I wanted to provide some context for these MIDI controller recommendations.
We did just keyboards in this article, but that felt a little too broad and not focused enough. At the same time, all DAWs and nearly all MIDI controllers function in more or less the same way. Even as we've … Read More
First, it's important for me to be clear that I believe Fender is a fantastic company that has done more for the arts and the guitar playing community than one could ever truly appreciate. Often imitated, their instruments are enviably well-built, designed with originality and have been played by many … Read More
Way back in 2007 the LA Times ran a story about the surge in sales to female guitarists and how retailers were responding. Nearly a decade later, the trend of guitar and bass becoming more gender-neutral hobbies has picked up a lot more steam. In fact, all-female bands are seen by … Read More
GarageBand 10 makes the use of amp models and effects with external instruments very robust and functional. In this article I'll walk you through how to use GarageBand to setup a cascading delay effect with your guitar, using one of these experimental amp models.
I'm running a 2005 PRS CE … Read More
I remember when my mom used to teach me piano and I always struggled to read both the bass and treble clef at the same time. For some reason my 10-year old brain just couldn't grasp the difference between those lower notes and the melody I was hearing on the higher … Read More
I'm familiar enough with Geoff Edgers' accomplishments to understand that he's an excellent journalist and writer, who is well-versed in the areas of arts and performance from a broad cultural perspective. He's certainly qualified to comment on the current state of the electric guitar.
His recent article, entitled "The Slow, Secret … Read More
We're going to look at building a recording booth from the ground up, covering everything you'll need to setup a permanent, acoustically-treated vocal booth in your home or existing studio space.
First, please note the use of the word permanent.
There are many types of movable or what we'd call de-mountable recording … Read More
If you've been following Guitar Chalk for any length of time, you'll notice we always put a banner photo at the top of all our articles.
90 percent of the time those banner photos come to us from a Flickr account run by a fella from Belgium, under the profile … Read More
Particularly in western music, pop, rock and the post-grunge era, chord progressions are simple.
Here's what I mean:
Chord progressions follow or harmonize with bass lines which are often straightforward and easy to decipher. Even in songs that might sound complicated, with tricky rhythms or lengthy melody lines, bass lines will typically be easy … Read More
Typically, lead guitar players (at least the good ones) don't simply run through an entire scale and try to pass it off as their own solo.
Because scales are structural.
They are a static construct.
In other words, they're templates and not finished products. Thus, using them properly and effectively … Read More
