What Distortion Or Overdrive Pedal Is Your Favorite?

I was just reading Guitar World's take on their top 10 pick of Blues type Distortion pedals and the benefits each has to offer. Their picks did leave something to be desired, and even a couple that got left out like the Zakk Wylde OD, and the Boss DS-1 pedal. Just surprised, that's all.

Now don't leave this page because it's about blues type OD's. That's where all music starts, in the blues region if you want to create that signature sound.  Most OD's are not blues based, but rather rock based.

It goes back to the 60's even before Hendrix made Roger Mayer's Octavia famous.

GW's pick for the top one was a new one that some of the top roots music players are using, and pedals that run the gamut in either vintage OD, or more midrange ability to drive your signature sound into the nether regions.

My top 10 would have been different. I'll leave you today with a link to Guitar World's review and pick of their top 10 list of OD pedals. Thanks to Chris Gill of GW for his painstaking work on this.

But I'll leave with this as well. It's something Chris said in a previous article on picking an OD pedal to buy and use. Test some out before you buy. It's kind of like the " Shiny Object Syndrome" as I call it. Don't buy the first pedal because a top player uses it, or players you know use it. It may not be right for you.

And don't base it on price either. You can't exactly budget price quality gear. Not if you want to be a better player. Just buy an OD that's right for your music, and can blend in well with your band. I'm not shitting you.

Okay, here's the link to Guitar World's top 10 OD pedals.
http://www.guitarworld.com/la-grunge-top-10-blues-approved-overdrive-distortion-pedals?page=0,4

Yeah, it's an excessively long link but it will take ya to the piece by Chris Gill of GW.

Thanks again man.

PS: I'll have something up soon from Dee Curtis our resident guitar guru and consultant here at Canadian Guitar Player on how to pick the right pedal.

Enough said, now go get that OD that will complement your tone.

Mark  

Why Paul Gilbert Says You Need To Play Live And Stop Playin' In The Bedroom

Paul Gilbert is one of the best guitar shredders, but has fun playing and teaching others. Where most top players are boring when teaching and playing, Paul just gets everyone into it.

Paul also tells you to get out of the bedroom and play guitar with humans. Don't worry so much about  mistakes and play through them. Watching others play live gives you insight into the little details of how others play on the fretboard and pick. Jamming with others will automatically take your playing to a higher level if you play regularly. Not in the basement or the bedroom by yourself.

By learning songs to play with others onstage, makes you accountable. What? Can't handle the pressure, then stay at home forever. I swear though, Paul gets players out of their shell to play onstage and become better players and people. By being accountable as a player you learn new songs, get better technically    and better players will want to play with you and have you on their bill as an opener.

How does that grab ya? Sounds pretty good to me!!

Just get up onstage and play something you know with a band at a jam session in your town. Afraid of making mistakes? We all do. Even Hendrix made mistakes. I should do an interview with Billy Cox his bass player from " The Experience". He'd be able to tell you that. I'm leaving you with a Paul Gilbert video on why you need to get out of the bedroom, and the incredible benefits of playing live and with others. You won't regret playing live man.


Any questions? Just email me. mdgrove@rock.com

Why Jimi Hendrix Gravitated Toward Jazz Players--And A Strange Coincidence

I was thinking over the weekend about some New York based jazz guitarist's I've listened to over the years, and was listening to on the weekend as well. They are Wayne Krantz and Larry Coryell. These are the jazz players who you should be listening to and learning from if you're a musician.

Why should you listen to them? Well, you know old Markie's gonna put in his two cents worth. If you as a player ever want to get better and learn some new tricks like not just playing faster, but learning to use odd-metered timings, listen to and jam with local jazz cats.

Yeah, you could play with guys you normally play with, but you won't find new riffing or textural and phrasing styles that bring you out of the norm like jazz. Jazz players are built from a different cloth.

Take Canadian blues/jazz axeman Jeff Healy, he gravitated toward jazz players and even had his own jazz band at the end of his life.

Get what I'm sayin' lads?

You're also thinking, what does this have to do with Hendrix? Come on Mark, give it up!

Well, after I listened to some great Larry Coryell I thought Coryell is about the age of Hendrix and he's still kickin'. Coryell that is. But then I thought, with the free form material Coryell and Krantz play and still play I'll bet my bottom dollar that Hendrix, being the different player that he was gravitated toward players he learned the most from to be able to take his and his band's playing to a higher level. Then I thought while I was at my job on the weekend, I'll bet Hendrix searched out jazz players like this to learn from and take his playing up a notch. Even Hendrix had to learn something from players better than himself. He's kind of like the Tiger Woods of guitar. And no it has nothing to do with him being black you fools!!

Then today, I get my regular Guitar World newsletter email and what I read just blew me away! In the late 60's Hendrix had been playing with Jazz great Miles Davis and drummer Tony Williams. The article didn't say if they jammed together at all, but I'm assuming they did. This was in New York in 1969. Hendrix wanted a bass player for this quartet, but not just any bass player.

That bass player was...

I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag. Click the link here to find out the Bass player they wanted for this little supergroup. I tell ya, some of the little groups that got put by the wayside and could have been in the 60's and 70's, and were put on the back burner because they're groups made so much money touring makes me sad. Yeah, it's great to make a lot of money so you can have a great life, but to stand in the way of great music that could have been made in some ways is more important. At least to me.

But the coincidence in all this was and is that I was thinking on the weekend that Hendrix must have sought these players out to learn from and take his playing to a whole new level in a style that takes his playing on a different kind of journey. Kind of like what I like to call " A Jazz Fusion Vacation". Low and behold he did seek these jazz players out to learn from.

But you have to click the link to this article from Guitar World to find out who the bass was that Hendrix and company wanted for their little group, back in the day of music that standed for music that was a real fuckin' high. Not the garbage from soulless musicians who just regurgitate other music, and their original music well frankly is shit!!

Here's the link to the article that you gotta read. And yep, it was just a coincidence that I was thinking that Hendrix sought these players out. Old Markie's smarter than ya thought eh? just click the link below guys.

http://www.guitarworld.com/1969-telegram-jimi-hendrix-and-miles-davis-can-paul-mccartney-come-out-play

Keith Richards Interview 1974: Why Playing Live Is The Pulse Of A Band and Doing Rythm Guitar Session Work Can Fuel Your Leads

This 1974 interview with Keith Richards was when The Stones were in England at the time and contemplating doing some US Shows. Keith was doing a lot of Sessions and was working with Ronnie Wood as well in some rythm work.

Richards talks about why bands need to focus on doing shows and to keep on doing what you love as a musician in your own band.

Your band and you as a musician can learn a lot from interviews with the top players from the 60's and 70's like Keith. My take on great players like Keith is this; if you're a guitar player or fan and you watch someone for their stupid antics just a bit, you aren't a real fan of great music or performing. To me how a musician plays is 95 percent of what they're about, and what they can teach us as musicians and fans.

The other 5 percent means shit to me other than getting more dolt fans who don't really want to learn anything other than what stupid thing a player does next, or their next radio hit. Who cares? Not me.

Watch this video and you'll learn a lot if you pay attention.


Mark

How Your Band Can Stop Procrastinating And Get To Work Writing Songs, Getting Gigs Etc.

Most bands have so many bloody ideas on writing songs, how to record them and whether to come out with a full album or an EP, that they can't decide two ways to fuckin' sunshine how to do it. Then they end up doing nothing. Is that your band? Sure it is. Don't fuck with old Markie here.

I came across a short video from a well known cash flush internet marketer and surfer Jason Moffatt from Sandiego, California. This is someone who yes, procrastinates, hell we all stagnate sometimes in life. But Jason has accomplished a lot in life besides making a nice pile of money. He helps a lot of internet marketers and business people get a better life period. You're probably thinking, but he procrastinates Mark, Duh.

Yeah, we all do at times. But we all have so much in front of us and have so many doable ideas we feel frozen emotionally to never take action. Jason shows you, or tells you what to do to get the train moving.

This can help your band, do things like finishing off writing songs you've neglected for years, getting more and better paying gigs, or hire a better bass player or manager. Or get that album done. If you want some help, just email me.

But for now, just watch Jason. he'll give your band some golden nuggets that can help get your band moving, and not just sit there waiting until some band you know just pass yours by. Forget that shit, just fuckin' do it!

For more great articles and videos from Jason Moffatt on getting a better life and helping others along the way go to: www.jasonmoffatt.com

How To Buy and Look For The Perfect Distortion Pedal--A Zakk Wylde MXR 44

Come on players, if you really want a good solid OD to take your playing and band's sound up 10 notches; lets face it, a ZW MXR 44 is where it's at. I'm including a demo of the ZW 44 and a link to an article from Chris Gill of Guitar World who tells you exactly how to buy and look for the perfect Distortion pedal, OD or
Fuzz even.

But for our purposes here, we're going with one of my favorite OD's in the last 10 years. I also plan on doing an interview with top players who use the ZW 44 and possibly an interview with Chris Gill so you get the real dope on picking the right OD.

I have a link at the sidebar of Canadian Guitar Player as well so you can grab an MXR ZW 44 as well from ZZounds.com. Yes, it's an affiliate link and I get a commission. You guys know I'm no fuckin' scammer and what I say you can take to the bank. And your signature tone will thank you as well if you grab a ZW 44.

Okay, here's the link to the Guitar World article on buying a pedal from Chris Gill. Thanks Chris. And I have the demo of the MXR 44 as well right here as well guys. So, you can't go wrong. Then go to the sidebar and grab an MXR 44. You won't be sorry. That's the link to the article and the MXR 44 demo below this.

You can click either the picture of the Zakk Wylde ZW 44 picture on the sidebar, or the link below that to grab one of these Babie's from ZZounds. Thanks guys.

http://www.guitarworld.com/how-buy-fuzz-box-guide-first-time-buyer

Today's Musicians Aren't Originals, Even If They Are Druggies--60's and 70's Artists Were Better 100 Times--If You Don't Think That Then Kill Yourself

Comedian Bill Hicks said it so well. Real musicians did drugs in the 60's and 70's came out with music that is better than all music today. Even ones who do drugs today, aren't originals and are sell outs with no hipness or acumen to any part of what they do as players. If you think most of today's players are better and hipper, give your head a shake you dolts. And yes like I said in the title, kill yourself. Play real music lads. Old Blues and rock.

No really, kill yourself. Take some pills, shoot yourself with a twelve gauge shotgun or impale yourself. If you are a musician today do yourself in. What? you think you're a great musician. Yeah, sure you are. You still think I'm joking? Nope, Kill yourself, it's best thing you can do for me, and the rest of society and music.

I'll leave you with a video from a great Comedian who was like the musicians of old. Original and hip to  what being an artist is really all about. He passed on, and even though I didn't know him personally, I miss him a lot. That says a lot right there about him. 

Peace and success to all players who are originals. Yeah, I'm a prick. So what? And don't forget, Kill Yourself. Yes, please do. Suicide in this case is under rated, not over rated. Don't forget now to kill yourself.
Am I the only one who gets this shit?

Mark G