You are receiving this ezine because you recently
subscribed to receive monthly news regarding our music products and events
or recently placed a classified ad or link on our Guitar Musician Site! We hope you will enjoy it. Print us out and read at your
leisure.
If you no longer wish to receive this publication, please
see 'remove' instructions
at the end of this e-zine. Thank you.
Guitar Musician e-zine 12/14/05
In This Issue:
| "Wes Montgomery played impossible things on the guitar
because it was never pointed out to him that they were impossible. "
Ronnie Scott - Jazz saxophonist |
Some Humor
|
A Kentucky State Trooper pulled a car over on I-65 about 2 miles North of the Kentucky/Tennessee state line. When the Trooper asked the driver why he was speeding, the driver answered that he was a magician and a juggler and he was on his way to Nashville to do a show that night at Opryland and didn't want to be late. The Trooper told the driver he was fascinated by juggling, and if the driver would do a little juggling for him that he wouldn't give him a ticket. The driver told the Trooper that he had sent all of his equipment on ahead and didn't have anything to juggle. The Trooper told him that he had some flares in the trunk of his patrol car and asked if he could juggle them. The juggler stated that he could, so the Trooper got three flares, lit them and handed them to the juggler. While the man was doing his juggling act, a car pulled in behind the patrol car. A drunken Redneck good old boy from Kentucky got out and watched the performance briefly. He then went over to the patrol car, opened the rear door and got in. The Trooper observed him doing this and went over to the patrol car, opened the door and asked the drunk what he thought he was doing. The drunk replied, "You might as well take me on to jail, cause there's no way in hell I can pass that test!" |
A Lesson For The Learning
Interested in guitar lessons? - Be sure and check out the guitar lessons offered by Andrew Koblick at Amazing Guitar
|
GUITAR Q AND A
Playing a Hammer and Pull OffFrank Davidson; France Try for example fretting the 5th fret of the 3rd string with your 1st finger, then hammer your 3rd finger down on the 7th fret of the same string with out picking it. You should hear the sound of the note with the hammer. A Pull Off is like the opposite of a hammer, you pull or snap your finger off a note to sound a note on the same string. Here is an example of a pull off. Fret the 7th fret of the 3rd string with your 3rd finger, also put your 1st finger on the 5th fret of the same string, now pull or snap your 3rd finger down off the note it was fretting but keep your 1st finger down on the 5th fret while you pull off. You should hear the note on the fifth fret sound without having to pick it . . . and that is a pull off. Hope this helps! Yours in Music John McCarthy Rock House |
|
Feature Paid Advertisement
|
Roger McGuinn
12-String Ornithology: An inside view from one of the masterminds of modern rock, Part I. As cofounder and frontman of the Byrds, Roger McGuinn had as much to do with the evolution of the music we now call rock as almost anyone else. By combining the protest sensibilities of folk greats such as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan with the rock backbeat of The Beatles, McGuinn created a truly unique sound that would be followed by thousands. McGuinn's influence in all forms of modern rock and pop is everywhere and incalculable. A far-ranging and powerful songwriter and guitarist, McGuinn launched his solo career with the dissolution of the Byrds in 1973. Thousands of dates and dozens of albums later, McGuinn is still making musical waves around the world. Martin has honored him with two signature guitars--the Roger McGuinn HD-7 and D-12-42RM--and his inimitable jangly fretwork has made the Rickenbacker electric 12-string one of the world's best-recognized sounds. We caught up with Roger at his home in New York. In his humble, laid-back manner, he talked freely about the early days when he walked with giants and became one in the process. Be sure to tune in next week when McGuinn gets down to the nuts and bolts of his gear and his very public fight for Internet music. Question: You studied at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago? Roger McGuinn: Yeah. Q: What did that training consist of? Did you have to learn theory? RM: There was some theory but there was more practical experience. It was pretty much a one-to-one teaching experience with Frank Hamilton, who was in the Weavers. Frank would sit across from a few of us and show us a couple of licks. We'd learn 'em and we'd write them down. It would usually be in conjunction with a song. You'd learn the whole song with a picking pattern--like Travis picking or maybe a five-string banjo roll or something like that--take it home and work on it a couple of days, and come back. It was informal but it was very, very educational. I learned a whole lot of different licks and styles--how to play claw banjo and 12-string guitar and all kinds of different things from it. Q: How long had that school been going on when you went there? RM: Oh, it had just opened up that year. I was one of the first students there. It's still around now. Q: That's great. Did you have any theoretical background in any other context? In school or . . . RM: In school I had music classes and they taught us some theory but it wasn't really important to me to learn a lot of theory. I was more of a hands-on play-it-by-ear kind of artist. My interest was in playing music and not learning about the nuts and bolts of it. Q: You did a few recording sessions around LA in the early '60s. Were you a regular session guy there for awhile? RM: No. I wasn't really a regular session guy in LA, I was more in New York. I did quite a few sessions in New York around '62 and '63. I worked on Judy Collins and Tom and Jerry, which later turned into Simon & Garfunkel. Q: Do you remember that date? RM: Well, they wanted the 12-string, so they hired me. I came in and sat there and the track was already recorded. So I was just an overdub. Q: Were either of them there? Or was it just you? RM: I don't think they were there. I wouldn't have known them, they weren't famous then. Q: Right. [laughs] RM: I don't know if they were there or not. [laughs] Q: So you were already playing the electric 12-string? RM: No . . . well it was an acoustic 12-string. I may have had a pickup in it but I'm not sure. I think I was just using it acoustically miked at that point. Q: In those days was your session work mostly guitar or did you also get called in for other jobs? RM: I did guitar and banjo. I wasn't known as a vocalist. I was known as an instrumental musician. Q: At the time you started putting folk songs to a Beatles beat in the Village in the early '60s, did you know of anybody else who was doing the same thing, or were you the first guy doing that? RM: I was the first guy doing that. Actually it came out of my experience working for Bobby Darin's publishing company in the Brill building. The Beatles came out and my instructions were to listen to the radio and write songs like the ones that were coming out. So I started experimenting with the Beatle beat and putting it to various folk songs that I knew. I took it down to Greenwich Village and played it for the people down there. They weren't really into it, you know, because they're kind of purist in folk music. They thought it was kind of bubblegummy or something. One guy who owned one the coffee houses put a sign outside that said "Beatle Imitations." [general laughter] It was kind of embarrassing. So, I left town. That's when I went to LA. I got a gig at the Troubadour doing pretty much the same thing. That's where I ran into Gene Clark. He and I had a shared interest in The Beatles, which was unusual for folk people. I remember telling John Phillips about The Beatles and he put it down like it was lightweight stuff. The folkies didn't get it. Q: When you were doing this were you feeling like you were onto something? I mean, did you have any idea what was going to happen? RM: Yes, I did. I knew I was onto something, for a couple of reasons. Dion came over to where I was living in the Village. Bobby Darin had sent him around because Dion was looking for a guitar player to do some gigs with. He came up and hung out with me for a while and I showed him what I was into. He said, "Hey, that's really . . . You're onto something there." And I said, "Well, I'm just sort of doing The Beatles." He said, "No, no, man, you're not. You're doing your own thing. This is really different." So, that was a good sign. Then, I was walking down Bleeker Street and I saw a couple of club owners talking. They said, "What we need is four of him." I went, "Oh, right." So that was kind of the spark there that showed me I was definitely onto something. Q: And how old were you at that point? RM: I was 20, 21. Q: Wow. RM: Twenty-one I went out to LA. I was 22 when the Byrds hit. Q: When did your aspiration change from just playing a little bit to thinking about being a musician for life?
RM: That was in 1960 when I was hired by the Limeliters. They were having a jam session down at the Gate of Horn folk club in Chicago. And I would go there. I had a coffee house gig up the street on Rush Street. And after I got done with that I would walk down to the Gate of Horn and I had my guitar and banjo with me. I walked into the Gate of Horn and Theodore Bikel and Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarborough were all having a jam session. And Alex Hassilev said, "What you got there, kid?" and I said, "I got a banjo and a guitar." He said, "Break out the banjo. We've already have 3 guitars going." So I did and I played with them till five o'clock in the morning, which was closing time. And at that point he said, "We're planning to do a record and Glenn here doesn't like to play the guitar. He likes just to sing. So we want somebody to back him up." And, I thought "great." He said, "Would you like a job?" And I said "Sure!" So he said, "Okay, meet us tomorrow at one o'clock at Mr. Kelly's for an audition." So, I went home and didn't sleep much. I went over to Mr. Kelly's and auditioned for 'em and they said, "You got the job, when can you start?" And I said, "Well, I get out of high school in June." [laughs] They said, "Wow, you're in high school, huh? Well, you know, when you get out we'll send you a plane ticket." So I said okay. I went back to school, this was probably in the middle of winter, somewhere like February or March and I kind of forgot about it. But June came around and they sent me a plane ticket. And I went out to LA and recorded with them on RCA, a record called Tonight: In Person with the Limeliters. That was my first professional gig. Before that I had just been playing coffee houses. Q: And you were hooked at that point? RM: Well, I knew that was what I wanted to do, yeah. Q: Why didn't you stay with the Limeliters? RM: They didn't really need me anymore. They just wanted me on the album, just as a backup. Q: How long did you stay in LA after that? RM: Not long. I hung out and met David Crosby and he and I went up to Santa Barbara and hung out for a couple of weeks. Then I went up to San Francisco because I heard about the Hungry I and the scene up there. I wanted to see that, so I went up and was hanging around San Francisco and I met the Kingston Trio and actually auditioned for them. They were looking for a replacement for Dave Guard but I was a little too young and didn't sing loud enough for them. Anyway, I got an offer from the Chad Mitchell Trio to be a backup musician for them. So, I started doing that and I worked with them for a while. And then after that I went with Bobby Darin. Q: So from the minute you got out of high school you were making a living as a musician? RM: Yeah, yeah. I never had to do anything else. Q: That's great. When you met David Crosby, was it totally a social thing or did you guys get together and play? RM: He wasn't much of a player at that point, he was an actor when I met him at the Ash Grove and he played a little guitar. But I showed him some stuff. He was still learning. And we hung out, we got to know each other and he was a nice guy. I liked him at the time and so we hung out for awhile. Q: At that time did you guys have any inkling you were going to make a band? RM: No, not in 1960. In fact, there were just folk groups. Rock bands were something else. We weren't interested in that. We were just into making folk music--mostly in folk music clubs, like the Ash Grove and the Troubadour and the Hungry I, the Village Gate, the Gate of Horn in Chicago. There were about six or seven places around the country that had clubs. Q: At what point did you start writing? I mean doing your own songs? RM: I started writing around '62, I think. I was in living in New York. And met Mike Settle, who was a waiter. He was in the First Edition with Kenny Rogers. But at that point he was a singer. He was a solo artist and he was singing around at the Bitter End when I met him. He and I wrote some songs. That was my first experience with songwriting. Q: What was the first song that you wrote? RM: It was a Christmas song, called "Early Christmas Morn." I don't even know it anymore, but it was the first song we wrote. I remember we took it up to Al Brackman at TRO music on Columbus Circle and signed a contract with him and in the contract it said we were supposed to get a dollar. And I said where's my dollar? [laughs] He said, "Nobody ever asked me that before." But he pulled out his wallet and gave me a dollar. [laughs] Q: What was the first song you wrote that really had a lasting impression? RM: I think it was when I was working at the Brill Building with Bobby Darin. But he didn't write it with me. I wrote it with Frank Gari. Frank Gari and I wrote this song called "Beach Ball." It got up to number six in Australia. It was done by Jimmy Hannan. He was an Australian variety show host, singer, and entertainer. Bobby and I recorded it as the City Surfers on Capitol. [laughs] Q: About the end of your time with the Chad Mitchell Trio, you opened for Lenny Bruce. Did you get a chance to hang out with him at all? RM: I did. I met him a little. I didn't talk much, but I saw him and I admired him. He was kind of a hero. Q: What kind of a guy was he personally? RM: He was very cool. He was a hipster. He was one of those very hip people. Like meeting Jack Kerouac or something. Q: [laughs] That's cool. Your song "Turn, Turn, Turn" is one of the few songs out there with such a direct Biblical lift. How did you come to perform it?
RM: The history of that song is Pete Seeger wrote it. He was at his publishing company, his publisher's office in New York. And the publisher said, "Pete, you gotta stop writing these protest songs because I can't sell them." And Pete said, "Well, you've got the wrong songwriter 'cause that's all I do is write protest songs." But Pete remembered that he had written down some little notes. He was thumbing through the Bible one day and he saw this thing that caught his attention. He wrote down some notes on "to everything there's a season and a time to every purpose under heaven," and he developed it into a poem. He kind of changed it around a little bit. But he added that little zinger at the end, "The time for peace, I swear it's not too late," so it was kind of a protest song. [laughs] He took it back to his publisher and the guy said, "That's great. That's good. We can use that." So Pete did it in concert and that's where I heard it. I used to go to all Pete's concerts. And then Judy Collins did it on her third album. I was the musical director on that album. So I knew the song from there and then when the Byrds were already going, we had a hit with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Somebody asked me if I knew "Turn, Turn, Turn" and I did. I started playing sort of a rock version of it instead of a folk version. And that's the way we recorded it. Columbia Records wasn't going to release it; they were kind of scared of it because of the Biblical connotation. But Terry Melcher, rest his soul, was really in love with the track, he thought it was great. So he took it up and down the California coast to all the DJs and they started playing it locally. It got to be a regional hit in California and gradually spread across the country. So Columbia was forced to release it because it was a hit already. Q: What a great song! It's one of your favorites, right? RM: Yeah, I love the song. It's a really good melody and I like what it says. Q: Did you ever hear any feedback directly from Bob Dylan regarding what you did with "Mr. Tambourine Man"? RM: Yeah sure. Actually he gave us feedback before we even recorded it. He came to our rehearsal studio and he and Bobby Neuwirth were hanging out there. We played a few songs for him and at one of the songs, he said, "What was that?" and I said, "That's one of your songs, man." [laughs] He said, "I didn't recognize it." He didn't recognize it. [laughs] So they liked it, they gave us their approval right away. Q: It's been said that the Byrds had a huge impact on him in getting Dylan into more electric music. RM: Well, you know, he's a bright guy. He was hearing The Beatles and the Stones, too. So, I'm sure it was only a matter of time. But we were probably a catalyst to get him to go that direction, yeah. Q: It's kind of cool how everybody was influencing everybody else so heavily in those days. RM: I know, it was great. Yeah, even the Byrds influenced The Beatles a little bit with "If I Needed Someone." That was kind of a cool thing. We did a riff on the Byrds, "The Bells of Rhymney" and George Harrison liked it so much he wrote "If I Needed Someone" based on that lick. Q: Wow! [laughs] RM: It was really cool. Q: You met The Beatles. RM: Yeah, we met The Beatles. We hung out with them, we got to be friends with them. Q: Was that pretty cool? RM: It was great. It was . . . are you kidding . . . it was incredible! [laughs] Q: They were huge already so that would've been monumental even right then, huh? RM: Yeah, it was. It was, I mean, six months before we met them we were on the street kind of starving and then we got this catapult into fame and got to meet The Beatles and hang out with them and it was a wonderful time. They were always the big stars, you never lost sight of that. But George and I hung out and we exchanged guitar licks and it turned out that he and I were into the same riff on the same song around the same time. It was the lead break on the flip side of Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-A-Lula"--a song called "Woman Love." So we had a lot in common. We were coming from the same place, like a rockabilly background and then they had done a skiffle thing. So they were kind of folkies too. George and John were my favorite Beatles. We really got along okay. First thing Lennon said to me, "What's with those little glasses?" Q: [general laughter] Listening to Back from Rio I was really struck by how much Tom Petty's been influenced by your music. He was on that record, wasn't he? RM: Yeah, he was. He and I wrote "King of the Hill" together. We were on tour over in Europe with Dylan. And we'd just read John Phillips' autobiography. We thought that would be good material for a song, so we wrote "King of the Hill." Q: You guys hung out a lot? RM: Yeah we used to hang out a lot when I was living in LA. I used to go over to his place all the time. Q: So it was a very direct influence. How did you come up with "Mr. Spaceman?" RM: I was sitting in my living room looking out a the front lawn and I was kind of bored and I thought it would be really cool if a flying saucer landed out there [laughs] and took me for a ride. So, it was just a goofy concept that hit me. Q: But it never landed? RM: No, it didn't. Q: [laughs] That's good to know. RM: Still waiting. Interview provided by musiciansfriend.com |
Recommended Listening - A Must For Your Collection!
|
Classified Ads...from our all important advertisers.
The following are great supporters of our Guitar Musician E-zine, so please
take a moment to check them out.
Facts Revealed Inside This Free 325 Page Ebook.
Thinking of starting your own online homebased
business? Don't pay a dime for any ebook, marketing
course, software program or anything else until
you've read this groundbreaking document first.
http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-10565/dotcomology.html
MAKE PROFITS ONLINE.
Looking to run an online business and benefit from a worldwide
marketplace? Then www.mibigbreak.com has all the information
and free advice you need to start making great profits online
from the comfort of your own home. If you have a business plan
then we have the information you need to maximise your profits
and reduce your hassle. http://www.mibigbreak.com
HIT
THE JACKPOT AT THE HOTTEST ONLINE CASINOS!!
97% Payout with bonus wagers up to $110 free to start! Poker,
Blackjack, Slots, Roulette and all of your favorite casino games.
Lifelike sounds and 3D video! GO NOW:
http://www.casinohotshots.com
BECOME AN OWNER!
"Are you tired of NOBODY reading your ads?"
Are you tired of nobody opening up your safelist emails?"
Would you like to finally learn how to properly
advertise on the internet?"
Click here==> http://ad-tracker.biz/t/c/r.php?id=7068
"Launch Your Own Niche Network!" "Are You Sick And
Tired Of Internet Marketing Schemes That Just Don't Work?".
Do You Find Yourself "Buying Into" Product After Product
And Still Find Yourself Saying "I Just Don't Get It!".
You can stop that vicious circle, right here, right
now! http://tinyurl.com/bnezj
WOULD YOU LIKE SPENDING MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY?
Working home allows you this freedom. Join us and learn
advantages of real homework. Our extraordinary
opportunity makes you happy and rich person.
Team up: http://www.bestsafeinvest.com/index.php?r=1004
I WANT YOU TO IMAGINE - Imagine never having
to work for anyone again and be financially set for the
rest of your life. DO NOT wait another second, let me
show you exact steps to make your dreams come true,
and let me do it for FREE! Email any questions.
mailto:stylerwilson@yahoo.com
http://www.envizns.com
A REAL OPPORTUNITY for you & your family!
Looking for a home business opportunity? You must be
coachable and trainable to qualify for our immediate
training. Have a strong desire to make more $$$ than
anyone in 6-12 months? We do it ! So can you !
Allen/Patti 800-840-1611
http://www.stargatetosuccess.net
HOME BUSINESS TIPS, TOOL AND OPPORTUNITIES.
Smart-HomeBiz.com's "Home Business Tips Newsletter"
is filled with tips, tools and opportunities for
building a successful homebased online business!
http://www.Smart-HomeBiz.com
Unlimited FREE Business Opportunity Leads-GUARANTEED.
Freenetleads.com will provide you with the tools to
generate your own Unlimited Free Business Opportunity.
Leads - Zero cost, Zilch, Nada. Guaranteed.
Absolutely No Cost Whatsoever.
Let us show you Now!
http://resultstracker.net/t.php?id=52084
Marketers Needed to Help With Huge Downline....
Jump aboard new matrix build developed by heavy
hitter used to making big residuals. Backed by great
company & superior products. Learn how from the big
boys. So awesome, I'll pay your way. Have more
qualified leads than I can possibly handle.
http://simurl.com/027
$200-$500 per week from home.
Many home based positions now available.
Real home based jobs not biz ops.
For full details and job vacancies please visit us:
http://tinyurl.com/d96n2
Needed: Heavy Hitters Wanting to Make Big Bucks...
Join our new fast moving matrix, built by marketers
for Marketers with over 10,000 members in our first
month. Plenty of qualified leads for downline, more
than we can handle. Desperately need your help now.
I will even pay for you to join. www.simurl.com/028
Attention all work- at -home Moms and Dads: Are you sick
and tired of not having enough money and living paycheck to
paycheck? Let us show you a solid debt free company where
you control the hours. "If there was a way in which I could
show you how to make anywhere from a few hundred dollars
to a thousand a month, would this be worth 7 minutes? "
http://www.freedom.ws/freeenterprise
Get
$$$$$ FREE - NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED!
Play
FREE Casino Games NOW
Click Here
'$2 Bucks an Ad'
The majority
of Internet marketers are working within a fairly
tight budget, and very likely, you are among them. If you're searching
for the most cost-effective form of promotion you can find...
Your Search Is Over - you've FOUND it!
Minimum order just $10
Click here for complete information!
You can now check out 'what
happened on this day in history' as well as 'tell a few of your
friends' about
the site with just a click of the button. Try it. It's fun!
http://www.guitarmusician.com
Until Next Time,
whistle while you work,
Guitar Musician
To be removed from this newsletter
mail list, please click on the following link:
Unsubscribe
The difference between this Gibson pickup and the Epiphone humbucker was immediately, dramatically apparent. It had way more personality, in-your-face bite, and organic response. As with all the Gibson pickups, this one generated a certain natural core of tone, a ringing bark that scratches some subliminal itch for me. I can't define it exactly but I can tell right away whether a pickup has it or not. All of these Gibson pickups definitely had it. This Burstbucker is a historically accurate reproduction of the first "Patent Applied For" humbucker that originally appeared on the Les Paul in 1955. The Alnico 2 magnet and unbalanced coil windings produced an airy tone with a bit of extra edge as compared to a 
This was definitely my favorite of all the Gibson pickups. It's rounder with more midrange than the Burstbucker. You don't expect a pickup in the bridge position on a low-end LP Special to crank out bold, full jazz tone, but surprisingly the Iommi pulls it off with a well-defined and pronounced bass. Distorted, the Iommi was spookily Black Sabbath sounding. "Iron Man" came out of my guitar of its own accord with that sizzling sustain Tony loves. It made my Goldtone sound like a Marshall--big, bold, and fat, but not without edge. It definitely brought out the heavy rocker in me.
The super-high output of the 
Since humbuckers have always held my primary allegiance, I was surprised to find I liked this humbucker-sized replica of the original Gibson P-90 so much. On the clean channel, it produced fuller bass and a better jazz tone than any single-coil I've ever played (on a solidbody). It generated a really thick tone for a single-coil but still delivered brilliant single-coil clarity. When crunched, it gets a very vintage Beatles-style tone. It also gets a nice country twang without the piercing edge. Its fat, clean chunk is great for vintage blues leads as well.
This is a wilder cousin to the Burstbucker. With an Alnico 5 magnet, it generated bold bass, fat mids, cutting highs, and a complex tone with lots going on. In a distorted lead mode it produced more high harmonics than the regular Burstbucker. Combined with the mids, the result was an effervescent river of tone--a huge anthemic stadium sound with amazing sustain. It responded eagerly to picking dynamics and every subtle hand technique. The trebles came right out when I picked harder and expressive bends didn't get lost in the sauce.
