How to trigger inspiration by understanding what causes it, and more importantly, what causes it for you.
The Guitar Player's Resource
Welcome to the December edition of Guitar Nine's on-line magazine. As we enter an unusually cold winter period, we're reflecting on a large number of amazing new titles that have been added over the last two months. Our reach is expanding internationally, as guitarists from Europe and Asia have also joined forces with us in larger numbers. Visit the Instrumental Guitar Showcase to browse and listen to all of these dynamic recordings, or check out our recommendations page. If you've released an instrumental project, get all the details about merchandising through Guitar Nine, and decide if it's right for your music (if you've released a guitar-oriented CD with vocals, click here).
How to trigger inspiration by understanding what causes it, and more importantly, what causes it for you.
G9er Will Landrum is back to teach you the magic of turning a scale into real music.
Learn to walk a tightrope on someone else`s web site--Greigg is here to talk guitar pickups.
Think about it--how to use your head to help your hands.
The guitarist on "Twins" offers the second installment on going beyond the flat pick.
Think you know your audience? Christopher Knab is here to make sure you take a closer look.
One of our most requested column topics is being addressed by Tonya Rae, who has sent out more than a press kit or two.
Not just "Orange" barcodes, but real, honest-to-goodness UPCs. Take it from Joe.
Conquering The World Of Melodic Instrumental Guitar
Well, I`m 38 and I started when I was ten. I probably started younger, like when I was about eight, so when you think about it, I`ve been playing for 30 years. I should be a lot better then I am (laughs).
Electronica Meets Driving Instrumental Guitar
We have our own recording facility at our rehearsal studio and have been doing all recent recording there. We also rent time if necessary at a more elaborate studio. Ralph (Perucci) has his own studio in Manhattan.
Solo Guitarist Explores Jazz, Classical, Modern & World Music
As far as releasing independently - there`s really no other way. Instrumental music (other than `happy saxophone` music I suppose) doesn`t really get a lot of support from record labels, guitar magazines, radio, whatever. So, if you love doing this kind of thing, then you really have to accept that you`ve gotta do it yourself.
Instrumental Rock Addict Eyes Studio Career
A studio CD is hard work, because you spend months and do all this painstaking work in the studio and nit pick everything and make it right and mix it. I think that`s a bigger labor, but I think a live CD is a scary thing because you`re getting up there and playing live. There is nothing to hide behind. There`s no overdubs, and you have to live with what you did or don`t put it out.
Malmsteen, Angelo, Stump -- Take Cover!
I have an easier time over in Europe than I do here. I live in the Boston area, and Boston being a college town really wants alternative music. So I have a difficult time getting shows and drawing a huge crowd around here. I find it kind of weird. Thankfully that is not the only thing that I have to go on.
Analogue Guy Trapped In Digital World
G3 is definitely here to stay. People may or may not know, the concept that we came up with a number of years ago was to be able to bring guitarists together that usually spend most of their time trying to stay apart. Managers and record companies are always trying to keep people separate. So we came up with the idea of bringing people together.
Powerful Rhythms, Sweeping Guitars
Back when I got my hands on my first multi-track recorder, I was fascinated with overdubbing, piling things on top of things, and recording anyone that came in my grip. I recorded hundreds of hours of stuff. Then I released the record `Flexible,` my first solo record.
Favored Nations is my new independent record company. It`s something I knew I was going to do. I knew I was destined to do a record company eventually. It`s a great concept and I found a great partner, Ray Sheer. We had similar concepts on how we would like to construct a label. I`ve been in the business for a long time, and I understand the infrastructure of how a label works and how they promote and market. So we put together this concept, sort of a musicians label.
New CD Offers Eclectic Blend Of Rock And Blues
You know, the early rock bands that I was into, like Deep Purple and Queen were very guitar oriented bands. I just wanted to start playing, so I got a guitar one year for Christmas. I had no interest in the guitar on Christmas day, I played more with the box. It grew on me and I got real serious after a couple of years.
Dedicated To Great Progressive Instrumental Music
We send about half our orders overseas (48 different countries at last check), so numerically more CDs are still purchased in the United States, but that`s really because the country is so big. I feel the demand for instrumental guitar is stronger overseas, and if the economies in the Far East and Eastern Europe were stronger, I believe we`d sell even more there.
When we were working the tunes, none of us had any idea how long they were. It`s just these were our little babies we`re producing. It seemed that they needed all the parts we had. Looking back, there`s maybe two sections on the whole record I would cut. We hacked up a couple cuts for radio play, hacked them from eight minutes to five.
I believe that back in the 80`s it was a very novel thing to be an instrumental rock guitarist. I mean we`ve had rock instrumental songs since rock began, but the technical advances made by many of us were very charming and, for a while, in vogue. These are the very same qualities that almost killed the genre.
