Sonoma Wire Works updates Guitartone and you benefit from it

Sonoma Wire Works has updated their iOS app of guitar tone goodness—cleverly named GuitarTone—to version 3. There are all-new tube models to choose from in their amp offerings that take advantage of improvements available in tone through iOS 10 devices. To celebrate the update, they’re also giving away some free amp and effect add-ons to early adopters. You may also win $300 worth of Sonoma Wire Works goodies. It’s a good day to be a Sonoma Wire Works and GuitarTone 3 fan/user. … Sonoma Wire Works updates Guitartone and you benefit from it

Guitar Scarebear

Megatober … the guitar challenge did finish successfully

I’m not* saying that I’m a little bit behind in my blogging, but Megatober was actually a successful challenge for me. I did manage to attempt 31 new Megadeth riffs during Megatober. I just didn’t manage to write about them or the things I learned—other than the riffs themselves—in a timely manner. So I thought as 2016 comes to an end I would wrap up the challenge that was Megatober—two months after the fact.

* I’m saying I am incredibly behind! … Megatober … the guitar challenge did finish successfully

Guitar Scarebear

Megatober hits week three … I’m still going!

As far as Megatober attendance goes, I’ve managed a 75% success rate so far. That’s from the grand total. Not from the 21 days so far. From the 21 days so far, I’ve managed 100%. So I’m totally winning. But Megatober isn’t about attendance. It’s about learning 31 different Megadeth riffs in the month of October. I’m almost certain I’ll nail it. I won’t perfect 31 riffs—I’m not that good a guitar player—but I sure will continue to have fun trying.

Last week’s entry ended with a mention of day 15. So let’s start with day 16’s learning. It is not where the third week began, but it was a bit of a Disconnect. … Megatober hits week three … I’m still going!

Guitar Scarebear

Megatober continues into week two

My monthly challenge to learn a new Megadeth riff a day—which I have cleverly called Megatober—continues. Did I bite off more than my guitar playing skillset can handle? Absolutely. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Not according to the saying. But I’m very stubborn. I’m very quickly discovering what my limits are, but damned if I’m not enjoying trying these daily challenges.

If you watch the following examples of the second week’s progress, you may not share that enjoyment. Kudos to you for continuing anyway. … Megatober continues into week two

Guitar Scarebear

My Megatober beginnings—So far, so good … So not.

Remember my last blog post? It’s the one before this one that mentions my plans to play a different Megadeth riff on the guitar every day. It’s a challenge I stupidly set myself in an attempt to get back into some regular guitar playing. It’s a challenge called Megatober.

In regards to the daily guitar practice, it’s absolutely working. In regards to choosing sensible songs appropriate for my skill level … Megadeth was a stupid move. I’m way out of practice. Still, I have been capturing daily videos and I thought I’d share some of the less-sucky moments from the last eleven days.

Enjoy? … My Megatober beginnings—So far, so good … So not.

Guitar Scarebear

Megatober … The plan for 31 riffs

One of the reasons I started writing a lot less on this site in recent months, was so I could dedicate more time to the act of guitar playing. Less time writing. More time learning.

To be honest, it’s not gone exactly to plan. I have played more guitar than I had played in previous months, but it hasn’t been enough. I’ve spoken to some friends on Twitter about collaborating and I am yet to get around to that. Thinking about that further, there are more than a few people I would love to do online collaborations with. But my skills have slipped. I need to improve that before it’s too late. I realise this. And I have a plan.

That plan is called Megatober. … Megatober … The plan for 31 riffs

Guitar

52 guitarists—the summary and the apology

For over three years now I’ve been trying my best to put together an annual list which I cleverly called the 52 series. It started with 52 guitars, followed by 52 amplifiers, 52 pedals and this year’s 52 guitarists. Last year I struggled to keep up with the weekly posts and this year is off to a very bad start as well. I will not go into the details of why, but I sadly need to admit defeat at this stage and recognise that I am not going to be able to further commit to the weekly article series.

The series stops today.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the 52 guitarists list itself had been written, I just needed to write about each entry weekly—something I can no longer do. So, the best I can do is share with you now the entire list as it would have played out during the year. For those who were reading these with me, I thank you for your feedback to date and hope to see you around on Twitter. My Facebook page is going to close down as well—it is also something I can no longer commit to.

I have no idea what this website will become, but it will be updated a lot less frequently for a while until I can dedicate the time this site needs to remain relevant. Hopefully in time I’ll work out a way to get my mojo back. … 52 guitarists—the summary and the apology

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52 guitarists, week 16—Joe Satriani

Back in the early 1980s, my parents were certain that my new-found interest in heavy metal music was going to cause me to either join a satanic cult or commit suicide. No matter what I did or said, they were convinced bad things were going to happen to me if I continued down this guitar-driven path of doom. That was until a few years later when they heard me listening to Joe Satriani—the track Always With Me, Always With You in particular.

This was the first distorted guitarist my parents heard that made my attraction to guitar understandable to them. From that point on, my life at home while listening to heavy guitar filled music was much easier. I gained some freedom and my Mum purchased the Surfing With The Alien CD. So I’d say Joe Satriani and I both had a small win back then. … 52 guitarists, week 16—Joe Satriani

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52 guitarists, week 15—Prince

Confession time. I had fallen behind a little bit again in my 52 Guitarists series and then news hit of Prince’s passing. That threw a spanner in my works for a few reasons. Firstly, Prince was the next intended entry in this series—the list of 52 has already been compiled and has been for some time now. Secondly, I didn’t want to appear to be attempting to benefit with this article through Prince’s passing. Finally, the 52 Guitarists series to date had only featured living guitarists and I really didn’t want to change that with Prince. There are guitarists to come in the list that are deceased of course, but they’ve been deceased for quite some time now.

I decided to take some some time before publishing this article out of respect and also to reconsider my approach to this particular entry. On that note I eventually decided to write the entry almost as I’d intended on writing it prior to Prince’s passing. So with that in mind, let’s look at the reasons I consider Prince to be an incredibly inspirational guitarist. … 52 guitarists, week 15—Prince

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52 guitarists, week 14—Brian May

I’d like to point out at this stage in my 52 guitarists series that I am clearly not an expert on each and every guitarist I write about. That’s OK. I’m not writing biographies here. I’m writing about guitarists that have influenced me and hopefully explaining along the way how and why they influenced me. Because this is my website. My rules. Heck, I could type “The coolest guitarists are those who have tinkered with their own guitars and not just played them off the shelf”. Luckily I could say that in this week’s entry and still make it relevant because Brain May is that kind of guitarist.

As someone who gathered a series of guitar parts to build his own Notcaster—not a real Telecaster—I do happen to believe in that statement I just made coincidentally. Integrity maintained. … 52 guitarists, week 14—Brian May