Get The Latest Guitar News and Software At Hitsquad

Here is a cool site for guitarist.I have used it for some good free VST and DX plug ins.Their list of free and shareware is pretty extensive.Also,they have started a new section that has music news.It covers a wide range of subjects including news for guitarist.Here are a few of the latest headers...
1.History of the Pickup
2.Mastering With Mike Wells, Pt. 3: All About Loudness
3.Shootout: Luther Drive vs Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
4.16 Guitar Recording Tips From The Stars
5.London Guitar Show 2009 Line-up Announced
6.Pete Anderson Signature Guitar Giveaway
7.Review of Fender Jim Root Telecaste
8.Solderless installation from EMG Pickups
9.Bugera 6262 Amp Review
...To get the detail of each header here is the link... http://news.hitsquad.com/
...Software... http://news.hitsquad.com/

Ten Miles Davis Tips for Guitarists - Premier Guitar

Here is a great set of tips Miles Davis applied for himself,but can be used by guitarist as well.We all know the beauty and complexity of Miles Davis.This is some great stuff,and to get the details of each,browse on over to a great guitar site,Premier Guitar,to read them...
Ten Miles Davis Tips for Guitarists
1. Play Lyrically

2. Experiment with Boundaries

3. Appreciate the Ballad

4. Don’t Dwell on the Past

5. Utilize Non-Notes

6. Consider the Art of Spontaneity

7. Be a Talent Scout

8. Regard Music as “In the Moment”

9. Share What Fascinates You

10. Be Like Sinatra

Premier Guitar... http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/Daily/News/SXSW_Ten_Miles_Davis_Tips_for_Guitarists.aspx
Miles... http://www.milesdavis.com/
Miles at MySpace... http://www.myspace.com/milesdavis

Quick Music Fact....Setting The Intonation

Let's talk about setting the intonation on your guitar.Intonation keeps the guitar sounding in tune while playing an open chord to playing a chord on the upper frets.Or from playing an open string to fretting it,say,on the 12th fret.To do this you need an electronic tuner.You will do each string individually.Ok....plug your guitar into the tuner,select your bridge pick up position.This position helps to bring out the harmonic you will be playing on the 12th fret.Now,starting with the 6th string, play a harmonic on the 12th fret(do this by lightly placing your finger over the 12th fret WIRE of the 6th string,(barely press down),this will create an E note harmonic.Next..fret or normally play the note on the 12th fret.OK...the fretted note should be the same pitch,on your tuner,as the harmonic note.If the fretted note is flat in pitch(to the left of middle on your tuner),move the bridge saddle forward (towards the neck) and if the fretted note is sharp (to the right of middle on tuner) move the bridge saddle back,or away from the pick ups.Do this for each string and your guitar will be in tune all the way up the neck,and while playing open chords.Whew....another "quick" music fact!

Motowns Drummer Uriel Jones Passes

Jones, the last surviving drummer in the Motown session band known as the Funk Brothers, was stricken in mid-February but had been showing signs of improvement, said his sister-in-law Leslie Coleman. He relapsed last Tuesday, and died at Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center in Dearborn, she told Reuters.
Jones came to Motown in 1964 after touring with Gaye, and recorded for Motown's enfant terrible on "Ain't That Peculiar," "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
"Uriel's drum sound was the most open and laid-back, and he was the funkiest of the three guys we had," said Motown arranger Paul Riser. "He had a mixed feel and did a lot of different things well.""Uriel's drum sound was the most open and laid-back, and he was the funkiest of the three guys we had," said Motown arranger Paul Riser. "He had a mixed feel and did a lot of different things well."
Uriel Jones - After touring with Marvin Gaye and various Motown road shows in the early '60s, Uriel became a Hitsville session player in 1964. Originally expected to be a Benny Benjamin clone (which he mastered as much as any human possibly could), Uriel quickly showed Motown's producers and arrangers that he had something else to offer: he rocked harder than any of the other drummers in the building. Motown arranger Paul Riser explains, "Uriel's drum sound was the most open and laid back and he was the funkiest of the three guys we had. He had a mixed feel and did a lot of different things well."
Uriel was an indispensable component of producer Norman Whitfield's "psychedelic soul" recordings with the Temptations, and Ashford and Simpson's Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell duets were all fueled by his slammin' drum grooves. Joined at the hip with Earl Van Dyke for the next three decades, Uriel was the main drummer when the Funk Brothers performed at the Chit Chat club, the Twenty Grand, and the other venues they frequented during Detroit's booming nightlife scene of the '60s.
...Born: Detroit, MI in 1934
Nicknames: Possum
Musical Influences: Benny Benjamin, Art Blakey
Instruments Played: A studio set comprised of Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers, and Gretsch components
Greatest Performances: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," "Cloud Nine," "Ain't No
Mountain High Enough"
... http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE52O0Q520090325
... http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/%25A5Artist%2520GIF%2520Images/JamesJamersonUrielJones.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Funk%2520Brothers.html&h=198&w=256&sz=16&tbnid=m2I3ndztNV1ETM::&tbnh=86&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3DUriel%2BJones%2BPictures&hl=en&usg=__nXKK7kdsjSfaOqyQmfZFn0fhvqw=&ei=pvXJSY-vMqTYygXXxIjGAw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image&cd=1
....picture credit...Uriel Jones @ drum set...www.pbase.com/carterdog/image/42879104

The Many Moods Of Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani shows his versatility and soulfullness in this video at the Montreux Jazz Festival.Quite honestly i have not listened to Satriani much recently.But, i came across this video and wow,the guy has a lot of soul playing going on here...emotion.Yes he is a technician,but he is also playing with a lot of emotion also.So listen,look and grab a few nuggets out of this video...
... http://www.satriani.com/

Greg Howe On Improv Ruts and Improv Tips

4/18/2009 2:00 PM at ....Raleigh Music Academy
Raleigh, North Carolina 27616
Cost:
Greg Howe Masterclass/Clinic....For more information please visit: http://raleighmusicacademy.com/greghowe.html Attend the masterclass and be entered into a drawing to win a Port City 1x12 cabinet in red and black and BB Preamp from Xotic Effects

Greg Howe Has New Column At Premier Guitar Site

Greg Howe is one of my favorite guitarist....right now :-)!And the good news is he has a new column starting up at Premier Guitars web site,one of my favorite web sites.Greg Howe has soo many tricks up his sleeve,along with versatility....wow!I am sure the articles will be very inspiring,to say the least.So,i highly recommend checking him and his column out,along with visiting a great guitar site,Premier Guitar...
... http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2009/Apr/What_is_Shred.aspx
... http://www.premierguitar.com/Main/Default.aspx
... http://www.myspace.com/greghoweguitarist

Give Solo Some Spanish Flair Using The Natural Minor Scale

Let's talk about giving a Spanish flair or sound to your soloing.This can be done using the Natural Minor scale.Think of a Carlos Santana type sound with this scale.
A good key to start with is the key of A.With no sharps of flats,it will be the following notes... A-B-C-D-E-F and G.This scale fits over the minor chord,in this case,the A minor chord.a good way to hear the relation of the two is to strum the chord then play the scale.Of course recording the Am chord being strummed,then playing the natural minor scale along with the recorded strum track is the better way.And ideally recording both parts and simply listenening to the relationship of the two is by far the best way to hear the relationship!A chord progression to play this scale over would be Am to Dm to Em and back to Am .... /Am/Dm/Em/Am/..So,get the ol' axe out,check the the notes for the different keys,and learn the scale in the key of A(no sharps or flats),then some other guitar related keys like D,E and G...
Natural Minor Scale...(The A Natural minor scale fingering)and,of course,this fingering can be moved to play in ALL the keys :-)isn't the guitar really player friendly!!!
A = A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A
D = D - E - F - G - A - Bb - C - D
E = E - F# - G - A - B - C - D - E
G = G - A - Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G

Paul Reed Smith Custom 24

The Real Deal On Getting Your Music Played On The Radio

http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=13706

This link is to a great movie i just watched,"Before the Music Dies".It speaks of music and how the radio stations determine who goes in the rotation and who does not.Also speaks of the changes in radio ownership and radio station purchases.,formatting,advertising,and more.This movie has a lot of great musicians speaking on the subject.A must see for the young,inspiring songwriter/musician!This movie is on HULU,a great free movies and tv shows site from Yahoo.
http://www.hulu.com/videos/search?query=Before+the+Music+Dies

John McLaughlin & ,Paco DeLucia Playing...Spain

This is a Flamenco guitarist treat.Paco DeLucia is one of the finest Flamenco guitarist around,and John McLaughlin,say no more.This clip is a real treat,it unites two of the better guitarist on the planet.

John Mclaughlin On Johnny Carson Show

John McLaughlin is one of my favorite guitarist,this clip is "old"!And the Johnny Carson Band,well,say no more,they are smokin too!Listen to the horn lines and you will agree.And for John,well,this is nice,in the sense,John is showing his jazzier side.

Prince's New Web Site and 3 New CD's

The man Prince has 3 new cd's coming out,along with a new web site,to be up on March 29.The 3 cd's will be sold at Target and also will be available for download on his new site.Here are links and an earlier post i did on the 3 cd's. post And thanks to Newsweek for the pix used here....
...http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/popvox/archive/2009/03/13/exclusive-new-details-on-prince-s-online-venture-live-dates-photos-and-more.aspx
...http://pitchfork.com/news/34736-prince-to-sell-three-cd-set-through-target/
...web site...http://lotusflow3r.com/
...earlier post...http://guitaranswers.blogspot.com/2009/01/prince-plans-3-albums-for-2009.html

What..Joe Pass playing a Fender Jaguar

Thanks for the heads up..http://www.jazzguitarblog.com/
a great site for jazz guitar

Dressing Up Your Guitar...Knobs and Pickguards

Ha Everyone....a good way to NOT go and spend a lot of money on a new guitar,is by dressing up the guitar(s) you presently own.This is o-so-true now,with the price increases going on!I always liked replacing my pickguards and knobs,it's fun,easy and really dresses up an ordinary or plain looking guitar.The pearloid pickguards always adds a nice fresh look,along with a new set of knobs.
So here are some pix and some links to guitar parts sites...
Thanks to AllPartrs and WDMusic for the pix...
ALLPARTS... http://www.allparts.com/
WDmusic... http://www.wdmusic.com/
Stewart-MacDonald... http://www.stewmac.com/

For The Curious

What Musicians Are Saying About Fender Price Increase

Here is what some musicians are saying about the new Fender prices.And i will add as i come across more...
"I was going to get the 62 vintage P bass when it was $1500 last month. Its now like $1950 which is a joke"! ...
"Ive been looking for a Geddy Lee Jazz and they went from $750 to over a grand. To Craigslist I will go"!!
"Its really hard to spend my money on a Fender product right now. I actually bought a HSS Deluxe Strat last month and it is like $300.00 more this month. That is a joke".
"they can have it and let the folks who have to buy new pay for it"
"i don't buy new guitars, so this doesn't affect me one bit
the used market is great right now"!
"You probably can count on new guitar prices going up, and Gibson will likely be the increase leader, if historical trends are a valid indicator".
"Strats are considerably more than they were not that long ago.
Fender has always been more conservative on the increases than Gibson though".
"I would love to buy a new Gibson, but they have priced themselves way out of my budget.....and even if I could afford a new one, I would be too scared to take it out of the house for fear it would get damaged".....
"I am damn mad. I love Fender guitars and amps. I own 4 Fender guitars and 2 fender amps"...
"I know!!!! I couldn't believe it either. Been looking at getting a '62 RI Jazzmaster, but they can forget it. I'm not gonna pay two grand for it. Nor am I going to pay over a grand for a Mexican made Jazzmaster (even if the hardware was made of 24k gold!). They'll come back to reality if enough people boycott. How can we "Buy American" if this is what American companies are doing? Get real Fender"...
"If any of you have been frustrated by the MAP pricing from Fender and their insane price increases along their entire line along with their main competitor Gibson, please go to

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

and register a complaint for FTC to investigate a price-fixing/collusion possibility between Fender and Gibson. This only takes a few minutes and the wizard there will guide you through the process. I believe there is already an investigation by several states on Fender price fixing policies.

I have always been a Fender man and have never played anything else but I am not happy with the corporate practices of Fender.

Thanks "...
..."I just noticed they jacked the prices up on their amps too. $1199.99 for a DRRI. I bought one new 3 years ago for $729".