Monday, June 29, 2009

Get Signed!

Getting signed to a record deal is just about every band/musicians ultimate goal, but unfortionatelly, unlike wanting to be a Microsoft engineer you cant just go to college and expect a job when you get out. Sure there are music colleges and plenty of success stories to follow, but for those of you who dont have the time, money, or motivation to attend, I have an easier route. This applys to anyone wanting to get heard.

TAXI: record deals, publishing deal, film TV placement, recording your music, songwriting Is a GREAT place to start, or maybe finish your adventure. They are an A&R service, that for a small one time a year fee will accept ANY material you submit. They have ads running all the time, looking for EVERYTHING from bands to sign, different styles of music for tv and movie placement and just about everything else you might think of. The great thing about this service, they have industry professionals in EVERY area of music. So if you are in a metal band, you dont need to worry about someone who deals with soft rock review your music. The nice thing is, these people have worked in the industry for a long time, and have a background you can trust.

Once submitting music through them, their experts will review your submission and critique it. If they feel its up to par to submit to the actual person looking for the music they will forward it and the music is now in the right hands. If the music isnt up to par, they will actually take the time to tell you exactly what it needs to make it worthy of submission. Dont worry, they accept everything from professional recordings, to not so great home recordings, depending on the ad type. Some ads want professional recorded material for direct placement, others are looking for material to re-record. Check out the site, I hope it helps you on your journey, and if you happen to sign up and get signed or sell some tunes, drop me a line, success stories are always appreciated here. Keep Rockin
TAXI: record deals, publishing deal, film TV placement, recording your music, songwriting

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Lyrics - Tips on Writing Effective Lyrics

Writing songs for some can be one of the toughest parts of being a musician, especially if you have'nt been able to complete your first song. Its like being a virgin and not knowing exactly what to do, but of course, over time, the more and more you pound away at it, the better you get. Check Spelling

Lyrics are the part of the song most listeners identify with, it can make or break your song. Some songs start with lyrics, and the music is added later, which in my opinion is more difficult than those that start with a musical arrangement adding lyrics later. For this example I'm going to assume you have the musical part of the song written and its time to start writing lyrics.

There are many ways of accomplishing the lyrical content of a song, different things work for different people, so I'm going to give some tips I personally use when writing lyrics.

Once I have a song arrangement and all the pieces put together and recorded I will start playing a piece of the song over and over, either the chorus or the verse, and I will start humming a melody as a start point. Sometimes it takes a few runs through, but the basis for this is I'm humming a melody to see how many syllables i will need in each lyric phrase. Its the same idea as poetry. Once Ive established how many syllables are need I start filling in the blanks.

Now many you have a subject idea for the song, maybe you dont, but something that works for me is just opening the mind and once Ive got that melody I just start singing one liners until something clicks, usually the one liner will direct me in a direction as far as a subject. Once that subject of the song is established you have a platform to start writing on.

Now of course you want the syllable content to match in each line of the verse or chorus, as well as the last word of each phrase to rhyme. Come up with words related to your subject and find words that rhyme with them, a dictionary or thesaurus is a good reference point as far as word usage goes.

Now remember that your lyrics need to tell a story, and they need to be organized. If you have 3 verses in your song like a typical song does, your first verse needs to be the start of your story, your 2nd verse needs to tell the story, and your 3rd verse needs to basically end your story.

This is just a basic layout for those of you who might have never written a song, those of you struggling to write lyrics, or those looking for different ideas. There are many ways to write lyrics, music has no rules, Make it YOURS. This basic idea has worked for me many times over, and I hope for those of you struggling it gives you an idea of somewhere to start. If anyone else has anything more to add, please feel free to post. I will be back with ALOT more on the subject of songwriting and lyric writing that get more indepth, I wanted to have a starting point here for those having trouble. Hope this helps, Keep Rockin!!!!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

MICHAEL JACKSON DEAD AT 50!!!!!!

I know Michael Jackson isnt a guitarist, or even much a musician, but he was an icon in the pop world, played with plenty of great players including Slash and Eddie Van Halen and he has passed away today, June 25th 2009!!!! A moment of silence for the King of Pop, and my personal prayers go out to the Jackson Family!!!!

Guitar Lesson of the Day- How To Find The Right Instructor

Finding the right teacher or instructor can be challenging depending on your level of playing, music style and seriousness of your playing. As i mentioned I have taken a few lessons from time to time. One of the main reasons I never stayed with one teacher was lack of interest in what they have to teach. A good instructor will cater to his or her students, helping them achieve the level of playing they strive for, and keeping it interesting at the same time.

For example, in most cases, if your a rock player or metal player for example, and your instructor is highly into jazz, and thats what he pushes on his students, you will probably lose interest fast. A good instructor will be open to teaching you things YOU want to learn, or giving you lessons that pertain to your style.

I suggest, if your going to spend money on lessons, make sure the person teaching you is knowledgable, has experience, and of course, is at a higher level of playing than yourself. Now Keep in mind, you can learn from EVERYONE, even those with less experience than you, but if your gonna pay, you want a return on your money. Make sure to ask alot of questions at your first meeting with the instructor to get a good idea if he or she is right for you. As always, i hope this lesson helped you on your journey to the top, and Keep Rockin!!!!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

How Playing Live Gigs Can Make You a Better Player

Its really easy to strap on your guitar, plug into your amp, and blow a hole through the walls of your bedroom at mom and dads house, but coming out to play with other musicians, a band, or live gigs can be a traumatizing experience for some musicians who have never done it before. I know because I used to be one of them. The fear of messing up a guitar part, or something going wrong can rid your mind of the freeness to express yourself properly.

Playing live can drastically improve your skills as a musician. Interacting with an audience as a musician is one of the most fullfilling experiences you can have. Of course there are so many things that can go wrong as well, and those experiences should also be embrassed, you will learn from them. No matter how embarrassing something might be, it will make you stronger and you will learn from it!

Few things to keep in mind and prepare yourself for live playing. Always wrap your cord THROUGH the strap of the guitar so you dont accidentally unplug yourself, nothing worse than that!! Also, make sure if you have pedals to have extra batteries, as well as extra tubes if you have a tube amp. Of course warming up before a gig isnt a bad idea either, so you will be ready to play your best. Ive only included some of the basics here, its really a self learning experience for all of us!!! Best of luck, get out there and play live!!! Keep Rockin!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Guitar Lesson of the Day- Tone Can Make All The Difference

The Importance of tone cannot be understated. Tone plays a major role in the way you, as a guitarist, communicate with the audience, and connect with your instrument. Its quite the same as how the tone in your voice affects the way you are recieved when talking to someone, the tone of your guitar is essencial to the nature of the message that you impart to listeners.It also has a huge effect on you as a player, and will often dictate what you are motivated or compelled to play. Getting a great tone will do nothing less than inspire you to play your absolute best. I know it isnt easy to get a great tone, it can take HOURS of time spent to accomplish. Guitarists like Eric Johnson, a tone freak, is always looking to get a "better" tone, as if his tone wasnt great sounding already. You can accomplish finding a tone that is right for you through experimentation and patience. Just keep one thing in mind, guitarists often hear a player who has a great tone, and they want the same sound, but, just because you love the way he sounds doesnt mean that tone will particularly FEEL good to you, you really have to feel the sound, and find a tone that suits YOUR playing.

Now not just the amp is responsible for your tone, strings play a major role in it as well. Speaking of string, it seems that the make or break you string is the G string, if it retains some bottom end, and has a nice quality, then you've got a nice set of pickups in a nice guitar. If the G string sounds too think, then the other unwound strings are going to be too bright sounding. You need to have balance all the way through, from the highest notes to the lowest.

One trick you can try with a Les paul for example is to wrap the strings around the tailpiece instead of threading each string through the back of the tailpiece, as is conventional, thread them from the other side, between the tailpiece and the bridge, so that the string wraps around over the top of the tailpiece. If your not familiar, this is an old Jimmy Page trick, if you've ever noticed a picture or seen a video of him with his strings wrapper, I used to think he was just lazy, not at all. This can result in more sustain due to more transference of the strings vibration to the body of the guitar. Also, you achieve less of an angle as the string passes over the bridge saddle, resulting in less string breakage.

String guage also plays a role in your tone, players like Stevie Ray Vaugne used .011 guage strings for a lot fatter lead sound, where as guys like Billy Gibbons has been known to use .008 guage strings. String guage is not a test of manhood, you have to be comfortable with the strings you have on your guitar, so experiement and find what FEELs good and SOUNDS good, it might take awhile, but if your serious about your tone, its well worth the effort, you will be a much better player in the long run.

Also, dont be afraid to play with the volume and tone knobs on your guitar, thats what their there for. So many players just turn the tone knobs and volume knob to 10 and go, adjusting their tone strictly through their amp, you are limiting yourself. Its like anything else with music, experiment, dont be afraid to try new things. Its those things that take us out of our comfort zone that make us better players, just like playing your first gig!

Hope you got something out of this lesson, it was brought to you by the help of Joe Bonamassa, if you ever get a chance, give him a listen, he is a great blues player. I will be back soon with some more lessons, all the best, and Keep Rockin!!
:: Joe Bonamassa Official Website::

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Music News

I would really like to keep this page well rounded in the sense its for ALL musicians, not just guitarists, and it will contain many things music related for the non musicians as well.

Coming to the close of the 90s, many would have said "rock is dead", or atleast the concept of stadium rock might not have been a big thing at the time. Mainstream radio rock seemed to be falling off the charts rapidly with no bright future until one band came along and rocked the foundation. Some will say this band, at one point, "Saved Rock". Others will say they were just another flash in the pan. Either way you see it, and I know opinions of this band are hot and cold, this band did help bring rock music to a popular place again.

If ya havent heard, Creed has reunited for a summer tour and a new album. After walking out on their singer a few years back in Chicago, they have put their differences aside, buried the hatchet and have decided to give it another shot. Now I know that makes some of you cringe, others jump for joy, let just hope they can keep it real for the sake of the music, and dont try to jump on the commercial corporate bandwagon like they did in their ladder albums. Here is a direct link for any other further info and tour dates

Creed.com – The Official Website of Creed

Like always, your opinions and comments are more than welcome. I'll be back very soon with some new lessons, gear reviews and much more, so keep tunin in.. and as always.. Keep Rockin!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Poll!!!!

Just wanted to take a poll from you guys. Its so typical to ask, favorite player. or favorite album, so this will be alittle different.

Who is your favorite guitarist/band, and your least favorite album by that guitarist, and why?????



Personally I have many favorites, so I'll use Aerosmith/ Joe Perry for this one. Always thought they had some great riffs and licks within their music, even the more commercial stuff in the 90s had its guitar moments, but for a band that was known as a guitar band Just Push Play went alittle too experimental, overlooking what made the band one of the greatest rock bands in the first place. The guitars were almost non existant on the album, having a few moments, but focusing attention to studio experimentation alot more. I can appreciate change, and experimentation, and I can listen to the album, but as far as having the need to learn any of the songs on my precious instrument, not a chance! Keep Rockin!!!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Guitar Lesson of the Day -Making Practice Less Boring and More Effective

This lesson is about how to get the most out of the time you put in practicing your instrument. I will focus on guitar mostly, but these simple rules, or ideas can be applied to any instrument. I know theres some of you out there that have been playing for awhile, and you run into someone playing alot less time than yourself, and wonder why they are so much more developed, or just better than you are. It has happened to me PLENTY of time, believe me.

First, remember one simple rule that will ALWAYS help you, You only get better practicing things you DONT know, as oppose to playing the same thing daily, monthly, or for some of us, we get stuck in the rut of playing the same thing for YEARS. For example, my downfall in the earlier days of playing was jamming to the SAME OL CDs, day after day. Sure you might master those tunes, but you arent gaining any new skills either. There are players who play HOURS a day, and others who play 30 minutes a day, with the latter being better because they applyed themselves in ways that utilized their time the best.

If your serious about developing your skills, and becoming a well rounded player, rythem, lead, and maybe a variety of styles, you need a practice routine. Alot of guitarists find this to be boring, but as Ive said in the past, once you see improvement, it can become quite addictive.

First off.... I'll start by saying, for anyone, to break up the manogomy, or boringness of excersizes, make sure you still take time to just Jam, to albums, by yourself, for ideas, whatever.
Secondly, I suggest setting aside a designated amount of time daily. Now for the fun stuff.

If your aspiring to be a well rounded player, what I suggest is getting a few files. In these files you will keep excersizes, and practice routines. You want to divide your practice time up. Make a file for rythem, a file for lead, a file for theory, or whatever else it is you want to learn, or get better at. Then divide your practice time, if your gonna give yourself an hour a day, maybe devote 15 minutes for rythem workouts, 15 minutes for lead excersizes, 15 minutes to theory, and the rest of the time to jam and enjoy your instrument.

You can use this basic guide, and fine tune it to what your trying to accomplish, believe me, it is a very effective way to get the most out of your practice time. Hope this article helps, keep shooting for your dreams, and KEEP ROCKIN!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Digital VS Analog

Im taking a poll, or asking for personal opinions as your way to help others who come here. Its digital vs analog. Which do you prefer and why? This pertains to recording music, as well as amplifiers.

Some will say there is nothing like the sound of analog and digital reproduction doesnt even come close, just as some say records still sound better than compact disks. Can you tell the difference as far as digital vs analog recording? some can Im sure, who know alittle more than others, and might record music for a living. Others probably cant tell the difference, and what it comes down to is personal preference. As far as Amplifiers go, I would say the difference is much more noticable.

While digital offers much easier methods of copying and pasting for recordings, mixing things up, easy clicks on a computer screen, or having all your guitar effects right in your amplifier, it can have its downfalls as well. I used to use a Line 6 Vetta playing in a band with a guy who used a Mesa Duel Rectifier and believe me, the difference was very noticable. Talk about getting blown away everytime we played. Yet my amp still held its own, and was very convenient, I find it more satisfying playing through a good ol solid state.

Get your opinions out there, and share some knowledge with the rest of the readers, be heard, here at Guitar World of Axeslinger. Keep Rockin

Guitar Hero

So ya wanna be a guitar hero... Well it takes ALOT of work and alot of dedication, and its alittle bit harder than playing the video game.
I was just wondering the opinions of other guitarists, those who may have been around for awhile. Those who saw the popularity of the guitar decline in the 90s. Those around in the 80s shredfest and so on.
Is the game guitar hero a good thing? A Bad thing? Or just irrelevant in the music world?

Some will agree its a great thing, bringing back the popularity of an instrument that lost alittle a decade ago. Others will say "its just a game" and most the kids who play it will never pick up a real guitar.

Ive played the game a couple times, I think its a good concept, and I hope it influences a younger generation of guitarists who see the instrument for more than just a few chords. I guess only time will tell, but they do have there heads screwed on straight, seeing as how the games are packed full of great guitar work.

Let me hear what ya'll think about the subject, and anything else you might want to share with the readers here... we can all learn from each other.. Keep Rockin!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Guitar Lesson of the Day...Workin out the kinks

Many guitar players, especially those new to the instrument, and some experienced run into a song or a part of a song they just cant get down. It might have to do with not having the ability to play the part, or maybe its a lead run thats too fast etc etc. When I was new to the instrument, like many, there were tons of songs I could not play that I wanted to. I was into alot of different players at the time, being the early 90s, so alot of shredders where still in the spot light. Im going to use Eddie Van Halens Eruption as an example for this lesson. I wanted to play it so bad, but didnt know where to start. The pieces were way beyond my ability. Thats where the lesson comes in.

Those of you who want to be able to shred, play lead, or just have control over your instrument, I do recommend using exercises to get there. They can be boring, and hard at first, but have patience, put in the time, start slow, and you WILL see results, and once you do, getting better becomes addictive. I will put plenty of exercises up in future posts, but now back to being able to play that difficult piece of a song, or the whole song.

You have to build your chops in order to be able to play certain things, and thats something I personally didint understand in the early days of my playing. I also recomment breaking those parts out and making exercises out of them. Play them on different parts of the neck. If there is a legato piece, do legato exercises. Speed picking the same. Nothing is easy in life, and that goes for being a super shredding guitar hero too. Hope this lesson helped alittle, be back with plenty more.

Keep Rockin!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Guitar Lesson of The Day

Many guitar players out there are self taught, most infact. Some decide at some point to get lessons to improve their playing while others are totally against the idea of taking lessons for fear they are going to be conformed into playing or sounding like their teacher, or others who fear that once they gain some knowledge of musical theory they will find themselves restricted to only thinking inside the box.

Im a self taught player for the most part, but have taken a few lessons here and there, as well as watched plenty of lesson DVDs from everyone to unknowns to famous guitarists such as John Petrucci and Eric Johnson. You will only find yourself being restricted if you let yourself be, you can learn and gain influence in many different ways from many different players and styles. Open your mind and take it all in.

Now for my lesson of the day. Its actually something that most guitarists and guitar instructors overlook, but is a very important part of guitar playing if you want to play at your best or advance at a faster pace. Its simple.... its called STRETCHES!!!!! Im going to give you a few basic stretches you can/should do before playing your guitar. I also do them throughout the day just to keep loose.

First... open your right hand flat, then place your left hand on top of it, in the other direction, so that your finger tips are by your thumb. Then push your fingers back, reversing the direction they go when bending the hand. Only push so that your feel a stretch, you dont want to hurt yourself. Hold the stretch 10 seconds and let go.

Second stretch...... make a fist with your right hand and make sure the top of your hand is facing down. Now with the left hand wrap your palm around the fist and push your clenched fist hand down toward the inside of your fore arm. You will feel the outside of the wrist stretch.. hold 10 seconds...

do this with EACH hand and a few times each... also message the fingers... fingertips... hands and wrist to get blood flowing. This is a great pre warm up.

Hope you enjoyed the lesson... keep rockin!!!

Gettin Heard!!!

Gettin heard can be one of the hardest things for any musician/band to accomplish. Being heard by the right people that is. Many musicians dont have the resources or even know where to start. Others know the right avenues but they lack the financial backing to get anything done. Well, dont sweat it, this article is here to help with one of the biggest problems we as musicians face, getting our material to the right people.

Im going to share a link with ya'll that is a perfect place to start, whether it be trying to get signed, or just sell a few tunes you have laying around collecting dust. This A&R service is available to anyone, it will guarantee your music makes it to the right people. There are tons of catagories from labels looking for bands, to movie companies looking for music or scores for films.

Take a look, I know anyone serious about getting into the music business will love and benefit from this site!

Keep rockin!!!!
TAXI: record deals, publishing deal, film TV placement, recording your music, songwriting

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A salute To the Hero's

Just wanted to salute my personal guitar hero's, the many who either inspired or influenced me over the course of the last two decades. Forgive me if I leave a few names out, there are way too many to name.

Steve Vai...Steve Howe.... John Petrucci.....Paul Gilbert....Joe Perry... Zakk Wylde.. Tony Iommi...Slash.... Warren Demartini....Alex Lifeson.... Satriani....Robert Fripp... Frank Zappa... Jason Becker.. bless this man for being a true inspiration to us all....

I will continue my list in future postings....

I also wanted to share a pretty cool site with ya'll..... a place to find tons and tons of backing tracks without guitar. A perfect place to get backing tracks for practicing or just getting your own ideas. Those of you wanted to start or join a band, never having played in a band, I suggest going to this site, downloading some tunes, and get practicing so your prepared in a real life band situation.

Free Guitar Backing Tracks @ GuitarBackingTrack.com

Shaking The World

Welcome to the world of guitar!!!!!! Its gonna be a ride let me tell ya. Things are just gettin started, but in the future you will be able to find many music and guitar related resources here, as well as lessons, tips, and plenty of information on how to get to the level of playing you would like to achieve.

It doesnt matter if your just a bedroom hobbiest or a professional musician looking to break into the music industry, you will get a good amount of information here to help you get started, or maybe take it to the next level.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Beginning of an Era!!!!

Welcome to the World Of Axeslinger!! Today a new revolution starts. Today the world starts getting a glimpse into the twisted world I call my mind. This page will contain plenty of my own personal thoughts, feelings, opinions , as well as news on guitarists, guitars, personal lessons, and anything else musical I can conjure up to help the readers who visist my playground! Let the ride begin!