keithdcourtney - Tumblr blog

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

5 Acoustic Guitar Fixes Using Super Glue

There are three or four different types of glue on your acoustic guitar right now, and one of them is super glue. While your acoustic guitar is a piece of woodworking mastery, and luthiers used refined techniques (and a host of tools!) to shape, bend, fit, and smooth those beautiful tone woods together… at the end of the day, the whole kit and caboodle is actually held together with glue.

First, A Little Background: Types of Glue Used in an Acoustic Guitar

Wood glue is used extensively on modern acoustic guitars to join wood-to-wood joints, such as joining the neck to the body, or binding, or sections of the body together.

Expanding wood glue is a popular choice by luthiers for the fretboard. The wood glue expands, filling cracks and crevices, firmly attaching the length of the fretboard to the neck.

Hide Glue is used more rarely on modern acoustics, but was the exclusive choice for early luthiers. So this glue is probably the only glue used if you own a vintage instrument. (Fun fact: hide glue often comes as small shavings of animal gelatin, which you have to heat with water yourself – you actually make the glue yourself!)

Super glue, surprisingly, is also used on acoustic guitar extensively. While super glue ranks right next to duct tape in the things-that-can-fix-anything-around-the-house category, it’s also helpful for guitars. Let’s take a look at how and why.

Wait, You Mean the Stuff At the Hardware Store?

Just to be clear, super glue is technically called “ethyl cyanoacrylate”, or just “cyanoacrylate”. Hence, the product names often include the letters “CA”, short for cyanoacrylate. We often see it in the store as Super Glue, Krazy Glue, Gorilla Glue, Hot Stuff, etc.

Super glue comes in a variety of viscosities, or thicknesses. We tend to think of those little super glue tubes we buy in the checkout aisle of the hardware store that I just mentioned. But, in fact, industrial grade super glues come in different sizes, viscosities, and even colors.

High quality super glues are also typically sold with applicators that attach to the nozzle. These applicators extend and narrow down so that you can apply the glue to very tiny, specific locations.

Why Super Glue for Acoustic Guitars?

Luthiers and guitar techs keep different types of glue on their bench for different reasons.

Super glue has gained in popularity because it has particular advantages:

It holds strong

It dries fast

It dries clear

It can wick into small cracks.

It sands easily

Quick Note: When Not to Use Super Glue!

As we’re going to point out in a minute, super glue is good for SPECIFIC tasks in guitar assembly and repair. But it’s not good for everything.

Because super glue is so strong, it’s not a good choice for any wood-to-wood joints. It would never be used to attach the neck to the body, for example. Removing a piece of wood from another that has been super-glued together will pull bits (possibly quite big bits!) of the wood out.

It also shouldn’t be used with plastics. The interaction between the chemicals can cause damage to the guitar.

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is not a “how to”, but if you rush out to fix your guitar with super glue, remember:

Work in a well-ventilated area. Asthma and breathing problems may arise in poorly-ventilated areas. An ideal place would be near an open window or in a porch.

Wear safety glasses. Even a tiny drop splashing onto your eyes would be very dangerous.

Open the container carefully and only after you are ready to work. Before opening it, hold it a safe distance from your face.

Don’t wear cotton and wool. All product indications state this because cotton and wool clothing may react with cyanoacrylate and cause a fire.

Wearing gloves is highly recommended. However, with or without gloves, never touch your face when you have glue on your fingers.

Always have a good solvent near and ready. You will need to clean your fingers or quickly clean any surface that the super glue may splash out.

5 Acoustic Guitar Fixes Using Super Glue

1. Fretboard Cracks

Fretboards can crack along the length of the neck if they dry out too much. To avoid this, you can make sure you use fingerboard oil on it once a year. But if there is a crack, super glue can be used to fill in the crack.

For a few more details on this process, and some tips on how to match a rosewood fingerboard color, check out this Strange Guitarworks post.

Type of Super Glue: Medium CA Glue

Starbond Medium CA Adhesive

View Product

2. Nut Placement

When seating the nut at the top of the fretboard, it’s helpful to use a little glue to keep it in place. This will keep it from moving, or falling out when you change strings.

If you’ve ever replaced the nut on your guitar, you may have experienced the same frustration I have: the previous person put glue on the BOTTOM of the nut. So when you remove the nut it tears bits of wood from the bottom of the groove. It’s better to seat the nut and then apply a drop of super glue to the FRONT of the nut, at the seam with the fretboard. For more details on that recommendation, see this article from Premier Guitar.

Type of Super Glue: Super Fast Thin Glue

Starbond Super Fast Thin Glue

View Product

3. Fret Seating

Frets may pop up in response to heat and humidity changes, which can alternately shrink the wood, loosening the fret, and then expand the wood, squeezing the fret out of the groove. If a fret on the fingerboard pops up, it can be pressed down and held into place using a small amount of thin super glue.

Have some cotton swabs and razor blade handy so you can clean up the glue completely. For tips on the process, see this article.

Type of Super Glue: Super Fast Thin Glue

Starbond Super Fast Thin Glue

View Product

4. Inlay Repair

Inlays are typically thin and delicate, but need a very strong attachment to the guitar. Particularly on the fretboard and around the soundhole where your hands are constantly applying pressure, sweat, and heat. A very thin super glue is the perfect solution (pun intended).

For more details on fixing an inlay with super glue, check out this excellent walkthrough by Guitar Repair Bench.

Type of Super Glue: Super Fast Thin Glue

Starbond Super Fast Thin Glue

View Product

5. Filling in Chips

We’re not talking about big chips here. But acoustic guitars often get small chips knocked off around the headstock or edges of the body. When this happens, it’s rare to actually have the chip of wood to put back in. Usually it’s a small, thin layer, and may even have been a series of small knicks that added up over time.

When this happens, you can actually fix this through a three-step process of: staining the exposed wood to the correct color, filling over it with super glue, and then sanding down to a smooth, matched finish.

For a nice walkthrough on this, see StewMac’s tutorial.

Type of Super Glue: Medium CA Glue

Starbond Medium CA Adhesive

View Product

Bonus: Accelerator

A super glue accelerator can be used with glues to make them dry faster. This is typically used with the heavier viscosity versions, or dyed versions, since these dry a bit slower.

An accelerator can also be used to prep a surface that may not bond as easily, or in cold and dry climates where bonding is slower.

An accelerator can also prevent the hazing that can happen when super glue’s actually dry too fast.

Starbond Super Glue Accelerator

View Product

Further Reading:

In addition to the recommended tutorial links listed above, here a few more articles that are helpful:

What is the Best type of Guitar Building Glue?

What Is The Best Glue For Guitar Building? (Luthier Glue Guide)

Repairing Acoustic Guitar With Super Glue

Glues Used in Guitar Repair

Guitar Shop 101: Using Super Glue In Guitar Repair

The post 5 Acoustic Guitar Fixes Using Super Glue appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

A Very Useful Gypsy Jazz Arpeggio (with TAB, picking, & fingering)

Today I’d like to share with you a very useful shape.

One of the most versatile arpeggios you can learn as a gypsy jazz guitarist is shown below.

The great thing about this shape is that you can use it to improvise over three chord-types.

For instance, in the example given above, if you treat the 3rd fret on the 6th string (the low e string) as the root note, then you can use the shape to improvise over a G minor chord.

If you treat the 7th fret on the 5th string (the a string) as the root note, you can use the shape to improvise over an E minor7b5 chord.

Lastly, whilst there is no ‘C’ note contained within the arpeggio, you can use this shape over a C7 or C9 chord to outline key notes within the harmony.

It’s very useful to have a shape that can be used for multiple different chord types. Why not load up a backing track and try this one out?

Want to dig a little deeper, and master all the arpeggios needed to play gypsy jazz? Check out the Gypsy Jazz Arpeggio Book as well as our online courses, for some in-depth study of this style.

Harry Edwards

Harry is a guitarist from Tasmania, Australia, who has extensive experience as both a performer and educator of gypsy jazz. As the founder of www.studygypsyjazz.com, Harry is passionate about sharing his knowledge of gypsy jazz guitar with students around the globe.

The post A Very Useful Gypsy Jazz Arpeggio (with TAB, picking, & fingering) appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

10 Vocal Tips Just for Guitarists

Can I tell you a secret?

As a vocal coach, some of my favorite students are guitarists.

That’s because without learning to play guitar, I never would have become the singing teacher I am today.

I actually didn’t even care about my voice until I started playing and singing in the train stations of San Francisco every day.

At that time, I would play and sing until my voice gave out, which usually didn’t take very long.

After months of this, I finally decided enough was enough:

It was time to take a singing lesson.

And within 30 minutes, my teacher had me singing notes I didn’t think were possible.

Why do I bring this up?

Because I’ve been there.

And now as a singing teacher I get to help guitarists get the most out of their voice every day.

And if I can learn to sing better, I guarantee you can too.

So if you’re a guitarist that needs some vocal help, this article is just for you.

The truth is that as a guitarist, you need some vocal techniques that are different from someone whose only job is to sing.

So today, I want to show you my 10 favorite vocal tips just for guitarists.

And I promise that if you practice these techniques regularly, you won’t believe how much better you sound!

Ready to get started?

Read on…

Tip #1: Keep a Tall Posture

Here’s the bottom line:

Fixing your posture is one of the simplest things you can do as a guitarist to improve your singing.

Unfortunately, most guitarists forget good posture the moment they strap on a guitar.

So, if you’re looking for a simple way to improve your singing, start with your posture.

Now, before we get into the right posture for singing, let me say this:

You can fix a lot of posture problems immediately by standing up when you play guitar.

That’s because when we sit, we’re more tempted to slouch over and collapse the muscles that support great singing.

Now that that’s out of the way, the correct posture for singing is called the tall posture.

Tall posture simply means that you’re keeping your body upright and your chest comfortably lifted.

Here’s how you stand with tall posture:

1) Stand so that your feet are about shoulder width apart.

2) Using your feet as a guide, make sure that your hips are in line with your feet.

Your feet and hips should be in a line like this:

3) Keep your shoulders even on your side so that your feet, hips and shoulders are all in a line down your side.

4) Next, keep your chest and neck lifted comfortably so that your entire posture is straight and tall.

Your posture should look something like this:

You should feel that this posture automatically makes singing feel a lot easier.

Tip #2: Keep Your Head and Neck Straight

This is a big one for guitarists!

Keeping your head and neck straight is one of the best ways to improve your vocal tone.

That’s because if you’re constantly craning your neck to see what you’re doing on the guitar, you’re losing support from some of the muscles that help you sing.

Don’t make this mistake!

Luckily, keeping your head and neck straight is super easy to do. It just takes some practice.

Try this the next time you’re singing a song:

1) Standing with your tall posture, pick a spot on the wall directly in front of your gaze.

2) Make sure that the spot you pick is in a straight line in front of your face.

3) Now, play the song but keep your gaze fixed on that spot, making sure that you don’t raise or lower your chin as you sing.

It should look something like this:

You should feel that your voice already feels stronger and more resonant in this position!

Tip #3: Breathe from your Diaphragm

Can I tell you a secret?

Most voice teachers make breathing way too complicated!

It’s not.

Actually, singing from the diaphragm is easy when you learn how to do it correctly.

Unfortunately, many guitarists don’t breathe deeply enough when they sing.

That’s because when you’re holding a guitar, you’re more likely to breathe from your shoulders, rather than from your belly.

But you’ll be amazed at how breathing from your diaphragm improves your vocal power and tone.

That’s why learning to sing from the diaphragm is one of the most important steps in learning how to sing.

So let’s learn how to do it right!

Here’s how to breathe from the diaphragm:

1) Standing with tall posture, place your hands around the bottom of your belly like this:

2) With your hands around your stomach, inhale and exhale feeling the movement of your belly as you breathe.

3) Now, inhale so that when you breathe in, your belly moves outward.

Your inhale should push your stomach out like this:

4) Next, exhale so that when you breathe out, your belly comes back in like this:

5) Finally, practice this diaphragmatic breath making sure that your shoulders and chest are not moving as you breathe.

This may feel a bit unnatural at first, but breathing from the diaphragm is the most powerful breath you can have as a singer.

So take some time and get this breath right so that when it’s time to perform, it feels totally natural to you.

Tip #4: Sing on Pitch

The fact is most people can tell if you’re singing off pitch within a matter of seconds.

So, if you’ve been struggling to sing on pitch, let’s start there.

There are a lot of reasons that you might not be singing in tune but having taught more than 500 students, I can tell you this:

Almost anyone can learn to sing on pitch.

It just takes some practice and the right ear training exercises.

But before we get into ear training, let me say this:

Just because you can’t sing on pitch doesn’t mean that you’re tone deaf.

After all, as a guitar player, you probably can hear the differences between lots of different notes.

But you may still have trouble singing them.

No matter what reason you’re singing off pitch, what you really want is good feedback.

Feedback just means being able to hear where you’re off pitch and how to fix it.

Getting feedback could mean working with a singing teacher or singing into a pitch app on your phone.

While any app can tell you if you’re flat or sharp, a good vocal coach can help you understand why you’re off pitch and how to fix it.

But for now, let me show you a simple trick you can use to boost your feedback so you can sing on pitch.

Try this:

The next time you practice, play and sing facing the corner of your practice room.

When you sing facing the corner of the room, you can hear yourself better because the sound waves from your your singing travel a shorter distance than when you’re in an open space.

The end result?

You can hear where you’re off pitch and fix it.

Tip #5: Learn to Project

Want to know one simple thing you can do right now to improve your singing dramatically?

Learn to project as a guitarist.

So many singer/songwriters come to my studio for the first time and are blown away at how great their voice sounds after just one exercise!

That’s because learning to project improves your vocal tone and control immediately.

Unfortunately, lots of guitarists think that in order to sing well, they need to sing breathy.

But the more breathy your voice is, the less power and control you have.

Imagine trying to play a hard rock song without a pick.

It would sound totally different than if you played it with a pick.

The same is true if you’re singing too breathy when you sing; you lose some of the same control.

Don’t make this mistake!

Luckily, learning to project your singing is really easy to do.

It just takes some practice and the right singing techniques.

So here’s an easy way to project your voice:

1) Select a phrase from a song that you need to sing.

2) Now, pretend that you’re on stage in an auditorium and speak the words of the phrase out loud in a way that would reach the back of the audience.

Project the spoken words in a way where you’re not yelling or whispering.

3) Next, sing the melody keeping the same power as when you were speaking them.

You should already feel that the notes that you’re singing are way more powerful.

By the way, if you want to see how to apply this to your own voice, here’s a cool video to walk you through it:

youtube

Tip #6: Expand Your Vocal Range

Here’s the brutal truth:

Most guitarist write vocal melodies that stay completely in their comfortable range.

But if you don’t have any high notes in your songs, you’re missing out on some major opportunities to make your songs stand out.

Now here’s the good news:

Almost anyone can expand their vocal range.

It just takes some practice and the right vocal warm ups. And there are tons of vocal exercises to help you expand your range.

But today, let me show you one of my favorite exercises for hitting high notes.

It’s called the “Gee” exercise and here’s how you do it:

1. Select a phrase from a song that you’re working on.

2. Now, say the word “Gee” out loud like you’re saying the word “Geese”.

3. Next, sing the “Gee” on each note of the melody in the phrase that you’re working on.

So basically, substitute each syllable of the lyrics with a “Gee”.

4. Finally, go back to the actual lyrics of the song and try to keep the same powerful feeling you got from singing “Gee” on each.

If you’re confused about how to do the “Gee” exercise, here’s a cool video where I walk you through it:

youtube

Tip #7: Keep Your High Notes Relaxed

Here’s the bottom line:

No one cares if you can hit high notes if your voice sounds strainy.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure that while you’re expanding your vocal range, your voice is staying relaxed.

And unfortunately, many singers add strain in their voices without even realizing it!

One of the most common places that singers have strain is in their larynx, or voice box.

Your larynx houses your vocal cords and you can feel it by gently feeling your Adam’s apple between your thumb in first finger like this:

Now try this:

With your thumb and first finger in place, swallow.

You’ll feel that your larynx rises as you swallow.

But when you’re singing, you want to keep your larynx relaxed to prevent it from rising and making your voice sound “squeezed”.

That doesn’t mean to hold your larynx down as you sing.

Instead, let me show you one trick to keep your larynx relaxed as you sing:

1) Gently, feel your larynx between your thumb and first finger like this:

2) Now select a phrase from a song that’s been giving you trouble.

3) With your fingers gently feeling your larynx, try to sing the phrase without raising your larynx.

4) If you feel the larynx rising, pretend that you’re yawning and add that “yawny” feeling to your high notes.

You’ll find that the “yawny” feeling relaxes the larynx while you sing.

Tip #8: Play and Sing Separately at First

Now that you’re learned to project your voice and expand your vocal range, let’s take a look at a few ways to make sure that your voice sounds its best.

One of the best ways to improve your singing is to start by playing and singing separately.

When you first start learning a song, it can be really difficult to focus on playing and singing simultaneously.

And unfortunately, most guitarists will always focus more on their playing than their singing.

But if you learn the chords, melody and rhythm of the song first, then you’ll be able to focus more on your singing when it’s time to perform.

Try this to get started:

The next time you need to learn a song, play it 10 times through before you sing.

This may sound like a lot, but you want to have your guitar parts so well-memorized that you can focus completely on your singing.

A good test for this is to see if you can play the song without looking at your hands once.

You should find that if you have your guitar parts completely memorized, it’ll be much easier to focus on singing better.

Tip #9: Memorize the Lyrics

Let’s face it:

The lyrics are the first thing to go when you have to sing and play at the same time.

So it’s a good idea to memorize the lyrics of the song before you need to perform it.

Luckily, memorizing lyrics is really easy if you apply some simple memorization techniques.

One of my favorite tricks for memorizing lyrics is to create a story out of the lyrics of the song.

Here’s how you do it:

1) Print out the lyrics of the song you’re trying to learn.

2) Ask yourself what story the lyrics of the song are trying to tell.

Remember, most stories are linear; they have a clear start and ending.

3) On your printout, write a simple one sentence phrase describing the action of the story in the margins next to each paragraph of lyrics.

4) Then use the phrases in the margins to help you remember the order of the lyrics.

Keep in mind that some lyrics don’t follow a clear story pattern from beginning to end.

For example, Bob Dylan rarely tells a simple story from one verse to the next.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t apply this technique!

In songs with more poetic lyrics, take a key image from each verse and make up your own story to memorize the order.

You’ll find that memorizing a song is way easier when you break the lyrics down into a story format.

Tip #10: Keep Your Focus on Your Singing

Let’s be honest:

Most people can’t tell the difference between a C major and C minor chord, but they can instantly tell a good singer from a bad one.

We’ve all seen guitarists who are way more focused on their guitar playing than their singing.

They’re so busy making sure they hit every note perfectly that they completely forget they’re playing in front of an audience.

Don’t make the same mistake!

So when you’re performing, focus more on your singing than your playing.

The truth is that everything else, the rhythm, tempo, and chords can all be suspended slightly if you’re singing is perfect.

That’s because your singing ultimately tells the story of the song you’re playing.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that to completely forget about your guitar playing.

Intead, practice the song enough that you can completely focus on your singing.

If you’re able to focus more on your voice, I guarantee you’ll be amazed at how much the audience connects with you!

Congratulations!

By now, you should be ready to sound your best as a singer and as a guitar player.

And while some of these techniques may take some time and practice, if you work on them daily, you’ll be amazed at how much your performance improves.

Now, strap on your guitar and show everyone your amazing voice!

Matt Ramsey

Matt Ramsey is the head voice teacher and founder of Ramsey Voice Studio, the highest rated vocal studio in Texas. Having taught over 500 students, Matt feels that the right vocal technique can help anyone become a better singer. Matt’s complete vocal course is Master Your Voice.

The post 10 Vocal Tips Just for Guitarists appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

Top 5 Delay Pedals for Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar

Acoustic fingerstyle guitar players use delay pedals to expand their sound and create unique sonic atmospheres. As with all guitar effects for acoustic guitar, a little goes a long way. But that little bit can be magical.

Just to set the stage, the definition of “delay” in music (straight out of wikipedia) is:

…an audio effect and an effects unit which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time.

In the world of guitar, delay is often applied via foot pedals, with a variety of settings for number of echoes, volume, decay, and more.

Some of the great acoustic fingerstyle players use these types of delay foot pedals to augment their sound, including folks like Mike Daws, Jon Gomm, and more.

So we took a look at the rigs of top acoustic fingerstyle guitar players, and zeroed in on the delay pedals. Listed below are the results: five great delay pedals that these artists use to get their sound, and that you can use to build your acoustic fingerstyle guitar voice, too.

1. Strymon TimeLine Delay Pedal

Product Description: The Strymon TimeLine provides you with twelve unique delay machines, each with extensive control over sonic character and feel. Go from crisp and clear, studio-quality digital delays all the way to the saturated and fluctuating sounds of tape delay machines. Get warm and fuzzy analog style respects all the way to shimmery sparkling, and crystalline ice delays.

Used By: Mike Dawes, the virtuosic fingerstyle player who repeatedly tops the “Best Acoustic Guitarist” polls.

2. Boss DD-7 Digital Delay PedalImage

Product Description: Even with the best-selling delays in compact-pedal history, BOSS continues to push the envelope and innovate. The new DD-7 takes the best features from its predecessors and expands the creative potential with Modulation Delay mode, classic modeled Analog Delay mode, External pedal control options, longer delay time, and more.

Used By: Jon Gomm, the amazing singer/songwriter/fingerstyle player.

3. Boss DD-3 Digital Delay Pedal

Product Description: This compact pedal provides a digital delay effect with outstanding quality equivalent to that of a dedicated rackmount delay unit, all with simple stompbox-style control.

Used By: Kaki King, who definitely pushes the sonic limits of fingerstyle acoustic with videos like this.

4. Line 6 DL4 Stompbox Delay Pedal

Product Description: The DL4 Delay Modeler offers you an incredible array of sounds, from a tube driven, tape loop echo (complete with adjustable wow and flutter), through 24 bit squeaky clean digital echo, to real-time reverse delay. Not only that, but you’ve got complete programmable control over all aspects of the sound in the studio and on the stage. Incredibly simple to use, it’s an amazingly powerful tool offering you delay effects never before available in a single box.

Used By: Phil Keaggy. I’ve always got a soft spot for Keaggy – he’s been playing amazing guitar for so long, and consistently stays classy and non-controversial.

5. Digitech X-Series DigiDelay

Product Description: With up to 4 seconds of delay, which is more than most studio processors, your creativeness will have no limits! The DigiDelay pedal gives you 7 different types of delay to choose from which include tape, modulated, reverse, and a looper that will allow for an infinite amount of 4 second layers. Don’t settle for sub-par craftsmanship or limited options in a pedal. Go for quality and go with DigiTech. This rugged metal chassis will stand the test of time and offers further options like dual mono and stereo outputs as well as switchable cabinet modeling.

Used By: Don Ross. Ross is an amazing player and very pure in his songwriting and playing. He’s a great example of using effects (like delay) in a subtle way for maximum effect.

Have some other recommendations? Put ’em in the comments below!

The post Top 5 Delay Pedals for Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

Taylor Guitars Launches New Round-shoulder Dreadnought: The Grand Pacific

Taylor® Guitars recently introduced a brand-new body shape — The Grand Pacific.

The new acoustic guitar is developed by master guitar designer Andy Powers and utilizes Taylor’s new sonic engine, V-Class bracing.

New Shape, New Sound

The new round-shoulder dreadnought adds some variety to the Taylor lineup. Over time, the Grand Auditorium models have become Taylor’s most popular, synonymous with what people identify as “the Taylor sound.”

Taylor® Guitars Grand Pacific

For a lot of players, that Taylor sounds is a modern acoustic voice — clear and vibrant, with well-defined notes. The new Grand Pacific, however, produces a sound with very different tonal characteristics — warm and seasoned, with notes that overlap and blend together smoothly.

Regarding Andy Powers and his new V-Bracing, Taylor’s description states:

Using the V-Class voicing platform, Powers not only improved the bass response, he enhanced other frequencies to create consistently powerful notes across the tonal spectrum. This helps make the Grand Pacific a remarkably versatile guitar that will fit in among bluegrassers, singer-songwriters, and even fingerstyle players.

Three Models

The Grand Pacific adds a new option in a industry category defined by traditional, well-known models.

And, importantly for Taylor, it offers some diversification within their own sonic product landscape.

The new body shape will be available in three new models: the Builder’s Edition 517, Builder’s Edition 717 and 317.

youtube

Manufacturer’s Description of the Models

BUILDER’S EDITION 717 & BUILDER’S EDITION 517

The Builder’s Edition collection showcases Taylor’s envelope-pushing pursuits to create the most player-friendly guitars in both sound and feel. Distinctive features of both Builder’s Edition Grand Pacific models include:

Compound carve neck profile: Designed to complement the way a player’s hand position shifts as it moves up the neck, the profile subtly transitions from a slight V at the nut to a rounded C, and features a rounded, ridgeless heel.

Rolled fretboard edge: This is a subtle comfort feature that players will feel on both sides of the neck.

Chamfered body edges: The rounded body edges enhance the playing comfort and feature traditional binding.

New “curve wing” bridge shape: Rounded edges and other refined contouring update our signature aesthetic and make the bridge feel more comfortable against the pick hand.

Silent Satin finish / Wild Honey Burst top: A careful color application process allows the burst color to penetrate the wood in a unique way that heightens the aesthetic appeal, artfully showcasing both the spruce wood grain and the depth in the color. (A natural top is also available.)

New guitar case: The Taylor-manufactured case features an aesthetic upgrade to a luxurious exterior with a Western floral pattern that resembles tooled leather.

“It feels like the guitar has already been played for a while; maybe refretted once or twice,” Powers says of the rolled fretboard edge treatment. “That hard edge is just gone.“

The 717 and 517 will be available starting at street prices of $2,999and $2,799respectively. Both models will be offered with natural or burst tops as well as with or without electronics.

317e

Taylor’s 300 Series offers the most approachable entry point in the Taylor line to introduce the Grand Pacific, and Powers was eager to make it happen. “You can do so much with this guitar,” he says. “You can take it to your open mic night, to the club dates and bar gigs, busk on a street corner, play with friends.” The clear sonic focus of the sound of the 317 will benefit singer-songwriters playing solo and ensemble scenarios in other ways as well. The 317 features include:

Sapele back and sides: As a tonewood, sapele’s sonic characteristics live comfortably between the dry, clear, woody sound of mahogany and the complex, overtone-rich character of rosewood.

Sitka spruce top: The combination of a Sitka spruce top, Grand Pacific body, and V-Class bracing help make the 317 an incredibly dynamic and versatile guitar. Players can expect all the fundamental virtues of V-Class — power, projection sustain, consistent tonal output across the tonal spectrum, pleasing in-tuneness — along with a blend of seasoned warmth that comes from Powers’ voicing of the bracing with the body dimensions.

300 Series appointments: The 317 shares the same appointment package with its sapele/spruce 300 Series siblings, including black binding, Italian acrylic Gemstone inlays — featuring a peghead inlay and black graphite nut as emblems of V-Class bracing — satin-finish back and sides with a gloss-finish top, and Taylor Expression System 2 electronics.

The 317 will be available starting at a street price of $1,699and will be offered with and without electronics.

The post Taylor Guitars Launches New Round-shoulder Dreadnought: The Grand Pacific appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

How To Play Acoustic Guitar Like Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945), is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and fourth in Gibson’s “Top 50 Guitarists of All Time“. He was also named number five in Time magazine’s list of “The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players” in 2009.

The truth: there is no single blog post, magazine article, or website blurb that could sum up this legendary, prolific, and iconic guitar player. He’s simply amazing. The guitar worship is real.

Similarly, there’s no way to capture all the guitars (and there’s a lot!), gear, lesson material, or recordings of Clapton.

So, instead, consider this just a quick wine tasting – a sample of his guitars, a few acoustic-oriented lesson materials, and some quick links to some great albums.

Enjoy.

Eric Clapton’s Guitars:

Fender 1956 Stratocaster Brownie

This Strat is called ‘Brownie’, and is reportedly one of Eric Clapton’s favorite guitars. Clapton said that he used ‘Brownie’ throughout the entire Layla album, including the title track – the iconic, world-renown, upbeat, and downcast love song. According to purchase records, Clapton bought this guitar on May 7th, 1967 while he was still with the group, Cream. Clapton has used ‘Brownie’ extensively in his recording and performing career.

19th Century Salvador Ibanez

Eric Clapton commented that this guitar has “..a great sound..” and that he kept it as “…a dressing room guitar…“. Lee Dickson recalled that Clapton had this guitar for a long time and that he took it to the dressing room at The Royal Albert Hall for Clapton during one of his seasons there in the 1990s.

Martin 0-18 Mid ’40s Natural

Built in Martin’s Nazareth, PA workshop, the 0-18 was smaller than the 00-18 and the 000-18, but larger than earlier parlor-style guitars. Like other 18 series Martins, the 0-18 is defined by a Mahogany body (starting in 1917), Spruce top, and minimimal cosmetic flourishes. Also like many classic Martins, the design of the 0-18 changed little from the World War II era until production ended in the mid-’90s.

Preview Album

Martin 000-28EC Guitar

Martin Guitars also sells an “Eric Clapton” model 000-28EC Guitar based on the guitar Clapton used for his iconic MTV Unplugged appearance. It lists at a hefty $4,799 on Martin Guitar’s website, but you can get it for significantly less, even at Amazon.

Check Price at Amazon

Eric Clapton’s Guitar Lessons:

Hal Leonard Eric Clapton – Acoustic Classics (DVD)

Learn to play eight of Clapton’s best acoustic songs and solos note-for-note with this DVD: Change the World * Circus * Layla * Malted Milk * Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out * Signe * Tears in Heaven * Walkin’ Blues. Exclusive DVD features include: guitar techniques section, jam-along songs, and practice tips. 79 minutes.

Check Price at Amazon

Learn to Play Eric Clapton Acoustic Songs (DVD)

In 1992, Eric Clapton performed a live concert in front of a small audience in the UK for the MTV Unplugged series. Featuring reworkings of many of Clapton’s most popular tracks and a collection of standard Blues songs, it was eventually released as the ‘Eric Clapton: Unplugged’ album which reached number one across the world and earned Clapton six Grammy awards.

Check Price at Amazon

Eric Clapton – From the Album Unplugged (Guitar Signature Licks) (Paperback)

Learn the techniques Clapton used on his best-selling acoustic album. Includes demonstration tracks for practice purposes. 14 songs are covered, including: Alberta * Layla * Lonely Stranger * Nobody Knows You When You’re down and Out * Rollin’ and Tumblin’ * Tears in Heaven * and more. Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded.

Check Price at Amazon

Eric Clapton’s Discography

Eric Clapton (1970)

461 Ocean Boulevard (1974)

There’s One in Every Crowd (1975)

No Reason to Cry (1976)

Slowhand (1977)

Backless (1978)

Another Ticket (1981)

Money and Cigarettes (1983)

Behind the Sun (1985)

August (1986)

Journeyman (1989)

Rush (1992)

Unplugged [Remastered] (1992)

From the Cradle (1994)

Pilgrim (1998)

Reptile (2001)

Me and Mr. Johnson (2004)

Sessions for Robert J (2004)

Back Home (2005)

Clapton (2010)

Old Sock (2013)

The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale (2014)

I Still Do (2016)

Happy Xmas (2018)

Got a favorite bit of Clapton trivia? Favorite song? or Guitar? List ’em in the comments below!

The post How To Play Acoustic Guitar Like Eric Clapton appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

1 note · View note

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

An Introduction to Traditional Irish Guitar

GUEST POST – I thought I might offer a few words in this post about a guitar genre that rarely gets the spotlight outside of its own community of players, namely that of guitar accompaniment in traditional Irish music.

Now when I say “traditional Irish music ” – or “trad” for short – I’m referring specifically to the instrumental forms of the dance music : the jigs, reels, slip-jigs, hornpipes and polkas (yes, polkas… Ireland was invaded by just about everyone at some time or other).

The roots of these tunes reach back into the ages beyond where any of us can pin point, and they offer incredible opportunities, challenges and rewards for the curious guitarist. My own journey over the last twenty years or so has been a balancing act between respecting the tradition and finding my own voice, and I wouldn’t change a minute of that learning curve.

Ok, I might change a few minutes hear and there, and for those of you who might want to dip your fingers into these waters, I thought I might offer some advice and spare you some of the bumps and bruises I acquired in my early days.

Traditional Irish Guitar Players

For reference, listening to those that came before us is always a good idea, and here are some of the names to explore:

Mícheál Ó Domhnaill made his mark through the 70s with The Bothy Band, and his strong driving rhythms along with almost a “power chord” feel at times brought a new vibrancy to the genre that led to a new and younger audience listening to the old tunes. More on Wikipedia >>

youtube

Dáithí Sproule (Pronounced “Da-Hee”, which is the Irish version of David) pioneered DADGAD guitar accompaniment in Irish music. These days, the best place to hear his accompaniment work is with ALTAN, a great Donegal band loyal to the tradition. Sproule’s Website >>

youtube

John Doyle rose to prominence with the band Solace, and developed a style that is completely his own, often copied and never equalled. John Doyle Website >>

youtube

Denis Cahill, most often seen accompanying fiddle player Martin Hayes, is a fine example of what I call the less-is-more player; minimalist and beautiful, allowing the melody to sing, which leads me on to my next point…. Denis Cahill Website >>

youtube

Melody Is Everything

When you sit down, guitar in hand, listening to Irish tune playing either via a musician friend or a recording, remember that it’s all about that melody line – that’s where the tradition lives. To encroach on that melody is the equivalent of drowning out the singer. It took me a minute, as someone who came from a rock/blues/jazz/punk/anything guitar background to realize I had no business vying for a piece of the spotlight. My role was a supporting one.

And after a while I realized that this “servile” role was actually the source of much liberation as a guitar player. I could go on and on about this and expand ad infinitum, but I have some ground to cover in this one blog post, so onward….

The Forms

Many, many times have I heard the comment that trad “all sounds the same” – all diddley diddley diddley….so how hard can it be to play along with?

When you think about it, every musical genre sounds “all the same” when you only give it that initial cursory glance. Blues, Country, Jazz, Hip Hop. They can all be stereotyped and reduced to a caricature. Listen to anyone of them for more than the time it takes to change channels, however, and things start to snap into focus. Trad is no different.

A Jig

That diddley diddley diddley rhythm? That’s a jig – 6/8 and one of the basic tune forms. Listen to a tune called Out On The Ocean – a trad Standard – for the feel of a jig (or at least the feel of THAT jig – although they each have fundamental similarities, they also have their own personality, kinda like people).

youtube

A Reel

The other basic form is a reel: 4/4 , mostly eighth notes. Check out The Star of Munster as an example of a standard repertoire tune. Your road starts with those two. From there it just gets deeper and more fascinating.

youtube

Learning Traditional Irish Guitar

There are some great teachers out there – it’s something I enjoy myself – but I would like to point out some others:

Jimmy Murray plays primarily nylon string guitar, but his rhythmic and melodic sensibility is really something.

Jimmy Murray Guitar lessons >>

Dave Curley is a DADGAD player that I really like. a quick google search will find both of those guys, and I’m a fan of both.

Dave Curley Music >>

So that’s some of the trad stuff, ie the instrumental tunes. What about the songs we all associate with Irish music ? The “Pub songs” as they’re often called.

Pub Songs

Every time I think on the subject, I’m reminded of my days singing for my supper in Dublin, and my old friend Martin Denning singing to the tune of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Boxer:

“I am just a folky and my story seldom told I have plundered Irish music with a lump of German plywood and a capo All lies and jest, I have learned the songs with just two chords and disregard the rest. Li la li li. Li la li li. Li la li”

I love a lot of those Irish ballads and spent plenty of my early career belting them out to all and sundry. I regard a lot of those songs as the Irish equivalent of Classic Rock, in much the same way as I regard The Dubliners as the Irish Rolling Stones. If you want to familiarize yourself with the standards of the Irish Pub Song/Ballad genre, go get a collection of recordings by the Dubliners circa 60s/70s, with the never-to be-equalled Luke Kelly on vocal. Great stuff.

youtube

The songs, as opposed to the tunes, allow an audience to sing along and perhaps interact more with the music. So therefore they lend themselves to a party atmosphere.

Beneath that layer though, are a wealth of songs dating back to antiquity – a vein that is still being mined, but since this is a guitar blog, that’s a story for.another time and place.

Bottom line is…

….if you’ve never considered turning your guitar’s attention to the twists and turns of Irish music, a world of discovery awaits, you lucky dog….

About the Author

Hailing from Cork in the south of Ireland, Patsy O’Brien has traveled the globe, guitar in hand, accompanying, creating and recording with some of the giants of Irish music. An award-winning songwriter and much sought-after guitarist, his ability to meld songwriting and guitar styles seamlessly caught the attention of NPR who featured his arrangement of The Star Of The County Down (see below) on their All Songs Considered program. For more info, visit his website, or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

More Resources: Learn To Play Traditional Irish Music

$19.95

Learn Celtic Guitar

Get Lessons

The post An Introduction to Traditional Irish Guitar appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

One Click Tuner – A Minimalist Guitar Tuner App With Frequency Display

The One Click Tuner comes from the unlikely source of www.seqstat.com (short for ‘Sequential Statistics’), a machine learning and algorithm-oriented site run by PhD researcher Josh Day.

Not exactly your typical guitar tuner background…

One Click Tuner

By Joshua Day Price: $3.99 iOS App Store Only

Dr. Day created and release the One Click Tuner because he was convinced he could do better than the current selection of guitar tuner apps available.

His goal for this particular guitar tuner app, as stated in his blog release statement, was fourfold:

The design should be minimal.

Don’t ask the user to buy things or play games.

Assume the user understands their instrument.

Visualize the distribution of frequencies around the target.

As I’ve had a chance to test the app, I must concede that he’s achieved his aim.

The Nitty Gritty

The app is stripped down – there are no menus, options, or buttons. You simply open it up and tune. The tuner does not have “guitar” or “bass” presets, but measures any chromatic tone you play. The only interaction possible is to adjust the A 440 cents as needed for tuning to other standards. It truly is a “one click tuner”.

The app is $3.99 in the iOS app store (alas, it is not available for Android). After that, there are absolutely no advertisements or “premium” in-app enticements.

There are no instructions or preset “guitar” settings. In fact, I’m not aware of any documentation besides the original blog post on seqstat.com where Dr. Day announced the app. Even the Apple iTunes store page is spare.

The frequency visualization is the most fascinating part of the app. Many of us are used to needles or LEDs bouncing around like on the classic Boss TU3 Chromatic Tuner (a mainstay of guitar pedalboards for decades). The frequency visualization gives you a much more accurate picture, however, of exactly what sonic information is coming from your information. You can see multiple spikes along the spectrum, and watch as the cluster of frequencies coalesce around the in-tune pitch.

Conclusion

If you’re a minimalist, and you want the most stripped down and effective tuner app available, this is it.

It’s $3.99, but it works perfectly and the mental clarity you gain from the distraction- and option-free user experience is worth the four bucks.

The post One Click Tuner – A Minimalist Guitar Tuner App With Frequency Display appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

Album Review: “Portrait” by Tal Arditi

Tal Arditi will comfort you and challenge you. His use of traditional jazz forms, his inherent groove, and clean guitar playing will keep you nodding along. But his alternate time signatures, extended forms, and tonal choices will keep your brain on the edge of it’s seat.

Tal Arditi is a jazz guitarist and composer from Israel. He studied at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and then moved to Berlin. In Berlin, he composed a number of songs that comprise his latest album release: “Portrait”.

Arditi’s style brings to mind some of the harmonic and time signature flavors of Sting (well…, the push-the-boundaries Sting, not the pop-and-rock-icon Sting…). More specifically, Arditi brings to mind fellow countryman Avishai Cohen in his use of tonality and melodic structure.

The Tal Arditi Trio released their first album, Portait, this past May (2018). The album captures the songwriting and musical development of Arditi over the previous 18 months in Berlin.

Listening to Portrait‘s first track, “One Step Behind”, I found myself bobbing my head addictively to the groove of the jazz structure’s head, and then suddenly squinting in scrutiny of the bebop-ish harmonic choices of the middle section’s single-note solo.

This pretty accurately sums up my general takeaway from the Tal Arditi Trio’s Portrait: An addictive groove and a provocative tonality.

It’s the type of playing that pushes my own musicality as a guitar player, and my experience as a listener.

You can find the Tal Arditi Quartet’s new album, “Portrait”, here:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/52cg2TKLW1STxLOJ1ywLN5?si=WhEj-z0RQH-i8xdFShQZIA

Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/portrait/1385357530

Bandcamp: https://talarditi.bandcamp.com/ – Physical CD’s (as well as the digital album) are available

VIDEO: “One Step Behind”

youtube

Full Album Description:

Portrait is the debut album by the young Israeli guitar player Tal Arditi.

The album was recorded live at ”A-Trane Jazz Club” in Berlin , featuring Tobias Backhaus on drums and Andreas Lang bass.

The idea behind the name Portrait is that the concert in ”A-Trane” was a portrait of Tal’s life until that point. Eight original music pieces that resemble his year and a half alone in Berlin, and all his experiences so far.

1.One Step Behind 11:102.Berlin Vibe 10:083.Sassari 08:334.One For J.S 05:485.Walts No. 1 08:066.My Dream 08:307.Long Live The Bird 05:258.Circles 06:37

The post Album Review: “Portrait” by Tal Arditi appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

How To Play Like Seasick Steve

Steven Gene Wold (born 1940/1941), commonly known as Seasick Steve, is an American blues musician. Wold has lived all over the world while composing, playing, and recording blues music. He tends to play very unique, modified guitars (see a few of the example below). His lyrics are often about his early life doing casual work.

His major-label debut was, I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left, released in 2008, but he has deep discography and has performed in festivals around the world alongsides the likes of KT Tunstall and in venues like the Royal Albert Hall.

He was nominated for a Brit Award as the International Solo Male Artists of the Year twice and even appeared in an episode of the popular car show, Top Gear.

If you’re getting the sense that Seasick Steve is talented, colorful, and a tad eccentric, then….you’re right.

If you’re a fan of his playing, check out the resources below. Most importantly, check out the YouTube for a free lesson (see below), courtesy of acoustic blues man Jim Bruce.

Seasick Steve Guitar:

Harmony Bobkat Electric Guitar

The general offset template with one (H14) or two (H15) DeArmond gold foil pickups made by Harmony was first called the Silhouette model from its debut in 1963 until 1968, when it was renamed the Bobkat.

GHI Hollow Body

Small size GHI Hollow body, made in Japan in the 60’s. Probably Teisco offshoot. Referred to as his ‘Three-String Trance Wonder’, tuned to Open G with all the D strings removed, so G, G, B.

Seasick Steve Amplifiers:

Roland Cube-30X Guitar Amplifier

Roland’s famous CUBE amp lineup expands with the hot new CUBE 30X. With great new features such as Power Squeezer for maximum sustain without maximum volume, a fully equipped guitar tuner, a mini-jack aux in for playing along to MP3 and CD players, and of course that incredible CUBE sound, this amp is built to rock!

Check Price on Roland.com

Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp

For those who crave more power, the AC30 expands on the captivating sound of its little brother by doubling the wattage. Employing a quartet of EL84 power tubes, the AC30 Custom pumps 30 watts of remarkable tone through a pair of 12” Celestion Greenback or Alnico Blue speakers.

Check Price on Amazon

Seasick Steve Guitar Lessons:

Acoustic Blues Guitar Lessons – Free Tab – Seasick Steve – Lonesome

youtube

Get more acoustic blues lessons from Jim Bruce, he’s got a bunch of great stuff from Delta to Swing to Ragtime.

Get More Jim Bruce Lessons

Seasick Steve Discography

Cheap (2004)

Dog House Music (2006)

I Started Out with Nothin and I Still Got Most of It Left (2008)

Man from Another Time (2009)

You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks (2011)

Hubcap Music (2013)

Sonic Soul Surfer (2015)

Keepin’ the Horse Between Me and the Ground (2016)

Can U Cook? (2018)

The Best of Seasick Steve Playlist

The post How To Play Like Seasick Steve appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

Top 2018 Guitar Apps for iOS

We’re a few days into 2019, but it’s worth taking a moment to see what guitar apps have been popular in 2018. There are some old standards and couple newbies. And, most importantly, these apps are continuing to be popular and well-reviewed in 2019!

Enjoy the list, and hopefully you find a new tool or inspiration.

Top 2018 Guitar Apps for iOS

1. GuitarTuna: Guitar, Bass tuner

GuitarTuna is fast, accurate and easy to use. GuitarTuna has been downloaded over 80 million times, which makes it one of the most downloaded tuning apps in the world.

2. Yousician Guitar, Piano & Bass

Yousician is a lessons app that has thousands of song lessons for guitar, piano, ukelele, and even voice. The interface is very easy-to-use, and a little addictive. Not hard to see why this has been so popular.

3. Ultimate Guitar: Chords & Tabs

Ultimate Guitar is widely known as THE place to get guitar tabs on the internet. They have a huge library, and most songs have multiple versions uploaded and commented on by users.

The Ultimate Guitar app gives you access to not only the tabs, but to chord resources so that you’ve got all the tools in hand to learn that song you’re addicted to.

4. Guitar Tuner – Ukulele & Bass

“Guitar Tuner – Ukelele Bass” (AKA “DoubleTune”) is an odd one. First, it has two names. While the app is called Guitar Tuner, the description in the app store calls it DoubleTune.

Second, it is both a tuner and a guitar game. The tuner side of it is really powerful, capable of tuning any stringed instrument. The game side looks a lot like “Guitar Hero” ported into a slimmed down iPhone app.

Conclusion: I’m not sure why this is so powerful, but there must be some reason everyone is downloading it, right?

5. Fender Tune – Guitar Tuner

Fender Tune is the 5-star rated, easy-to-use, super-accurate tuner app for guitar, bass & ukulele from Fender.

The Fender Tune app is offered as part of the recently launched Fender PLAY online guitar lesson platform (see their other app listed below). So I’m guessing a lot of folks are downloading this as part of their lesson toolkit when they start up Fender PLAY.

6. Guitar Lessons – Guitar Tricks

Guitar Tricks is a popular online guitar lesson platform. Part of their unique appeal is a system for moving you through different levels of playing both in terms of basic ability and different styles.

The app gives you on-the-go access to their popular and fun lessons.

7. Guitar Lessons | Fender Play

As mentioned above, Fender Play is a complete learning app for guitar, bass, and ukulele.

The Fender Play app gives you easy access to these lessons, where you’ll be able to play your first song in minutes with their bite-sized lessons, featuring popular songs.

8. Guitar Tuner Easy tune chords

CoachTuner is a free chromatic instrument tuner that allows you to quickly tune your guitar, bass, and ukulele using the built-in mic of your iPhone/iPad/iPod.

9. Coach Guitar chords tuner tabs

A unique approach to guitar lessons, Coach Guitar delivers visual teaching with colors. They show you how to play popular songs without music theory. An easy way to learn some guitar without digging into theory, tabs, or other written music.

10. ChordBank – Guitar Chord App

ChordBank let’s you learn and look up guitar chords and scales. Play electric and acoustic guitar, right on your iPhone or iPad. Record riffs, and share them with friends. This one has been a long-time favorite.

Bonus Round:

11. GarageBand

Apple’s iconic and long-lived GarageBand is always a favorite, as well. If you’re not familiar with it, GarageBand tturns your iPad, and iPhone into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go.

Conclusion

It’s interesting to see that app-based guitar lessons have been surging. I know I’ve used Truefire’s app to learn some Tommy Emmanuel stuff myself.

Tuners have always been popular, of course. But in previous years, I’ve noticed more of an emphasis on similar “utility” types of apps like chord libraries, tab apps, metronomes, and others. There’s a few still in the top 10 for sure (Guitar Tuna itself, at the #1 spot), but the ratio has gone down.

All in all, it’s great to see more and better tools to help guitarists play and improve.

The post Top 2018 Guitar Apps for iOS appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

How To Play Like Tony Rice

Tony Rice (born David Anthony Rice, June 8, 1951) is an American guitarist. He is one of bluegrass’ most inventive and influential flatpicking guitar players. Here are some helpful resources, especially if you’re wondering how to play like Tony Rice.

Tony Rice was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Raised in Southern California, Rice inherited his musical skill from his father, who played with several West Coast bluegrass bands and was heavily influenced by California-based bluegrass groups, including the Dillards and the Kentucky Colonels, which featured influential guitar picker Clarence White.

Rice has been a pivotal influence on recent generations of players like Bryan Sutton, Jordan Tice, and more.

So, how to play like Tony Rice? Well, it’s less about the guitar gear list and a whole lot more about woodshedding your bluegrass chops (fortunately, Rice recorded some video lessons to help out with that). Here’s a quick rundown…

Tony Rice’s Guitar:

Martin D-28

As a Bluegrass musician, Rice didn’t have a lot of gear. It was all about a flat top acoustic, a pick, and some amazing playing.

His main guitar was the Martin D-28, which is a legend in the acoustic guitar world. It’s the quintessential workhorse of music legends like Tony Rice, Hank Williams, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and so many more.

Tony Rice’s D-28 has a better story than usual, however, having previously been owned by Clarence White, stored under a bed, and then restored by Rice years later.

Martin D-28s aren’t cheap, though, with a list price over $3k. Check latest price here.

Tony Rice Guitar Lessons:

If you want to know how to play like Tony Rice, you’re in luck. Rice recorded several video lessons where he discusses technique, style, and his general playing approach. You can still get them on DVD.

An Intimate Lesson With Tony Rice

This archival video lesson, originally recorded in 1984, brings the fabulous Tony Rice picking style up close and personal so you can clearly see what he’s doing. Tony has chosen six songs and instrumentals to demonstrate a variety of styles and techniques, and he breaks them down carefully for the learning player.

Get Lessons

The Tony Rice Guitar Method

In a wide-ranging and detailed session, Tony Rice demonstrates his world-famous technique, gives invaluable advice, analyzes some of his best-known pieces and discusses his style, influences, guitars, and favorite players. This 2-part set is filled with great conversation and, of course, the amazing playing we’ve all come to expect from this master picker. (140 minutes.)

Get Lessons

You can also get some ‘Tony Rice style” lessons from Stephen Mougin on Truefire. Mougin walks you through the rhythmic feel and technique of Rice.

Bluegrass Rhythm Evolution by Stephen Mougin

Stephen Mougin covers Tony Rice’s style in “Bluegrass Rhythm Evolution”. While Tony Rice’s style is based on the Jimmy Martin style (especially when performing Martin’s hits), Tony’s style always demonstrates a bouncier groove. He accomplished that by slightly altering the timing on his down-up-down strum, then relaxing into the next downbeat.

Get Lessons

Tony Rice Discography

If you’re just looking to soak up some of Rice’s tunes, you’ve got a lot to choose from. Here’s his discography, broken up by decade. Some albums are solo, and some with groups.

Pre-1970

1968 Session: Bobby Atkins, Frank Poindexter, and Tony Rice (1968 – Album apparently not released until 1981))

1970 – 1980

Guitar (1973)

Bluegrass Evolution (1973)

J.D. Crowe & The New South (1975)

California Autumn (1975)

Tony Rice (1977)

Acoustics (1979)

Manzanita (1978)

Mar West (1980)

Skaggs & Rice (1980)

1981 – 1990

Still Inside (1981)

Mondo Mando (1981)

The Bluegrass Album (1981)

Backwaters (1982)

Bluegrass Album, Vol. 2 (1982)

Bluegrass Album, Vol. 3 – California Connection (1983)

Church Street Blues (1983)

Bluegrass Album, Vol. 4 (1984)

Cold on the Shoulder (1984)

Me & My Guitar (1986)

Blake & Rice (1987)

Bluegrass Album, Vol. 5 – Sweet Sunny South (1989)

The Rice Brothers (1989)

Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2 (1990)

Devlin (1990)

1991 – 2000

Native American (1992)

Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass (1993)

The Rice Brothers 2 (1994)

Crossings (1994)

Tone Poems (1994)

River Suite for Two Guitars (1995)

Bluegrass Album, Vol. 6 – Bluegrass Instrumentals (1996)

DGQ-20 (1996)

Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot (1996)

Out Of The Woodwork (1997)

Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen (1999)

Unit of Measure (2000)

The Pizza Tapes (2000)

2001 – 2008

Runnin’ Wild (2001)

58957:The Bluegrass Guitar Collection (2003)

You Were There For Me (2004)

Quartet (2007)

Night Flyer: The Singer Songwriter Collection (2008)

Got any more Tony Rice recommendations? Put ’em in the comments below!

The post How To Play Like Tony Rice appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 6 years ago

Text

What is PIMA?

If you’re learning fingerstyle guitar, you have probably run into the term “PIMA”. Especially if you’re using properly notated music to learn songs (whether classical or contemporary). So what is PIMA?

What Is PIMA?

Well, since fingerstyle guitar requires that you use the fingers on your strumming hand instead of a pick, publishers need a way to notate which finger plucks which note. The letters P-I-M-A are used to indicate which plucking finger to use.

PIMA Comes From Classical Music

PIMA comes from the classical guitar world. PIMA is an acronym for four Spanish words for your fingers:

P = pulgar (thumb)

I = indice (index finger)

M = medio (middle finger)

A = anular (ring finger)

(The Spanish language and origin is simply because the great classical guitarists and influential early composers were primarily Spanish in origin.)

Thus, using the PIMA acronym would look like this:

If you’re reading tab or sheet music and see a “P” above the note, you’re supposed to play that note with your thumb of your strumming hand (your right hand, for most of us right-handed folks).

If you see an “M” over a note, you play that with your middle finger.

Note: The PIMA system is helpful because the letters easily are distinguished from the numbering system often used to distinguish which of your fretting fingers to use on a given note.

Is The Pinky Used?

You may be wondering about how the pinky is used? In fingerstyle, it often isn’t used. Many players use their pinky to anchor their plucking hand on the soundboard. This allows their hand to float over the strings with more precision and control.

Advanced classical compositions may use the pinky. If they do, the letter “C” or “E” is used.

Using PIMA for Picking Patterns

If you want to get familiar with PIMA, particularly to learn fingerpicking patterns, there’s a few courses worth checking out:

Susan Mazer’s Hands-On Guitar: The Beginner’s Guide

“Whether you wish to learn acoustic or electric guitar, Susan’s engaging curriculum coupled with TrueFire’s interactive video format accelerates the learning process and making your practice sessions so addictive that you’ll have trouble putting your guitar down to go to sleep at night.”

View Course

Classical Guitar With Pamela Goldsmith

“The origins of the classical guitar date back to the fifteenth century. The vihuela, lute, and baroque guitar are the early predecessors of the guitar. With its origins reaching deep into the past, the classical guitar repertoire spans over five hundred years worth of material. Pamela Goldsmith explains the techniques necessary to mastering this timeless art form.

Pamela Goldsmith starts with the basics of classical guitar and moves on to teach some timeless pieces. She will cover proper technique, classical theory and other important concepts.”

View Course

The post What is PIMA? appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 7 years ago

Text

Top 6 Fingerstyle Guitar Christmas Albums

The classic melodies of Christmas music are just crying out for some acoustic fingerstyle arrangement. So here are six great albums that hit the spot, from fingerstyle greats like Tommy Emmanuel and Lawrence Juber.

The arrangements vary – from full band with Chet Atkins, to the strippped down, grooving acoustic of Adam Rafferty – but the holiday cheer is always on tap.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

1. Christmas With Chet Atkins

One of the most underrated holiday platters of all-time, Christmas with Chet Atkins shows the father of country-rock guitar performing 16 holiday standards in his own incomparable style. Although the uptempo stuff such as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Winter Wonderland” are excellent readings, it’s in the slower-paced selections that Chet Atkins really shines. His version of “Silver Bells” is, quite simply, one of the best versions of the standard ever, and possibly one of Atkins’ most arresting performances of all-time. Also excellent is the medley of “The Coventry Carol” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” Overall, criminally underrated, this disc should be rated up there with such fodder as Charlie Brown Christmas. Gorgeous.

Track list :

Jingle Bell Rock

Winter Wonderland

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

White Christmas

Blue Christmas

Jingle Bells

Silver Bells

The Little Drummer Boy

Medley: The Coventry Carol/God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleme

The First Noel

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

O Come All Ye Faithful

Deck the Halls

Silent Night

Preview Album

2. Christmas Memories by Tommy Emmanuel

Christmas Memories is a new album of holiday music from Tommy Emmanuel, showcasing new arrangements of favourites such as ‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,’ and ‘White Christmas.’ In addition, the album includes three original tunes that are sure to become instant Christmas classics, including ‘Christmas Time,’ ‘Let’s Make a Christmas Memory’ and ‘Christmas Memories.’ With Emmanuel on guitar and vocals, the album features long-time friend and collaborator John Knowles CGP on guitar, Pat Bergeson on guitar and harmonica, and Annie Sellick on vocals. The album serves as a follow up to 2011’s ‘All I Want For Christmas,’ his first-ever holiday album.

Track list :

Christmas Time

Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle Bells

Artificial Christmas Tree

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Let’s Make A Christmas Memory

Winter Wonderland

White Christmas

The Christmas Song

Christmas Memories/Waltzing Matilda

Amazing Grace

Preview Album

3. Winter Guitar by Laurence Juber

Track list :

Good King Wenceslaus

The Holly & the Ivy

Angels We Have Heard on High

Peace of the Sky

Away in a Manager

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Jesus Joy of Man’s Desire

The Tea Kettle Waltz

The Bells of Paradise

Prelude & Silent Night

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

In Bittersweet Winter

Preview Album

4. A Christmas Guitar Celebrationby Adam Rafferty

A set of popular Christmas carols and tunes arranged by Adam Rafferty for solo acoustic guitar, recorded with all Adam’s combination of funky grooving guitar, his jazz influence, and bass-over-melody style. Adam claims that he switched from jazz into fingerstyle guitar after hearing Tommy Emmanuel. Seems it was the right step as his popularity has rapidly grown.

Track list :

We Three Kings

What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)

Angels We Have Heard On High

Jingle Bells

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Deck The Halls

O Come All Ye Faithful

Joy To The World

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Silent Night

Carol Of the Bells

Little Drummer Boy

Christmas Don’t Be Late (The Chipmunk Song)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

O Holy Night

We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Auld Lang Syne

Preview Album

5. Christmas Soli by John Fahey

Guitarist John Fahey’s concept of Christmas music was a little different from the norm. The acoustic guitarist’s visionary 1968 set, The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album, was a collection of solo steel-string adaptations of traditional Yuletide melodies (“Joy to the World,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”). It reportedly sold more than 100,000 copies on Fahey’s own Takoma label, tabbing it as his best-selling album, and inspired several more memorable holiday sets from the guitarist.

All four of those brilliant albums are generously represented on Fantasy’s newly compiled Christmas Guitar Soli With John Fahey, a 14-song compilation of highlights from Fahey’s Yuletide catalog. Scheduled for October 29 CD release, the collection provides a soundtrack for the upcoming holiday season and boasts newly created cover art by Tom Weller, who designed the artwork for many of Fahey’s original Takoma albums, that’s done in the “wood print” style of those classic sets.

Track list:

Joy To The World (Instrumental)

Medley: Hark, The Herald Angels Sing / O Come All Ye Faithful (Instrumental)

We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Instrumental)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Fantasy (Instrumental)

Auld Lang Syne (Instrumental)

Oh Holy Night (Instrumental)

Christmas Medley: Oh, Tannenbaum/Angels We Have Head On High/Jingle Bells (Instrumental)

Carol of the Bells (Instrumental) [feat. Richard Ruskin]

The First Noel

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Silent Night, Holy Night

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town [feat. Terry Robb]

Medley: Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly/We Wish You A Merry Christmas [feat. Terry Robb]

The Christmas Song [feat. Terry Robb]

Preview Album

6. Majesty & Wonder: An Instrumental Christmas by Phil Keaggy

Phil Keaggy is a giant of a player with a long history, stretching from his 70’s Beatles-influenced singer-songwriter albums to more recent acoustic fingerstyle albums.

This album includes the London Festival Orchestra and serves to put his impeccable playing on display against a background of beautiful orchestral arrangements.

Track list :

What Child Is This?

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Good Christian Men Rejoice

Silent Night

Coventry Carol

O Come O Come Emmanuel

For Hearth and Home

Do You Hear What I Hear?

The First Noel

Nativity Suite: Visitation

Nativity Suite: Shepards Song

Nativity Suite: Flight Into Egypt

O Holy Night!

Preview Album

The Spotify Playlist

The post Top 6 Fingerstyle Guitar Christmas Albums appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes

keithdcourtney · 7 years ago

Text

Top 25 Classical Guitarists

The challenge of listing the top 25 classical guitarists is that there is such a deep history in classical guitar, how far back do you go? Do you limit it to the current players? But then that doesn’t work – I mean, how could you leave Segovia out (as you would have to do)?

Instead, this list blends the great players from across the twentieth century, and few players from before. It is international, and addresses different styles, from Baroque-influenced to Spanish to contemporary.

There are so many other great players out there – please add your favorite to the list below!

Enjoy.

Here We Go… The List.

Andrés Segovia (1893-1987)

Andrés Segovia, Spanish musician acclaimed as the foremost guitarist of his time. He was the most important force in reestablishing the guitar as a concert instrument in the 20th century, chiefly through demonstrating its expressive and technical potential. He continued giving concert performances past the age of 90.

Link to Wikipedia

John Williams

John Christopher Williams, OBE (born 24 April 1941) is an Australian virtuosic classical guitarist renowned for his ensemble playing as well as his interpretation and promotion of the modern classical guitar repertoire. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music Performance category with fellow guitarist Julian Bream for Julian and John (Works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, Granados). Guitar historian Graham Wade has said: “John is perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen.”

Official Website

Julian Bream

Proclaimed by many students of classical music as the premier guitar and lute virtuoso of the 20th century, Julian Bream was born in London in 1933. After studying at the Royal College of Music, he made his public debut in 1950, quickly winning fame for his technique and mastery of a wide range of musical styles. In 1960, he founded the Julian Bream Consort, an ensemble of original instrument virtuosi which enjoyed astounding success in their chosen oeuvre, greatly revitalizing interest in the music of the Elizabethan era. Named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1964, Bream was then named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire two decades later.

Link to Wikipedia

Jason Vieaux

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. NPR describes Vieaux as, “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation.” Among his extensive discography is the 2015 Grammy Award winning album for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, Play, from which the track “Zapateado” was also chosen as one of NPR’s “50 Favorite Songs of 2014 (So Far)”.

Official Website

Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)

Francisco Tárrega was an important Spanish composer whose music and style of guitar playing became strongly influential in the 20th century. He was central to reviving the guitar as a solo instrument in recital and concerts. Among his most popular compositions are Recuerdos de la Alhambra and Danza mora. He wrote nearly 80 original works for the guitar and over 100 transcriptions, mostly of piano pieces by Chopin, Beethoven, and others.

Link to Wikipedia

Pepe Romero

Pepe was born in Málaga, Spain, in 1944. In those days, following the devastating Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and during the Second World War, Spain was in desperate economic straits. Basic survival was the primary challenge. Yet, despite this, Celedonio Romero and his remarkable wife, Angelita, instilled in all three of their children a love of music that transcended the profound misery surrounding them.

Official Website

David Russell

The Scottish guitarist, David Russell, was born in Glasgow, and while still very young (age 5), moved with his parents to Menorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean. His father, an artist, was an avid amateur guitarist. It became natural for David to pick up the instrument, and his father began to teach him to play it. He cannot remember when he did not play the guitar. Before he could read music, he could play the pieces by ear that he had learned from listening to Andrés Segovia recordings. When he got somewhat older he also learned to play violin and French horn.

Official Website

Xuefei Yang

The Chinese guitarist, Xuefei Yang ((Fei)), began playing the guitar when she was 7. Three years later, she started studying under Chen Zhi, the Chairman of the China Classical Guitar Society. She made a public debut at the age of 10, at the First China International Guitar Festival, where she met with an immediate acclaim. At her debut, one of the most respected luthiers, Masaru Kohno, presented her a guitar, Pepe by Aria; it was her first foreign-made guitar. The next achievement that she made was a second prize at the Beijing Senior Guitar competition; at that time, she was only 11. As a schoolgirl, Yang rapidly achieved an international reputation, playing extensively in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Spain, and Australia, and giving concert tours in Taiwan, Japan and Portugal. At twelve, she played in Tokyo for the first time, and was given a special award by the Guitar Alliance of Japan. Masaru Kohno, this time, took Yang to his studio and asked her to take any guitar with her. She played the Kohno guitar, made of cedar and jacaranda, regularly over the next five years. During her Madrid debut at age 14, the composer Joaquín Rodrigo was among the audience; in 1995, after John Williams listened to her performance in Beijing, he was so impressed that he loaned two of his own Greg Smallman guitars to her conservatory, for her and other top students to play.

Official Website

Christopher Parkening

Christopher Parkening is celebrated as one of the world’s preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar. The Washington Post called him “the leading guitar virtuoso of our day, combining profound musical insight with complete technical mastery of his instrument.” The New York Times described his playing as “so intelligent, sensitive and adept that one can forget everything but the music.Parkening’s performances, recordings, and collaborations, which have included artists such as Kathleen Battle, Renée Fleming, Placido Domingo, Josh Groban, Jubilant Sykes, and composers/conductors John Williams and Elmer Bernstein, have received the highest worldwide acclaim. A frequent soloist with leading orchestras, Parkening has performed at the White House and appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and The Grammy® Awards.

Official Website

Sharon Isbin

The American guitarist, Sharon Isbin, began her guitar studies at age 9 in Italy. She was a student of Andrés Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia and Alirio Díaz. A former student of Rosalyn Tureck, Isbin collaborated with the noted keyboardist in preparing the first performance editions of the Bach lute suites for guitar (published by G. Schirmer). She received a B.A. cum laude from Yale University and a Master of Music from the Yale School of Music. She was the 1st Prize winner of the Toronto Guitar 1975 competition, a winner of the Madrid Queen Sofia, and the first guitarist ever to win the Munich Competition.

Official Website

Fernando Sor (1778-1839)

Fernando Sor, original name (Catalan) Josep Ferran Sorts i Muntades, also called (Spanish) José Fernando Macarurio Sors or (English) Joseph Fernando Macari Sors, (baptized February 14, 1778, Barcelona, Spain—died July 10, 1839, Paris, France), Catalan Romantic performer, composer, and teacher of guitar known for being among the first to play the guitar as a classical concert instrument and for writing one of the earliest books of guitar-playing methodology. He was a noted guitar virtuoso.

Link to Wikipedia

Ana Vidović

The Croatian guitarist, Ana Vidović, started playing guitar at the age of 5, and by 7 had given her first public performance. At the age of 11 she was performing internationally, and at 13 became the youngest student to attend the prestigious National Musical Academy in Zagreb where she studied with Professor Istvan Romer. Ana’s reputation in Europe led to an invitation to study with Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory where she graduated in 2005. She has won an impressive number of prizes and international competitions including first prizes in the Albert Augustine International Competition in Bath, England, the Fernando Sor competition in Rome, Italy and the Francisco Tarrega competition in Benicasim, Spain. Other top prizes include the Eurovision Competition for Young Artists, Mauro Giuliani competition in Italy, Printemps de la Guitare in Belgium and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.

Official Website

Manuel Barrueco

The legendary Manuel Barrueco is internationally recognized as one of the most important guitarists of our time. His unique artistry has been continually described as that of a superb instrumentalist and a superior and elegant musician, possessing a seductive sound and uncommon lyrical gifts.His career has been dedicated to bringing the guitar to the main musical centers of the world. During three decades of concertizing, he has performed across the United Sates from the New World Symphony in Miami to the Seattle Symphony, and from the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to New York’s Lincoln Center. He has appeared with such prestigious orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra and with the Boston Symphony under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, in the American premiere of ToruTakemitsu’s “To the Edge of Dream.” In addition, he appears regularly with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and with San Francisco Performances.

Official Website

Agustín Barrios (1885-1944)

Agustín Pío Barrios was born in southern Paraguay on 5 May 1885, and died on 7 August 1944, in San Salvador, El Salvador. To many, Barrios was the greatest of all guitarist/composers. In view of this, it is curious that his music lay undiscovered and unappreciated for over three decades after his death. In the mid-1970s comprehensive editions of his music appeared, making it possible for guitarists of a younger generation to study his music, augmenting and complementing more traditional repertoire. The revival began in 1977 with a release by John Williams of an entire recording of music by Barrios, bringing overdue recognition to this forgotten Latin American guitarist. Today Barrios’ music is frequently performed by major concert artists and is appreciated by audiences worldwide.

Link to Wikipedia

Narciso Yepes (1927-1997)

Narciso Yepes was one of the finest virtuoso classical guitarists of the twentieth century, generally ranked second after Andrés Segovia. Despite a strong interest in music from the Baroque period, his overwhelming preference was for the serious compositions of Spanish composers from the early twentieth century, though he also showed interest in flamenco music. He displayed a special fondness for the works of Joaquín Rodrigo and was instrumental in the rediscovery of many previously neglected Baroque compositions. He also achieved distinction as a composer, especially in the realm of film music.

Link to Wikipedia

Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)

The Italian guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani settled in Vienna in 1806. There he exercised strong influence over the progress of the instrument, as a teacher, performer and composer. He left Vienna in 1819, spending some four years in Rome before retiring to Naples, where he died in 1829.

Link to Wikipedia

Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841)

Ferdinando Maria Carulli was one of the most influential composers for classical guitar as well as the author of the first complete classical guitar method. He wrote a variety of works for classical guitar, including concertos and chamber works. He was an extremely prolific writer for guitar, writing over 400 works for the instrument in the space of twelve years.

Link to Wikipedia

Eliot Fisk

The American guitarist, Eliot Fisk, was the last direct pupil of Andrés Segovia and is the holder of all reproduction rights to A. Segovia’s music, given to him by A. Segovia’s wife, Emilia. After attending Jamesville-Dewitt High School in Dewitt, New York, Fisk also studied interpretation under harpsichordists Ralph Kirkpatrick and Albert Fuller at Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1976. After graduation, he was asked to form the Guitar Department at the Yale School of Music. He was the winner of the International Guitar Competition in 1980.

Official Website

Miguel Llobet (1878-1938)

Llobet was born on October 18, 1878, in Barcelona, Spain. Though he turned to the guitar at the relatively late age of 11, he had studied both piano and violin from his early childhood. His first teacher was Magín Alegre; by 16 Llobet was studying with Francisco Tárrega at the Barcelona Municipal Conservatory of Music.

Link to Wikipedia

Alirio Díaz (1923-2016)

Alirio Diaz was one of the true masters of the Spanish guitar. A student of Raul Borges, the originator of Venezuela’s Spanish guitar tradition, in the late-1940s, Diaz garnered international acclaim for his instrumental wizardry.

Official Website

Liona Boyd

Five time Juno award winner, Liona Boyd, ”The First Lady of the Guitar”, has enthralled millions with her romantic and unique brand of classical, folk and world music. She has performed solo and orchestral concerts around the world, had her own television specials, and recorded twenty-eight albums, many of which have gone Gold and Platinum. Her total views on YouTube are over six million. A new album of original songs, No Remedy for Love was released in 2017 by Universal Music, along with a new autobiography, also titled No Remedy for Love, from Dundurn Press.

Official Website

Paul Galbraith

Internationally renowned, Paul Galbraith is one of the finest active guitarists today, as well as a brilliant innovator. With the help of the eight-string “Brahms Guitar”, an instrument he developed together with David Rubio, he has expanded both the limits of the instrument and the quality and breadth of its repertoire. Several highly acclaimed recordings attest to these developments, as well as to his searching artistic temperament and mastery.

Official Website

Marcin Dylla

Hailed by Washington Post as “among the most gifted guitarists on the planet” Polish guitarist, Marcin Dylla is a rare phenomenon in the recent history of Classical Guitar. Many music critics, connoisseurs, and music lovers certify that Marcin Dylla is among the world’s elite of classical guitar players. He has earned this position, among others, to the unparalleled number of awards including 19 First Prizes from 1996-2007 at the most prestigious international music competitions around the world. His last triumph was the Gold Medal of the ‘2007 Guitar Foundation of America International Competition’ in Los Angeles known as the most prestigious guitar contest in the world followed by tour of over 50 cities in North America, Mexico and Canada during 2008-09 season, live recital video recording for Mel Bay Publications and CD recording for Naxos that reached the Naxos ‘Top 10 Bestselling Albums’ in September 2008. His live recital DVD “Wawel Royal Castle at Dusk” was nominated for 2010 Fryderyk Award (equal to American Grammy) in the category of Solo Classical Music Album of the Year.

Official Website

Ángel Romero

Ángel Romero is a Spanish classical guitarist, conductor and former member of the guitar quartet Los Romeros. He is the youngest son of Celedonio Romero, who in 1957 left Spain for the United States with his family.

Romero made his professional debut at the age of six. At the age of sixteen, at his United States debut, he appeared as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first guitar soloist, giving Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez its premiere for the US West Coast. He has studied conducting with Eugene Ormandy, the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Official Website

Kazuhito Yamashita

Kazuhito Yamashita is a Japanese classical guitarist. His technique and expression are highly acclaimed. By the age of 32, Yamashita had already released 52 albums, including repertoires for solo guitar, guitar concertos, chamber music and collaborations with other renowned musicians such as James Galway. To date, he has released a total of 83 albums.

Link to Wikipedia

Bonus!

Dušan Bogdanović

A richly gifted composer, improviser and guitarist, Dusan Bogdanovic has explored musical languages that are reflected in his style today- a unique synthesis of classical, jazz and ethnic music. As a soloist and in collaboration with other artists, Bogdanovic has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. His performing and recording activities include work with chamber groups of diverse stylistic orientations including The Falla Guitar Trio and jazz collaborations with James Newton, Milcho Leviev, Charlie Haden, Miroslav Tadic, Mark Nauseef, Anthony Cox and others. He has over fifty published compositions ranging from guitar and piano solo works to chamber and orchestral ensembles (Berben, GSP, Doberman-Yppan et al.), as well as close to twenty recordings ranging from Bach Trio Sonatas to contemporary works (Intuition, GSP, Doberman-Yppan, M.A. Recordings et al.).

Official Website

$105.00

Classical Guitar Lessons with Jason Vieaux

GET LESSONS

The post Top 25 Classical Guitarists appeared first on The Guitar Journal.

0 notes