Happy Thanksgiving.

Hope all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving...Greg

Gibsons New "Robot" Guitar

I got a recent email from a friend and he provided me a link to a Gibson guitars page.To say the least it was an interesting link.It appears Gibson is soon to release a Les Paul style guitar with auto tuning,different preset tunings(including Jimmy Page and other guitarist,tunings...cool)and,yes more,an auto intonation adjustment.I have seen something similiar in the past that tunes your guitar automatically,BUT,it was a seperate device and hand held.But,on the Gibson robot guitar,all is built into the guitar....hum.There are several videos showing this in action...pretty cool.I like the auto tunings that are more or less "presets" that are set for different songs by different well known guitarist.Really,i guess,this is geared toward the more beginner to intermediate guitarist.And there is a competition to,i guess,win one of these robot Gibsons.You simply submit a personal video to Gibson,and the ones i saw were cool,and the winner gets a "First Run Limited Edition Gibson Robot Guitar".And,of course,these videos have been showing up on YouTube.Anyway...here is the link to the Gibson robot guitar.This link takes you to a demonstration/manual.And don't forget to check out the submitted videos,they are cool and funny!
http://www.gibson.com/robotguitar/guitar.html

For The Curious

The Future

Live from Daryls House

Live from Daryls House is set to debut November 15 at 8PM Eastern, exclusively on http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/. Following the webcast, the episode will be available on demand any time through the website.
Among the guests scheduled to stop by as Daryl debuts some of his new songs are Matchbox Twentys Rob Thomas, Gym Class Heroes Travis McCoy, Flight of the Conchords Bret and Jemaine as well as partner John Oates and longtime band member T-Bone Wolk.
I thought i would change gears on this one!You ask...how is this related to guitar?Well,it is and it isn't!The gist of this is really to inform guitarist and musicians that the above is really the wave of the future.And what i am talking about is musician/internet/promotion.Though the above is now being tapped into,that is,producing and airing your own personal show via the net,it is only the tip of the iceberg!We are really just now seeing this start to take hold.Now that most people have a broadband connection it is really going to happen.I have already seen where a couple of groups have,through their web site,offered a free/live/online concert and got record breaking audiences.This new realm of promotion is really going to change the music industry,just wait and watch.Oh...and,btw,the guitarist for Hall and Oats,is a great all around/r&b guitarist,and needless to say,headed the Saturday Night Live band for years!

Guitar Strings

Like picks,there are different type strings also. They make particular strings for electric and acoustic guitars.The string "sets"are of different "gauges".Normally the gauges are smaller or "thinner"for electric guitars than acoustics.And the materials used are usually different.And the materials used for both guitars can also change the 'tone"or sound of the guitar.For the electric guitar most use a "light"gauge string and for the acoustic guitar they choose a medium or heavier gauge set of strings.If you play electric and do a lot of "bends",you may prefer a lighter gauge.But if you play jazz and do not bend the notes a lot,you would use a heavier gauge string.The heavier the gauge,the more solid or rounded and clearer the notes or chords sound.A thinner string gauge has a thinner tone to them.The choice again is strictly a personal choice though!For electric guitars the string material is usually nickel,and on acoustic,it may be bronze or phospher.Again the choice is a personal one.

Playing Funk Guitar...Chucking

Chucking is a technique that funk guitarist use.What you do is,with your left hand,lay it across all or most of the strings and strum while only sounding out the note(s) you are fretting or playing(make sure you are not muting the note(s)you are fretting!).This gives you a fatter sound than say,picking the one string for that one note.And remember to be patient and not to get frustrated at first!And,go out and grab,or download, some old 70's and 80's funk tunes,you will hear this technique being used all over the place.

Don't Drop The Pick

When playing finger picking style,i pick with the pick and my other three fingers,M(iddle),R(ing) and P(inkie).This way you don't have to stop and drop or pick up the pick and you can also have the pick available for fills and runs.Another thing is to "tuck"the pick into the palm of your hand and to "pull"the string being played,or to like "pop"it.This is a twangy sound or country style.You can also combine the pick and your middle finger.holding the pick with I(ndex) and M(iddle)fingers,and do quick runs,alternating between your pick and your middle finger and evenR(ing) finger(s).This is a really cool sound,funky and twangy! Remember to start off at a slow tempo then steadily increase.This is a really cool sound so i highly recommend all guitarist getting this technique down.
And don't forget you can apply this to regular finger style playing and arpeggios.
To learn more techniques and guitar answers,you can go to my personal site at
http://www.freewebs.com/gguitar/ under "Music Tips"

Delay Effect

Delay can be tricky with just a pedal.This is because,in order for the delay to sound right it needs to be set to the tempo of the song.A pedal has limited settings to do this,although some multi effects pedals now have it where you can "tap"the delay time into it prior to playing the effect. This allows you to correctly set the delay time to the tempo of the song.It is nice to have a parameter adjustment,within the unit,that has a delay time adjustment and then be able to store that setting,for later recall.
For solos a"slap back"delay is a good general setting to use.Delay does not work well for rythem guitar though.For slower songs,a nice long delay sounds good on a solo.The biggest fault i see with players using delay is,not having the delay time in sync with the tempo!This is a no,no.
Something new and cool is a "loop"pedal,check one out.You play a phrase,it records it,then just loops or repeats that phrase and you then play someting on top of the loop...cool.I use to do this with an Echoplex,which was tape driven,not digital.

Notes On The Fretboard

I hope this helps the beginnning to intermediate guitarist develop some type system of learning and memorizing the notes on the fretboard.It can be quite a daunting experience to the beginner.I have found the "box" system works quite well in learning and memorizing the fretboard.Maybe this will help some unlock the "mystery" of the fretboard!
The guitar is not visual like the piano,so it is a bit tricky when it comes to developing a system to learn the notes.I like the idea of the "box"system.It also speeds up the learning process,i think.This can also be applied to helping to play scales on the neck.Look at the fretboard as having boxes(a block) up and down the neck.In each area or box you have a two octave range.This will be by the note on sixth string and the same note,an octave higher,on the fourth string,and the same note again on the first string,or second octave.This can be done for each note,up or down the fretboard.Also remember,two of the six strings are the same name,an E note,so that makes it easier!
Look at the diagram below and notice the"box"with the 3 A notes(dots),and the straight vertical purple lines(2)before and after the dots.This is the 'box"area i am talking about.Learning the same note grouped in an area or box makes learning the fretboard a lot quicker...

Making Guitar Picks..... Again

Hi All,
There was such an overwhelming response from my post on making your own picks,i thought i would post again,but do it here and not have you go to several links to get the info.
I will mention several things here that will help in how it is done and with what.
The material chosen can be of plastic,metals(brass)and really any material that you can cut and file or sand to make the edges smooth!The material and thickness will have dramatic effects on the feel(playability) and tone.For a beginner player,the thinner and plastic will be easier to use.And for a more advanced player,they may prefer a thicker and smaller brass type and more pointed at the tip(s).Below will be listed how to(s)and some tips that will help in your decision on the material to choose and the shape to cut.I suggest starting by buying an assortment of picks(differnet materials and shapes,then playing with them(to find a favorite shape or two and the material),then making your own(fine tuning your preference).

1.Find an old plastic card(credit,gift...whatever).These will be in different thicknesses.
2.Trace the outline of an existing pick onto the plastic.
3.Cut out the shape of the guitar pick.
4.Use an emery board or a small scrap of fine sandpaper, smooth the edges of the pick.
5.Thats it......Play,Play,Play!!!!!!!!!!!!And don't be afraid to experiment with different shapes, materials and thicknesses.I may use several types in one night,depending on the guitar(electrics or acoustics) i am playing...so.

Guitar Picks come in so many shapes, sizes, materials, and thickness (gauge) that sometimes it's difficult to know which ones to choose. There are four main attributes of a guitar pick.
The shape of the tip
The thickness
The overall size
The material