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Basic Music Theory

Hey fellow musicians… Ron Greene here,

There are a lot of decent basic music theory books, tapes etc. on the market these days, and many of them provide good technical content. However, most of the information in them seems to lack specific details that otherwise, really never get you to the point of playing your instrument.

For example, this free music theory publication does a good job of explaining Key Signatures and the history of music, yet, this subject might not interest you as much as getting your instrument out and actually getting down to the matter at hand… playing it! Continue reading Basic Music Theory →

Tapping on Guitar… who started it?

Mid 70’s Eddie Van Halen. Stanley Jordan, “Eleanor Rigby” Newport Jazz Festival 1986… Mmmmm, whom really came up with the guitar tapping concept?

Still out for discussion but I’ve located a (French) gent that provides a few taps in the mid 60’s that might shed (and shred) some light on this matter… and he ‘rips it’ !

No dis-respect to Eddie and Stanley, yet this fellow just might had inspired such. (?)

You have any ‘earlier’ references?

Jam On!
-Ron

credit given via (https://youtu.be/d09pnxTSnT4)

Tom Petty Exits Stage…

As a musician you no doubt had a least one Tom Petty album in your library of classic references to straight ahead rock. Unfortunately Tom passed away in Oct of this (2017) year at the very young age of 66. It was a heart attack.

Petty had a way of taking what appeared to be soft folk songs of his own and placing some power behind them to create a unique rock ambience. He just had a way of keeping rock n’ roll alive within its original roots.

He’ll be missed… play a few tribute songs at your next gig… for Tom!

Jam On!
– Ron

As quoted from Rolling Stone (credit – online magz.)…
“In the late 1970s, Petty’s romanticized tales of rebels, outcasts and refugees started climbing the pop charts. When he sang, his voice was filled with a heartfelt drama that perfectly complemented the Heartbreakers’ ragged rock & roll. Songs like “The Waiting,” “You Got Lucky,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Learning to Fly” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”

“Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which came out in 1976. It failed to make an impact at the time – the album’s lead single “Breakdown” didn’t even chart – but they picked up heat after touring England as support for future E Street Band member Nils Lofgren. They soon became headliners on the tour, with the album topping the U.K. chart. ”

Tom’s Website…
https://www.tompetty.com/

#riptompetty

Ozzy Osbourne and Earth, Wind, & Fire?…

According to societyofrock.com (as of the date of this blog post) this video is… “Probably The Best Mashup We’ve Ever Seen!”

Well, ok… I’m not a big ‘mashup’ fan, but I’ll have to admit the timing reference the tempo on this DJ’s version of a Ozzy Osbourne being mashed up with Earth, Wind, & Fire… is quite entertaining.

I mean, mixing light metal with pop and pulling it off with a sense of continuity is a decent feat for sure.

Anyway… see what you think…

Jam On!
– Ron

As further quoted…
“Both are truly amazing musical acts, but they couldn’t be anymore different in their music styles. Then again, as they say, opposites attract, and that much is proven, here!”

More here…
https://societyofrock.com/someone-made-a-mashup-of-ozzy-osbourne-and-earth-wind-fire-and-we-cant-stop-laughing/

J. Geils Left Our Planet on April 12, 2017…

An East Coast (US) guitarist has left us on April 12, 2017… J. Geils.

According to Wikipedia… John Warren Geils Jr. – ‘J. Geils’ – grew up in the New York Metropolitan Area, then interested in jazz and blues music. After moving to Massachusetts for his college education, he formed the J. Geils Blues Band while still a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. After dropping the word “Blues” from their name, the band released their first album in 1970, performing soul and rhythm & blues-influenced rock music for most of the 1970s, before changing styles to New wave music in the 1980s.

The article from Rolling Stone (below) describes the circumstances and updates of J. Geils death at the age of 71, as of the date of this blog writing…

Take Care and Jam On with the music my fellow musicians!

-Ron
Music Dials

… via Rolling Stone online (by: By Jon Blistein)

“The J. Geils Band released a slew of albums during the Seventies and early Eighties. With vocalist Peter Wolf at the helm, the band became best known for singles like “Centerfold,” “Love Stinks,” “Come Back” and “Freeze-Frame,” which have since become rock radio mainstays.”

Deep Purple Continues to Rock!…

Since its inception in 1968, Deep Purple (the band of course) continues to this day with ‘3’ core original members, inclusive of… Ian Paice on traps, Ian Gillin on vocals, and Roger Glover on Bass. And as of 1994 the wonderful ax-man, Steve Morse, joined the group. Ron Airey has picked up the keyboard duties hence the departure of previous keys man, Jon Lord.

In April (2017) Deep Purple has a brand new album titled Infinite coming out, and they will be touring shortly thereafter, what they’re dubbing, their Long Goodbye Tour.

This video spends some time with Ian Paice and Roger Glover and they further discuss the history of DP and their new projects… and, what could be their last road gig!

Jam On!
-Ron

(video and article via: Society Of Rock .com)

“There’s going to be a day in the not-so-far future when it is going to be ‘the last.’ That’s an emotional strain that I don’t think any one of us are brave enough to say ‘This is the date.’ But we are thinking… not thinking, we are realizing that time is creeping up every day that goes on, those numbers mount up. It’s inevitable…”

Read the rest of the article here –>
societyofrock.com/ian-paice-and-roger-glover-reveal-deep-purple-are-terrified-of-the-future-heres-why/

The Real Truth Behind The Lyrics In “Hotel California”—It’s Not What You Think!

OK, you no doubt find ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles a very over played song on the airwaves. We’ll anyway, I do! – But, even though this song gets a ton of air play it certainly goes down as one of the top most misunderstood rock lyrical tunes ever…

Anyway, this article mentions a quote from Don Henley that sheds some truth behind the song… check it out.

Jam On!
– Ron

(via: Society of Rock .com)

“On a dark desert highway…” It’s one of the most interpreted songs in the history of rock n’ roll. Classic “Hotel California.” Many people have argued, debated and researched what the true meaning behind this song actually is. A common belief is that the song is about purgatory…

Fireworks in Your Brain on Music…

It probably goes with saying… playing music stimulates our brain. This article goes further into describing the difference between listening to music and actually playing it.

When we ‘jam’ our brains light-up with inter-related connections that enhance most every activity and function… including fine motor skills that invoke both hemispheres of the brain.

Jam On!
– Ron

Enjoy this video…

(via: Anita Collins: TED-Ed Original lessons)

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What’s going on?…

See the Video and Read More Here…

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins

Making Your Own Music Video…

Music videos have been around for a few decades now… However, attempts to make your entertainment vids fast and easy continue to earn its stride.

Musical.ly is the first real social network that has reached an audience, young as small humans to the oldest of wisdom-hood.

Potentially, musical.ly will allow the younger and older generations to generate content in ways that they can’t produce as easily on their own. It is democratizing content creation by providing the resources (i.e., filters, control over video speed, access to professional audio) to make fun and entertaining content.

I may not be the best at layin’-down super guitar chops, yet, even I can create something fun without understanding a lot of post-production-editing skills.

You may find this ‘app’ worth looking into if you are considering a quick video about your musician self or with your band.

Jam On!
-Ron

Click the image to visit the https://musical.ly site and grab the App…

Rock Guitarist, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was ahead of her time…

It’s interesting to note some of the long ‘lost’ guitar players, before there was a lot of media to push the entertainment industry. It’s especially interesting if one of our earliest pioneers on the ax was non-other than a hip woman.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was ahead of her time. Well, ahead of many cats to follow… including Hendrix, Elvis, Chuck Berry to name just a few. She played a good deal of gospel… you could even call it, gospel metal at that time.

During the 1940s through the Sixties, her recordings played a highly significant role in the creation of rock. Presley, J Lee Lewis, Cash and Litl’ Richard cited her as an inspiration.

Here’s to the women of original rock…
Jam On!
-Ron

(via and by Forgotten Guitar)

As a musician, she was simply ahead of her time. Maybe even by several decades.

Born in 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, Tharpe developed her distinctive style of singing and playing at age 6, when she was taken by her evangelist mother to Chicago to join Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ. At 23 she left the church and moved to New York. While performing there, she was signed by Decca Records. For the following 30 years she performed extensively to packed venues across the U.S. and Europe and recorded more than a dozen albums…

Read and Learn more about Sister Rosetta here…
https://forgottenguitar.com/2015/11/10/sister-rosetta-tharpe-and-her-62-gibson-les-paul-renamed-sg-in-1963-custom-performing-up-above-my-head-in-the-1960s/