If you believe the gang over at the Grammy Awards, it’s whatever sort of music is being made by anyone who happens to be a member of The Allman Brothers Band.

Earlier this month, new albums by Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes and the Tedeschi Trucks Band (featuring Allman Brothers guitarist Derek Trucks) were nominated for Best Blues Album Grammys. Of course, only one of those releases — Gregg Allman’s Low Country Blues — was a straight-ahead blues record.

But to be honest, we like the Grammy approach because it opens the door to blues, roots-rock and blues-rock albums — and it makes for a more interesting and dynamic list that highlights blues in all its ever-evolving forms.

Looking ahead, it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to a full album by Gary Clark Jr., who made it onto this top-15 list with just a promising four-song EP.

And, of course, no talk of blues in 2011 would be complete without remembering two true legends of the genre who passed away this year: Delta bluesman David “Honeyboy” Edwards, who died in August at age 96; and Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s storied guitarist, who died earlier this month at age 80.

Incoming search terms:

• ideas for creative backgrounds
• widget guitar

Technorati Tags: blues, eric clapton, Guitar

Eddie Van Halen, Photo: Wikipedia

One of the most influential artists in the history of rock made a significant contribution today to help support public school music programs. According to a press release, the Van Halen founder and guitarist Eddie Van Halen donated 75 electric guitars from his own personal collection to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that provides schools across the country with quality musical instruments.

Per Van Halen’s request, the foundation will dispense the guitars to music programs in public schools throughout the Los Angeles, CA area where the demand of students enrolled exceeds the number of instruments.

“Music is the universal language. It has the ability to transcend and convey every human emotion that exists without saying a word. Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me,” Van Halen explained. “Music education and families are dealing with the economic times, and I wanted to help them. If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that’s a wonderful thing. Music has provided a good life for me and hopefully it can help make life better for others with this donation.”

The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation donates new and refurbished musical instruments to under-served schools in an effort to give kids the myriad of benefits provided by music education, help them to be better students in general and inspire creativity and expression through making music. Hundreds of thousands of students across the country have benefited and thousands of instruments have been donated to more than 1,100 school music programs across the country. More information can be found at www.mhopus.org.

Technorati Tags: eddie van halen, Guitar

Click Image to Buy from Amazon.com

Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History by noted rock author, Chris Welch, landed in our shop a short while ago and at first glance, we knew it was worth checking out. Sure, there’s the Clapton connection, but the book exudes high quality and we’re familiar with past books by Welch that have always been well-done and highly regarded by music enthusiasts.

The heavy hard bound book presents a quick look at Eric’s history on its cover with a fine triptych photo display of Clapton during his Cream days, his time with Delaney and Bonnie and his contemporary solo days.

Sometimes you actually can tell a book by its cover, contrary to the old saying that says you can’t. Between the covers the book proves to be as classy and well done as its first impression.  Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History does not disappoint with an insider’s account of the life of Clapton tethered to over 400 photos of Eric and his fellow music brethren that have included The Roosters, The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream; Delaney and Bonnie; Blind Faith and a constellation of other notables who fall within the inner sanctum of music royalty.

Some of the more fascinating photos include early shots of The Yardbirds with Keith Relf, Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, Jim McCarty and Eric, a group that helped define British Blues and later evolved into what is considered by many to be more commercial rock,. It was a move that would disappoint Clapton and cause him to split from the group in order to grow as a blues man, and to remain true to his roots. There are other photos of Clapton during his days with Cream, a group that many consider one of the best rock groups of all time. Throughout the book, Welch offers up a remarkable stream of photos that reflect Eric’s musical journey.

Chris Welch has known Clapton since 1964, when Chris landed a job at Melody Maker in the U.K. and met during his first week on the job. Eric was with The Yardbirds and where Yardbird’s vocalist and harp player, Relf, told him that the band hoped their first single wouldn’t be a hit.

Welch carries the story along by having an inside track on the life and times of Eric, at a time when music became an insatiable cultural staple and kids would find their way to places like The Fillmore (East and West), The Grande Ballroom, and other concert halls to see the likes of Cream, Vanilla Fudge, Blue Oyster Cult, Jefferson Airplane and other groups for a few bucks.

Click to Buy Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History from Amazon

The selection of photos and images of album art, concert photos and photographs of rock royalty adds a colorful and period texture from the early days of the British Invasion, to an era of flowers, paisley and mind expansion, and on to Eric’s own journey that has led him to become one of the most masterful of blues musicians on the planet.

Although the book is highlighted as an “illustrated” history, there’s a strong balance of biography that parallels the hundreds of photos. And the history not only gives us Eric Clapton, but, tells us about the world of music that engulfed and influenced him. The author takes us back in time and feeds us the emotions that are at times exciting, but also traumatic; times and experiences that forged the man that we’ve come to admire and respect and one who is not merely a musical icon, but one who has fought his own demons, and fought hard to recover and reclaim his dignity.

Clapton fans will probably be compelled to seek out other books to discover more about the legendary Eric Clapton, especially hardcore fanatics. But, for most of us,  Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History is so exceptionally well done and comprehensive that it’s enough for us to consider our Eric Clapton reading appetites satisfied and digested – allowing us to find our way back home to his music.

Technorati Tags: eric clapton

Guitarist and educator Matt Warnock has recently announced that he will be giving away his new eBook “5 Essential Jazz Guitar Scale Techniques” free to readers who sign up to his free weekly newsletter.

Readers will also get a free copy of his previous eBook, “10 Essential ii-V-I Licks for Jazz Guitar,” when they sign up to the newsletter, which goes out every Monday at 6am EST.

The weekly newsletter contains lessons, which are not published anywhere else, that discuss topics such as:

• Improvisation
• Technique
• Ear Training
• Rhythm Playing
• Comping
• Chord Voicings
• Playing in the Style of Legendary Players
• Licks and Patterns
• And much more

Incoming search terms:

• metal texture
• cracked texture
• dark powerpoint background

“You really need to know every detail of your song, and you need to be able to translate that into language terms that musicians will understand,” said Dr. Joe Ferry, a faculty member of SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music who has been producing records for over 30 years. “The outside world is not like making beats inside your house; you have to interact with other human beings.”

Ferry, whose work has earned him multiple Grammy nominations, chairs the Studio Production department at Purchase College and had worked with artists such as The Skatalities, John Hammond, and even The Beatles’ George Harrison.

“What George Harrison started out with and what ended up on the album are equally great, but worlds apart,” Ferry said. “What happens when you get into the studio is that your song begins to evolve.”

Once you have your material well rehearsed and are able to communicate it thoroughly, record a rough demo. This can be done with software such as Pro Tools and Apple’s Garage Band, and doesn’t have to be fancy.

“When you’re in a rehearsal space, you don’t hear things the same way,” said Dan Berry, a Studio Production senior at Purchase who has recorded other students’ work in the on-campus studio spaces. “That’s the biggest problem for bands that have never recorded before. You don’t hear every little thing each person is playing, and when it’s recorded everything is exposed.”

Before booking studio time, it’s important to do your homework and research different recording engineers. According to Berry, there are engineers that are specialized in different genres, so it’s important to find one that can produce the sound you want.

“There are some genres, like indie rock for example, that have different engineering techniques and tricks specific to that genre,” he said. “Someone else might not be able to get those tones.”

Since time is money when it comes to studio recording, it’s crucial to do the most you can with the time you have. Guitar players should position themselves in the control room whenever possible while recording, says Richie Castellano, who has been playing guitar with Blue Oyster Cult for the past seven years.

“You and the engineer are looking at the same thing, so it’s a time saver,” said the Purchase alumnus, who recorded Regina Spektor’s first album, and recorded his first CD from home at the age of 17. “You can just say ‘bring it back to measure 59’ instead of struggling with the language. And a lot of studios will let you do that.”

Other than a suitable engineer, another factor when looking for a studio is latency, which is the time it takes for the computer to process a sound and spit it back out to the artist or engineer.

“Make sure you ask about latency and how you’re going to be hearing the guitar,” said Castellano. “You can barely perceive it, but that millisecond is a enough to throw of your timing. And as a guitar player you’ll compensate for that.”

And above all, be comfortable. Work with people that make you feel comfortable in a space that isn’t intimidating.

“Sometimes you’ll get an engineer that does everything you’ve hired them to do, but you’ll just get a vibe that they don’t care,” said Berry. “That makes you feel rushed, and it’s very much an atmospheric type of thing. If a recording is technically done horribly but its one of the best performances the band has ever done, it’s still going to sound awesome.”

Read These Reviews

Technorati Tags: C104SCE, Guitar, washburn

Check out these Reviews

Technorati Tags: Acoustic Guitar, Dreadnought, GS330S, Takamine

Check out these reviews

Technorati Tags: AMF73B, Guitar, Ibanez

See Reviews for this Guitar

Technorati Tags: CD-60CE, Fender, Guitar

All true, of course, but with time, Kotzen proved to be so much more — a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter who can play at the speed of light one minute and then do a complete turnaround with an acoustic guitar and ballad.

Kotzen covers that spectrum, and his wide range of influences, on his new album, 24 Hours, which he’ll debut at a CD release party on October 23 in Los Angeles and officially release on November 11. In this interview, he discusses the improvements to his craft as a result of taking full control of his career and what he looks for in the musicians who help translate the material live.

Going into this album, or any project, do you feel the weight of expectations from fans to do this, or play this way?

That’s something I fought for years, because when I write music, I just write what I write. I don’t write with the idea of being a certain kind of guy and thinking about my guitar playing. I just write songs. That’s why, if you listen to my new record or the one before it, there’s songs like “Bad Situation,” where the whole thing is the keyboard, and there’s some songs where the guitar takes a backseat. When I say I fought it is when I would deal with record companies.

The record companies always want to market you in a way they think they can get their money back, and when you start messing with an artist like that and say, “You have to write something that showcases your guitar playing,” suddenly your writing changes from being driven from a real emotional place that people can relate to, to something contrived. The minute that it gets into the world of contrived, people sense that and they don’t like it. It’s not pleasing, so they shy away from it.

So what happens with me before I make a record now — I don’t deal with record companies; I make records the way I want, and a whole year might go by and I might write 20 songs, but if I don’t have ten that I feel make sense to me on a record, I won’t make the record. A song like “24 Hours,” for example, clearly is a guitar-driven thing. It’s probably the most over-the-top thing that I’ve done in years as far as crazy guitar playing, but it’s something that just happened.

I wrote that riff quite some time ago and I developed it into a song almost a year later. That’s been lurking on my hard drive for a long time and suddenly I realized, There’s a song here. That’s a very organic way to work. It’s very heartfelt and very true. It’s not contrived or pre-thought. That’s the kind of thing I like, and I’ve kind of gotten into that luxury over the last five or six years when I started making my own records without having to deal with a label. I think my records got better.

You were a teenager when you got your break, and it happened because of a write-up in a print publication. With print basically dead, how would a young guitarist get his break now?

I guess they go on The X Factor. It depends on what you want to do. I guess if you want to be a teen pop star, there’s a path to that and it is those reality shows. You get famous in so many different ways now. Before, you got famous because you sang great or had a great song. Now a lot of people are getting famous just because, and “What can we do with this person?”

They’re famous and we can make money and what should we do? Should we put them in a movie? Should we try to make them a singer? It’s kind of a twisted thing. For people like me, who play guitar and sing and want to play rock, I think there’s still the whole thing of having a band, playing live, getting a following and your social networking and your fans can go to your website and buy your CDs. You build it from there.

I think it still comes from that grassroots thing of playing in front of people and getting people to come see you. That’s the one thing you can’t download. You can download a concert, but the notion of being at a venue, hearing a band and experiencing that is not something that you can steal on the Internet. You still have to go somewhere to do that, so I think that’s still very powerful.

What does it take to be a member of your band?

I’ve had this lineup for about two years. It’s interesting, because a lot of people would say, “You’ve got to be able to play a certain way,” but … obviously you’ve got to be able to play the music. And I think you have to understand where the music is coming from, because a lot of people could play the music, but I don’t think they understand the feel, the bass lines or the placement of the notes. It’s not just playing the lines; it’s your pocket. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, so a lot of the music I heard as a kid was soul music.

It has to be someone who understands that genre, but they obviously also need to have chops because there’s a lot of crazy lines that we play in the songs. So it’s kind of weird and not a lot of musicians are really qualified for that. Some guys have the feel but don’t have the chops and some guys have the chops but don’t have the feel, so it’s tricky finding players like that. That’s the music side of it.

The other side that’s equally important is the attitude, because there’s only three of us, so we need to be able to get along. We’re riding around in close quarters and weird things happen on the road, uncomfortable things happen on the road, we got robbed once on the road. All kinds of things go on. You have to be with people that can adapt. “Well, I wanted to eat this today,” or “I want to eat that,” and “No, we’re eating this because that’s the time that’s allotted and that’s the restaurant that’s open, so we’ve got to deal with it.” Those little things of how you see the big picture are very, very important.

I like treating people well and treating people like it’s a family, but they also need to understand that it’s my gig, I am the artist and I don’t have anything else. I don’t go out and do the so-and-so gig and then go out and play with this guy and then get picked up by such-and-such band. My whole world is being me and my music and my tours, so I don’t have anything else. I need people that take it seriously because my ass is on the line. I need people that get that, that are professional, and a lot of guys aren’t. A lot of guys think maybe they should be the man but it didn’t work out for them, so you get that kind of weird energy and it’s not productive.

I have my CD release party on October 23 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles and there’ll be four of us, a keyboard player I’ve known since I lived in Los Angeles. We worked together for the first time in the early ’90s. He plays with me on and off. He plays a Hammond B3 and refuses to play anything that isn’t the real instrument, if you know what I mean, so to take him on the road I’d have to have a truck just for him and a tech just for him!

You once stated in an interview that your guitar playing “stands out because of all the years I spent as a teenager shredding to learn Alan Holdsworth and Eddie Van Halen licks.” That was when radio was diverse, newsstands were full of music magazines, and kids bought albums as study guides. Now, you can listen to one type of music on satellite radio and look online for tab and video instructions. Is the spectrum of influences and education gone?

This is an interesting question and I think I have some insight on that because of my daughter. I have a 14-year-old daughter who has been in School of Rock and she’s surrounded by young people that are learning music. These kids are interested in all kinds of things, different genres, and some of them that play guitar are very versatile for their age.

They understand blues and can play some rock and jazz stuff, so I think that her generation, the 14- to 17-year-olds, really are digging, and in some ways digging deeper than I did when I was that age. It’s very interesting for me to watch and I’m very curious to see how see how these kids develop, the ones that stick with it. I think a handful of them will, and I’m very interested to see where they go.

— Alison Richter

Alison Richter interviews artists, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals for print and online publications. Read more of her interviews right here.