Break Away II

In the event that you have any kind of desire for playing rock and roll in the least, the one thing that has come to be definitely needed for the position of rock and roll star is the electric guitar. These types of guitars are the equipment that drive the sound, the look, and most of the attitude that define rock music. Thus, there are several popular electric guitar brands to look at.

While the electric guitar unquestionably was around within the early days of jazz, it continued to be just an instrument in the rhythm section for the most part. Several artists stepped out with their stylings, Scotty Moore being a fine case in point, but not too many. Amplification was an attempt to compete with the blaring horn sections, and so the guitar remained rather low key.

And then along came the serious application of electricity to strings, and rock and roll began its crawl to prominence within the realms of popular music. As far as reputation goes, you will find two brand names that still stand “necks and frets” over everyone else, and are what the rest aim to be like. These brands are Gibson and Fender, respectively.

It was the fantastic Les Paul who created the solid body electric guitar that we all know and love these days. The problem was that the audio of a hollow bodied type resulted in unwanted feedback and poor sound problems. Paul reasoned that simply by eliminating the hollow body style that he could produce a completely electric sound. He was proven to be absolutely correct, and the Gibson Les Paul that has his name may be the highest in rock guitar royalty.

Managing a near second are Fender electric guitars. Following up on the particular solid body designs, Leo Fender began his very own line of guitars with great results. They differ substantially from Gibsons as a result of their unique, and relatively thinner, sound, but several musicians have raised them into the upper echelons of the rock and roll hierarchy. Two of the most noteworthy Fender players are Jimi Hendrix as well as Eddie Van Halen.

Once the rock and roll revolution was accomplished it was a very good time period for other companies to enter the competition. Some manufacturers have had tremendous success in their very own right, mostly because of their distinctive tones and design styles. Rickenbacker built some excellent jangly guitars and were employed by such excellent bands as the Beatles plus the Byrds. Gretsch creates great instruments that have always found favor with the country music realm.

As things advanced guitars grew to be a little bit more ambitious, with some very good sounds being generated by some truly unusual styles. BC Rich was a leader in flashy axes, and remains popular as a result. ESP is a marketplace favorite, just like Kramer and Charvel. These later guitars are also sought after for staying affordable, while the Gibsons and Fenders may be prohibitively high priced.

Popular electric guitar brands have grown to be so for quite good reasons. One, they had a one of a kind sound that was all their own, and that particular sound is still quite good to the typical audience. Second, they looked great, and all of rock and roll is about image as much as anything else. And the current versions can offer these exact same qualities without costing nearly as dearly. For anybody who wants to rock, you’ll never go wrong with a excellent guitar.

Looking for the right electric guitar? Be sure to check out my reviews on the Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar and the Fender Highway One Telecaster electric guitar.

Some people consider music to be an nice interlude, a distraction from the noise of life, or a way to help time pass when waiting for an appointment. Then there are true musicians. These are individuals who feel the deep sense of art that rises from music, and who revel in the emotional rails that music provides for them. When you are impassioned into music you can not turn away from it. It is part of you just as the color of your eyes are part of you.

Any musical passion, from tickling the ivories to jam sessions on a Fender acoustic electric guitar, to mastering the intricate Ibanez electric guitar can be brought up from the ashes of what we could consider the depravity of our society. The single note of a saxophone or the wail of the black electric guitar that lights up on stage are equally relevant and therefore are equally important.

Is there an unnatural driving force that pushes musicians forward? Is there a need to bury oneself deep into musical endeavors in order to avoid dealing with the issues of life? Or is it closer to understanding that musicians of today and musical prodigies of tomorrow are all on the same page. They just want to be inspired, live inspired, and create inspiration. When you hear the raw and powerful talent of just one special performer you know in your heart that music is just as much a part of this world as math or technology. Yet math geniuses are not looked at as though they have flighty dreams and are not patronized when they fill their heads with ideas.

There is a lifelong connection between inspiration and musical influence. Most people can hear the natural inspiration when the right piece plays for them. When it is your own creation that has people feeling uplifted, ready, expressive, and inspired it is pure magic.

Most of us can feel inspired by music. Some of us feel as thought creating the music that inspires us is akin to feeling like we are part of the necessary inner workings that make the world go around. It can be that important. Of course, you may not find that we can always express it like that. We just seem a bit obsessive.

Of course, for those that appreciate and understand the quality of music and the profound impact that music has on our lives, support is not a question. Educational facilities need the support in order to continue to allow their students to dream and become great in the own right. Musically gifted children also become more adept in math and science and score higher on reading comprehension tests.

Music has been said to be a universal language. It is a mirror and a window that reveals the soul at the same time. Every musician and every aspiring musician holds inside them some sort of magic that is just waiting to pop. With every next step and with each new focus, a musician of tomorrow is found in every school across the nation.

The Beatles are set to make a return to the music scene in big way! First by releasing a new video game and secondly to re-release a massive backlog of their music. The new game which is called, "The Beatles: Rockband" is released on Wednesday the 9th September.
On the game you can see visual simulations of the band performing some of their most famous tracks at some of the most popular venues from around the country. This coincides perfectly with their record label EMI’s scheduled release of 14 of their new digitally enhanced albums which will available in early 2010. Additionally, from October 19th owners of the video game will be able to download the whole Abbey Road album either through their XBOX or PS3 for about £10. Or alternatively, you can download them individually for about 99p each. I think this is part of a master plan to get the Beatles back into the scene and apply their music to a younger demographic. There is no doubt that these new CD’s will sell like hotcakes in the shops and I bet EMI are licking their lips!
I am personally a massive fan of the Beatles. I am eager to hear how they have re-mastered their tracks to go on CD. I do hope they have not laid digital pianos over their grand pianos or added a hoard of electric guitars to replace the older sound. Plans on how to get the Beatles’ back catalogue implemented into the digital world has been widely discussed between all the parties involved. The various record companies involved will also be selling the infamous album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for sale in late November which is no doubt set to be a massive hit with fans from all over the planet!
You can watch game play trailers and get more information at The Beatles: Rock Band official website. By the time you read this the game should already be released! I will be making a purchase for sure!

Mark Knopfler talks about a Fender Stratocaster

There can’t be many people who wouldn’t have loved to become a guitar hero. Standing on stage, head down, legs apart, chopping out a blistering guitar solo so loud that it makes peoples ears bleed. And there are a number of truly great electric guitars that have stood the test of time.

One of the most famous electric guitars is the Fender Stratocaster. Originally designed back in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was the guitar of choice for Jimi Hendrix who played left handed. This is the electric guitar chosen by Pete Townsend of the Who and guitar god Eric Clapton. The Fender Stratocaster is as popular today as it ever was, a testament to the excellent design.

Another well known and popular electric guitar from Fender is, of course, the Telecaster. This beautifully simple instrument was first introduced as the Broadcaster in late 1949 and has been in continuous production ever since. There are and have been many well known and talented guitarists who like to play Fender Telecasters. One of the most well known is, of course, Keith Richards who takes to the stage with an array of Telecasters, open tuned to a ‘G’ chord for that classic Rolling Stones sound.

If we are talking about classic guitars we must of course mention the fantastic Gibson Les Paul. This is another truly great electric guitar, first made back in the 1950s and in continuous production ever since. Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds fame, is just one guitarist who loves the Gibson Les Paul. The sound of this great instrument was heard everywhere in the song ‘Alright Now’ by the band Free, played by the late Paul Kossoff and a modern day player of this great guitar is Slash of Guns’n'Roses fame.

Since I’ve given a mention to two Fenders its only fair that I should talk about two great Gibsons. I could have chosen the great Gibson ES335, a personal favourite and popular with many great guitarists including BB King, but instead I’ve picked the exceptional Gibson SG. This great electric guitar with its distinctive looks was first introduced in the early 1960s initially to compete with the popular Fender Stratocaster. This is the guitar chosen by Angus Young of Australian rock band ACDC. This is also the guitar used by the great Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.

Today there are many great electric guitars, but lots of these are copies of these four iconic models which, for me, are the best there is.

How to Play Guitar for Beginners

The internet is a wonderful and magnificent thing. It is often said, but still very true, that young people today don’t know how lucky they are to have easy access to the worlds knowledge on the internet.

I’ve been playing guitar for well over thirty years having started out with the classic Bert Weedon’s ‘Play in a Day’ book, way back in the 1970′s. I could never afford guitar lessons so I would take every opportunity to obsessively study the playing techniques and styles of every guitarist I managed to see.

Modern technology has revolutionised the way that people learn to play the guitar. DVDs, for example, can be played over and over again, unlike face to face guitar lessons. And the internet provides an ideal medium for the delivery of some great guitar tutorials.

While there are many guitar tuition websites by far my favourite resource is Youtube. You can find instructional videos on everything from choosing guitars to making your own electric guitar. There are videos for every level of learner from beginner through to old guys like me who want to learn a few new tunes and techniques.

Learning new licks, techniques and tunes from Youtube has become one of my favoured pass times. If the weather is bad then you will generally find me learning a new tune or two from Youtube. I think that my guitar playing skills have improved more in the past five years, thanks to Youtube, than it did in the prior twenty years.

Another useful feature is that the system is interactive. When I find a video that I like I will always make it one of my favourites and maybe drop the performer a comment to say thanks. Also, I will often ask the presenter a question or two and they always come back with a positive answer. Youtube is a bit like having any number of personal guitar consultants who are always happy to answer your questions.

These days I find myself feeling a little bit envious of the young people learning guitar with all these great resources available to them. I like to fantasise that if I had been learning to play using all of these excellent resources who knows, I might have become the next Eric Clapton.

Both Adele and Leona Lewis are among the headliners at this year’s VH1 party in the heart of New York.

Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus will also perform at the music channel’s event who is actually returning after a five year hiatus. VH1 are reportedly interested in developing local music interest in neighbouring communities which is something they have always been looking into helping.

The show is a fundraiser for the ‘Save the Music Foundation’ which will be live on the music channel in the US on 17th September. The local music scene has always been important for kids at school in New York and this concert has helped support those dreams. The entire event takes place at Brooklyn Academy of Music and local kids from school get free entry.

Mariah Carey, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Cher have all performed at this event in the past. This is such a crazy time for Leona Lewis. She recently won the notorious hit music TV program, X-Factor and since then her popularity has really gone out of control (in a good way).

This musical event has been a regular occurrence for many years and since the very first Diva concert in 1998, musical instruments some of which have been worth £26.3m have been donated to numerous schools in over 100 cities. Anything from acoustic guitars, electric guitars and classic guitar.

Many schools across the world have always benefited from this concert and people have since developed a lot of interest in the yearly show. Adele and Leona will be playing this year and is really going to change up the lineup this year.

The concert has always attracted the best stars from across the globe and is a really good way to raise awareness for schools that do not have enough money to develop the students’ passion for music.

The replica or tribute phenomena in music can be taken in different ways.  Some tribute bands are actually fairly decent musicians, in a few cases probably better than the originals they mimic.That’s almost certainly true of the dozens of Status Quo tribute acts out there!  Replica guitars are also a burgeoning business.  Some tribute acts take things to the extreme of insisting on using their hero’s original instruments if they’re still available, or getting replicas if they’re not.

Guitars are more than just a musical instrument.They are also cultural symbols, fashion statements and emblems of personality and attitude.Replica guitars have a hot and cold reputation and many people refuse to see further than the logo stamped on the headstock.  Cheap Chinese copies have flooded the market and their quality is certainly dubious.Nonetheless, some very high quality replicas of vintage guitars do exist. Fender is a favourite target for these lovingly created copies, based on the 1951 Telecaster (originally called the Broadcaster) and the 1954 Fender Stratocaster.
In its heyday, the Strat had a contour body of swamp ash, one piece maple neck and three pickups.In 1960 Fender bodies changed to alder wood and the slab board necks were manufactured up until mid 1962 when a curved board was offered. In 1964 the curved board was replaced with a veneer when the CBS Corporation purchased the company leading to a well documented decline in quality. So replica Fender guitars made today may actually be better quality than post 1964 originals!

The Tanglewood RVB-2 60s Beatles style violin bass is another good example of just how good replicas can get. Based on Hofner’s 500/1 ‘Beatle Bass’, The RVB-2 recreates a vintage semi-hollow tone ideal for ’60s style pop/ rock, blues and jazz, without breaking the bank! It has the same vintage features as the Hofner, including rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays, maple neck, floating wooden bridge and pearloid pick guard. Of course, the pickups aren’t the Hofner stamped ‘Staple’ humbucking pickups, but the two toaster appearance mini-humbucker pickups work just as well in achieving that Beatles un-EQ’d classic sound.  So don’t dismiss electric guitars just because they are replicas.  Just like the tribute bands, sometimes they can be as good as, if not better than, the original.