Putting it Together

Odds are, if you have a band, you have tried recording or have considered the possibility of mixing a song with multiple tracks.
Whether you’re recording a jamming session with your group, or using amp simulators, drum and bass machines or other solo multi-tracking devices, there is a general order in which band music is constructed and tracks for each individual instrument are laid out.

Like most things, music consists of a base or foundation upon which a melody is built. There are constant and variables that change slightly amongst genres, but all repeat a general pattern of musical order. In a classic rock band line-up:

• The drums or percussion establish a beat and tempo to the mix, a constant that makes up the first and most important layer of foundation for a song.
• The bass aids the drums, incorporating a new, more defining tone for the rhythm of the song that gives cue to a rhythm pattern for the guitar.
• The rhythm guitar’s groundwork is more flexible than percussion and bass, and establishes a new base for the lead guitar to work around.
• The lead guitar is the most versatile and variable constant in a set of tracks, since the wavelength of sounds it can tackle is almost infinite in comparison to the founding instruments that require a more demanded constancy to maintain a tempo for the rhythm-pattern base.

Project Studios & Multi-Track Recording

From intricate DAW’s, mixing consoles/soundboards, isolation booths, commercial quality soundproofing to the physics of acoustics; recording studios have all the gadgets to produce quality sound multi-track records.
At home however, when putting together a project studio, it’s a little different.
Home studios are molded to each artist’s musical orientation and expertise, their space and budget.
Mixing consoles operate electrically for track mixing, sub-mixing and layout. Each track (signal) is processed and controlled independently. Like in many other multi-track recording devices, each signal can be managed with effects even after being recorded. It can also be merged into another track to create a sub-mix (or bus) like with a drum and bass, and be manipulated with many other recording/sound treatments.
In addition, many modeling amps have recording capabilities and sample tracks incorporated which can as well be used for these purposes.

Multi-track recording can now be easily achieved with multi-track recorders such as MIDI’s, analog and digital recorders, some as small as the size of an iPod.

In this video, I use a BOSS Micro BR 4-track recorder that provides me with built-in rhythm patterns, multi-effects and simultaneous playback tracks to explain track layout for a 4-man band.

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Tips to Buying a Guitar Online

Choosing the guitar you want to buy can be an exciting and successful process. However, when time comes to purchase the instrument, many people drift away from online buying options in distrust of the safety, and effectiveness, of the online ordering process. What many don’t know is that buying a guitar online can, not only, be a walk in the park, but it can save you a lot of time and money while broadening your options.

One of the main advantages of ordering your guitar from a Web Store is the ability to do your shopping from the comfort of your home. You can browse guitars for as long as you like, with no salesmen watching over your back.

Online instrument stores also offer wide variety of guitars, wider than probably any local music store you could visit. A lot of guitars available online can be hard to find at your local instrument shop, including vintage guitars that might be otherwise impossible to find in your hometown.

But what makes an online instrument-selling company safe and reliable? There are 2 main factors that you must look into; in order to determine the reliability of the business you are planning to buy from:

• 1. Company Reviews & Testimonials

There is no one better to hear an opinion from, than the customers themselves. Doing a little bit of research of people’s thoughts on the quality of the company’s services can give you a real glimpse of the business’ strengths and weaknesses.

Don’t get overwhelmed by really bad reviews, or extremely good ones. A good way to measure the company’s reliability is with the percentage of satisfied customers. If the rate is below 95-97%, then odds are the company has had some mishaps, and you’re better off considering someone else.

• 2. Return Policies

This is probably the foremost important aspect that you should never miss in your online guitar-buying search.  In the case that something goes wrong during shipping or in case you find out that you don’t like the instrument, picking a company that will have your back if this happens must be top priority.

You’d be happy to hear that the U.S. has laws that apply to these companies, in which they are required to offer their customers a full 30 days for them to make their returns. Even if you don’t live in the U.S. and since most stores offer international shipping, this law will apply to you if you choose to buy from one of the many U.S. based online guitar stores.

Returning Your Item

In the case that you do go through with a purchase online, and something goes wrong so you have to return the item, you must follow the proper steps to make sure you will be refunded of your money in full.

Once you decide to send the item back, you have to call the shipping company to let them know you will be returning the instrument. If the Web Store Customer Service hasn’t given you one, you must request a Return Authorization Number to include with your shipment.

You should also pack the guitar just as it came, otherwise companies will give you trouble for this and might reject the return altogether.

If you disposed of the packing materials and decided to return your guitar unexpectedly, you can hire a packing company, such as Mailbox Etc. to do the packing, professionally, for you.

Always save all the paperwork for your purchase and have it handy at the time of doing your claim.

A good way to take full advantage of the variety that online stores offer is to order the Free Catalog that they have available on their sites. While you have to wait a week or two to receive it over the mail, it can simplify your search and let you browse guitars without Internet access. You can also order by phone or send a catalog order form, if you’d prefer.

Even though buying online shopping can be dangerous territory, it can also be a great experience, taken the necessary precautions.

If you do, ultimately, decide to buy a guitar online, you can check availability at your local store to test it out and make sure it’s the one. If you can’t test drive it and you’re feeling insecure, just remember that you shouldn’t worry about putting your order in if the factors mentioned above are in order.

Below I have compiled a list of the top guitar selling companies on the Web with positive reviews and testimonials that you can trust. All of them offer free shipping, and international delivery – as well as law abiding return policies and customer satisfaction guarantees.

Most of these respectable, online instrument stores also offer their clients good customer service personnel that can aid you in your search, with some professional advice.

Top Online Companies

MusiciansFriend.com

The largest and most trusted online instrument-selling company.

• Free Shipping within the US – International Shipping Available.
• Return Policy: 45 Days since Shipment is initiated. 10 days for stringed instruments over $1999.
• Low Price Guarantee: 45 Days

Zzounds.com

One of the largest instrument selling-companies on the Web. Good customer reviews prove its reliability.

• Free Shipping to US Only
• No Sales Tax (except NJ)
• Low Price Guarantee: 30 days
• Return Policy: 30 days since shipment is initiated.

Music123.com

Trusted online instrument store with a wide variety of choices.

• Free Shipping within US -International Shipping Available
• Return Policy: 45 Days
• Low Price Guarantee: 45 Days

GuitarTrader.com

Trusted online instrument store with a wide variety of choices.

• Free Shipping
• No Sales Tax (except CA)
• Return Policy: 30 days with a 15% restocking fee for Open-Box returns.
• Low Price Guarantee: 30 days

1800instruments.com

This is an instrument-selling company that runs as an EBay Store. Positive customer feedback and good product reviews award it a place on the list.

• Return Policy: 30 days
• Insurance Offered with Shipping

Muddy Waters-Muddy as Can Be

Muddy Waters

Muddy as Can Be

Born McKinley Morganfield on April 4^th of 1913, Muddy Waters has since then contributed greatly to the Blues genre, and to the music world in general.

A Chicago native, Muddy Waters was deemed the Father of Chicago Blues, and was ranked #17 in Rolling Stone’s Magazine list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Starting his career in 1941, Waters carried the sound of the Delta Blues to Chicago, where he adopted many Chicago Blues influences, and he himself inspired many of the great musicians of that era. His first recordings were destined to the Library of Congress, performing in a style similar to that of legendary artist Robert Johnson.

Waters was known for playing mean Chicago, Delta and Electric Blues that, since then, has influenced multiple generations of blues guitarists and blues inclined musicians. Also one of the most proficient guitar players in the history of music, Waters notable Gibson Les Paul and Fender Telecaster have sung classic tunes like ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’ and ‘Got My Mojo Workin”, just to name a few.

Lifetime Achievements

During his active years  (1941-1983), Waters played with iconic blues performers such as Little Walter, Willie Dixon and Junior Wells; while inspiring the adoption of the blues by young, white artists like Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones.

Also skilled at blues vocals and the harmonica, Muddy Waters recorded with popular Chicago record labels like Testament Records, Aristocrat Records and Chess Records (the label that also signed blues songwriter Chuck Berry upon Water’s recommendation). In his lifetime, Waters released more than 40 albums, and 40 singles, and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.

After his Death: Waters Remembered

Waters died in his sleep in 1983, while at home in Westmont, IL. A year after his death, the city of Chicago honored his musical achievements and cultural influences by assigning a one street block near his former home on E. 43^rd St. the ‘Honorary Muddy Waters Way’.

A true icon of music history, and one of the biggest contributors to blues based genres, Muddy Waters will be remembered not only for his immense talent and contagious tunes, but also for imminent effect he has had, and still has, on American music.

Brief Story of the Gibson Les Paul

 Brief Story of the Gibson Les Paul

If you know a little about guitars, then it’s safe to say you are familiar with the Gibson Les Paul. To talk about the Gibson Les Paul, however, we have to go way back to June 9^th, 1915 when Lester William Polfus was born.

Les Paul, the innovator and musician, is known not only for his guitars, but also for many other inventions he carries under his belt.  From his famous feed multiplier called “Les Paulverizer” to wicked recording devices, he’s recognized all over the world for being a top notch inventor and talented music innovator.

Les Paul: Beginnings

An electronics prodigy and creative genius, ‘Les Paul’ grew up with an instinctive talent to build things and an inherent interest in all things musical. At the age of 9, he designed his first ever invention with great success, and it was at around this age that he began playing the guitar, quickly establishing a notable reputation by his late teenage years.

During his late 20’s, in 1941, Les Paul built a solid body electric guitar in an attempt to minimize the vibration losses that occur with a resonating chamber. The result was an instrument that sustained sound better, with vibrations that were reproduced electrically through an amplified current- but that didn’t look quite like a guitar.

Gibson Says No

Disregarding aesthetics and happy with the achievement of his goal, Les Paul submitted his guitar idea to Gibson, only to be turned down in air of it looking like “a broom-stick with pickups.”

Shortly after, Leo Fender beat Les Paul to the marketplace, and released his original Fender Broadcaster – an almost identical prototype to the Les Paul, and parallel to the original release of the electric Rickenbacker in the 30’s. The broadcaster was the first solid-bodied guitar to be mass produced and commercialized, and underwent enormous success upon release. Had Gibson taken a second glance at Les Paul’s creation, they’d be the ones holding that title today.

Back then; Gibson paid the price of ignorance by experiencing a significant decline in sales to the increasing popularity of Fender guitars. To get back the edge over consumers, Gibson took Les Paul’s design, and tweaked it to release the new Gibson Les Paul.

Proud Endorsements

Gibson’s Les Paul marketability was restricted due to high competition from Fender and other brands, but it wasn’t long until Eric Clapton picked it up that it was the guitar of the moment. Fast forwarding to today, Les Pauls are probably one of the best known guitars in the world, having been endorsed by most, if not all, of the music legends that we devotedly admire.

 Next time you pick a Gibson Les Paul you might just not look at it the same. To think that it was once called a ‘broomstick with pickups,’ from Gibson themselves…Today, it’s probably one of Gibson’s bestselling guitars, ever!

Ritchie Blackmore-From Heavy Metal to Renaissance Music

 

From Heavy Metal to Renaissance Music

Ritchie Blackmore started off as a blues driven, heavy metal guitarist, known for his days in Deep Purple and Rainbow. Today, however, you will find him playing classic acoustic renaissance guitar accompanied by his wife, vocalist and lyricist Candice Night.

Blackmore was voted #55 top guitarist in Rolling Stone’s list ‘100 Best Guitarists of All Time.’ He was also ranked on Guitar Magazine’s Top 100 Guitar solos at #19 for ‘Highway Star’ and #74 for ‘Lazy,’ both for his work in Deep Purple. 

Early Days

Originally from Weston-super-more, England, Blackmore got his first guitar at the age of 11, and took lessons from the legendary Big Jim Sullivan, who now plays in Tom Jones’ band.

Being instructed in classical music, with influences from Hank Marvin, country artist Chet Atkins and an immeasurable talent, Blackmore was sure to blow away audiences with pronounced versatility. Never loosing his signature sound, the songwriter has evolved through many varied musical genres in the company of his trademark scalloped Fender Stratocaster.

Blackmore started his career in music as a session performer, participating with various different bands of the English music scene.  In 1968, while in Hamburg, the guitarist was recruited by keyboardist Jon Lord who was looking to form a band. Drummer Ian Paice and singer Rod Evans were added to the lineup, as well as the bassist of Lord’s former band Artwolf. After touring Denmark as Roundabout the group decided to change their name to Deep Purple in reference to the Bing Crosby song.

From Deep Purple to Rainbow, and Back

Following the release of their third album, the lineup was modified with Ian Gillan replacing vocalist Rod Evans, and bassist Roger Glover covering Nick Simper.

Blackmore remained in Deep Purple until 1975, when he broke off due to creative differences with Gillan and formed a new band: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Also a heavy-metal, hard rock band, Rainbow released hits like ‘Stone Cold’ and best selling albums, such as ‘Long Live Rock n’ Roll.’ The new group went on to record 8 albums, breaking up in 1984 when Blackmore reunited with former band, Deep Purple.

Reformed, they released ‘Perfect Strangers’, reviewed as one of Deep Purple’s best albums, and followed up with another 5 before Blackmore moved on to restore Rainbow.

Blackmore Night

 t was in 1997 that Blackmore joined renaissance singer Candice Night, on classic acoustic guitar to form Blackmore Night. Their first release ‘Shadow of the Moon’ sold gold in Japan, and was moderately successful in Europe. Since 1997, Blackmore Night have recorded a total of 15 albums.

Starting in July, Blackmore Night will be doing a Summer Germany Tour. With a German TV performance on June 28, the renaissance inspired group will be stopping in the Czech Republic on July 3^rd to start off their month long tour.

For tickets for Blackmore Night’s Germany Tour visit www.ticketmaster.de or www.eventim.de

Guitar trivia

 

 v     The first successfully produced electric guitar was a hollow Rickenbacker. Charlie Christian is claimed to be the very first electric guitarist of that, an all, time.

 

 

 v     Guitar string maker and guitar-product innovator Ernie Ball, didn’t play the conventional guitar but its unusual variation, the steel. Ball was a steal worker who found more excitement in the steel and science of the instrument than in playing it himself.

 

 

 v     Lester Polkfus (a.k. a. Les Paul) is the pioneer of the development of the solid-body guitar. He designed in 1941 one of the first, a prototype named the ‘the Log’ due to its heavy, rustic dimensions.

 

 

 v     Broadcaster was the original name of the Telecaster, but since the Broadcaster name was already being used for a drum-kit, Fender was required to modify his model label.

 

 

 v     The smallest guitar measures 10 micrometers long.

 

 

Jimi Hendrix Story

Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942. Upon Hendrix’s debut in music, not only was the new genre of psychedelic guitar born but the music world was forever marked with Hendrix’s unusual, yet overly effective playing techniques.

Music Style

Jimi was known for offering the wildest shows, sometimes playing his guitar with his teeth, or behind his back. Even though he owned several left-handed guitars, Hendrix played regular, right-handed guitars that were re-strung from the regular AEDGBE to a more leftie-friendly EBGDEA.

Jimi Hendrix is claimed to have popularized the use of the wah-wah pedal upon being introduced to it by Frank Zappa in the  early mid 60’s. Later in his career the wah-wah sound became a part of Jimi’s guitar signature. The trademark Hendrix sound was boosted by overdriven amps of high-gain and high-treble, as well as classic high bends that almost jumped out of his songs. Hendrix also changed minds about the reputation of feedback, using this generally unwanted effect to add that wild dreaminess so prominent in his performances.

Jimi’s guitar abilities mainly consisted of untamed electric bluesy riffs and a left-handed faculty that captured the planet’s attention. Hendrix’s talent didn’t remain unnoticed for very long.  He was respected and praised by many guitarists shortly after his debut in music, with influences of blues and rock greats like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King and even Elvis Presley. It wasn’t long until Jimi (and his skill) fit right in to the top class of musicians that were then presided by Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Jeff Beck.

Early Days

Hendrix’s beginnings date back to the early 60’s, where he began playing with army friend Billy Cox in Fort Campbell, KT where stationed. He tried his luck out in the South by participating in various bands: from his first ‘The Velvetones”, to ‘Rocking Kings’ and the ‘King Casuals’. Jimi struggled to subsist but acquired the blues roots and experience that framed his inherent guitar skills.

Confident to climb up the music ladder, Hendrix moved to New York in 1964. Shortly he was part of the Isley Brothers, later becoming Little Richard’s band supporting guitarist.

Admired by many, Hendrix motivated special regard from fellow musician Chas Chandler of ‘The Animals’. Chandler convinced Jimi to move to  London to build on his guitar-playing career. They signed a contract together, along with Michael Jeffery that represented them as Jimi’s managers. 

The Peak Years

Soon after, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was founded with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The band released their first record ‘Are you Experienced’, a blues-filled, slightly melodic album with classic Hendrix songs like “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Purple Haze”. The band’s second release was equally as popular yet more melodic in nature, offering more structure in his songs, like in the masterpiece ‘Little Wing’.
The Experience’s 3^rd album, ‘Electric Ladyland’ went beyond any of his previous works as a result of gaining total artistic control from Chas Chandler. Wilder and less restricted than his other albums, ‘Electric Ladyland’ broke many guitar rules while achieving admirable musical results.

During The Experience’s hiatus, Jimi formed ‘Gypsy Sun & Rainbows’ with old friend and bassist Bily Cox, and drummer Buddy Miles, later re-naming the group to ‘Band of Gipsies’.

Despite playing a few concerts, and even releasing a Live album It wasn’t too long after that, that the Jimi Hendrix Experience was reformed with Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell in a mix n’ match line-up between Hendrix’s two main groups.

During the time, Jimi was facing a number of lawsuits concerning recording contracts that were signed early in his carreer. This caused him to travel back and forth between London and U.S.A;, travels that allowed him to collaborate with artists like Steve Winwood and Bob Dylan while in the US, as well as to participate in the biggest music festival of the 60’s: Woodstock.

Close to the end of his life, Jimi played the two classic concerts Live at Monterrey and Live at the Isle of Wright, both under the exclusive recommendation of Paul McCartney. These live recordings, released after Jimi’s death in 1970, are probably the most legendary performances of the guitarist ever captured on tape.

Our Goodbyes

Jimi’s last show was on September 6^th, 1970, the same day that Billy Cox quit The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He died on September 18^th, of 1970 in London. Jimi’s gravesite is located at the Greenwood Memorial Park near Seattle, Washington where he rests accompanied by the carving of a 1965 Fender Stratocaster; his favorite type of guitar.

Hendrix’s presence in music was a short lived 10 or so years, halted by his death on September 1970 due to a presumed overdose. In the short time that he was with us, he not only managed to reinvent music and the possibilities that it offers but to open the eyes, ears and minds of many.

With his music Jimi has taught the world to be wild and free spirited; to try, explore, and discover new things, to overcome the limits that cause our restrain in an, almost, prophetic approach.

 

Rest in Peace Jimi. Rest assured you’ll transcend for as long as music lives.

Free – History of a Band

 

Free was a British band that formed in Battersea, London during April 1968. An imminent result of the British Blues boom of the late 60’s, and influenced by the many artists that collaborated with the movement’s birth, Free adopted a hard blues-rock musical style. After having played together in the R&B band “Black Cat Bones”, 17-year old guitarist Paul Kossoff and 18-year old drummer Simon Kirke wanted to move forward. Having had recruited bassist Andy Fraser, who at 15 years of age had already performed with high profile bands such as John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, the band was only missing a lead singer. Found not long after at a Brown Sugar concert in Finsbury Park’s ‘Fickle Pickle’, Paul Rogers was summoned by Kossoff to complete the final lineup of the band.

In November 1969 the group recorded their first studio album, ‘Tons of Sobs’ which wasn’t released until the following year along with their second, self-titled album. The debut of the band, however, was overlooked until the release of their third follow-up ‘Fire and Water’ in 1970, featuring the song “All Right Now”. An exceptionally acclaimed hit, the song placed #1 in UK’s rock and single charts and #2 in the U.S.A’s; also setting the band in excellent musical standings. Later, in 1990, it was recognized by the ASCAP for amassing over one million radio plays and awarded by the British Music Industry when the two million mark was reached. The release of a #1 song and a #2 album facilitated Free the opportunity to land a spot in 1970’s Isle of Wright Festival. A 600,000 people event, with shows from notorious blues-inspired groups such as The Who, The Doors, and guitarist Jimmi Hendrix; the festival provided the band with an even bigger public exposure. In addition, it allowed them to exploit one of their best abilities as a musical group and for which they’re still renowned for; their live performance.

 During September of 1970, Free released their fourth disc ‘Highway’. Not selling well and under-placing on the charts, the album forced the band into retreat. Due to the inconsistency of sales and reputation, personal differences between Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser, and the drug-abusing tendencies of Paul Kossoff the band broke up on April 1971. Despite their dissolution, the group still released their fifth, farewell album ‘Free Live!’, only to reform during early 1972 in an attempt to help Kossoff overcome his drug-addiction. In June of the same year they released their 6^th album ‘Free at Last’, also lacking in popular recognition, at which point Andy Fraser left the band fed up at Kossoffs predictable unreliability.

In replacement of Fraser came in Japanese bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and an extra member, keyboardist John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, was added. The new, short-lived lineup was called ‘Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit’ and released Free’s final album ‘Heartbreaker’.

In early 1973 Free ultimately disbanded. With Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke forming Bad Company, Andy Fraser creating the Andy Fraser Band and Paul Kossoff going solo as the Back Street Crawler; this was finally the breaking point of the group.

Three years later, on March 19^th of 1979 and at the age of 25, Paul Kossoff died of a drug-related heart condition on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. Roughly a month shy of the ‘reunion’ tour the former members had planned featuring the Backstreet Crawler headlining Bad Company; Kossoffs death marked the final chapter of the band.

A band of young members and fresh ideas, Free marked the post British blues boom period of the 70’s. Along with other bands and guitarists that emerged during and after the boom, Free experimented with and partly founded many of the various applications of a new genre that are still influencing musicians today.

Did you take that all in? Good! Then, on with the lesson

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all_right_now

David Gilmour-Pink Floyd, Collaborations and Solo Works

David Gilmour’s musical talent has been shining through ever since he began his career in music. From lead guitarist, to solo artist to producer, David Gilmour is an innate ambassador of guitar music all over the world. Whether you know him from his work with Pink Floyd, his insane guitar skills or his charitable reputation, David Gilmour the man, is the unnamed spirit behind a lot of the rock based music we hear today.

David Jon Gilmour CBE was born on March 6th, 1946 in Cambridge, England. Perhaps one of music’s most talented guitarists and composers, David Gilmour’s blues based, rock inspired guitar work has lead many musical masterpieces.
From instrumental sounds to classic Gilmourish tones and distortions, David Gilmour has raised the bar for many guitarists.  Despite having being a low profile performer during his musical career, he has managed to excel and stand out in his endowment.

Known for his clear phrasing and warm sounds, exact note bending skills and feedback oriented treble pick-ups, Gilmour embraces the early Rock n’ Roll style and clean Strat tones of artists such as Hank Marvin. His slow rock riffs, delay/speed intensity licks, fuzz and chain effects distortions over clean sounds has attracted the attention of numerous guitarists and musicians, alike. Gilmour’s musical knowledge extends beyond guitar skills, as he can dominate sounds in the bass, banjo, harmonica, keyboards and synthesizers as well. An avid Fender enthusiast, David Gilmour’s guitar collection includes over 300 instruments, including many of his Pink Floyd playing guitars – like the ’55 Esquire and the ’79 black Stratocaster- Telecasters and a ’55 Les Paul Goldtop between others.

Gilmour’s interest in guitar playing began at The Perse School in the late 50’s.
Upon meeting Syd Barrett in his high school years, Gilmour began learning and exploring the guitar world, unaware that one day in 1968 he would replace Barrett’s role in the legendary band Pink Floyd.
After a short 3-years in his first-ever band Joker’s Wild, Gilmour left in 1966 to be recruited just one year later by Pink Floyd’s drummer Nick Mason.
In ‘68 he joined Pink Floyd as their new front man, vocalist, and lead guitarist and went on to record a total of 14 albums with the band:

1. ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ (1967)
2. ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’ (1968)
3. ‘Soundtrack from the Film More’ (1969)
4. ‘Ummagumma’ (1969)
5. ‘Atom Heart Mother’ (1970)
6. ‘Meddle’ (1971)
7. ‘Obscured by Clouds’ (1972)
8. ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ (1973)
9. ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975)
10. ‘Animals’ (1977)
11. ‘The Wall’ (1979)
12. ‘The Final Cut’ (1983)
13. ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ (1987)
14. ‘The Division Bell’ (1994)
15. ‘P.U.L.S.E.’ (1995)

Pink Floyd’s 8th and 9th releases, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon” and ‘Wish You Were Here’ in 1973 and 1975, respectively, brought enormous recognition to the band and provoked Roger Waters (bassist) to take control over the writing of their follow-up albums “Animals” (1977), and ‘The Wall’ (1979).
In 1978 David Gilmour released his first self-titled solo album, having had drifted from the new Roger Water’s controlled Pink Floyd.
Gilmour’s solo album was close to the Pink Floyd style. According to Richard Mahon, guitarist and co-author of Comfortably Numb: A History of The Wall, Pink Floyd 1978-1981  Gilmour’s first solo album was “the perfect balance of guitar sounds and styles between Pink Floyd’s 1977 release ‘Animals’ and their 1979 release ‘The Wall’”.
The album followed a natural Pink Floydian evolution within its content. It begins with an instrumental introduction (track 1:“Mihalis”) followed by the escalating intensity of Track 2 – a Gilmour cover of the song “There is no way out of here”, originally by a British progressive rock band called Unicorn. Mid-album there is a slowing point with a melodic ballad named “So Far Away”, followed by “Short and Sweet”, which includes a guitar riff that follows the same chord changes as Pink Floyd’s masterpiece “Run Like Hell”.
The album also features “Raise my Rent” a completely instrumental solo by David Gilmour, and a closing song called “I Can’t Breathe Anymore” that mixes it up with clean electric tones, distortion effects and power chords, that are then mellowed into an instrumental passage that concludes the album.
His piece “Comfortably Numb” was finished too late to be included in his first solo album thus was featured in Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ in ‘79.

During this time, keyboardist Richard Wright was fired amidst production of ‘The Wall’, causing further disruptions in the relationship between David Gilmour and Roger Waters during the making of the film for said album, and the recording of their follow-up 1983 release ‘The Final Cut’.

Seeing that ‘The Final Cut’ barely represented Gilmour’s music style, he went on to record and release his second solo album ‘About Face’ in 1984.
Gilmour’s second solo album included more varied sounds aside from that of Pink Floyd, and even added a love song which starred Pete Townshend lyrics called “Love on the air”– a limited topic in the Pink Floyd repertoire.
‘About Face’ also covered several social issues, such as the nuclear bomb attack fear that reigned the world in tracks ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Cruise’, the last of which featured reggae passages – an oddity in Gilmour’s bag of sounds.
Another song with lyric contributions by Townshend in his second solo album was “All Lovers Are Deranged”, what Gilmour calls his “heavy metal song”. ‘About Face’ eventually reached the top 20 in the UK charts.

The album’s 2nd track, called “Murder” -homage to John Lennon’s homicide, and a representation of his music with the unmistakable Gilmour touch – is an acoustic tune than mutates into rock, with the signature Pink Floyd sound.
In 1985 Gilmour took control of the band upon Roger Waters’ departure. Waters’ had said Pink Floyd “was a spent force creatively”, but in 1987, following a legal dispute over the Pink Floyd name the continuing and re-instated members of Gilmour, Mason and Wright released ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ which reached #3 on the UK and US charts. In 1994 the follow-up and last studio album ‘The Division Bell’ was released, granting them their first and only Grammy Award for their tune “Marooned”. The final album under the Pink Floyd name, ‘P.U.L.S.E’, came out in 1995 featuring live performances in both CD and video.

Despite continuing the Pink Floyd legacy after the departure of Roger Waters, David Gilmour became a session guitarist and producer for many musicians’ recording projects. His collaborations included projects with B.B. King, Supertramp, Paul McCartney, Elton John in ‘The One’, Paul Rodgers in ‘Tribute to Muddy Waters’ and Roy Harper and Jimmy Page in ‘Whatever happened to Jugula?’, amongst many others. Performing many times for charity purposes and many others just to promote his work, David Gilmour has kept – and still keeps – busy producing, recording, and performing:

In July 1985 he appeared on-stage with ‘The Bryan Ferry Band’ at the Wembley Stadium for a ‘Live Aid’ concert.
Later that year he joined Pete Townshend in Deep End and later supported him and The Who in 1996, the same year Pink Floyd was inducted into the U.S. Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1999 Gilmour took part in yet another of Paul McCartney’s projects ‘Run Devil Run’ and toured along with McCartney’s band in an extended collaboration.
Gilmour also appeared on MTV’s Unplugged, presenting an acoustic solo version of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”.

Additionally, he performed following Robert Wyatt’s Meltdown Festival at the London’s Royal Festival Hall in 2002, presenting three semi-acoustic concerts along with other invited friends and guests.
In 2004, Gilmour played at a 50-year celebration of the Fender Stratocaster at the Wembley Stadium. Guitarist magazine later deemed him the “Best Fender Guitar Player Ever” according to a poll that included other music heroes such as Jimmi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
One year later Pink Floyd would reunite for a one-time performance at the Live 8 charity concert in London’s Hyde Park. It was this same year that the band was inducted, this time, into UK’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and David Gilmour was made a CBE for his services to Music by the Order of the British Empire.

David Gilmour released his third solo album, ‘On an Island’, in 2006. This follow-up made the UK charts at #1, and the touring for the new solo album included guest musicians such as Richard Wright, Dick Parry and Guy Pratt.
‘Remember That Night – Live at the Royal Albert Hall’ was released in September of 2007 featuring an ‘On an Island’ performance in Gdansk’s 26th Anniversary of Solidarity concert. The show filmed by director Gavin Elder, starred composer Zbigniew Preisner’s orchestra, whose orchestrations were created in base to Gilmour’s new solo album.

Gilmour’s musical talent has been shining through ever since he began his career in music. From lead guitarist, to solo artist to producer, David Gilmour is an innate ambassador of guitar music all over the world. Whether you know him from his work with Pink Floyd, his insane guitar skills or his charitable reputation, David Gilmour the man, is the unnamed spirit behind a lot of the rock music we hear today.

Billy Powell Passes On

Billy Powell, born William Norris Powell on June 3rd of 1952 in Corpus Christi, TX, died on January 28 of 2009 at the age of 56 due to an apparent hear attack in his northeast Florida home. Original member and keyboardist to legendary Southern-rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 2009, Powell seduced the rock world with his unique sound and skill, as has inspired many piano and organ players that have followed his extensive musical career.

1952-1970

Billy Powell was born to a military family and lived, for a period of his childhood, in Italy where his father, Donald, was stationed with the Navy. Upon his father’s death to cancer in 1960, Powell moved back to Jacksonville, Florida with his mother Marie and siblings Ricky and Donna. Shortly thereafter, Billy developed his interest in music while attending the Sanford Naval Academy in Florida. During his years at the Academy, Powell took piano lessons and learned the theory behind his passion; later switching to Bishop Kenny High School were he met future Lynyrd Skynyrd co-member, Leon Wilkenson.

1970-1977 Powell in Lynyrd Skynyrd

Powell’s history with Lynyrd Skynyrd began after graduating from high school in 1970, when he began work as a roadie for the legendary group – then called One Percent.
Schoolmate Leon Wilkenson joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1972 in replacement to bassist Larry Junstrom, along with Powell who was admitted into the group after impressing Ronny Van Zant with his own introductory version of Skynyrd’s hit song “FreeBird”

Lynyrd Skynyrd went on to sign contract with MCA records and their success soared for the following years with hits like “FreeBird”,  “Sweet Home Alabama” and “What’s Your Name.” The band’s unmistakable style was best articulated in albums such as their debut record ‘Pronounced  ‘lĕh-’nérd ’skin-’nérd’, follow-up ‘Second Helping’, live album ‘One more for the Road’ and their most acclaimed title today, ‘Street Survivors’ featuring the rocking guitar performances of Steve Gaines.

The 1977 Tragedy & Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Dissolution

The band toured and impressed with their 3-lead guitar attack and complementary piano harmonics until tragedy spoke on October 20th, 1977 when the Lynyrd Skynyrd’s touring plane crashed on the way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana – 3 days after their fifth release. The accident cost the lives of Ronny Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, as well as that of pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot’s William Gray. Billy Powell suffered severe facial lacerations, yet was the first surviving band member to leave the hospital, and the only one able to attend the funeral service that followed the crash.

After the tragedy Lynyrd Skynyrd dissolved, and Billy Powell, along with surviving members Gary Rossington, L. Wilkenson, and Allen Collins formed The Rossington-Collins Band from 1979 to 1982. Later in 1987, Billy briefly joined the Christian rock band called Vision, leaving said group to perform in the ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour’ in 1989.

Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991

After the tour, the band decided to continue the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd, reforming in 1991 and recovering the infallible 3-lead guitar attack in 1996 upon the new membership of Hughie Thomasson and Rickey Medlocke.
In spite of going through several line-up changes after the death of members Leon Wilkenson and Hughie Thomasson in 2001 and 2007 respectively, Billy Powell continued his unconditional devotion to Lynyrd Skynyrd and went on with the show until his death in 2009.

Lynyrd Skynyrd performing at the Champlain Valley Expo in Vermont in 1998, on a Steppenwolf tour. (Left to Right) Rickey Medlocke, Hughie Thomasson, Johnny Van Zant, Billy Powell, Gary Rossington and Leon Wilkenson.

Billy Powell Passes On

After a history of heart problems, Billy Powell suffered a heart attack in his Orange Park home on January 28th a little before 1AM. Despite having called 911 for a breathing difficulty and receiving CPR upon paramedics’ arrival, the musician and songwriter was pronounced dead on January 28th, 2009 at 1:52 AM. Due to his medical history, no autopsy was required.

Jonny Van Zant expressed the band’s pain upon Powell’s loss and said upcoming shows in Orlando, Louisiana and Mississippi will be cancelled. “We’ve got to lay our brother to rest,” he said. “That old saying, the show must go on, always counts. Unless you die.”

A man of faith and loyalty and perhaps one of the best and most talented piano players the past will heed, Powell has blessed the world with his music, and marked the blueprint of music history with his talent. Maybe we can hear some of Powell’s music legacy through the guitar work of one of his sons, Brandon, on Syntenic.

He will be missed.

Guitar Gear Info…

Guitar Gear

 Taking some time to pick a guitar and amplifier that suits you, amongst the great variety that music now has to offer, is a crucial influence to the way you will feel about playing the guitar once you plug it in.

Classifying your musical likes is the first step to finding the right guitar gear for you.
 
 The reason why we all love music is the many different genres, sounds and artists that it has birthed. This offers us many possibilities to identify with it, in different ways and disregarding of what our music preferences are.  We have acquired, and molded, our own particular taste for music ever since we were first exposed to it.

Think about what kind of music you like. Do you identify with Blues, Jazz, Classic rock, Psychedelic rock, Heavy metal, Bluegrass, Alternative…?
 
Read our gear guides to learn about how your taste influences the type of guitar or amplifier that you should get, and what else is important to consider when buying a guitar, amplifier, or any other guitar gear.
 
 
 Quick Guide to Buying a Guitar 
Quick Guide to Amplifiers 
Quick Guide to Pedal Boards 
Quick Guide to Strings and String Gauges

 

 Quick Guide to Buying a Guitar
 

 There are many different type of guitars to choose from, in this guide we will address the four most common: Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, Electric/Acoustic guitars and Classic guitars.
 
 
 Types of Guitars

 Acoustic Guitars
 Electric Guitars
 Electric-Acoustic Guitars
 Classic Guitars
 Used Guitars vs. New Guitars
 
 
 
 Acoustic Guitars:
 A popular choice amongst starting players, acoustic guitars rely entirely in the acoustics of their sound box to project the sound produced by the vibration of their strings. They can accommodate either wound steel or nylon strings and are suitable for blues, country, folk, ragtime and finger picking styles of music.
 
 Acoustic guitars are more delicate than electric guitars, and generally tend to be more expensive due to the craftsmanship involved in their production.  They are also more prone to wear and tear, and require more maintenance than electrics but don’t require any amplifying devices or additional accessories to be played.
 
 Classic Guitars:
 The Classic guitar is basically an acoustic guitar with nylon strings, but slightly smaller. Back when the classic guitar first came out, it featured a wide neck to facilitate finger picking. The classic guitar is great for classical music and Spanish guitar enthusiasts.
 
 Electric Guitars:
 Electric guitars use pick-ups to convert the vibrational waves produced by the strings into an electrical current that is projected through an amplifier.
The upside of electric guitars is their durability and their versatility amongst musical genres. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal, Country, Folk Rock, Alternative, Bluegrass, and many other genres and subgenres, all can be played with an electric guitar.
Also, the steel string gauge is gentler on the fingers than the heavy-gauge steel or nylon on acoustics.
 
 Electric guitars also feature a diversity of looks and bodies for you to choose from, with many popular brands that consistently offer quality instruments: Fender, Gibson, Ibanez are some of the most sold and respected brands.
 In addition, electrics feature the ability to use effects and create distortions, not only via the guitar itself but also through amplifiers and pedals.
 The downside to electric guitars, however, is the additional cost of buying an amplifier, as well as its complex portability in comparison to that of acoustic guitars. Nevertheless, electrics are cheaper than acoustics, and the additional cost of the amplifiers that aid them generally balance out the cost difference between each type.
 
 Electric-Acoustic Guitars:
 An electric-acoustic guitar takes the body of an acoustic guitar with the pick-up technology and amplifying capabilities of electrics.
Electric-Acoustic guitars are generally the most expensive amongst acoustic, electric and classic guitars; but they feature the best of both worlds in one single instrument.

New Guitars vs. Used Guitars
 
 New Guitars:
 The positive side to buying anything new is that you are guaranteed full functionality of the product. Being the first and only owner of the instrument ensures you of it’s condition, and history. 
Whether you get your guitar online or at a guitar store, you can browse through all your options and easily find what you want. If you decide to make your purchase on an e-store, make sure you familiarize yourself with the guitar you have in mind at a local store first.
 
 Most guitar stores, whether online or on-land offer warranties on their guitars, as well as return policies and special package deals. These vary from store to store, and it might be a wise idea to check them out before you take out your wallet. Various stores might have the same instrument for a similar price with different warranty or return policies.
 
 Used Guitars:
 Buying a used guitar can be a great way to save yourself some money, but it can become a headache if the guitar doesn’t turn out to be in the condition you thought it was.
If you decide to buy a used guitar, make sure to inspect the instrument thoroughly before you purchase it. If you don’t know much about guitars and their parts, it might be a good idea to take along with you a music conossieur to inspect it for you.
There are various second-hand stores with knowledgeable salesclerks who’d be willing to help you out as well. Some of these second-hand stores also offer warranties and/or return policies on their used guitars, so checking your phonebook and making some calls might save you some trouble if the instrument eventually breaks or you discover that it’s not for you.

 

Quick Guide to Amplifiers

 
 If you have a bass, electric or acoustic guitar with electric capabilities, you are going to need an amplifier to go with it. An amplifier will convert your instrument’s vibrational waves into an electric current that projects through its speakers.
 
  Tube Amplifiers
  Solid-State or Analog Amplifiers
  Modeling or Digital Amplifiers
  Hybrid Amplifiers
 
 Amplifiers according to Music Taste and Level of Play
 Structure & Configuration
 Size & Wattage
 Closed Back vs. Open Back
 Efficiency

Types of Amplifiers
 
Amplifiers date back to the 1930’s, but the modern blueprint we see in today’s amps (their improved paneling structure and added distortion) was only developed in the 1960’s after the birth of the transistor in 1947.
There are four main types of music amplifiers: (1) valve or tube amplifiers, (2) analog or solid-state amplifiers, (3) hybrid amplifiers and finally (4) modeling or digital amplifiers.
 
 Tube or Valve Amplifiers:
Tube amplifiers use vacuum tubes to amplify the inputting signal. They became hard to find after solid-state amplifiers gained popularity in the 60’s and 70’s, thus are one of the most expensive amplifiers out there today.
Tube technology allows for the natural distortion of guitar and bass sounds and has a higher power rating than analogs of the same wattage. Tube amplifiers also feature the ability to switch between channels smoothly, which, along with natural distortion, makes them a favorite amongst 60’s and 70’s blues/rock enthusiasts.
Over time, tubes tend to wear out and need replacing; making tube amplifiers of higher maintenance than other types of amps.
 
 Analog or Solid State Amplifiers:
Solid-state amplifiers use transistors to feed the preamp and power systems that amplify the signal.
They are powerful, very durable and seldom need repairing; features which encouraged their rising popularity of the 60’s. Solid-state or analog amplifiers are cheaper than any other type of amp. Some of them offer distortion channels and some don’t, so make sure to check for those before you decide on an amp.
 
 Hybrid or Valve state Amplifiers:
Hybrid amplifiers utilize both vacuum tubes (in the preamp section) and solid-state technology (in the power section) to amplify sound. The beauty of hybrid amplifiers is that tube or valve tones are preserved, along with its natural distortion, as they are in turn magnified by the power (and durability) of transistors to project sound.
 
 Modeling or Digital Amplifiers:
Digital amplifiers utilize digital processors to mimic the tones of tube amplifying technology. They are often programmable, and offer very clean tones, many different built-in amp types and effects such as chorus, tremolo and delay -between others. Some digital amplifiers also have studio capabilities with phrase samplers, loop effects and recording functions to save your own tones. Digital amplifiers tend to be more expensive than solid-state amplifiers, but there are various affordable choices from respectable brands with many of these fun and functional features.
 
 
 Other things to consider when buying an amp:
 
 Amplifiers according to musical taste and playing levels

When it comes to buying any type of guitar gear, you have to consider your musical taste and your level of play. Whether you are a starting player, an advanced player or a band player; a blues or psychedelic rock enthusiast, there are different amps that suit each particular level and of taste and play. With amplifiers in diverse sizes, wattages and configurations to choose from you can customize your gear to your liking.
 
 Structure & Configuration:
Amplifiers come arranged in either combos or stacks. In a combo both the amp and speaker are contained in one unit. In a stack, the head and speaker cabinet come separately, allowing you to chose from a variety of these and customize the amp to your liking. Stacks tend to be easier to transport given to the fact that you can carry each part independently, making them a top pick amongst the music nomads.
When it comes to the structure of the amplifier the main thing to look at for improved sound quality is the thickness of the wood that conforms the amp. If the material is too thin, the vibrations within the amplifier can shake the paneling, altering the resulting sound that is projected.  Make sure the wood in the amp you get is at least 1.5 cm wide for good sound quality.
 
 Size & Wattage:
Size and Wattage will determine both the quality of sound and power of your amplifier. Smaller speakers are better to represent higher frequencies (i.e. tweeter); as bigger speakers excel at representing lower ones (i.e. subwoofer). Therefore, a big speaker would represent your bass lines and low tones a lot better, while a small speaker would be suitable for high pitched and tweaked guitar sounds.
 
 If you are an independent player looking for a practice amplifier you should stick to a solid-state or digital amplifier, maybe 20 cm to 25 cm in size, with a low power-rating of under 30 watts. This should give you enough power and possibly some distortion channels to aid in your practice. The Marshall MG10CD is a great quality, affordable amp, from a very respected brand. It features 10 watts, 2 channels and a built-in overdrive; excellent for starting players or simply for home practice.
If you are looking for a bigger digital amp with fun features, the Fender G-DEC stars 15 watts, a built in MIDI synth, 29 effects and 17 different amp types, along with many different recording functions and a 14-second phrase sampler. For a cheaper digital alternative, Fender also offers the Fender G-DEC Junior amplifier – smaller sized and almost half the price, it has the same wattage and many of the features its parent offers.
 
If you are looking for a small performance or rehearsal amp you will need a bigger speaker with a higher power rating so that your instrument is audible over your bandmates’ and across the venue. A tube, hybrid or digital amp is also suggested due to their ability to smoothly switch between channels and the preserving of the guitar’s national distortion due to tube or artificial tube technologies. A minimum of 30cm and 50 watts or more are required for a rehearsal amp, however this varies entirely upon the size of the crowd, with power ratings shifting to over 90 watts for full-sized crowds. 
 
 Closed Back vs. Open Back
The main audible difference between Closed-back and open-back amplifiers is the improved bass sound closed-back amplifiers project. If you like drum and bass, alternative, or any ‘low frequency’ genres, a closed back amplifier is right for you. If you are a blues or rock enthusiast – where the sound frequencies vary radically – you’ll be better off with an open back amplifier that doesn’t ‘bass-out’ sound, thus allowing each tone to be clearly represented and distinguishable.
 
 
 Amplifier Efficiency
The efficiency of an amplifier could be another important aspect to consider before making your purchase. Efficiency is the yield of input power to output power and it is represented by a percentage. The higher the percentage, the more efficient the amp will be.
The thing about efficiency is that the more efficient the amplifier, the less energy you will consume and the cooler your amp will run. Both the overheating of an amp as well as the use of cooling fans can distort or alter the amplified sound. Most amplifiers with rather high efficiency ratings don’t need cooling fans as they naturally run cool, thus allowing the sound to be projected with no involuntary distortions.
 
There are many intricacies involved in each class denomination but this brief guide should provide you with an overview of how efficiency classes have been established:
 
Class A amplifiers are said to be the most inefficient, with efficiency yields from 10% to 20%.
Class B amplifiers are of high efficiency, but it is counteracted by the high levels of distortion that come with it.
Class AB amplifiers are on average 40% efficient, with reported efficiency yields of up to 55%. Of the low efficiency amplifier classes, class AB is the best in its rank.
Classes C to F offer high efficiciencies of over 60% up to 97% in some amplifiers.
Any amplifier over class F should offer even higher efficiency levels.

 

Quick guide to pedal boards

Pedals, Pedal Effects & Pedal Boards

Guitar pedal effects consist of an effects unit, or Stomp Box, that modifies the clean input signal via an electronic effects unit that converts it and applies the functioning effect to the outputting sound. They allow the player to activate or deactivate effects at the reach of their toes.  Pedals get their name due to the way they are used. Despite pedal technology having evolved since their birth, when guitar pedals only featured on-off switches that were activated or deactivated by pressing down on them with the foot, modern guitar pedals are still operated in much the same way (using the foot) where instead of powering the effect on or off, they simply allow switching amongst the amplifier’s distortion channels, permitting the signal to go through either straight, or adapted to one or multiple effects. 

Another type of effects unit can be rack-mounted. A rack-mount consists of the same electrical technology than the regular stomp-box; and it can either offer individual effects or an array of multi-effects for your picking.
It is a mounting system, by standard about 48.2 cm in length (19”), and it accommodates various types of effects from the individual units that fit the rack.
Rack-mounts can be set-up through a MIDI interface, and when used alongside effects pedals the sound processing power is said to greatly increase.

There are myriad of different types of guitar pedal effects, which in turn allow the creation of effect chains where more than one effect is applied to the input-signal. Chain effects are very popular, especially amongst pedal board owners, where one single device is used to power and wire the different effect pedals that are implemented, thus facilitating control over the activation of each individual effect pedal.

 

Types of Guitar Effects Pedals

• Distortion Type Effects
• Filtering Type Effects
• Modulation Related Effects
• Pitch Related effects
• Time Related Effects
• Volume Controlling Effects
• Bass Effects
• Other Effects
• Switching Pedals

Power Supply Variance

• Battery Operated
• Rechargeable Battery Operated
•  DC Power Operated

 Guitar Effects Pedals: Types

These are some of the most popular types of guitar effects-pedals:

• Distortion Type Effects
  o Overdrive Distortion Pedal
  o Overdrive/Crunch Pedal
  o Fuzz Pedal
  o Hi-Gain Pedal
  o Power Attenuator Pedal
  o Power Tube Pedal

• Filtering Type Effects
  o Equalizer Pedal
  o Talk Box Pedal
  o Wah-Wah Pedal
  o Auto Wah Pedal

• Modulation Related Effects
  o Chorus Pedal
  o Flanger Pedal
  o Phase Shifter Pedal
  o Rotary Speaker Pedal
  o Rotary Speaker Simulator Pedal
  o Vibrato Pedal

• Pitch Related effects
  o Pitch Shifter Pedal
  o Octaver Pedal

• Time Related Effects
  o Delay/Echo Pedal
  o Looping Effect Pedal
  o Reverb Effect Pedal

• Volume Controlling Effects
  o Compressor Pedal
  o Tremolo Pedal
  o Volume Pedal
  o Auto Volume Pedal

•  Bass Effects
  o Bass Chorus Pedal
  o Bass Distortion Pedal
  o Filtered Bass Effect Pedal
  o Bass Chorus Pedal

•  Other Effects
  o Booster Pedal
  o Noise Gate Pedal
  o Sustainer Pedal
  o Switcher | A/B Pedal

 

Switching Pedals

There is a different type of effects pedal called switching pedal. Switching pedals can be found wired to traditional amplifiers with built-in effects (the most common are vibrato, tremolo, overdrive and reverb) where their function is to activate or deactivate the incorporated guitar effects. Switching pedals also form part of many bass amplifiers, where the pedal is wired to the effects control and/or equalizer for the bassist to activate or deactivate the devices with the press of his heel.

Multi-Effect Units

Multiple Effect Units is a one-piece device that can imitate many incorporated effects concurrently, most commonly through a digital processing system – even though analog units exist as well. They are simple to use and easy to transport.
Digital multi-effect units not only include pedal effects, but they also facilitate amplifier and speaker simulations that are not found in their analog siblings.
Digital multi-effect units offer memory pre-sets, as well, that can be customized by the user, and in some cases they can be even be connected to MIDI or USB ports for programming and recording purposes. 
Multi-effect Digital processing units, however, most often present delays in long effect chains, an issue that does not prevail in analog units. 

Pedal Boards

A pedalboard consists of a flat panel that accommodates both the power supply and patch bay for multiple guitar effect pedals. A pedalboard also serves as a container for such pedals, facilitating transport and organization, as they don’t require disassembling.

Pedalboards can be either store-bought, with a fixed flat-board and stomp-box connection design; custom-made by a professional musician or effects technician or homemade. Store-bough pedalboards vary in price, with a great range of affordability. They vary from soft case (a.k.a.gig bag) to hard-shell (a.k.a. ATA case) with protective foam padding and guarded corners to sustain the wear and tear of transportation.
Some include their own power supply, as some don’t. Many beginning and intermediate players prefer store-bought pedalboards since they accommodate transportation, box-connections and power supply needs, leaving no other loose-ends for the musician to tie.

A lot of intermediate/expert players produce their own homemade pedalboards, as they can personally customize size, design and layout. Custom-made pedalboards also offer this benefit, along with the quality of artisanship and technical expertise of the custom-maker/technician. Most well respected musicians have their pedalboards custom-made by other musicians or music experts. David Gilmour’s popular pedal board easy-access set up for Pink Floyd’s album “Animals” was designed and produced by Pete Cornish himself.

It is important to choose a pedal board with a voltage that balances out the amount of effects pedals you own. If you get a powerful pedalboard to only supply two or three pedals, the bonus voltage can generate unwanted noise and hum that can be hard to reduce, even with a noise-gate pedal.
In addition, different voltages (from the popular 9v to the super-powerful 50v) carry a difference in the resulting sound that projected through the guitar, via the pedal, into the amp. Each particular effects pedal is designed to be run in a certain voltage range and when subjected to a unique voltage it will only reproduce the array of sounds that can be generated with that amount of power. This fact makes voltage experimentation the preferred hobby of many pedal-using musicians such as bass and guitar players, organists and synthesizer users alike.

 
PedalBoard Variance in Power Supply

Apart from soft shell and hard shell; homemade, store-bought or custom made, pedalboards also vary according to power supply, which can be either:

• Battery Operated
• Rechargeable Battery Operated or
• DC Power Operated.

Battery Operated pedals are suggested for beginning or sporadically players, as batteries tend to run out and need eventual replacing after 9000 hours, or so, of use. As a battery begins to loose its retention power, it also looses quality in sound interpretation; generating unwanted muteness and distortions that affect the resultant projection of the desired sound.

Using a Rechargeable Battery Operated pedalboard is a good alternative to reducing battery replacement costs. In this manner unwanted muteness, noise or hum due to battery tiredness are prevented; and pedals become grounded at the amplifier, thus easing their general management.

DC Power Operated pedalboards are higher in cost in comparison to battery/rechargeable battery operated pedals, however a battery running out or remembering to recharge it is never an issue. DC Powered pedals, however, do implicate more power-line hums and ground loops than other power sources.  This is why many musicians who choose DC power operated pedalboards, resort to Noise Gate effect pedals to reduce unwanted distortions originating from the supplying source.

 
Guitar Strings & String Gauges

A string is the vibrating device that sources the ensuing vibration of a string-instrument, such as a guitar or bass. Strings can be sold individually or in sets. They vary by material, type and gauge, and offer tonalities that decay over time. In this guide we cover over all of these aspects to give you a general idea of what to look for in a set of strings in terms of structure, cost, and musical taste.
Types of Strings

• Plain Strings
• Flatwound Strings
•  Roundwound Strings
•  Halfwound Strings
•  Hexcore Strings
•  Nylon Strings

String Tone & Pitch Variations

• Tension 
• Tonality Decay

String Gauge

• Heavier Gauges
• Lighter Gauges

 

Types of Strings

Here are the main five types of guitar strings:

Plain Strings: refers to strings that consist of one single material such as nylon, steel or gut. These strings structure is not consistent due to lack of a core, which generally cause them to loose their tuning and decay in tonality fairly easily.

Flatwound Strings: refers to strings of round core, with a round square cross-section in its wire winding. Even though more costly than roundwound strings, flatwounds cause less wear and tear on the frets as they decrease both slide-screeching and the pressure ejected on your fingers when fretting them. Their tonality is slightly duller than that achieved by roundwound strings. 

Roundwound Strings: both round in the core and within its winding, these are generally the cheapest type of strings. Tonality achieved is generally bright and clear in comparison to flatwound strings.

Halfwound strings: (also referred to as ground wound strings or pressure wound strings) round core, with a round wire winding that is ground or pressed flat. They offer the benefits of flatwound strings, while upholding the bright tonality set by round wound strings.

Nylon Strings: strings made out of nylon, mostly found in classic acoustic guitars. They offer a warm tonality and fat tones. Despite being originally used for fingerpicking classic guitar, nylon strings offer more resistance on the fingers than steel strings found in acoustic, acoustic-electric, and electric guitars.

Hexcore Strings: consist of a hexagonal core with, typically, a round winding. The hexagonal core binds to the winding better and tighter than in roundwound strings, preventing them from slipping or moving from under the fretting finger.

 

String Materials: Durability & Tonality

Before we go on to String Tone & Pitch Variations there are a few other important points to consider. Besides the core, there are various wire windings amongst the different types of strings, and each different material offers particular benefits for individual tonalities and music genres, as well as guitar/instrument types.

- Steel core strings are favourites for their fast response and low cost, along with their tuning stability, which make them widely appreciated by most guitarists.
- Bronze and Phosphor-Bronze windings are known for offering a warmer tonality than other wirings and are thus recommended for acoustic guitars since their performers typically aim for this sound. In addition, the bronze retains the brilliance of the strings for a longer time than other materials.
- Amongst other types of wire winding copper, nickel and stainless steel are the most popular for a balance in cost and durability, yet they are known to produce better bass tonalities and a more passive response in comparison to other winding materials.
- Tungsten, Gold and Silver are also used, and their durability increases respectively, as well as their cost.

 
String Tone & Pitch Variations
Finding the perfect tension for your strings is not an easy task, especially if you are looking for a specific sound or pitch or if you are trying to experiment with new ones.
(String) Tension:

“The tension of a musical instrument string is a function of its mass (or weight) per unit of length, the vibrating length of the string, and the pitch of the note produced when the string vibrates” 

The most important things to know about tension -all things being equal – are:

(1) Pitch increases as tension increases,
(2) Tension increases as the scale length gets longer,
(3) Tension increases the heavier the string gauge is;
(4) More tension equals more volume and more sustain.

There have been several tension calculators and formulas designed for such purposes, but changing your string tension can become a complicated and labour intensive project with a mere miscalculation or simply lack of knowledge or experience in the field.

D’Addario Strings offers a 14 page free string tension guide that includes a chart with all the respective specifications that apply to the strings they manufacture to facilitate consumers’ re-adjusting string tension; as well a brief summary of string tension and how it participates in your play in this much shorter guide, String Tension 101. 

 
Click here for Professor Arto Wikla’s plain-string, tension calculator

Please note this calculator only applies to strings with fixed material densities (plain-strings) and not those that have core and winding of unequal masses.

String Tonality Decay:

When you get a brand new set of strings there is crispness to the sound they produce that is proper to the prime state of the new strings. Believe it or not, the wear and tear process that strings suffer over time – such as the changes in string tension due to repeated or prolonged use, or the natural slow thinning of the strings and the metal oxidation of its winding due to the effect of the oils transferred from our fingers as we play – play a big part in the sound we will achieve, and it can aid in particular types of genres and music styles.

For example, the crisp, “twangy” sound that new strings (or light gauge strings) provide is particular amongst folk and folk blues, as well as any other music style that incorporates the blues principle of call-and-response.

After a string looses that ‘new string’ feel, the next state it falls upon offers a clean, yet not crisp or ‘twangy’, sound. This makes strings especially suitable for electric guitars with distortion effects and for guitarists who are interested in the use of pedal effects/pedal boards, or the music styles that incorporate these sounds.
The clear, full sound provided by the string at this decay stage exclusively exposes the effects and distortions that are applied by the guitarists, eliminating any unwanted twangy or muted modifications that newer/older strings generally present.

When a string reaches its final stage of tonality decay the sound becomes almost muted, tonalities are softer, warmer and more controlled, yet unclear and undefined. These strings would be suitable for Jazz or jazz influenced musical styles; and apparently their durability in this final stage of decay, and for this type of music play, is greatly sustained.

 
String Gauges

The gauge is the name given to the diameter of a string. The gauge in inversely proportional to the tonality of a string: the heavier the gauge, the lower the tone or pitch.
Heavier Gauges
Like we said before in more general terms, heavier strings require more tension than lighter strings to achieve the same note. The more tension that is present allows for a higher level of volume, sustain and resonance of the sound projected. Heavier gauge strings exert more pressure on your fingers when fretting and their use could implicate changing the action of your fret board to prevent the strings from clanking against it.

Lighter Gauges:
Lighter gauged strings don’t sustain sound or have the volume heavier strings expose, but they are much easier to fret and naturally vibrate with the twang a new string produces.
This is why light gauged strings are popular amongst string-benders and beginning players.

Before you pick a string set make sure to consider the size of your hands/fingers, the sound that you’re after and your fretting abilities. Smaller hands will require lighter gauges, as bigger hands will call for heavier ones. Light gauges would as well aid beginners who are looking to grow the much hoped for finger calluses that ease fretting so dearly.

Tim Green

Tim’s Telecast

I’m not ashamed to say that I love my Fender Telecaster. It’s a solid relationship now, even though my natural guitar promiscuity has led me astray on various Gibsons, Hofners, Epiphones and Ibanez’s over   the years. So what is it that keeps me coming back to this no-frills, simple work-horse of a guitar? For me, it’s all in the tone. The Telecaster has a unique sparkle and full-sounding jangle that I simply haven’t found on any other model of guitar. I guess it has something to do with it’s solid, plank-like body and simple pick-up combination, but it’s how it sounds to my ears – rather than it’s production spec – that interests me. And it’s a tone that keeps me returning time and time again for recording the rhythm parts on my songs. It’s no surprise that the Telecaster is the darling of Nashville and the main guitar in many country players’ armouries. Now, I’m no country player, but it just naturally begs to be played with little country / bluegrass pull-offs and hammer-ons to get the maximum jangle and flavour from the chords you play. But the Telecaster can equally get low down and downright dirty if you want it to. Just look at the trademark greasy licks and riffs of Keith Richards for ample evidence of that. Other players also seem to get very attached to their Telecasters. Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi have been using the same two Teles for (seemingly) their entire career, and Joe Strummer’s mainstay Tele is now almost an icon in it’s own right.

An important distinction I’d like to make is that I’m pretty much a rhythm guitarist, and I can see that the Telecaster might not have the range of tones and bite that a lead player might require (compared to, say, a Stratocaster or Les Paul). But that didn’t stop Jimmy Page playing the studio solos on ‘Stairway to Heaven’ with a Telecaster, or David Gilmour wringing his usual silky, understated brilliance out of one on many of his Pink Floyd and solo recordings.

I also have to say that the Telecaster has great looks.. It’s a simple, clean design that hasn’t changed since it’s first production model in 1950, and hopefully never will. I’m particularly fond of the white, natural purity of the one that I have, and it’s body and natural neck can only get more beautiful with age (unlike me!).

Anyway, enough of my romantic gushing – here’s a little bit more (proper) history for you…

The Fender Telecaster was developed by Leo Fender in Fullerton, California in the 1940s. The hand-built prototype, an anomalous white guitar, had most of the features of what would become the Telecaster. The initial production model appeared in 1950, and was called the Esquire. Fewer than fifty guitars were originally produced under that name, and most were replaced under warranty because of early manufacturing problems. In particular, the Esquire necks had no truss rod and many were replaced due to bent necks. Later in 1950, this single-pickup model was discontinued, and a two-pickup model was renamed the Broadcaster. From this point onwards all Fender necks incorporated truss rods.The Gretsch company, itself a manufacturer of hollow-body electric guitars, claimed that “Broadcaster” violated the trademark for its Broadkaster line of drums, and as a newcomer to the industry, Fender decided to bend and changed the name to Telecaster.

 The Telecaster is known for its bright, cutting tone. One of the secrets to the Telecaster’s sound centers on the bridge pickup, which has more windings than the neck pickup and hence has a much higher output, sometimes having twice the inductance of the neck pickup. At the same time, a capacitor is fitted between the slider of the volume control and the output, allowing treble sounds to bleed through while the mid and lower ranges are dampened. A slanting bridge pickup enhances the guitar’s treble tone. The solid body allows the guitar to deliver a clean amplified version of the strings’ tone. This was an improvement on previous electric guitar designs, whose hollow bodies made them prone to unwanted feedback, and which sometimes suffered from a muddy, indistinct sound. These design elements allowed musicians to emulate steel guitar sounds, making it particularly useful in country music. Such emulation can be enhanced by use of a B-Bender (B-string bending device co-introduced by country picker Clarence White), enabling a smooth, precise change of pitch for a single string within a chord.

So here’s to the noble, simple Fender Telecaster….

 

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Did You Know This?

• Leo Fender wasn’t a guitarist but a saxophonist. The first product that he manufactured was an amplifier. The aesthetics of Fender’s first amplifier still very much mirrors that of the amps out on the market today.

 

• The technical denomination of the pick is ‘Plectrum’ from the Greek plektron meaning “thing to strike with”.

 

• Franz Shuber composed on a guitar hung over his bed as he couldn’t meet the expense of buying a piano.

 

• Londoner guitar fan Chris Black had a wedding ceremony to marry his melodious and loyal Fender Stratocaster.

 

• Jimi Hendrix played right-handed guitars, left-handed. In his teenage years, he got expelled from his high-school for holding a white girl’s hand during class.