New Gear at BBM

I've had some new guitars come into the store over the last week or so, and I'd like to share with you what they are.

Washburn

From Washburn I've brought in a couple of guitars from the Anarchy Graphic series.  This series follows what Washburn calls the Original Graphic Series of which my Washburn electric with the skull on it was a part of.  The new Anarchy series uses the same shapes, with this new graphic.  I brought in an X-Series guitar, strat shaped string-thru guitar with two humbuckers.  The other is a Flying V shaped guitar string-thru with two humbuckers.  Both come with gig bags.  Visit Washburn at  http://washburn.com/products/electrics/anarchy/index.aspx to see the models (the top two on that page), or keep an eye on the BBM website.  I'll be posting new pics soon.

Vintage

Vintage makes some cool guitars.  Many of you have seen the maple bodied acoustic and the distressed ICON series guitars I've got in the store, but I've added a few more.  A new Vintage 12-string acoustic is hanging here along side one of the higher end acoustics.  In addition to those, I have one of there non-distressed Les Paul styled guitars in an eye catching tobacco sunburst with gold hardware. 

The big addition is the long awaited arrival of the Peter Green  ICON model distressed Les Paul guitar.  Only twenty were shipped to Canada, and I was fortunate enough to get four of them.  That said, I have one left, and I don't know when I'll be able to get more. 

Visit http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html to have a look or keep an eye on BBM website for updates, or just come into the store and try it out.

If you’re interested in seeing what one can do, here are a couple of YouTube links to people already playing these fabulous fiddles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MsK5pvOonI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0FjrNPLsEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAh68ubW_O0

Jam Sessions

In the last newsletter I mentioned that I might not be running the jams for the summer due to a low attendance, and that I'd be sending out a link for a survey to see if YOU wanted them continued.  In a reversal of position, I've decided to just keep holding them.  The store is open on Sundays anyway, so it makes no real difference in the larger scheme of things. 

           Acoustic

                         July 8

                        Aug  5*

           Electric

                        July 22

                        Aug  19*   

* Tentative Dates

Jams in August are tentative, at best, due to the store involvement in RockFest at The Olde Schoolhouse, the Barrington Municipal Exhibition, and a trip to Ontario that is scheduled for the end of the month.  Consider the dates as set, and I'll let you know of any changes to that schedule.           

Pictures are available for viewing on the BBM website at http://www.barringtonbaymusic.com/jams_gallery.html (we are looking into the possibility of video taping a jam, and placing the video on the website in the future as well.)

Guitar Chops

As I mentioned last month we are going to look at some additional notations in TAB, which are related to more advanced techniques.

Hammer-ons

A hammer-on is a way of getting additional notes from one pick stroke.  The technique is simple really and is usually used to increase the pitch of a note.  Pluck the low E string

on your guitar or bass, and then with the first finger hit or "hammer" the fretboard at the first fret, changing your E to an F.  The technique is the same in any position on the fretboard, and can be done with any finger, including those of the right hand, though this techinique is referred to as tapping.  The notation is either an h or can be ho.  Most often it will be the h.

e  -0h1---------------------|-0h2-----------------------0h5-------

B -----0h1-----------------|-----5h7-----------------------------

G ---------0h1-------------|---------12h14-----------------------

D -------------0h1---------|-------------------------------------

A -----------------0h1-----|-------------------------------------

E  ---------------------0h1-|---------------0h1h2h3h4-------------

The first part above is simply hammering on the first fret of each string after plucking it.  The second part shows that the technique is not limited to open strings, nor is it limited to frets close together.

Pull-offs

A pull-off is nearly the exact opposite of a hammer-on, and is simply used to lower the pitch of a note, where you are fretting a specific note and you pull-off to get a lower note.  Pluck the low E string, fretted at the first fret, and then pull your finger off, sort of dragging it so you "pluck" the string with your finger, changing your note from the F to the open E.  The notation is most commonly a "p".

e  -1p0---------------------|--12p0--------------------------------

B -----1p0-----------------|-------12p11--------------------------

G ---------1p0-------------|-------------8p7p6--------------------

D -------------1p0---------|--------------------------------------

A -----------------1p0-----|--------------------------------------

E  ---------------------1p0-|-------------------4p3p2p1p0----------

Again the first part is simply pulling-off the first fret to the open string.  The second shows, that like hammers, pull-offs are usable anywhere on the fretboard.

Tapping

Tapping is a slightly more advanced form of hammering, in which you use your strumming hand to hammer the note.  This action can be made with a finger or the edge of the pick (this last takes much more practice and accuracy).  This technique is more often used above the 12th fret, but is not limited to that area.  The notation is commonly a capital or lower case T.

e  -0h2T12--------------------------------------------------------

B ---------5h7T19------------------------------------------------

G ---------------------------------------------------------------

D ---------------------------------------------------------------

A ---------------------------------------------------------------

E ---------------------------------------------------------------

Tapping takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and dexterity, for you have to hold the "tapped" note for as long as is required by the music, then shift your hand back to be ready to strum the next part.

Bending

Bending is used to change the note pitch.  Where hammering you are actually striking the note you want, bending is used to shift the pitch.  The technique is used heavily in the blues, and is pretty simple, though takes practice both with the fingers and with the

ears to make sure you get the right sound.  As an example, say you are playing a song and you need to change an A to a Bb on the high E string.  You can either play the 5 fret and hammer to the 7th, or bend the 5th to the pitch of the 7th.  Bending is generally a change of one fret or two frets, though a three fret bend is frequent too. The notation for bends are quite varied.  In a guitar magazine, the tab will usually use curved arrows with a fraction 1/2 or 1 or 1-1/2 to show that there's a bend and how far to bend the note.  In the TABs found on most websites, it's more commonly represented by a "b" with the second number being the tone to bend to.

The easiest way to practice this is to pluck say the 7th fret on the high E string, and sort of lock that sound in your mind.  Then fret the 5th fret on the same string and bend the string until the pitch is the same as when you played the 7th.  NOTE:  Most people don't have the strength in their fingers at first to accurately bend the strings, and it's recommended you use more than one finger.  Thus in the above exercise, you'd actually fret the 5th fret with your middle finger and bend with both the middle and index fingers.

e  -5b7-----------------------------------------------------------

B -----5b6-------------------------------------------------------

G ---------12b17-------------------------------------------------

D ---------------------------------------------------------------

A ---------------------------------------------------------------

E ---------------------------------------------------------------

Additionally, as you move closer to the 12th fret, you'll find that you can bend the note farther.  This is due to the 12th fret being the mid point between the bridge and saddle and where the string has the most travel.

Sliding

The last technique is sliding.  Sliding is also a blues based technique and is used to move from one pitch to another, much like bending, though this time you physically move your hand.  Sliding can go in either direction; up the neck to the body or down towards the head.  The hardest part of sliding is keeping your finger on the string and maintaining the sound. Play the high E string at the 5^th fret, then without lifting your finger, slide it up to the 8th fret.  Then try are the 12th fret and slide down to the 3rd.  Sounds easy, but takes some practice and you need to watch that you stop at the right fret if you're sliding quickly.  The slide is represented by either an s or by a / or \ depending on slide direction. / for an upward slide, \ for a down.

e  -2s4-----------------------------------------------------------

B -----5/12------------------------------------------------------

G ----------14\2-------------------------------------------------

D ---------------------------------------------------------------

A ---------------------------------------------------------------

E ---------------------------------------------------------------

Again, these techniques are used on every string and from almost any position.

Hopefully this gives you some additional knowledge and allows you to learn some of your favorite songs over the summer.

I don't know if there will be any further Guitar Chops or Tech Talk entries until the fall, so have a great summer if I don't talk to you before then.

Tech Talk

No tech talk this month, however, I've spent some time searching YouTube for some cool videos, ones you may not have seen before, so enjoy them and we'll see you in the Fall.

Dimebag Squealing Lesson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TpYcA9bSaU

This is the man himself showing you how to do his signature squeals. While dime always used a Floyd Rose style bridge, these squeals can be achieved on a Strat style bridge, with limited effect.

Impossible Guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2BOApUvFpw

This guy... I can't even explain this guy.  Just watch the video

Michael Angelo Batio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rutyA12z3Ok

MAB is a Dean Guitars endorsee and is a wicked player.  This vid shows him playing his unique double necked guitar, and he plays both right and left handed... AT THE SAME TIME.

Teaspoon Slide Guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78VdQuhTdZw

Teaspoon Slide Guitar Lesson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFCezwaFZSw

For those of your with way more time on your hands than you should, here's something to try.  I've tried it here in the store, but my spoon handle was too long.

Wicked Fingerstyle playing Andy McKee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4

For those who like to finger pick and like the drums, he's a guy combining the percussive features of an acoustic guitar with finger style guitar.  Very cool.

Pantera's Cowboys From Hell on the Ukulele

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuybeFoHj_g

For the uke players, and there aren't many around at the moment, here is Pantera's Cowboys From Hell on the uke.  This guy was bored.

Mario Theme on an 11 String bass(?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf56jYDv2fc

If someone can tell me WHY you'd need 11 strings on a bass, I'd sure like to hear the answer.

Amazing Bass Solo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMzXtizKcXY

An amazing funky slap jazz solo by Mark King.

Billy Sheehan Shredding with Paul Gilbert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRuOQtg-pJ0

Billy has played with Steve Vai in the David Lee Roth band back in the late 80's and was in Mr. Big after that with Paul Gilbert.  Billy is one of my favorite bassists.  He kicks some serious ass.  You may have your own favorites, but he's mine.

Jaco Pastorius Bass Solo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdY-KAmj5fU

Jaco Pastorius is considered one of the greatest bass players of all time for his unique knowledge of the instrument.  He played mostly jazz and this solo is more in the improv'd style as parts of it get way out there.  Cool, nonetheless. 

Roy Burns of Aquarian Drum Accessories http://aquariandrumheads.com/video/media/flash/roy_solo.swf

I am able to get Aquarian Accessories if anyone is interested.  While not as popular as Evans and Remo for heads, they are currently third in sales in the US.  This is one of the officers of the company, if not the owner showing some skillz.

Terry Bozzio Drum Setup Video Time Elapsed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV9WlgC5oWo

For those of you who have ever complained that your kit takes too long to set up, just be glad you don't need an entire afternoon and a crewof about 12 to set it up.

Seven Year old Drummer from The Tonight Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8cvKImVadE

This kid was on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at 7 years old.  The kid is very good, and there's a link to his website, so you can  see what he is doing now.

Rentable Space

I've been approached by a local band to know if I'd be willing to rent out the store (after hours) for practices.  I haven't made a final decision as of yet, but I'm curious how many bands are looking for jam/practice space and whether this would be worthwhile.

If you or your band are looking for a place to jam or practice, contact me through the store or the website with your information and preferred days, and if there's enough interest I'll draw up a schedule and fee structure.