This week I have a true grab bag of links to share with you. I love sharing my favorite lessons, guitar performances, and odd stories (see the Mad Max link below). And I’m happy to say that this week’s issue has all of that and more!

Personally, I’ve still been tearing through the alternate picking book by Chris Brooks, and I also picked up a really fun course from Mary Spender and Ariel Posen. Both have made me re-think my playing and my practice schedule quite a bit. What have you been working on this week? Let’s get into this week’s links!

Chasing Sound Live! Episode 7 - Learning The Fretboard - This was one of my favorite livestreams yet. I go through some of my favorite tips and tricks of navigating/learning the fretboard. I also talked about how much I’m loving Turnstile’s “Glow On”, how I’m messing with the DrumGenius app, and a lot, lot more! Sub to Chasing Sound on YouTube so you can check out future livestreams and vids!
How to Enjoy Playing Guitar More! - Are you having less fun playing guitar? David Wallimann might just have the fix for you. David talks about 10 tips to enjoy playing guitar more. These are spot on - from finding “safe” musicians to play with and working on guitar with a purpose, to enjoy being in the moment, I really loved listening to these tips. I’m sure at least 1 or 2 will help you.
Key of C Major Cheat Sheet! Chords, Progressions, Fretboard, and Misc Tips & Tricks - The key of C is very often the starting point not only for guitarists, but for all musicians. Its lack of sharps and flats makes it the perfect home base to learn theory with. David Pots made a great 32 minute video that covers his Key of C Major cheat sheet PDF. If you’re just getting started with music theory and want to learn fun ways to use this scale, check this video out.
The Bryan Baker Interview - Hearing What You Play - David in our Discord chat recently shared this great video of Bryan Baker playing live. Baker must be making the rounds on YouTube lately, because I got this 2019 interview with him in my recommendations. In the interview he talks about “hearing what you play”, how he accomplishes intervallic playing, breaking out of shape playing, and a lot more. I hope we see more of Baker soon!
LIVE Gear and Music Talk with Kris & Guillaume | SPECIAL GUEST: Mark Tremonti - The guys over at Thomann’s Guitar & Basses discuss what’s new in the gear world, and at around 30 minutes are joined by Mark Tremonti, who’s currently on tour. Tremonti has a new album coming out soon, and recently shared their new single “Now and Forever”. There’s some absolutely heavy rhythm playing and a very cool wah solo. Really looking forward to this album.
Introducing the Cory Wong guitar course - It seems like it’s guitar course season - Cory Wong of Vulfpeck has just put out his new guitar course, and it looks like a lot of fun. Covering topics like rhythm, how to practice, how to get prepared for a recording session or a live gig, it all seems like great info. If you pick this course up, let me know!
Ditch the scales & try these triad based solo tricks - Speaking of learning guitar, one of the best things you can learn is triads. In this new video from Anyone Can Play Guitar, we learn all sorts of triad shapes (roots, inversions), how to embellish triads to sound more musical, using bends, and more.
NEVER SEEN BEFORE! Les Paul’s Personal "NUMBER ONE"… A fascinating look inside. - As we get closer to Les Paul’s Number One guitar going up for auction, more videos are coming out talking about why it’s so special. In this vid, Tom Doyle talks about the large cutout in the middle of the guitar, where Les would go to swap pickups. They also talk about other experiments with the toggle switch, input jacks, and lots more.
Can A Hobbyist Go Pro? (and your other questions) - Rhett Shull recently did a Q&A livestream, but the focus (which you can find at 52:44) is if a hobbyist guitar player can go pro. In the short segment, Rhett talks about what it takes to make this transition, and how time put in to the guitar doesn’t always correlate with becoming a pro. Check out the question that follows up the original, as it has a lot of great advice for getting and keeping gigs, and making a name for yourself.
Steve Vai - "Frank" - Vai’s “Frank” is one of my favorite cuts from his album ‘The Ultra Zone’. Check out this live version of the song from his Stillness in Motion DVD. I remember seeing Vai on this tour, and it was incredible. He’s going back on tour in January, and it seems like he’s hitting a lot of places in 4 months. Also, if you want a behind the scenes look at what it takes to get ready for this type of tour, check out Dave Weiner’s Guitopia site, where he’s taking us behind the scenes of his preparation leading up to the tour.
Planning a touring pedalboard with Ron Menelli from RJM Music Tech! - Speaking of Dave, also take a look at this video where he talks to Ron Menelli about building his new touring pedalboard for Vai! And speaking of pedalboards, Sweetwater recently sat down with another of my favorite players, Mateus Asato, to talk about what’s on his pedalboard.
Dream Theater - Invisible Monster (Official Video) - If you’re into John Petrucci and co., then you might dig Dream Theater’s new song “Invisible Monster”. The overall production reminds me a lot of earlier DT albums like ‘Images and Words’ and ‘Awake’. The band’s new album comes out in just 1 month!
The amplifier-toting Doof Wagon from Mad Max: Fury Road is up for auction - If you’re reading this on Sunday, the Mad Max “Doof Wagon” is currently up for auction. And if you have no idea what those words mean, take a look at this vid.
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer joins Pearl Jam as touring musician - Josh Klinghoffer got the boot from the Red Hot Chili Peppers when John Frusciante rejoined the band a couple of years ago. The good news is it looks like he’s back in action, as he just joined Pearl Jam as a touring guitarist. If you were keeping track, that now makes 4 guitar players in Pearl Jam at any one time! Also, RHCP’s amazing ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ album is celebrating 30 years this year. To celebrate, Let’s Play All broke down the top 10 riffs from the album.