JD - Guitar player & teacher in Bath

About JD.........

2011-04-07T10:07:00.004Z

I live in Bath playing and teaching guitar. I started playing in the summer of 1991 and haven't really stopped since. Since 2002 I have been a full time guitar tutor in Bath.

Raised in the beautiful village of Croydon(which lies in the south of a place called London town), I first learnt to play guitar from a mish mash of influences including the Layla album by Derek + the Dominoes and Appetite for destruction by GnR.

In recent years my music has spread from rock, blues and funk into jazz, country, classical and flamenco. These are all more difficult forms of music but keeps my interest going to keep on learning.

The A team intro.......

2011-04-07T09:55:00.002Z

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire...the A-Team.

Who's the best.........?

2011-04-07T09:54:00.001Z

Who's the best?

David Hasselhoff or Phil Collins?

It's a tough one, but you'll have to decide.

Tapping Ninja

2011-04-07T09:52:00.001Z

I am Tapping Ninja! Hear my music on myspace.

It's really cool I start off with some fast tapping and then there's the main theme with some cool tapping licks. Then there's a guitar solo with some really fast tapping and then crazy fast section with lots of tapping on the high notes..............................

File under 'Shredder' or 'Sports guitarist'.

Croydon

2011-04-06T19:54:00.001Z

Croydon was voted the chavviest town in the country according to an online survey in 2008 by the website chavtown.co.uk.

Being the chavviest town in 2008 adds to a dubious list of honours for Croydon including giving its name to the Croydon facelift - a hairstyle where girls scrape back their hair into a ponytail.

Describing Croydon, the site says: “Chavs come from far and wide to worship at the pikey temple that is the Whitgift Shopping Centre, a place that has more McDonalds, KFC’s and Burger Kings than any other place on the planet – many a chav family can be seen having their Sunday lunch in one of these fine eateries.

“However, night-time is when Croydon really comes into it’s [sic] own. The younger chavs are usually on their way home due to their curfew/electronic tags/time to feed the baby and this is when the older chavs (i.e: 15-20 yr olds) decide to descend on the Croydon ‘strip’.

“If anyone wants to see chavs in their natural environment and run the risk of getting mugged, stabbed, raped, glassed, shot or just plain ‘dissed’ then come down to Croydon, it’s even got Chav trams which are free to chavs.”

Silly things

2011-04-06T19:47:00.005Z

Ah, so you've found the hidden pages of silly things...take your pick from the following.........

Croydon - best chav town 2008

Blog Guitar Lessons

Asbo yob's guitar lesson

Berry's blues phrasing

Zippy's pentatonic tricks

Optimus prime's top tips for guitar

Live music for events

2009-12-03T13:35:00.032Z

If you're looking for live music for any event, party or wedding etc I can provide any of the following:

JAZZ- As a solo guitarist or as part a band jazz is perfect for background music to add a touch of class and fun to your event. This will music will be a mix of swing, ballads and bossa nova (Latin style)by songwriters including Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and made famous by artists such as Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Jazz demo track listings:

Trio (Guitar, Bass, Drums)- All the things, Dr G (original tune), Body & Soul and St Thomas.
Solo Guitar Misty, Tenderly, Black Orpheus, Have you met Miss Jones.
Quintet (Sax, Trumpet, Guitar, Bass & Drums) - Bossa Nova Latin music
Quintet Swinging blues
Duo (Sax & Guitar) - In a Sentimental Mood

SPANISH / CLASSICAL GUITAR - also best for background music. A lot of the classical guitar repertoire is tradtionally Spanish so there is a lot of crossover between these styles.

Latin and Brazilian music works well on the classical guitar to add a some chilled out Bossa Nova rhythms to the mix.
Latin demo tracks are:
One Note Samba (Jobim), Wave (Jobim), Mas Que Nada (Jorge Ben)

Solo classical guitar can add a real sense of romance to your event and is ideal for a wedding ceremony, or as background music during any reception. The music would be a mix of light classical, traditional Spanish and Flamenco music including pieces by Bach, Albeniz, Carcassi, Tarrega and Sor amongst many others.

Classical demo contains excerpts from the following:
Prelude in D (Bach), Romance (Traditional Spanish), Dedicatoria (Granados), Bouree 1 (Bach), The Deer Hunter (Myers).

BLUES BAND- great for parties where fun and dancing is a must!

A mix of blues, boogie and rock and roll music.
Goto the Dudlow Joe Website to get the full lowdown on the this band, or use the player below to hear a couple of tracks.

Questions you might have:

What's the booking procedure?

Details we will need from you include a proposed date, times, an approximate number of guests we will be playing to and the sort of live music you would like. I will give you a quote and when that's agreed I will forward a short contract to confirm details of the venue, date, time, music, playing times and fee.

How much does it cost?

Fees start from around £55 per musician, but please contact me for an accurate quote. If you're on a tight budget tell me what you can spend and I'll tell you what's possible. There are often ways of keeping costs down, and if I can't help you I may be able to direct you to someone who can.

Do you bring all your own equipment?

Yes – we bring all the instruments and amplification. We just need a power supply. We can also bring stage lighting if you request it at the time of booking.

How long do you play for?
As long or as short as you want, but typically two or sometimes three sets of 45 minutes with breaks in between.

Will you play outside?
As long as we’re protected from the weather – including sunshine. A small gazebo is usually fine.

How far will you travel?
We're based in Bath in the West Country and will usually travel up to around 50 miles. The further we have to travel the more we will charge.

Do you do requests?

If there is a song that you would really like to have played then please let us know at least a few days BEFORE the event. Generally we don't do requests on the day (unless we know them!)

About me.........

2009-10-15T22:45:00.002Z

I live in Bath playing and teaching guitar.
I started playing in the summer of 1991 and haven't really stopped since.
Since 2001 I have been a full time guitar tutor in Bath.
Click here for more details on guitar lessons.

In recent years my music has spread from rock, blues and funk into jazz, country, classical and flamenco. These are all more difficult forms of music but keeps my interest going to keep on learning.

Raised in the beautiful village of Croydon (which lies in the south of a place called London town), I first learnt to play guitar from a mish mash of influences including the Layla album by Derek + the Dominoes and Appetite for destruction by GnR.

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Next gigs :

See Myspace for latest gigs happening with me

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Contact:

if you need a guitar player or a live band of any size or style,
for any event, function, party or session work.
john_diver@hotmail.co.uk

You can speak to me if you dial this number into your phone:
07813 66 59 41

Or post a comment here or on www.myspace.com/johndiver
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Harmonicas........

2009-10-15T22:24:00.029Z

I play the harmonica too.......

I really got into the harp when I went travelling a few years ago and didn't have space in my bag for a guitar. I mostly play the diatonic harmonica - aka the '10 blues harp' or 'diatonic harmonica' in the standard 'Richter tuning'.

Richter tuning is by far the most popular tuning for the 10 hole diatonic harmonica, and used on pretty much all old blues tracks. Holes 1-4 play the two main major chords - great for rhythm playing (eg in the key of C, a C chord when you blow and a G chord when you suck). Holes 4-7 play a complete octave of major scale, and holes 7-10 play an almost complete octave above this.

The mouth organ is most commonly used in blues music, but that's more to do with the limitations of players more than the instrument. They can actually fit into nearly every genre of music if you pick one in the right key. You can even bend all the notes and play chromatically using a technique called 'Overblowing'. Not many people know about this. Check out some of the links below, especially Howard Levy to hear the harmonica's full potential.

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My most inspiring players at the moment include:

Howard Levy - a phenomenol harmonica player, pianist, composer and session musician who has been a huge pioneer in transforming the range of the diationic harmonica.

John Popper - a big man who sings and plays harmonica with Blues Traveler and regularly outplays guitarists.

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Here's a few tracks of me playing the harmonica....

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

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Here's a few great links to inspire you...

Free Harmonica lessons A site by a player called JP Allen

www.overblow.com Overblowing is a misleading term that describes a relatively new way of bending notes on the harmonica. It doesn't mean blowing harder! This site has a wealth of info on how to overblow, and set up your harmonica really well.

www.tenhole.com More overblowing info by a player called Tinus Koorn.

Harmonicas Direct A shop in the North that sells everything you need.

The NHL Not to be confused with the Canadian National Hockey League, The National Harmonica League is a based in the UK and can put you in touch with everything going on nationally and across the globe. Find teachers, jam sessions, workshops, new players etc.

SPAH The Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica, know as SPAH, is an international non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Michigan in 1963 by a small group of visionary harmonica enthusiasts who were passionate about the instrument and about its relevance to contemporary and future music .

About me.........

2009-10-15T22:18:00.000Z

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Next gigs :

See Myspace for latest gigs happening with me

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Contact:

if you need a guitar player or a live band of any size or style,
for any event, function, party or session work.
john_diver@hotmail.co.uk

You can speak to me if you dial this number into your phone:
07813 66 59 41

Or post a comment here or on www.myspace.com/johndiver
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Guitar lessons

2009-10-15T22:17:00.016Z

Electric, acoustic and classical guitar

All ages and levels taught including beginners

Daytime and evening lessons

All styles including rock, blues, heavy metal, jazz, funk, country, acoustic, classical & flamenco

Individual tuition or small groups of 2 or 3

Amps, leads, music stands, and everything else provided - you can even use our guitars if you can't bring yours

Electric guitars and amps to rent from £2 per week

I teach at Mickleburgh Pianos in Bath (formerly known as Sulis Pianos) where I have a dedicated guitar Studio.

Canton Place, London Road, Bath, BA1 6AA.

View Larger Map

I have a flexible approach to lessons and aim to teach students whatever they want to learn. Students can bring in their favourite CDs, mp3 players, songbooks so they learn music they already know and love. Otherwise I have a HUGE repetoire of lessons and songs to inspire you with.

Whether you want to strum for fun, learn to play in a band, write songs or work towards grades I can tailor lessons to suit you.

For details or to arrange a lesson call or email today:
jd@jd-guitar.com
07813 66 59 41

See also the website for guitar lessons:
www.guitar-lessons-bath.co.uk

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Recommended Grade books

For electric guitar I recommend the Rock School syllabus.
The exams (1 to 8) are fully accredited by the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority).

For classical guitar there are syllabi by either:
RGT (Registry of guitar tutors) or:
ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music)

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Free stuff you can get or download to help your guitar playing.......

Powertab Editor is a tablature authoring tool for the Windows operating system. It's used to create standard notation and guitar / bass tabs.

Ultimate guitar.com - one of the best online resources for guitar and bass tabs, reviews of guitars, amps, effects and much more.

Metronome online or Web metronome
Use either of these online metronomes to help you play in time.

Online guitar tuner Tune your guitar first before you play!

How to tune Read all about tuning, and get a tuner for all different tunings too.

Classical music - a site set up by a German man called Dirk. Contains a lot of written classical music for guitar arranged by composer and with grading on how difficult the piece is.

Warmoth guitars - okay so this won't neccesarily make you play better but they can custom make you a guitar. I got one of mine made here.

Guitar lessons - Frequently Asked Questions

2009-10-15T22:15:00.005Z

How much are lessons?
Individual tuition is £13 for a half hour lesson or £23 for one hour.

For groups of two students pay £15 each for a one hour lesson.
For groups of three students pay £12 each for a one hour lesson.

Do I have to learn read music?
I use guitar TAB and and standard music notation to teach.
I will encourage students to at least learn to read rhythms.
Learning to read music has huge benefits and like most new skills is difficult at first.
Learning to play by ear also has advantages. Your playing is more natural and although slower to learn you will remember it more easily.

Do I need to practise?
Yes. Without regular practice lessons are mostly a waste of time and money. Students should be prepared to practise at least 20 mins a day.

Do I need my own guitar?
It's best to bring your own guitar to lessons. I can check it is in tune and good working order. You are welcome to borrow a guitar for the lesson though or I have some guitars available for rent from just £2 per week.

Do I need to bring an amplifier?
No. I have guitar amps, leads, plectrums, music stands, paper, pens all of which you can use during your lesson.

I just want to learn for fun and strum along to my favourite songs. Is that OK?
Yes. As you learn any new song you're very likely to learn techniques (strumming, picking, timing, chord theory) so although you're just learning a song you'll get some transferable skills too.

I want to learn to play in a band..
No problem. We can focus lessons on learning songs and playing along to backing tracks and how to get the most from a band practice.

I'd like to get some grades..
For electric guitar you can follow the Rock School syllabus which has grades 1-8.
For classical guitar you can use syllabi by Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) or Registry of Guitar Tutors (RGT)

Do I have to come every week?
Most students have a 30 minute lesson once a week, some every 2 weeks, some whenever they are free or motivated. I can usually be flexible with times if you cannot commit to a regular slot. Regular lessons are usually more productive unless you are very self-motivated.

What if I can't make a lesson?
If you miss or cancel a lesson with less than 24 hours notice then you will be charged for the lesson.
I will make every effort to try and arrange lessons to a convenient time otherwise.

How do I know the lessons will be any good?
If you're unhappy or unsure about anything in the lessons then please let me know. I will set clear goals, and explain why we are learning certain techniques and topics. We then apply them by learning tracks.
I can also let you have a 30 minute trial lesson for free and you can see what you're getting.

I still have a question?
Please contact me and I can answer any other queries:

Email: sulis.guitars@hotmail.com
Telephone: 07813 66 59 41

FBB work in progress

2008-12-06T11:32:00.008Z

OK so here's some random ideas in no particular order.......
Pick out anything you like etc.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Demo music

2006-09-15T13:18:00.009Z

Click on the arrows by the 'tape wheels' to move through the tracks.
There's music from all the bands I play in - Fattyboombasstic, Dudlow Joe, guitar and harmonica tracks, and some jazz and funk from BGB.

Track listings -
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JD Tracks

Nu funk - A jam on a funk groove that eventually turned into 'Green eyed monster'. Has a 'middle eastern' vibe on the bridge and different guitar tracks trading solos.
JD's Quickie - another funk jam
Big Toe - up tempo bebop jazz. Played over 'rhythm changes'.
Pickin' the country licks - double stops, 'lap steel type bends' etc all played clean on my Telecaster.
More up tempo country licks.
Flamenco style 1
Flamenco style 2
Frosty plays jazz. Solo guitar jazz. What Joe Pass used to do at Christmas.

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Fattyboombasstic

Roshambo. A song about kicking each other in the nuts.
Haircut. Phat rock funk groove.
City Of Dreams. Pure funk. Check out the tapping licks in the solos.
Are You Thinking.
Dynamo (radio Edit). Disco, Disco, Disco!

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Dudlow Joe

Louise. Bluesy tracks written by Danny Vincent
Weather Man. Don't really know what Danny's singing about here, but it sounds good!

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Harmonica tracks

JD On The Harmonica
9 Hole Blues
'George' Calypso Track - my take on this tuneful track

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The Berry Goddard Band (aka BGB)

Silver Coloured Blues. Up-tempo blues that sounds a bit like a game show themetune
Dr Gordon. Chilled out bossa nova. Our friend Gordon got his PhD as I wrote this track.
Feel Like Swimming. Funk meets jazz.
9 Past 9. More funk + jazz

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I wrote all this music except for the calypso 'George' and the Dudlow Joe stuff which was done by Danny Vincent..

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Bands I play in

2006-09-15T12:58:00.040Z

The newest band I play in now is an all original band mixing full on funk, pop and even a bit of rock. Song writing duties are by Laura James and myself. Also featuring in the band are Tosh on the bass and Mcfly is our hitman on drums.

See the official home pages of the funky 4-some online for latest gig dates, more music, photos, blogs and much more at fattyboombasstic.co.uk
Or if you're into the Myspace thing we have a page at myspace.com/fattyboombasstic

Danny vincent leads this 5-piece outfit through a mix of boogie woogie piano, raw blues, and New Orleans rhythms. DV writes and sings a lot of the material being heavily influenced by artists such as Dr John and Ray Charles.

See and hear what all this boogie-woogie business is all about at www.dudlowjoe.com

Jazz Bands

Jazz bands can be anything from me on solo guitar, to a duo, trio, quartet, quintet etc. The most regular line-up I play with is The Berry Goddard Band (aka BGB) which is a four or five piece jazz and funk combo led by BG on tenor sax. Playing a mix of standards, chilled out bossas, Latin beats and funky grooves. Our regular line up includes Tom Woodworth on bass and Mark Whitlam on drums and percussion.

Have a look at the links to see more on JD's Jazz bands and BGB

JD's live music for all occasions...
berrygoddardband.blogspot.com
myspace.com/berrygoddard

Gorgeous Big Horns aka The GBH Big Band

Lead by Mike Daniels The Gorgeous Big Horns is a 17-piece Big Band who play jazz swing, latin, blues and funk. The line-up consists of 4 trumpets, 5 saxophones, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, bass and drum plus guest vocalists.

GBH include some of the finest jazz musicians from the Bath and Bristol area, producing a "truly gorgeous big sound".

Vocal Works Gospel Choir

Vocal Works Gospel Choir was founded in 2003 by musical director Tim King, and consists of over 45 singers. The group's repertoire consists of traditional and contemporary gospel along with soul and popular music.

Their regular performances include concerts, weddings, festivals and corporate events - where the choir inspire their audiences with their energy and soulful voices.VWGC are based in Bath, but have performed throughout the country. They released their debut album ‘Live at Invention Arts' in 2005.

For further information please contact Tim King on 07787 527880 or info@kingsmusic.com

Groovetrain

Covers band playing cheesy dance classics- you know you love it really. Available for weddings, birthdays and all sorts of parties etc.

Contact Tim King for full details on: 01225 329588 or 07787 527880 or email info@kingsmusic.com

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Local muso links

2006-09-15T12:48:00.031Z

Other musicians and bands in and around the Bath and Bristol area....

Bands.....
fattyboombasstic.co.uk - probably the best band in the world, tracks, pictures gig dates etc.

Bathandbristolmusic.co.uk - a compilation of bands in Bath and bristol.

Bootie and the hofish - fantastic funk and disco covers band with a great name.

Dudlow Joe- blues, boogie and rock and roll band available for all events that need some good times and fun!

Nicole fermie trio -Trio led by Nicole and her red strat.

If you need a band at late notice this is the site to head for.

Band me up.com..........

visit our page at
www.band-me-up.com

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Drums
The rhythm machine - drum tuition services set up by Martyn James and Mark Whitlam.

Howard Gill- Great drum teacher who plays with the Nicole Fermie trio.

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Bass
Roshan Wijetunge- bass player known as 'Tosh' fully accomplished on the double bass and electric bass. Available for tuition, live music and any session work.

Tom Woodworth- Long time friend and fine bass player.

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Guitars

myspace.com/johndiver - more of me on the net

Ben Blackmore - brilliant jazz guitarist and bass player based in Bristol.

Evan Green- great guitarist also based in Bath, fluent in lots of styles but with a passion + spot on technique for rock.

Sam Blake- guitarist offering guitar lessons and band workshops in Bradford on Avon. He can also offer session guitar work, depping work, sound engineering and a function band for all occassions.

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Saxophone
Berry Goddard- fantastic jazz tenor and soprano sax player available for tuition, gigging and session work.

Blowout Sax- funky sax school in Bath

Ben Plocki- local Bath dude originally from Poland who blows a fine sax.
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Pianos
Dale Hambridge- jazz pianist based in Bristol.

Sulis Pianos- piano showroom selling, hiring, moving and tuning used and new pianos

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Photographers
These guys have all very kindly done us some great photos and band shots over the years.

Oke Oglai
Lee Burman
Edward Elias
Steve Dubois

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Online resources for jazz guitar etc:

Jazz guitar.be -good resource for the jazz guitarist.
Play jazz guitar - pretty good site that has some lessons on it.
Kevin Van Sant- American jazz guitarist with some nice videos and a lesson on 'bumping'. Offers online tuition.
Jazz Guitar - website of the magazine.
Just jazz guitar- similar guitar mag.
Classic Jazz Guitar- a site full of mp3s and articles etc. Originally made to write about Johnny Smith, but it soon grew to cover lots of other guitarists.
You tube! - one of the best resources for seeing out of date videos and unknown talents.
Dutchbopper Try this Dutch jazz guitarist for starters.

Others

Tips to prevent RSI- Good article courtesy of Ultimate guitar.com

learn to beat box

Don't lose the music

- Aims to make sure people know how and why to protect their hearing while enjoying music.

Press coverage, testimonials

2006-09-15T12:31:00.009Z

June 2008
One band under a groove - Fattyboombasstic interview with Venue magazine
"..true purveyours of the tightly grooving funk that should accompany the tumbling cardboard boxes of a Starsky and Hutch car chase.."

May 2008
Ultimate Guitar review of Superfunkysexotronic album
"..Her voice is tangibly the rhythmic teasing debonair that a funk band like this needs..."

Feb 2008
Live music scene album review of Superfunkysexotronic
..There are plenty of guitar solos on offer to satisfy a generation whiling away the best years of their life on ‘Guitar Hero’ ...

September 2007
Venue magazine - live gig review at Moles club in Bath

"This was an unexpected treat. We are deep in 70s funk rock territory and it sounds good. An unassuming axe hero with a wah-wah seemingly welded to his foot tears it up Eddie Hazel-style, with blisttering solos through the world's smallest amp; a thumb-popping bassist with taste and space locks down with a fine drummer; and Laura James, a soulful singer is given to ecstatic bouncing across the stage. These are some outrageously talented musicians. They announce "Claustrophobia", a disco number, and we are immediately transported to a Sylvester-era Danceteria of glitterballs and roller-skates.

Only serious musos cover Living Color's "Love Rears Its Ugly Head Again" and few would be bold enough to tackle a Hendrix song and still make it sound great. A little more stage presence to match the quality of the music would be good. Why not go the whole hog and create a Bacofoil and stack heels afro-tastic dance sensation?"

October 2006
FattyBoomBasstic at the Porter Cellar Bar
"...they had a very groovy vibe going on and the frontwoman had a great voice."

BGB testimonials click....................here!

March 2006
Dudlow Joe review @ the Porter Cellar Bar -featuring Johnny Dagger on guitar.

Dudlow Joe review in Bath Chronicle.

"Someone was just commenting to me that there should be more blues at the Porter Cellar Bar and here I walk in to be greeted by the strains of boogie blues piano.
And good boogie piano at that. It is Dudlow Joe, a young five-piece Bath band built on the piano and songwriting of Danny Vincent and named after an obscure St Louis blues legend.
It's an excellent band, with Vincent's non-stop chops balanced by Johnny Diver who never stops playing tasty licks and searing solos on his Telecaster though an appropriately rough sounding little amp.
Bassist Tom Woodworth and drummer Mark Whitlam are excellent too; everyone in the band has good timimg, grooves are easily achieved.

The bands secret weapon is singer Peter Bradley, who shares vocal duties with Vincent.
Peter is more the jazz singer, and in the noble tradition of Smoky Robinson, Curtis Mayfield and Jimmy Scott, he sings like a female- very torcy, and he loves to scat.He is the icing on the cake.
Sure, they could use 20 years of whiskey and cigarettes to get the right voices, but the feel and attitude are right already; it's a party when they play.

Charlie Dunlap

Fatty Boom Basstic review @ Christmas time 2006

The Gallery

2006-09-15T12:10:00.003Z

Here's a few shots of me, bands I've been in and other nice folk I've been lucky enough to play with.......

My favourite tunes............

2006-09-15T12:03:00.004Z

Samba D'Orfeau (Dance of the Orchas)- Joe Pass + Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen-
From a live Oscar Peterson album. A guitar + bass duo on a simple jazz standard played with such fluency and talent.

Nightrain - GnR. The band at their peak really. They're still going apparently.

And your bird can sing - The Beatles. Kinda hard to pick just one album let alone a track from the original boy band.

I'm broken- Pantera- watch the video below if you get a chance- 4 guys in a room which such a passion for what they do. This video was really influential on me when I was growing up and learning guitar. I'm still learning guitar and not quite grown up yet.

Tom- bass player.

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asbo yobs guitar practice

2006-09-15T11:52:00.002Z

Asbo yob says,

"Go and do some practice and stop dicking about on the internet you pleb.

Always do yourself a little warm up or else your wrists and fingers are gonna get like well sore like too quickly. You know what I mean?
Make sure that you is practicing some new stuff or something that you ain't good at neither as well though. Otherwise you is just wasting your time playing the same old boring stuff over + over.
If you dunno wot to practice nick a bit of paper and carry it round all day and write down ideas thru the day. Then when you is gotta practice use your bit of paper to help you init.

When you've practiced the hard stuff you can tinkle around and play your top tunes as a little pick you up"

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Berry's blues phrasing

2006-09-15T11:51:00.001Z

Here's a really simple idea that I like to use when I'm rocking out some blues licks on my axe.

Repeating a short phrase that doesn't fit into the rhythm.

A five note phrase works really well for this.

Pick your timing eg quavers (2 notes on a beat) or triplets (3 notes on a beat) and keep that rhythm going.

Then repeat your five note phrase, with a little accent on the first note each time see the first example below. Both examples use note from an A minor blues scale.

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The second example is using a triplet rhythm

(count 1 + a, 2 + a, 3 + a, 4 + a).

But this time with a four note phrase, again with an accent on the first note each time.

You can hear a blues track in A on the mp3 player below. The first phrase is in the first chorus of the 12 bar and the second phrase in the second chorus. The repeated phrases are in 5th bars of the 12 bar blues (over the D chord). Listen out for any other repeated licks too...

Remember girls are best,

see you later stinky boys,

x.

PS Check out the

Berry Goddard Band

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Zippy's guitar tricks

2006-01-31T11:44:00.000Z

Hello everybody!
I just wanted to give you guys a few tips on using pentatonic scales. It's an easy scale to learn and play but here's an idea I use to spice up my soloing when I'm jamming with Geoffrey and the guys.

Let's say you're playing in the key of C.
Obvious choices would be to use either:

C major pentatonic - C D E G A
C major - C D E F G A B C

All the notes from the C major scale are good ones, but there are 2 other pentatonics you can also use:

D minor pentatonic (or F major)- D F G A C
E minor pentatonic (or G major)- E G A B D

Both these pentatonics use notes that are in the C major scale, + miss certain ones out- this will change the sound of your playing. It can sound really odd in some places, but that's the point - you're trying to play something a bit different. As always use it with taste, and don't over use it.

Here's a few chords you could try it over:

[C ][F ][G ][C ]- try with a calypso feel.

[Dm7 ][G7 ]- maybe for a funk or jazz groove.

[Am ][G ][F ][G ]- for a rock song.

All these chords are from the C major scale.
If you harmonise the scale you get these chords:

C
Dm
Em
F
G
Am
Bdim

So mix + match these chords and try the different pentatonics.
Take some songs you know, work out what key you're in and you should be able to find 3 pentatonics that fit over it.

Roll a fat one for me,
Zippy.

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Optimus prime's top tips for guitar

2006-01-08T17:17:00.000Z

Playing faster

Whenever I'm learing a new lick or a run and I wanna get the speed up, here's a few tips that'll help.

Learn small sections, slowly. This point can't be emphasised enough, so I'll say it again. Learn small sections, slowly. I'm forever hearing kids trying to rip through a lick and tripping over their own fingers in the same place over and over. Man it makes me so mad I wanna kick their 'ass all the way to Cybertron.

Memorise the section you wanna play, going as slow as you like. Concentrate on getting the fingering and picking exactly right.

Set yourself up with a metronome at a slow, comfortable pace and play the lick in time. If you keep getting a bit wrong, concentrate on playing those hard bits.

When you can play it slowly with the metronome- RELAX. Make sure your shoulders aren't hunched up and you're not gritting your teeth. Don't even think about pushing the metronome up until you can play your lick cleanly without any tension, or else you'll get a 16 wheeler truck givin' you a whole load more of trouble.

Now push the metronome up another 5 or 10 bpm, and play through the lick and remember to relax.

Keep pushing the metronome up a few more beats, until you can't keep up. Make a note of the bpm and try again the next day, starting slowly again to warm yourself up.

That's all for now,
Optimus.

Reply posted by Megatron: 21 August 2006 1:30pm GMT

Hmmmmm.......I hate to say it but my arch enemy has some good advice on the subject. But I have to add a few words.

You gotta push yourself sometimes. Don't be soft like Optimus. Get your licks down and use the metronome to keep yourself in time but try a few goes at a speed that you can't keep up with and then go back down. You'll find it easier when you come back down again.

Also try a thicker pick. When I'm ripping through my jazz fusion licks I like to use a pick around 1.5mm to 2mm thick.
Now stop wasting time on the net and go + do some practice. I'm off for a few pints and a fight down the local with Soundwave.

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