Filed under: Band Reviews — Corey April 20, 2009 @ 8:20 pm
This week I stumbled across a group named Thyateira, a curious band from Crystal Lake, Illinois. I’m going to be honest with you right up front. I have rather mixed feelings about this band (whose name I assume comes from the fourth church of the book of Revelation chapter 2). I think this band has a lot of artistic potential that it should bring to the surface. I was on their myspace page listening to their tracks, and in the first song that came up, there was a brief passage where they kicked the growlers out of the room and actually tried to sing normally. For that brief moment, I started to feel as if this band had some sense of a purpose and maybe even something meaningful to say with their music. But, that connection was short lived, because the growling and shouting returned throughout the rest of my listening experience. Now, I will admit, when I was much younger, this sort of disconnect would not have struck me as being so odd. That is to say, given my rather detached anti-social outlook on life at that time. And let’s face it, the message that a band intends to send with their music is not always conveyed through the words themselves, even if you can actually make out what the singer is saying. But, here is what strikes me so funny about this band. And it is worthy of noting, for its musical value, if for nothing else. As I tuned out the shouting and growling to get beyond the surface of the music, it surprised me that there was this layer of nicely orchestrated lead guitar playing, over a tonally crafted driven rhythm. At times the feel of the lead was somewhat neoclassical in form. Which I truly think was a brilliant touch. There were also a few nicely used studio sound tricks in the mix from time to time that grabs the hearer and let’s go in a way that makes you pause, if you take the time to notice them. But, this dramatic difference between what you get on the surface and what you find when you explore what is going on beneath was something of a paradox to me as a listener. I mean, was that intentionally planned to turn out that way, or did it just turn out that way? Where I think it is difficult to create music in this genre is that as a band you have to decide what is more important. Is it the sheer force of raw power that you are trying to convey to your audience, or is your goal to be artistically inclined musicians first? I don’t think there is any right or wrong answer to that question, but I do find that the bands who back off the raw power and approach the creative process from a more musically appealing perspective, learn to get a far better balance in their final product than those bands which don’t. But, then again, I am speaking from personal preference. So, be sure to check out Thyateira this week and drop me an email to let me know what you think.
Filed under: Band Reviews — Corey April 12, 2009 @ 10:04 pm
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.
Did you buy a guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo only to find yourself cursing into the wind when it came time to change your strings? Okay, don’t panic! Owning a guitar with a real tremolo system can take a little getting used to. And because I get a lot of questions on how to set up a Floyd, I did some searching to find a decent video to help you understand more clearly how to approach this problem.
FLOYD ROSE TREMOLO SET UP
So, if you were worried about buying a guitar with a Floyd Rose trem system, because you thought it was going to be a lot of hastle to set up, you were right! But, despite the extra time and effort it takes to set up a professional trem system, it is important to be able to be aware of how gadgets like this work, if you plan to move forward with your playing. The first few times you set one of these trems up, it will seem like a bear. But, I assure you, once you’ve done it a number of times, it becomes lots easier.
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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?
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.
This is one of those lessons that will probably make your head spin a little. It is rather theory intensive. In the same breath, it is also a very useful lesson for learning to break free of the traditional grind in order to incorporate a bit more jazz style into your playing.
LARRY CORYELL: Jazz minor scales part 1
LARRY CORYELL: Jazz minor scales part 2
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In this lesson, we will be covering a few ideas in the area of slide guitar. To start us off, Keni Lee Burgess gives us a brief history behind Resonator type guitars and what to look out for when purchasing one.
KENI LEE BURGESS: Resonator Guitars & bottleneck slides
Next, Keni offers up some helpful tips to those who are interested in getting into slide playing.
KENI LEE BURGESS: Tips to get you started
Now that we know what we are dealing with, Keni takes us through the paces by teaching us how to play an actual song using a slide.
KENI LEE BURGESS: Lesson on how to play bottleneck slide
Finally, we have an example from Sonny Landreth involving playing electric slide with other effects that I felt would be a nice addition to this lesson.
SONNY LANDRETH: Slide Lesson & Plays Next To Kindred Spirit
The nice thing about learning to play slide is that it gives you a perfect excuse to mess around in alternate tunings. This is generally due to the fact that a lot of songs played using a slide are composed in open chord tunings, which differ from the A440 standard tuning. Playing in these tunings forces you to pay attention to your theory in order to really learn your way around the neck again. And slide guitar is another way to introduce a little variety into your playing from time to time.
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When I first ran across the band Spiral, I half expected their music to be modeled after the Japanese anime by the same name. The dark disposition of their music would seem to suggest that they might be Blade children in disguise, but we would have to check to see if they are missing a rib to be certain. On a more serious note, this fabulous group comes to us out of Poland. Their music at times strikes me as sounding rather tribal, not what i would expect to be a huge focus of Polish culture from the homeland of my own ancestry. I would even go as far as to say that their sound verges on being a little psychedelic at times, which makes this band all the more interesting to listen too. Their songs definitely retain an alternative flavor. So, be sure to check out Spiral and let me know what you think.
The iAirGuitar is sweeping the nation and people are trading in their older vintage airguitar models for this new sensation. It doesn’t matter where you are, you can now whip out your iPhone and blow your friends out of the water with air guitar skills that were formerly only believed to be attainable by legendary guru’s and seasoned pros. Inspired by movies from the 80’s, such as Crossroads and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the iAirGuitar is a must have for any closet 80’s child.
The iAirGuitar features:
16 professionally recorded guitar riffs
4 guitar body styles
select random riff and guitar in one touch (for the truly lazy shredder)
tablature provided – (just in case you want to learn how the pros actually play these riffs on a real guitar)
guitar lesson on “becoming one with the shape”
general practice tips
digital guitar pick included
Now you can turn your iPhone and IPod Touch into the ultimate air guitar.
So many of us deal with allergies. It’s like a plague that comes back over and over again. Get too close to plants,, the wrong food, or your pets and the itchy sneezy feeling emerges followed up by the annoying drip drip of mucus in the back of the throat. For many people this causes even worse health problems such as unrelenting stomach problems, muscle pain, and undesirable spells of fatigue. For some folks, something as simple as a bee sting, eating a peanut, or even having sex can bring about deadly allergic reactions. But, why do some people have such harsh reactions to allergens, while others have little to no reaction at all?
The underlying problem appears to be a hypersensitive immune response. When your body comes in contact with certain protein antigens, your immune system can’t tell if they are friendly or not. And as the immune system over reacts to the foreign protein antigen, the immune response triggers a plethora of unpleasant symptoms. It is then that you find yourself fishing around the drug cabinet for something to help bring the problem under control. And for a musician this can lead to a number of performance nightmares. Imagine trying to sing with the post nasal drip constantly flowing. Or, worse, you are trying to run a cool riff when your whole body breaks out into a spasmodic itch fest because the venue you are in is a breeding ground for dust-mites or other factors that contribute to triggering your immune system to over react?
Is it possible to bring the hypersensitivity of the immune system under control? Obviously, it must be possible, if some people don’t suffer from serious allergic reactions at all. One of the first areas to focus on is stress. It seems that more and more medical science is finding that stress effects nearly every aspect of the body’s ability to function properly. Is there a link between a hypersensitive nervous response and a hypersensitive immune response? Very likely. So, it is probably a smart idea to start dealing with the problem of both by reducing stress and taking vitamin B supplements to help manage stress. Something else I believe is a means to helping the immune system get back on track is to use probiotics and proteolytic enzyme supplements. Probiotics help to replenish the digestive system with good bacteria necessary for keeping the immune system strong. Proteolytic enzymes are a companion that helps the immune system to dissolve allergy causing protein antigens, as well as, providing other useful health benefits. But, for those who are looking to take a more aggressive approach to controlling allergic reactions, liver cleansing might be just what the doctor ordered. Many people report an amazing transformation after doing a thorough liver cleanse. One of the common benefits reported is the elimination of allergies. Could it be that an over toxic liver is what drives most allergy sufferers to be stuck with a hypersensitive immune system? While most treatment options only address the allergy symptoms, the goal of liver cleansing is to address the underlying toxicity problem that keeps the liver from functioning properly. And hey, you clean the outside of your body, right? Why not clean the inside too?
Disclaimer: Corey is a quack and his statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, AMA, Harper Valley PTA, or any other organization that has appointed itself to policing the free speech rights of common Americans. So, anything Corey says in any of his health articles is to be taken with a grain of salt. In fact, call your doctor and ask them if you are even allowed to read Corey’s articles.
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