James Marshall Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. Jimi, whose parents refused to buy him a guitar, found a one-stringed ukulele in the trash and studiously learned to play songs by ear. His career took off … Continue reading
Take Five, George Benson Happy Birthday, George Benson! Guitarist and singer-songwriter George Benson was born March 22, 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Benson gave his first concert on ukelele when he was 7, and at age 8 he started playing guitar in nightclubs. He was 10 when … Continue reading
Miles Davis & Keith Jarrett burn the funk down. The Charles Lloyd Quartet with Jarrett, Ron McClure and DeJohnette came to an end in 1968, after the recording of Soundtrack, because of disputes over money as well as artistic differences. Jarrett … Continue reading
Jazz/Funk pioneer Mike Stern talks about his favorite techniques playing over chord changes. The Half-Whole Diminished Scale is particularly useful for using dissonance over dominant 7th chords. Stern’s own words about his style and his journey as a guitarist: I’m … Continue reading
Larry Carlton is unsurpassed in playing complicated chord changes while making them sound smooth and connected to even the musically untrained ear. Larry Carlton was born in Torrance, California. He started learning to play guitar when he was six years … Continue reading
Saxophonist and composer Eddie Harris was born on October 20, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. Harris, along with Nat King Cole, Bo Diddley, Dinah Washington, and other classic Chicago artists, studied under Walter Dyett at DuSable High School. Harris consistently recorded throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, including the … Continue reading
Lightnin’ Hopkins is captured on film performing his song “Mr. Charlie” for children in an excerpt from the 1968 Les Blank documentary “The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins.” Before singing this, he tells the story of a boy who stutters … Continue reading
SEO has earned a significant role earlier in the planning stages of digital campaigns. And it is very popular with marketers for the simple reason that, with SEO, you need a unique, unique proposition. The magic of SEO is that … Continue reading
Before we start doing lots of chord progressions, we should consider adding minor chords to the previous major chords. Using the CAGED method, we find that the E form, A form, and D form chords are best for making into … Continue reading
More CAGED Chords for Guitar: D Form and alterations Here we cover the 5th chord type, the dreaded D form. Don’t mind my bias here; I’ve decided that it’s aptly named the “D Form” chord because one must deform the … Continue reading