It’s been a while.....Jammin’ during a pandemic

 It’s been a long while since I’ve posted to this blog. Almost 8 years to the day. A ton of things have happened in those 8 years. More kids, bands, guitars, presidents and a pandemic. The pandemic has been an absolute killer for musicians and the network of people employed in the music business. Every one at this point knows how bad it is. It’s a time in history that is bleak for anyone who straps on a guitar, gets behind a console or pushes cases. What we are going to talk about here is what we can do as musicians to make jammin during the time of the ‘rona a little less miserable. Here are 9 things you can do during the Covid-19 pandemic to keep jammin’. 

1- Discover new music. You have the time to do it now. There no excuse. Put on some random Pandora station, YouTube playlist or a random Apple Music station and just let it play. It doesn’t have to be a brand new artist, just something mew to you. Here’s one of my favorite new jams https://youtu.be/EuhL6aTONM0

2- Learn as many new songs as possible. Learn that new Rob Zombie song. You know you want to. Learn that Justin Bieber song that got stuck in your head when you were in middle school.

3- Learn some tv show theme songs. There are some really good ones that will make you a better player and writer. Learn the horn parts to this one https://youtu.be/tUltrX-ICew

4- Write some new songs! You have plenty of time to since your not gigging. Now is the time to get the crappy ones out of the way. By the time you can start gigging again you’ll be a better writer and maybe write something people will want to hear and not just your mom telling you your song sounds good.

5- Watch some live performances from some of the G.O.A.T.’s  here is one of my faves that is a great all around performance and stunning live show https://youtu.be/E9Iau_oik-E

6- Do some jammin’ online with some folks. There are several ways you can jam online with people during the pandemic. Do it, come on , do it.

7- Practice more. You’ve watched some inspiring live performances, discovered some new to you music so you should be all geared up to dive into some scale work and finger exercises.

8-Learn a new instrument. I mean really learn one. Don’t just be a guitar player who “plays bass” by just playing the root note of the guitar chords you already know. Actually learn how to play bass and learn it’s role in a band. Start by learning some real bass parts. Forget you know how to play guitar. Start with this one https://youtu.be/ldqtc1OjZBU

9- Work on your tone. There are many cheap and easy ways to record yourself playing to get a listen to what other people hear when you play. For gods sake turn down the gain and add some mids. Hearing what you actually sound like will make it more bearable for people to listen to you play once you can get back to giggin. You’ll be very surprised what you actually sound like when you listen back to a recording of yourself. You’ll hear some buzzes and  hums which will make you go get some decent guitar cables and learn how to make sure your amp is properly grounded . You’ll hear how clean or sloppy you play and make it better. 

Until next time...........Get you jam on.

(Next time it won’t be 8 years between posts, promise) 

  

Spotlight Licks: Will McCranie

This edition oif spotlight licks features Augusta native and current resident of New York, New York, Will McCranie. Will is a veteran of the Augusta music scene, having won countless Lokal Loudness awards and opening for a bunch of national acts. He is known for being an acoustic singer songwriter type but at heart he is a smokin guitar player. He has toured the east coast as a solo artist, as a back up player and with his band the Will McCranie Trio. Here is a lick he does in drop D tuning. He says it is his way of doing some of the very cool synth sounds of Pink Floyd. He shows you everything you need to do in the video. Check out Will and keep up with his shows at http://willmccranie.com/

Student Spotlight: Shauna Price

This edition of Student Spotlight is here by deemed the " The Christmas Student Spotlight:Shauna Price." I hope by this point everyone has all their Christmas shopping done and is snuggled up next to the fireplace cuddling with their loved ones with a mug of hot chocolate, waiting for ole Santa to come drop off some presents. While your waiting for Saint Nick check out Miss Shauna Price. Miss Shauna has been playing guitar for 2 years now. She is only 8 years old! She started taking lessons from me at age 6. She is a straight A, honor role student at Lake Forrest Elementary School. Shauna decided she wanted to play guitar, way back when, while visiting her aunt in Vermont. Her aunt was taking guitar lessons and Shauna went with her to one and watched her during a lesson. She wanted to play guitar at that moment. Some of Shauna's favorite bands are Fun, Panic at the Disco, Taylor Swift, Classic Addict and Pink. Even though Shauna is only 8 years old she has been to some concerts. She's seen Panic at the Disco, Fun and Classic Addict. If she could play guitar for any band in history it would be Panic at the Disco. The reason why? Shauna got to meet them. When Shauna was around 4 years old her mom sent a video of her singing Panic songs to Panic at the Disco. When Shauna met them a couple years later the band actually remembered her from the video!!!! She got to take pictures with them and hang out with them. That experience solidified her love of panic at the Disco forever. Shauna's favorite guitar is this blue acoustic she has that has a lot of her favorite bands autographs on it. The guitar has Panic at the Disco, Fun and Classic Addict autographs. I am sure she will have many more bands sign it through her life too! If she could play guitar anywhere in the world it would be France. She would love to play in France so that she could see the Eiffel Tower while there, plus she has always wanted to learn French too. Shauna comes from a pretty musical family. Of course she has the aunt that got her inspired to play, who's name is Betty. She has an uncle who plays, has a great uncle who plays a ton of things and has a studio and of course her GaGa plays the flute. Her mother's side is very musical. Shauna's favorite song to play is "Mine" by Taylor Swift. Shauna still sees herself playing guitar in the next 5 years and hopefully is a student at Davidson fine Arts. Shauna thinks that learning power chords is the thing that has most benefited her in her time in lessons with me so far. When Shauna grows up she wants to be a vet. i for one think she can do it with no problem. When Shauna came back from summer break this year she came back wit the fire. She has made huge improvements in her playing and has really stepped up her game. She has impressed me a ton. She is hungry for musical knowledge and has been practicing her butt off! I have enjoyed watching her get better every week. So here's to you Shauna........Keep Rockin.........Keep Playing.........and keep Having Fun!!!!!

Black friday= Christmas Coming

I know its been a while since i have last posted. I have been busy hanging out with my little baby girl. Its hard not to want to spend every waking moment with her. With that being said, it is time for me to give you some cool gift ideas for your musician loved ones. Lets start with some stocking stuffers.

Some great stocking stuffers are strings. Every bass and guitar player needs strings constantly. Guitar slides rule. They are small and there are many kinds to choose from at Rock bottom. Guitar straps are great too. Straps now a days can have your favorite band on them, slogan and come in all different colors. Instrument cables are great too. They go bad often and you can never have enough. Picks are super cheap and every guitar player needs them on a regular basis. I can only dream of getting a stocking full on my gator grip picks. One cool thing i have seen in the store lately is the fender baseball. They are awesome looking. Get one while we got em. They aren't going to be available long. Things like this fit in a stocking very easy and are on the low end of price.

Some cool mid priced things are all over the place at Rock Bottom. We got some great acoustics starting around $120. There are some great bass, banjo, guitar and mandolin starter packs too. They come with everything a player needs to get started. They have the instrument, picks, amp, strap, tuner and picks all in one package. We also have some great practice amps too. The fender Mustang 1 is the new must have amp. It has all kinds of effects built in, hooks to your computer and even has a headphone amp to help out parents and neighbors when a player just wants to crank it up. We also have some great headphones available too. There are also lots of different kinds of pedals available too. from crunchy distortion to far out flangers we got them. Pedals are always a great gift idea for your player loved one.

We also have lots of gifts for that "big gift" you might want to get. We have a ton of great Fender, Gibson, Guild, EVH, Gretch and every other top brand name guitar available. Come on, who wouldn't want a USA Fender or USA Les Paul waiting for them under the ole tree on Christmas morning. The prices on these top name guitars and basses are too low for me to list. There are some awesome amps i need to mention too. We got some marshalls. There is a JCM 800 head I look at every day that i wish would end up under my tree. How about an Ampeg SVT  with an 8x10 cab? Your bass player would flip if they got it! Lots of top quality Pearl, etc drum sets too for the aspiring drummer are all over Rock Bottom. There is the EVH 5150 half stack that is calling out to be put under a tree. We also have the highly sought after 50 watt version of the 5150 too.

With all the choices there are for your musician for Christmas it will be easy for you to pick up that "must have" item for them. Stop on down to Rock bottom on Black Friday or any other day between now and the big day and get that Xmas shopping done! I am also offering a free lesson with every purchase of a guitar. happy Holidays and happy shopping!

Spotlight Licks with Scott Terry: Round 2 the String Bending Edition

We are back with Mr. Scott Terry here in spotlight licks. He is here to show us how to do some awesome, unbelievable bends. Pay close attention and get to bending them strings like you are He-Man or She-Ra!

Way to be a better musician #567- Go See Some Live Music!!!!

One of the things you can do to make yourself a better musician is to of course practice practice practice, but another thing is to go some some live, in person music. Im not talking about watching your favorite band live on a dvd or youtube but physically going out and seeing it happen in real life. Go see some big name national bands and go see some great local music as well. You can see some great music in a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, club, arena, stadium, church and just about any place else. You will learn a ton from seeing your favorite band live. You will see how they perform. Learn some of the stage moves. Listen to the tones and sounds of the amps and guitars. You will even in some cases here your favorite song played a little different live too. Sometimes when a song is done in the studio it is done way different live. Sometimes its better, sometimes not.There are certain bands that are meant to be seen live. Phish is one. They are 1000 times better live than on cd. Godsmack is a band I HATE but will pay to see them any day of the week. They are a completely different animal live. My wife and i had the pleasure of seeing Roger Waters do "The Wall" in concert. It was the single most amazing show I have ever seen. The playing was top notch. The lights and production was top notch and the sound was world class. Watching a master like Roger Waters showed me a whole new way to perform to a crowd. A guy like him can have an audience in the palm of his hand in about 10 seconds. I learned alot about how to interact with a crowd by going and seeing Ozzy. He interacts with the crowd and makes everyone in the audience feel "special." There is also something about being with other people and singing along and dancing to songs that cannot be experienced by listening on an iPod or watching a dvd. There are tons of great local artists who are just as good as any national act too. You can learn alot by watching guys like Riley Williams, Michael Dinkins or TuTu DeVine. So get your butt out of your house and get some concert tickets or go out and see some great local music!

Product Review: MXR Distortion Pedals

This review is done by Rock Bottom Music owner Jonathon Karow.

My quick review on three new MXR pedals at Rock Bottom Music:
Personally I like the MXR 78' Bad Ass Distortion A.K.A. Appetite for Distortion. The MXR Bad Ass Modified O.D. pedal is not bad but sounds a bit "boxy" through my Hot Rod Deluxe. It is a great pedal... just not "my tone". It might make a nice lead boost over and above the tube gain (like a Tube Screamer but voiced differently)? The MXR Full Bore Metal is PERFECT for someone looking for Modern High Gain from Enter Sand Man to full out Death Metal. It is fun to play with but not a necessary "color in my personal Crayon box". I would definitely have one if I were a Metal shred guitarist.

A very cool feature on the Full Bore Metal is the Gate button (Noise Gate). It can be adjusted for the Gate time in the battery compartment. A green LED lights up to visually show the player when the Gate is active.
Come on down to Rock Bottom and test drive them for yourself. The price for these are lower here than any place else...guarenteed!