Picture this – you get home from work, plan to practice guitar for a good amount of time – but then, the laundry needs to be flipped over, the dishes need washing, you have to walk the dog – and by the time you’re finished, it’s time for bed. How often does this happen to you?
Finding time to practice during busy days is tough, but with a few easy strategies, you can work in more time to play – and improve your skills!
Here’s what you can do:
Set reminders for yourself.
Leave a sticky note on the fridge or bathroom mirror to remind you to make some time for guitar! Having a visible reminder will help you think about practicing, even when it’s a little chaotic at home. You can even set an alarm on your phone to alert you when it’s time to step away for a guitar break.
Practice for a shorter time.
You don’t need to devote hours every day to your instrument to get better. Just like physical exercise, any amount of time spent practicing in a day is better than none! If you can find 20 minutes a day to practice, that’s 121 hours per year!
Consistency is key. Try waking up 20 minutes earlier if you’re productive in the mornings, or go to bed 20 minutes later if you’re a night owl. (Don’t forget to use headphones if you live with other people!)
Inspire yourself
Which bands or artists inspire you to play guitar? Listen to a playlist of their songs on your way home or during work to remind yourself why you wanted to pick up a guitar in the first place. And don’t forget – everyone starts somewhere! The best guitarists in the world once had to practice the basics too.
Utilize commercial breaks!
If you watch TV, you can use the commercial breaks as practice opportunities! Run through some scales or a new riff while you’re waiting for your show to return. It’s easier to stay focused for a few minutes at a time than a longer chunk of time.
Don’t forget – playing guitar should be fun! You can keep practicing from feeling like a chore by learning songs you want to play – new songs on the radio, favorites from years past, or even songs that you’ve never heard before for a new challenge!
You can find over 3,000 courses and song lessons in the Fret Zealot app, as well as over 80,000 song tracks, every chord and scale, 60 alternative tunings, and so much more!
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/26192737/1417223_Blogtitle-howtofitinpracticetime-1080x1080_V1_072622.jpg10801080Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-07-28 14:02:102022-07-28 14:02:10How to find time to practice guitar each day
This course covers Santana’s signature style, including legato style, playing pentatonic scales and the Dorian mode, and utilizing speed changes.
Background
Carlos Augusto Santana Alves is a ten-time GRAMMY award-winning guitarist who is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – but his first instrument was the violin. Santana, who was born in Jalisco, Mexico, was taught violin at age five and guitar at age eight by his father, who was a mariachi musician.
Santana was influenced as a child by blues artists like B.B. King and Gábor Szabó, as well as Chicano rock pioneer Ritchie Valens. In the 1950s, he joined bands playing along the Tijuana Strip and developed his sound as a guitarist. After moving with his family to San Francisco in 1961 – which was the birthplace of the burgeoning psychedelic movement – Santana started the Santana Blues Band. Playing a unique blend of Latin-infused rock, African rhythms, salsa, jazz, and blues, the band quickly grew a following in the Golden City. After being signed to Columbia Records, the band performed at the iconic 1969 Woodstock Music Festival – before their debut album was even released.
Style
Santana has had a decades-spanning career, and his signature tone and playing style has evolved over the years. Some features of his playing that have held over time include his use of long, sustained notes sans vibrato, trademark trills, and unique sense of timing – he often plays riffs that are rhythmically complex.
Awards and legacy
Santana has won multiple music awards, including the Billboard Lifetime Achievement and Spirit of Hope awards, two GRAMMY awards and a Latin GRAMMY award for Person of the Year (2004), Kennedy Center Honors, a NAACP image award, and many others. Along with his former wife Deborah King, he co-founded the Milagro Foundation, which supports children who lack resources in arts, education, and health.
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/26192737/ID68-Carlos-Santana.jpg10801920Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-07-26 17:17:402022-07-27 14:28:33Want to learn how to play guitar like Carlos Santana?
Want to learn to play like Dimebag Darrell of Pantera?
With the Dimebag Darrell Player study from Fret Zealot, you’ll be able to “Walk” in the footsteps of the legendary Pantera and Damageplan guitarist, learning his signature tricks, licks, and techniques.
Background
Darrell Lance Abbott, known by his stage name “Dimebag”, co-founded both bands with his brother, Vinnie Paul. Abbott, the son of a country music producer, started playing guitar at age 12 on a Les Paul-style Hohner that he received on his 12th birthday. Young Abbott was influenced by bands like KISS, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and Judas Priest.
According to GuitarWorld, at age 14, Abbott entered a guitar contest at a Dallas nightclub, which Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars, was judging. “Dimebag blew everyone away,” Zelinsky recalled in a 2010 article.
Pantera was formed in 1981 as a glam metal band. Vinnie Paul accepted an invitation from his high school classmates to start a band, but on the condition that Abbott be allowed to join as well. They released their first album “Metal Magic”, in 1983 when Abbott was 16 years old. After releasing two more albums in the glam metal style, the Abbott brothers started being influenced by bands like Metallica and Slayer, which helped them to develop the groove metal style Pantera is known for.
Style
Abbott used major thirds in his riffs and leads – a technique inspired by Van Halen – which created dissonance with tones in minor keys. He also utilized harmonics to create a signature “squealing” sound, and used alternative tunings throughout his career, including Drop D and down 1 and ½ step tuning.
Legacy
In 2004, while performing with Damageplan in a Columbus, Ohio nightclub, 38-year-old Abbott was fatally shot onstage, as well as the band’s head of security, a fan, and a venue employee. His funeral was attended by thousands of fans and artists, including Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen donated his original black-and-yellow guitar to be included in Abbott’s casket – Abbott had met Van Halen a few weeks earlier and asked him for a replica of the guitar. Abbott was posthumously inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk in 2007, and was ranked as the most influential metal guitarist of the past 25 years by VH1 in 2015.
Once you learn Abbott’s signature style, you can test drive it with over 90 Pantera tabs on the Fret Zealot app!
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/26192738/ID78-Course-Image.jpg10801920Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-07-13 14:02:252022-07-19 14:08:32Want to learn to play guitar like Dimebag Darrell?
“This Les Paul is a classic and distinguished look from the Epiphone line. It’s a really great introductory instrument to get you in with the classic Les Paul style vibes.
This one is all black, kind of a no-nonsense look all around. It has a glossy finish which I think looks cool. It has a lot of shine to it.
The body is solid alder all the way through and the neck is hard maple, which adds a bit of stability and the fretboard itself is rosewood. It fits in the dark theme and ties it together quite well. Little bit of black binding on the neck with the dot inlays, and in terms of some of the hardware, chrome hardware on the bridge, and then the two Epiphone pickups – 650T on the neck pickup and the 750 T bridge pickup. These are humbucking pickups, they’ve got a bit more output, a bit more of a substantial sound. Everything that you really need to rock. It’s a tried and true rock tone. Humbucking pickups can really deliver on a lot of different styles, so I found them really versatile.
Then in terms of controls it’s very simple . We’ve got the volume control, single tone control, and a three-way position switch which gives you bridge pickup or the neck pickup, or both together.
The Epiphone Player Pack also comes in Heritage Cherry Sunburst.
On the headstock is the Les Paul Special-II cover plate. If you want to adjust the neck, you can take it off. It comes with the hex key needed to make adjustments. The pack comes with the guitar, neck adjustment tool, the Epiphone Electar 10 watt amp,
gig bag, strap, clip-on tuner, and the guitar cable.
Boom, you’re electrified and ready to rock. Of course, when you buy this guitar from the Fret Zealot store, it comes with the Fret Zealot LED system. You just hook it up with the app, and you can view your tabs in real time on the instrument, as well as access thousands of courses so you can learn how to play.
This guitar is an awesome choice for anyone looking for the classic Les Paul shape. It’s a very distinguished look, this one is a classy black color. It also comes in a Vintage Sunburst color. There are two different styles to choose from. You can hook it up with the app and start playing thousands of song with the Fret Zealot app. This guitar is going to serve you well across a variety of genres. I always associate Les Paul with the classic rock and hard rock that you hear from Les Paul style guitars with humbucking pickups just like this one. If that’s what you’re after this guitar could be the choice for you. You can check it out at fretzealot.com.”
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/26192740/1404460_Epiphoneplayerpackreviewslate-Opt01_V1_063022.jpg7201280Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-07-06 13:32:092022-07-06 13:32:09REVIEW: Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar player pack
We won’t stop you now. With the Brian May Player Study from Fret Zealot, you can learn May’s trademark style, including his use of vibrato, flowing lead, and behind the beat playing.
Background
May co-founded Queen along with Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor in 1970. He had previously played with Taylor in a band called “Smile” while they were in college. Queen went on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world with songs penned by May, including “We Will Rock You”, “I Want It All”, and “Fat-Bottomed Girls”. Following Mercury’s death in 1991, May continued to perform, both with Queen and on solo projects. American Idol finalist Adam Lambert has taken on the mantle of lead singer for the group since 2011.
Style
Brian May is widely regarded as a guitar virtuoso. He was ranked #26 on Rolling Stone’s 2011 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Most of his guitar work, both live and in the studio, is done on a guitar he built with his electronics engineer father at age 16. The guitar, called the “Red Special” was made out of wood from an 18th century fireplace, as well as items like buttons, shelf edging, and motorcycle valve springs. He also prefers to use coins to strum, rather than picks. May creates multi-part harmonies in his guitar compositions and uses styles like sweep picking, tremolo, tapping, and slide guitar. He creates unique sounds on the guitar, imitating an orchestra, trombone, piccola, and chimes. Queen used to use a sleeve note on their early albums to let listeners know that no synthesizers were used – it was all guitar.
Academic career
May is not only a star in the music world – he also is a certified star expert. He earned his Ph.D in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007. He held the position of chancellor with Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013 and was a science team collaborator with NASA’s New Horizons Pluto mission. He’s one of the co-founders of Asteroid Day, and has the asteroid 52665 Brianmay named after him.
When you tap into Brian May’s signature style with the player study course, you can also learn multiple Queen songs with lessons from Fret Zealot.
Don’t Stop Me Now didn’t chart very high when it was released as a single in 1979, but time has been very kind to it. The song has become more popular over the years thanks to consistent airplay, use in TV shows, ads, and movies, and through cover versions.
A favorite song for sporting events, “We Will Rock You” is usually followed by “We Are the Champions”. They were the last two songs Queen performed at Live Aid in 1985. The song is nearly completely a cappella except for a 30 second solo by May toward the end. The “stamping” effects were made by the band overdubbing the noise of themselves stomping and clapping, and adding delay to make it sound like there were many people participating.
A song written by Freddie Mercury as a tribute to his musical inspirations, Elvis Presley and Sir Cliff Richard, Mercury said he wrote “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” in five to ten minutes. “I did that on the guitar, which I can’t play for nuts, and in one way it was quite a good thing because I was restricted, knowing only a few chords,” he told Melody Maker magazine in 1981. “It’s a good discipline because I simply had to write within a small framework. I couldn’t work through too many chords and because of that restriction I wrote a good song, I think.”
One of Queen’s biggest songs, Bohemian Rhapsody is a six minute “mock opera”, a combination of three songs Mercury wrote. It has no refraining chorus and multiple “sections”, similar to a suite of classical music or a piece of opera. It was recorded at five different studios over August – September 1975, and the recording technology at the time required them to bounce the tracks over eight generations of 24-track tape – they needed almost 200 tracks for overdubs.
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/26192743/ID92-Course-Image.jpg10801920Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-06-30 13:19:132022-07-13 13:40:10Want to play guitar like Brian May of Queen?
Sporting events just wouldn’t be as fun without great soundtracks. Whether at the ballpark, a football stadium, a hockey arena, or a basketball game, there are some songs that are guaranteed to get fans out of their seats and cheering along.
Here is a partial list of some of the biggest stadium anthems:
Swedish band Europe’s arena anthem “The Final Countdown” was originally supposed to be just a concert opener. Lead singer Joey Tempest wrote the keyboard riff it was based on years before the song was released, and the lyrics were inspired by David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.
“We Will Rock You” is almost fully a cappella, except for Brian May’s guitar solo. The percussive “stomp stomp clap” effect makes it easy for sports fans to join in with the beat. For the studio version of the song, the stamping effects were created by the band’s stomping and clapping, overdubbed and with delay effects added, to make it sound like many people were stomping and clapping along.
Osbourne’s debut solo single features an iconic riff and a call to action “All aboard!” that makes it a popular walk-out song for many sports teams. The lyrics are notably dark for a stadium anthem – they refer to the Cold War and the anxiety about annihilation that was prevalent at the time the song was released.
With an iconic guitar riff (courtesy of Slash), this song doubles as a stadium anthem and an intimidating message to the opposing team. According to Stephen Davis’s ‘Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N’ Roses’, Axl Rose said the lyrics were inspired from an encounter he had as an 18-year-old hitchhiker coming to New York, during which a man told him “Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby!”
“Whoomp! (There It Is)” – Tag Team
‘90s rap duo Tag Team created a stadium smash when they released “Whoomp! (There It Is)” in 1993. A similar song, “Whoot There it Is” was released a month before by Miami’s 95 South – according to a Chicago Tribune article at the time, the phrase “Whoot/Whoomp there it is” was a popular expression among dancers at nightclubs in Miami and Atlanta, where both groups frequented.
The instantly recognizable riff that starts “Thunderstruck” is certain to turn up the “high voltage” at sports events. The name “Thunderstruck” comes from a childhood toy of the Young brothers. In the liner notes of The Razor’s Edge 2003 re-release, Angus Young said that they were searching for a name for the song when they came up with the “thunder” motif, based on their childhood toy Thunderstreak. “It seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea,” he wrote.
“Song 2” – Blur
According to Blur founding member Graham Coxon, “Song 2” started out as a joke on the band’s record label – but the label executives actually liked it. It was originally called “Song 2” as a working title since it was song two on the tracklist, but the name stuck.
“Seven Nation Army”’s instrumental chorus has made it a favorite sports anthem across the world – from soccer matches in Italy to NFL games in the states. It often appears in audience chants, where the crowd sings the riff on the sound “oh”, or inserts the name of a player. It was the theme song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“Enter Sandman” – Metallica
“Enter Sandman” was one of the first songs written for Metallica’s eponymous fifth album (released in 1991), and the last to have lyrics. Mariano Rivera, who played for the New York Yankees for 19 seasons, started using “Enter Sandman” as his walk-up song in 1999. Rivera – who sometimes goes by the nickname “Sandman”, used it for 15 seasons and had a 89.7 save percentage in that time.
“Run the World (Girls)” Beyonce
In 2014, then- 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis made history by tossing a full-game shutout in the Little League World Series’ Mid-Atlantic Regional final, leading the Taney Dragons to victory. She used Beyone’s 2011 song “Run the World” as a walk-out anthem. French skater Maé-Bérénice Méité competed at the 2018 Olympics to a medley of Beyonce’s songs, including “Run the World”. The song was also used as the anthem for Great Britain’s women’s soccer match against Brazil in the 2012 London Olympics.
Are there any songs you think belong on this list? Let us know in the comments!
You’ll be “thunderstruck” at how you pick up the groove of Young’s signature playing style with our Angus Young player study course, including his vibrato style, bending, and rhythms.
Background
Angus Young was born in Scotland in 1955, the youngest of eight siblings. Music ran in the family, with most of the children playing at least one instrument. Angus picked up the guitar at five or six, with one lesson from his brother Alexander, and then taught himself. The family immigrated to Australia in 1963, and Angus practiced playing “guitar” on a banjo restrung with six strings. He was eighteen when he, along with his brother, Malcolm, and Colin Burgess, Larry Van Kriedt and Dave Evans formed AC/DC in 1973. Young tried a variety of stage costumes, including Zorro and Spiderman, before settling on his signature schoolboy outfit, which his sister suggested. His playing and stage antics helped make AC/DC one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world. He is the sole constant original member of the group.
Guitars
Young bought his first Gibson SG second-hand around 1970, and he’s been playing them in various forms throughout his career. He has used a modified version of the SG called the Jaydee SG, made specifically for him by Jaydee Guitars. At least two of his SGs featured on-board wireless going into the amplifier, with the circuitry in a hole in the back of the guitar body. This practice was stopped due to the possibility of electrical shorts (from sweat). Young designed an Angus Young SG with Gibson, featuring a pickup designed by Young and lightning bolt inlays on the neck.
Style
Angus Young has said that his musical influences include his brother Malcolm, Chuck Berry, Freddie King, and Muddy Waters. His style is influenced by the blues – major and minor 12-bar blues progressions. AC/DC is often criticized for having songs that are simple, but Young told the Atlanta Gazette in 1979, “It’s just rock and roll. A lot of times we get criticized for it. A lot of music papers come out with: ‘When are they going to stop playing these three chords?’ If you believe you shouldn’t play just three chords it’s pretty silly on their part. To us, the simpler a song is, the better, ’cause it’s more in line with what the person on the street is.”
When you start to channel Young’s signature style with the player study course, there are lots of high-voltage AC/DC song lessons on the Fret Zealot app to learn.
This song begins with the tolling of a bell – an actual, 2,000 lb. bronze bell made by John Taylor & Co. Bellfounders in England. The bell sound was recorded in a mobile studio inside of the bell foundry after the tracking sessions for “Back in Black” were complete.
One of AC/DC’s most recognizable songs gets its name from a childhood toy of the Young brothers. In the liner notes of The Razor’s Edge 2003 re-release, Young said that they were searching for a name for the song when they came up with the “thunder” motif, based on their childhood toy Thunderstreak. “It seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea,” he wrote.
“Highway to Hell” is about the exhausting nature of constant touring, which Angus Young referred to as the “Highway to Hell”. Australia’s Canning Highway also was part of the song’s namesake.
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/26192745/ID96-Course-Image-scaled.jpg14402560Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-06-23 18:02:432022-06-28 19:25:55Want to play guitar like Angus Young of AC/DC?
Buffalo, NY-based band At The Helm has been making music together for years. Now, they’re teaming up with Fret Zealot to teach their music to you. Jake Hassler, who plays electric guitar for the band, sat down with Fret Zealot to talk about the band, their upcoming new album, and all things guitar.
Q.) Tell me about At The Helm.
A.) I don’t necessarily like a bunch of labels. It’s rock and roll that everyone can get into. We touch on a lot of genres. Nowadays, that’s the only way to do it. I feel like it’s not really an era to box yourself in anymore. We were working on a song yesterday with a dance type of vibe and then we have some dark stuff. There are a lot of punk aspects to what we do. We have an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar, bass drums, and a great vocalist. Pretty much whatever we can make with all those things is what we stick to.
Q.) Do you write your own music?
A.) Yeah, mostly. We do covers for fun, and people really love to hear something they know. We do the best we can to get our music in their heads. The goal is to write music and have people listen to it and like it, buy it, come to shows.
Q.) What are your songwriting inspirations?
A.) Our writing process is very collaborative. Gus is our other guitar player, he plays acoustic. He usually comes up with the main structure of the song, an idea and a rhythm in mind. He’s been doing this for a really long time, he knows what sounds good. Gus comes up with a structure, keeps it kind of loose at first, and then we see where it goes all together.
Rob (drums) wrote the first part of the guitar solo in Broken Words. That was his idea! I took that.
That’s how we work, someone might have an idea of what to do with the drums.
Mike is our vocalist. He has a lot of ideas for guitar harmonies. He came up with the guitar harmonies in “Broken Words”. We have ideas, mash them all together, answer trying to be in service of the song. Mike hears harmonies, he’ll suggest those things, and he has a big input on the lyrics.
Mario is an amazing bass player who has been around for a long time. He really helps everything move along and keeps everyone together. He’s definitely the glue.
Q.) How long have you been together as a band?
A.) We’ve had a bunch of incarnations of the band and lineup changes. Since Mike came into the picture, we’ve been together for three or four years. Me, Mario, Gus and Rob have been together for a while longer. It took us some time to find Mike and get him in. When he’s playing with us, something happens, it all comes together
Q.) Have you been on tour as a band?
A.) We have not gone on tour. We all have jobs and families – the easiest thing to do right now with everyone’s situation is to play regionally.
Q.) And you’ve been live streaming some of the tracking for your new album on Twitch?
A.) Gus has been streaming the live tracking of what will be our next album. Gus has all the equipment, the experience, he knows what he’s looking to hear so we’re ready to try it ourselves.
Q.) When is the new album coming out?
A.) There’s no estimated release date for the album. We have most of them pretty much down, there’s a lot of recording/mastering left to be done so we can’t say an actual date. Hopefully by the end of the year.
Q.) What is the feel of the new album?
A.) It’s different, not the same as we did before. There are a lot of new genres of music we touch on this time around that we didn’t so much on the last album. The sounds will be more consistent. We had a bunch of types of music happening on the first album, and now it’s just going to open up wider. Another step into the journey of what we’re doing here.
Q.) How long have you been playing guitar?
A.) I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13. I’m 35 now, so 22 years.
Q.) What got you into it?
A.) When I was younger I was always into it when I saw someone playing. I remember when I was six years old, my dad bought me this jazz acoustic guitar. My brother got mad at me and smashed it. Then he got into guitar when he was 16 and I was 12, and it got me back into it. I really think I always knew I liked it, but at that time it was about being like my brother. I was into metal – Metallica and System of Down, rock and roll. That was the initial thing – metal guitar solos and stuff like that. I had an acoustic for the longest time and my dad bought me an electric like a year later and it’s stuck with me ever since.
Q,) Did you take any guitar lessons?
A.) I took lessons in the back of guitar magazines, looked up tabs online, some online guitar lessons but not interactive – like Truefire stuff – to kind of learn about theory. That’s what I’m working on now. I never touched on theory my whole life and now I’m learning how valuable it is and what a good tool it can be.
I did take lessons from a guy here in Buffalo but I just wanted to learn to sweep pick, so I had like ten lessons with him and he showed me each chord throughout the whole scale.
You think (learning theory) is going to make guitar seem like work, so I totally understand not wanting to do it, but once you learn enough about it, music theory is just an invaluable thing to know. It’s a great tool.
Q.) What do you think of the Fret Zealot system?
A.) It looks really cool! It’s kind of impressive that it doesn’t hinder your playing at all.
Q.) What made you want to stick with music?
A.) I didn’t really have much else I was good at when I was a kid and this was something I could be good at. I figured out I could be good at it. And that gave me confidence. It also looks really cool.
It’s really satisfying learning anything and getting good at it. I think that’s a huge part of being happy in life. I always wanted it to be my thing, and I was like “I’m going to work at this until it is”. Luckily, here we are. It’s a great thing if you’re a shy kid like I was – kind of socially awkward, didn’t really play sports. Then you get good at it and someone sees you play and is like “whoa”, and you’re just thinking “it’s really not that hard, man”. It’s something that happened very early. It’s always been around.
I have a real issue with buying gear and guitars. I always tell my wife, some guys are into cars, I’m into guitars. I like gear. I just kind of fell into it but it’s super reading for anyone who gets into it and has the discipline to stick with it. It’s a really rewarding thing to be involved with. Hard work pays off and this is a perfect example. If you practice practice practice you can do whatever you want with the guitar.
Q.) What advice do you have for someone who wants to learn guitar?
A.) Take a song you really like and learn it – or don’t. You need to be really into the music to stick with it. I wouldn’t pick anything difficult. I think one of the reasons I stuck with it was I thought System of a Down was the coolest thing. The songs are hard enough that they challenge you, but they’re easy enough that it’s not an insurmountable difficulty. When you learn the song and you do it, and you play along – that’s what I used to do, crank up the music and guitar and see if I could get it to lock in – whenever that would happen, I would keep playing it until it happened, and when it did, it’s super rewarding. You’ll stick with it then.
Check out “Broken Words (Won’t Heal the World)” on Fret Zealot here!
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/26192745/1395527_AttheHelmslate_1280x720_V1_062022.jpg7201280Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-06-20 17:32:162022-06-27 19:29:28Talking guitar with Jake from At The Helm
Shane tried out the Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II, available from the Fret Zealot store with the Fret Zealot system installed.
Here’s what he thought:
AFD – that means “appetite for destruction”. Are you hungry?
I am, for this sweet guitar. This is the Slash Signature model from Epiphone.
It stands out. We’ve got some really excellent premium features including the white binding around the body. It’s pretty hard to ignore but we’ve got a really interesting color scheme with this butterscotch, flame maple top. It’s a really high-quality looking piece and then we have a really interesting contrast with the cherry red on the back and you see that on the back of the neck as well.
In terms of the electronics, this guitar has some really nice ceramic pickups and modern humbuckers by Epiphone. For control you have your volume and your three-way selector that gives you treble, rhythm and both. Tone knobs, classic Epiphone bridge, hard tail style, and this one is a bolt-on neck. Really nice tones coming out of this instrument, I find it easy to channel some classic rock and blues sounds, some sounds you’d associate with the man himself (Slash).
It’s got some really cool personalization – the Slash top hat insignia on the neck, rosewood fretboard, and jumbo frets. They definitely feel substantial to play with and they won’t wear down as fast because they’re jumbo.
When I took this guitar out, one thing in particular caught my eye. That’s right, it has a built-in tuner in the pickup. At first, I was confused but then I realized what it was. I’m really interested in this feature, I would like to see more guitars with it. I find it really useful. It’s a nice tuner, it seems to be built right into the pickup. There’s actually a battery compartment in the back, it takes a small watch battery.
Throughout the guitar, you get a lot of Slash personality, a lot of classic rock vibes, but this guitar doesn’t overly saturate you with the artist model. It gives you enough room to kind of bring out your own personality. The pickups are a zebra style, which is a really iconic look and even the knobs are top-hat style.
All around, a super fun guitar, super snappy and responsive to play. I find the tones really clear, the pickups respond great to distortion but also clean up incredibly well. It’s a versatile instrument. I think this would go anywhere from jazz to hard rock. I had fun tuning it to drop D to play some heavier riffs. It’s a great guitar for someone looking for a higher-end Epiphone in the beginner line. This guitar comes in a performance pack with an amp and the outfit pack. They both have the same guitar, but the other items in the pack are different. You can check them out on our website.
When you buy it on the Fret Zealot website, it comes with the Fret Zealot LED system, you can set it up with this guitar and start exploring the Slash songs on the app. That’s how I learned how to play the riff for “Sweet Child of Mine”, I actually didn’t know how to play it before.
https://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/26192746/1379824_Slashguitarreviewthumbnail-Opt01_V1_052622.jpg7201280Kaley Lynchhttps://fz-wp-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo.pngKaley Lynch2022-06-14 19:45:272022-06-14 19:45:27REVIEW: Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II
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How to find time to practice guitar each day
/by Kaley LynchPicture this – you get home from work, plan to practice guitar for a good amount of time – but then, the laundry needs to be flipped over, the dishes need washing, you have to walk the dog – and by the time you’re finished, it’s time for bed. How often does this happen to you?
Finding time to practice during busy days is tough, but with a few easy strategies, you can work in more time to play – and improve your skills!
Here’s what you can do:
Set reminders for yourself.
Leave a sticky note on the fridge or bathroom mirror to remind you to make some time for guitar! Having a visible reminder will help you think about practicing, even when it’s a little chaotic at home. You can even set an alarm on your phone to alert you when it’s time to step away for a guitar break.
Practice for a shorter time.
You don’t need to devote hours every day to your instrument to get better. Just like physical exercise, any amount of time spent practicing in a day is better than none! If you can find 20 minutes a day to practice, that’s 121 hours per year!
Consistency is key. Try waking up 20 minutes earlier if you’re productive in the mornings, or go to bed 20 minutes later if you’re a night owl. (Don’t forget to use headphones if you live with other people!)
Inspire yourself
Which bands or artists inspire you to play guitar? Listen to a playlist of their songs on your way home or during work to remind yourself why you wanted to pick up a guitar in the first place. And don’t forget – everyone starts somewhere! The best guitarists in the world once had to practice the basics too.
Utilize commercial breaks!
If you watch TV, you can use the commercial breaks as practice opportunities! Run through some scales or a new riff while you’re waiting for your show to return. It’s easier to stay focused for a few minutes at a time than a longer chunk of time.
Try a Fret Zealot course!
Fret Zealot has a huge library of guitar courses, from a Beginner’s Guitar Gym to a Rock and Blues Lead Guitar course. You can study the techniques of greats like Angus Young and Jimi Hendrix or take it easy with a Musical Meditations Course. All of our courses can be taken at your own pace! Check out the full list of available courses here.
Make it fun!
Don’t forget – playing guitar should be fun! You can keep practicing from feeling like a chore by learning songs you want to play – new songs on the radio, favorites from years past, or even songs that you’ve never heard before for a new challenge!
You can find over 3,000 courses and song lessons in the Fret Zealot app, as well as over 80,000 song tracks, every chord and scale, 60 alternative tunings, and so much more!
Want to learn how to play guitar like Carlos Santana?
/by Kaley LynchWant to learn to play guitar like fusion pioneer Carlos Santana? Learning his style will be “Smooth” with the Carlos Santana Player study from Fret Zealot.
This course covers Santana’s signature style, including legato style, playing pentatonic scales and the Dorian mode, and utilizing speed changes.
Background
Carlos Augusto Santana Alves is a ten-time GRAMMY award-winning guitarist who is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – but his first instrument was the violin. Santana, who was born in Jalisco, Mexico, was taught violin at age five and guitar at age eight by his father, who was a mariachi musician.
Santana was influenced as a child by blues artists like B.B. King and Gábor Szabó, as well as Chicano rock pioneer Ritchie Valens. In the 1950s, he joined bands playing along the Tijuana Strip and developed his sound as a guitarist. After moving with his family to San Francisco in 1961 – which was the birthplace of the burgeoning psychedelic movement – Santana started the Santana Blues Band. Playing a unique blend of Latin-infused rock, African rhythms, salsa, jazz, and blues, the band quickly grew a following in the Golden City. After being signed to Columbia Records, the band performed at the iconic 1969 Woodstock Music Festival – before their debut album was even released.
Style
Santana has had a decades-spanning career, and his signature tone and playing style has evolved over the years. Some features of his playing that have held over time include his use of long, sustained notes sans vibrato, trademark trills, and unique sense of timing – he often plays riffs that are rhythmically complex.
Awards and legacy
Santana has won multiple music awards, including the Billboard Lifetime Achievement and Spirit of Hope awards, two GRAMMY awards and a Latin GRAMMY award for Person of the Year (2004), Kennedy Center Honors, a NAACP image award, and many others. Along with his former wife Deborah King, he co-founded the Milagro Foundation, which supports children who lack resources in arts, education, and health.
Want to learn to play guitar like Dimebag Darrell?
/by Kaley LynchWant to learn to play like Dimebag Darrell of Pantera?
With the Dimebag Darrell Player study from Fret Zealot, you’ll be able to “Walk” in the footsteps of the legendary Pantera and Damageplan guitarist, learning his signature tricks, licks, and techniques.
Background
Darrell Lance Abbott, known by his stage name “Dimebag”, co-founded both bands with his brother, Vinnie Paul. Abbott, the son of a country music producer, started playing guitar at age 12 on a Les Paul-style Hohner that he received on his 12th birthday. Young Abbott was influenced by bands like KISS, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and Judas Priest.
According to GuitarWorld, at age 14, Abbott entered a guitar contest at a Dallas nightclub, which Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars, was judging. “Dimebag blew everyone away,” Zelinsky recalled in a 2010 article.
Pantera was formed in 1981 as a glam metal band. Vinnie Paul accepted an invitation from his high school classmates to start a band, but on the condition that Abbott be allowed to join as well. They released their first album “Metal Magic”, in 1983 when Abbott was 16 years old. After releasing two more albums in the glam metal style, the Abbott brothers started being influenced by bands like Metallica and Slayer, which helped them to develop the groove metal style Pantera is known for.
Style
Abbott used major thirds in his riffs and leads – a technique inspired by Van Halen – which created dissonance with tones in minor keys. He also utilized harmonics to create a signature “squealing” sound, and used alternative tunings throughout his career, including Drop D and down 1 and ½ step tuning.
Legacy
In 2004, while performing with Damageplan in a Columbus, Ohio nightclub, 38-year-old Abbott was fatally shot onstage, as well as the band’s head of security, a fan, and a venue employee. His funeral was attended by thousands of fans and artists, including Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen donated his original black-and-yellow guitar to be included in Abbott’s casket – Abbott had met Van Halen a few weeks earlier and asked him for a replica of the guitar. Abbott was posthumously inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk in 2007, and was ranked as the most influential metal guitarist of the past 25 years by VH1 in 2015.
Once you learn Abbott’s signature style, you can test drive it with over 90 Pantera tabs on the Fret Zealot app!
MORE:
Want to play guitar like Brian May of Queen?
Want to play guitar like Angus Young of AC/DC?
Fret Zealot’s summer Spotify playlist
/by Kaley LynchNothing says “summer” like a playlist full of great warm-weather tracks.
Here’s what the FZ team is listening to this summer.
What songs are you listening to this summer? Tell us on social media!
READ MORE:
Ten classic sports arena anthems
Songs of the Summer through the years
REVIEW: Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar player pack
/by Kaley LynchShane tried out the Epiphone Les Paul Special-II Player Pack, available from the Fret Zealot store with the Fret Zealot system installed.
Here’s what he thought:
“This Les Paul is a classic and distinguished look from the Epiphone line. It’s a really great introductory instrument to get you in with the classic Les Paul style vibes.
This one is all black, kind of a no-nonsense look all around. It has a glossy finish which I think looks cool. It has a lot of shine to it.
The body is solid alder all the way through and the neck is hard maple, which adds a bit of stability and the fretboard itself is rosewood. It fits in the dark theme and ties it together quite well. Little bit of black binding on the neck with the dot inlays, and in terms of some of the hardware, chrome hardware on the bridge, and then the two Epiphone pickups – 650T on the neck pickup and the 750 T bridge pickup. These are humbucking pickups, they’ve got a bit more output, a bit more of a substantial sound. Everything that you really need to rock. It’s a tried and true rock tone. Humbucking pickups can really deliver on a lot of different styles, so I found them really versatile.
Then in terms of controls it’s very simple . We’ve got the volume control, single tone control, and a three-way position switch which gives you bridge pickup or the neck pickup, or both together.
The Epiphone Player Pack also comes in Heritage Cherry Sunburst.
On the headstock is the Les Paul Special-II cover plate. If you want to adjust the neck, you can take it off. It comes with the hex key needed to make adjustments. The pack comes with the guitar, neck adjustment tool, the Epiphone Electar 10 watt amp,
gig bag, strap, clip-on tuner, and the guitar cable.
Boom, you’re electrified and ready to rock. Of course, when you buy this guitar from the Fret Zealot store, it comes with the Fret Zealot LED system. You just hook it up with the app, and you can view your tabs in real time on the instrument, as well as access thousands of courses so you can learn how to play.
This guitar is an awesome choice for anyone looking for the classic Les Paul shape. It’s a very distinguished look, this one is a classy black color. It also comes in a Vintage Sunburst color. There are two different styles to choose from. You can hook it up with the app and start playing thousands of song with the Fret Zealot app. This guitar is going to serve you well across a variety of genres. I always associate Les Paul with the classic rock and hard rock that you hear from Les Paul style guitars with humbucking pickups just like this one. If that’s what you’re after this guitar could be the choice for you. You can check it out at fretzealot.com.”
Want to play guitar like Brian May of Queen?
/by Kaley LynchWant to play guitar like Brian May of Queen?
We won’t stop you now. With the Brian May Player Study from Fret Zealot, you can learn May’s trademark style, including his use of vibrato, flowing lead, and behind the beat playing.
Background
May co-founded Queen along with Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor in 1970. He had previously played with Taylor in a band called “Smile” while they were in college. Queen went on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world with songs penned by May, including “We Will Rock You”, “I Want It All”, and “Fat-Bottomed Girls”. Following Mercury’s death in 1991, May continued to perform, both with Queen and on solo projects. American Idol finalist Adam Lambert has taken on the mantle of lead singer for the group since 2011.
Style
Brian May is widely regarded as a guitar virtuoso. He was ranked #26 on Rolling Stone’s 2011 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Most of his guitar work, both live and in the studio, is done on a guitar he built with his electronics engineer father at age 16. The guitar, called the “Red Special” was made out of wood from an 18th century fireplace, as well as items like buttons, shelf edging, and motorcycle valve springs. He also prefers to use coins to strum, rather than picks. May creates multi-part harmonies in his guitar compositions and uses styles like sweep picking, tremolo, tapping, and slide guitar. He creates unique sounds on the guitar, imitating an orchestra, trombone, piccola, and chimes. Queen used to use a sleeve note on their early albums to let listeners know that no synthesizers were used – it was all guitar.
Academic career
May is not only a star in the music world – he also is a certified star expert. He earned his Ph.D in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007. He held the position of chancellor with Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013 and was a science team collaborator with NASA’s New Horizons Pluto mission. He’s one of the co-founders of Asteroid Day, and has the asteroid 52665 Brianmay named after him.
When you tap into Brian May’s signature style with the player study course, you can also learn multiple Queen songs with lessons from Fret Zealot.
Don’t Stop Me Now
Don’t Stop Me Now didn’t chart very high when it was released as a single in 1979, but time has been very kind to it. The song has become more popular over the years thanks to consistent airplay, use in TV shows, ads, and movies, and through cover versions.
We Will Rock You
A favorite song for sporting events, “We Will Rock You” is usually followed by “We Are the Champions”. They were the last two songs Queen performed at Live Aid in 1985. The song is nearly completely a cappella except for a 30 second solo by May toward the end. The “stamping” effects were made by the band overdubbing the noise of themselves stomping and clapping, and adding delay to make it sound like there were many people participating.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
A song written by Freddie Mercury as a tribute to his musical inspirations, Elvis Presley and Sir Cliff Richard, Mercury said he wrote “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” in five to ten minutes. “I did that on the guitar, which I can’t play for nuts, and in one way it was quite a good thing because I was restricted, knowing only a few chords,” he told Melody Maker magazine in 1981. “It’s a good discipline because I simply had to write within a small framework. I couldn’t work through too many chords and because of that restriction I wrote a good song, I think.”
Bohemian Rhapsody
One of Queen’s biggest songs, Bohemian Rhapsody is a six minute “mock opera”, a combination of three songs Mercury wrote. It has no refraining chorus and multiple “sections”, similar to a suite of classical music or a piece of opera. It was recorded at five different studios over August – September 1975, and the recording technology at the time required them to bounce the tracks over eight generations of 24-track tape – they needed almost 200 tracks for overdubs.
Read more:
REVIEW: Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II
Songs of the Summer through the years
Songs that became popular – again – through movies and TV
Ten classic sports arena anthems
/by Kaley LynchSporting events just wouldn’t be as fun without great soundtracks. Whether at the ballpark, a football stadium, a hockey arena, or a basketball game, there are some songs that are guaranteed to get fans out of their seats and cheering along.
Here is a partial list of some of the biggest stadium anthems:
“The Final Countdown” – Europe
Swedish band Europe’s arena anthem “The Final Countdown” was originally supposed to be just a concert opener. Lead singer Joey Tempest wrote the keyboard riff it was based on years before the song was released, and the lyrics were inspired by David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”.
“We Will Rock You” – Queen
“We Will Rock You” is almost fully a cappella, except for Brian May’s guitar solo. The percussive “stomp stomp clap” effect makes it easy for sports fans to join in with the beat. For the studio version of the song, the stamping effects were created by the band’s stomping and clapping, overdubbed and with delay effects added, to make it sound like many people were stomping and clapping along.
“Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne
Osbourne’s debut solo single features an iconic riff and a call to action “All aboard!” that makes it a popular walk-out song for many sports teams. The lyrics are notably dark for a stadium anthem – they refer to the Cold War and the anxiety about annihilation that was prevalent at the time the song was released.
“Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns ‘n Roses
With an iconic guitar riff (courtesy of Slash), this song doubles as a stadium anthem and an intimidating message to the opposing team. According to Stephen Davis’s ‘Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N’ Roses’, Axl Rose said the lyrics were inspired from an encounter he had as an 18-year-old hitchhiker coming to New York, during which a man told him “Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby!”
“Whoomp! (There It Is)” – Tag Team
‘90s rap duo Tag Team created a stadium smash when they released “Whoomp! (There It Is)” in 1993. A similar song, “Whoot There it Is” was released a month before by Miami’s 95 South – according to a Chicago Tribune article at the time, the phrase “Whoot/Whoomp there it is” was a popular expression among dancers at nightclubs in Miami and Atlanta, where both groups frequented.
“Thunderstruck” by AC/DC
The instantly recognizable riff that starts “Thunderstruck” is certain to turn up the “high voltage” at sports events. The name “Thunderstruck” comes from a childhood toy of the Young brothers. In the liner notes of The Razor’s Edge 2003 re-release, Angus Young said that they were searching for a name for the song when they came up with the “thunder” motif, based on their childhood toy Thunderstreak. “It seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea,” he wrote.
“Song 2” – Blur
According to Blur founding member Graham Coxon, “Song 2” started out as a joke on the band’s record label – but the label executives actually liked it. It was originally called “Song 2” as a working title since it was song two on the tracklist, but the name stuck.
“Seven Nation Army” – White Stripes
“Seven Nation Army”’s instrumental chorus has made it a favorite sports anthem across the world – from soccer matches in Italy to NFL games in the states. It often appears in audience chants, where the crowd sings the riff on the sound “oh”, or inserts the name of a player. It was the theme song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“Enter Sandman” – Metallica
“Enter Sandman” was one of the first songs written for Metallica’s eponymous fifth album (released in 1991), and the last to have lyrics. Mariano Rivera, who played for the New York Yankees for 19 seasons, started using “Enter Sandman” as his walk-up song in 1999. Rivera – who sometimes goes by the nickname “Sandman”, used it for 15 seasons and had a 89.7 save percentage in that time.
“Run the World (Girls)” Beyonce
In 2014, then- 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis made history by tossing a full-game shutout in the Little League World Series’ Mid-Atlantic Regional final, leading the Taney Dragons to victory. She used Beyone’s 2011 song “Run the World” as a walk-out anthem. French skater Maé-Bérénice Méité competed at the 2018 Olympics to a medley of Beyonce’s songs, including “Run the World”. The song was also used as the anthem for Great Britain’s women’s soccer match against Brazil in the 2012 London Olympics.
Are there any songs you think belong on this list? Let us know in the comments!
Want to play guitar like Angus Young of AC/DC?
/by Kaley LynchWant to play guitar like Angus Young of AC/DC?
You’ll be “thunderstruck” at how you pick up the groove of Young’s signature playing style with our Angus Young player study course, including his vibrato style, bending, and rhythms.
Background
Angus Young was born in Scotland in 1955, the youngest of eight siblings. Music ran in the family, with most of the children playing at least one instrument. Angus picked up the guitar at five or six, with one lesson from his brother Alexander, and then taught himself. The family immigrated to Australia in 1963, and Angus practiced playing “guitar” on a banjo restrung with six strings. He was eighteen when he, along with his brother, Malcolm, and Colin Burgess, Larry Van Kriedt and Dave Evans formed AC/DC in 1973. Young tried a variety of stage costumes, including Zorro and Spiderman, before settling on his signature schoolboy outfit, which his sister suggested. His playing and stage antics helped make AC/DC one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world. He is the sole constant original member of the group.
Guitars
Young bought his first Gibson SG second-hand around 1970, and he’s been playing them in various forms throughout his career. He has used a modified version of the SG called the Jaydee SG, made specifically for him by Jaydee Guitars. At least two of his SGs featured on-board wireless going into the amplifier, with the circuitry in a hole in the back of the guitar body. This practice was stopped due to the possibility of electrical shorts (from sweat). Young designed an Angus Young SG with Gibson, featuring a pickup designed by Young and lightning bolt inlays on the neck.
Style
Angus Young has said that his musical influences include his brother Malcolm, Chuck Berry, Freddie King, and Muddy Waters. His style is influenced by the blues – major and minor 12-bar blues progressions. AC/DC is often criticized for having songs that are simple, but Young told the Atlanta Gazette in 1979, “It’s just rock and roll. A lot of times we get criticized for it. A lot of music papers come out with: ‘When are they going to stop playing these three chords?’ If you believe you shouldn’t play just three chords it’s pretty silly on their part. To us, the simpler a song is, the better, ’cause it’s more in line with what the person on the street is.”
When you start to channel Young’s signature style with the player study course, there are lots of high-voltage AC/DC song lessons on the Fret Zealot app to learn.
Back in Black
With an unmistakable opening riff, “Back in Black” was written in honor of AC/DC’s former singer Bon Scott who died in 1980.
Hells Bells
This song begins with the tolling of a bell – an actual, 2,000 lb. bronze bell made by John Taylor & Co. Bellfounders in England. The bell sound was recorded in a mobile studio inside of the bell foundry after the tracking sessions for “Back in Black” were complete.
Thunderstuck
One of AC/DC’s most recognizable songs gets its name from a childhood toy of the Young brothers. In the liner notes of The Razor’s Edge 2003 re-release, Young said that they were searching for a name for the song when they came up with the “thunder” motif, based on their childhood toy Thunderstreak. “It seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That’s the basic idea,” he wrote.
Highway to Hell
“Highway to Hell” is about the exhausting nature of constant touring, which Angus Young referred to as the “Highway to Hell”. Australia’s Canning Highway also was part of the song’s namesake.
Read more:
REVIEW: Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II
Songs of the Summer through the years
Songs that became popular – again – through movies and TV
Talking guitar with Jake from At The Helm
/by Kaley LynchBuffalo, NY-based band At The Helm has been making music together for years. Now, they’re teaming up with Fret Zealot to teach their music to you. Jake Hassler, who plays electric guitar for the band, sat down with Fret Zealot to talk about the band, their upcoming new album, and all things guitar.
Q.) Tell me about At The Helm.
A.) I don’t necessarily like a bunch of labels. It’s rock and roll that everyone can get into. We touch on a lot of genres. Nowadays, that’s the only way to do it. I feel like it’s not really an era to box yourself in anymore. We were working on a song yesterday with a dance type of vibe and then we have some dark stuff. There are a lot of punk aspects to what we do. We have an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar, bass drums, and a great vocalist. Pretty much whatever we can make with all those things is what we stick to.
Q.) Do you write your own music?
A.) Yeah, mostly. We do covers for fun, and people really love to hear something they know. We do the best we can to get our music in their heads. The goal is to write music and have people listen to it and like it, buy it, come to shows.
Q.) What are your songwriting inspirations?
A.) Our writing process is very collaborative. Gus is our other guitar player, he plays acoustic. He usually comes up with the main structure of the song, an idea and a rhythm in mind. He’s been doing this for a really long time, he knows what sounds good. Gus comes up with a structure, keeps it kind of loose at first, and then we see where it goes all together.
Rob (drums) wrote the first part of the guitar solo in Broken Words. That was his idea! I took that.
That’s how we work, someone might have an idea of what to do with the drums.
Mike is our vocalist. He has a lot of ideas for guitar harmonies. He came up with the guitar harmonies in “Broken Words”. We have ideas, mash them all together, answer trying to be in service of the song. Mike hears harmonies, he’ll suggest those things, and he has a big input on the lyrics.
Mario is an amazing bass player who has been around for a long time. He really helps everything move along and keeps everyone together. He’s definitely the glue.
Q.) How long have you been together as a band?
A.) We’ve had a bunch of incarnations of the band and lineup changes. Since Mike came into the picture, we’ve been together for three or four years. Me, Mario, Gus and Rob have been together for a while longer. It took us some time to find Mike and get him in. When he’s playing with us, something happens, it all comes together
Q.) Have you been on tour as a band?
A.) We have not gone on tour. We all have jobs and families – the easiest thing to do right now with everyone’s situation is to play regionally.
Q.) And you’ve been live streaming some of the tracking for your new album on Twitch?
A.) Gus has been streaming the live tracking of what will be our next album. Gus has all the equipment, the experience, he knows what he’s looking to hear so we’re ready to try it ourselves.
Q.) When is the new album coming out?
A.) There’s no estimated release date for the album. We have most of them pretty much down, there’s a lot of recording/mastering left to be done so we can’t say an actual date. Hopefully by the end of the year.
Q.) What is the feel of the new album?
A.) It’s different, not the same as we did before. There are a lot of new genres of music we touch on this time around that we didn’t so much on the last album. The sounds will be more consistent. We had a bunch of types of music happening on the first album, and now it’s just going to open up wider. Another step into the journey of what we’re doing here.
Q.) How long have you been playing guitar?
A.) I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13. I’m 35 now, so 22 years.
Q.) What got you into it?
A.) When I was younger I was always into it when I saw someone playing. I remember when I was six years old, my dad bought me this jazz acoustic guitar. My brother got mad at me and smashed it. Then he got into guitar when he was 16 and I was 12, and it got me back into it. I really think I always knew I liked it, but at that time it was about being like my brother. I was into metal – Metallica and System of Down, rock and roll. That was the initial thing – metal guitar solos and stuff like that. I had an acoustic for the longest time and my dad bought me an electric like a year later and it’s stuck with me ever since.
Q,) Did you take any guitar lessons?
A.) I took lessons in the back of guitar magazines, looked up tabs online, some online guitar lessons but not interactive – like Truefire stuff – to kind of learn about theory. That’s what I’m working on now. I never touched on theory my whole life and now I’m learning how valuable it is and what a good tool it can be.
I did take lessons from a guy here in Buffalo but I just wanted to learn to sweep pick, so I had like ten lessons with him and he showed me each chord throughout the whole scale.
You think (learning theory) is going to make guitar seem like work, so I totally understand not wanting to do it, but once you learn enough about it, music theory is just an invaluable thing to know. It’s a great tool.
Q.) What do you think of the Fret Zealot system?
A.) It looks really cool! It’s kind of impressive that it doesn’t hinder your playing at all.
Q.) What made you want to stick with music?
A.) I didn’t really have much else I was good at when I was a kid and this was something I could be good at. I figured out I could be good at it. And that gave me confidence. It also looks really cool.
It’s really satisfying learning anything and getting good at it. I think that’s a huge part of being happy in life. I always wanted it to be my thing, and I was like “I’m going to work at this until it is”. Luckily, here we are. It’s a great thing if you’re a shy kid like I was – kind of socially awkward, didn’t really play sports. Then you get good at it and someone sees you play and is like “whoa”, and you’re just thinking “it’s really not that hard, man”. It’s something that happened very early. It’s always been around.
I have a real issue with buying gear and guitars. I always tell my wife, some guys are into cars, I’m into guitars. I like gear. I just kind of fell into it but it’s super reading for anyone who gets into it and has the discipline to stick with it. It’s a really rewarding thing to be involved with. Hard work pays off and this is a perfect example. If you practice practice practice you can do whatever you want with the guitar.
Q.) What advice do you have for someone who wants to learn guitar?
A.) Take a song you really like and learn it – or don’t. You need to be really into the music to stick with it. I wouldn’t pick anything difficult. I think one of the reasons I stuck with it was I thought System of a Down was the coolest thing. The songs are hard enough that they challenge you, but they’re easy enough that it’s not an insurmountable difficulty. When you learn the song and you do it, and you play along – that’s what I used to do, crank up the music and guitar and see if I could get it to lock in – whenever that would happen, I would keep playing it until it happened, and when it did, it’s super rewarding. You’ll stick with it then.
Check out “Broken Words (Won’t Heal the World)” on Fret Zealot here!
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REVIEW: Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II
/by Kaley LynchShane tried out the Epiphone Slash “AFD” Les Paul Special-II, available from the Fret Zealot store with the Fret Zealot system installed.
Here’s what he thought:
You can check out the Fret Zealot Slash player study here!