12.31.2009

2009 In Review - 10 Top Bass Guitar Lesson On The Rock House Blog


Capping off this week  I've compiled a list of the top 10 Bass Guitar Lessons that were read on The Rock House Blog.

Click on the name of the lesson to go to it.

#10 Professor Jim’s BASS FINGER Exercise - In this exercise we will be working on getting our fingers to movearound the bass in a classically flavored example.
 
#9 Bass Guitar Lesson - Fusing the Blues Scale with Funk - In this lesson I am going to teach you the blues scale then I am going to show you a song I wrote a while back that utilizes every single note of the scale. The song is a hip funk groove that will take a little work to get under your fingers, but it has a slammin’ groove!

#8 Bass Triplet Finger Twister by Professor Jim - In this exercise I will be twisting your piggies’ into submission. This exercise is challenging to perform accurately. Be sure to practice first at a slow tempo and keep the notes dynamically and rhythmically even. In other words, make sure the notes ring with the same volume throughout and the notes are spaced evenly and not run together.
 
#7 Bass Guitar Lesson - Beginning Funk by Chris McCarvill - Rock House Instructor Chris McCarvill, who just went out on  The House of Lords 2009 European Tour left us with cool beginner bass guitar lesson on funk.

#6 Guitar/Bass Guitar Lesson - Interval Basics - Let’s break each interval down and I’ll give a small explanation of that sound, or a common use for that interval. Create your own scales. It’s awesome.

#5 David Ellefson's ROCK SHOP - Perfecting The Pocket - In this webisode David talks about perfecting the pocket that the bass player finds themselves carrying or creating.

#4 Guitar/Bass Guitar Lesson - Interval Basics - The first thing that you should understand in your interval study is what the intervals are in a major scale. Remember that the major scale is a constant in music theory. You will be using it again and again to compare and relate other topics.

#3 Bass Harmonics 101 - First we are going to take a look at how to play harmonics, and then look a little more in depth look at what they are. For the moment just think of harmonics as notes on the electric bass that have a little different tone that normal notes.

#2 Bass Guitar Lesson - Fusing the Blues Scale with Funk - In this lesson I am going to teach you the blues scale then I am going to show you a song I wrote a while back that utilizes every single note of the scale. The song is a hip funk groove that will take a little work to get under your fingers, but it has a slammin’ groove.

#1 Bass Finger Walking - Bass Guitar Lesson - In this exercise we will be working on getting our fingers to move around the bass in a classically flavored example. You should practice this in strict rhythm with a metronome.

12.30.2009

First Look - Alex Skolnick and His Rock House DVD "Jazz Guitar"

Rock House instructor Alex Skolnick of Testament teaches you in this video guitar lesson how to map out a minor ii-V-i progression using arpeggios and modes. There are several variations for the patterns taught. Alex's Rock House program Jazz Guitar Breaking Down the Barriers will be winter 2010. www.RockHouseMethod.com

2009 In Review - Top 10 Tips, Advice and Reviews For Guitarist


This week I've been looking back at the year 2009 and some of the best articles that were published through the year on The Rock House Blog. Today, I've compiled a list of the top 10 articles that were about playing tips and advice as well as a couple of reviews that the readers seemed to like a lot.

Click on the name of the lesson to go to it.

#10 Guitar Player Tip of The Week - Practice Routine Thoughts and Ideas -You can find all kinds of ways to set up a practice routine for playing guitar. All you have to do is google "guitar practice routines" and you can literally look at them until the cows come home. But I've found most guitarist seem to have the same basic idea when it comes to practice routines.

#9 How To Adjust Your Guitar's Truss Rod - The truss rod is a simple device that has one purpose: to counter the pull of the strings. That's it. It isn't meant to adjust the height of your strings; you can't set your intonation with it; and with a little foresight, you aren't going to render your guitar useless by attempting to adjust it.

#8 11 Guitar Woods You Should Know - While we were talking about guitars we started talking about the different kinds of wood that can be used to make a guitar. The funny thing is that although we pretty much knew what kind of wood our guitars were made of, we really didn't know why we picked that wood for our guitar.

#7 Are You an Intermediate Guitar Player Yet? - Let’s see if you have what it takes to be called an “Intermediate Level Guitarist.”  I put the following list together to help you assess where you are as a guitarist.

#6 Gear Reviews: The Marshall JVM 205H, 210H, 410H, and Combos - Today I have a guest writer to The Rock House Blog. They own a Marshall JVM series amp and did a review on what they have experienced with their amp.

#5 Guitar Frets- Does Size Matter? - Fret size has a great deal to do with the action of your guitar. Low frets put your fingertips right on the fingerboard with little room to squeeze the strings out of tune or to get under them for bending.

#4 Fingerboard Radius Part 1 - Have you ever wondered why you play faster on certain guitars than others? Or why on some guitars you can bend easier? Or that some scales you mess up on all the time, seem easier on another guitar? If you have run across this; you are not alone, and there is a very simple answer. Fingerboard Radius.

#3 EMG X Series Pick-ups Review - This month I have the great pleasure of reviewing the new X Series pick-ups by EMG.

#2 Bugera 6262 Amp Review - Terry recently got his hands on a Bugera 6262 amp head and put it to the test. The following is his on hands review of the Bugera 6262.

#1 20 Songs Every Beginner Guitarist Should Know - 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?”



12.29.2009

2009 In Review - 10 Top Guitar Lesson On The Rock House Blog

Throughout this week I will be looking back at the year 2009 and some of the best articles that were published through the year. Today, with the help of Google I bring you the Top 10 Guitar lessons that were the most read on The Rock House Blog.

Click on the name of the lesson to go to it.

#10 Basic Tapping Using the A minor Pentatonic Scale - In this lesson I am going to show you how to perform bi-dextral hammer-ons and pull-offs, this technique is commonly known as tapping. Tapping is essentially just performing hammer-ons and pull-offs with the left and right hands at the same time. The biggest question I get from my guitar students is; “How do I know what notes to tap?”

#9 Guitar Finger Building Exercise - Etude of Technique - In this lesson we are going to work those little digits of yours using arpeggios, hammer-ons and Pull-offs, and pivoting.

#8 Guitar Lesson- Circle of Fourths Chord Progressions - Chord progressions using the circle of fourths are popular in all musical styles. Starting from the first chord in the progression, each subsequent chord will be a fourth higher in the key. The circle of fourths utilizes every chord in the key, playing through them one by one.

#7 Developing Shred Picking Technique - Welcome to my lesson “Developing Shred Picking Technique.” This lesson not only applies to you metal lovers because It doesn’t matter what style of music you want to pursue, picking is an essential part of any guitar players technique. So if you aren’t picking, you’re not grinning!

#6 Video Guitar Lesson - Alexi Laiho: Complete lead – “Next In Line” With Tab - “Next In Line” is a signature Alexi Lead from the CD “Are You Dead Yet”. In this lead he has a perfect blend of Melodic riffs, masterful techniques and ripping speed runs. Take a look at the complete lead in EX.1 and then I’ll break it down and analyze each section.

#5 The Harmonic minor Scale - Guitar Lesson - In this lesson I’m going to take you through some background theory of the Harmonic minor scale. Once we have that together, in a future lesson I will teach you some useful ways to apply the scale into your own improvisation.

#4 Guitar Lesson - Sweeping Arpeggios and Gallop Progression with Michael “Padge” Paget of “Bullet for My Valentine” - Let’s take a look at a section inspired by the lead from the Bullet for my Valentine song “Eye of the Storm.”

#3 Michael Padget of BFMV Guitar Video Lesson - Melodic Shred - In this lesson I want to look at a lead section inspired by the title song from the album Scream Aim Fire, to give you a great example of how to mix shred and melody into one exciting solo.

#2 Guitar Lesson - Kiko Loureiro's Signature Arpeggio Scale Patterns - In this segment I want to highlight a unique way that Kiko uses triads to form leads and melodies instead of scales. He views the neck slightly different then most guitarists, this helps him cross genres and still have his own sound. To help you start to view the neck in this manor I’m going to show you a few of Kiko’s signature arpeggio scale combination patterns.

AND THE #1 MOST VIEWED GUITAR LESSON OF 2009 IS.............................

#1 Multi Position Pentatonic Lead Patterns - Guitar Lesson - In this lesson I am going to teach you five minor pentatonic scale lead patterns then we will put them into a three note sequence. Each of these patterns will show you how to move laterally across the neck while playing through three positions of the Minor Pentatonic scale.

12.28.2009

Lick of The Week - Rob Balducci Demo's His Ibanez RGA LAC Guitar

Rock House Instructor Rob Balducci demo's one of his Ibanez Guitars, the Ibanez RGA LA custom shop guitar.

Rob said, "This guitar has a swamp ash body ( all swamp ash - no top) the grain you see is the swamp ash, which is awesome. I have come to love the sound of this wood and it is becoming my favorite sounding wood. It has a maple neck and maple fret board, which is unfinished and it gives you a great smooth feel. The pick-ups are Dimarzio's of course and I am using in the bridge a Steve Special (in reverse) and in the neck I am using a MO Joe. The single is a virtual vintage. I nick named this guitar Violet Horizon and it was used on the new CD Violet Horizon. I am playing to a track off of my Mantra record which was released on Favored Nations. If you guys like it please show your support by purchasing it at www.robbalducci.com/store."

Marc Rizzo New Inpsychobleedia Video - "Blind Leads The Blind"

Check out the new video of Inpsychobleedia featuring Rock House Instructor Marc Rizzo.





Check out more of Inpsychobleedia at http://www.myspace.com/inpsychobleedia

10 New Free Tabs From Guitar Edge Magazine


The January issue of Guitar Edge Magazine is out. The free online edition of the magazine has published 10 new guitar tabs for you to print off and play your ass off to.

Logic, Molitz, Freekbass - Debute Concert Planed



The DJ, keyboard, bass trio of DJ Logic, Steve Molitz, and Freekbass a.k.a Logic, Molitz, Freekbass will be making their DEBUT show in Freekbass's own backyard, Cincinnati, OH on Saturday, January 23 at Play By Play(6923 Plainfield Rd , Cincinnati, OH 45236) http://www.playbyplaycafe.com. Freekbass said in an email that "this show should be fun for all."

As the date gets closer I'll post some more details...as for now if you are in the Cincinnati area make plans to check out this show.

Tickets can be purchased by calling: 513.793.3360

DJ Logic- http://www.djlogic.com
Steve Molitz -http://www.particlepeople.com
Freekbass - http://www.freekbass.com

12.25.2009

Did You Get A Rock House Method DVD For Christmas?


No doubt there are a lot of budding musicians that received their first Rock House Method DVD for Christmas and I'm sure there may be some who have a lot of questions about the lesson support that comes with the instructional DVD.

First thing you need to do after you get done reading this post is to go to www.rockhousemethod.com and sign up for your free membership. After you log on as a member, click on the lesson support site button, which will take you to a page where you can find the Rock House product you have. Click on your product and you will find all the additional information and bonus lessons that is talked about on your DVD.

While your there you will also see a button that takes you to the "Ask The Teacher" section. This area is chalked full of answers to many of the questions you will have while learning.

Lastly get involved with the Rock House Forums. With over 180,000 registered members there are many who can help you out with advice or answer questions you may have with your learning or skills. The forum is one of the best in the business. It's family friendly and no one is ever put down or looked down upon because of their playing ability. You will find people there who are absolute beginners as well as some of the most advanced players in the industry.

Have fun and good luck, I look forward to see you at the main site.

Sarge.

Rock House Member Jim Shelp - "Silent Night"

Rock House Member Jim Shelp performing "Silent Night".

Well done Jim!

http://www.youtube.com/xyzguitar

A little Christmas Music From Rock House Member Steve Belong

Not only is Rock House member Steve belong a helk of a guitarist he also sings. Here are a couple of songs he recorded for the holiday season.

Check out more of Steve at http://www.youtube.com/SteveBelong



And his rendition of Carol of The Bells

12.21.2009

David Ellefson - Rock Shop #25 "Viewers Questions"

In this episode of David Ellefson's "Rock Shop", the Rock House Instructor fields some his viewer's questions.

Check out more of David Ellefson and the other Rock Shop Episodes at http://www.myspace.com/davidellefsonofficial, http://davidellefson.com/home.aspx and http://www.youtube.com/davidellefson


12.20.2009

MIKE PORTNOY TO PLAY WITH HAIL!

The all-star band HAIL! are proud to announce that legendary drummer, Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), will be playing dates with them in 2010!

HAIL! has been making a lot of noise around the world with their crushing live shows and their insistence on bringing metal to not so easy to reach places. Having just returned last month from playing the very first metal concert ever in Beirut, Lebanon, the ever unpredictable HAIL! have once again outdone themselves.

Bassist David Ellefson enthusiastically announced “Mike Portnoy is a demi-god! He is hands-down one of the very best drummers in the entire world and to be able to play together is really an honor. We have had our fingers crossed for this to happen because, truth be told, we had originally talked with him about the possibility of playing with us early last year. At that time Dream Theater was working on Black Clouds &  Silver Linings so it just couldn’t happen at the time but his enthusiasm and understanding about what we as HAIL! were doing was immediate. There was no need for any explanation, he got it – because he is it. The special beauty about HAIL! is the simple purity of passion and this is another clear illustration. Mike’s been a great friend for a long time and I am thrilled to announce his participation.”

“An interviewer recently asked me how long we planned on doing this and I joked ‘until we run out of drummers!’" laughs Ellefson. "Seriously though, look at the guys we’ve had - Jimmy DeGrasso, Roy Mayorga, Paul Bostaph and now Mike Portnoy! It is our aspiration to try and reward every fan that comes to see us with a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We’re doing our best to have the best players play the best songs from the best bands to the best fans! …and it’s working!”

With US dates expected to be announced soon, please check the band’s website, www.myspace.com/hail, for the latest news.

Free Song Download From Freekbass - "The Overdriven Sun "

To celebrate this Holiday week, until this Wed.night (12/23), get a FREE download of the Freekbass track 'The Overdriven Sun'. The track is all bass guitar (besides drums),and is the bonus track on the Live Freekbass CD "grooveyard".

*This week only, so click HERE for the free MP3. 

FREEKBASS wants to wish everyone a Happy Holiday, and says thank you for all of your amazing and continued support ! He plans on having a lot of cool surprises in 2010!

12.19.2009

Update For Rock House Instructional DVD's

Hey guys it’s been a while since I posted an update of what’s going on at Rock House.

For starters, things have been extremely busy lately with the Holiday Season! A lot of new products are on their way to being put out soon and we have had many orders from the new online store! Things keep looking up for us at Rock House and I'm proud to have become a part of it!

Gus G of Firewind and Ozzy Osborne’s new guitarist stopped by for his DVD shoot. This was a very exciting program to work on. Gus was highly motivated and a totally chill guy, very down to earth and friendly. His guitar playing is excellent! Not only can he shred but he can lay down great rhythms as well! I worked with him on his backing tracks and also as a cameraman. From what I’ve seen of his program it will be an excellent addition to our list of titles at RH. He has some awesome lessons on tapping Phrygian Major Scales and all kinds of goodies that he uses to make his style of play unique!

Next up after Gus G was a return Visit from The Amazing Rusty Cooley!!!

He shot a program called Arpeggio Madness. And let me say it was incredible watching Rusty Cooley play some of the most insane arpeggios known to man. I got to hang out with Rusty a little bit and he showed me some sick approaches using 7 string arpeggios and scales combined. He truly is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever witnessed and I’m honored to get to work and learn with him at Rock House on his instructional programs.

After Rusty stopped by we had Dick Neal come back for a round neck resonator program. I worked the right hand camera on this program. Dicks got some cool bluegrass style chops. It was fun and interesting to see an instrument that is so similar to a regular acoustic guitar but with a completely different approach.

Also, last night was the Rock House Christmas Party!! Everyone had a great time and it was nice to get to see everyone who works with us in the same room. Were like one pretty good sized growing family! Many of us have known each other for years and years.

There is lots of awesomeness to look forward to in the year 2010!!!

More DVDs with Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom, Andreas Kisser from Sepultura and Hail as well as Mattias IA Eklundh the ridiculous guitarist, Vernon Reid and more!!!!

Also, I’m proud to announce that I’ve written my first article in Guitar Player Magazine for their Ultimate Metal Guitar 2 issue powered by The Rock House Method. It’s called Breaking the Rhythm Code. Check it out! I’ll have more updates for everyone soon! I got a new band and we are playing our first show together with the new lineup at Toads Place in New Haven CT on Tuesday. It should be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to shredding it up!!

Anthony Lawrence

12.18.2009

The Weekend Read for December 18th ; Guitar Lessons, Articles and More

The Rock House Blog Weekend Read is published every Friday or Saturday and is filled with links to the best articles from around the web. Articles include guitar lessons, guitar bass guitar news, guitar playing tips and tricks and just some plain old good reading.

Desafinados - Today we will work with an exercise in picking arpeggios...Exercise Picking on multiple strings (arpeggios)

Dolphinstreet Guitar Gear Blog - What is the best overdrive pedal? Not an easy answer, since the number of good overdrive pedals available these days is mind boggling...Best Overdrive Pedals

Freekbass' Blog - The On The Verge - Freekbass article from Relix Magazine is now online at their new revamped website...On The Verge | Relix | Freekbass

Fretbase - Dubbed the ‘End Of Decade Clearout Sale’, Coldplay are going to clean out their closets and sell off gear on eBay...Coldplay to sell off equipment on eBay

Guitar Answers - OK...this is the wrap up lesson on the modes...Learning and PlayingThe Modes...Part 3

Guitar Noize - Here is my simple and very basic guide to recording with amp modelling software on your computer...How to record guitar using amp modelling software

Guitar Player Zen - Do you want to be able to express yourself more fully in your lead guitar solos? Are you struggling to apply all of the licks and techniques you’ve been learning? Most lead guitarists aren’t lacking for more information. They are lacking the knowledge...Improving Your Guitar Phrasing - 5 Steps To Better Phrasing And Cooler Guitar Solos


I Heart Guitar - The Cole Clark Guardian is something of an Aussie guitar classic. Obvious nods to 50-something years of guitar history notwithstanding, it’s the little details that have made this guitar stand out...REVIEW: Cole Clark Hollow Baby


Jemsite - And where funk and soul records are concerned, Larry truly knows his stuff.  We're not talking records as in songs, we're talking records as in RECORDS. Vinyl records...Soul Searching

John Horn - Guitarist - I love music, but I don’t know how long I can hold out, in a world in which escaping from music has become increasingly difficult...To Enjoy Music, We Need To Be Able To Escape Music

Share My Guitar - The Gibson Explorer was introduced in 1958 and continues to lend its unique tone to all guitarists alike. This legendary guitar was an aggressive style change...Guitar Review: Gibson Explorer 7-String

The Blues Historian - Mike Zito is an amazing guitar player who can not only sing, but has an amazing voice suited for blues and soul. Then add a very tight band, great songs, with good arraignments...Blues Historian Review: Mike Zito, Pearl River

12.16.2009

Guitar Lesson - Rhythm Basics


Rhythm Basics For Guitar

By: John McCarthy and Steve Gorenberg

The following rhythms are popular, standard progressions to get you started. Each of the following rhythms is shown using tablature and includes accompanying mp3 backing tracks that you can download and play along with.

Our first example is a typical major chord progression in the key of D. The rhythm is shown here in tablature; the count underneath the staff is there for your reference. There are also strumming symbols used above the staff to show you the proper strumming direction. The first symbol indicates a downstrum, the other symbol indicates an upstrum.

You can click on the image to make it bigger.












Audio Track Number 01 (BRD)

Audio Track Number 02 (BD)

Our second example is similar to the first one, but this one is in the key of A minor and uses both major and minor chords.











Audio Track Number 03 (BRD)

Audio Track Number 04 (BD)

The next example is a simple barre chord rhythm. Most people find barre chords a little more difficult to play, but once you’ve got them mastered you’ll be able to play any name chord in any key. Mastering the barre chords is an important step to mastering the guitar.











Audio Track Number 05 (BRD)

Audio Track Number 06 (BD)

This next example is a basic blues rhythm shown in tablature. Blues is played using a shuffle rhythm, or an uneven eighth note rhythm. Listen and play along with the backing tracks to get the shuffle feel down.
























Audio Track Number 07 (BRD)

Audio Track Number 08 (BD)

Now that you’ve got some basic rhythm progressions to get you started, you can refer back to these and use the backing tracks to jam along with. The lessons on Rock House and The Rock House Blog are designed to show you how to use scales, lead patterns and techniques in many styles of music; you can apply all of these to solo over the rhythms we’ve started you off with in this section.

12.15.2009

Gus G and Firewind Heading to Mexico

Rock House instructor Gus G. and his band Firewind are heading to Mexico for a few shows. This will be a first ever for the band.

“Live Premonition in Mexico 2010”

Feb. 12th - Mexico City - Hard Rock Live- http://www.hardrocklive.com
Feb. 13th - Puebla, Mex - Bulldog- http://www.bulldogcafe.com
Feb. 14th - Mexico City - Bicentennial fest

Tickets (will be available soon): http://www.eticket.com.mx and http://www.ticketmaster.com.mx/

For more info check out http://www.myspace.com/gusgofficial

Onboard Electronics Basics for Bass Guitar and Guitar: Active Electronics


Courtesy of Rock House Method

By: Dean Wagner

For such a widely recognized term, “onboard active electronics” is more commonly misunderstood than most Primus lyrics. There are many different definitions, but each has one thing in common: Unlike passive electronics, active systems require power, usually in the form of one or more 9-volt batteries.

Your bass’s pickups sense string vibration passively, but amplifying your sound requires external power. Passive electronics often incorporate controls that cut volume and high frequencies, leaving your amp to take care of volume and EQ boosts. Well-designed passive electronics work very well, but they have limited tone-shaping ability and can result in fidelity loss over long cable lengths. Active electronics, usually in the form of an onboard preamp with boost/cut EQ, address these issues and do some volume boosting of their own.

One of active electronics’ most important functions is to transform the pickup’s high-impedance output into a low-impedance signal more suitable for amplifier inputs. It’s important that your bass’s output impedance (the resistance to alternating current) be significantly lower than your amp’s input impedance. If the output impedance is higher than the input impedance, low frequencies can roll off, resulting in a thin sound. Also, low output impedance helps your bass’s signal retain fidelity as it travels down a length of cable.

Active electronics can provide a higher output level and bigger dynamic range than passive systems, but they are limited by the preamp circuit’s headroom. As an active circuit runs out of power to reproduce your sound, dynamic compression and clipping (distortion) can take place, resulting in an unpleasant tone. Most high-quality active circuits are designed for maximum headroom, but it is possible to overdrive an onboard circuit, particularly when boosting the onboard EQ. In contrast, it is impossible for a bass’s pickups to overload a passive circuit.

Active electronics’ EQ allows you to boost specific areas of the frequency spectrum. Many contemporary active systems have 3-band EQ circuits (bass, mid, and treble). Some systems even feature user-selectable boost/cut frequency points or bandwidths. Many proponents of active electronics believe onboard EQ leaves you better equipped to deal with the peculiarities of different playing environments. When abused, though, onboard EQ can overdrive your amp’s input stage or strain your speakers. Remember, EQ is like sonic seasoning, so use it judiciously— extreme settings are rarely necessary.

As with passive electronics, active systems have numerous advantages and disadvantages. Some experts argue that they are less susceptible to noise-producing interference, while others say their more complex design is inherently noisy. One side says there’s potential for sonic trouble, while the other espouses flexibility.

12.14.2009

Review - Rusty Cooley – Fretboard Autopsy (Level 1) from Shred-Reviews



I used to review the Rock House products here on the blog but there is something lost when a review is written by someone who is involved with the company.

I happy to this review that directed my way from http://www.shred-reviews.co.uk/ it's an honest review of Rusty Cooley's Fretboard Autopsy. The writer Dave give the Rock House DVD a 5 start rating, which we couldn't be more excited about.

Here's a snippet of what Dave had to say:

"Rusty has been a highly acclaimed player for some time and having already taken a look at some of Rusty’s other releases with CFH (here) I’ve been very keen to see his Rock House Method DVD series entitled “Fretboard Autopsy level 1” and of course “Fretboard Autopsy level 2.

"Let me remove one misapprehension straight away -- this is most definitely not a product for those simply wishing to develop their technique; Rusty has of course addressed the issue of technique in other DVD’video releases, and in many online instructional columns (see appendix A). Rather,  both these DVD’s are aimed squarely at developing a solid foundation of knowledge with which to navigate your way around the fretboard in both vertical and horizontal patterns."

Check out the rest of the review at http://www.shred-reviews.co.uk/metal/rusty-cooley-fretboard-autopsy-level-1/ and while your there check out some of Dave's other articles. He has a pretty good read.

What Is A 1-4-5 Progression


One question that comes up from time to time in the Rock House Forums that a lot of new musicians want to know is what exactly a 1-4-5 progression is.

Quite simply a 1-4-5 progression is the most popular chord progression in music. The numbers refer to the scale degrees that the chords are built from.

Let’s say you wanted to make a 1-4-5 progression in the key of “C” Major. The “C” Major scale goes C-D-E-F-G-A-B so the first note is “C” the 1, from this note we make a “C” Major chord, the fourth note is “F” or the 4 and we make an “F” Major chord from this note. And finally “G” is the 5 and we make a “G” Major chord from this note.

So a “C” Major 1-4-5 progression is formed by playing “C”, “F”, &”G” Major chords.

You can use this theory with any Major scale to form the 1-4-5 progression. As you get more familiar with the sound this creates you’ll start to notice how many great songs were written using this progression. It’s also the foundation for the famous 12 bar blues progression.

I hope this helps and have some fun with it!!!

Jmac

Children of Bodom Announce New Album For 2010


Hot off the heals of their year and a half long Blooddrunk world tour. Children of Bodom announced on their my space site that they will be heading into rehearsals in the early part of 2010 to begin working on new material for a new album.

The band plans to head into the studio over summer. I'm guessing we should hear a new COB album sometime in the fall.

12.12.2009

The Weekend Read Decenber 5th - 12th ; Guitar Lessons, Articles and More

The Rock House Blog Weekend Read is published every Friday or Saturday and is filled with links to the best articles from around the web. Articles include guitar lessons, guitar bass guitar news, guitar playing tips and tricks and just some plain old good reading.

Desafinados - The golden rule of Sweep Picking that every guitarist must know, is that in this technique, just play a note you mute (mute), this avoids that by making sweeping arpeggios with, finished playing all the notes in unison...Tips and exercises to improve your technique Sweep Picking

Double Bass Blog - The following podcast is a recording of a panel discussion on the future of music from the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention...CBC 146: Music in the Digital Age

Fretbase - What was once cool and then fell out of fashion, is now cool again (hipsters I’m looking at you)...The Keytar Is Making a Comback?

Guitar Noize - This lesson uses a riff from Chimaira’s “Frozen In Time” from the album “The Infection”, initially you may look at the tab below and think it looks pretty easy as it is all based on the low E string but you will see that the real lesson here is in the timing, the picking and the muting...Chimaira - Frozen In Time rhythm, picking and muting lesson

Guitar Player Daily - Jazz Études: Studies for the Beginning Improviser is an instructional book written by East Coast guitarist Joshua Breakstone. The book contains twelve single-line études, each of which is written over the chord changes to a tune from the standard jazz repertoire, and is accompanied by a CD featuring Breakstone in duet with himself playing each piece, as well as numerous shorter musical examples from the text...Jazz Etudes: Studies for the Beginning Improviser Review

Guitar Teacher - In 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughan's debut album "Texas Flood" reintroduced blues guitar back into popular consciousness. The title track is a slow blues in G, much like the jam track ...How to play Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas Flood” – Intro

Guitarz - A quite unusual guitar is this stereo acoustic guitar by Paul Kinny. Hard to tell just from looking at it, if this acoustic experimentation is serious or worth the work, but in my opinion it deserves a positive a priori. I like how innovation for electric guitars feedbacks into acoustic ones - and in general how new technologies provide new concepts relevant in any field.Paul Kinny's stereo acoustic guitar

Musical Musings - Here's a little slide guitar lick that comes from the Major Pentatonic scale. Most of this lick comes from what's called Position 2 of the Major Pentatonic. I've got my guitar in standard tuning for this one too. (Low to high EADGBE)...Major Pentatonic Slide Lick Standard Tuning

Not Playing Guitar - Do you always practice guitar in the same setting? A comfortable environment where you can leave out your guitar and practice materials is often convenient. It helps you start practice easily and quickly, and might encourage you to practice more often...Do You Need a New Guitar Practice Environment?

Share My Guitar - No matter how much raw talent or ability one innately possesses the one thing that always makes particular artists stand out is their individual technique.  So what does it take to really become a master of technique? Well it takes a keen attention to detail...Attention to Detail!



The Guitar Buzz - Recently, Guitar Center held their “King of the Blues” contest and posted several Pete Anderson Blues Backing Tracks on their web site that could be downloaded for free...Guitar Backing Tracks

The Soul of Rock and Roll - Has a new look and design, much easier to navigate.

Truth in Shreading - Fender guitar clinician and guitarist wunderkind visits The Music Zoo and talks with Tommy Colletti for some words,shred and laughs....Greg Koch: visits The Music Zoo

Have a rockin' weekend
Sarge

Rock House Member Kevin Kyle - "Crazy Train" (Cover) Video

Kevin Kyle is another long time member of The Rock House Community. Kevin has been playing guitar for most of his life. In this video he shows his guitar playing skills and techniques, giving  a huge dose of Crazy Train.

Kevin currently has a roster of over 50 students that he teaches guitar to in the Winona Lake, Indiana area. If you're interested hit him up on his facebook page at Kevin Kyle on Face Book

Rock House Member hagarfreak - Blues Jam Video

Rock House member hagerfreak33 has be with the Rock House Community since....well......a long time. He was probably one of the first members of the site. Here's a video of hager playing some blues over a backing track.

12.11.2009

Harmony Central Hacked

I just received an email from our friends over at Harmony Central. Rock House realizes the importance of these kinds of events and wants to help Harmony Central anf their members by spreading the word about what their members should do in response to this event.

In a nut shell it seems someone without authorization temporarily gained access to the Harmony Central site. That person or persons also gained access to their stored member information, which includes e-mail addresses.

Harmony Central is advising all of their members to reset their passwords as soon as the site becomes available again. They also advise "as always, please remain cautious when responding to e-mail communications. Please remember – no one from Harmony Central will ever ask you for your password or log-in information. No one from Harmony Central will ask you for a credit card number, or Social Security number, or anything of the sort. If you ever receive any message supposedly from Harmony Central asking for that or any personal information, note the sender, delete the email immediately, restart your computer, and alert us to the situation. Never click on any links or attachments contained in an email of this type."

Keep checking at www.harmony-central.com for more updates.

BOSS UNVEILS eBAND AUDIO PLAYER FOR GUITARISTS


Just in time for the holiday season, BOSS is pleased to ship the eBand JS-8 Audio Player with Guitar Effects, the portable audio player designed for guitarists who play and practice at home.

eBand is the audio player that combines playback of full songs, backing tracks, or rhythm loops with high quality BOSS guitar effects and a built-in stereo speaker system. This all-in-one solution is ideal for guitarists who want to learn songs, solos and riffs, practice new songs outside of band practice, play along with any of their own collection of music, or create new songs while jamming with audio tracks.

Loading music onto eBand couldn’t be easier, with direct playback from any standard USB memory stick or SDHC memory card up to 32GB. eBand also has the ability to import songs from any audio CD using the included utility software.

Unlike traditional audio players, eBand lets guitarists interact with their music by changing the pitch and tempo independently, or using the advanced Center Cancel function to remove guitar or vocal parts. eBand comes with 300 backing tracks and rhythm loops which also include pre-programmed guitar effects.

eBand is loaded with powerful COSM® preamp technology, authentic BOSS-quality guitar effects derived from the BOSS GT-10, and over 100 preset guitar sounds from every musical genre. To help navigate the possibilities, eBand includes the EZ TONE function, providing an intuitive, easy-to-use approach to sound creation based on graphic icons. In addition, tuner and metronome functions are built in, keeping guitarists on time and in key.

Not only can players jam along with eBand, they can record their musical ideas as well using the included USB audio interface. Pressing the Record button during a jam-along session will create and save a new audio file with the entire performance.

For more info go to http://www.bossus.com

Review - The LOW-down on the Roland Microcube Bass RX


If you’re a bass player, then you know how much fun it is to lug around a 70 pound combo amp every time you want to jam with a buddy or maybe practice with the band. Face it, there are times you don’t go just so you won’t have to tote the thing.Roland has a solution- the Microcube Bass RX combo amp.

The Microcube Bass RX weighs just 15 pounds and takes up less space than a combo amp with a single 12 inch speaker. The dimensions are 11.75 x 8.5 x 11.5 inches.

The Microcube utilizes four specially built 4 inch speakers to give a full stereo bass sound. I’m not going to tell you this thing will break the windows or rattle the pictures on the wall, but I will say the sound is amazingly loud for it’s diminutive size. You should have no problem using this to jam or practice and it could come in very handy in other situations.

Since the Microcube Bass RX uses both an AC outlet and batteries, you can take this thing anywhere- like the beach, the deck, the park, or a mountain top if you’re really motivated. For batteries, the Microcube Bass RX requires 6 AA alkaline batteries which could last up to 11 hours.

Roland has incorporated eight COSM models including: Octave Bass, Super Flat, Flip Top, B Man, Bass360, Session, Concert 810 and Mic. Along with the eight COSM models, there is an effects knob which allows you to choose between chorus, flanger and T-wah.

While I think the COSM choices give the Microcube Bass RX a lot of choices for sound, the effects leave me a little wanting. You can only choose one effect at a time because they are all on the same knob. A nicer option would have been to give the user a way to blend the effects. There aren’t many bass players who use just one effect pedal at a time.

The Microcube Bass RX also comes with a built in rhythm machine. The rhythm can be set for a variety of styles of music and at any tempo the user desires. Just a few of the choices include: Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz and Funk.

Personally, I love this feature. It allows me to practice WITH a beat and WITHOUT having to use a separate metronome. Since the rhythm option is a drum machine, I also get the advantage of playing to drums rather than a bleep.

The Microcube Bass RX can be hooked up with the BOSS FS-5U or FS-6 footswitch. It also comes with the obligatory headphone jack, input jack and stereo auxiliary in jack.

The bottom line is this. I’m not just a fan of the Microcube Bass RX, I’m an owner as well. In fact, this is my primary practice amp because of its portability and the fact I won’t disturb the neighbors while I’m thumping those bottom notes.
I know, you want to know how much this thing costs. In all honesty, there are cheaper amps on the market. In my opinion there just aren’t any amps of the same size which offer all of the options this one does. I paid for the one I own, so this is not a paid endorsement. It’s not perfect and I’ve noted above but I’ll tell you now it was worth every penny.

As of December 11, 2009, Guitar Center and Musician’s Friend listed the Microcube Bass RX for $249.99 and $249 respectively. Same Day Music listed the Microcube Bass RX for $229. Both Musician’s Friend and Same Day Music offer free shipping on this item.

Mark Berryman
Rock House member and avid bass guitarist

2 New Apple Apps From Music Sales - Scale Cards And Chord Cards

After Music Sales released their 'Killer Riffs' and 'Freestyle' App which both hit the iTunes Music App Top Ten Charts, They have released 2 new apps you may want to check out.

Scale Cards is an app that is designed to teach you how to play over 50 essential guitar scales. You can view each scale on a guitar neck diagram, guitar tablature or on a video clip.

Chord Cards is an app that has the same features at the scale cards. 25 of the chords are movable shapes so they can apply to other areas of the fretboard giving hundreds of chords to learn.

Each app is $1.99. You can check out the apps at the Music sales apple store

12.10.2009

Guitar Lesson - Arpeggio Cannon

Arpeggio Cannon

By: Professor Jim Rutkowski

In this lesson I am going to show you how to use string skipping arpeggios to shred the chord progression to Pachabels Cannon in D. This not only is a killer way to play Cannon in D, but it is a great warm up routine for the left hand. I play this daily during my warm up session to get my little digits moving.

In this exercise I use hammer ons and pull offs to create a cool rhythm when skipping strings and each chord uses a similar pattern playing through the arpeggios that you will be able to play much more effectively once you have it memorize. Try using similar techniques in your playing or soloing by isolating certain chords within the progression and create string skipping arpeggio patterns over them.

Professor Jim’s words of wisdom…get the Major and minor Arpeggios under your fingers slowly, and keep the pick constantly alternating,and then put on a metronome and work up to a shred speed slowly.

EX1.Root first and fourth Major Arpeggio








EX.2Root Second and fifth Major Arpeggio








EX.3Root first and fourth minor arpeggio








EX.4Root second and fifth minor arpeggio








ARPEGGIO CANNON in D Major















There are 9 tracks that are available for download to go with this lesson at www.rockhousemethod.com

Downloadable Audio Tracks:
Download all these practice tracks for just $2.99 - Professor Jim's Arpeggio Cannon
1. Introduction
2. Guitar Tuning Notes
3. Walk Through
4. Example 80 BPM
5. 80 BPM Backing Track
6. Example 100 BPM
7. 100 BPM Backing Track
8. Example 120 BPM
9. 120 BPM Backing Track

12.09.2009

My First Guitar And Advice On Buying One For A Christmas Present

I originally wrote this a couple years ago. I thought it was time to bring it back to the front, tis the season :-)

Sarge

Christmas is right around the corner. It always brings back memories of the first guitar I got back in the early 70’s. I really don’t remember what kind of guitar it was but I do remember how excited I was when I unwrapped it. I couldn't wait until everyone was done opening their gifts to mess with it, so I race off to my room and started digging into the package. Opening the items that came with the guitar I found a tuning pipe and a 10 page book that told me how to tune the guitar plus the notes and chords to “hits” such as Down in the Valley and On Top of Old Smokey.

After spending the rest of the morning tuning the guitar I was ready to learn the chords and notes to the songs that were in the book. The chord shapes weren’t too hard to make but man, pressing down hard enough to make the guitar sound the chord when you strummed it sure was tough. Long story short, I played that old guitar for many years. I had no idea that it had an extremely high action, was probably made out of ply wood and couldn’t hold a tune for more than a half hour. I didn't care at all, I had a guitar. My parents, when they bought it, probably had no idea what the difference between buying a guitar at the Gibson Discount Store and buying a Gibson Guitar was.

Which brings me to the point of this post.

With Christmas coming up there is no doubt many young and inspiring musicians are about to receive their first instrument of their lives this year. Here’s some thought to help you Parents, Uncles, Aunts, Brothers and sisters out that want to give the gift of a music instrument this year.

We all know you don’t want to spend a small fortune, unless you want to, to find out that your little musician isn’t interested in the guitar after a month of playing with it and now would like to play the trumpet, piano or drums. Or worse yet they just don’t have the interest any more. But, there is something to be said about buying a decent starter guitar.
Buying a guitar on eBay for $4.95 plus $45.00 for shipping is definitely not the way to go. You end up with 50 bucks wrapped up in an instrument that is more times than not, hard to play, hard to tune and is of extremely poor quality. The ability to play an instrument is of high importance for the new musician. It’s going to be tough enough for them to learn chords and notes so give them a break and make it as easy for them as you can. When looking for a guitar keep in mind that there are many beginner acoustic and electric guitar starter packages out there starting for about $100.00 or not much more than that, put out by well known companies such as Epiphone, Squier, Ibanez, Washburn and Fender just to name a few. They also come with some better essentials than a pitch pipe and a 10 page book. Many of the starter packs will come with extra strings, an electronic tuner, strap and what is becoming even more important these days, an instructional video or DVD. The instructional end of the package is important because even if you don’t know a lick about music, you can still sit down with your child and help them understand some of the basics of playing the guitar. Heck who knows you may even find yourself picking it up and playing.

Don’t get me wrong about the story of my first guitar. If I still had that old guitar today I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. But I would trade the frustration and the unknown that accompanied it. Finding a starter guitar with the right accessories and learning aides would have made all the difference in the world.