Jonas Tamas (Progressive/Instrumental Rock)


It is time for all my loyal readers to join me inside the fall out shelter for a special announcement. It is my pleasure to present to you the axe master from Budapest Hungary, Jonas Tamas. In the short time I’ve known about Jonas, I’ve just been amazed by his ability to handle a guitar. Normally, I tend to be quite critical of instrumental guitarists. Many who go down the instrumental path tend to spend too much time focusing on extreme lead playing and forget that the goal is to actually bring a balance to the music that aims to be appealing to the audience. What makes Jonas different is that he has a very deep sense of how to develop the landscape he intends to play against from one song to the next. When he brings up the lead, you can really hear him deliver a flawless performance as he dazzles you with engaging musical phrases and a superior picking technique that will leave you speechless.

On the occasions that I have had the pleasure to speak with Jonas over email, I have found him to be a person who truly appreciates his fans. And it is because he exhibits this quality, along with being a superb musician, that I believe he is deserving of your support. Recently, Jonas has released a new album called, “Sharp Guitars From A Flat Planet.” It’s a project that I know Jonas has put a lot of hard work and effort into, as I followed his updates on the various stages of the recording project over the last few months, reading the many comments he left for his fans on Facebook along the way. The somewhat haunting lead on Mosquito Bite and the emotional energy in the track Tight Squeeze, really stand out as works that demonstrate that Jonas has a dynamically melodic side as well as an ability to shred with the best instrumental guitarists around. So, be sure to pick up the album from CDBaby by following the link on our main page.

GD Star Rating
loading...
GD Star Rating
loading...
  • AIM
  • Digg
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • WordPress
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Squidoo
  • Mixx
  • Delicious
  • Facebook
  • Google Reader
  • MySpace
  • Sphinn
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Yahoo Messenger
  • Share/Bookmark

The World of Harmonizers and Pitch Shifting

Eventually, the bug is going to bite and you are going to want to enhance your guitar sound with pitch shifting and harmonizer effects. Of course, if you are a normal human being, you won’t likely be able to afford an Eventide Harmonizer. But, even if you don’t have a ton to spend on effects, you can still get your hands on a decent pedal or rack that can give you pitch shifting and harmonizer capabilities for a reasonable price. What is a harmonizer?

INTRO TO HARMONIZERS AND PITCH SHIFTERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcXnB1MsjKI&feature=PlayList&p=8792948706480727&playnext=1&index=23

Okay, now that you know what a harmonizer is, let’s check out one that I think sounds a bit smoother than the last one we heard.
BOSS GT10 HARMONIZER DEMOS

Here are a couple more demos of the Boss GT10 unit in action.

Another Boss product that you can use to do harmonizer type of effects is the Harmonist pedal.

BOSS HARMONIST PEDAL

DigiTech has also released a number of harmonizers over the years, and this next product might be just what the doctor ordered to help your rig out.

DIGITECH HARMONY MAN

This next video demonstrates how to use pitch shifting with other effects to produce some interesting sounds.

PITCH SHIFTING WITH DELAY AND VOLUME SWELL EFFECTS

I hope this little demonstration about harmonizers and pitch shifters has been helpful. This is one of those types of effects that can dramatically change your overall sound if used properly. Also, be sure to check out many different types of harmonizers and pitch shifters before purchasing one. Although technology in this area has improved dramatically, the truth is that a lot of harmonizers on the market are simply not very good. So, you really have to watch what you get.

GD Star Rating
loading...
GD Star Rating
loading...
  • AIM
  • Digg
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • WordPress
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Squidoo
  • Mixx
  • Delicious
  • Facebook
  • Google Reader
  • MySpace
  • Sphinn
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Yahoo Messenger
  • Share/Bookmark

Getting Back to Basics (Artists & the Music Industry) Part 1

Well you may just be wondering, well who is this guy? Well to better understand who I am go and check out my bio under the Bio(Hazard) tab on the main page of Atomic Finger. Well enough about me for now. Lets talk about you! Whether you are an artist, band or musician you will definitely take something from this blog. I hear all the time from artists, bands and musicians that they are not getting enough people coming to their shows or their different websites. Well by know you know that your message is not being heard even though you have a lot of “friends” on your sites and even talking to people by word of mouth. I am going to give you the straight, legit, real answer right now. Saturation and lack of business education!

Yes, saturation, I said it, so lets talk about this problem first. You’re probably asking, what’s this guy talking about? Well as a matter of fact I had a business meeting yesterday with one of my music industry contacts and this very exact matter was discussed. My contact admitted that every artist, band and musician needs to get back to an intimacy level with their fans if they have not started doing so yet. Ok, you might be saying now, this guy is weird, talking about being intimate with my fans. Well it’s not that kind of intimacy if that is what you are thinking, there are some similarities, but I will explain further. What I am talking about is having a real one on one relationship with your fans, even if you are engaging them as a big group. Heres an example, lets say you are putting on a show and in between sets your band takes a break, you see some fans that were truly rocking out during your show. Go and talk to some of them, ask them what they think of the show, maybe give out a free cd or two, ask them if they filled out their information on the emailing list so they can be updated about the band. Point is, treat them like people, show them a genuine side of you and your band, build that distinct relationship with them! Here’s another example, why don’t you and your band put on an on going weekly live video blog and talk to the fans and let the fans know what you guys are doing!

The point is, is that everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something. It is up to you to find that niche with your twist and touch on it. That is also part of branding, which I will discuss in another blog. At the end of the day you want your genuine fans to talk, blog, email, whatever about what you are doing like a virus. Don’t just go on your social networking sites and get tons of people on your sites just for the numbers. Yes it may take a little longer to develop fans this way, but the overall outcome and pace you set may not be as slow as you think. Plus doesn’t it make since to build your fans locally and have a following where you are at then to barely have anyone know you here or where you trying to go distant. I have been in the music industry a while and not only does this make sense, but if your big picture is to try to make it big and have companies wanting to get at you with lots of money, then you have got to make sure that you are worth what ever the risk by showing you have fans, (who are the market), following you. Your fans are the backbone of your movement, without them you don’t exist. Remember it is about staying true to who you are, but is also all about your fans.

 By: Derrick Heffner (2009)

GD Star Rating
loading...
GD Star Rating
loading...
  • AIM
  • Digg
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • WordPress
  • Yahoo Buzz
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Squidoo
  • Mixx
  • Delicious
  • Facebook
  • Google Reader
  • MySpace
  • Sphinn
  • Technorati Favorites
  • Yahoo Messenger
  • Share/Bookmark