markmcguigan.com » Recommended Surfing

CHECK IT OUT: My Guest post on deftdigits.com about Guthrie Govan

mark — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:09:41 +0000

Joe, over at the fantastic deftdigits.com site, very kindly asked if I would like to post about a favourite player of mine for his great ‘Discover a Guitarist‘ series.

I decided to write up a post about Guthrie Govan, seeing as he is finally now being recognised the World over for his supreme musical talent.

So head on over and read about how I became aware Guthrie Govan and his music with some great old video footage.

Not only that, but you also get to see some early pics of Guthrie without a beard!

GEAR: Rasmus Modern M200 Musicradar review

mark — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:23:33 +0000

The reviews for the new affordable line of guitars from Suhr, Rasmus, are beginning to crop up, check out this Musicradar review of the Modern M200:

The combination of vintage and modern tones makes this a seriously versatile guitar in the truest sense of the term. No matter what style of music you play, this Rasmus model hits the modified S-type bullseye.

None of the aforementioned doom merchants had actually tried a Rasmus before they unleashed the negative vibes. As ever, the proof is in the pudding and today’s special for the doubters is a big slice of humble pie.

We like the fact that your money appears to have been spent on the important stuff – playability, pickups and hardware.

LESSON: MasterTheTheory ‘Learning the notes on all six strings’

mark — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 07:39:42 +0000

A new lesson has been uploaded to mastertheguitar videolessons entitled ‘Learning the notes on the all six strings‘:

Description

In this MasterTheTheory! video lesson, building on your knowledge of the notes on the E and A strings, you will learn how to easily work out the notes on the D, G and B strings using a quick intuitive method. Before long you will know the notes all over the entire fingerboard!

Who is this lesson for?

This lesson is for players of all levels, from beginners who need to know where to play power chords, barre chords, scales etc. to experienced players who want to fill in any gaps in their fretboard knowledge and be able to gain a greater insight into their playing.

The lesson is provided as a downloadable (160MB) zip file containing:

Full lesson, totalling ~10 mins, with detailed diagrams in 720p HD MP4 Video
High Quality supporting PDF documentation and exercises to aid you in your learning
HTML Page arranging all of the above in one easy reference point

CHECK IT OUT: jamtrackcentral.com new look website launches

mark — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:07:45 +0000

jamtrackcentral.com have just launched their new look website!:

EDIT: jamtrackcentral are now on Google+

CHECK IT OUT: Levi Clay Transcription Facebook Fan Page, free Fellowship TAB w/Guthrie Govan

mark — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:10:42 +0000

Levi Clay has just launched a Facebook Fan page for his Transcription services. As a thankyou to everyone who has liked so far, Levi has released a FREE TAB of The Fellowship‘s (featuring Guthrie Govan) version of ‘Seventh Heaven’:

Head on over and join the fun, the more people who like the more freebies on offer!

CHECK IT OUT: Guthrie Govan on cover of Guitar Player Magazine

mark — Thu, 19 May 2011 08:26:55 +0000

It’s taken a while, in fact Guitar Player magazine had named Guthrie Govan ‘Best New Talent’ way back in 2008 as he was getting more global recognition around the World, in part, due to youtube. But finally the great man has now graced the cover of the July issue of the legendary Guitar Player Magazine:

Being the modern age I can’t wait to get this issue digitally via Zinio!

(ta to Laurie for the heads up)

CHECK IT OUT: Guthrie and Ed’s Suhr Rasmus Factory tour pics

mark — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:26:47 +0000

Spotted this on the Suhr Gallery, some pics from June last year of Ed Yoon and Guthrie Govan having a look around the new Suhr Rasmus factory during their Asia tour:

CHECK IT OUT: Steve Vai Guitar Techniques online Berklee Course

mark — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:25:35 +0000

Now this is a Vai’s fan dream come true.

Steve Vai has teamed up with his old school Berklee to offer a 12 week online course:

Berkleemusic Exclusive: Gain a deep understanding and command of the playing styles, repertoire, techniques, and musical concepts of guitar legend and Berklee alum Steve Vai. This online course, the first ever of its kind, presents an “under the hood” look at the work of one of the world’s most influential guitarists. Through playing exercises, listening examples, hours of never-before-seen video, song transcriptions, performance assignments – and even a live chat with Vai himself – students will not only learn the secrets behind Vai’s best known compositions and virtuosic techniques, but will also learn how to improve their own solos, chord and rhythm playing, and overall voice on the guitar.

Each week, the course spotlights a different Steve Vai composition and explores all the relevant topics and techniques related to that song, including soloing, rhythm playing, scales, bending, tapping, sweep picking, sliding, time feel, tone, bending, articulation, and use of the whammy bar. You will learn to craft and perform lead lines like those in the Grammy-nominated songs “Tender Surrender,” “For the Love of God,” and “The Attitude Song.” You will learn to execute the seemingly impossible two-hand tapping, pull-offs, and other ear-bending licks from songs like “Building the Church,” “Juice,” and “Jibboom.” You will also listen to a number of Vai’s first-hand anecdotes and inspirational lessons, including many behind the scenes stories about playing alongside the composer and guitarist Frank Zappa.

The course will also explore the circular vibrato, the incredibly precise artificial harmonics, and the virtuosic sweeps that Vai is known for. In addition to dissecting Vai’s tunes, the course places a heavy emphasis on “how” and “why” each tune was written, allowing you to grow not only as a performer but also as a composer, all the while finding your own unique voice on the guitar. This course is co-authored by Steve Vai, who will be an occasional guest instructor in each course section. Steve Vai Guitar Techniques is taught by members of Berklee College of Music’s renowned guitar department. All students will receive detailed, personalized feedback on their work from an esteemed member of Berklee’s guitar faculty, who will be leading this course on a week-to-week basis.

The course syllabus is outlined in detail here. Looks pretty amazing the only kicker is the price which comes in at $1,395 (For-credit tuition) or $1,195 (Non-credit tuition)!

But then again, you get to learn from the man himself

CHECK IT OUT: Perpetual Burn: The Story of Jason Becker

mark — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:29:41 +0000

I’ve been meaning to blog about this.

An official documentary about the truly inspirational Jason Becker is in the works. Details of which can be checked out at www.JasonBeckerMovie.com:

‘Perpetual Burn: The Story of Jason Becker’ from Jason Becker: Perpetual Burn on Vimeo.

Funds are needed to help with production of the film and I wholeheartedly recommend you chip in whatever you can. Jason Becker’s story is a testament to a wonderful musician and player who didn’t let obstacles get in his way. Whenever you think you are having a bad playing day look to Jason for *true* inspiration.

‘Perpetual Burn: The Story of Jason Becker’ is a new feature-length documentary film about the legendary guitar hero, Jason Becker. It will feature interviews with Jason, his family and friends, and many of the amazing musicians he’s worked with over the years. There will be plenty of great Jason Becker performance footage from Cacophony through to his solo work, as well as tons of unseen footage and unreleased music from the Becker archives.

But we need your help to make it happen.

We’re sick and tired of being turned away by producers and commissioners who only want to make films about Lady GaGa and the Jonas Brothers and not about real musicians and heroes like Jason. So we need YOU, the fans, to help make sure this film gets made and Jason’s story and music is seen and heard by millions around the world.

HOW THESE FUNDS WILL BE USED
All funds raised via IndieGoGo will go toward the principal production of the film scheduled to begin end of November 2010. This includes travel and accommodation for our small film crew, camera & lighting equipment rental, camera stock, insurance, and rights clearances for news broadcasts, archival footage and music. Funding will also go toward post-production, animation work, sound mixing and language translation.

We realize times are tough for some people but even $5 will be an enormous help in making the dream of telling Jason’s story to the world a reality.

WHAT YOU GET
In exchange for your generous contributions, we are offering some rare Jason Becker memorabilia as well as advance copies of the Limited Edition DVD and Blu-Ray, Limited Edition Jason Becker Movie T-Shirts, Film Posters, Jason Becker CDs, and credits in the film.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
We are making this film for Jason. We want to be able to bring his music and spirit to the rest of the world and film is a very powerful way of doing this. With your support, we can make a film that can screen at film festivals and cinemas all over the world opening up new possibilities not just for Jason, but for other sufferers of ALS. It’s important that people are made aware of this disease but also to show that people with ALS can still live fulfilling lives and do amazing things. This film will not be able to fund itself so we need your help to make it happen.

SUPPORTING PARTNERS
This film is supported by the San Francisco Film Society so all donations are tax deductible. You can make a donation on behalf of yourself, your company or your band. We are supported by the Les Turner ALS Foundation, the ALS Film Fund, the MND Association, and the ALS Association.

LANGUAGES
The film will be translated into over 10 languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, Italian, Turkish, Japanese, French, and German. If we’ve left any out please let us know!

HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP
You can also help by directing people to this page or our website www.JasonBeckerMovie.com

Help us make this film and to help introduce more people around the world to Jason and his ability to inspire through his music, his mind, and his awe-inspiring determination and spirit.

Thank you.

One of my favourite Jason Becker clips, casual use of the yo-yo

CHECK IT OUT: custom-transcription.com

mark — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:55:07 +0000

Master transcriber Adrian Clark ( who transcribes for jamtrackcentral.com, Guitarist Magazine and Guitar Techniques amongst other top publications ) has just relaunched his custom transciption website at http://www.custom-transcription.com.

If you want *accurate* transcriptions at a great price then get in touch. Adrian’s reputation speaks for itself:

Struggling to figure out that amazing lick you recorded at last night’s rehearsal? Perhaps I can help…

Complete songs, solos or just a riff… it’s up to you!
Powertab, Guitar Pro… high quality PDF always provided.
Guitar arrangements from keyboard or other instruments.
Most bass styles also covered… contact me for details.
Optional theory, scale or technique information.

Here are a couple of example transcriptions in PowerTab format: