This time last month, I was in Canada (eh). I was literally miles away from my regular world of websites and guitars—although if I stumbled across a guitar store, I did make time to inspect it thoroughly. By this time, I had already posted my September guitar riff challenge and I was enjoying a break from the norm—the norm not including bears and eagles I was seeing in the Rockies. Perhaps it was that break, perhaps it was the change in music I’d been listening to while on holiday, but this month’s monthly guitar riff challenge is actually a bit of a departure from the way I regularly play. And I like it!
Since my sad return home, I’ve been revisiting the way Billy Corgan played guitar on The Smashing Pumpkins track Cherub Rock and I really like the variation on a power chord that he had going on with that track. It’s a similar structure to a power chord, but it skips/mutes a string allowing for a higher tone than the regular power chords that I use 99% of the time when I play guitar. I’m not explaining it very well, but I’ve not used the words in a blog post for a while. Typing … difficult … brain failing. Anyhow, that chord structure is what I used for over half of the playing in this month’s guitar riffage.
The playing is also somewhat slower—not that I’m an accurate or fast player normally. It’s not Cherub Rock quality in playing skill or song writing ability, but I like the difference I’ve managed to obtain. I might branch out even further in November. Well, as much as I can. I’m not Joe Satriani or anything.
I should point out as well that I’ve mostly been using the same guitar on these challenges since I installed the FU-Tone pickup in my Notcaster. I’m not lacking in options, but this guitar just sounds so awesome now. I can’t get enough of it. I need to do a dedicated post and video for this pickup—and I still will—but I need to be happy with the track I create for that day. It deserves better than this.
Enough words. This is about the video that nobody watches. Here it is. Ignore away—unless you watch it. In that case … Hey, thanks! I hope you don’t hate it!
In case you’re wondering, I can only afford half a haircut. I spend all my money on guitars. #priorities