Free Home Recording Software and Plugins

 Free software...plug in's...tips...

Here is a great site for anyone wanting to get started with Home recording. Free software links, free plugin links, tips and more.




Untill next time.....push the faders up.....Jake

Get your tools here....

Hard to find Musical Gear Manuals.....

Hard to find gear manual's....

I buy a lot of used musical gear and one of the biggest frustrations is no manual.....If you can't find a free copy of a manual online, there is a good chance that Mark Glinsky can help you. His Manual Manor page is updated regularly and lists hundreds of manuals you can purchase.

All kinds of manuels here....

Until next time..... keep listening for the click track....Jacob

Alternate tunings and online guitar tuner

Alternate Tunings......... 

Information about alternative tunings and a link below for an online tuner that does standard tuning as well as alternative tunings.

Alternate Guitar Tunings Introduction by Dave Long

Most new guitarists are overly suspicious of alternate guitar tunings.
The major stumbling block is the need to re-tune the guitar which can be a pain. This is especially true for new guitarists who have enough trouble tuning the guitar to standard tuning.
Before we get started I better point out that standard tuning is E-A-D-G-B-E.
Alternate guitar tunings tend to be named for a variety of reasons.
Open tunings are normally called after the chord which sounds when you play the open strings (open D tuning is D-A-D-G-A-D).
Sometimes tunings are named after the instrument that tunes the same way and sometimes tunings are just pick up names (think of Drop D tuning.There are also several tunings named after the songs that inspired them)

Advantages of alternate guitar tunings

The most obvious advantage is that with different pitches on the open strings we have a whole new variety of sounds and chords we can use to express ourselves.
It's really a lot of fun playing around with different riffs that were impossible before and for a lot of guitarists playing alternate tunings is the first time they come across the concept of modes.
Also, in some cases songs may be very difficult to play in standard tuning. Once you start using internet tabs (especially guitar pro tabs) you'll notice that some tabs are impossible to play because your fingers are not made of rubber.
The reason for this is the songs were probably originally written and played in alternate guitar tuning. The tab has been transcribed into standard tuning. I have to admit I sometimes wonder if people do this on purpose to frustrate beginners.
The same holds true for a lot of simple chord songs. If you ever come across chords progressions like D, D/C, D/B, D/A or A, A/G, A/F#, A/F you should suspect an open chord Celtic Guitar type of tuning.
Chord progressions like the ones above can be played in an open tuning using just one finger to change the bass note. In standard tuning playing the same progression requires all four fingers and sometimes the thumb!

http://www.howtotuneaguitar.org/

Until next time....anda one and atwo....Jake

Build Your Own Clone......

Build your own clone....



Love high end or vintage stomp boxes but not the price tag? This DIY site is a great alternative to the crazy prices of vintage stomp boxes. They sell a number of kits to satisfy your gas cravings and get some great tone at reasonable prices. Some info from their website..........

B.Y.O.C. offers a full line of DIY guitar effects kits that are based on some of the most famous circuits ever conceived and use top shelf components to provide you with superb sounding boutique level effects pedals that are both fun to build and save you money. And you will also enjoy your pedal so much more because you built it yourself (your friends will be thoroughly impressed too!).

Our kits come with absolutely EVERYTHING you need to build a complete pedal right down to the hook up wire. The circuit board is ready-to-solder and the enclosure is pre-drilled. The only thing you'll need are a few basic tools and a little patience. And they're easy to build too. The step by step instructions make it as simple as paint by numbers and the layouts are extremely intuitive.

But the most important thing with any guitar FX stompbox is how the end result sounds and holds up. A BYOC kit is not just some DIY project that simply "works". A properly built BYOC kit will rival or surpass even the most coveted and expensive handmade versions of a comparable circuit in tone, construction, and every other aspect of what makes pedal great.

With so many pedal companies that all seem to offer the same things, why not try something different?

Why not build your own clone and Take Tone Into Your Own Hands?

Here is the link to the website.....click on FX kits on the right hand side of the page.

Build your own clone...

Until next time.....can anybody find the bridge......Jacob

Top 10 Tips for Playing in a Band #1

 I'm in the Band.....













 Top 10 tips fpr playing in a Band....


Don't let any of this put you off; none of this is rocket science, just common-sense. Remember, these aren't rules, just ideas to think about. Maybe some will work for you and some won't. Maybe some could if you tried them.

1. Be on a Winning Team

A band is about working and playing together, so being a good player is fine, but unless you're so phenomenally brilliant that you're in constant demand (sorry, but most of us are not), then it's actually more important to know how to work in a team of people.

Some artists think its cool to be temperamental (half temper and half mental!), but you're making your own life harder than it needs to be if you put up with these people in your band, or even worse, if you're one yourself. Working in a good team can be fantastic (you know: the power of the team is greater than the sum of its individuals). You can get a real buzz when you pull off a successful gig together. In the band, it benefits you, as a band member, to leave space for others to grow, learn and make mistakes.

10 Tips for playing in a band....


Check out the site....some other neat stuff there about guitar gear and Roland Synths...waiting for the next downbeat....Jake

OurStage

Our Stage.......


I am always on the lookout for sites that promote good music and make away for musicians to connect to the public. This site has a lot of cool music to offer and another platform to get your music heard and connect with new fans. Here is a little info about how it works:

How does it work?

As an artist, your first step is to upload your music or video and decide which channel competition to enter. Then, fans judge the work side by side with the work of others. Our unique judging capability (called Peer Relative Ranking, but don't worry about that) makes sure that each piece is judged fairly by the real audience- with no rigging, no cheating, and no celebrity judges. At the end of each month, the top 20 and the top 10 in each channel go head-to-head in a special judging channel to determine the winner of that channel, and then a site-wide judging contest to determine our Grand Prize winner. For more information about that, see the Judging section below! As a fan, all you have to do is listen to some great music and give feedback about just how great you think it is. Find your favorite artists and follow them as they grow!

Another tool to reach new fans and for the music fan another way to discover great new music.

http://www.ourstage.com/about/how

Until the next downbeat......Jake