Classical guitarist and composer Kevin Gallagher, from his recent article "Music First": We cannot excel at any style of music by simply putting our fingers in the correct place at the correct time. There are no excellent jazz guitarists that I know of who don't have an understanding of jazz music. There are no great pop guitarists who don't have an understanding of pop music. … [Read more...]
Notable Albums of 2009
At the end of the year, I always like to reflect on all the great music that came out during the year. There were quite a few good albums that were released in 2009. Here's a list of some of the more notable ones that crossed my radar in 2009 (in no particular order): The Ballad of John Henry by Joe Bonamassa - Each new album by Joe Bonamassa shows him stretching the … [Read more...]
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Thank you for helping make 2009 the best year yet for Guitar Lifestyle. Traffic grew by over 50% from January through December, and there was quite a bit of good discussion. But more importantly, I've been able to communicate with more of you, which has been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store for Guitar Lifestyle. Best wishes to … [Read more...]
David Grissom PRS Clinic
A little over a week ago, David Grissom played and demonstrated his signature guitar at a Paul Reed Smith clinic here in Nashville. If you don't know, Grissom is a guitarist who has played with Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, the Dixie Chicks, and Storyville, among others. He's also a well-respected studio musician both here in Nashville and in Austin. In addition to his sideman … [Read more...]
Guitar Teacher’s Toolkit
Rob Hylton, owner of TeachWombat, let me know about some of his teaching tools for guitarists. His Guitar Teacher's Toolkit contains many useful items for guitar teachers. Included in the package are a number of tools for simplifying the entire process of teaching guitar, including administering lessons as well as managing and promoting your lessons. For example, the package … [Read more...]