This week we’re talking about tips for getting back out and gigging, a 20 week chops builder, tips for jazz and self-taught guitarists, and a lot more. Make sure you stick to the end of this newsletter, because we have a lot to talk about.

Right at the top here, don’t forget that July 3rd I’ll be doing another livestream on YouTube. Make sure to subscribe to the channel here so you know when I go live! I’d love to have you stop in and ask guitar questions.

Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!

Sweetwater’s GearFest Online - Sweewater’s GearFest just wrapped up, and I’m still getting through all of the amazing videos they put up during their live event. Here are a few of my early favorites from Phil X, Steve Vai, Julian Lage, Yvette Young, and an all star panel of guitar techs.
The Most Legendary Fuzz Pedal You Don’t Know - This video seems like a great addition to the Pedal Movie. Josh from JHS sits down with the daughter of Pepe Rush - an inventor who made the first distortion (the Rush PepBox) in the UK back in 1965. JHS also took over Rhett Shull’s channel this week - you can check that video out here. Josh talks all about slide, and throws a bunch of good hearted jabs at Shull (one of my favorite “fake feuds” online.)
How The Internet Made Learning Guitar HARDER - Meanwhile, while Rhett is out of commission, he showed up on Rick Beato’s channel to talk about how the internet has made learning guitar a bit harder these days. Thankfully with newsletters and good curation, you can find the best stuff (hi, that’s what I’m here for!) Rick Beato also made a big announcement this week, as he’s launching his first guitar course. If you act quick enough, it’s 50% off for the first week.
My 7 Best Tips for a Self-Taught Guitarist - I love watching Berklee’s Tomo Fujita. This week he talks all about tips for self-taught guitar players - including simple things like posture and how to use a strap, to picking exercises and working on triads.
What Does YOUR Practice Routine Look Like? - After you watch Tomo’s video, check out Levi Clay’s follow up to what you should be learning on guitar. This week Levi talks about practice routines - a topic I love learning and talking about. It’s fun to hear what Levi works on (alt picking, triad work, and of course transcription). And when you’re practicing, check out Levi’s other video from this week, where he talks about blues phrasing.
Slash's Live Marshalls & Effects - If you’re a fan of Slash, you’re going to love this behind the scenes rig rundown of his Marshalls and effects rig. The only thing I dislike about these types of rundowns, is that they don’t get the artist or even the tech to run through the sounds. Come on man, we want to hear this stuff!
Chris Buck's Mastery of Grace Notes - I love when great players give other great players props on their playing/technique. In this vid, Ross Campbell talks about Chris Buck’s amazing use of grace notes. So many fantastic blues and rock players use grace notes to make their licks sound more exciting. Ross gives us 4 examples of how we can use Chris Buck style grace notes in our own playing.
Afros and Beards Episode 1 - Fluff on DOD pedals and being a Content Creator - This is one of the only recent interviews where I actually watched the whole 47 minutes! The Guitar Geek sits down with Fluff from Riffs, Beards and Gear. They talk about DOD pedals, spending crazy amounts of money on gear, ridiculous reverb listings, the fake Boss Centaur, and a bunch more.
Noel Gallagher J-150 - Break out your champagne supernovas and wonderwalls - Gibson has announced a limited run of the Noel Gallagher J-150, a guitar that Noel has used for decades. There are a ton of reviews out this week of this guitar, and most of them are favorable (other than its $4K price). Now we just need Oasis to come back, am I right?
The Boss HM-2W Heavy Metal vs. an Original HM-2 - Boss’ HM-2 is the latest pedal to get a Waza Craft update with the HM-2w. This pedal was a classic for metal players back in the day, and also got used elsewhere by guys like David Gilmour, and others. Andy from Reverb compares the new Waza Craft version to the original HM-2. What’s your favorite Boss pedal of all time?
5 Jazz Guitar Tips That Will Save You Years Of Practice - I always enjoy watching Jens Larsen’s no nonsense jazz videos. In his most recent one, he talks about 5 tips that’ll put you ahead of the pack while trying to get better at jazz. One of the most common threads in this week’s issue of the newsletter is the importance of learning target notes, triads, etc.
The 10 Most IMPOSSIBLE Guitar Licks to Play - Tyler at MusicIsWin goes over the top 10 most impossible guitar licks to play. You’ll see the likely suspects on this list - Govan, Vai, Petrucci and more. What’s the toughest lick you’ve ever tried to learn?
Crazy Legato Tutorial | Tips, Tricks, Licks & Exercises - A lot of the players in the list above use legato really effectively. If you’ve never added the technique to your arsenal, you’re in luck. This week Cam Cooper has a great 10 minute legato primer, with tips tricks and more.
WHY I Did I Do It 200 TIMES? - I loved watching Tim Pierce describe his process with soloing over and over again. I feel like many of us have been in this same spot before while recording guitar. It’s important to set boundaries for when a lick/solo/guitar part is done, but it’s also nice to have the freedom to get it “just right”.
Playing 20 INSANE Guitar Designs! - These are some of the most wild guitar designs I’ve seen in a long time. And, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, look at how the feel is still there, no matter what guitar Justin’s using.
Catalinbread unleashes Ritchie Blackmore-inspired double-pedal boxset - I’ll admit, I was really drawn in by Catalinbread’s enclosure designs on these new Ritchie Blackmore pedals. They also sound really good! If you’re going for a classic rock/blues rock vibe, these pedals are a good place to start.
6 guitar pros on how to prepare your playing for tour - Live music is coming back! If you’re preparing to go out on a tour yourself, here are some great tips to get you back out on stage, from some of the most seasoned tour vets of all time.
Hear Jimi Hendrix’s Final Performance - Jimi is still such a huge influence on so many guitarists these days - whether that be for his playing, his use of pedals, or how he became one of the first guitar heroes, everyone has a Hendrix story. Guitar Player pulled together Jimi’s final performance from September of 1970, just two days before he would pass.
Supercharge Your Improv Chops in Just 20 Weeks - If you want to get better at guitar, you have to be committed to practicing a bit each day. If you want to see a huge difference with your improv chops, this 20 week chops builder might be the perfect practice routine for you. There are only a handful of prerequisites, and the whole routine itself could be slotted in to an existing practice schedule.
Mark Hoppus reveals cancer diagnosis: “It sucks and I’m scared” - Not guitar related directly, but I grew up listening to all sorts of music - everything from blues to country, metal to pop punk. Blink182 was always a fun band to see live, and they paved the way for a lot of other pop punk bands out there. This week Mark Hoppus from Blink revealed his cancer diagnosis. The biggest lesson I’m trying to take away from this, is that every day is a gift, and we don’t know what’ll happen around the next bend. Go practice your guitar, see live music, have fun, and lets stick together and help one another. If you ever want to reach out, you can always feel free to email me.