Jonathan Barker Guitar Lessons

10/13/2010

Last minute show update! Ravishers play with Liz Phair tonight at the Doug Fir, 9:00pm. Party time USA!

10/04/2010

Gonna be sending out the next Shreducation Newsletter today! Still a few hours left to sign up...

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09/25/2010

So I've spent a few weeks with my Lovepedal Custom Effects Eternity Fuse overdrive pedal. I've had a chance to use it live at a few shows and in the studio. The verdict? I love it! It sounds fantastic in front of a clean channel/amp and can push a dirty channel WAY over, if you like. The 'glass' k**b (diff. than typical tone, more like a treble +/-) keeps things from getting too harsh sounding. But beware, the glass k**b can quickly tip you into icepick territory. Also this pedal is VERY quiet, which I love. A 3-way switch flips the pedal between overdrive, treble booster, and clean booster. There's a ton of gain and overdrive to be found, I've typically had the pedal's volume just shy of 12 o'clock, the gain about 10 o'clock, and the glass just past noon. This is my first gadget from Lovepedal and I've quickly become a believer. I see this pedal having a home in my live and studio pedalboard for quite some time. At $215, the Eternity fuse isn't a cheapie, but it is fantastic!

08/30/2010

The new phone books are here! Wait, it's better than that. I ordered a brand new pedal that is coming today - Lovepedal's Eternity Fuse. My beloved Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, my sole overdrive pedal the past nine years, is about to bite the dust, so the timing is right... Stay tuned for a review, in the meantime here's a link to Lovepedals' site.

The Lovepedal Eternity can be 3 pedals in one - Overdrive, Treble Booster and Clean booster - depending on where you set the dials. You can also blend these 3 factors. It has a socketed IC so you can swap out different ICs (extra ICs are not included.). Darker tones brighter tones, etc. Unortho...

08/25/2010

Legato technique focuses almost solely on the left hand. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bending, and tapping are all common legato techniques used to create a smooth sound. It's no coincidence that legato means smooth. You'll attack/pick the first note, and the remaining notes which are under the legato marking (arch) will be legato (hammer-on, pull-off, etc.). There are two Legato Challenges in the link below and they're both quite difficult so be sure to start slowly and take your time. You'll probably notice that notes hammered by the pinkie were much more quite than the others... It will take both left hand finger strength and proper ex*****on of the hammer/pull-off to get these lines sounding great. Strive to have each note be equal volume. This will get you started and we can take it from there together in our next lesson!

08/25/2010

Throughout my years of teaching there's one thing that everyone struggles with more than any other: Rhythm. We've got to start seeing rhythm and pitch as equals; if one is off the entire performance will sound 'wrong'. That means we'll need to have both the rhythm and pitch down. Enter the metronome. This is the single most powerful gadget you can use to improve your guitar playing. I love it! They never speed up or slow down, just keep completely consistent tempo. A simple click marks each beat: notes that are sounded slightly before the click are called 'ahead of the beat,' or early; notes that occurs slightly after the beat are considered 'behind the beat,' or late.

The key to getting the most from using a metronome is in the approach. First things first! If you're playing a line or some chord changes and it's not coming out smoothly, or there is any sort of unintentional delay/pause rhythmically, then I 've got some good news for you. You aren't a terrible player, you're just playing too fast! Here's the solution: Take the part you're working on and slow it down to a tempo that will allow you to perform the part flawlessly. This can be a bit of an ego hit at times... it's often much slower than we'd like! That feeling will dissolve when you begin to quickly see and hear your own improvement. Once you consistently perform the part without error (perhaps 10 times in a row) you're ready to notch up the tempo. WARNING * ALERT * WARNING * Only increase the tempo by 2 - 4 bpm (beats per minute). Remember, our goal is to perform the part correctly (accurate rhythm and pitch). Using a metronome when looping small problem sections is the way to go, it's a 'guaranteed success' approach! I've got two recommendations for everyone: Tempo 2 ($1.99) for the ipod/iphone, and a great hardware tuner/metronome by Sabine, MetroTune MT9000 ($30). A metronome is the single most powerful gadget you can use to improve your guitar playing, so bring yours into your next lesson!

Learn more, read reviews, and download Tempo 2 - Metronome by Frozen Ape on the iTunes App Store.

08/25/2010

Have you guys come across Guthrie Govan yet? He's unreal! He has two instructional books, Creative Guitar 1& 2, the first of which is one of the best I've ever worked with. He does an outstanding job of covering both fundamental and advanced techniques using conversational text along with many challenging (but approachable) examples. The writings are often analogy based and mixed with some stories/jokes, which is what makes it so fun to read! It's the rare guitar book that has great text and strong musical examples that are custom built to be expanded on. Sounds like a great forumla to me! Since I couldn't find them in-store at Powell's, I went ahead and grabbed them off Amazon. These are two of the best guitar books I've ever read, and I've read quite a few! 5 stars, highly recommended for intermediate to advanced players. Check out this link for a recent free webcast he did for licklibrary.com that covers much of the material in the book, and is pretty entertaining as well. At just over an hour and a half, it'd better be.

The place for guitar lesson tutorials and guitar tuition dvd products. Total Accuracy Guitar Workshops, backing tracks, guitar tabs and MP3 Downloads. Join the Lick Library Community today.

08/25/2010

Peterson's iStroboSoft tuner. I've used this tuner in lessons countless times. It’s an outstanding tuner for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The tuner is great for two reasons: it’s incredibly accurate (1/10 cent) and has a low price ($10). Their hardware tuners range in cost from $70 all the way up to $3500. This is the most accurate handheld tuner I’ve ever used, and I’ve used a whole a lot of them. With the price coming in at under 10 bucks, it‘s a must have!

Learn more, read reviews, and download iStroboSoft by Peterson Tuners on the iTunes App Store.