newsletter

New albums from Vai and Gales, how to collect pedals, what to use over blues progressions

I told you I’d have cool stuff coming for Chasing Sound in 2022, and the first announcement is that I’m moving this newsletter to Substack (you’re reading it now)! I’ve only switched e-mail providers one other time, so this is a big deal for me. What’s that mean for you, the reader? Not much will change, other than a little formatting if you’re on the free subscription. But, if you’d like to support what I do, now you have the option of paying monthly or yearly for a subscription to Six String Sunday Club.

This newsletter will continue to go out every Sunday, just like it has for years, to all you great subscribers. I’m taking Chasing Sound a bunch more seriously this year and giving it a lot more time - giving you guys the ability to support what I do makes that more of a reality.

Coming this spring I’ll be adding more perks for paid subs! Keep an eye out as I have so much cool stuff planned. Whether you stick around and enjoy the weekly newsletter for free, or you help in other ways (sharing the newsletter, etc.) I appreciate you very much. Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!

A fun lesson on triads, Eric Johnson's perfect pentatonic lick, new Steve Vai and more

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the newsletter over the past few weeks. To help you read each issue more easily, and save both you and I time, I’m going to try and limit myself to 1–3 sentences per link. I feel that if you’re interested in hearing my in depth thoughts on my favorite links from each issue, that you’ll tune into the livestreams I’m doing. Speaking of which, I did the my first livestream of 2022, which you can check out here. I did a full lesson on close voiced triads, where to find them, and why it's so helpful to know how to play them.

I’ve been mulling around more ideas for the newsletter, and how to make it even more valuable. Maybe different sections? A links section, a music recommendation section, and more? What would you like to see?

The first Six String Sunday of 2022!

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first issue of Six String Sunday for 2022! Super happy to have you here, and it’s really good to be back. I’m still planning out fun new things for the year for Chasing Sound, but I wanted to share with you some of my favorite links from the past few weeks.

We’ll be back to a regular newsletter next Sunday, along with a livestream too. So keep an eye out on social media - I’m @ChasingSound everywhere. And don’t forget to sub to Chasing Sound on YouTube so you know when the next livestream is.

New Petrucci plugin, Clapton nonsense, Gabriela Quintero's amazing warm-up and more

Welcome to the last issue of Six String Sunday for 2021! With Christmas coming up in less than a week, I’ll be taking a 2 week break from the newsletter, but will be back in your inbox in the new year! Let’s make 2022 the best year for guitar we’ve ever had. Thanks so much for reading this newsletter each and every week, hanging out in our Discord, on the livestreams, and everywhere else. I really appreciate your support! Let’s get into this week’s links.

Oh, one more thing, I just wrapped up the last livestream of the year! - Check out episode 13 of Chasing Sound Live! here.

Josh Smith's pedalboard, brand new overdrive from Wampler, Cory Wong's "Smokeshow"

It has been absolutely crazy with work and shopping for the holidays, which is why I was so excited to spend some time writing this week’s issue of Six String Sunday. I can just relax with my MacBook, and talk about the best guitar stuff of the week.

I had been talking to the guys in the Discord and seeing what their favorite albums of the year were, and there’s a lot to choose from! We got 3 albums each from guys like Ariel Posen and Cory Wong, a new War on Drugs album that’s incredibly well done, lots of great punk like Turnstile’s Glow On, and much, much more. It was a great year for music. What’s your favorite 1 or 2 albums of the year? Let me know by replying to this email!

As we move into 2022, I have to imagine it’s going to be better than 2021 and certainly 2020, right? Anyway, here’s a boatload of my favorite guitar links of the week, to take your mind off of all the craziness! Let’s get into it.

Steve Vai's new album, the best pedals ever, SRV's string saver trick

This week I have everything from new signature guitars to legends of rhythm guitar, how to set up your pedals in the best way, and a ton more. Is there anything you picked up during the holiday sales? - A guitar course, piece of gear or something else. Let me know by replying to this email!

I just wrapped up episode 12 of the Chasing Sound Live livestream. I talked about my favorite guitar stories, looked ahead to what 2022 will hold for Chasing Sound, and most importantly, did a lesson on playing power and barre chords. If you're just starting out with guitar, you can check out the replay of the stream here.

Let’s get right into this week’s links!

Tom Bukovac's "Plexi Soul", the ultimate pedalboard, how to solo over any song

Hey friends! I’m in a partial food coma, and I’m sure many folks who read this newsletter are as well. So this week’s newsletter will be links only, with no commentary. BUT…make sure you join me on the next livestream, because I’ll be talking about my favorite links of the week!

I did a make-up live stream on Tuesday of this week, and it was a lot of fun. I talk about pentatonic scales, knowing theory, and more. You can check out the replay here. I also talk about my new Fractal FM3, which I’ve been going down a rabbit hole with, creating new tones/presets/scenes all the time. Get ready for some videos on that box in the future!

Before I get outta here and share this week’s links, I have to give a shout out to Tom Bukovac and his new album ‘Plexi Soul’. The album is truly a guitarist’s delight - awesome playing, great tones, cut to tape. Go check it out on BandCamp.