Archive for December, 2009
As with the previous blog this blog deals with riffs played on an electric bass guitar. I will start this list with a classic song by Pink Floyd “Money. Roger Waters plays a great bass riff in the beginning of the song that everybody is familiar with. The next song is a bit of a contradiction because it was played first on a stand up bass then overdubbed on a fretless bass guitar by Herbie Flowers, the song is from 1962 and is sung by Lou Reed and that song is “Walk On The Wild Side”.
Next up is “Penny Lane” a song by my favorite band of all time The Beatles. Paul McCartney has left us so many great bass guitar riffs it is hard to single just one out, but for this blog I chose Penny Lane. To me this is a great example of a song that is existing around the bass line, to listen to it one has to be in awe of this great bass players talent
These are some of my favorite guitar riffs see if you agree with my choices. My choices are all played on electric guitars.
You can’t talk about great guitar riffs without talking about probably the most recognize guitar riff of all time “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple. This riff tells you it doesn’t have to be complicated to be good as this is one of the easiest riffs to play. Another riff that you never get tired of hearing is “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zepplin. It is played by Jimmy Page on a Les Paul electric guitar and 100w Marshall head amp.
One more great riff to mention is a song written by Ozzie Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, and Bob Daisley, “Crazy Train”. With Ozzie on vocals and Bob on bass the guitar riff played by Randy Rhoads is probably one of the hardest to play, but man does it sound good.
One of my favorite pastimes is attending concerts. Over the past few years I have become somewhat of a (self-described) aficionado, traveling around the Pacific Northwest to attend various events. While the band is, obviously, the most crucial element to any concert, I have developed a list of other essential elements that contribute to a great concert.
~Sound Quality: It doesn’t matter how good the band is if they are playing on subpar equipment. The best shows, in my opinion, come from the large acts that have the money to invest in top-of-the-line guitar amplifiers and other equipment.
~Stage Show: No matter how good the music is, it is still important to have a solid stage show to keep the audience visually stimulated as well.
~The Venue: Not only does the venue play a huge role in the sound quality, but it also sets the ambiance for the show. Seeing an acoustic concert in a classical theatre or going to a rock festival at The Gorge of the Columbia River can enhance even the most mundane performance.
You have been playing your bass guitar or electric guitar for a while and found a few friends that also play and decide to form a band. With all the hard work you put into learning you think you have things covered until you try and find a name for your band.
Along with a great sound a clever band name wouldn’t do you that bad either. Finding the right name is an art, giving it the proper thought from the start, and choosing a name that fits the band will get you recognized. Back in 1976 there was a band named “Wild Cherry”, the song they are best noted for is “Play That Funky Music”. Rob Parissi was the bands lead vocalist and guitarist, he got their name off a box of cough drops.
AC/DC was started by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. AC/DC is short for electric terms alternating current and direct current. If you have ever seen AC/DC in concert or a video you will see Angus Young parading across the stage playing his custom Gibson SG electric guitar, the energy he exerts during a performances fits the name AC/DC. So when your picking out a name for your band give it special thought, the name you select can make a difference.
An acoustic electric guitar is an acoustic guitar with a pick-up in the bridge and an equalizer built in to the side. The equalizer requires a 9 volt. Depending upon how much you spend the equalizer can vary from usualy a 4 band, or 5 band equalizer.
Whether you already own an electric guitar package or are looking to purchase your very first guitar, an acoustic electric guitar package, or acoustic guitar package(another name for it), might just be the right thing for you. Let’s say you already own an electric guitar package with a 10 watt guitar amplifier, you can pick up the acoustic package with a 20 watt guitar amplifier. You’ll be surprised at the sound you will achieve with the 20 watt amp, and you will also be suprised with the different tone the acoustic has over the electric. I’m not saying one is better than the other, all I’m saying is that they produce different sounds.
As a beginner you will appreciate the fact that you can practice or play with or without an amplifier. The other guitar accessories you get in a package you might not think are necessary until after you get your guitar home. Let’s say your playing and yu want to put your guitar down without a stand where are you going to put it. the rest of the items in a package you can figure out for yourself.
Joe Walsh has found success in three bands, a solo career, and as a son writer. His terrific electric guitar riffs and his creative rhythm playing made him a stand out in 1968 with a band named the James Gang . He left the James Gang to start another band called Barnstorm.
“Rocky Mountain Way” was the first single released with Barnstorm and reached #23 on the top 40 charts. In 1976 he joined the Eagles, you can hear some of his great guitar riffs in the song “Hotel California”, and Life In the Fast Lane” a song he also co-wrote.
In Between recording with the Eagles Joe Walsh had time to record “Life’s Been Good” as a solo, which still receives air time, and was another hit for him
Whether your playing an electric guitar or electric bass guitar there are certain accessories that are a must to have. The first and most important thing you need is an amplifier for an electric guitar or an amplifier for an electric bass guitar (there is a difference). Next unless you plan on walking around forever with your guitar attached to you, your going to need a stand. How about tuning, unless your one of those gifted people with perfect pitch that can tune a guitar by listening to it your going to need a tuner. Some of the newer digital tuners make tuning your guitar very easy.
Rather than waiting to find out after you get your electric or bass guitar home that you need the guitar accessories outlined above, why not look around for an electric guitar package or a bass guitar package that has everything you need already. One of the biggest advantages of buying one of these packages is that they are normally cheaper than buying each item seperately, even the guitar is cheaper in a package. A package will also have a gig bag and a few other things that are nice to have.
AC/DC is a hard rock band with a terrific lead singer in Brian Johnson along with one of the best recognized guitarists on the planet Angus Young. Brian Johnson actually took over as the bands frontman after Bon Scott at the age of 33 was found dead of alcohol poisoning in 1980.
Angus Young is one of the co-founders of the group along with his brother Malcolm. The electric guitar package you always see Angus with is his signature Gibson SG electric guitar along with his Marshall model 1959 100 watt guitar amplifier. Along with his wild style of playing you can also see him parading back and forth across the stage wearing his signature schoolboys outfit. His patented duck walk and his high energy style has made him the guitarist that is most often copied by such groups as Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, the Cult and others.
Black Sabbath not only had the great electric guitar of Tony Iommi, it also had an outstanding bass guitar player named Terry “Geezer” Butler who among other things is the first to add to his bass guitar package a Wah-wah pedal. The front man for this band is known as the “Godfather of Heavy Metal” or the “Prince of Darkness”, He is Ozzie Osbourne.
Next up is the flamboyant front-man for Van Halen David Lee Roth. His showmanship with Van Halen and in his solo career earn him honors amongst the great front-men. Along with the tradition of heavy metal bands Rolling Stone once wrote that he was “the most obnoxious singer in human history”. Although he had a decent baritone voice he was better known for the physical side of his performances.
Through the years there has been many Great bands, The Beatles, The Who, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and more but once in a while you will find a band that when you hear them and ask youself “How come I have never heard of them”? This is a story about a rock band out of Minnesota in the late 1960’s by the name of Gypsy.
A more talented group of musicians you won’t find in the bands mentioned earlier or any other band you can think of. Enrico Rosenbaum was the groups singer and guitarist who also wrote most of the songs for the group. Other members of the band included James Walsh on keyboards and vocals, James Johnson guitar and vocals, James Epstein drums, bass guitar was Donnie Larson, Preston Epps percussion, and Jimmy Haskell string arrangements.
In 1970 the band charted a single on the Billboards, “Gypsy Queen Part 1 and 2€³. To listen to this group is to love them. One song off their first album is “Tomorrow Is The Last To Be Heard” with its crisp harmonies, and an electric guitar solo that will make you take notice, and a drum solo towards the end of the song that rounds out a song that could have, and should have been a classic.