One of our most requested column topics is being addressed by Tonya Rae, who has sent out more than a press kit or two.
The Guitar Player's Resource
One of our most requested column topics is being addressed by Tonya Rae, who has sent out more than a press kit or two.
Not just "Orange" barcodes, but real, honest-to-goodness UPCs. Take it from Joe.
G9er Will Landrum is back to teach you the magic of turning a scale into real music.
Learn to walk a tightrope on someone else`s web site--Greigg is here to talk guitar pickups.
Think about it--how to use your head to help your hands.
The guitarist on "Twins" offers the second installment on going beyond the flat pick.
We send about half our orders overseas (48 different countries at last check), so numerically more CDs are still purchased in the United States, but that`s really because the country is so big. I feel the demand for instrumental guitar is stronger overseas, and if the economies in the Far East and Eastern Europe were stronger, I believe we`d sell even more there.
When we were working the tunes, none of us had any idea how long they were. It`s just these were our little babies we`re producing. It seemed that they needed all the parts we had. Looking back, there`s maybe two sections on the whole record I would cut. We hacked up a couple cuts for radio play, hacked them from eight minutes to five.
Well, I`m 38 and I started when I was ten. I probably started younger, like when I was about eight, so when you think about it, I`ve been playing for 30 years. I should be a lot better then I am (laughs).
We have our own recording facility at our rehearsal studio and have been doing all recent recording there. We also rent time if necessary at a more elaborate studio. Ralph (Perucci) has his own studio in Manhattan.
As far as releasing independently - there`s really no other way. Instrumental music (other than `happy saxophone` music I suppose) doesn`t really get a lot of support from record labels, guitar magazines, radio, whatever. So, if you love doing this kind of thing, then you really have to accept that you`ve gotta do it yourself.
A studio CD is hard work, because you spend months and do all this painstaking work in the studio and nit pick everything and make it right and mix it. I think that`s a bigger labor, but I think a live CD is a scary thing because you`re getting up there and playing live. There is nothing to hide behind. There`s no overdubs, and you have to live with what you did or don`t put it out.
I have an easier time over in Europe than I do here. I live in the Boston area, and Boston being a college town really wants alternative music. So I have a difficult time getting shows and drawing a huge crowd around here. I find it kind of weird. Thankfully that is not the only thing that I have to go on.
G3 is definitely here to stay. People may or may not know, the concept that we came up with a number of years ago was to be able to bring guitarists together that usually spend most of their time trying to stay apart. Managers and record companies are always trying to keep people separate. So we came up with the idea of bringing people together.
Back when I got my hands on my first multi-track recorder, I was fascinated with overdubbing, piling things on top of things, and recording anyone that came in my grip. I recorded hundreds of hours of stuff. Then I released the record `Flexible,` my first solo record.
Favored Nations is my new independent record company. It`s something I knew I was going to do. I knew I was destined to do a record company eventually. It`s a great concept and I found a great partner, Ray Sheer. We had similar concepts on how we would like to construct a label. I`ve been in the business for a long time, and I understand the infrastructure of how a label works and how they promote and market. So we put together this concept, sort of a musicians label.
You know, the early rock bands that I was into, like Deep Purple and Queen were very guitar oriented bands. I just wanted to start playing, so I got a guitar one year for Christmas. I had no interest in the guitar on Christmas day, I played more with the box. It grew on me and I got real serious after a couple of years.
Analogue Guy Trapped In Digital World
Powerful Rhythms, Sweeping Guitars
Speed Rules!
New CD Offers Eclectic Blend Of Rock And Blues
Dedicated To Great Progressive Instrumental Music
Getting ready for major or minor distribution? Christopher Knab explains the form and function of the distributor one sheet
Years of teaching at GIT have taught Joe a thing or three about structuring a solo. No need to travel to Hollywood, we`ve got the lesson right here.
The guitarist on "Twins" offers the first installment on going beyond the flat pick.
G9er Will Landrum is here to help when you seem to be fresh out of ideas.
Maximum Guitar Synth
Danish Guitar Hero Releases Instrumental CD
Stretching The Progressive Rock Envelope
Shattering Conventional Notions Of Guitar Playing
Wicked Ways Guitarist Goes Solo
Do you have MP3 music files in your future? Christopher Knab is here to give you some really great reasons why you should.
How is your timing? Are you about to lose your gig because you always rush the beat? Kevin Slack has an exercise which will help you determine where you stand.
Except for distribution, I`ve always made out better doing it myself using investor money then any contracts I`ve been offered. I have a "go in the studio and play" mentality. I don`t overdub, and I usually only do two or three takes for each piece. I make sure when I go in, I`m ready! So my costs are embarressingly low!
I like to take another artist`s song and vision and take it to another level. My experience with Fourth Estate, as well as contributing to many other projects and playing in countless cover bands, gives me a broad perspective in which to approach working with a variety of different artists. I am also very picky about sounds and tones and I think that translates in most of the projects I`ve produced.
Melodic, Challenging, Romantic, Fiery
Belgian Guitarist Rips On Instrumental CD
Dark, Moody Pop Meets Neo-Progressive Music
Aggressive Yet Attractively Melodic Rock
Swiss Guitarist Plans Instrumental CD
Guitarist From The Future
Melodic Instrumentals From Italy
Instructor Readies Debut Instrumental CD
Celtic/New Age-Influenced Instrumental Acoustic
Duo Explore Spanish Guitar Genre
Speedy Melodic Shredder Releases New CD
Soaring, Melodic, Instrumental Rock Guitar
Canadian Metal Band Rocks Downloaders