameter of 0565", this dynamic hickory stick features a small ball tip for fast response on cymbals while producing a warm sound on snare. Created in response to jazz artists' requests for a stick with the feel of a 5A, yet capable of consistent cymbal articulation and projection, the Sweet Pea is the ideal choice for combo jazz in every setting.

For more information, visit their web site at www.silverfoxpercussion.com.

Experience The New METALLICA Album Before It's Done

METALLICA has set up a special web site to promote the group's forthcoming LP. "Mission Metallica" will go live in May and it promises to offer fans a chance to "experience the new album before it's done."

You can sign up for the new album updates at www.missionmetallica.com.

For a full story go to Blabbermouth.net

Effects and Stomp Boxes

From The Jam Pages Staff.

Effects Units

Effects units are devices that affect the sound of an electric instrument when plugged in to the electrical signal path the instrument sends, most often an electric guitar, or bass guitar. They can also be used on other instruments or sound sources, like the Rhodes Piano or standard MIDI keyboards, synths or even the human voice. While some effect units transform the sound completely, others just color the sound picture in a minor way.

An effects unit consists of one or more electronic devices which typically contain analog circuitry for processing audio signals, similar to that found in music synthesizers, for example active and passive filters, envelope followers, voltage-controlled oscillators, or digital delays.

Effects units are packaged by their manufacturers, and used by musicians, in various sizes, the most common of which are the stomp-box and the rack-mount unit. A "Stomp box" is a metal box, containing the circuitry, which is placed on the floor in front of the musician and connected in line with, say, the guitar cord. The box is typically controlled by one or more foot-pedal on-off switches and typically contains only one or two effects. A second type of effects unit may contain the identical electronic circuit, but is mounted in a standard 19" equipment rack. Usually, however, rack-mount effects units contain several different types of effects. They are typically controlled by knobs or switches on the front panel, and often by a MIDI digital control interface. Musicians who prefer multiple stomp-boxes use “Off-boards”; these may be simply pieces of plywood with several stomp-box units fastened to the plywood and connected in series. Rack Mounted effects or off-boards can combine several effects in one unit, and can include analog controls such as pedals or knobs.

Modern desktop and notebook computers often have sound processing capabilities that rival commercially available effects boxes. Some can process sound through VST-plugins. With a decent sound card, you could play any instrument through the computer, emulating any effects unit or even an amplifier in a convincing way. Many VST-plugins are freely downloadable from the World Wide Web.

Click here for the rest of the article -----> Link

Gibson Guitar Warns Consumers About Counterfeit Instruments

Here a older press release from Gibson Guitar I thought would be worth posting again.

Gibson Guitar, the world’s premiere musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology continues to protect its intellectual property rights and provide consumer protection against the growing problem of counterfeit instruments being shipped from and sold by outlets and individuals in China.

Several complaints from consumers who were sold fake instruments has prompted an aggressive move on Gibson Guitar’s part to work with government officials and other instrument marketers in an effort to curtail the growing problem. Gibson Guitar advises all consumers to purchase Gibson instruments only from their network of authorized dealers. Authorized Gibson dealers can be found on the company’s website at http://www.gibson.com/ and should be referred to by consumers when purchasing their choice of Gibson instrument. A consumer is warned against purchasing any Gibson brand instrument outside of the authorized dealer network and the inevitable risk of purchasing what can turn out to be a fake.

The growing problem, originating out of China, has been reviewed by the U.S. Trade Commission and currently has the attention of Washington. China regularly defends its record in fighting piracy and counterfeit production of merchandise, however many pirated consumer products continue to be sold in various Chinese cities which affect a multitude of international manufacturers across many categories.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our consumers and the integrity of our family of brands,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We hope that by issuing this warning our consumers will be armed with the right information to protect themselves and understand what they need to do to insure that what they are purchasing is, indeed, an authentic Gibson instrument.”

Consumers can check any of the references below when examining a Gibson guitar in an effort to insure its authenticity:

-Make sure the size is not undersized
-The headstock and headstock logo should match those of authentic Gibson guitars
-Pearl should always be inlaid
-Les Paul Model script is always in cursive
-If the guitar has a 3 screw truss rod it is not authentic
-Check the control and pick up cavities for sloppy routing or wiring
-Real Gibson guitars use one piece necks
-Many fake Gibsons have their pickup cavities painted black inside
-If purchasing a Gibson always ask for the Gibson’s Owner Manual and Gibson/Warranty Inspection Card
-Check the wiring, if it is plastic it isn’t a true Gibson

Other information on spotting a fake guitar can be found on http://www.gibson.com/.

CHOOSING A GUITAR PICK

What kind of pick should you use? This is really a matter of personal taste. After you have been playing for a little while, start experimenting with different shapes and gauges. The shape and thickness of your pick does play an important role in your overall sound and ability to play. A thick pick 1.00mm and up is better for playing lead guitar because they have an instant direct response to your finger movements (no bending). For strumming you want to use a lighter gauge pick or thin pick, this creates a sort of percussion sound while strumming created by the bending of the pick.

The shape of the pick also has some importance; a standard shape pick has a rounded tip and is a good all purpose pick shape. Picks that are smaller or that have a sharp V tip like a Dunlop Jazz 11 or Jazz 111 are great to use for lead playing and can help to generate more speed.

The texture of a pick also can effect your playing there are two types of picks water based and oil based. Oil based is the shinny picks and for some people they tend to slip around in their fingers. Water based picks have a flat dull appearance and when your finger sweats a bit it absorbs the moisture and allows you to keep a good grip on the pick, they even start to mold into your finger grip after a while but unfortunately by that time they start to wear out.

You may want to look for a brand of pick that has a little bit of a texture to it. If a pick is glossy and completely smooth, you may have trouble hanging on to it. Especially if your hand sweats. The pick will just slide around between your fingers. Another option is to take a piece of fine sand paper, and "rough up" your picks a little. This will give you a little more grip on the pick.

My suggestion is to have a supply of picks in different shapes and thicknesses with you at all times experiment with them for different applications and see what you think sounds best.

Rock House Method announces a new Street Team Project

The Rock House Method Street Team Manager Curt Moye announced yesterday that there is a new Rock House Method Street Team Project underway. More info can be found at Rock House Method.

The Rock House Street Team gives members an opportunity to show their support and be part of the growth of Rock House. As a member of The Rock House Street Team you'll work directly with us to promote products, the company, the lesson support site, the Muscians/Instructors who we work with and other events and activities. You will get to know us on a more personal level and develop valuable industry marketing skills that you can apply to your own career.

By working on The Rock House Street Team you'll have the opportunity To:

• Earn cool PRIZES like FREE autographed instructional products & music CDs, posters, T-shirts, hats, etc!
  
• Qualify for a One-on-One phone lesson with one of our Muscians/Instructors!
  
• Have your own private forum section on the site to discuss activites with us and other team members!

• Earn discounts on gear!
  
• Win up to a $100 Gift Certificate to your favorite music instrument/music store if your efforts result in product being placed.
  
• Get to know the people who run Rock House, the musicans and your other team members!
  
• Get passes to Muscians/Instructors shows in your area when they are available!
  
• Meet and hang out with us when events come to your town!
  
• Play an active part in the success of Rock House!
  
• Receive amazing first-hand experience in direct market promotion that you'll be able to apply to your own career!
  
• And More!

For more info check the link

Role of the Rythym Guitarist

Rhythm guitar is the use of most commonly an electric guitar or sometimes an acoustic guitar to provide rhythmic chordal accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in an ensemble. In rock, blues, or metal bands, the guitarist playing rhythm guitar supports the melodic lines and improvised solos played by the guitarist performing the lead guitar part.

In popular music and rock, the role of rhythm guitar is to provide the pulse or rhythm for a song along with the other rhythm section instruments (electric bass and drums). As well, the rhythm guitarist plays chords or arpeggios which outline the chord changes that supports the melodic lines performed by the other instruments or voices. In contrast, the lead guitarist performs melodies, countermelodies, and solo improvisations. The rhythm guitarist, bass guitarist, and drummer usually constitute the rhythm section in a rock band.

In rock music, the rhythm guitarist is typically expected to play a sequence of chords, called a chord progression, around which the song is constructed. The most typical ways to perform the chords is to play triads (which consist of the root, third, and fifth note of the chord), or four-note chords (which add the sixth, seventh, or ninth note of the chord). In some cases, the chord progression is implied with a simplified sequence of two or three notes, sometimes called a "riff", that is repeated throughout the song.

In metal music, this is typically extended to more complex sequences consisting of a combination of chords, single notes and palm muted parts, while the more technical bands often play riffs which may use lead guitar techniques. In jazz or swing music, the rhythm guitarist may also integrate a walking bass line or a counter-melody.

In some bands with two guitars, the two guitarists may exchange roles in different songs or sections. In bands with a single guitarist, the guitarist may play lead and rhythm at different times. The rhythm guitarist may also sing backing vocals or lead vocals.

Source: Wikipedia

Listen to Joe and John's Two Part Interview with Dennis Logan on www.YouRockRadio.com

This has come and past but the interview has been archived. It's defenitly worth your time to listen to it.

Listen to Joe and John of Rock interview with Dennis Logan on www.YouRockRadio.com. The Show "The Whole Things Going Down, With Dennis Logan", gives independant musicians the inside sccop on opportuinites in the music business and resources available to them. Part 1 aired on Monday April 7 at 8:00pm PST, you can link over and listen that show or you can listen on April 14 at 8:00pm PST. If you miss it don't worry they are archived so you can listen when you're ready.

MORE ABOUT www.YouRockRadio.com

Long before there was a MySpace, or Facebook, when Google represented infinity, and Yahoo was something you called a man from the South, there was the void.

In this vacuum was a sound, the sound of guitars and moppy haired men, and they called themselves a name similar to a bug. Music existed before this time, and snake-like men with swiveling hips gyrated into the hearts and minds of women all over the world... Rock and Roll was its birth name!

In the early years , the Sixties, I found myself in a mystical time, a time of woman style hair on men, and power to the people. It was a fascinating era to grow up in. Music was everywhere, soul music, rhythm and blues, free love and high taxes. Living in a suburb of Los Angeles known as Hawthorne, California, I was in good company, for this was the home of the Beach Boys and all of us wanted to come on a safari with them.

Not far from my Home was Capital Records, Hollywood and Vine and up the coast, the late great Haight Ashbury. All of these locations still exist, but few of them will ever be quite the same as they were in the 1960's. In many cases, this may be for the best.

Music was such an integrated form of expression among the youth of America, that one hardly noticed until another guitar hero or blues queen overdosed and became ashes to ashes. The music of that time period still carries with it the essence of a nonsensical war, the idea of peace, and some imaginings of revolution!

After the Hells Angels and the Rolling Stones decided the decade of flowers and free love was over with, most of us went back to the daily grind, the Cambodian border only loomed in our peripheral vision, unless of course our number was up. Canada became the grand vacation destination for those who set the flame to the shame, then maybe only a Queen could save their soul!

While I don't remember much about adult issues surrounding these strange days, I do have the history of a child who existed behind the Looking Glass, and the White Rabbit in the mirror was I! Living in the shadow life of the proton-neutron collision effect, I found myself a child of the Cold War era, fascinated with One Small Step and discovering the ability to chemically enhance my black and white television experience, always searching for the one thing I could identify with. I never actually found it...

Until now!

You Rock Radio is my pride, my joy! And from it springs the yearning of a generation, the Digital Children of the 21st Century!

How blessed are thee to be born in this age, a wonderfully open world of communication and creativity. Never has there been such opportunity, and at the same time, so much misunderstanding. Media is counted in nanoseconds and people are having more and more difficulty finding their hero's. This is not just a symptom focused on the youth of today, but for many of us, young and old, it is hard to understand the value and sentiment of real people, in real time.

Everything revolves around commercialism, and the media personalities are here today, gone in 60 seconds, and most of us have no idea what these people are about. The focus of You Rock Radio is to capture some of the charm of yesterday using the vast resources of the age we now live in, and bring our world a little closer to the heart.

You Rock Radio is a culmination of almost 29 years of misunderstanding. The things that I have been personally preaching has fallen on deaf ears. When I was first introduced to the Internet, there was no name for it. In 1979, I worked with Wang and IBM mainframe computers in the military, and we were being introduced to a station to station network of the Cold War Era, designed to lock in communication in the event of a nuclear war, and this network became what we call the Internet today.

Very early, in the mid-1990's, I developed a program that was going to change the way music was distributed. When the Dot-Com explosion happened, those efforts had to be put on the back burner. It was a nail-biter for me, watching Napster and then iTunes come into being, along with 10,000 music websites and all of the social networks. As of yet, no one has even come close to the system that I designed for delivering music. Most people don't even believe it exists. Now is the appropriate time to make this happen! It is a winning situation for both the music fan and the artist. The problem is that whenever someone comes up with a novel plan, they sell out to the highest bidder. Not this kid, no sir!

You Rock Radio is a rallying point, a place for music fans and the people who create music to get together and have a chance to know each other on a real world basis. As you watch the development of this radio station, you are going to see that the things that we do are unlike any other destination on the Internet for music and entertainment. The methods and systems, while familiar on some level, are unique to the general way things are being done online today. For instance, our radio shows are REAL shows, not some mindless playlist of songs that anyone can get on any P2P or torrent network! We hire people who are unique personalities who will escort you through time with various music artists and creative people of our day.

At You Rock Radio our gimmick is that there is no gimmick. What we offer is quality programs and a sense of pride with what we do. Our main focus is to provide something that is worth taking the time to participate in. With so much hype and nothing to back it up, many websites today rely on mind numbing content that has no real lasting value to people in the long term. You Rock Radio offers a real commodity in the vast sea of nothingness called the Internet!

You Rock Radio is a work in progress. The only thing that makes it worth coming to work every day is knowing that you will have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the real working artists in your community. To us at this station, the words describing some of the extreme talent out there today is not sufficient. Independent, unsigned, and labels like this are not acceptable. This community of artists has more talent, resources, and personal fortitude than any other generation of artists preceding it! And at You Rock Radio... That is the word!

Welcome to YouRockRadio.com!

Atreyu-Learn to Play Falling Down w/ Dan Jacobs

Here's a preview of the new Rock House Method DVD featuring Dan Jacobs of ATREYU. In this preview you can learn from Dan how to play their song Falling Down.

For more Rock House videos go to our You TubeChannel

Elixir Strings launches electric string trial promotion

Elixir Strings is giving loyal acoustic fans a chance to plug in with electric strings. During its Electric Strings Trial promotion, players will receive one complimentary electric set with the purchase of two acoustic sets. No coupon or mail-in rebate is necessary for taking advantage of this promotion, as the three-set multi-packs are prepackaged and available in participating stores.

Each multi-pack contains two sets of Phosphor Bronze Acoustic strings with NANOWEB® Coating in either Light or Medium gauges and one free set of Anti-Rust Electric Light with NANOWEB® Coating. This special offer is currently available while supplies last at various dealers and online retailers across North America.

For more information, please visit www.elixirstrings.com

This is a Press Release

JOB FOR A COWBOY to play at Metal Hammer Golden Gods 2008

Rock House Method continues to show it has savey when it comes to choosing who thier artist/instructors are. Job for a Cowboy which includes guitarist's Bobby Thompson and Ravi Bhadriraju along with Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho will be appearing at the Golden Gods 2008 awards.

Below is a press release from Job for a Cowboys MySpace blog.

Metal Hammer have just announced their nominations for their Golden Gods 2008 Awards extravaganza along with some of the bands who will be appearing.

This years bash takes place at The 02 Arena in London on June 16th.After romping home with an award for BEST UNDERGROUND BAND (as voted for by fans) Arizona five piece JOB FOR A COWBOY will be joining Bring Me The Horizon (and 2 more to be announced) for intimate appearances on board the Dixie Queen, as it sails up the Thames to the 02 rammed with metal maniacs.

There will be performances at the awards show by Disturbed, In Flames, Testament and Children Of Bodom.

DETHKLOK TOUR with CHIMAIRA and SOILENT GREEN

Chimarias web site announced that they will be touring with Dethklok this summer. Chimaira features Rock House Method artist/instructor Rob Arnold.

This summer, DETHKLOK, the animated band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse", hits the road on a 28-city headlining tour kicking off June 2 in Portland, along with two of metal's top acts, CHIMAIRA and SOILENT GREEN. Tickets to the five-week tour will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 18 through Ticketmaster, but a special pre-sale offer will be made available one week earlier to the most brutal Adult Swim fans. On Sunday, April 13, Adult Swim fans tuning in to "Metalocalypse" during the 12:00 a.m. (ET/PT) showing will be given a pre-sale password allowing them access to a customized DETHKLOK page on Ticketmaster's web site. Immediately after receiving the password, fans can purchase tickets, which range in price from to . The password will also be made available to fans on AdultSwim.com beginning Monday, April 14.

Judging by the way DETHKLOK, CHIMAIRA and SOILENT GREEN sound on their MySpace pages it should be a very metal tour.

Get a Free Annual Subscription to Premier Guitar Magazine

Apr 4th, 2008 by Guitar MX Admin

Through a promotional offer, you can get a free annual subscription to Premier Guitar magazine. This is normally a $14.95 subscription, and $60 at the newsstand. But you can get this for free by simply filling out a form and using a special promo code. If you’re not familiar with Premier Guitar, you can see a digital sample of the magazine here.

This promotion is being offered compliments of Hamer Guitars to their blog readers. Therefore, it’s only fitting that I should direct you there to get the promo code. You better be quick though; this is a limited offer. There are 1,000 subscriptions available, and the offer expires on April 30, 2008. To qualify, you must be a resident of the US, Puerto Rico or the District of Columbia.

Click here to get the promo code and get your free subscription to Premier Guitar magazine.

AC/DC Recording With Brendan O'Brien

Source: Billboard
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

AC/DC is recording its first studio album in eight years with producer Brendan O'Brien. No release date has yet been announced for the Columbia project.

The news came via a Web post from Supersuckers frontman Eddie Spaghetti, who said his own band's album is being delayed due to O'Brien engineer Billy Bowers' work with AC/DC. Bowers is producing the Supersuckers' as-yet-untitled disc.

"[Bowers] wants to make some last-minute tweaks and, well, he can't right now," Spaghetti wrote. "He's been detained by a little Australian band called, uh, AC/DC."

AC/DC is expected to tour in support of the album, with dates to be announced

10 Things to Remember When Learning Guitar Chords: Part 3

MAKING IT TO HARD FOR YOURSELF: Changing from one chord to another is without a doubt the best way to learn guitar chords. However if you make it too hard and pick some nasty chords that are difficult for you to make the changes it can really put you off the idea. As your starting out be sure to choose easy chord changes until you get the feel for it. Some easy ones like G to A, E to A, D to G.

Great Songs For Beginners

From John McCarthy and Angelo Salino from Jam Pages.

As a teacher one the most asked questions from I received from beginner students was “What are some easy songs that I can learn to play that won’t be over my abilities?” So me and the boys from JamPages.com put our thinking caps on and compiled a list of easy to learn songs that will challenge you but not make you want to throw your guitar in the fireplace as firewood with discouragement! Keep in mind this is just a starting point and there are thousands of easy songs that you can learn. These are just some recommendations that we have seen results from. Hope you enjoy!

Rock, Pop and More...
Smoke On the Water; Deep Purple
Aint’ Talkin’ Bout’ Love; Van Halen
Basket Case; Green Day
Satin Doll; Duke Ellington
Come As You Are; Nirvana
Is This Love; Bob Marley
Santa Ria; Sublime
Tick Tick Boom; The Hives
Iron Man; Black Sabbath
All The Small Things; Blink 182
Wild Thing; The Troggs
Enter Sandman; Metallica
Margaritaville; Jimmy Buffet
Vampires; Godsmack
You Really Got Me; The Kinks
Nothing Else Matters; Metallica
Free Fallin’; Tom Petty
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life); Green Day
Uncle Johns Band; The Grateful Dead
Wish You Were Here; Pink Floyd

Blues...
Smokin Gun; Robert Cray
Thrill is Gone; BB King
Old Love; Eric Clapton
Johnny B Goode; Chuck Berry
Goin Down; Feddy king

Country...
Everywhere (3 Chords); Tim McGraw
Drive (3 Chords); Alan Jackson
Meet in the Middle (3 Chords); Diamond Rio
Complicated (3 Chords); Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Check Yes or No (4 Chords); George Strait
I Walk the Line (4 Chords); Johnny Cash
It Must Be Love (3 Chords); Don Williams
The Bottle Let Me Down (2 Chords); Merle Haggard
Mama Tried (4 Chords); Merle Haggard
Honky Tonkin' (2 Chords); Hank Williams

Links of the Day - "Big" Dan Jacobs of ATREYU

Dan Jacobs is the guitarist and founding member of the pioneering metallic rock band "ATREYU". he started playing guitar at the age of 12 and has never looked back. Dan is nicknamed "Big" Dan Jacobs because he stands 5'0 feet tall.

Dan currently is in production with Rock House Methos producing a new DVD serise on Dan playing methods and metal guitar.

Since they muscled their way onto the Orange County metal scene in 1998, Atreyu have sold over a million albums by constantly challenging themselves and their audiences with charged music and acrobatic performances that both have pushed the boundaries of catharsis and emotional exorcism.

In October of 2007 Dan and his brother Joe launched his own t-shirt company,Rokk Clothing. Dan's Clothing line includes 70's and 80's inspired concert T's, vintage hard rock, psychadelic and progressive designs for people who want to rock.

He's a busy man who has a lot of links to projects he's involved with. Google him from the search feature on the Rock House Blog and you will find other links for stuff such as a few interviews Dan has done.

Instructior Profile at Rock House

ATREYU Official Web Site

ATREYU Fan Club

ATREYU MySpace

Bring the Rokk Clothing

Alexi Lahio from Children of Bodom DVDs now Availabe for Pre-Sale, Also Order the New COB CD "Blooddrunk"

Rock House announced today a SPECIAL PRE-SALE on the new METAL GUITAR DVDs featuring Alexi Lahio of Children of Bodom The DVDs titled METAL GUITAR, MELODIC SPEED, SHRED & HEAVY RIFFs reveal Alexi's most well kept sercets. Also inlcuded in the pre-sale is the new and highly anticpated Children of Bodom CD "BLOODDRUNK" Members can save save as much as $18.00 when buying the Level 1, 2 and CD Combo Pack and receive free ground shipping to anywhere in the continental U.S. The sale is only for products purchased on http://www.rockhousemethod.com/ and includes select titles listed below.

In Level 1: Students learn the single note riffs Alexi uses to create songs and his favorite scales used to create his signature melodic and shredding leads. He also shares his personal tricks for speed, sweep picking, pivoting and pick harmonics. He reveals the chord voicings he uses to create his powerful guitar progressions and a whole lot more!

In Level 2 Alexi continues to encourage students to push the limits of speed and technique. He walks them step-by-step through many of his leads and teaches his mastery of five and six string arpeggios, string skipping arpeggios, chromatic scale patterns and more.

BLOODDRUNK CD: The wildly-anticipated new full length album, the record is said to be the band's "strongest and most advanced recording to date" and features a cutting edge take on COB's enthralling mix of modern metal, melodic hooks and guitar acrobatics.

This SPECIAL SALE will last from April 9, 2008 - April April 30, 2008. Product will ship by April 30 2008.

Things You Can Do to Become a Better Player Now! PART 5

#5 LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES, Be your own worst critic and when you play something that is not completely correct, make sure you know what it is supposed to sound like and learn from it. We don’t like to call them mistakes , think of them as “learning experiences” and consider them a chance to grow as a musician. Don’t pretend mistakes don’t happen, embrace them as opportunities and you will grow as a musician. Find the cause and make a plan on how to create a different result.

Rolling Stone’s 33rd Annual College Journalism Competition

Entries are now being accepted for Rolling Stone’s 33rd Annual College Journalism Competition. The categories are Entertainment Reporting (reporting on popular music, film or television, including artist profiles and interviews), Feature Writing (stylishly written narratives and profiles that illuminate issues and trends), and Essays and Criticism (commentary, including expressions of opinion and humor, on any subject). The editors of Rolling Stone judge the entries. A $2,500 prize is awarded in each category. Entries must have been published in a college student newspaper or magazine between June 1, 2007 and May 30, 2008. The entrant must have been enrolled as a full- or part-time student at the time that his or her entry was published. Entries must be received by June 15, 2008. Winners will be announced in a fall issue.

Go here to download an entry form.

Source: Rolling Stone

Fender California Series Acoustics Upgraded!

Fender’s newly upgraded California series acoustic guitars offer great-sounding modern refinements while authentically evoking Fender’s classic mid-’60s era of SoCal sun, fun, fast cars and beach guitars.

The guitars are pure California vibe through and through, right down to their names—the Kingman SCE™, Malibu SCE™, Sonoran S™ and Sonoran SCE™. All have been redesigned with new features including electric-feeling vintage “C”-shaped maple necks with Stratocaster® guitar-style headstocks, new vintage-inspired pickguard shapes and colors, scalloped bracing, hip checkerboard rosettes and traditional rosewood bridges.

The dreadnought cutaway Kingman SCE and the smaller, folk-style cutaway Malibu SCE models come with classy block fingerboard inlays and the Fishman® Classic 4T onboard preamp with tuner; both are available in stunning new Natural or Three-color Sunburst finishes. The Sonoran dreadnought comes in standard or cutaway body shapes in a natural finish, with Fender FTE-3 electronics.

They look 1965 cool and sound 2008 great, so grab your board, grab the gang and grab one of Fender’s new California Series acoustic guitars! Just don’t forget the sunblock …

Press Release: Fender

Home Setup of Your Acoustic Guitar

By Dr. Spot
Musicians Friend - Tech Tips

In general, setting up an acoustic guitar is a trade-off between sound and playability. By and large, big strings and high action make better sound and worse playability. Don't start with the delusion that you're going to set the thing up to play like a cherry Strat. It ain't gonna happen. Slap a set of .10s on that big ol' flattop and you're going to have problems. The head will pull back, the strings will be too close to the neck, and you'll have buzz city. So be reasonable. Light acoustic strings—say .12 to .54—are about the lightest strings you can go with and still get a decent tone out of your soundboard. Remember, all of your sound is coming from the mechanical action of those strings against that board. You need some tension and some leverage—you need decent-sized strings.

Check For Big Problems
Tune the guitar to pitch, leave your hand off the neck, and do some hard strumming on the open strings to listen for buzzes. If the strings are buzzing hard against the frets, you've got trouble. Either some idiot has cranked the truss rod way too hard (and probably damaged something inside) or the neck is majorly warped. You can try loosening the truss rod, but chances are you'll have to take it to a pro (where the prognosis probably won't be favorable). If something is buzzing around the headstock, be sure it's not just an uncut string, then make sure the nuts that hold the tuners on and the screws on the back are tight. If there's a buzz on the soundboard, it's either a foreign object inside, a loose pickguard, or—more likely—a loose or cracked brace inside. If you can find the problem with a compact mirror and a flashlight, you may be able to glue it up yourself with wood glue or even the gel type of cyanoacrylate (Super Glue). The advantage of the cyanoacrylate is that you can hold the thing tight till it dries (but be careful not to glue your fingers to the inside of your guitar). If in doubt, take it to a pro.

Straighten The Neck
The truss rod is located inside the neck in a groove beneath the fretboard. It runs the length of the neck and when you tighten it you pull the headstock back causing the middle of the fretboard to come closer to the strings. In most acoustic guitars you'll find the part of the truss rod you're after inside the sound hole just beneath the end of the fretboard. You'll need the right size of Allen wrench to adjust it. Point the head of the guitar away from you with the body at eye level and sight down the fretboard. Ideally you will see no curvature to the fretboard at all. If there's a bow so that the middle of the fretboard is visibly farther away from the strings than the ends, tighten the truss rod in 1/4 turns clockwise until the neck looks straight. If there are obvious twists or bumps in the fretboard, you may have to take it to a pro. Whatever you do, DON'T start filing frets, you'll just get yourself into a world of trouble. If the neck is bowed so that the middle of the fretboard is closer to the strings than the ends, try loosening the truss rod. If this doesn't make an immediately visible change, you're probably out of luck. In any event DON'T LOOSEN OR TIGHTEN THE TRUSS ROD MORE THAN A COMPLETE TURN! If you break something in there, your guitar will need major work. To check your neck adjustment, press the low E string down at both the first and last frets. There should be a tiny gap—around a 64th of an inch—between the string and the middle frets. Repeat the same thing on the high E string. This should give you a clue if you're in the ballpark and also reveal any special problems. Don't be terribly alarmed if the gap is somewhat bigger; it might be because the fretboard takes a bit of a turn where it meets the top of the guitar.

Adjust The Saddle
Sighting down the neck again, see how far you can press your high E string down toward the body and still have clearance off the fretboard. If you can go more than an eighth of an inch or so, and the neck looks straight, you can probably bring the action down a bit without ill effect. But if it plays just fine for you, leave it alone. A little room for the strings to move is a good thing. As a general guide, you want the high E string about 5/64ths of an inch off the 12th fret and the low E about 7/64ths. But use your own judgement. If it buzzes too much, bring it up. If it's too hard to play, bring it down. The piece of hard white plastic that inserts in the little slot on the bridge of your guitar is called the saddle or the bridge nut. Don't do anything to the top of this, you'll only screw it up. To bring the action up, you'll need a shim under the bridge nut. You can make one of these out of any number of thin, flat substances. I usually use the top of a butter tub. With a razor-type knife, cut a piece out of the butter tub lid the exact dimensions of the bridge nut's footprint. Tuck it in the slot under the bridge nut and tune back up. If the buzzing is gone, you're done. If not, try another shim. If that still doesn't work, try loosening the truss rod a little. If the action can stand to go down, you'll have to file the bottom off the bridge nut. Being very careful to hold the bottom of the nut perfectly flat, file it down uniformly across the bottom. Don't take off more than about 1/16th of an inch before trying it to see how it works. If you take too much off, you'll have to shim it. If you totally destroy it, don't despair; bridge nuts are pretty easy to come by. Whatever you do, don't try to lower the action by filing the grooves in the head nut (at the top of the fretboard). Other than widening the gap slightly for a string that's real sticky, you generally want to leave head nut adjustments to a pro.

Close Enough Don't get obsessive.
You'll always have SOME string buzz, that's the nature of fretted instruments. And you'll never get the action extremely low without more string buzz. It's not an exact science, but it's also not rocket science. With careful, small adjustments almost any old guitar can be made to play and/or sound better without resorting to professional repairs.

RH Playing Tip - Approach for comping with the left hand on keyboard

Here's a keyboard playing tip from Rock House artist/instroctor Albert Margolis on comping with the left hand.

Albert suggests that like any aspect of playing keyboards is a process. There are a couple of mind-sets, or approaches, you should begin to integrate. First try to play the roots of the chord you are playing with your right hand. One rule of thumb (no pun intended) watch out not to step on the bass players parts. Stay out of his way and don't muddy things up down there! Unless, of course, YOU ARE THE BASS PLAYER TOO. If you are soloing with the right hand, you may be able to play two note chords or dyads with your left hand. The most common voicings to use are fifths, fourths or octaves.

When you begin to feel comfortable with these, try to use the third and seventh on top or the seventh on the bottom with the third on top. You can even try to use these on two different keyboards or a split sound on one keyboard if your keyboard has this option.

Another suggestion while voicing two handed chords is to jump the third of the chord up an octave into the right hand while the left hand plays the root and fifth. Or the reverse where the right plays the root and fifth while you drop the third down an octave into the left hand. Then when you change chords, try to have as little movement or jumps as possible between chords. This works especially well with strings and horn accompaniments. This is only the beginning though!!

For more tips on playing instrument go to Rock House Method.

Ugly - Video

Rock House artist/instructor Kevin McCreery and the band UGLY has released their newest video. Check it out.

Links of the Day - Kevin McCreery

I love the sound of UGLY. They cover it all from the southern rock sounds to the old school hard rock that makes people want to get up out of their seats and take part in the music at one of their shows. The band keeps true to a what I call a real rock band. 1 Guitarist, 1 bassist, 1 drummer and a singer with a killer tone. It just don't get any better than that.

UGLY features one of Rock House Methods artist/instructors - Kevin McCreey.

Kevin actually started playing the drums at age 5 and turned to playing the guitar at age 8. His influences were the best in the business. Page, Ace Freehley, Ted Nugent, Michael Schenker, Mark Farner, Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhodes, and of course hid Dad who was involved in a band.

In his early days he stayed busy playing the Detroit circuit with several bands. At one time considered quiting the business but while working in the Gibson factory in Memphis and playing studio sessions he met up with the guys that would form his next band Outspoken. They produced a top 10 single called farther. After Outspoken broke up, Kevin found himself playing guitar for Tantric.

Today his band UGLY even though in it's infancy is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds.

Kevin is featured in The Rock House Methods - House of Blues - Beginner El electric Guitar.

UGLY MySpace

Kevins Personal MySpace

Kevins Rock House Instructor Profile

Pre-view Alexi Laiho's Rock House Method DVD

Alexi Laiho-Single Note Riff Into A Heavy Rhythm

From The Rock House You Tube site. A preview of the new learn to play metal guitar DVD.

Alexi's Rock House DVDs Metal Guitar, Melodic Speed, Shred and Heavey Riffs Level 1& 2 are on pre-Sale right now at The Rock House Methods web site throough April 30, 2008.

STP Reunites For First Time In Almost Eight Years, 65 City Tour

One of this summer�s most highly-anticipated music announcements has arrived. Stone Temple Pilots have officially revealed that the band will be reuniting and will launch a massive 2008 concert tour encompassing over 65 dates and hitting all corners of North America. Marking the first national tour for Stone Temple Pilots in almost eight years, the 65 date stretch will bring the iconic band's charismatic musicianship and exhilarating live shows to amphitheatres across North America. The tour is scheduled to kick off May 17th with the band headlining the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, OH and will continue through November 2008.

Stone Temple Pilots will celebrate the announcement of their reunion tour with an exclusive launch event, sponsored by Spin Magazine and Citi's Private Pass Program to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, that will include a private performance for a select group of contest winners and fans at a secret location in California's Hollywood Hills. The full list of 2008 tour dates will be announced at the event.

A select # of tickets for the April 7th event will be available for purchase by going to www.vh1savethemusic.com, with all proceeds from the sale going to the charity. In addition, beginning, April 3rd, Citi's Private Pass Program, available at www.privatepass.citi.com, will be offering a limited number of Gold and Platinum VIP packages to this exclusive, private event including tickets, exclusive merchandise and meet and greet experiences. Following the launch event, the reunited outfit will make their first national LIVE appearance on the The Late Show With Jimmy Kimmel on May 1st.

Press release from Stone Temple Pilots.

Bob Dylan Becomes First Pulitzer Awarded Rock Musician

World famous singer and songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture" to become the first rock musician, recognized by the panel, BBC reported Tuesday.

The special music award recognised Dylan's "lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power".

"The honour reflects the efforts of the Pulitzer board to broaden the scope of the music prize," administrator Sig Gissler said."It encompasses the full range of excellence in American music," he added.

News - Children of Bodom "Blooddrunk"

Rock House Artist/Instructor Alexi Laiho and his band Children of Bodom are anticipating the release od their new CD "Blodddrunk" very soon. The new release from their web site Children of Bodom is as follows

03 Apr 2008 - Blooddrunk

Children Of Bodom's highly anticipated 6th studio effort "Blooddrunk" sees the light of day in the course of the next two weeks.



Blooddrunk street dates are the following:
April 9th: Finland & Japan
April 11th: Germany
April 14th: Europe
April 15th: USA


Click here for complete Blooddrunk release details and info on special editions, vinyls and their bonus tracks.



Blooddrunk - recorded in October-December 2007 in Petrax Studios, Finland - has been warmly received by the media.

Bootzilla Productions Presents: "A Tribute to the Godfather of Soul":

I snagged this from The MySpace blog of Freekbass. He is going to be performing in this tribute to Bootsy Collins. It looks like it going to be a helk of a tour. The tour dates will be up on The Rock House Site in a few days.

Here's the press release.

PRESS RELEASE FROM BOOTZILLA PRODUCTIONS

SUMMER TOUR Bootzilla Productions Presents: "A Tribute to the Godfather of Soul".

Bootsy Collins joined the James Brown band at a ripe old age of 17.

The Godfather had no mercy and quickly showed him how to play on the One, Then from there he let Bootsy do his thang, that’s right, as long as it was James Brown Tight he could play all night. Now Bootsy and Original JB’s Rhythm section: Catfish Collins, Guitar, Jabo(on the One)Starks and Clyde (the funky drummer) Stubblefield, on Drums, with Johnny (theAfrikan Groove-ulator) Griggs, and Bobby Byrd’s son Bart Anderson Byrd, will sit in for Bobby Byrd on Organ.Tony Wilson, who Mr. Brown himself, acknowledged him as the "Young James Brown" will sing, will prance and dance while checking out The Hot Pants! Bobby Byrd Band featuring: Mrs. Vicky Anderson Byrd, who was one of the first Kings Queens to go solo as a James Brown Productions Artist, along with her sons and daughters will remind you why Bobby Byrd said, "I know you got Soul, if you didn’t you wouldn’t be in Here!" Escapism Band, put together by Brian Hardgroove the Bass player for Public Enemy, will make it Funky, along with a lot of other JB Classic’s. Now Venisha Brown ,the daughter of James Brown, who not only looks exactly Like him, she also dances just like him, but she got the swerves and the curves that Papa didn’t take no mess, didn’t have. Freekbass, with the quake of his Mutronic onslaught of his own Bootsy style Bass. He will definitely finger funk up the place. Zion Planet 10, is our youngest at 14 years old, but has got the talent and wisdom of a young Stevie-No-Wonder he’s on the JB-Tribute tour with his bad self. ICandi, will blow your mind with there young vocalist Ms. Candice, who you will fall in love with her as an artist, a person, and a real classy women no doubt. She’s got her Brother’s that got the Rap and will make sure you get up Offa that Thang Djizzle one of a kind, young Gurley killer with his mind and lyrical content that will Surely represent, his generation and be the greatest rapper on all sides of the Continent.

This tour is 360 degrees James Brown Hot! If you coming to see Bootsy’s Rubber Band, your at the wrong show. If you come to see Parliament Funkadelic, Bootsy was still with the Godfather.Now if you coming just to see Bootsy like back in the day when he started with the Godfather, YEA! This is that Mutha, so bring your Popcorn.

*Additional Guest are: Fred Wesley, Afrika Bambaata, and Chuck D on certain shows only.

Help Me Stop The Noise!

Rock House was reciently asked - I have a hard time stopping feedback or squealing noises when I stop my strings for a break in the music or at the end of songs. When I’m playing it’s not a problem, only when I stop. Is there anything I can do except play a never-sending song when I play live.

John McCarthy answered - Well, yes, there is something you can do. We just finished a new program with Rob Arnold of the band Chimaira and we had an entire section of his program talking about this problem.

There is a pedal or rack device called a noise suppressor or noise gate that cuts off the sound of your guitar when you stop playing to eliminate this problem.

Rob uses the ISP Decimator pedal and it worked great but there are other companies that make these devices that you should check out that will also do the trick.

I wouldn’t want you to have to play an hour and a half song each show.

Which Decade Rocked the Most

There's a new poll in the right hand column. Vote for your favorite music decade.

Man Steals Guitar by Placing It in Pants

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Police are searching for a man accused of shoving an electric guitar in his pants and walking out of a store in Lewiston, Maine.

Police say the theft occurred last week and they're looking for three men. One of the men shoved a Fender Stratocaster in his pants and pulled a sweatshirt over the top. The other two acted as lookouts.

All three can be seen on footage from video surveillance.

Strangely enough, the music shop has seen the method before. A man did the same thing in 2006 but was caught as he tried to walk out.

Source: The Associated Press

MySpace to offer new music download service

MySpace is set to launch a new music download service that will allow users to download songs, mobile phone ringtones and desktop wallpapers from the site.

Merchandise and gig tickets will also be sold from artists' profile pages.However, the company have not yet confirmed how much music downloads and other services will cost.

Major labels Sony BMG, Universal and Warner Music Group have already signed up to the new MySpace Music service.

MySpace has explained that the new services will be available from a MySpace Music homepage, set to be unveiled over the coming months.

Source: NME.com

Interview with Mark Daniels of The Limit

Rock House Instructor/Artist Mark Daniels of The Limit was recently interviewed by Artists and Bands, an Italian music site. You can read it -----> here

Rock House Launches JamPages.com, an Online Magazine for Developing Guitar and Bass Players!

In our continuing effort to provide relevant information to help you achieve your musical goals, we have just launched JamPages.com, our new online magazine for developing Guitar and Bass players.

Unlike any other print or web-based magazine, JamPages.com is focused specifically on beginner and intermediate players. By providing easy-to-understand articles, genre-based lessons, theory, artist profiles, information about key manufacturers and gear suited for your level of play, JamPages will help further your musical aspirations.

At JamPages.com you'll learn how to get that sound you've heard coming from your favorite guitar player's rig...we'll show you how to dissect songs in our Song Surgery section and much more.

Subscriptions to JamPages.com are totally FREE! Even if you are already a member of the Rock House community, you will have to register separately for this new and exciting product from Rock House. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

I think you'll really enjoy and get a lot of use out this new product from Rock House.

Music is the Answer!
Joe P.
Rock House