Before I get into the news, remember that you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time by logging into
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/forum/ and going to your User CP > Edit Options and unticking the 'Receive Email from Administrators' check box.
################################################## #######################
Site Upgrade
If you've visited the forum over the last week, you probably noticed that it was up and down like a yo-yo. Sorry about that ... the site has grown so large that we had to upgrade. For a few days, we were bouncing around hyperspace, waiting for the various relays and hubs and ISPs to clear their caches so that everything pointed to the new server. We think it's pretty well settled in now. The good news is that we have double the ram and newer processors running the site now, so it should all be faster and more reliable.
################################################## #######################
Kirk's Weekly Guitar Lesson
I've posted two new lessons since our last newsletter:
The first demonstrates a finger picking style that can be used for many tunes, a sort of Bob Dylan 'Don't Think Twice it's Alright' pattern (in fact I've used those chords). It takes a while to limber the fingers up to it, but once you get it, it's very fun to play and will come in very handy.
That's at this url -
Dylan Pickin
The second is an original finger style tune I came up with last week while watching TV one evening. I call it 'Rainy Day Waltz' because we finally got some rain here, and it was pounding on the roof as I put the lesson together. It has a bit of a Celtic feel to it.
You'll find that one here -
Rainy Day Waltz
################################################## #######################
Other Lessons
More exciting news for the Guitar for Beginners & Beyond Forum.
We would like to extend an official welcome to our two new lesson contributors, Fretsource and Tekker - both members have been great contributors and we were lucky enough to have them both agree to putting some lesson/articles together for the forum and they've been busy!
Fretsource's Lesson Forum -
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/fo...splay.php?f=70
Fretsource has just put together a very comprehensive look at finger style guitar techniques, with tablature, sound files and written commentary. Check it out at
Fingerstyle accompaniment
He has also put together Article/Lessons on:
A brief history of the guitar -
A brief history of the guitar
All about Intervals -
All about INTERVALS
Changing key (Transposition) -
Changing key (Transposition)
The Chromatic Scale -
The chromatic scale
Thanks Fretsource!
___________________________
Tekker's Lesson Forum -
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/fo...splay.php?f=69
If you're looking into recording your guitar but need some tips, Tekker has posted several great articles on recording techniques, so be sure to check them out!
Tekker's Recording Articles
FREE Effects Plugins and Recording Programs -
The 'FREEBIE' List
Microphones/Miking Techniques -
Microphones
Connecting To Soundcard -
Connecting To Soundcard
Soundcard Mixer for Standard Soundcards -
Soundcard Mixer
Kristal Audio Tutorial - Basic setup and using it as a Guitar Processor -
Kristal Audio Tutorial
Tekkers other Articles/Lessons:
Theory Basics -
Music Theory Basics
Theory On Chord Progressions -
Harmonic Conjugations
7th Chords -
7th Chords
Chord Substitution -
Chord Substitution
Modulation/Changing Keys -
Modulation
Linking The 5 Major Scale Patterns/Using Minor Pentatonic -
Linking The 5 Major Scale Patterns
Thanks Tekker!
So, you can see that the free lessons are coming thick and fast. Enjoy!
################################################## #######################
Donations
If you'd like to help out, please consider making a donation to the site. As I mentioned above, we upgraded to bigger and better technology, but it's also more expensive. We welcome donations of any amount and we make it very easy for you to do: simply go to this page:
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/fo...llspaypal.php? and use the form there. Paypal handles the transaction. A big thank you to those who are donating ... we appreciate every cent!
################################################## #######################
New Forum
We have created a forum dedicated to Improvisation, a subject often asked about. Improvising, or 'creating music on the fly' is something I love to do and I will be posting some examples and explanations of the way I go about it in the very near future. You can find "The Art of Improvisation" forum here -
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/fo...splay.php?f=74
################################################## #######################
PlaneTalk - The Truly Totally Different Guitar Instruction Book
For any of the 'beyond' players who come to Guitar for Beginners and Beyond, you may be at a stage in your playing where you feel the need to move on up the fretboard, to explore the upper reaches, beyond the second dot ... it can be pretty scary moving away from that familiar territory, but in fact, there is nothing different about it. There's a simple way to make the entire fretboard familiar, friendly territory at all times. It has nothing to do with scales, either. Scales are one-dimesional, and have their place in the big picture, but there is something more practical and useful that you can tune your brain to, a simple way of looking at the fretboard that glues everything into place ... at any given moment of any given tune. Drop in and read all about it at
http://www.thatllteachyou.com ... browse through the many testimonials ... one recent customer tells me he's thrown all his other How To Play Guitar books out since he read PlaneTalk and watched the DVD that comes with it!
################################################## #######################
How to Play
Slide Guitar in Standard and Dropped D Tunings
The DVD I finished recently continues to go out to the world at large. It's a 70 minute demo of the art of playing slide guitar in standard tuning. Most of us know how to tune a guitar to a chord and play slide that way ... that's the traditional way ... playing in standard allows you to slid a slide over the pinkie and use it intermingled with your normal playing. It takes a bit of getting used to, of course, but it sure can spice up your sound, and contrary to popular belief, standard tuning is a rich environment, full of slide possibilities. I like to tune my bass string down a tone to D too ... that adds a whole extra dimension without altering the overall fretboard map too much.
Check that out at
http://www.bottleneckguitar.com ... have a listen to the many slide tunes I have loaded into the
radio there on the home page.
################################################## #######################
Kirk's Gigs
Saturday 16th September I'm playing at the Bucca Blues Festival on the outskirts of Bundaberg Queensland. It's under the name of 'Kirk Lorange Band', and I'm playing with the members of the Smokin Crawdads, that very tight and nifty line up I play with regularly in and around Brisbane. We do a two hour set starting at 6PM.
The next Saturday, the 23rd, I'm playing with the Crawdads at Caloundra RSL, on the Sunshine Coast. 8PM til midnight.
OK, Happy twanging! I hope to see any Queenslanders at either of those two gigs ... come and say hi :-)
################################################## #######################
All the best,
Kirk Lorange (and Clancy!)
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/forum/
