I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted to the site. But what hasn't been a while, is the Six String Sunday newsletter I put out each Sunday without fail. It's been going strong for years now! I wanted to post a preview of today's newsletter to the site, and let you know about something cool I'm working on (now that we all have a lot of extra time being at home).
I'm working on providing some past issues of the newsletter to potential new subscribers, so they can get an idea of what they'll be reading each Sunday. If you have any favorite issues, email me at Brian@ChasingSound.com. I was planning to do a full archive, but with years and years of newsletters coming out each Sunday, it's just too crazy to get done. I also like the idea of the newsletter being like a "secret club", where all of us guitarists hang out and talk about our favorite things each week.
In the future, I'll start posting a link to the newsletter on the site, so people can join our group!
Hey, how are you guys doing this week? I hope you, your family and friends are safe and healthy! Thanks to everyone who wrote in last weekend to say thanks or just say hello. In these times where there’s only so much social interaction, a simple email really means a lot.
This week we have lots of fun guitar stuff. As many people are staying inside, there’s more content than ever! I’m thinking of new and fun ideas for Chasing Sound the website, what it’ll feature next, and a lot more. If you have any ideas about what you’re struggling with on guitar, let me know. Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!
Fender Play Gives A 90 Day Trial
Now is the best time to learn to get better at guitar. Most of us are stuck inside, so it’s a great time to be more productive (with that being said, I am playing a healthy dose of video games, and watching lots of Netflix). Fender is helping out by giving a 90 day trial of its Fender Play learning website. You can learn on your computer, your tablet, and even your phone.
There are beginner to advanced lessons for guitar, bass and more, with topics covering everything from rock, blues, a ton of songs and more. I signed up just to check out what it was all about, and it’s a really nice interface. Give it a shot if you want to start learning something new on guitar. The best thing is that it didn’t even ask for a credit card up front, so it’s an actual “free trial”. Sign up, and let me know what you’re working on!
The Week of Lists
Apparently it’s the week of lists, because lots of YouTubers and guitar websites are coming up with all sorts of lists to help us out on guitar, whether it be fixing our guitars, how to get better and more. First up we have GP sitting down with guitar tech Gary Brawer (Satriani, Metallica, etc.) to talk about 9 things that guitarists get wrong about guitars. Gary talks about everything from pickup selectors, to floating your bridge like EVH, why your guitar is going out of tune, and all sorts of other adjustments. I loved this post, because it was quick and super informative.
Next up, Tyler over at MusicIsWin gave us 10 reasons you’re not getting better at guitar. The ten reasons start off simple, like not practicing and expecting to get better. But, they move on to things you might not have thought of, like playing the same things over and over and not learning anything new, you only focus on one genre, and a lot more. Tyler even has 10 recommendations of albums in 10 different genres to check out.
One of the reasons you might not want to play guitar is that your guitar is disgusting and needs some TLC. We’ve all been there before (hello I haven’t changed my strings in a month!) Which is why you gotta check out this last post which gives you 6 tips on maintaining your guitars. There’s lots of great advice, if you’ve been neglecting taking care of your guitars.
The Essential Dimebag Darrell Gear to Nail His Tone
It’s insane to me that we’re coming up on 16 years since we lost a true metal pioneer - Dimebag Darrell. Not only was Dime one of the coolest riff writers on the planet, he also had great metal tone. Which is why I really dug this post, where GW talks about all you’ll need to get Dime’s signature tone down. They go over everything from guitars, to amps, effects, and even down to the strings he used.
The coolest part about this post is that they have two options for the amps and guitars - whether money is not an object, or if you’re on a budget and still want to get as close to his sound as possible. You’ll also learn about Dime’s wahs, whammy pedals, and lots more. When you’re done getting set up, record your most Dime-tastic riff and share it with me. Bonus points for extra pinch harmonics.
Learn A Classic Police Song
Moving from metal to the poppier side of rock, this week Ry Naylor has a great lesson on The Police’s Roxanne. I’m such a big fan of Andy Summers’ guitar playing, and similar to The Edge, I love how he makes sparse or arpeggiated parts sound epic. I loved watching It Might Get Loud and seeing the difference between a player like the Edge, Page or Jack White.
In Ry’s new lesson he breaks down the whole song of Roxanne, and gives you a great up close look of all the chords you’ll need to play, along with a good dose of theory too. Ry is a great instructor, and has made some great posts on Instagram, that are like bite size lessons. You can find his Instagram here.
Learn the Bohemian Rhapsody Solo From the Source!
From one classic song to another, this week we got a special treat from Brian May himself. Brian is doing a number of MicroConcerto videos on Instagram TV, and this week he did somewhat of a tutorial in the style of the old “Star Licks” videos. If you’re too young, you might not remember these!
This week’s lesson was the Bohemian Rhapsody solo! How cool is that? Brian even shows off his guitar, and a small Vox mini rhythm amp in white, which looks very awesome. If you want even more Brian May videos, check out his main Instagram profile.
So Many More Links!
As I said right at the top here, there is SO much going on in the world of music right now, even if most of the people are hanging out indoors. There are so many links to share, so I’ll do a quick summary here of other amazing things I found this week.
Joe Satriani’s new album Shapeshifting is coming out in April. Recently he sat down with Guitar.com to talk about his 30 year career!
Every Monday, Metallica is going to be streaming a new full length concert! The first one they just streamed this week was from Slane Castle in Ireland.
If you feel like your guitar playing is bad, Angel Vivaldi (one of my favorite Charvel players) has a super quick tip for you.
Jim Lill put up a really cool video of him painting his own guitar pedals! Where did those decals come from!?
Want new music to listen to? Check out sets from Ben Gibbard (all cover set), Jimmy Eat World (live from the studio), and Four Year Strong. There’s SO many more streams, Billboard has a good link updated regularly which you can find here. I’ve also really been relaxing to watching the Roots’ Questlove do a livestream each night. The mixes are top notch.
Stuck inside and want to learn an awesome Joe Bonamassa lick? Ross Campbell’s got us covered there.
Greg Koch has been doing mini riffs and lessons on YouTube for the past couple of days, and they’re mind blowingly good. Here’s one of my favorites.
And finally, here’s a great resource of ways you can help musicians right here in the U.S. If there are other worldwide links I can share in next week’s issue, please let me know!
As always, I hope you stay safe out there. If you need anything, you can always feel free to reply to this email!
BR,
-Brian S. / @ChasingSound
P.S. Want to help this newsletter? If you can, consider picking up a t-shirt, mug, or something else. If not, that's totally cool. Your emails mean a bunch to me, and I love talking with you all. See you next week!