• Entertainment
  • Musicians
  • Recreation
  • Guitars
  • Playing Styles

Guitar Licks

Guitars, tips and great music discussions

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Links
  • About
  • Guest Blogger
  • Contact



You are here: Home / Archives for Guitars

How Can Ambitious Musicians Find Great Advice From Professionals?

July 1, 2013 by Chris

While becoming a success in any occupation is difficult, the music industry is notorious for being one of the toughest to ‘crack.’ Of course, the industry itself isn’t actually that tough anymore.

In the days before social media and polarizing television talent shows, becoming a success was dependent on someone at a record label listening to your tape, or having the good fortune to be playing a venue where someone with influence just happened to be having a drink that night.

Easier Yet More Difficult

GuitaristAlthough the various avenues to enter the music industry today make it easier to do so, it is also true that a career in the business can be much shorter than was the case when people had to do it the hard way. Yes, it might be easier to become known, but how will you endure?

How many of today’s artists do you honestly believe will have the longevity of a David Bowie or an Elton John?

If you’re an ambitious musician looking to boost your profile in the industry and set yourself up for a successful, long career, professional advice can go a long way. Where can you find it?

Social Media Interaction

While you might not want to simply log onto social media and start approaching successful artists with questions, you should keep an eye out for when they do online Q&A sessions, as many people will probably ask the sort of questions that you want to.

Sometimes, advice might be something simple, such as to keep practicing, never stop believing in yourself, and upload your music to YouTube and other sites. On other occasions you might receive some specific advice about a technique, or realize you’ve been doing something counterproductive to your hopes without realizing it.

Music Tutoringmusic tutor

Music tutors are a great source of information, and much of the time they will also be session musicians or otherwise play in a live band themselves.

Their knowledge will often go far beyond simply how to play an instrument, and they might be able to get you where you want to be. If you’re a musician looking to develop your skill set, then finding the best online guitar lessons, or those relevant to whatever instrument you play, can help. Sites such as Pro Music Tutor feature advice from world-famous musicians, and there’s probably no one better to ask for advice.

Find a Studio You Know Someone Uses

There are recording studios in towns and cities around the world. While hiring one of these might not always be particularly cheap, if you can find a studio that is used by a big artist, you’ll often find yourself with the opportunity to speak with someone and pick their brains about what you should be doing differently.

Many will even listen to you and help to develop your sound, but you shouldn’t take that for granted when you start seeking studio space.

Unearthing Music Advice

As well as pursuing these avenues, you should continue doing what you already do; practice regularly, expand your horizons, and try to secure gigs, even small ones, at whatever venues you possibly can.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MB900341530.jpg
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MB900422721.jpg

Nidia Guerra is a lifestyle consultant who works with clients from all occupations and demographics. Nidia currently has a large client base of ambitious musicians and sportspeople whom she is helping to pursue their life goals.

Filed Under: Musicians, Playing Styles Tagged With: Ambitious Musicians, career, Great Advice, instrument, music industry, Music Tutoring, musician, Professionals, recording studio, social media

Which Musical Instruments Are Hardest To Learn?

June 12, 2013 by Chris

Such is the beauty of music that anyone can play any instrument.  You or I could pick up and instrument, and get started right away. Of course, there is a world of difference between playing an instrument and using an instrument to produce an amazing sound that people want to listen to and will pay for.

Which instruments are the most difficult to learn to play well? Will you dare to take them on? On the other hand, will you avoid them at all costs?

Violin

No one who has ever looked at a violin will likely be shocked to see it appearing on this list. To most people, the violin can actually look like a deceptively easy instrument to play at first. If you’ve ever picked one up, however, then you’ll know that it is something that takes a long time to master. That is, if you found the resolve to forget the initial frustration you probably felt when you first tried playing and it sounded less than great.

As one of the hardest instruments to master, the violin is also one that gives you a great feeling of reward when you start to plat to a good standard,

Piano

This is probably the perfect example of an instrument where most people could easily learn a tune or two themselves, butMusic when it comes to more complex sounds and improvising, even pianists who have been playing for years find it a challenging instrument to play.

One of the biggest challenges posed by the piano is that there are few reference points to other instruments, as it is so unique and unlike any other. Like the violin, however, if you are able to train yourself to become an accomplished pianist, the sense of achievement will be huge.

Saxophone

MusicIn terms of technical music, the saxophone is actually one of the more straightforward instruments to pick up and play. However, the difficulties come in all of the intricacies that are involved with the sax.

From the way you hold the instrument to your movements when playing each note, not to mention the type of reed you use, everything needs to be perfect in order for you to get a definitive sound. That is before you even start to think about mastering techniques such as circular breathing – breathing in and out at the same time. However, saxophone lessons are great fun, and they will help you to pick up everything you need to know in order to become a decent level saxophonist.

Drums – From a Band Perspective

Drums are reasonably straightforward to learn, which is why they are the instrument of choice for parents buying for their children, even when they are fully aware of the noise they will make.

However, if you’re a solo drummer, making the transition into drumming in a band situation can be very difficult. Now, you’re not just the drummer, but the leader and pacemaker of the whole band. One mistake, especially in a live situation, can make a whole track sound like an awkward mash-up, making it a much-pressured role.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MB900385364.jpg
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MB900385375.jpg

Robert is an accomplished guitarist who is more than happy to stick with one instrument. Robert has a lot of admiration for anyone who can play more than one instrument, as well as people who play difficult looking instruments, such as the saxophone and violin, to a competent standard.




Filed Under: Instruments, musical instruments, Playing Styles Tagged With: drums, Hard, learn, musical instruments, Piano, Saxophone, violin

Learning Guitar Basics Online

April 30, 2013 by Chris

Music is an expression of the soul. People dabble in different instruments to educate themselves in music appreciation and to create a new form of relaxation.

Learning to play the guitar can be difficult and may require a sense of discipline. Many people have the ability to teach themselves new instruments and with online technology and patients, you can learn to play the guitar online.

Guitar Basics

The first step to learning to play the guitar is learning the basics of the guitar. There are many websites that allow you to research the basic components of the guitar such as each part of the guitar and its function. These websites will offer you all the insight you may need to get familiar with guitar from how to properly hold it, stringing the guitar, and tightening and loosening the strings.

Tuning Your Guitar

The second step to learning to play the guitar is learning to prepare your guitar to be played. Your guitar will have to be tuned every time you play it. Different elements will cause your guitar strings to stretch changing the sound you will get from them. Online resources can provide you with a virtual guitar tuner that you can select your tuning preferences.

Most beginners will use standard tuning which is usually the default setting on most guitar tuners online. The guitar tuners will play each strong for you allowing you to use your ears to compare the sound of the tuner to the sound coming from your guitar. You adjust the sound of your guitar by turning the keys on the top of the guitar loosening or tightening the strings. Tightening the strings gives you a higher sound where loosening them gives you a lower sound.

Reading Guitar Tabs and Chords

The beautiful thing about learning to play guitar is there are two ways to play it. You can stick with rhythm by playing chords, which is where most beginners will start out. Once you have an understanding of the various chords, you can move on to playing individual notes. Part of learning to play any instrument requires learning to read music specific to that instrument.

If you have basic sheet reading skills, learning to read music for a specific instrument is a little bit easier. There are several online resources that can teach the basics of reading music showing note placement on a bar graph.

It is important to have patients when learning to play a new instrument. Though you haven’t learned any basic chords or notes yet, you have started learning the guitar online by getting to know your guitar and the basic functions you will need for when you begin learning to play.

The Internet offers a lot of resources for beginners learning to play guitar that range from Youtube videos, guitar tuners, and advice from professional guitar players. If you have followed these steps in this blog, you have taken the first step to learning the guitar and will be playing in no time.

Robert has over 15 years in the music industry, researching the different forms of music appreciation. Robert has learned to play three instruments through internet resources. He has shared his music experiences through writing for the past three years assisting others in achieving their music goals.

Filed Under: Guitars, Playing Styles Tagged With: basic chords, chords, guitar tabs, guitar tuner, Learning Guitar Basics, Online, play guitar, tuning

The Easy Guide To Booking And Planning A Gig For Your Band

February 6, 2013 by Chris

When you are in a band, many times the biggest hassle is booking a gig. If you have a manager, then you don’t have to worry about it. The manager handles all of that hassle. However, most bands just starting out don’t have a manager. They have to do everything on their own. If you are looking to book a gig, follow this simple guide to make things easy on yourself.

Have a Press Kit

You want to have a press kit that you can give club owners and venue managers. This press kit will have a lot of information about your band in an easy-to-read package. The press kit should include your contact information, a brief biography of your band, an example set list, your musical influences, a band photo and a CD of your music. If you want to make things really simple on yourself, you can have all of this information available on your band’s website. You do have a website, right? If you don’t have one, then you need to set one up right away. No booking agent at a venue will take a band seriously these days without a website. One page on your website can have an electronic version of your press kit.

Find a Venue

Whether you are looking to book your first gig in your hometown or are looking to go out on the road for the first time, it is important to choose the right venue. Set your sights on somewhere small when you are just starting out. Even if you are only playing for a couple dozen people, you have to start somewhere. Find a coffee shop, bar, pub or club that looks like it would appeal to fans of your type of music. Once you find the venue, then you can contact them. Either give them a call or shoot them an email asking who you need to speak to about booking. When you get the booking agent’s contact information, then go ahead and send them a short email. In this introductory email, tell them that you are interested in playing at their venue. Ask them which dates they have available in the next few months. Include a link to the electronic press kit on the band’s website. Keep this introductory email short, somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-50 words. Once you have sent this email, wait three weeks for a response. If you haven’t heard from them after three weeks, send a follow up email asking them if they received your introductory email. After that, keep sending them follow up emails every three weeks. Don’t stop until they either give you a solid rejection or ask you to play. Being persistent is one of the keys to landing gigs. You never know when a follow up email will land in a booking agent’s email box at the perfect time to get you a gig.

Equipment

When planning for your gig, remember that you need the right equipment to sound your best. Scout out the venue to see if they have all the audio equipment you will need. Use the house PA system if they have one. If they don’t, then you will need to bring your own. Depending on the scale of the show you have in mind you may need amps, microphones, speakers, stage equipment, lighting and/or a sound board. You can rent this from an audio visual hire company if you don’t have it. Make sure to include the cost of the rental in your calculations for the gig fee.

Negotiating

Once you receive an offer to play a gig, then the most aggravating part of the process begins. Negotiating a fair deal is one of the biggest headaches in the music business, and it is the primary reason most bands have managers once they can afford one. The booking agents will lowball bands as much as they can get away with. Don’t be afraid to ask for more money than they offer at first. You want to receive enough pay to make the gig worth your time. It should be enough to cover food and drinks for the band for the evening. There should also be enough to pay a fair hourly rate to each member of the band. If the gig is out of town, you also want there to be enough to cover gas and lodging costs. Add all this up and make sure that you are receiving enough dough to make the gig worth your time. Keep after it and you will land a gig before you know it.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://stockfresh.com/image/809665/show-time-concert

This article is written by Aaron Edwards, a Perth-based musician who has been gigging locally in his spare time for over six years.

Filed Under: Concerts, Entertainment, Playing Styles Tagged With: band, booking, CD, easy guide, equipment, gig, negotiating, photo, planning, press kit, venue, website

How To Turn Scales Into Solos

January 29, 2013 by Chris

For beginner guitarists, starting to turn scales into solos can be difficult, but is important to developing as a player. Mastering scales, and being able to adapt them through major, minor and pentatonic variations means that you have the foundation on which to experiment with different chord progressions and phrasings.

In this context, solos represent notes and riffs that are played over the chord progression of a song, and are relative to minor and major key scales and notes, mixing phrases within the same basic finger positions and combinations of half and whole tones. It’s worth briefly reviewing scales, chord progressions, the uses of pentatonic and blues scales, and how solos can be refined through actual songs.

Understanding Scales

Scales represent variations on a set of twelve basic notes that are are laid out in ascending to descending order of pitch on a fretboard. Whole steps and half steps comprise the difference between the notes, with a scale consisting of a sequence based on a root note, such as G, and a number of sharps and flats. A basic guitar scale is the chromatic scale, which moves down the fretboard of a root note. Other scales include major, melodic and harmonic minors, whole tones and pentatonic scales. The major, or heptatonic scale is among the most popular for songwriting, and has seven notes. For example, a D major scale can basically consist of D, E, F, G, A, B, C, and D, which is played in the pattern of a whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole and half step.

By contrast, a pentatonic scale consists of just five notes per octave, which can be played in a major and minor key, and tend to involve less frets and changes in finger position along the fretboard. Pentatonic scales can be understood as major sales that have some notes removed, while the minor pentatonic scale is taken from the major pentatonic, and can use complementary keys like G major and E minor, or C major and A minor. Different scale patterns apply for different keys, so try to practice as many as possible.

Chord Progression Variations

Solos work around variations within a scale, in which series of notes are phrased according to the chord progression of a song and its minor and major equivalent. A G major pentatonic scale can be played over a song written in G major, or can be played in the key of E minor. Major, minor and pentatonic scales played by a lead guitarist are generally easier to play over a full chord progression being played by a rhythm guitarist

Using the Pentatonic Scale

The pentatonic scale can be varied through a major and minor key progression, and through a blues progression, which rearranges the order of notes in a scale. The focus should be placed on combining different notes within a scale pattern into a solo melody, which can be varied by alternating major and minor scales. A solo can consequently be matched to the tempo of a song, and can maintain progressions based on a scale within the same key. Solo phrasing can be varied for longer intervals within notes to establish rhythm.

Adjusting for Blues

In terms of blues music, minor pentatonic scales are varied through the use of ‘blue’ notes, which use flattened thirds, fifths and sevenths in scales to alter the pace of a scale’s progression and its transformation into a solo. Twelve bar blues solos depends on varying a five note scale through root, minor third, fourth, fifth and minor seventh patterns.

Understanding Individual Songs

The main thing to focus on is developing solos from scales  and the difference between half and full tones, how scales create a series of notes based on a key, and how this series can be varied and played in a corresponding minor, major and pentatonic scale at its simplest levels. Listen to different songs and see how solos work for respective songs. Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix are ideal starting points for working out the use of different pentatonic and major scales

Attached Images:
  •  License: Creative Commons image source

Chris is a rock guitarist who has played since 1993. He began learning from a variety of sheet music but soon found that the musicians community at LickLibrary.com was a fantastic place for guitar lessons. His guitar influences include Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Val Halen, Ritchie Blackmore, Chuck Berry and many more!

Filed Under: Playing Styles, Practising Techniques Tagged With: blues, chord progression, chords, guitarists, major, minor, notes, pentatonic scale, scales, solos, songs, songwriting, tones

Trends in Music: The Future of Instruments

November 2, 2012 by Chris

Musical instruments have always had one foot in the past and the other in the tech trends of the future. The digital world, arriving in force in the 2000s, had given us entirely new genres of electronica. But the world is always changing, so get ready for even more musical experimentation in the coming decade. Here are a few glimpses into the future of instruments and the newest musical arts:

 Making Movement into Music: Using apps to plot out notes is last year’s news. Now garage developers and tech companies have more ambitious projects – like turning body movement into music. No surprise, these programs typically use the Microsoft Kinect to produce sounds based on gesture and movement. Think of conducting, but as a way to play music instead of leading it. There is no “official” Kinect program for creating music with your hands, but some of the hacks are serious business, like the project created by Australian composer Chris Vik, which he played at the Melbourne Town Hall. Vik’s program uses an electric interface to play real notes on an ancient organ in accordance with movement picked up by the motion-sensing camera. If it works for an organ, what else could it work with? Expect body-music to pick up steam as people use increasingly elaborate sensors and MIDI devices translate movement into tunes…sometimes with lasers.

Even More Synthetic Materials: Two separate trends are driving synthetic materials in musical instruments. First, the destruction of key forests such as Brazilian rosewood are making the best-sounding woods incredibly expensive to manufacture. While sustainability practices are countering the problem, most manufacturers are devoting more energy to cheaper synthetic materials that have more attraction on the market. The second trend is the development of synthetics themselves – they are getting cheaper and stronger. Nanotechnology and customized manufacturing are creating new possibilities for replacing traditional varnishes or woods with future materials…if manufacturers can get the sound just right.

Combining Synth and Strings: The partnership between digital sound and old-fashioned harmonics is destined to grow ever closer as inventors and researches continue to experiment. While some inventions are a little weird, others are entrancingly practical. Check out the latest synthesizer violin, designed to pick up bow movements with embedded sensors and transform them into digital sounds spanning dozens of instruments (there’s also a video camera, for some reason). If synth violins are becoming this advanced, you can bet that violas will join before long.

Fingerplay: The 2010s are the years of the touchscreen, no doubt about it. We have already seen the rise of iPhone and iPad apps for creating your own music, from child-friendly games to more advanced MIDI interfaces. But don’t expect the trend to stop there. Before long we will see a surge in popular for all digital/traditional instruments you can play with a few taps of the fingers. Dedicated touchscreens and touchboards are already under development or out. New fusion instruments like the HAPI drum are marketing themselves based on a finger-friendly feel. The age of the touch is upon us, so start practicing those delicate tapping motions!

Public Involvement: Can musical instruments be public? Does that even make sense? Some cities are trying nonetheless, especially when it comes to new park projects. If you think you have seen everything, look at the hydraulophones and poseidophones some towns are experimenting with. These are part sculptures, part water features, and part musical instruments. Anyone walking by can play them by blocking the right rivulets of water on a hot summer day…although it takes an expert to turn out a water-sculpture melody. Some cities are getting rid of the human element altogether and creating sea organs that the tides can play. Will architects and landscapers start putting nature instruments everywhere? Apparently all you need is a little wind or water.

Justin Miller is a professional blogger that writes for Jamplay.com. JamPlay is a leading online music educator offering 2,000+ beginning guitar lessons in HD.

 

Filed Under: Instruments, Music Tagged With: digital, electronica, experimentation, fingerplay, gestures, harmonics, instruments, kinect, midi device, music trends, sound, strings, synth, synthetic, Tech

5 Famous People And Their Guitars

November 1, 2012 by Chris

You’ve heard of B.B. King and may have heard of Jimi Hendrix, among two of the greatest guitarists of all time. King still loves to strum the blues on his Gibson guitars and Hendrix was a psychedelic rock artist who thumbed his Fender Stratocaster in ways that few have ever come close to matching. Both men have contributed much to contemporary music, turning their gifts for guitar playing into an art form.   Besides King and Hendrix there have been others that have played a significant part in transforming the art of guitar playing including the following individuals.

1. Steve Vai — Starting off as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Steve Vai soon made a name for himself as a member of the David Lee Roth band. At 20, Vai was strumming with Zappa and by 25 he was with Roth. His top guitar choices are the Ibanez JEM and Ibanez Universe in addition to a Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic. He also uses exotic guitars and sometimes plays a heart-shaped triple-neck model. Vai is recognized for his understanding of music theory. He is further appreciated by students of the Berklee College of Music with whom he shares his techniques online.

2. Slash — Born Saul Hudson, Slash is a musician and guitarist who came to fame playing for Guns N’ Roses and was later part of Velvet Revolver before embarking on a solo career.  His instruments of choice include a Gibson Les Paul, a B.C. Rich Mockingbird and a Gibson EDS-1275, just three of more than 100 guitars that he owns. In 2008 Slash embarked on a solo career, what he had touched on at earlier times in his life when he jammed for Michael Jackson, the Yardbirds and Paulina Rubio among others.

3. Les Paul — Born Lester William Polsfuss, Les Paul was an American guitarist with a penchant for blues, country and jazz music. He was also a songwriter and inventor. Paul is credited with making rock and roll possible by inventing the solid-body electric guitar, and was also innovative in sound experimentation. The Gibson Les Paul was first sold in 1952 and was designed in collaboration with Ted McCarty. Among the musicians that have played a Les Paul are Eric Clapton, Steve Jones, Sammy Hagar, Billie Joe Armstrong, Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck.

4. David Gilmour — He was brought on the fifth and last musician for Pink Floyd, but last certainly did not meant least in David Gilmour. The English rocker has been credited with shaping Pink Floyd’s ethereal sound, pouring emotion into his guitar that few have ever matched. Gilmour is nearly always seen with a black Fender Stratocaster, but he also plays a red model and a Fender Telecaster.

5. Tom Morello — Not every guitarist seeks to sound like a guitar player or at least not all the time. Tom Morello, inspired by LED Zeppelin and a guitarist with Rage Against the Machine, counts his custom “Arm the Homeless” guitar as his favorite. This guitar is outfitted with a Kramer neck and a custom performance body to produce truly unique sounds. Morello also is fond of Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, an Ibanez classical acoustic and a Gibson Les Paul.

Claim to Fame   Besides Steve Vai, Slash, Les Paul, David Gilmour and Tom Morello, there are dozens of other guitarists that have had a larger than life influence through their work. Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, Phil Keaggy, Keith Richards and Brian May are a few that come to mind.    Step back in the 1950s and Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins and Bod Diddley must be recalled. In the 1960s, it was Pete Townshend, George Harrison, Jeff Beck along with Hendrix, Clapton and Richards. By the 1970s, Gilmour, Santana and Duane Allman rose to fame and were later joined by Randy Rhoades, Vito Bratta, Buckethead and a host of other strummers.    Ask any budding guitarist whom they admire most and one or more of these names will likely be mentioned. Down through the years inspiration has been handed off, with a new contingent of guitar artists certain to dominate in the 21st century.

Justin Miller is a professional blogger that writes for Jamplay.com. JamPlay is a leading online music educator offering 2,000+ online guitar lesson videos in HD.

Filed Under: Culture, Entertainment, Guitars, Music, Rock History Tagged With: B.B. King, billie joe armstrong, brian may, classics, david Gilmour, david lee roth, electric guitar, eric clapton, famous people, fender stratocaster, Frank Zappa, gibson guitar, gibson les paul, guitars, guns n roses, jeff beck, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Led Zeppelin, les paul, Peter Frampton, pink floyd, rock, sammy hagar, Santana, slash, steve jones, steve vai, tom morello, velvet revolver, yardbirds, zappa

Endless, what a great Toto song!

September 18, 2011 by Chris

Toto is one of those great bands from the 70’s and 80’s that didn’t get a ton of good reviews. Sure, some of their tunes were down right too pop-ish for some peoples likings but other songs they performed were great! For example there’s Rockmaker, Georgy Porgy, and one of my favorites is Child Anthem. Other bands that fit their genre are Saga and Cerafim.

I recall picking up Toto’s first album and fell in love with it right away. Everything from the arrangements/progressions to the vocals were the kind of style that I would have really enjoyed playing. Too bad back then there wasn’t any musicians living in my home town who wanted to venture off in this musical direction, their loss. In my defense, I remember playing in my first band Deuce that played Toto’s Hold the Line at St. Bernard School way back in 1979?

I vividly recall playing the opening song called Duece, and Brian M singing the words “Get up and get the Hell on out of here!” The kicker is he was looking directly at this nun in the first row, that was way too funny! Way to go Ginchy!

My nephew and I were in a car traveling to my cousin’s house 2 years ago to do some landscaping and gardening, see I’m good at something else too as I said in my last e-mail. He pulled out this new Toto album called Toto’s Greatest Hits Silver Box set. The kid is the Data of the movie trivia and facts world. The guy is just amazing at what he knows about movies, it borderlines on scary actually. Check out his site, he’s working on it just to give you a head up.

The band had put just about the the whole first album on it! I was floored when we put in the stereo. The songs on this CD instantly brought back all those childhood memories, thanx again JC!

Now a days while taking the pooch out for a walk along the Danforth, I listen to this collection on the old iPOD. Over the past couple of hours the one song that gets me going the most called Endless. It’s originally on the Isolation album if anyone if interested. Everything about this one is outstanding, listen for yourself!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE63SN46AeA

Love ya Live!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Filed Under: Entertainment, Great Bands, Music, Musical influences, Playing Styles, Songs to play, Video Tagged With: 1980s, 1990s, album, band, Cerafim, child anthem, endless, georgy porgy, isolation, Progressive Rock, progressive rock bands, Saga, toto, Toto's Greatest Hits Silver Box set

Gibson was Raided for Illegal Wood possession

September 4, 2011 by Chris

Can you believe that some US Federal Institute raided Gibson Guitar’s main manufacturing plants in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee because of wood that they use in creating the worlds most valuable guitar?

It seems that the Feds believe the wood obtained from India is illegal because Indian law states that wood exported from it’s country must be completely finished before being exported for another countries use. So I guess the wood being exported to Gibson factories was raw wood product or at least that’s what the Feds must think.

Gibson CEO said last week that they will continue their fight against the US Government’s raid, for the second time one in 2 years, in similar charges. The first time the wood in question was imported from Madagascar.

After the raid, the US agents obtained the illegal wood from India and sent all the workers home. What a way to get out of the shop.

While the Justice agents are still contemplating the charges against Gibson Guitars, Gibson is in the process of suing them to retrieve it’s product back so that the plants can resume production.

“Gibson has complied with foreign laws and believes it is innocent of any wrong doing,” Chief Executive Officer Henry Juszkiewicz said in a statement. “We will fight aggressively to prove our innocence.”

Juszkiewicz has stated the company, has and will work in close concert with groups like the Rainforest Alliance to help certify that the wood Gibson uses in it’s highly prized guitar come from ensure its wood imports are from sustainable authorities.

In an affidavit, agent John Rayfield of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said U.S. Customs agents in June detained a shipment of sawn ebony logs from India.

The paperwork accompanying the shipment identified it fraudulently as Indian ebony fingerboards for guitars and it did not say it was going to Gibson, the affidavit said.

In July, agents observed Indian ebony and rosewood delivered to a storage facility for Gibson, according to the affidavit, which asked permission to seize Gibson’s business computers.

Gibson plants also were raided in 2009, when agents confiscated ebony imported from Madagascar.

If your a big lover of Gibson guitars and own one then this long video is something that you might find interesting. Enjoy

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5No0Sk9NIo

Filed Under: Guitar Equipment, Guitars, Instruments, musical instruments, Video Tagged With: customs, ebony, facility, factories, feds, fingerboards, gibson guitars, gibson raided, guitars, illegal wood, imports, india, indian wood, madagascar, manufacturing plant, memphis tennessee, nashville, product, raid, raw wood, rosewood, wood, workers

Possible Fleetwood Mac Tour!

September 3, 2011 by Chris

Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham have both talked on the record about the possibility of the 70’s & 80’s Mega group Fleetwood Mac going out on the road to support a new album in the near future? I missed when they toured in 2009 so hell ya, I’ll go see them! All this is just talk and nothing yet is on the books … they are all just Rumors!
I hate being teased like this. Everywhere I searched, this is all that I come up with.

Anyways, have you heard of these guys before? In all honesty, I still run into some people of my age who have not.

The biggest thing that grabs my attention about the band is their distinctive sound. Not only vocally, way before Lindsey Buckingham showed up in 1975, but it’s after he joined the band when he brought with him his fantastic open tuning guitar style/sound and his unique vocals that drew me in.

I could always figure out anything that was thrown at me but I wasn’t completely satisfied with the Fleetwood Mac songs. I knew deep down inside that I was way off base here.

Open tuning was something I hadn’t heard of at the time so I had to struggle to reproduce a tune, nice try but … The greatest example of this struggle was a song called Never Going Back Again. I played this one in the first position G and D then migrating up the neck to around the 9th to 12th fret area. Some day I just have to start doing some tunes to show you what I mean.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHoxoXw6byM&feature=related

Keep on Jammin’

Filed Under: Great Bands, Musicians, Playing Styles, Songs to play, Video Tagged With: 2011, album, Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, reunion, Rumor, Stevie Nicks, support of, tour

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 18
  • Next Page »

Connect with Us

  • RSS

Suggested Sites


Eavestrough Cleaning Toronto

Categories

Recent Posts

  • 5 Amazing Alternative Rock Albums Of The 90s
  • Want To Learn To Be A Musician?
  • How Can Ambitious Musicians Find Great Advice From Professionals?
  • Which Musical Instruments Are Hardest To Learn?
  • Things To Know When Beginning A Career In Music
  • Suicidal Tendencies Still Rocking After All These Years
  • Learning Guitar Basics Online

Recent Comments

  • Judy Green on The Old Gasworks was a Toronto institution for music lovers and bands
  • Frank Bolduc on The Old Gasworks was a Toronto institution for music lovers and bands
  • Tom Farr on 5 Amazing Alternative Rock Albums Of The 90s
  • DW on 5 Amazing Alternative Rock Albums Of The 90s
  • Nick Othen on 5 Famous People And Their Guitars

Subscribe

Never miss a post
FREE - Subscribe NOW!
Read our posts in your favorite RSS reader.
rss feed

OR

Subscribe to Guitar Licks by FREE Email Newsletter


Follow us on TWITTER!

Alltop, confirmation that I kick ass
Alltop Guitar news

Shopping

Gifts, Gadgets,
Books and More!

Site Ratings

Visitors


Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Archives

Search

Pages

  • About
  • Archives
  • Become a Guest Blogger for Guest Licks
  • Blog
  • Canadian Bloggers
  • Contact
  • Disclosure
  • Do Follow Bloggers
  • Links
  • Privacy Policy
  • Toronto Bloggers

Blogroll

  • Eavestrough Cleaning Toronto
  • Guitar Boomer
  • Guitar-Werks

My Store

  • My Store

Other Sites

  • Shopping Maniac
  • The Web Files
  • Organic Gardening Tips
  • Guitar Licks and Tips
  • You are in my world now

Tags

Acoustic amp band bands Brantford Bruce Cockburn Canada Canadian concert Entertainment fender funny General guitar Guitar Equipment guitarist guitar player guitars Home house Humor humour instrument jammin jazz John Mayer keyboard Live Music musician Musicians play playing Progressive Rock Pylis rock RUSH Songs to play sound strings Technology Toronto tour Video YES

Copyright © 2026 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in