7 Questions with Jason Vieaux

Nov 05 2009 Published by Jason Shadrick under 7 Questions

JV White shirt seated 4

Describe your first experience playing music.

My first experiences playing music were my goofing around with my first guitar at 5, guitar/theory lessons when I was six, recorder ensemble during my elementary education. But my first musical EXPERIENCE was putting on records by The Beatles, Wilson Pickett, Aretha, Eddie Floyd, Credence, Ahmad Jamal, Ken Nordine,Kai Winding, Chico Hamilton, Bay City Rollers, many others, between 3-5 yrs of age. That was my favorite activity, and probably still is.

What has been your most significant musical experience?

Probably the answer to question #1. Or when I heard the White Album

at age 6. Or hearing David Russell in concert when I was 14.

What is the best advice on pursuing a career in music you were ever given?

My teacher, John Holmquist, when I was a student at CIM: “Music Business is two words”, and “Never play your music faster than your ability to articulate it clearly to your listener”. That 2nd quote is a very important lesson for the aspiring professional guitarist that perhaps more guitarists could take to heart.

What is your favorite sound?

Too hard to answer, but at least this week it’s Bernard Purdie playing drums on “Caves of Altamira”. Name some of your biggest non-musical influences. My father: “even if this doesn’t become your job, you can always come home from work and play guitar for your own enjoyment” (he told me this when I was 11) and “even if there’s 1 person in the audience, you should play for that person, because they came to hear music” (when I was about 12).

What is the most memorable concert you ever attended?

Aforementioned D Russell concert, Julian Bream in ’88, Cleveland Orchestra Mahler 2nd 1999, Mitsuko Uchida in Philly playing a Mozart Piano Quintet 2000?, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny trio setting and with Gary Burton. Too many, I know.

Put your iPod on shuffle and name the first 5 songs that come up.

No iPOD, but since we’re talking “pop” songs…this week only,

don’t get it twisted…

- electric relaxation, a tribe called quest

- refuge of the roads, joni mitchell

- black cow, steely dan

- death of auto-tune, jay-z

- bleed, meshuggah

Keep up with Jason at www.jasonvieaux.com

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Syncopation and the Art of Sounding Clever

Oct 17 2009 Published by Jason Shadrick under Guest Post, Guitar Lessons

This is a guest post from Peter Hodgson, who is the editor of the iheartguitar blog.  It is one of my top 5 blogs I would recommend to anyone who is interested in guitar.  If you are interested in contributing a guest post, please contact me here.

GuitarOne of the most effective ways of injecting excitement into a riff is syncopation. In a nutshell, syncopation is when you play a note on a beat where you probably wouldn’t expect a note. Now, when I’m playing guitar I tend to approach rhythm differently at different times. When I’m soloing I’m led by whatever melody pops into my head. As a result, the rhythm can be a bit unconventional. But when I’m playing metal rhythm, I’m all about the 16th note pulse. I keep the 16th notes in mind even if I’m not actually playing them – for example, even when I’m playing a chugging 8th note riff I’m listening to the notes in between as well, and every now and then I might fill those spaces with little accents. Try it some time: picture the musical bar as a version of that board game Mastermind, except instead of four rows to put the pegs in, there are 16. Each peg represents a note or chord, and there’s ya rhythm.

As an example of syncopation I present to you a couple of riffs from my song ‘Just One Thing,’ which you can hear a rough mix of on my Myspace at www.myspace.com/peterhodgson The first riff has a note on every one of those 16 spaces, but some of them are accented chord stabs and others are palm-muted. The result is a steady pulse punctuated by jarring but kinda cool chords in places where you don’t really expect them, and this track has burned the brain of many a drummer for the first few listens. Initially it seems like an odd time signature, and it’s fun to watch a drummer take out the slide ruler and metronome to try to figure out where the ‘one’ is, only to realise the underlying beat is so simple that even a guitarist like me could come up with it.

Another way to approach this riff, if you’re not into the whole ‘thinking in 16th notes’ thing is to run the riff through a few times then only think about the fretted notes, letting the open-string notes in between take care of themselves by going on semi-autopilot with your alternate picking. That’s a method I find especially handy playing some Muse riffs where I’d rather enjoy the riff than think about the maths behind it.

The autopilot alternate picking method ain’t gonna help you in Riff 2 though. This one is purely chord-stab, with no chuggy muted notes in between. You need to pay close attention to the rhythm to get this one to work. Once again, imagine 16 slots. Okay? Okay. Now, in the first bar of this section, the chords fall on sub-beats 1, 2, 5, 10 and 15/16 (the last two actually being a three-note chug). Let’s try this with capitals and lower-case letters: BA-BA-ba-ba-BA-ba-ba-ba-ba-BA-ba-ba-ba-ba-BADDABA.

Obviously this kinda stuff is best used as a springboard for your own riffs and ideas. You could probably even use a 16-sided dice (you have one in your junk drawer, right?) to help you come up with random note locations. Above all, just have fun with it and don’t hurt yourself.

Download the TAB (PDF)

Syncopationtab

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7 Questions with Mary Halvorson

Sep 17 2009 Published by Jason Shadrick under 7 Questions, Guitar

A big reason I wanted to start the 7 Questions project is to enlighten some of my readers to musicians who deserve wider
recognition.  Mary Halvorson is a guitarist who has recently gained some critical attention, but still unknown to a large audience.
Originally from Boston she gravitated to more avant garde jazz music at an early age. She then went to Wesleyan University where
she met an important mentor in Anthony Braxton.
Mary’s style is equal parts angular and melodic.This gives her music an interesting feel but it also doesn’t become repettitve. I
have yet to see Mary live, but hope to real soon.  Currently she is residing in Brooklyn and gigs all over.  Make sure to check her
website and pick up her latest disc, Dragon’s Head on Firehouse 12 Records.
Describe your first experience playing music.
Sad to say, I honestly don’t remember. I played classical violin from ages 7-11, so likely it was something to do with the violin.
The Violin Years are a blur. However, I do remember my first gig on guitar. It was at Berklee College of Music summer program when
I was probably fifteen. We were playing Little Sunflower by Freddie Hubbard. I was so nervous and my hands were sweating so much
that my pick slipped out of my fingers and fell on the floor.
What has been your most significant musical experience?
Meeting and playing music with Anthony Braxton.
What is the best advice on pursuing a career in music you were ever given?
Have low expectations.
What is your favorite sound?
Church bells.
Name some of your biggest non-musical influences.
Astrology and cities.
What was the most memorable concert you ever attended?
Probably the Art Ensemble of Chicago in Boston when I was a teenager. It was doubly memorable because I was with my father and it
was his most memorable concert as well. It opened up a whole world for both of us.
Put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 5 songs that appear
“Mean Old World” by Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers
“Are you Lonesome Tonight?” by Elvis Presley
“Divining a Hot Spot” by Gorge Trio
“A Night in Tunisia” by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
“Madness” by Miles Davis

A big reason I wanted to start the 7 Questions project is to enlighten some of my readers to musicians who deserve wider recognition.  Mary Halvorson is a guitarist who has recently gained some critical attention, but still unknown to a large audience. Originally from Boston she gravitated to more avant garde jazz music at an early age. She then went to Wesleyan University where she met an important mentor in Anthony Braxton.

Mary’s style is equal parts angular and melodic.This gives her music an interesting feel but it also doesn’t become repettitve. I have yet to see Mary live, but hope to real soon.  Currently she is rMaryHalvorsonesiding in Brooklyn and gigs all over.  Make sure to check her website and pick up her latest disc, Dragon’s Head on Firehouse 12 Records.

Describe your first experience playing music.

Sad to say, I honestly don’t remember. I played classical violin from ages 7-11, so likely it was something to do with the violin. The Violin Years are a blur. However, I do remember my first gig on guitar. It was at Berklee College of Music summer program when I was probably fifteen. We were playing Little Sunflower by Freddie Hubbard. I was so nervous and my hands were sweating so much that my pick slipped out of my fingers and fell on the floor.

What has been your most significant musical experience?

Meeting and playing music with Anthony Braxton.

What is the best advice on pursuing a career in music you were ever given?

Have low expectations.

What is your favorite sound?

Church bells.

Name some of your biggest non-musical influences.

Astrology and cities.

What was the most memorable concert you ever attended?

Probably the Art Ensemble of Chicago in Boston when I was a teenager. It was doubly memorable because I was with my father and it was his most memorable concert as well. It opened up a whole world for both of us.

Put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 5 songs that appear

“Mean Old World” by Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers

“Are you Lonesome Tonight?” by Elvis Presley

“Divining a Hot Spot” by Gorge Trio

“A Night in Tunisia” by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers

“Madness” by Miles Davis

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11 Guitarists You Need To Know About

Sep 09 2009 Published by Jason Shadrick under Guitar

Every summer while on tour with NGW I learn about a new guitarist that either I have never heard of or hear a track that makes me rethink how I listen to someone. Below I have listed 20 guitarists that I feel are appreciated enough and should be exposed to a larger audience.

Go support them. Buy their CD. Go see them live. Even, email them and ask for a lesson. At the very least go to their website and say thanks.

Mary Halvorson – Mary is one of the leading guitarists on the NY improv scene. With an angular, yet melodic style she can fit in with artists from Anthony Braxton to Marc Ribot. Pick up her Dragon’s Head album on Friehouse Records.

Andy McKee – Ok, so maybe you aren’t one of the millions of people who have seen Andy’s videos on YouTube. Drawing a clear lineage from Michael Hedges and Preston Reed, Andy is a modern acoustic master.  He also has TABS available on his website. I wish more guitarists did this.

Jody Fisher – Many of you probably recognize Jody’s names from the many books his has written.  His series of jazz method books still ranks as some of the most popular.  I have had the great pleasure to get to know Jody over the last 6 or 7 years and every time we get together I learn something new.

Bret Boyer – Based out of Austin, Texas Bret has become one of my favorite musicians and people.  When I first met Bret, I knew him mostly as a jazz guitarist specializing in fingerstyle guitar.  One of my favorite albums of Bret’s is Grace, a collection of hyms done on solo fingerstyle guitar.  Later on I discovered that he is also an amazing songwriter.

Pat Bergeson – To those of you who live in Nashville, Pat’s name probably won’t be that new to you.  The first time I heard Pat play was one night in Nashville at a bar.  He was playing with Guthrie Trapp and Dave Pomeroy.  Long jams, lots of improv and tons of guitar.  Years ago, Pat was teaching guitar at NGW when Chet Atkins heard him play and convinced him to move to Nashville.

Ben Lacy – As a one-man guitar army, Ben takes tunes and reworks them to fit for solo guitar.  Many other musicans in this niche usually go the acoustic route, but Ben does his damage with a Brian Moore.  Make sure to stop by their booth at the next NAMM to see Ben in person.

Tim Miller – Remember that guy you went to college with and every assignment seemed incredibly easy to him?  Well, imagine that guy crossed with Alan Holdsworth and you get Tim Miller. Coming out of the long line of great musicians from North Texas, he just recently did a stint at the Village Vanguard with Paul Motian.  Not bad.

Amanda Monaco – Once when someone asked Amanda what her music sounded like, she told them “Have you ever heard a fire in a pet store?”.  I personally don’t think that her music is that avant-garde, but it definitely has a modern New York vibe. For the last few summers, I have spent a considerable amount of time on the road with Amanda and I can’t tell you how many times people of come up to me and said how gifted of an educator and musician she is.  Also, she CRANKS out the CD’s.  Don’t forget her blog as well.

David Tronzo – I first heard of David through Amanda Monaco (I think she first met David at NGW, years ago). He is a crazy mad scientist of a player, but well worth checking out.  Recently he did a gig with Kurt Rosenwinkel at Smalls that I heard was out of control.

Andy Aledort – I knew the name just like everyone else of my generation who grew up on his transcriptions in Guitar World, Guitar for The Practicing Musician and other magazines.  A few years ago I received a call from John Scofield asking if Andy could come to a clinic.  It was great to finally meet him in person and thank him for all the help he gave me growing up.  Nowadays, Andy is holding down the guitar chair in Dickey Betts’ band.

Mike Cramer – When I first met Mike, he was really into acoustic delta blues.  Then he went to UNI and became a great jazz guitarist. I would imagine he was bored with that, because he then took to flatpicking bluegrass guitar and won some competitions.  Scary player, super nice guy.  He owns a teaching studio in St. Paul, Minnesota along with his wife and is an in demand player in many styles.  I hate him.

So make sure to Google their names, look at their videos on YouTube, follow them on Twitter and then let me know who I missed in the comments below.

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5 Interesting Articles 8-21-09

Aug 21 2009 Published by Jason Shadrick under Guitar, Guitar Lessons

Below I have linked to 5 different articles that I have been reading and find quite useful.  All of these articles I have passed around to fellow musicians so I felt the need to post them here.  Please check them out and subscribe to these blogs, these guys definitely know what they are doing.

15 Practicing Mistakes that Students Make

Jason Heath was one of the first music bloggers who I really took notice of.  Even though I wasn’t a bass player his Contrabass Conversations Podcast was amazingly captivating.  Many times I spent listening to his interviews while mowing the lawn.  Make sure to dig through his site because he has many, many useful articles that would be helpful to all musicians.

Top Music Pedagogues to Follow on Twitter

Music Education is a big interest of mine, not suprisingly, so the MusTech.net website is one of my most revisited items in my Google Reader.  This article lists a few leading edge educators who combine music and technology in interesting and effective ways.  Right now the list has about 12 educators, but the plan is to keep adding to it to create a comprehensive listing (much like my Twitter Guitar Directory).  This is one to bookmark and revisit.

10 Teaching Tools for Your Lesson Studio

I have been teaching guitar lessons for about 8 years now and I still found this article helpful.  If you are starting to settle into a (hopefully) permanent teaching situation then this list will be very helpful.  My favorite item on the list is the Clif Bars, I can totally relate to getting hungry and still having 3 or 4 lessons to teach before you can leave.

The Unboxing of Sibelius 6

Walt Riberio is one of the leading voices for combining music education and social media.  His videos cover everything from basic theory to gear reviews and even advice on how to best use the internet to spread your message.  I wanted to include this video because I just received a copy of Sibelius 6 and I think it is the greatest notation program available.  There is no way I would of been able to finish my Master’s Degree without it.

How Audacity Can Make Your Practice Time More Effective

Audacity is a great FREE audio editor that can do everything from make loops to slow down tracks at pitch to help with Transcription. NotPlayingGuitar.com is an amazing resource that has many lessons and tips on how to get over the roadblocks that we as musicians sometime fall into. If you are interested in recording some basic tracks and don’t want to spend money, then start with this article.

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