I've had a number of new sites in my folder for some time now I just haven't had the time to post them. I hope you find these beneficial. ZingingStrings is a blog for guitarists. It has some good beginner lessons. Guitar Elements has some really good video lessons. Scales, Arpeggio's and songs. Top 50 Guitar Sites is simply a list of sites arranged by rank. I have a button on my right sidebar and if you will be so kind as to click on it for me it will improve my ranking on this site! Thanks. Free Guitar Videos is just what the name implies. There is a little something for everyone here. Chordie is a hidden gem. Lots and lots of good stuff here. This site and a copy of Tab Player should be everything you need to get you started or help you improve. Definitely one to bookmark.
I’ve just discovered Tab Player and it is a really cool piece of software. It plays tab like the kind you find all over the Internet. The text type of tab. (Say that three times really fast!)
The player is free but it does require registration and a they do ask for a gift of some amount to show your appreciation. I’m all for this type of marketing. If I like it and I use it then I will definitely contribute something.
So far I haven’t found any glitches or problems. The Interface is very user friendly and the midi sound is OK. Give it a test run for yourself.
I apologize for neglecting this site for such a long time. I have a very good reason though. I’ve returned to driving a truck over the road and I’ve been away from home for the past four weeks. My schedule is pretty demanding and doesn’t leave me with much time for posting.
Years ago I drove over the road and I had a data card for my laptop that allowed me to access the Internet from where ever I was at the time. I had that service through Sprint. I no longer have it and I don’t plan to renew it because it requires a two year contract and I despise contracts. I refuse to do a two year contract. AT&T has a similar card and they want a two year contract as well but you can bypass the contract by paying the full price for the DataCard. It costs $274.00 which is a little too steep for me right now. I’m going to approach Sprint tomorrow and see if they’ll let me get around the contract and just go with the monthly debit since I already own the card. If they will do this then I’ll be able to post from the road. If not then I’ll be dependent on the WiFi found at truckstops and the only truckstop with dependable WiFi is the Flying J. I’m not always able to take my breaks at Flying J’s but when I can I’ll post from there.
If I can’t do anything else I’m going to try and update my “On-the-Side” column once a week. I should be able to do that without any problems.
I’ve ordered a new amp to take with me on the road. I review it when it comes in and I have a chance to play with it.
I’ve been playing around with the DADGAD tuning for a couple of weeks now and I’m having fun with it. The tuning is melodical in itself and creates some really nice chord harmonies.
It was only thirty something years ago that the hauntingly beautiful DADGAD tuning was developed by English fingerstyle guitarist Davey Graham. To date, a French virtuoso by the name Pierre Bensusan has made the most recordings in DADGAD, playing entire concerts and albums like Spices and Solilai in the tuning. You may be more familiar with Led Zeppelin than Bensusan, and that’s okay, because Jimmy Page loves this tuning, too. Here is a Youtube video of “Black Mountain Side” from Zeppelin I.
Here is another Irish Folk tune in DADGAD. The title of this song is “Down by the Salley Gardens”. There are plenty of videos on Youtube of this piece so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding examples and playing along.
Today’s guitar tab is another piece in DADGAD tuning. I’ve really been enjoying this tuning and I hope you’ve been experimenting with it as well.
Banish Misfortune is an Irish Folksong. It seems that DADGAD is prominent among the Irish! There are several examples of Irish jigs on Youtube. You might not be a fan of this style but the lesson is valuable for learning what can be done in this alternate tuning.
The Vintage Cherry SE-ONE guitar was autographed by PRS endorsees and PRS executives such as Paul Reed Smith, Mark Tremonti, Johnny Hiland and others who presented seminars and entertained the crowd at the historic first Experience PRS trade show that took place at the PRS facilities in September of 2007.
This is an essay contest. Other prizes will be awarded.
For the complete story visit this link.
Today’s Guitar Pro Link is the first of several that focus on alternate tunings.
I remember when I first learned to tune in DADGAD and I thought it was very cool. I’m still fascinated with it and this song really shines.
This tab is made available at acousticfingerstyle guitar. The arrangement is by Peter Huttlinger and it was transcribed by Bruce Mock in TableEditor format. One of the nice features of Guitar Pro is that it will import a TableEditor tab and turn it into a Guitar Pro tab. That is what I’ve done here.
I really like this song and I’ve been working on it all week. I’ve about got it down but I’m still practicing. As always there is a GP5 file and a PDF file for this tab. You can listen to the piece played through the Guitar Pro synth or you can listen to the live version which I recorded off the video. The video is in my VodPod.
Click here or on the image to get to today’s song. Remember that this is tuned to DADGAD.
I thought I would post a list of the concert DVD’s that I own and encourage you to invest in them yourself. I really enjoy them and the newest ones really have the technical know-how to zoom in on the guitarist and help you learn a lick or two. So, Here is my list in no particular order.
Crossroads 2007 This was the last DVD that I acquired and I received it as a Christmas gift. I didn’t think it was as good as 2004. Bill Murray is the host, I guess it made sense to have a host but I’m not sure he was the right one. Also, if you like John Mayer then you’ll probably like this DVD. I thought there were too many old players and not enough young players. I missed Joe Walsh, ZZ Top and I just don’t think it can be a “GUITAR” festival without Santana.
Crossroads 2004 This was my very first DVD and I can’t say enough about it. I’ve listened to it many times. It inspires and teaches. Imagine that!
Roger Waters - In The Flesh I’ll be honest with you, I’ve listened to Pink Floyd since I was a teenager but I never knew who Roger Waters was until I saw, read about and purchased this DVD. I’ve not seen any of the other Pink Floyd DVD’s that are available but I think it would be hard to top this one.
Grateful Dead: Truckin up to Buffalo I was never a “Dead Head” and I’m still not their biggest fan but I found this DVD on a clearance rack and thought, “Why Not”. It’s a good DVD. I’m not real familiar with any of the songs but it does show a lot of close-ups of Jerry Garcia’s guitar work so it has some good instructional value.
Dave Matthews Band - Central Park I knew about DMB but I wasn’t real acquainted with. I will say that if you have a long night ahead of you and want to watch something then this will fill the time. I believe it’s over three hours long. Warren Haynes sits in on a couple of songs and they are really good. I wasn’t too familiar with the rest of the set except for a song or two. I’ve added a couple of Warren Haynes YouTube videos to the VodPod so check him out.
Tommy Emmanuel - Live Can’t say anything bad about Tommy! His guitar playing is simply amazing but he lacks a little something in the performance department. This DVD also shows more of his country roots than any other style. Still it’s worth the cost, which is very reasonable.
Fleetwood Mac - The Dance To me, Lindsay Buckingham is the most overlooked and under rated guitarist of the day. Lindsay has a unique style and he will give a finger-picker a run for his money. This DVD was filmed, in 1997, in front of a live audience at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. This was also when Christine McVie was still with Mac. I saw Fleetwood Mac in concert several years ago and it was simply great. This DVD isn’t too bad itself.
Eagles - Hell Freezes Over You can’t have a concert DVD collection without having at least one of the Eagles DVD’s. This was the first one I purchased and I can still recommend it to everyone. You can purchase one of these, used, for as little as $5.95 so you can’t go wrong. At it to your next Amazon shipment so you can save on shipping.
Eagles - Farewell 1 If you don’t yet own an Eagles DVD then I highly recommend this one. It is a live perfomance from Melbourne and the band has added more instruments and background artists then in the previous DVD. The quality is also amazing. It’s like sitting on the front row. Of course, I’m surrounded by Klipsch speakers when I’m vegging in front of the tube and my surround is dope (as they say)! That’s another story.
Led Zeppelin I own several of their CD’s and I’m a fan but I can’t sit through this 2 disk collection. A little “Led” does me good but several hours of “Led” wears me down. But, that’s the nice thing about DVD, you can skip around easier and just choose the songs and performances you want to see and here.
ELO - Zoom OK, this is the last of the DVD’s I’m going to post about today. I do own others but they aren’t as guitar related as these. This is the “SLEEPER” folks. You can purchase this DVD for less than 10 bucks and worth every bit of it. Jeff Lynne is makes his Tele sing and the entire concert is enjoyable to watch and listen to. You should purchase this. I’ve added a YouTube clip from this DVD to my VodPod. It is Mr Blue Sky which is not one of the most popular or best known Electric Light Orchestra songs but it’s good. One last note, I have a highschool crush on the lady standing beside him but my wife knows it and she endulges me.
That’s all the guitar related concert DVD’s that I own. I intend to purchase others so leave me a comment and let me know which ones are your favorites. I would appreciate it.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Stones but I do know that they’ve played a major roll in shaping Rock-n-Roll and I can appreciate talent.
Tomorrow, the film Shine A Light, a Martin Scorsese film, opens in theaters everywhere. Click here or on the image above to watch the trailer and enter to win a Fender Telecaster. My name is already in the pot!
March Madness is over and I managed to post a new tab everyday except for the 31st. I really hated to miss that day but there was nothing I could do about it. I was detained away from the computer. I should have planned in advance and had a tab ready to post on its own but in addition to my detainment issues I had upgraded to WordPress 2.5 and was having some issues with it as well. Enough of my excuses. Here is the March Roundup!
My daily hits continue on a slow incline. I average around 400 page views per day. The most common referrer is Google and I had 431 hits in the month of March off the word Guitar Pro. 157 of those visitors used my link to visit the Guitar Pro site in the month of March and of those 157 visits there were four who purchased the product. The second most common search words that pointed to my site were “Andy McKee Tunings”, I had 41 visitors who came to Pickstroke through this Google Link.
That’s the Roundup. For a quick reference to this post or all of the monthly roundups you can click on “Roundup” in the category box.
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I’ve just discovered Tab Player and it is a really cool piece of software. It plays tab like the kind you find all over the Internet. The text type of tab. (Say that three times really fast!)
This was the last DVD that I acquired and I received it as a Christmas gift. I didn’t think it was as good as 2004. Bill Murray is the host, I guess it made sense to have a host but I’m not sure he was the right one. Also, if you like John Mayer then you’ll probably like this DVD. I thought there were too many old players and not enough young players. I missed Joe Walsh, ZZ Top and I just don’t think it can be a “GUITAR” festival without Santana.
March Madness is over and I managed to post a new tab everyday except for the 31st. I really hated to miss that day but there was nothing I could do about it. I was detained away from the computer. I should have planned in advance and had a tab ready to post on its own but in addition to my detainment issues I had upgraded to WordPress 2.5 and was having some issues with it as well. Enough of my excuses. Here is the March Roundup!
