COMPETITION: Steve Vai picks his “Design A JEM” winner!
July 8, 2010
Mr Vai has picked his favourite of the Design the JEM entries and here is it:
Congratulations to user “ALEX” on his winning design submission for the Ibanez Design a JEM Contest! Ibanez will be manufacturing two JEM guitars featuring Alex’s design– one for Alex and one for Steve.
Check out the finalists here. Some interesting ideas there!
COMPETITION: Win over £3k worth of T-Rex pedals!
July 7, 2010
Guitarist magazine have just launched a competition to win a WODGE of T-Rex pedals:
Win T-Rex gear worth over £3,000!
The pedalboard of dreams could be yours – for free!
First prize is a T-Rex ToneTrunk 68 pedalboard loaded with the following T-Rex stompboxes…
Mudhoney II £215
CompNova £155
Dr. Swamp £215
Møller £215
Twister £250
RoomMate £340
Reptile £250
Tremster £155
Tremonti Phaser £215
TwinBoost £155
FuelTank JuicyLucy £105
ToneTrunk 68 Gigbag £152
8 Patch cables 6″ £60
1 patch cable 32″ £16
2 Instrument cable £30
2 T-Rex t-shirts
T-Rex sticker (yes, you even get a sticker)
Total value is a whopping £2,508!
One runner-up will win a T-Rex Spin Doctor, worth £520.
Closing date is 31 August 2010.
COMPETITION: Guitar Idol 2010 starts soon!
July 7, 2010
Things have been a bit quiet but looks like Guitar Idol 2010 will be kicking off in the next few weeks!:
The details of Guitar Idol 2010 are in the final stages of planning and we wanted to let you know to watch this space in the next couple of weeks!
There’s been alot of enquiries about the competition, but we wanted to confirm that entry is not yet open, so don’t panic.
Guitar Idol 2009 was a huge success with the final being held at last year’s London Music Show. Thousands of entries were recieved and 12 talented finalists were chosen..
The 2009 live event was also broadcast across the web with tens of thousands of viewers worldwiding tuning in to watch the finals and vote for their winning performance.
All our amazing finalists gave the packed audience a performance to remember but there could be just 1 winner. Jack Thammarat from Thailand stepped away as the Guitar Idol 2009 winner with the grand prize of a PRS Custom 24 presented to him by Ace from the band Skunk Anansie, a Marshal JVM stack and a special prize of a £3000 custom guitar made by Rob Williams Guitars.
The legendary Steve Vai even chose his own personal favourite from the finalist and awarded Daniele Gottardo a special prize of an Ibanez Jem signed by Steve himself.
Details for Guitar Idol 2010 will be released very soon, but check out the 2009 finalists in the meantime!
Stay tuned for more details very soon.
COMPETITION: Shred This 3!
July 2, 2010
Shred This! has returned and this time with guest judge… Brett Garsed!
Brett Garsed is one of my all time favourite players so it’s doubly awesome to hear about the new Shred This! Competition:
Brett Garsed joins Rick Graham, Tom Quayle, Magnus Olsson, Chris Brooks and the Don himself, Laurie Monk on the judges panel:
Brett wants you to play… so Shred This has lined up this awesome judging firepower:
Brett Garsed: http://www.brettgarsed.com/
Rick Graham: http://youtube.com/starlinginspector
Tom Quayle: http://youtube.com/tq105
Magnus Olsson: http://www.magnusolsson.com/
Chris Brooks: http://www.chrisbrooks.net/
Laurie Monk: http://truthinshredding.com/
The Prizes:
1 Pick Your Own DiMarzio pickups! http://tiny.cc/dimarzio
2 10 pack Ultimate Fusion Tuition DVD set by Derry Gabel
3 Ibanez DS7 distortion pedal from Magnus Olsson
4 Rick Graham,Chris Brooks, Magnus Olsson CD collection
5 Tristan Klein – Universal Mojo CD
The Steps you need to take to enter:
1 Download the backing track http://tiny.cc/brettbt
2 video your response solo
3 Complete the entry form http://tiny.cc/brettform
4 and then post your video in response to this video [link to follow]
5 promote your video
6 Win!
What we are looking for: Great improvisation or composition. great tone, note selection A one take solo, no harmonies, no double tracking, just you with the backing track.
Brett Garsed’s music: http://astore.amazon.com/truinshr2-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=209
Competition closes 15th August 2010 at 23:00 BST. We’ll then shortlist as soon as we can, but it does take some time
CHECK IT OUT: Free Jazz/Fusion guitar lessons from Mike Outram!
June 30, 2010
Just spotted on Twitter, Mike Outram, has just posted not one not two but twenty-nine short guitar lessons for FREE!
Each lesson comes with audio, transcriptions and analysis of the ideas used:
The Jewel Box Vol.1 is a free, downloadable collection of 29 short guitar lessons, complete with audio, notation, tab and a brief explanation and analysis of the ideas presented along with suggestions for developing the ideas in your own way.
Dive right in and download the whole thing from here for absolutely free by clicking the ‘download’ link on the music player below. All the notation/tab etc., is included in the download.
The lessons range from simple to complex, so for an example of what’s included, here are two of the 29 PDFs included in the download: a simple one [listen] featuring some laid-back, funky comping, and a more complex one [listen] featuring a syncopated, chromatic fusiony solo. And, if you want, all the audio can be previewed in the player below.
Feel free to share it and pass it along. That would make me very happy
Mike Outram
Table of Contents:
4 Ways To Target Chord IV
4 Ways To Approach The Turnaround
How To Solo Using Triplet Groupings
Jazz Fusion Solo & Miscellaneous Bending Techniques
Jimi’s Chords, Wes’s Octaves, Metheny’s Phrasing And The Tri-Tone Substitution
4 Burning Lydian Dominant Licks
Unlocking The Super Locrian
Mixing Major And Minor Pentatonics Ala BB King And Rhythmic Scale Exercises
Making The Changes: Using Triads 1
Making The Changes: Using Triads 2
Making The Changes: Using Triads 3
Making The Changes: Using Triads 4
Making The Changes: Using Triads 5
Making The Changes: Using Triads 6
How To Use Octaves And Chords In The Style Of Wes Montgomery
Double-Time Soloing In The Style Of Wes Montgomery
Simple Funky Comping Using 3rds & 7ths
Funky Soloing In The Style Of Grant Green
Four-To-The-Bar Comping Using Inversions And Passing Chords
Spacious And Simple Comping On A Laid-Back Funky Minor Blues
Phrasing Expansion: Inflections And Articulation
A Documentary About Cuddly Pets And Their Owners
Suspended Harmony – Focusing On The 4th
4ths, Consecutive 4ths, Damnation And Pain
Contrasting Simple And Extended Minor Harmony
A Rhythm Gtr Part Using Sextuplets In 12/8 Phrased In Groups Of Five
Anticipation, Chromaticism, MelodicUppyDownyism, Syncopation And Sleepless Nights
Fingerstyle Constant Bass With Improvised Upper Part [exercises]
Fingerstyle Constant Bass With Improvised Upper Part [solo example]
COMPETITION: Guitarist Of The Year 2010
June 30, 2010
Can’t believe I missed the announcement, but the grandaddy of Guitar Competitions, Guitarist Of The Year, has returned!
I remember this competition way back when it first launched in Guitarist magazine, when Dave Kilminster became the first winner and also when the one and only Guthrie Govan triumphed in 1993.
It’s great to see it return and can’t wait to see what talent it uncovers.
Britain’s got guitar talent – and Guitarist is going to find it! The London Music Show 2010 will see the long-awaited return of the Guitarist Of The Year competition, so enter now for the chance to win fantastic prizes, and to battle it out at one of three live finals held at the London Music Show on 8, 9 and 10 October at the ExCel Centre.
THE COMPETITION
Guitarist Of The Year is actually three competitions in one…
Young Guitarist Of The Year (open to GB residents aged 16 or below on 8 October)
Guitarist Of The Year (open to GB residents aged 17 and over on 9 October)
Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year (open to all GB residents).
The final of each competition will take place on a separate day at the London Music Show.
HOW TO ENTER
All you have to do to enter is send an MP3 of an original composition, either with or without backing track, that’s no more than four minutes long. Our panel of independent judges will pick a shortlist of the best entries based on composition, technical ability, taste and feel, performance and delivery – and the finalists will face off in one of three finals before a panel of expert judges and industry figures.
The winner will win some amazing prizes – stay tuned for details – and will enjoy the prestige of being crowned Guitarist Of The Year. The winners will also be featured in Guitarist magazine and will have the chance to open Guitarist Of The Year 2011.
Before entering, be sure to read the Terms & Conditions very carefully by clicking here.
To enter, click here.
The closing date for entries to Young Guitarist Of The Year, Guitarist Of The Year and Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year is 5pm GMT Monday 16 August 2010.
The shortlist will be announced at www.guitarist.co.uk on 1 September.
COMPETITION: guitarnoize.com 3rd Birthday Bonanza Giveaway!!
June 18, 2010
Want the chance to win top guiar software, pedals, DVDs, strings and straps!?
I knew you would.
Then check out guitarnoize.com’s 3rd birthday giveaway competition.
Yes it’s that time of year again when I celebrate the birth of my beloved blog by giving my readers the chance to win some very cool prizes and have I got a great bundle of gear this year! So here’s how it is going to work all you have to do to be in the running for one of the two prize packs below is to fill in your name and email into the form below, I will then use random.org to choose a winner from the entries, don’t bother entering more than once I am going to strip out duplicates before I draw the winners. The competition is open to anyone in the world, just make sure you use an email address you check often so I can get in touch for your address if you are the winner.
1st Prize:
IK Multimedia Software Bundle containing : AmpliTube 3, T-RackS 3 Deluxe & Sonik Synth 2 – http://www.ikmultimedia.com
Mad Professor Forest Green Compressor – http://www.mpamp.com
Catalinbread Pareidolia Harmonic Mesmerizer – http://www.catalinbread.com
TC Electronic PolyTune – http://www.tcelectronic.com
Dunlop Engineering prize pack including a years’ supply of strings, strap and t-shirt – http://www.jimdunlop.com
Elixir Guitar Cable – http://www.elixirstrings.com
Rock House Method Jeff Loomis and Alex Skolnick Instructional DVDs – http://www.rockhousemethod.com
2nd Prize:
IK Multimedia Software Bundle containing : AmpliTube 3, T-RackS 3 Deluxe & Sonik Synth 2 – http://www.ikmultimedia.com
Cubis Effects Custom Modded PROCO RAT – http://www.cubisteffects.com/
Elixir Guitar Cable – http://www.elixirstrings.com
Truefire.com Juiced Blues Course – Progressive Comping and Soloing Techniques for Electric Blues – http://truefire.com/
DSL Straps Tribute Series Leather Strap – http://www.dslstraps.com.au/
All you have to do is just fill in a very small form before July 16th with the winners being announced on July 19th.
