Robin Trower

Robin Trower

Great Guitarists, , , ,

Robin Trower was born on 9th March 1945, just at the close of World War II, in South East London.

He was guitarist in the band Procol Harum from 1967 to 1971 and recorded with them on their first five albums. He later performed and recorded with Jack Bruce (from Cream),  Bryan Ferry and iconic bands such as Jethro Tull.

Robin’s style is mainly blues-rock-heavy rock and he uses a classic set-up of Fender Strat with Marshall amps. His musicality was heavily influenced by James Brown. His sound is clearly influenced by Jimi Hendrix.

Listen to / watch this great solo during a live performance of the song “Too Rolling Stoned” in 1975:

Robin continues to record and tour.

Robin Trower

Robin Trower [ By Sardognunu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons ]

The Secret to Learning Fast Songs, Riffs, Licks, Runs and Lead Breaks

Gear, Learning

You know the feeling: you are learning a new song and you get to a passage that’s just too fast for you to get it down. Or you want to learn a great lead break or lick from your favourite guitarist but it’s going too fast for you to pick out all the notes.

If only you could slow it down so you could hear every note and get the timing and phrasing right.

Don’t despair! These days there is a technical solution which can help with just about anything – and it’s technology to the rescue for us here as well.

There is software readily available which will slow down a song or part of a song – without changing the original pitch. So there are two effects:
1. slow the music down to a rate where you can hear – and play along to – all the notes; and
2. keep the music in its original pitch (not sounding like Darth Vader or the Chipmunks!) – this is very important

One such software program is called Audacity. I learned about this software when I was doing my guitar training at Berklee College of Music.

You can download Audacity here. Amazingly – it’s free!

Once you’ve installed the program it’s very simple to use. Just import an mp3 file of the music you want to learn (File – Import – Audio). Then select Effect – Change Tempo and choose how much you want to slow the music down by. Select Play and your piece will play at the reduced speed (and at the original pitch)!

Learning to play tunes all the way through is a great way to progress rapidly on the guitar. Don’t let a fast passage slow you down – slow down the passage with a tool like Audacity and really get that piece under your fingers.

Lead Belly

Lead Belly

Great Guitarists, ,

Lead Belly (official name, Huddie William Ledbetter) was born on January 20, 1889 in Louisiana. He passed away at age 60 in New York City.

He spent several stints in prison for violent crimes – and was pardoned twice (at least partly owing to his musical abilities).

Lead Belly was a master of the 12 string guitar and influenced many later players including Pete Seeger. He mostly played with thumb and finger picks and his guitar prowess coupled with his powerful singing voice made him a major force in folk and blues music. He also influenced a large number of Jazz, country and rock artists including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Keith Richards and Nirvana.

Lead Belly

Lead Belly [ public domain ]

Guitar Slim

Guitar Slim

Great Guitarists

Guitar Slim was the stage name for Eddie Jones – a Mississippi born New Orleans blues guitarist. He was active in the 1950s and was influenced by T-Bone Walker and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.

Guitar Slim was an innovative performer with a wild stage act and distorted guitar tone. He influenced many later guitarists including Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy.

The song “The Things I Used To Do” was his one big hit (produced by Ray Charles and covered by many artists including Stevie Ray Vaughan).

Dead at the age of 32, Guitar Slim is one of many guitarists to die at an early age.

Guitar Slim

Guitar Slim [Fair Use: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Guitar_Slim.jpg ]

The Scream - Edvard Munch

Nerves

Playing Live

Eddie Van Halen got stage fright. So did David Bowie. Just about every performer gets nervous to some degree before or during their performance. I sometimes got so nervous when I first started performing live solo gigs that my hands would shake and I couldn’t play properly.

This fear is natural and overcoming it is one of the keys to growing as a musician.

Here are some strategies I’ve learned over the years which have really helped me in reducing the negative effects of stage fright.

Strategy 1: Know Your Stuff

Practice your repertoire until you know it at a deep level. If you can literally play the piece in your head – away from the guitar – then you are on the right path.

Strategy 2: Connect With Your Audience

It often helps to smile and engage with some friendly faces in the crowd.

Strategy 3: Go Into The Music

Really listen to the music as you play – and go right into the sound. You may feel yourself just being rather than doing (like a silent “witness”) and the chattering mind is silenced. This needs courage and practice – but no effort. If you “try” then the active mind gets involved and you get taken out of “the zone”.

The Scream - Edvard Munch

The Scream – Edvard Munch [public domain]