Matt Levitates While Soloing

All this week I will be featuring the best content of 2008 from Live Musician Central. These posts are made up of the most popular on the site as well as some of my personal favorites. Just click on any of the articles highlighted in the slideshow at the top of the main page. You can also get to them by clicking this link: Live Musician Central Top Posts of 2008. -Matt-

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Live Musician Central Best Of 2008

Matt With American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster

   Being a guitarist in a live band, I’m constantly asked “What guitar do you play?”. The truth is I have a modest guitar collection of about 12 guitars so I play a lot of different guitars. But there is one particular model that stands out above the rest. That is my beloved Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. I actually have two American Deluxe Strats and A Jeff Beck Signature Strat that is very similar to an American Deluxe Stratocaster. The two I’d like to talk about today are my 2004 50th Anniversary American Deluxe Stratocaster and my 2005 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster. They are both very similar to each other and incredible guitars.

   I got the 50th Anniversary American Deluxe Stratocaster when it was released in 2004 because I had always wanted a collectible guitar and I love the Stratocaster. My Jeff Beck Signature Strat had been serving me well for about 9 years and I was looking for another good guitar. The reason I got the American Deluxe version rather than the American Standard version was because I absolutely love the feature set that is on the American Deluxe Stratocaster.

   I am not a traditionalist when it comes to electric guitars. I love cutting edge innovations and the 2004 and beyond versions of the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster are loaded with Fenders latest Strat innovations. The most notable being the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless (SCN) pickup and the S-1 pickup switching system. I ended up buying the 2005 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster to use as my main stage guitar since I fell so in love with playing the 50thAnniversary Strat but didn’t want to wear the anniversary Strat out using it onstage.

   I play a lot of high gain sounds with both of my bands and having a noiseless pickup is crucial to having an enjoyable live sound. I have other guitars with traditional single coil pickups in them and they are very good for certain situations but not as an all-around stage guitar primarily because of the nasty hum that comes with them. I wanted my American Deluxe to be my main onstage guitar so the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups really fit the bill. Do they sound like a traditional single coil pickup? I would say they sound similar to a traditional single coil but they are not identical sounding. I still get that famous Stratocaster twang out of them when I want it because the American Deluxe Strats have a no-load tone control on the bridge pickup. What this does is allow you to switch off the tone control and have a direct wired pickup-to-output sound from the guitar. It’s extremely bright and that’s the closest I can get to actual traditional single coil sound. The SCN pickups in general have a slightly darker sound than traditional singles but I like the way they sound and I love the uniqueness of the sound. I definitely don’t want to sound like everyone else and the SCN pickups really help me in that area. As for their ability to cancel hum, they’re just as quiet as the humbuckers on my Gibson Les Paul Custom. Fantastically quiet for a single coil pickup and they still have a ton of output.

   The second huge advantage of the American Deluxe Stratocaster is the revolutionary S-1 switching system. This is a simple push button in the middle of the master volume knob that when pressed gives you several different pickup combinations as well as new serial and parallel pickup wiring options. The S-1 switching system is used together with the traditional 5-way pickup selector that has been used on the Strat for years now. The tonal options that this switching system opens up is unprecedented on a factory produced guitar. Strat modifiers have been doing this sort of thing for years but now you can get it straight from Fender with full warranty support. I use every pickup combination over the course of a 4-hour gig. The tonal variations are pronounced and very useful. The sounds can be similar to a humbucker or single coil but in the end, they are unique to this guitar. I personally love the fact that the instrument is breaking new ground in the tone department. With the SCN pickups and the S-1 Switching sytem I can get pretty much any sound I want. When I use these guitars with my Fender Cyber-Twin SE amplifier the sounds I can produce are virtually unlimited.

   There are several other features I love about the American Deluxe Stratocaster. I love the rolled edges and glassy smooth fretwork on the edges of the neck. My fingers never get sore from bumping up and down the edges of the neck. On my 50th Anniversary Strat I have the C-Shaped neck and on my American Deluxe Ash StratI have the V-Shaped neck. I personally prefer the feel of the C-Shaped neck but there really isn’t a ton of difference between the two. They both fit the hand very well and each have the rolled edges and super-smooth fretwork. I also love the new contoured heel where the neck joins the guitar body. It fits the palm of my hand extremely well when I’m playing on the upper frets.

   Another thing I really love about the American Deluxe is the two-point synchronized tremolo. This tremolo works very well and combined with the staggered, locking tuners the guitar stays in tune amazingly well. The staggered tuners make it possible to use only one string-tree and that reduces string drag. The locking tuners make changing the strings on the Strat a breeze so I change them more often than I do on my double-locking tremelo guitars. Another thing about the bridge which is a big advantage over the American Standard is the fact that the American Deluxe uses solid steel bridge pieces under the strings. I much prefer these bridge pieces to the American Standards bent steel plates it uses for bridge pieces. I always use Big Bends Nut Sauce guitar lubricant in the string slots, on the string tree, on the bridge pieces and the two pivot points of the tremelo and my guitar never goes out of tune unless I really abuse it.

Fender American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster

      As I mentioned before, I have the 50th Anniversary American Deluxe Stratocaster and the American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster. The only differences between these two guitars is the body wood and the shape of the neck. The 50th Anniversary Strat has an Alder body which is the most common wood for a Stratocaster. The Ash Strat has a a body made of Ash wood. I can’t hear a huge tonal difference between the two. Some people say that Ash gives you a brighter sound but I personally can’t tell. The biggest difference between the two is the visual aspect of the wood grain itself. The Ash Strat has a much more prominent and varied wood grain than the Alder Strat. I love the look of the ash wood grain. My Cherry Sunburst is semi-transparent so you can see this beautiful ash wood grain. I love to look at the guitar and recommend Ash simply for the visual aspect. Both of the guitars look incredible with the 50th Anniversary Strat having the gold hardware and the Ash Strat having the beautiful wood grain.

   You really can’t go wrong owning the Fender American Delxue Stratocatster. It’s the top of the Stratocaster model lineup for good reason. It really is the best and I wouldn’t change a thing about mine. If I could choose only one guitar to have, it would be the Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster especially when teamed up with my Fender Cyber-Twin SE amplifier. Make sure you check out my post of Carl Verhheyen discussing the Fender Stratocaster.

Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster V Neck Electric Guitar Candy Apple Red Fender’s new American Deluxe Stratocaster V Neck has all the modern features today’s guitarists demand, with some vintage flavor thrown in. All the cool specs of the new American Deluxe Stratocaster are here, plus a classic tinted maple neck with a ’50s V-shape and compound radius fretboard that allows exhilaratingly effortless string bending anywhere along the neck. New N3 noiseless pickups supercharge your sound with improved Stratocaster tones for sparkling bell-like chime with no hum, and reconfigured S-1 switching offers even more knockout tonal options. Additional key features include staggered locking tuners, two point synchronized American Deluxe tremolo bridge with pop-in arm, and beveled neck heel. Comes with a new molded Fender-exclusive/SKB case with glass-reinforced latches and TSA locks, cable, and strap locks.

Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash Electric Guitar Wine Transparent The American Deluxe Stratocaster Ash Electric Guitar incorporates evolutionary advances while retaining the look and feel that has made the Stratocaster legendary.

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The Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster – My Favorite Guitar

Fender Cyber-Twin SE Front

My main onstage guitar amplifier for the last couple years is the Fender Cyber-Twin SE. As a live guitarist this amplifier has been invaluable to me. Because I play in a cover band as well as an original band, I needed an amplifiereffects setup that could cover a wide range of different guitar sounds. At a gig I will use sounds ranging from a country twang to hard rocking Marshall type distortion to full on saturated mid-scooped distortion. I used to use a Digitech 2120 Valve Guitar System but it just didn’t have the punch and presence of an actual amplifier and it’s sound always left me wanting more power. When I was searching for a new amplifier I played a bunch of modeling effects units and amplifiers including the Line 6 POD, Boss GT-8 Effects Processor and the Line 6 Vetta 2 among others. None of those modeling devices gave me the playing response that the Fender Cyber-Twin SE did. The biggest thing I noticed was on the other modeling devices, whether I played light or heavy, or when I turned the guitar down or up, the sound stayed the same. The Fender Cyber-Twin SE responded to my playing touch, guitar volume adjustments and my picking attack. It simply breathes more than a standard DSP modeling amplifier. There’s a secret to how Fender achieved this with the Cyber-Twin SE.

Fender Cyber-Twin SE Back

The Cyber-Twin SE is a 2×12 combo amp with a tube preamp and reconfigurable analog and digital circuitry. The secret to it’s amazing responsiveness is in it’s configurable analog circuitry. This is what sets it apart from other DSP amp modelers like the Line-6 products. The Cyber-Twin SE has a number of analog switches inside that are used to re-route the guitar signal into the various analog circuit configurations. You can actually hear the solenoids switching to the different analog circuits when you turn the control knob to different presets. The analog circuits are actual amplifier circuits made up of the tubes, resistors, capacitors, etc. of the original amplifier circuit that the Cyber-Twin SE is emulating. The Cyber-Twin SE has two 12AX7WC tubes that it uses in the analog circuit section. So when you switch the amp to a Fender Blackface amplifier, the circuit rewires itself to become a Fender Blackface. Because the amp models are actual wired amplifiers, you get actual amplifier response to your playing. That’s why the Fender Cyber-Twin SE responds so well to your playing. Now you can actually play your amplifier as well as your guitar. Once you select an amp model on the Cyber-Twin SE, the built in DSP can radically increase your sonic pallete. The tubes are also easily accessible from the rear panel and can be replaced without the need to re-bias if you replace them with the same type of Fender Groove Tubes.

The fact that the Cyber-Twin SE actually rewires the individual circuit components, resistors, tubes and capacitors makes it unique in the world of ultra-versatile amplifiers. It’s loaded with an array of vintage and modern amplifier tones. The amps that the Cyber-Twin SE can produce by rewiring it’s circuits are the Dyna-Touch, Blackface, Tweed, Modern and British amps (yes that means Marshall). It has 16 drive cuircuits, 12 tube types, 4 solid state types and some extreme types as well. You can combine these drive circuits in a number of different ways to get a large variety of amps. The distortion effect in the DSP section is also assignable and can be routed before or after the analog section. The Cyber-Twin SE uses two 12-inch, 8 ohm Celestion G12T-100 speakers that sound very, very good.

There are a number of other innovative and extremely useful features built into the Fender Cyber-Twin SE. Here are some of my favorites.

It has motorized knobs that turn automatically when you switch presets. This gives you an instant visual to how your amp is set when you switch to a new preset. You can also adjust the knobs on the fly for instant tweaking of the sound and if you want, you can save your adjustments to the same preset or a new one. This makes setting your amplifier equalization very quick and easy, just like a standard one-trick amplifier. I like being able to glance behind me when I’m playing and see exactly where my volume knob is at. Using the MIDI Foot Controller I can control the volume with the pedal, then glance at the amp to see where it moved the volume to by looking at the motorized volume knob that moves when I use the volume pedal. It’s really a great feature!

Another thing I really like is the huge plethora of outputs on the back of the amplifier. It has an Effects Loop, Stereo Headphone Out which when engaged turns off the main speakers, Stereo XLR Outputs (which can be switched to Mono if you prefer), SPDIF Digital Out, and MIDI In/Out/Thru jacks. The XLR outputs are very handy to use for running a line to your PA system if you don’t want to mic the amplifier. They are EQ’d to simulate a mic’d speaker and the speaker simulation is very convincing. The rear panel of the amp also has Right/Left powered speaker outputs which put out 65 Watts RMS per channel, an Expression Pedal input, Rev/FX Bypass input and a Foot Switch input for the included 4-button footswitch.

The Cyber-Twin SE has a built-in tuner that works really well for on-stage tuning. It’s not as accurate as my Peterson tuners but I do use it when I’m in a hurry. The Cyber-Twin SE also has a ton of pre-programmed presets that are what I consider to be a good starting point for programming your own sounds. Luckily there are 100 user locations to store your amp settings in. I currently use about 25 and I doubt I’d ever fill up the whole 100. With the Cyber-Twin SE being so programmable and easy to program it’s not hard at all to dial in some killer amplifier tones. I’m able to cover anything from Johnny Cash to Nine Inch Nails and the amp does it easily.

The Cyber-Twin SE comes with a 4-button footswitch and a single footswitch. The 4-button switch is used to switch between four user assignable presets. So if you can narrow down your sounds to your 4 favorite then this switch will work fine for you. The single footswitch is for the Reverb/Effects Bypass input and allows you to toggle the reverb and effects on and off. So right out of the box the amp is stage ready. The Cyber-Twin SE also comes with an embroidered black amplifier cover that looks really sharp when it’s covering the amp. Another thing I really like about the amp, and I’ve never had an amp with this simple but so convenient feature, is the included casters on the amp. I love being able to roll this amp where I need it to go instead of having to lug it around by the handle. The amp isn’t super heavy but I love those wheels!

There is one accessory that I feel is a must-have with the Cyber-Twin SE and that’s a MIDI foot controller. I use the Fender Cyber Foot Controller which was made specifically for the Cyber-Twin SE but there are many good MIDI foot controller options out there such as the Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Footcontroller. My Fender Cyber Foot Controller has 12 buttons that control the amplifiers presets, a Tap Tempo/Tuner button and an Effects On/Off button. It also has two expression pedals that I use to control Volume and Gain on the fly. You can assign the expression pedals to control almost any parameter on the Cyber-Twin SE. I highly recommend purchasing a MIDI Foot Controller when you buy the amp.

The Fender Cyber-Twin SE is a fantastic amplifier for the money and haven’t regretted buying for a second since I’ve owned it. Please follow the links below to download the Cyber-Twin SE Owners Manual and Schematic Diagram. The Owners manual has in depth descriptions of the many features of the Cyber-Twin SE. On the Schematic, you can see the switching solenoids used for the analog circuits.
Fender Cyber-Twin SE Owners Manual
Fender Cyber-Twin SE Schematic

I have also posted some of my custom programmed patch presets for the Cyber-Twin SE for you to download here: Free Fender Cyber-Twin SE Preset Downloads. If you don’t know how to use MIDI Sysex data I’ve written a tutorial about how to load presets onto the Cyber-Twin SE. I’ve also included a link to download the software to load and save presets from you Cyber-Twin SE: How To Save And Load Presets On Your Cyber-Twin SE

Fender Cyber Twin SE AmpThe Fender Cyber Twin SE Amp is Fender’s best guitar amp. A 2×12 combo with tube preamp, reconfigurable analog and digital circuitry, motorized knobs, and a 2x65W power amp. Includes two footswitches, wheels, and a cover. With new cosmetics, it does everything the original model did with new effects and effect combinations, models, timbre filters, and much more.

Behringer FCB1010 MIDI FootcontrollerIf you’ve got a MIDI rig you need to tame, you’ll find the Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Footcontroller indispensable. With 10 banks of 10 presets, you’ll have plenty of storage space. Each preset can send 5 MIDI program change commands and 2 MIDI control commands simultaneously so you can configure an entire synth rack with one stomp!2 expression pedals independently control any MIDI channel, controller number, and range. The footswitches can also be configured to send MIDI note numbers, perfect for tap-tempo functions. 2 programmable, relay-controlled footswitch jacks are great for switching guitar amp channels via MIDI!

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My Stage Amp – The Fender Cyber-Twin SE

In Stereo Gets Along

   That’s right, getting along is more important than musicianship. This is band chemistry 101 for all you live musicians out there. I’ve played with some of the most incredible musicians I’ve ever heard and I’ve also seen them not able to function in a band for more than a year. The musicians I play with now are all excellent. Maybe not the best in the world, but excellent players. My two bands have been together for 18 years and 14 years respectively. Let me tell you why we’ve been together for so long.

   It all has to do with the fact that we can get along with each other. The musicians that I play with know how to function as a team. There are several basic reasons why my bands function so well as a team. The first and most important is we know how to communicate with each other. When someone is having a problem with another person in the band, there’s rarely a big confrontation. The disagreements are usually handled between the two people having the problem and they’re usually handled in private. Sometimes a 3rd member will be asked to mediate between the members having the problem. Sometimes all four members will sit down and resolve disputes as a group. My point is that my bands will talk to each other. Talking out problems is better than trying to get revenge on each other.

   The next reason we’ve been together for so long is that each member is willing to give a little bit when someone else is really pushing something. The ability to give and take is a huge reason for my bands staying together. I know that each member in my band has tried something that they haven’t wanted to do just because someone else in the band really wanted to do it. Either they’ve learned songs they didn’t like, played gigs they didn’t want to or come to band practice when it wasn’t convenient. The fact is, they did it for the good of the band. It’s those little sacrifices that keep the band together.

   Each member of the band has a defined role in the way the band functions. One member will usually be in charge of the music and making sure all the parts and sequences are there and the songs sound good enough to play out. Another member is in charge of booking the band and dealing with the agents. Another member is in charge of the P.A. system. Other roles in the band include running the light show, getting drinks, tuning guitars and putting together contact information to hand out at the gigs. So another reason my bands have stayed together for so long is that we all take on a role in the band and we make sure our jobs are getting done. It all adds up to a smooth functioning band.

   Finally, we enjoy being around each other and telling jokes and sharing stories. We all take turns speaking and listening and it’s really fun being around each other. That’s a really rare and wonderful thing to be around musicians that can listen to each other when someone is speaking. Enjoying each others company is a huge reason that my bands have stayed together for so long.

   So there you have it, you can put a band together with the most amazing musicians in the world, but if they can’t stand to be around each other, the band will never last. That’s why I say “Getting along is more important than musicianship” for keeping a band together.

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Getting Along Is More Important Than Musicianship

AC/DC Play As A Band

   As a musician have you ever heard the saying “Playing The Song Instead Of The Instrument”? I was having a discussion with some fellow musicians the other day and we were discussing the problem of musicians overplaying during a song. It’s something that I guarantee you’ll have to deal with at some point if you’re playing in a band.

   Let’s define what overplaying is: Overplaying is when you play too much to suit the song. Let’s use the drums as an example. A blatant example of overplaying would be changing the beat deliberately to 5/4 without the rest of the band, just for a measure or two to show you can do it. Blatant overplaying would also be putting a drum break in every bit of extra space in a song. Lets look at the guitar, overplaying would be throwing in a solo lick after each phrase or running the solo on long after it gets boring. For all the instruments blatant overplaying would be a part that is way too busy for the song. If the song has a tempo of 80 BPM and 3 chords then a bass line that consists of all 16thnote runs spread over 2 octaves is most likely overplayed. A “too busy” bass line can just kill a song.

   Another example of playing the instrument instead of the song is by formulaic pattern playing. I’ve heard drummers that have a pattern to their drum breaks regardless of the song. They’ll put a drum break at the end of the intro, verse, chorus, bridge and solo just like clockwork on every song. That’s not a bad thing and it’s not blatant overplaying but it makes me wonder if they’re really listening to the song? Perhaps the song could be made more engaging by running the 4/4 groove right from the chorus to the verse without a break. The same can be said for fills played on every other instrument.

   So how can we Play The Song Instead Of The Instrument? The most important thing we can do is use our ears and listen. Get familiar with the song and be aware of what the song itself is trying to say. Is it a love song? A fight song? A song that deals with teenage angst? The subject matter of the song can dictate where you should go with your part. A balladmay mean laying back and letting the chords ring out with a tasty fill placed here and there. A fight song may need you to completely focus on laying down a simple, primal rhythm. The second thing you can do is to stop playing for a minute and pay attention to what everyone else is doing. Listen for a space that you can fill while at the same time leaving space for other instruments to fill. You may need to back off while the keyboards build an ambiance behind a building vocal line. One of the most powerful things any player can do is stop playing for a measure or two and then come back in. Your re-entry into the song will make you stand out way more than a fancy 128th note run. Just remember it should support the song.

   One of the very hardest things for a band to learn is how to lock their parts together. It’s not individually glorious for the drummer and bass player to lock in on a repeating bass drum rhythm for an entire verse. Yet that’s what can really move a song along. If the guitar, bass and drums all lock in on an 8th note driving rhythm for an entire verse, then the bass and guitar drop out while the drummer does a drum break, that’s power! That’s playing the song on the part of everyone. Not playing the song is when you drive that rhythm then everyone does a break at the same time and it ends up sounding like cats fighting. Another way to play a song is to do a coordinated break where everyone plays a break together using the same note phrase and rhythm. It takes some planning to do this stuff but that’s what sets the great bands apart from the poor ones.

   Which brings me to my last point, communication. You have to talk about what you want to do in a song. It’s a good thing to plan the breaks out and to plan when an instrument will drop out and let another instrument come to the front. That makes a song interesting to listen to. We have to remember that the song is greater than the individual instruments. So let’s all make a commitment to start Playing The Song Instead Of The Instrument.

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Playing The Song Instead Of The Instrument

Mackie Quad EQ

   One of the most important aspects of mixing music in a live venue or in the studio is the use of equalization. The other day I wrote about how to tweak your guitar amplifier EQ settings. Today I’m going to write about the effect of equalization on other parts of the mix.

   Having a good EQ at your disposal with your P.A. or home studio is one of the most important pieces of gear you can have. It seems like every time I play in a different venue I have to change the EQ of the main P.A. system. Every room has unique sound characteristics and in order to have your band sound the same from room to room you will have to make changes on the EQ. Mackie makes a fantastic EQ called the
Mackie Quad EQ 4-Channel Digital Graphic Equalizer. It’s an extremely powerful live Equalizer that will let you analyze the room with a built in pink noise generator and a microphone input. By generating pink noise through the P.A. and putting a microphone out in the room the Quad EQ will give you a visual readout of the frequency response of the room. This is the easiest way to make sure your EQ settings are consistent from room to room. By boosting or cutting specific frequencies you will be able to get the same frequency response in every room you play. The nicest thing about setting your main EQ like this is you won’t have to touch individual instrument, channel or board master EQ’s at all after they’ve been set at one room. The Quad EQ will also give you a visual readout of frequencies that are causing feedback allowing you to cut those frequencies and eliminate the feedback. It really is a must for proper live sound.

   If you’re mixing music at home or you’re searching for a great live mix you should know which frequency ranges affect which instruments. Bob Dennis has written a great table that outlines each frequency range and which instruments they most prominently affect. You can check out his article here: Equalization Key Frequencies.

   Now that you have some reference for your EQ settings all you have to do is listen and decide what you like to hear. One way I approach EQ’ing is by listening to some of my favorite album mixes. I then try to match what I’m hearing on my own music. It all comes down to what sounds good to you and having a good EQ at your disposal will let you find that perfect mix.

Mackie Quad EQ 4-Channel Digital Graphic EqualizerThe Mackie Quad EQ employs 4 – 30-band graphic, Adaptive-Q Equalizers to provide equalization <## HC plus mn ##>12dB using 30 individual EQ filters, without the ripple and boosting effects found on traditional (Constant-Q) units. These Adaptive-Q filters and super-accurate LED display ladders paint a highly detailed picture of the Quad EQ’s effect on the output signal. In other words, what you see in the display is what you get.Of course, if you’re the type of person that likes to measure and analyze, you’d really want to get a mic and an RTA unit. For the first time, sound-pressure level (SPL) and SMAART real-time analyzer (RTA) meters are no longer expensive add-ons, but part of a fully integrated, user-friendly package. The Quad EQ includes an SIA reference mic, as well as a dedicated reference mic input. Once plugged in, SPL can be displayed via a bright 3-digit display in the upper right corner. Or simply press the mic button and the RTA will display what’s going on in the room, on the same ultrabright ladders as the EQ filters. In this way, you can simultaneously view your EQ settings versus what the results are. And RTA data is post EQ, so if you encounter feedback, you can quickly see it, cut it, and view the results. Mackie also added some features live sound folks will really appreciate: 99 user snapshots to store and recall your EQ settings; a built-in pink noise generator; variable hi and low pass filters with multiple slopes on all 4 channels; stereo linking of channels A/B and C/D; high-quality TRS and XLR input/output, and a Planet Earth power supply for use anywhere between 100 and 240V.People are really attracted to sound engineers who know how to operate equipment with lots of flashing lights, so the Quad EQ was especially designed with plenty of lights. (Heh!)

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Getting Proper Equalization With EQ Frequencies

Steinway Concert Grand

   My first step into my music career was learning to play the trumpet when I was 10 years old. It came naturally for me and I enjoyed the instrument. When I turned 11 years old my sister began taking piano lessons. One day I sat down at the piano and my sisters beginning piano book was on the piano. I opened it up and proceeded to play the entire book in one afternoon. That book was John Thompson’s – Teaching Little Fingers To Play. It was easy to read and learn from and my soul as a musician drank it all in. Naturally my parents had been listening to me working on that book and suggested that I may want to take piano lessons along with my sister. I did and from that point on the piano became the musical root of everything I have done musically since.

   There are so many benefits to having a working knowledge of the piano. For one thing it is laid out in a very logical manner. Think of the keys all in a row from left to right, low note to high note in a 12-note western scale repeating pattern. It’s easy to learn and memorize. Contrast that with a guitar whose strings are tuned in 4ths, except for the 2nd string which is tuned to a 3rd from the G-string. The guitar has the lowest string at the top and the highest at the bottom. You have to learn the guitar vertically as well as horizontally. It adds up to mass confusion especially for begginers. I always struggle teaching beginning students their way around the guitar. Not so with the piano. I know I have some good talent and that contributed to how easily I learned the piano. But a large part of why the piano came so easily to me is because it’s theory is so logical.

   When I taught myself guitar I had been playing piano for about 2 years. I initially taught myself how to play melodies on the guitar using piano music and finding the corresponding notes on the guitar. The translation wasn’t easy at all. Finally in frustration I got a guitar chord book and a Beatles songbook and began to learn the chords to Beatles songs on the guitar. I did as every guitarist does and memorized chord positions and moved them around the neck of the guitar to find the right chords for the songs and I sang along with my guitar chords. I did very well but I didn’t grasp how all the chords related in a musical theory sort of way.

   Again, the piano came to my rescue. I started to figure out how to play the individual guitar chords on the piano and that’s when the musical revelations started to happen. I saw how when I played the C, F and G chords how I only used white keys on the piano. I finally figured out this was the I-IV-V chord progression for the key of C. From there, the chordal world opened up to me as I could see how the chords fit in with each each Key having learned all the major scales during my piano studies. Once I began to use the piano and guitar together the world of both instruments opened up to me. The revelations always seemed to come from the piano.

   I’ve applied my piano skills to all aspects of playing in a rock band. From understanding how the bass, drums and guitar interact in the same way as the keys of the piano. I also use my piano skills when I’m sequencing backing tracks that my band uses when we play live. I’ve recorded several songs where every instrument has been played on the keyboard including the drums. The piano has served me in songwriting as well as performance. Over the years as I’ve learned to play various instruments I always have the piano close at hand to see how things line up with the keyboard.

   I’m not a master on the piano like I am on the guitar and when people ask me what instrument I play I say The Guitar. But I have to admit that a lot of the time when I’m playing the guitar, I’m thinking piano. The piano is an old and trusted friend. It’s also the most important instrument I’ve ever learned. -Matt-

   Addendum: Please read Dr. Christopher Foley’s follow up article “Piano as a Second Language” on The Collaborative Piano Blog.

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The Most Important Instrument To Learn – The Piano

Pete Townshend - Rock Induced Deafness

   One of the most important pieces of advice I can give to young musicians is simply to take good care of your hearing. I was diagnosed with a hearing loss when I was 16 years old and had only been playing in a band a couple of years. I was still pretty careless with my hearing for much of my early career. Finally the hearing specialists started telling me I needed hearing aids. That got my attention and I’ve been very careful with my hearing the last 15 years or so.

   The best thing I’ve done for my hearing is to get a pair of custom molded, sonic filter type earplugs made specially for musicians. I have the Westone ES49 Custom Fit Earplugs. Mine are a light tan color and are barely visible from the audience. They sound fantastic and because they are custom molded to my ear they’re extremely comfortable.

   Here’s how Musicians Earplugs are different from everyday earplugs. Regular earplugs block sound by baffling the entire ear canal with whatever material they’re made of. The problem we run into with regular earplugs as musicians are twofold. First, they block frequencies unevenly so you lose all the high frequencies and most of the high-mid frequencies. That leaves you with way too much bass and it sounds completely unnatural, especially to a trained musician. Second, regular earplugs take the sound level down too far and you can’t hear what’s going on around you enough to play or sing. Musicians earplugs on the other hand have a hollow center that is filled with a sonic filter. What the filter does is bring all frequencies down a preset db level and they bring all frequencies down evenly. So the music still sounds natural, it’s just at a lower volume level. The filters I use bring the music down 15db. I could use 9db,or 25db if I wanted to as they are interchangeable with the molds. The 15db reduction is perfect for my hearing.

   To get these type of earplugs you have to go to an audiologist and have them make molds of your ear canal. They then send the molds to Westone and they make a pair of custom earplugs that fit your ear canal. They are by far the most comfortable plugs you will ever wear.

   I use my earplugs when I’m playing and using live floor monitors. I use them when I’m at concerts or out listening to other bands. I have had regular hearing tests and I haven’t lost any more hearing than an average person of my years since I’ve been using them. It’s nice to come home from a gig and not have my ears ringing at the end of the night. I wish I could give you a happy ending but my ears have developed a new problem with sound pressure levels. Once sound pressure gets to a certain level, my left ear will cut out, crackle and sound like radio static. My ear Dr. says it’s a condition called recruitment where the good nerves try to compensate for the bad ones resulting in my hearing static. It’s not pleasant and I don’t wish it on anyone. That’s why I’m telling you to protect your most important asset, your hearing!

   If you would like to try some sonic filters just to see how they work you can try a pair of these:
Hearos High Fidelity Ear Filters. They work on the same principle as the custom fit earplugs I have but they are a generic fit. They aren’t as comfortable though and you will be aware of their presence. But they’re better than nothing! Don’t end up like Pete Townsend and not be able to hear your grandchildren when they speak.

Hearos High Fidelity Ear Filters This breakthrough product is the only one of its kind to deliver “flat attenuation” for musicians. Flat attenuation enables the wearer to hear the music just as it was intended, LESS up to 12 decibels of potentially damaging noise. For concerts and jam sessions that can exceed 125 decibels, this product is the way to go. Washable and reusable. One pair with keychain case.

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Take Care Of Your Hearing With Musicians Earplugs

Elvis - Dancing or just nervous?

   I’ve had my bouts of stage fright over the course of my career although I’ve never had it really bad. I’ve played with other musicians who were just overwhelmed with stage fright. I’ve played with guys that were throwing up before every gig because they got so nervous.

   Let me start off with a little quote from The King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley: “I’ve never gotten over what they call stage–fright. I go through it every show. I’m pretty concerned, I’m pretty much thinking about the show. I never get completely comfortable with it, and I don’t let the people around me get comfortable with it, in that I remind them that it’s a new crowd out there, it’s a new audience, and they haven’t seen us before. So it’s got to be like the first time we go on.” – taken from http://quotations.about.com

   The worst experience I ever had in a band due to stagefright happened way back in High School. Our band was going to play a couple of original songs in an assembly and we had a great keyboard player who was also the bands lyricist. We had no clue that he had such terrible stage fright because he was so excited about being in the band and writing music. Rehearsals went great and we were really sounding good. So the day of the gig comes and the keyboard player doesn’t show up. We were freaking out wondering where the heck he is and how are we going to play this gig without him. So, we sucked it up and went out played without the keyboard player. It went really well and we got a ton of compliments and were pretty popular around the school. The crowd didn’t know they had missed some great keyboard parts but we sure did. So being young and not very sympathetic we let our keyboard player know in no uncertain terms that it was totally uncool to let us down like that. We also kicked him out of the band.

   I still feel bad about that after all these years. We should have been more understanding and nowadays I would handle it differently. I’ve learned to deal with stage fright a number of different ways and I’ve learned to help my bandmates if they’re struggling with it. The first and easiest way to deal with stage fright is to be prepared! Know your parts forward and backward. You should have everything memorized including what you’re going to say between songs. Leave as little to chance as possible. Get your songlist ready, double check your equipment, do a soundcheck and have your bandmates double check as well. Nothing is as comforting as being prepared for the show. Crazy things will happen and it’s a lot easier to deal with problems if you’re not worrying about remembering lyrics that you should have memorized.

   The next thing you want to do is visualize. This goes right along with being prepared. You want to imagine everything that could possibly happen at a gig and then figure out how to deal with it in advance. Visualize how you’ll deal with equipment failure, or heckling and booing. Then visualize a perfect show from start to finish. Imagine everything going perfectly and then run that over and over in your mind.

   When it comes to helping nervous band members, let them know they’re not alone. That’s the beautiful thing about being in a band is it’s a group experience. You’re not going to have to go through it by yourself. Your band really becomes your family in a lot of ways as you play together. Let your nervous bandmate know that you’re going to be standing right up there next to them and that you’ll be facing that crowd together.

   Finally, remember that the worst that can happen is that you blow the gig. You could get booed off the stage, have things thrown at you and have all your equipment start on fire. If that happens, so what! That’s how we learn so the next time you play a gig you can know what you should or shouldn’t do. So hang in there people and don’t let a little stage fright keep you from playing in front of an audience. I guarantee you it’s one of the biggest thrills in the world to get up there and see and hear a crowd cheering for you!

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Settle Your Nerves – Dealing With Stage Fright

No you can't use my microphone!

Man if I had $5 for every time I’ve been asked “Can I Play Your Guitar?” I’d be rich! I’ve had people stumble up to me at gigs drunk out of their mind and ask if they can sit in with the band, and of course play my guitar to do it. I once had a guy grab my 2nd guitar off the stage while I was playing and play air guitar with it. Lucky for that guy he was a visiting Japanese dignitary at a marketing convention that didn’t speak any english. I think he knew enough from my reaction to quickly put my guitar back. I guess some words are universal. So when somebody asks me “Can I Play Your Guitar?” my policy is to simply say “No”. There are several reasons I’ve learned to just say no over the years.

The first and biggest reason is the strong emotional attachment musicians have to their instruments. We get attached to an instrument that we hold close to our bodies, sweat all over and use to express our most intimate musical outpourings. Our instrument really becomes a part of us because of the hours we spend setting it up, fine tuning it to fit our hands, practicing on it, cursing it and loving it when we play something beautiful on it. People don’t understand what they’re asking for when they ask “Can I play your guitar?”. It’s kind of like asking to sleep with a persons wife.

Another thing that people don’t understand is that to play professionally and sound great you need great equipment. Great equipment isn’t cheap and musicians are not generally rich. So we are extremely protective of our expensive equipment.  Even something as simple as a scratch in the paint is going to lower the instruments value and it’s going to nag the owner every time they see that scratch.

Finally, if we let someone who’s not in the band get up and play with the band and they sound like crap, it makes the whole band sound like crap. We’ve let people get up and sing with us that were just awful. The crowd hated it and so did we. The worst that ever happened to me is when we let a guy get up and sing and he totally blew it. Didn’t know the words, couldn’t carry a tune and it was awful. Then he had the gall to turn around and accuse us of making him sound bad. So chalk up another reason for the “Just Say No” policy.

So to handle the folks that ask “Can I play your guitar?” or relentlessly bother us to sit in with the band to sing. We just tell them that if they want to come to a regular band rehearsal to prove they can play and then bring their own guitar and amp to the gig, then we’ll gladly let them sit in with the band. Unless they do that, then the answer will always be no!

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Can I Play Your Guitar?